Sunday, September 16, 2007

It's official: Danny's Toys is a winner!

Nine o'clock last night I came upstairs and checked my computer, as I had been doing all day, waiting for news about the 2007 PAGE International Screenwriting Awards in Los Angeles. The news was in and the news was good: my script DANNY'S TOYS won first place in the Short Film Category! It was given the gold prize, ahead of GROWING PAINS by Virginia Desmond and WINGNUT by Joseph Costa. More than 3400 scripts were entered in the overall contest, and these were winnowed down to the top ten in ten categories. To my complete surprise, DANNY'S TOYS has won its category.

So that was nice.

What do I get for winning, beside a smile you'll need a jackhammer to get off my face? Apparently the gold prize winners get $1,000 cash, promotional services with Script Marketplace, The InkTip Database and Players Marketplace Magazine, and gift certificates from The Writers Store, Office Depot and Amazon. Not sure how much use most of that will be, but a thousand bucks wouldn't go unloved, even at the current exchange rate. Beyond that? Bragging rights for a year, though I don't want to be a skite about it. [Skite - what a wonderful Kiwi word that is.]

It'd be great if somebody wanted to option DANNY'S TOYS, but I can't see my script ever being made. In my head it's a Tim Burton-esque stop motion animated film, like a shorter version of Corpse Bride or The Nightmare Before Christmas. There's not much of a market for those, not unless they run 80 minutes, have Tim Burton attached and Johnny Depp involved. But my win might help me secure representation and it'll look good on my writing CV.

There's a few people I need to thank for the success of DANNY'S TOYS. My screenwriting tutor James Mavor was a big help, questioning my choices and forcing me to examine my storytelling with rigour and smarts. The other second year part-time students on my screenwriting MA course, all of whom had comments and suggestions about the treatment when we workshopped it in class. Everyone else who read the script and offered feedback, particularly Danny Stack, Lucy, and Lianne. [Proof that paying professional script readers to assess your work does bring dividends.]

That's enough self congratulations and back slapping. I've got to write the synopsis for a Phantom comic script, learn four or five more pages of the play I'm rehearsaing at the moment and my 23 minute TAPS drama showcase script needs to be finished before the deadline of midday on Thursday. There's work to be done. Ron Shelton's wonderful script for Bull Durham says it best.
NUKE
I was great, eh?

CRASH
Your fastball was up and your curveball was hanging--in the Show they woulda ripped you.

NUKE
Can't you let me enjoy the moment?

CRASH
The moment's over.

37 comments:

Lucy V said...

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so pleased for you David, as you know I LOVE Danny's Toys and think it's a WELL DESERVED WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You worked really hard and were really receptive to feedback which is WHY it got better each time I saw it. And I reckon it'll get made, just you wait!

YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY

Anonymous said...

Excellent! Well done David, a well-deserved victory as Lucy says. Fantastic!

rob said...

Briliant news.

Very, very, well done.

Pete Kempshall said...

Woo-hoo! Absolutely ecstatic for you!

And why not bung Tim Burton's agent a copy ... can't hurt, can it?

Anonymous said...

Well played, matey. Spend the cash on something nice.
And then get back to work!

martin said...

great news, congratulations!! Why not try Aardman if you want it made? Can't hurt to ask!

Andy Phillips said...

Good on you!

Anonymous said...

Congrats again!

(on the right post now!)

Mandy Lee said...

Many congrats!!!!

missread said...

Well done David! I do love that script :-)

Unknown said...

Well done David on keeping the British end up! If Lucy like's 'Danny's Toys' it must be good.

Ian said...

Congratulations Sir

Lee said...

Superb!

Rob Spalding said...

That's fantastic!

Well done. I'm sure there is a market for short animations. Maybe you can sell it to the BBC as something to show over Christmas.

Lucy V said...

Andy! Did I say I DIDN'T like your script, eh? Eh?? NO. I'm sure David will tell you I ripped his apart too! It's what I do, I am a script dragon, RAH.

Danny Stack said...

Rock.

Barry said...

See, told you.

wcdixon said...

Congrats sir.

Anonymous said...

You couldn't have done it without us boy, just remember us when you're famous!

Tom said...

Congratulations David. You deserve it. You put the work in.

Jason Arnopp said...

Hell yeah! :-D

Paul Scoones said...

Absolutely brilliant news!! Congratulations David, I really hope this opens some doors for you. I'm particularly stoked having been one of your feedback readers for Danny's Toys. In my my mind's eye I see the story as an animation piece (something visually stylish like Steamboy). Don't give up on the story being produced - I'm looking forward to buying the DVD!

James Moran said...

Wahey! Congratulations, you pointy-shoed scary-goateed scribe you!

SiFraser said...

Nice one Guvnor.
If you want you can post me those gift tokens and I'll send the stuff you need back to ya.

Promise..

Si.

Anonymous said...

Well done, it's great to see someone doing so well.

Oli said...

Nicely.

Piers said...

Congratulations!

English Dave said...

Well Done David, excellent news.

Elinor said...

You rule, David.

Anonymous said...

Hi
Congratulations for Danny's Toys.

www.hammoudiabdelwahab.blogspot.com

Chip Smith said...

Congratulations David - excellent news!

Anonymous said...

Good work, Mr Bishop. I firmly believe great things lie in your future.

Cheers!

Jim

Paul Campbell said...

Nice one, me old china.

John Soanes said...

Congratulations!
J

Dominic Carver said...

Nice one!!!!!! Now if you could just rub off some of that luck of yours onto a cloth and post it to me, I would be most grateful ;-)

Andy Diggle said...

I think it was Gore Vidal who best sums up my feelings: "Every time one of my friends succeeds, a little bit of my soul dies." ;P

Anonymous said...

Congratulations!!