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Tennessee Screenwriting Association Hosts 'Script-Com'!

Posted on: Monday - Sep 16, 2024

Tennessee Screenwriting Association Hosts 'Script-Com'!
Weekend of Workshops and Training to get Local Writers in on Tennessee’s film boom.

Nashville, TN - The Tennessee Screenwriting Association ("TSA"), an educational not-for-profit 501c(3) since 1988, announced its annual Script-Com event to be held at the Nashville Film Institute on November 16 and the NECAT studio on the NSCC campus on November 17.

Script-Com has been an annual event which was part of the Film-Com market until both events went online during the pandemic. "Writing is by its nature a solitary profession and we all need to pop our heads up once in a while and connect with those around us," says David Deverell, president of the TSA. "This year, Script-Com gets us back into the real world and gives Tennessee's screenwriters the skills they need to get in on the film boom going on in our state."

Script-Com has three main events over the weekend. The first is the Screenwriters Conference on Saturday, November 16 for a full day of workshops and panels led by working screenwriters and instructors with a track record of teaching students to write for film and television. "We have a great lineup of screenwriting professionals this year, probably the best you're going to see outside of LA or the Austin Film Festival," says Mark Naccarato, Script-Com's conference director. "Many people think they have a great idea for a movie but really have no idea how to write one properly or how to sell it. Script-Com gets newbies started and it will help the people who have been doing this a while polish the skills they already have." Script-Com will also feature workshops on low-budget filmmaking and on creating short films and "micro-shorts" for streaming channels.

"Script-Com is a crash course in how to create and refine your idea and polish your script. You basically get a film-school education on screenwriting and low-budget filmmaking at one location over one weekend," Deverell added.

After the conference, attendees may attend a dinner reception hosted by the Tennessee Screenwriting Association, which includes an awards ceremony honoring the winner of the TSA's Short 'N Scary Script Contest, which is accepting contest entries until Oct. 30. The dinner will also feature a special guest speaker to be announced in the coming weeks and there will be ample opportunity to network and make connections with other local writers and filmmakers.

On Sunday November 17, Script-Com moves to the NECAT studio on the Nashville State Community College campus for a special taping of Page 2 Screen, a streaming educational show about screenwriting and independent filmmaking. The show airs locally on NECAT and has featured guests like Mike Nawrocki (Veggie Tales), Bob Saenz (Extracurricular Activities), Howard Klausner (ReaganSpace Cowboys), and Audrey Shulman (Amazon's Sitting in Bars with Cake). Episodes of Page 2 Screen can be streamed on TSA's YouTube channel and many past guests will be at Script-Com as part of the Script-Com faculty.

Details regarding Script-Com's instructors, schedule, and registration is at the Script-Com website: www.ScriptCom.org. Discounted tickets are available to members of the TSA, local members of SAG-AFTRA, and students with a valid student ID. Script-Com is co-sponsored by the Tennessee Entertainment Commission, Nashville Film Institute, SAG-AFTRA, Final Draft and Coverfly.