Enjoy the latest from our blog, member happenings, and industry news below.
Thanks For The Memories Welcome to Smashcut! A PSA Newsletter dedicated to giving you all the industry news in an entertaining and informative way. Normally I begin this segment with some cutesy thing about the month that is coming up and try to connect it to the upcoming newsletter, but this month I want to be a little different. Recently, a longtime board member, Tony Severe, stepped down from the board to pursue his film career. When Tony told us he was stepping down, it made me stop and reflect on the big change that was about to happen. While we wish him luck in his future endeavors, he will be greatly missed by us all. He has been the longest standing board member in our organization and his knowledge and keen insight has helped us grow into the wonderful company it is today. To say he will be missed is an understatement indeed. I wish to raise a glass to a top-notch member and human being – here’s to you Tony, may we see your work shine bright on the silver screen.
With that said, we wish Tony all the success he can handle and welcome our two new board members: Charles Crawford and Dennis Weiland to the family. Both Charles and Dennis have been long time active members, actually they were among the founding members of the organization. They bring their love of storytelling and desire to step in where Tony has left off to the board. We are excited to have them join us and look forward to working with both Charles Crawford and Dennis Weiland. As the old saying goes, our future is so bright we will need to wear shades…or something like that.
Our guest columnist this month, Lovinder Gil (screenwriter/filmmaker), will be discussing a chapter of his upcoming book on screenwriting titled The Heart of Your Screenplay. He will also be contributing his monthly podcast this month titled Scriptcake. Looking for good books on screenwriting? Jessica Spring Brown will give you the real deal on what books make the grade what ones don’t.
Want to know what’s happening in Hollywood? The deals, the dealmakers, and dealbreakers? Look no further than Smashcut. We do the work, so you don’t have to. From membership happenings to box-office numbers, Smashcut has what you need. So, sit back, pull up your smartphone or tablet and be prepared to spend all day enjoying the wealth of information we have obtained. If you are so inclined, please drop us a line – have any news to share, would like to contribute to the newsletter? We’d love to hear from you.
Carlo Dall’Olmo (Screenwriter/Board Member): Super excited about the two grants we recently obtained through the City of Tempe and AZ Commission on the Arts. Thank you, Paco Maden, for your knowledge and hard work to help us along.
Marie Vereka (Member/screenwriter): Marie Veverka’s pilot script, Sailaway, has had a good few months. It was a finalist in the LA International Screenwriting awards, runner-up in the Scriptapalooza Fellowship competition, in the top 25 of the Save the Cat Screenplay competition, and just made the semifinals of the Stage 32 Television Drama Writing contest landing it a spot on Coverfly’s Red List where it is now in the top 1% of scripts on the site! Her drama pilot script, Ace of Spades, has also wiggled its way to the top 2% on Coverfly, after becoming a finalist in the LA International Screenwriting awards this spring. Marie is working on polishing two more finished pilots (a fantasy and a historical comedy) and has two new projects in the early beat sheet/outline phase.
Dennis Weiland (Board Member/screenwriter): He is looking for screenwriters who would like to write movie shorts on situations regarding medical ethics. For those who would like to participate, he will send you an outline of the proposed screenplay and the chosen article. The article will come mainly from the Hastings Center, a bioethical journal. Those who would like to participate will be sent a list of subjects from which to choose.(First come, first served.)
Movie shorts are the best way to get into the "business." A combination of well-written "shorts" should be marketable to film makers, film colleges and sponsors. Dennis will be happy to serve as a consultant for medical questions or issues that arise.
Here's a chance to be creative and participate in a group with like goals.
Dennis E. Weiland, MD
480-767-6652 weilandmd@gmail.com
Scott Gore (Board Member/screenwriter): Scott just signed a new contract to write "Christmas Karma" for Mitesh Patel to film this December in Flagstaff.
Clint Williams (Member and screenwriter): ENEMY, an conventional Western feature screenplay by Clint Williams, advanced to the quarterfinal round of the 2022 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting. The quarter finalist field comprises the top 359 scripts among nearly 5,600 submissions.
Dale Worthington (member/screenwriter): Dale has just finished writing a 61-page pilot, which he’s very happy with. It is called Hollywood Murder! He has just sent it to Dave Trottier, who he’s used for script evaluations in the past. He has also submitted the first 15 pages to "In the Works." If he gets a pass from Dave, he plans to place it on Blacklist, and will start applying to contests and fellowships, as well as to start working his personal network. Dale would be interested to know if any PSA members has had any interesting experiences with contests and fellowships that they'd like to share.
John McCarney (member/screenwriter): John’s feature Blood and Roses is in the quarterfinals of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science Nicholl Fellowship competition and still alive… It’s his third script that has placed in Nicholl’s since he first started workshopping in the PSA online workshops a couple of years ago …. The other two made the semifinals …
Brad Graber (member/screenwriter/novelist): Brad Graber will be presenting at the August 31st meeting of the Southwest Society of Women Writers on "How to Add Humor Into the Author's Toolkit."
Judith Eisenberg (member/filmmaker): Post-production begins for the short film “42 Seconds” filmed in mid-July in Superior, Az. Three survivors of a mass shooting at a local diner return six months later seeking healing from their shared trauma. Www.42seconds.org
Phoenix Screenwriters Association would like to welcome our new members in 2022, we are excited to have you as a member and look forward to watching you grow as writer: Dale Worthington and Susan Arakawa
The Heart of Your Screenplay
by Lovinder Gill
A big mistake I see screenwriters make is to write a screenplay based on an underdeveloped idea. This is a script killer! If they have not studied the craft of screenwriting, this is a fundamental rule that they unknowingly break before they even begin to write.
Do You Have to Make a Scene?
by Jessica Spring Brown
Of course you do! Not only are you a screenwriter, you are also a scene writer. And the book SceneWriting: The Missing Manual For Screenwriters by Chris Perry & Eric Henry Sanders is going to show you how.
I like these guys. Right off the bat they acknowledge that “brilliant scripts are more than just well-structured outlines. They are a progression of indelible scenes that engage readers through a blend of dialogue, action, and setting.” They promise to “walk you through the entire process of writing a fully realized scene from idea development to final delivery.”
The rewriting process hinders many screenwriters because they start rewriting before they finish the first draft and that often results in never finishing it. Don't make that mistake. Listen and learn what the real goal of writing a first draft is.
Welcome to Smashcut! A PSA Newsletter dedicated to giving you all the industry news in an entertaining and informative way. Normally I begin this segment with some cutesy thing about the month that is coming up and try to connect it to the upcoming newsletter, but this month I want to be a little different. Recently, a longtime board member, Tony Severe, stepped down from the board to pursue his film career. When Tony told us he was stepping down, it made me stop and reflect on the big change that was about to happen. While we wish him luck in his future endeavors, he will be greatly missed by us all. He has been the longest standing board member in our organization and his knowledge and keen insight has helped us grow into the wonderful company it is today. To say he will be missed is an understatement indeed. I wish to raise a glass to a top-notch member and human being – here’s to you Tony, may we see your work shine bright on the silver screen.
With that said, we wish Tony all the success he can handle and welcome our two new board members: Charles Crawford and Dennis Weiland to the family. Both Charles and Dennis have been long time active members, actually they were among the founding members of the organization. They bring their love of storytelling and desire to step in where Tony has left off to the board. We are excited to have them join us and look forward to working with both Charles Crawford and Dennis Weiland. As the old saying goes, our future is so bright we will need to wear shades…or something like that. 
