Main Points:

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• These scenes must be duologues.

• If possible write a duologue that could be performed by both American and British actors - this may mean avoiding British slang or terms or giving an option in your script for actors. (Eg: MIKE: Throw that in the bin/trash will you).

• Roles should be reasonably balanced in terms of an equal amount of dialogue.

• Between 1 minute 30 seconds and 2 minutes ( 2 pages MAX) - anything over this will sadly not be considered.

• Scenes should be suitable for a self-tape audition scenario - Actors will be filming at home with restricted resources and the ability to move.

• Scenes should be written for screen with minimal stage directions and prop usage.

• Give your scenes a journey... it's important we allow actors to show range and/or give them something to sink their teeth into.

• A maximum of 2 scenes per person will be considered.

• Please also send a short writers biography with your submission that will be shared on socials if chosen. If you are new to writing that's great tell us that along with something else about yourself. It would be great if you could also include your social handles in your submission email.

• A £75 fee will be paid to the writer of each scene chosen. Please be aware this fee is for the usage of the script within CastMeComp and any other workshops/education/live and recorded performances by Do or Die Studios.

• Submissions to castmecompscript@gmail.com

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In our last submission window, we received ample soap/kitchen sink drama scripts and now we are reaching out specifically for duologues in the style of films and comedies.  

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We already have a lot of scripts exploring issues of breakups, family disputes, cheating and friends relationship breakdowns. We would also like to give actors a wider selection of scripts.

 

We would love to see more:

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Comedy Scripts. Comedies are great! We just don’t see too many submitted. We like to give a selection of comedy and drama in each #CastMeComp, please submit them! The comedies that worked the best came from the characters and their reactions rather than a punch line at the end. Punchlines can illustrate great writing, but we need scripts that allow actors to play the comedy. Keep the actors in mind.

 

Film scripts. The world is your oyster - you have the freedom to be creative. Give the actors an opportunity to imagine a different world around them. Can the scene be set somewhere different than a bedroom, or use a different time period, in a dystopian world, in a ... wizards school? Below is a few examples of TV/Films which have real characters and explore real issues in a unique way:

• Hidden Figures - Women in Nasa, race, oppression

• Whiplash - Drumming, passion, teacher/student relationship

• Peaky blinders - ‘Gangster’ but gangsters in 1919

• Harry Potter - Real people who have been placed into a world of magic

• Hunger Games - Real people, real issues in the setting of a really interesting world and game

• A few more are The Purge, The Handmaid's Tale, Ozark, Breaking bad, Vikings. Let’s get creative with the world we are building.

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Helpful from our last submission window:

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• Many scripts were over 2 minutes in length - a rough guide to a 2 minutes scene is about 2 pages of dialogue. Really know what your character's objectives are (What do they want?)

• #CastMeComp actors only have a few days to learn the text and self-tape. Scripts with complex dialogue or with a lot of long speeches may not be suitable.

• If you are strictly a writer it would be useful to look into what self-tapes are and how actors film them, there are some great videos on YouTube. When actors tape their frame is limited and options for props and movement are even more so. Keep this in mind whilst writing a scene for this competition in particular. Even better search the #CastMeComp hashtag, watching previous actors tapes gives you an idea of the scripts that work. However, try to steer clear of reproducing - some scripts were too close in themes/ideas to ones already presented in a #CastMeComp.

• Try and avoid character stereotypes. People are not defined by one thing. Find the complexity of your characters.

• Subtext, subtext, subtext - don’t reveal everything, what is bubbling underneath? We found scripts most interesting when they were not expositional.

• Think about the life of the characters (back story) and the bigger arc of the story, write a plot for the film your scene sits in.

• Tread carefully with some subjects. It is important that the actors feel like they have depth to play with, however, if a subject is not well researched or if it is flippantly written and without full understanding, it may offend others

• Try to switch up the dynamic of your writing as much as possible - give the characters their own voice, play with rhythm.

• Ensure every scene has a purpose - if your scene ends, and your character's story/emotions/feelings have not developed or changed in some way, ask yourself if the scene is necessary.

• We are asking for a scene, but think about the film or series this scene fits into, plan it out, write the plot - it will give you a better idea about the characters, their journey, the need for this scene. It will also answer questions of what happened right before this scene you are submitting and what happens right after, this also helps with the characters' journeys. The above will guide your writing into being really specific and detailed - rather than generalised.

• Be inspired by true stories you read, be inspired by the films and TV shows you love and watch - find a scene from them - reimagine these. Don’t plagiarise, be inspired.