Last Chance: 2011 Moondance: Submit Your Entry Now!

June garden flowers photo by Dominique Brown

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2011 FINAL CALL FOR ENTRIES!

SUBMISSION CATEGORIES:
•   FEATURE FILMS
•   SHORT FILMS
•   DOCUMENTARY FILMS
•   ANIMATION FILMS
•   MUSIC VIDEOS
•   FEATURE SCREENPLAYS
•   SHORT SCREENPLAYS
•   TV PILOT SCRIPTS
•   TV PILOT SCRIPTS FOR KIDS
•   FILMED TV PILOTS
•   TV EPISODICS
•   SHORT STORIES
•   LIBRETTI
•   ORIGINAL MUSIC & FILM SCORES
•   STAGEPLAYS
•   RADIO PLAYS
& more!

3 EASY WAYS TO SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY TO MOONDANCE TODAY:

(1) Check out the Moondance website for official entry form & more info!

http://www.moondancefilmfestival.com

(2) Or go to WAB to pay by credit card:

http://www.withoutabox.com/login/1240

(3) Or go to our other submission service site:

http://www.acteva.com/go/moondance2011

EXTENDED POSTMARK SUBMISSION DEADLINE: JUNE 30, 2011

Moondance 2011 has received submissions from these countries, so far:

The US, of course, and Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Egypt, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Marshall Island, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Tasmania, Turkey, & the UK! Send in your submission now to represent your country for Moondance 2011!

SEMI-FINALISTS, FINALISTS & WINNERS: ANNOUNCEMENTS COMING SOON!

We can’t announce, of course, until all submissions for the 2011 competition have arrived, and been read, previewed and judged. Many high-scoring scripts need to be re-read for final decisions on winners. And for films, we need to take a look at the top scorers again, and also program the selected films into the screening schedule, so…all that takes some time. We’re hoping for mid-August, or sooner, of possible. Announcements will be on the Moondance website, and in this news blog. Sign up for it now, at: www.moondancefilmfestival.com/blog

ABOUT THE FILM FESTIVAL EVENT:

This truly independent MOONDANCE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL was founded in Boulder, Colorado in 1999, and continues to entertain and inspire attendees and audiences locally and from around the world, annually. The screenings of the best-of-the-best local, national and international indie films, art films, foreign films, documentaries, animation, and music videos, the many informative screenwriting and filmmaking workshops and pitch-panels, private consultations with the pros, as well as the fabulous networking parties, with music by local musicians, in Boulder’s best restaurants, draw enthusiastic, sold-out crowds at this popular 3-day event. We look forward to seeing you at the 12^th annual Moondance in September!

SUBSCRIBE NOW TO THE MOONDANCE NEWS BLOG,
IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO ALREADY!

http://www.moondancefilmfestival.com/blog

MOONDANCE RECOMMENDS:

GIANT KINETIC BEACH-WALKING SCULPTURE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=HSKyHmjyrkA&feature=email

THE SINGING, RINGING TREE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=HSKyHmjyrkA&feature=email

A GREAT DEAL FOR SCREENWRITERS:

INKTIP.COM offers Moondance 2011 feature screenplay winners the fabulous opportunity to post their titles, loglines, synopses, and/or scripts for free on the popular and successful InkTip.com website for agents, film & TV producers to search! This is the real deal.  www.inktip.com

MOVIEBYTES.COM Lists Moondance as “one of the top ten film festival competitions worth the entry fee!”

MOONDANCE SCRIPT CRITIQUES:

Cynthia Butler, Moondance’s very popular reader, will write a one-page critique and assessment of your submitted screenplay, stageplay, teleplay or up to 3 short stories. Check off the box for critiques on the Moondance entry form or at Withoutabox.com. The fee is a nominal $55 for each critique requested.

WINNING SCREENWRITING RECOMMENDATIONS:

There are many very necessary elements to help your script win a competition, and reasons why an agent, or a producer will want to read, and then maybe buy or represent your winning screenplay, in this super-competitive market. Here are a few, for your consideration:

• It’s got a great title, logline and one-page synopsis that SELLS the story

• It’s a brilliant concept, brilliantly written

• It’s carefully written, and  in a unique voice

• It’s got good structure and story arc, with clear Acts I, II, III

• It has a variety of very good, recognizable characters

• It gives all the characters wonderful dialog

• It has a likeable  protagonist (lead character) the reader & audience can relate to

• It has a memorable antagonist (the bad character ) the reader & audience can hate

• It’s got good, fast pacing, action, and depicts interesting cinematic visuals

• It’s got the necessary transitions and fascinating subtext throughout

• It’s an absolutely unique story, memorable, and well-told

• It makes the reader cry, smile, or laugh. (Never underestimate the power of evoking real emotion in your readers & audiences)

• You’ve written a 120-130 page readers script, not a production script

• You’ve kept in mind that you’re the screenwriter here, not the film’s director, editor, cinematographer, actors, costumer, set designer, foley, & etc.

• It’s been thoroughly edited, and edited again, for potential errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, syntax, and proper screenplay formatting

Go to the Moondance E-Zine for more advice & tips on winning!

WINNING FILMMAKING RECOMMENDATIONS:

There are many very necessary elements to help your indie film win a competition, and reasons why a distributor or studio will want to preview, and then maybe buy your winning film, in this super-competitive market. Here are a few, for your consideration:

• It’s got a great title, logline, and one-page synopsis, and short trailer that SELLS the story and your talents as a director

• It’s a brilliant concept, brilliantly made

• It’s carefully directed, and  has a unique voice

• It’s got good structure and story arc, with clear Acts I, II, III

• It has a variety of very good, recognizable characters

• The characters have wonderful, believable dialog

• It has a likeable  protagonist (lead character) the audience can relate to

• It has a memorable antagonist (the bad character ) the audience can hate

• It’s got good, fast pacing, action, and depicts interesting cinematic visuals

• It’s got the necessary transitions and fascinating subtext throughout

• It’s an absolutely unique story, memorable, and well-told

• It makes the audience cry, smile, or laugh. (Never underestimate the power of evoking real emotion in your audiences)

• It’s not over-long (if the gist of the story can be told in 30 minutes, instead of 60 – 90 minutes, cut it!)

• Remember, everything, all elements, count: Great story, directing, editing, cinematography, acting, costuming, film score, locations, set design, framing, sound, lighting, & etc.

• It’s been thoroughly edited, and edited again to tell the story in a way that the audience can experience that illusive “suspension of disbelief”

Go to the Moondance E-Zine for more advice & tips on winning!

MOONDANCERS WRITE US:

“I am very impressed and excited to see your festival presentation, including the website, the look and feel, attitude, style…and that is what enticed me to enter my film in your festival.” ~ Rohit Gupta (India)

“NPR’S popular Morning Edition radio show has been featuring music by Austin artists Booka and The Flaming Geckos from their album “Baghdad Texas” (Soundtrack to the Motion Picture) for the last three months on their breaks and segues during their national broadcasts. This is in addition to Baghdad TX receiving airplay and charting in the Top Twenty while receiving an Album of the Year award from the Boston Herald (among others) the previous year. Meanwhile, Booka & The Flaming Geckos are recording a soundtrack for the up and coming feature film: Jeremy Fink & The Meaning of Life, starring:  Mira Sorvino, Joey ’Pants’ Pantoliano, and Michael Urie ( Ugly Betty)  that is slated for release in the Fall of this year.” ~ Loudhouse Productions (The film, “Baghdad Texas”, was screened at Moondance 2009 & 2010 and won Moondance’s  Best Film Score Award, too.)

“Back in 2007, I submitted a little screenplay called ‘Take Too Long’.  The story was set in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. The work won a Moondance Seahorse Award.  We finally finished the film, and I’ve just mailed you a copy. I really appreciate your support early in the process.” ~ Kwesi Davis

“Elizabeth English is executive director for one of the best film festivals around, the Moondance International Film Festival. Since she’s been at the helm, this festival has grown tremendously. She makes herself readily accessible to all, and disseminates information thoroughly and in a timely fashion. She’s great at coordinating, and a team leader.”  ~ Sonya Alexander (LinkedIn.com recommendation)

THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY:

“Don’t bother to just be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” ~ William Faulkner

“If you can’t write your idea on the back of my business card, you don’t have a clear idea.” ~ David Belasco, (wrote, directed, or produced more than 100 Broadway plays, & was known for bringing a new standard of naturalism to the American stage)

“The toughest thing about success is that you’ve got to keep on being a success. Talent is only a starting point in this business. You’ve got to keep working that talent.” ~ Irving Berlin

“Of all the enemies of literature, success is the most insidious.” ~ Cyril Connelly, (English literary critic & writer)

“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” ~ Aristotle

“The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without the work.”

~ Emile Zola

Ganesha, Lord of removing obstacles

Your assignment for today is to take something insignificant and make it significant. Make the seemingly small things important.

REMINDER: SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY TO MOONDANCE TODAY!

EXTENDED POSTMARK SUBMISSION DEADLINE: JUNE 30, 2011

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