Thursday, June 18, 2009

Throwing $50 out the window

I wanted to write this on June 8th, but, well, I didn't. But I wanted to share.

6/8 was the deadline for Austin. And I just HAD to send something. I had a few choices I was thinking about sending a month prior, but life sped up to the weekend prior to the late deadline and there I was, with nothing sent yet. So I decided to send The Stand-In.

So I went to print it on Friday night, thinking I can mail it Saturday the 6th. But I discovered I was out of ink.

Fuck.

So, after work on Saturday I buy ink. Head home, print the mofo out. But I don't have 3 hole punch paper (I swore I did), and can't find my 3-hole puncher. Post office is closed anway so I gotta wait 'til Monday.

Monday the 8th.

6:30am. Rise. Make breakfast for my kids.

7:00am. Get spatula, scrape kids out of bed.

8:15am. Drop the kids off at school, head to work, take script and entry materials with me.

9:00am. Start working. No time to mail script yet.

12:00. First inspection (I'm a home inspector) runs long. I know my office has a 3 hole punch so I run over there, 3-hole punch The Stand In, then realize I still need card stock covers. But I'm running late and head straight to 2nd inspection.

NOTE: It's at this point of my day that I wish Austin joined the 00's and accepted e-mail submissions.

4:00pm. Inspection ends. Hit Staples to grab card stock. Attach card stock, head to Post Office.

4:53pm. While in line at Post Office I make the mistake at glancing at the script (don't do this). I see two things that I would immediately want to change. Not typos, but poor wording.

On the 1st page.

No time for corrections, I mailed it off.

Hectic day aside, my thoughts spin around me. Did I pick the right script? I thought it was a good comedy, but good enough to place? I just don't know. I got my notice from BlueCat regarding the quarterfinals (didn't make it). I wasn't even in the top 987,645,464 quarter-finalists. And what did I send? The Stand-In.

So, Austin looks bleak. Enjoy the $50 bucks, Austin. Buy yourself something pretty.

8 comments:

E.C. Henry said...

Dude, at least you're trying. No script is ever perfect. I've had the same experience: sending in a script only to find out later there's something I'd change. (I think like EVERY time I sent a script in)

The big thing is your script's there. Who knows maybe a reader will take a liking to it and reccomend it to someone who could do something with it?

Point: there's more than one way to win, Rodio.

- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

Thomas Crymes said...

Many of us donate our money regularly to these contests. You're in good company.

Third World Girl said...

This is the first year it really came home to me how very archaic Austin's submission process is. I feel your pain with the three-hole punch. I had similar drama. Everything's so much easier when all you have to do is click a button.

But you know what they say, you got to be in it to win it.

Patrick J. Rodio said...

Thanks EC & Crymes.

3rd World Girl - Exactly! While I'm stressing all day, I'm thinking, can't I just e-mail this damn thing? If I could I would have probably sent 2 scripts!

Steph said...

Meanwhile everyone that I have is unfinished.

Be proud that you have completed projects that are submittable.

I would give my left nut (if I had nuts) just to write "The End" for once.

There's a blog entry of mine called "Prelude to a Blog" where I copied and pasted one that I'm working on. Check it out if you get a chance.

aggiebrett said...

HAving talked to more than a few contest folks over the years, the repeated justification for reluctance to go all PDF on submissions is mostly cost-related. yeah, it greatly simplifies things for entrants... but that then just creates bigger problems for the contest as many of them already struggle to find enough qualified dedicated readers as is.

Doubling the number of scripts to be read just creates more work and problems. Plus, if you stop and think about it, you'll immediately realize that when you make it easier to enter scripts or multiple scripts, you all but guarantee that a higher percentage of these additional scripts are of lesser quality anyway (as people are currently having to WORK to enter, they more often likely send in their absolute best work.

Then factor in that electronic entries still have to be printed out to paper so the judges can easily pass copies around and make notes (I don;t care what anyone says, it's just not as convenient to have to fire up a laptop every time one needs to look at a page or five), then factor in the technical annoyance factor of having to change an existing system/methodology (people -- most especially overworked underpaid ones -- tend to resist change imposed from above/outside).

Yeah, it's a little annoying to have to deal with printers and hole punches and cardstocks and envelopes and postage and such. In the grand scheme, These seem trifling complaints in comparison to the possible benefits and rewards.

;-)

B

Patrick J. Rodio said...

Brett - Damn, you've made several great points.

Jenna R. Lee said...

Hey Patrick,

Surprise! This is Jenna Lee... from West River Drive! Here we are years later and I still haven't seen one bit of that movie! Any way you could send me a copy, or even just any of the unedited scenes? I was looking through an old scrap book of mine and found pictures and whatnot from the filming of that and luckily I found your blog so I'm hoping you can send me something! I'm sure I'd get a good laugh out of watching my 12-year-old self...

My e-mail is raelee89@comcast.net
Thanks a lot, hope to hear from you soon!
Jenna