Should I Submit “The Anger Trap” to Amazon Studios?

Note 2022 September 5: I did submit, but later removed my script. I don’t believe the program is still open.

Amazon has started a movie studio called Amazon Studios. Their idea is to crowd source scripts. People post their scripts on-line and then other people try to rewrite them to win prizes. They expect that eventually they’ll get a script they can make into a blockbuster.

I read a good discussion of the issues with the plan at http://johnaugust.com/archives/2010/on-the-amazon-film-thing . Many professional writers think it is a dumb idea that won’t work. Over all, it doesn’t sound too promising.

On the other hand, that doesn’t mean it won’t be worth my while to try it out. For example, I don’t think I’ll go back to The Anger Trap script and I certainly don’t plan to make it. If I submit it, there is the possibility that I’ll win a prize. I may also generate some visits to my website, which could help me gain some followers.

I haven’t decided to go ahead with a submission yet because I do have some ideas for the script. I could turn it into a short novel/novelette. I also have notes for changes to the script.

If I do submit it, I’ll need to decide if I submit it as it is, or if I do some revisions before I do. At the least, I want to switch the title back to the original The Doorman’s Sacrifice. I want to move at least one scene, and I want to split up another. Some of the dialog would embarrass me now, so I want to fix that.

I don’t want to make too many changes, and I don’t want to cut out too much. The script runs 97 pages now, and the minimum to submit is 85 pages. That does give me the opportunity to cut out some material.

Earlier I created a Celtx file of the script, but I see now that I only have the first four scenes formatted. That is out of 69 scenes. It may take quite sometime to get it ready to submit. Maybe I’d be better off if I worked on other projects.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.