Pitch Feature Film scripts to producer Rachel Stander

• The Brief •

Producer Rachel Stander is looking for a feature film script to add to the development slate of her company “A Season of Rain”, with the intention of participating in several script labs throughout 2024. Rachel would love to find dramedies with a soft sci-fi or magic realism element, something along the lines of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind“, “Her“, “Timer“, “The Lobster“, “The Big Door Prize“. Featuring well-developed female characters – not necessarily as the lead – would be a plus. Rachel is very open to considering scripts from writer/directors.

• what we are looking for •

  • Original screenplays for feature films, up to 120 pages.
  • Dramedies containing a soft-sci or a magic realism element.
  • The story should not be location-specific so that the film can be shot virtually everywhere in the world with minor rewrites.
  • The story should be achievable on a budget between 1-3 million dollars (USD).
  • Well-developed female characters (not necessarily the lead) are a plus.

• we are not interested in •

  • Hard Sci-fi, spaceships, aliens, or any high-budget or plot-oriented Sci-fi.
  • Stories that are pure fantasy (E.g. The Lord of The Rings).
  • Stories featuring unmotivated violence.

• How it works •

Our team of freelance readers will evaluate all the submissions and shortlist five projects to be forwarded to producer Rachel Stander, who will read the scripts and either meet with the writer or provide written feedback on why she decided to pass on the project. Strong submissions will be mentioned on our website and social media as honourable mentions.

Rachel Stander – Producer

Rachel Stander is a Los Angeles-based independent producer focused on narrative filmmaking. Her first feature, SCRAP, world premiered at the Deauville American Film Festival in France and co-starred Anthony Rapp and Lana Parrilla. Her follow-up feature, Victorian Gothic psychological thriller SÉANCE, will premiere in 2024. Other work highlights include SUCH A PRETTY GIRL, a family drama short with queer themes and JULIAN, a quirky short comedy. Stander’s work has been supported by The Gotham and she is a member of Women in Film, Film Independent, and Women Independent Producers. Before graduating Magna Cum Laude from the University of Southern California with a degree in Theatre, she studied dance at Barnard College, Columbia University, as well as at NYU’s Tisch School of The Arts and Interlochen Center for the Arts. Stander is an unapologetic cat lady and has never met a spreadsheet she couldn’t tweak for the better.

• Timeline •

Submission deadline: 31st December 2023, midnight (your timezone)

Shortlist announced: 14th January 2024

• Feeback add-on •

We can provide feedback on the submitted projects if requested at the time of submission. We can offer two levels of feedback:

Scores and Comment: the project is scored on a scale from 1 to 10 for the following elements (Concept, Character, Story/Plot, Structure, Style, Marketability, Overall impression). A 2/3 sentence comment is also included to contextualise the scores. We charge a fee of £25 for this feedback (plus £1 per every additional page over 120). This is delivered when the shortlisted projects are announced.

Feedback Report: we provide feedback notes highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the project and providing suggestions on how to make the project stronger. We charge a fee of £90 for a 2-page report and £145 for a 4-page report (plus £1 per every additional page over 120).

• Donations •

We do not charge entry fees for this initiative. If you do not purchase feedback on your submission, we kindly request you consider making a donation to help us cover at least part of the costs of getting your script read and evaluated by freelance professional readers. Keep in mind it takes about two hours for a feature film script to be read in full, and we may not be able to run other initiatives like this one in the future if the cost of running them becomes unsustainable.

Any questions? Get in touch

• Submission Form •

Submissions are now closed. Thank you to everyone who participated!

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