Blue Cat Quarterfinalists

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  • #31
    Re: Blue Cat Quarterfinalists

    Wildswan, you have to realize that BlueCat has been much maligned in recent years. Last year it was revealed that they recruited their readers on Craig's List and paid them $10 per script read. There were also problems with the feedback. With that in mind, I think Gilly's questions were probing as to whether or not the contest was again experiencing problems or if it had evolved from that.
    "I hate to break it to you but there is no big lie. There is no system. The universe is indifferent.- - Don Draper

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    • #32
      Re: Blue Cat Quarterfinalists

      Ah. I see. I was unaware of the problems with BlueCat. I had always considered it a smaller contest that didn't have any significance so I didn't pay it much attention. But lately I had heard a few good things which is why I entered this year. Shouldn't have bothered, as it turns out. ;-)

      Still, I have to say that personally I don't think it's appropriate to be asking people to tell you when they didn't advance. Of course, you guys do what you want. And if Gilly and others want to volunteer that information, that's certainly up to them.

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      • #33
        Re: Blue Cat Quarterfinalists

        Sara's right. I was kidding with my "no" post.

        But I also did not advance.

        I've also never been to a meeting.

        I've never optioned or sold.

        I've never had representation.

        I've never had herpes, knock on my woody.

        I've never run the New York Marathon 'cause they won't bring it to Cali.

        And I never ever have or will write anything that'll win an Oscar.

        Now that's the truth.

        Have a beautiful Sunday, everybody.

        Corona
        I love you, Reyna . . .

        Brown-Balled by the Hollywood Clika

        Latino Heart Project's MEXICAN HEART...ATTACK!
        I ain't no punk b1tch...

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        • #34
          Re: Blue Cat Quarterfinalists

          Well, my advice is if you enter, don't enter last minute as I did with two scripts. I did it on a whim and literally submitted the day before the final deadline.

          It took forever to get my coverage. It took forever for my checks to be cashed too which could mean the scripts were just sitting there.

          When I finally received notes (weeks after the promised date) one set was clearly written by someone who had experience.

          S/he said that script was the best spec they had covered in a while and they enjoyed the read. The reader gave me big points on dialogue. Which was nice to hear because I worked hard on the dialogue. In the "problems" paragraph the reader said they couldn't find any major problems with the script. So I thought I had a good chance with this one script.

          But notes on the second script were clearly written by a novice. They were useless blatherings. Not even as astute as the notes posted here in the Script pages section.

          The person said nothing about story or character, they just rambled on about my one "big" mistake (according to them):

          I capitalized the names of minor characters. S/he said one NEVER does this. The thing is -- these minor characters had speaking parts. And the fact that this reader said capping the names was wrong revealed lots about the inconsistent quality of their readers.

          The reader's notes were also loaded with misspellings and indecipherable sentences. I guess that's what happens when you get people from Craig's list.

          (Ironically this particular script went wide 3 years ago and got a studio consider after months of rewrites. I'd say it was the more polished of the two I submitted.)

          A day or two after I received these notes Bluecat announced those who had made the first cut. I was not on the list.

          Which led me to suspect these decisions were made before coverage was completed on the last wave of submissions, including mine.

          Of course I'll be accused of sour grapes because it seems we writers are not supposed to say anything other than positive things about contests favored by other DD members.

          Like I said -- I submitted last minute on a whim. I didn't put much stock in it. But I think they really dropped the ball last year and others considering Bluecat need to know before they send off the entry fee.
          Advice from writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick. "Try this: if you can replace your female character with a sexy lamp and the story still basically works, maybe you need another draft.-

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          • #35
            Re: Blue Cat Quarterfinalists

            Originally posted by sc111 View Post
            Well, my advice is if you enter, don't enter last minute as I did with two scripts. I did it on a whim and literally submitted the day before the final deadline.

            It took forever to get my coverage. It took forever for my checks to be cashed too which could mean the scripts were just sitting there.

            When I finally received notes (weeks after the promised date) one set was clearly written by someone who had experience.

            S/he said that script was the best spec they had covered in a while and they enjoyed the read. The reader gave me big points on dialogue. Which was nice to hear because I worked hard on the dialogue. In the "problems" paragraph the reader said they couldn't find any major problems with the script. So I thought I had a good chance with this one script.

            But notes on the second script were clearly written by a novice. They were useless blatherings. Not even as astute as the notes posted here in the Script pages section.

            The person said nothing about story or character, they just rambled on about my one "big" mistake (according to them):

            I capitalized the names of minor characters. S/he said one NEVER does this. The thing is -- these minor characters had speaking parts. And the fact that this reader said capping the names was wrong revealed lots about the inconsistent quality of their readers.

            The reader's notes were also loaded with misspellings and indecipherable sentences. I guess that's what happens when you get people from Craig's list.

            (Ironically this particular script went wide 3 years ago and got a studio consider after months of rewrites. I'd say it was the more polished of the two I submitted.)

            A day or two after I received these notes Bluecat announced those who had made the first cut. I was not on the list.

            Which led me to suspect these decisions were made before coverage was completed on the last wave of submissions, including mine.

            Of course I'll be accused of sour grapes because it seems we writers are not supposed to say anything other than positive things about contests favored by other DD members.

            Like I said -- I submitted last minute on a whim. I didn't put much stock in it. But I think they really dropped the ball last year and others considering Bluecat need to know before they send off the entry fee.
            Good to know.

            I suspect this is a danger with all contests. Maybe Nicholl and Disney are exceptions, then again, maybe not.

            Even if your script is requested by a prodco, who's to say what kind of read they're giving it, or who's doing the reading?
            If you really like it you can have the rights
            It could make a million for you overnight

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            • #36
              Re: Blue Cat Quarterfinalists

              I was one of those $10 readers on craigslist... I did have to do a sample coverage to get accepted. I got scripts via email -- had to say what I liked / what needed work... and rate on a scale of 1 to 10 out of 6 categories with a total of 60 pts.

              So my Blue Cat experience was I've had 2 scripts rejected, I've read 6 scripts (2 of them were good), and now I have 2 scripts in the QT.

              Anyway just because the readers are found on craigslist doesn't mean they aren't good. It just means they are getting the same readers that most companies (at least in NYC) find their readers.

              I'm sure in LA big companies have "professional readers" but **** what does that mean? I've been told I give good feedback, but I'm not a pro. And I've had pros give me crap feedback.

              It's an opinion game and all contests are a crap shoot. Unless the same readers read all the scripts and their opinion is trusted by all -- well then tons of variables come into play.

              I mean think of this. I love a script and I give the person all 8 across the board. So they get a 48 total score which I think is good. But then other readers are more generous and give 55 out like nothing. Everyone has a different rating system in their head. So if Blue Cat moves forward anyone that got say 50 or above in the 1st round the great script I read might get shut out. But does that mean the ones that moved forward are better? Not necessarily.

              But it's the same when you send your script to Joe Agent or Joe Producer. One guy in 10 might hate it or might love it. Or they all might like it, but not love it. There are countless stories of how great scripts/movies barely got made.

              About feedback -- jesus in my time I've gotten so much good and crap feedback. I wrote a script about a guy who lost his virginity when he was 17 (normal in my head) but the guy writing feedback said "everyone gets laid at 13" and he was serious. Because to him that was his normal.

              But I do feel all creative people don't take rejection well. We hate it. It's like American Idol or any of those dance shows. As soon as the judges give bad feedback (and these are from professionals) the audience boos and the contestants says "I don't care what you say -- I'm the best baby!" But it makes no sense as their can be only one winner and the people giving them the critique are usually right.

              I think is what I'm saying is unless you win Blue Cat and the script leads to good things like 2004 "Gary The Tennis Coach" -- then to you (you meaning all of us) the contest stinks.

              So I've had ups and down with many contests. And I hope they lead to great things, but sincerely doubt it.

              I've said it many times. The real contest is trying to get your script sold... so good luck to all in the "2008 ultimate script contest"

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              • #37
                Re: Blue Cat Quarterfinalists

                I have a question for Bono-- so do the scripts that made the quarterfinals get a whole new read and by more than one person? Or will the next round of scripts get cut based upon the score of the first read?

                Is that clear as mud?

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                • #38
                  Re: Blue Cat Quarterfinalists

                  Originally posted by Bono View Post
                  I was one of those $10 readers on craigslist... I did have to do a sample coverage to get accepted. I got scripts via email -- had to say what I liked / what needed work... and rate on a scale of 1 to 10 out of 6 categories with a total of 60 pts.

                  So my Blue Cat experience was I've had 2 scripts rejected, I've read 6 scripts (2 of them were good), and now I have 2 scripts in the QT.
                  Let me get this straight.

                  All you had to do to be a reader was a 'sample coverage'. Just one?

                  You were a reader for this contest AND and entrant at the same time?

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                  • #39
                    Re: Blue Cat Quarterfinalists

                    2006 -- I enter two scripts and they didn't make it.

                    2007 -- I respond to ad on craigslist for readers -- turns out to be blue cat. I read 6 scripts.

                    2008 -- I enter two other scripts that made the cut.

                    ---------
                    So I was never a reader and a contestant. Not that they asked.

                    I have no idea how they do things other than what I had to do. I assume the scripts get read again by a new set of eyes and probably combine scores and average them out. That's how I would do it.

                    To become a reader Gordy sent me a script currently in the contest -- I needed to provide coverage/grade it just like I would if I was picked. I sent it off to him and he said "that's what we're looking for."

                    I think it was a pretty fair way to find readers. I think people see $10 and craigslist and get angry -- but we have no way of knowing who reads for other contests. Or the quality of their judgement -- but that's all opinion too.

                    The scripts I entered in 2008 were much better than 2006. I feel pretty good about the readers they picked.

                    My experience was I read 6 scripts and 2 of them were good. The other 4 were pretty awful -- felt like first time scripts. I mean things like format were so bad you could barely read them. All four of them were written in word format which was awful because even if it looked correct on that person's screen by the time it got to me it was all messed up. Or they came that way. As Gordy instructed don't take points off for that --- so I didn't but the old cliche goes about format and quality. Some scripts read like novels. It wasn't a script at all.

                    Anyway -- they only wanted like 600 word, but I wrote more like 1200. I wanted to help my fellow writers with feedback and that's what I saw it as.

                    It's pretty cool that you get some kind of written thoughts on your script but of course the quality varies.

                    I've been on both sides and I think it's a good contest. I didn't get paid to say that unless you count the $60 bucks they paid me to read 6 scripts...

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                    • #40
                      Re: Blue Cat Quarterfinalists

                      got my coverage for my scripts today. it seems like the same person wrote all three of them. i inferred this from reading the syntax and content of the feedback which all seemed very focused on scenes hitting proper beats and acts being where they need to be. if this is true, thats a disappointment. i know id be very weary of reading three things by the same anyone.

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                      • #41
                        Re: Blue Cat Quarterfinalists

                        Still waiting on mine.

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                        • #42
                          Re: Blue Cat Quarterfinalists

                          Originally posted by lordmanji View Post
                          i know id be very weary of reading three things by the same anyone.
                          What business are you operating in? What do you think agents do and development execs do and producers do? They'll read two or three scripts by one writer if he's being considered for an assignment or representation...It's common for one person to read several scripts by the same writer...and if you sent your three scripts into a studio, they might all get assigned to the same reader. Don't be so surprised!!

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                          • #43
                            Re: Blue Cat Quarterfinalists

                            I entered one this year - first time I've tried BlueCat. Didn't make the cut but I was pleaqsantly surprised by the detail in the coverage. Usually these things look like someone grabbed random sentences out of Syd Fields, but this wasn't like that - it's quite thoughtful. If some kid did this for ten bucks, he's being seriously shortchanged.

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                            • #44
                              Re: Blue Cat Quarterfinalists

                              I agree with previous post--I thought my analysis was thorough and had some great suggestions (some of which I plan to change)--I was just thrilled that the reader "got it". I pasted it below~

                              What did you like about this script?

                              This is a taut, well-constructed script. It's a fairly novel central premise - while we've seen plenty of stories of shadowy government conspiracies and cabals ('The X Files', 'Men in Black'), you've combined this well with a story of love lost and regained. You lay the groundwork for later events impeccably (David's dream of Morgan Lake, the sign held up by the bum hitching by the side of the road) - things set up are carefully paid off later in the script. I liked the dystopic world David enters into after his reawakening - his shabby apartment and menial role at work. It's the old Rip Van Winkle motif of a dreamer awakening to a strangely altered new world that's still queasily familiar (we've seen something similar in other 'alteredtimestream' tales such as 'Back to the Future 2'), and you convey the horror of this well. You set up the growing attraction between David and the second Miranda (626) nicely - she's essentially been cut off from the outside world for a long time, which has rendered her something of a naif, almost childlike, in fact; too quick a 'reunion' between them could seem exploitative on David's part, but you pace their romance nicely.

                              Overall, I feel the script has a highly cinematic quality - you've clearly visualised the events of the script yourself (presumably not by remote viewing!) and you know how to effectively convey this to the reader.


                              What do you think needs work?

                              I wasn't sure if the physical business of how David changed the future would come across as a little cartoonish onscreen. I'm thinking of the way he imagines a hacksaw into being and saws off the legs of the bed in order to make it collapse in the real world. I accept that you have to find a visual way to convey the fact that David is shaping the future, but there was something a little redolent of Wil E. Coyote whisking out the appropriate Acme gadget for any given situation. Then again, if the audience is prepared to make the imaginative leap and accept that astral projection is possible in the universe of your script, they may not have any problems with how the time-altering is represented...and I suppose that the 'glowing' version of objects might be an effective way of signifying that the 'essence' of something is being changed, without the material change being immediately apparent.

                              I wondered about David's motivation for helping the Professor by rescuing 626 - at this stage, he doesn't know it's Miranda, and the Professor can't really offer him anything concrete in return. Are we to presume he has a naturally heroic streak? He seems quite a ruthless pragmatist when we first encounter him. I was also puzzled why he wouldn't instantly recognise Miranda from the DVD image of the 8 year old 626 - wouldn't he have seen photos of his wife as a child? - or why he didn't encounter her name in the newspaper article the professor showed him about the rescue at Morgan Lake. I think you may be able to narratively get away with this, but perhaps you could specify that her image on the DVD is grainy or unclear, or that David only has time to glance at the headline of the story. The motivation for the rescue is, I think, a little more problematic. Could the Professor to help him set up a new life somewhere in order to secure his compliance?

                              I wasn't sure if the conclusion was dramatically satisfying. David has willed into being a new reality for himself; I wondered why he didn't influence this reality to ensure that he met Miranda sooner than ten years later - I suppose it's already been implied that he doesn't have exact control over future events. I also wondered if the Program still existed in this new reality, or if he'd somehow 'willed' it out of existence. I think this might occur to the audience, too. Perhaps we could see David trying to remote view the building in which the Program was based, only to discover that it's used for some other purpose now.

                              There are a few minor typos: apostrophes in plurals ('Nazi's' pg56, for instance) and the kind of spelling errors that don't get picked up by spell check ('In tact' for 'intact', pg 49). A diligent manual spell check should eliminate these.
                              Last edited by Done Deal Pro; 07-15-2008, 05:07 PM. Reason: Fixed the font coding

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                              • #45
                                Re: Blue Cat Quarterfinalists

                                My guy seemingly loved my script, had issue with the clarity of some action lines, and no I didn't advance.

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