Submitting to a screenplay competition and making it to the final round has many perks, including making connections and building your network, getting your work out there, and building your writing resume to name a few. But what’s also fun about screenplay competitions is the added bonus of a kick-ass trophy for making it as a finalist! Killer Shorts is excited to announce that this year we will be giving out trophies to our top three winners of the season (as well as the top 3 winners from last season). We will also be announcing the quarter-finalists for this season on February 15th, so keep your eyes peeled for that announcement, you may get one step closer to receiving this hair-raising prize!
Designed and created by SyFy Face/Off contestant Tyler Green, the trophy brings the Killer Shorts logo to life, in an ultra-realistic, spine-chilling way!
We were super impressed to see this trophy go from concept to final sculpt, and we hope you’re just as thrilled about the final product as we are! Here’s what Tyler had to say about the creation process:
“Designing the Killer Shorts trophy topper based on a logo was a tricky task. I worked with designer, Anthony Videira to come up with a mock-up design before it was sculpted in clay. We worked out various ways to translate the 2D design into a 3D design while also staying true to the original Killer Shorts logo. Once the design was approved the sculpting process began followed by molding, casting, and painting each trophy by hand. I’m pleased with the overall outcome and its unique, antique oddity look to them. I hope each winner will enjoy their trophy and continue to write killer masterpieces.”
We also asked our contest director, Alison Parker, about the inspiration and experience behind this awesome addition to the competition.
What was the inspiration behind this year’s design?
For this year’s trophy design (which is our first year having a trophy), I wanted to create an iconic image that combines horror with screenwriting. Something that when you see it, you immediately recognize it as Killer Shorts. I came up with the skull typewriter and debuted this image on our Season 2 flyer (designed by Leva). I love it. It’s creepy, cool and unique! From there, I knew the trophy had to be a skull with typewriter keys for teeth.
What was the experience like collaborating with Tyler on the trophy?
Tyler Green and his team at Tyler Green FX Studio were a dream to work with! I’d already seen his amazing work on SYFY’s show Face Off Season 6 and All Stars Season 11, so I knew he was a perfect fit for this project. As we worked out the details of the design together, every drawing blew me away. Originally the skull was purple to go with our Season 2 color scheme, but we both decided an aged off-white skull would be more timeless. When I saw the trophy for the first time, my jaw hit the floor. It’s incredible! It’s exactly what I wanted. I hope the winners enjoy it as well!
How does it feel to be able to award this trophy to the finalists?
As a screenwriter myself, I know that most screenwriting competitions don’t give out trophies. There’s a few, but it’s mostly a film festival thing to do. So I wanted to do something special for our winners, that helps our contest stand out from the pack a bit as well. Season 1, we simply didn’t have the budget to make it happen, but this year I was ecstatic to make the dream a reality. And I’m happy to say, we’re sending trophies to Season 1’s top 3 winners as well as Season 2’s. Better late than never, right?
Be sure to follow Tyler on Instagram and Twitter @tylergreenfx for more jaw dropping SFX!
If you didn’t get to submit to the Killer Shorts contest this season, make sure to submit next year for a chance to display this trophy on your shelf!
And don’t forget to check back in to Killer Shorts on February 15th when we announce this season’s quarter-finalists!
For more on screenwriting, visit The Screenwriters Network and join the discord server to network with over 6000 screenwriters.
Featured image credit: Anthony Videira
