Nicholl Fellowship 2012 open for submissions

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  • #61
    Re: Nicholl Fellowship 2012 open for submissions

    Sorry you ran into time-out problems, and I reported your experience to our developers.

    Perhaps it's a browser issue, as I sat idle separately on both the title/log line page and the payment page for about 25 minutes and did not time out. I only timed-out after sitting idle for over 45 minutes on the payment page.

    We appreciate any and all error reports as the online application is still a work-in-progress. Best to send them to nicholl at oscars.org.


    Originally posted by Presto View Post
    I don't know if it's an isolated incident but my Nicholl session expired twice when I was doing my entry. Once when I was doing the logline, another at the credit card entry stage. If others had a similar problem, say.

    I spent about a minute away from the session looking for my logline, and around a minute digging out my credit card. I guess that was the issue.

    My entry was successful but the dropped sessions was a bit of a nuisance.

    It was not my broadband: the message was "Your Nicholl session has expired" or something very similar.

    Apart from the above, the application process was a breeze.

    Comment


    • #62
      Re: Nicholl Fellowship 2012 open for submissions

      Originally posted by gregbeal View Post
      Sorry you ran into time-out problems, and I reported your experience to our developers.

      Perhaps it's a browser issue, as I sat idle separately on both the title/log line page and the payment page for about 25 minutes and did not time out. I only timed-out after sitting idle for over 45 minutes on the payment page.

      We appreciate any and all error reports as the online application is still a work-in-progress. Best to send them to nicholl at oscars.org.
      Thanks Greg. I tried again (I have a couple of entries this year). My session timed-out again, actually after only a few seconds of idle time.

      I had my stopwatch on. The time-out happened 5 mins and 30 seconds into the session. It had only been idle for a few seconds whilst I checked I had entered my logline correctly.

      I'm using an up-to-date version of Chrome.

      Anyway, I'll send a detailed email to nicholl at oscars.org.

      Comment


      • #63
        Re: Nicholl Fellowship 2012 open for submissions

        Originally posted by Presto View Post
        Fantastic change!

        The Nicholl is, as ever, the best run and undisputed king of contests.

        Absolutely. At least two reads for every script really goes a long way toward eliminating an anomoulus read, either good or bad, effecting the evaluation process.


        The quality of the evaluation just went up. It shows the folks over at Nicholl understand.

        .

        Comment


        • #64
          Re: Nicholl Fellowship 2012 open for submissions

          Hi Greg,

          With contest season gearing up, is it possible for readers from other contests to also read the same script in the Nicholl? Wondering how this might affect the grading.

          Comment


          • #65
            Re: Nicholl Fellowship 2012 open for submissions

            Originally posted by lordmanji View Post
            With contest season gearing up, is it possible for readers from other contests to also read the same script in the Nicholl? Wondering how this might affect the grading.
            As far as I know, only a few Nicholl readers also read for other competitions. That reduces the possibilities. Plus the relatively few scripts any reader judges in any competition causes an overlap to be even less likely.

            Additionally, we ask readers to stop reading immediately if they only have an inkling that they might have read a script before - wherever they might have read it - and we assign a different script in its place.

            Our system doesn't allow us to assign a script title to a reader who has previously read that script and warns us if the reader has read the writer previously. By and large, we do not assign any writer's script to a reader who has read the writer in a prior year.

            Comment


            • #66
              Re: Nicholl Fellowship 2012 open for submissions

              Originally posted by gregbeal View Post
              As far as I know, only a few Nicholl readers also read for other competitions. That reduces the possibilities. Plus the relatively few scripts any reader judges in any competition causes an overlap to be even less likely.

              Additionally, we ask readers to stop reading immediately if they only have an inkling that they might have read a script before - wherever they might have read it - and we assign a different script in its place.

              Our system doesn't allow us to assign a script title to a reader who has previously read that script and warns us if the reader has read the writer previously. By and large, we do not assign any writer's script to a reader who has read the writer in a prior year.
              Thanks, Greg. That really alleviates my concern about entering other contests.

              Comment


              • #67
                Re: Nicholl Fellowship 2012 open for submissions

                Originally posted by gregbeal View Post

                Back in the hard copy days, a reader was handed a script to read (among a small batch of scripts). He returned the batch and didn't say a word about anything odd occurring. There was something strange about one of the scripts he returned, and we noticed it during processing sometime later. It was longer (or shorter, I don't remember) than the submitted draft.

                When confronted, the reader claimed that he dropped the script in his washing machine and destroyed it (really, your washing machine?). And so he told an agent friend what had happened, and the agent just happened to be considering the writer for representation and so had a different draft, which he handed to the reader so that he could return it in place of the destroyed version. Before it was returned, though, the reader was careful to remove the title page and any other identifying information on the script.

                When we asked the reader why he hadn't called us immediately when the mishap occurred, he hemmed and hawed. In addition to talking to the reader, we spoke to the agent and to the writer. It's possible that there was an accident. It's also possible that someone saw this as an opportunity to slide a new, improved draft of the script into the competition. Since we could no longer trust the reader, we decided not to use his services any longer.
                This was part of Greg's response to a post in the TrackingB thread.

                I'd rather comment here than in that thread.

                Greg, thank you for sharing this.

                I was really curious when you mentioned a reader got fired. And then in response to a comment, you elaborated more.

                Comment


                • #68
                  Re: Nicholl Fellowship 2012 open for submissions

                  Hi Greg,


                  I'd like to draw your attention to this thread:

                  http://messageboard.donedealpro.com/...ad.php?t=65182


                  Most notably post 8 on page 1 (BattleDophinZero) and post 34 on page 4 (Brian Koppelman).


                  The thread is about non traditional slug lines. BDZ advocates slugs like HE DUCKS INTO THE BATHROOM
                  for a better flow and Brian Koppelman says he has never used INT or EXT.

                  I really like both approaches and would like to know If I veer away from the traditional, will I be marked down by the Nicholl readers - even though pros, such as Frank, Black, Helgeland and Kelly already do the same? Or will your readers not care as long as the script is good? The pros confirmed agents & studios don't care about any of this but what aboutcompetitions?


                  Eg: would this - from a spec script that was bought and produced - fly with your readers or be rejected because it does't adhere to the Trottier's rules?

                  ACROSS THE STREET
                  Is a tunnel. Not an alley. A tunnel.

                  BLACK
                  Moves towards it. And he sees something on the ground. It's

                  THE CORSAGE
                  That Debbie was holding.

                  BLACK
                  Approaches the tunnel and he sees something else on the ground.

                  A SEVERED ARM
                  With bright red nail polish and bright red blood.

                  BLACK
                  Looks back. All of the people are in the street. None willing to join him.


                  In my mind, writing like this is a no brainer.

                  However, I emailed the above to another well regarded competition and got a fairly stock, and very disappointing reply, that regurgitated the myths that lead amateurs astray, including the classic "pros can do what they want but amateurs can have their script tossed for a typo".


                  Thanks.

                  M.A.G.A.

                  Comment


                  • #69
                    Re: Nicholl Fellowship 2012 open for submissions

                    Yes, that style would be fine. I can't imagine a reader thinking poorly of a script because of such usage. (Of course, I can't imagine a reader being affected by a few typos. On the other hand, 20 typos on page one - that will affect most readers.)

                    You might want to look at the Nicholl format guide, which I wrote originally long ago when I was talking about formatting at the Austin Screenwriting Conference. Here's a link:

                    http://www.oscars.org/awards/nicholl/scriptsample.pdf

                    See the bottom of page 7 for a variant of the style used below.



                    Originally posted by SundownInRetreat View Post
                    Hi Greg,


                    I'd like to draw your attention to this thread:
                    http://messageboard.donedealpro.com/...ad.php?t=65182

                    Most notably post 8 on page 1 (BattleDophinZero) and post 34 on page 4 (Brian Koppelman).

                    The thread is about non traditional slug lines. BDZ advocates slugs like HE DUCKS INTO THE BATHROOM for a better flow and Brian Koppelman says he has never used INT or EXT.

                    I really like both approaches and would like to know If I veer away from the traditional, will I be marked down by the Nicholl readers - even though pros, such as Frank, Black, Helgeland and Kelly already do the same? Or will your readers not care as long as the script is good? The pros confirmed agents & studios don't care about any of this but what aboutcompetitions?

                    Eg: would this - from a spec script that was bought and produced - fly with your readers or be rejected because it does't adhere to the Trottier's rules?

                    ACROSS THE STREET
                    Is a tunnel. Not an alley. A tunnel.

                    BLACK
                    Moves towards it. And he sees something on the ground. It's

                    THE CORSAGE
                    That Debbie was holding.

                    BLACK
                    Approaches the tunnel and he sees something else on the ground.

                    A SEVERED ARM
                    With bright red nail polish and bright red blood.

                    BLACK
                    Looks back. All of the people are in the street. None willing to join him.


                    In my mind, writing like this is a no brainer.

                    However, I emailed the above to another well regarded competition and got a fairly stock, and very disappointing reply, that regurgitated the myths that lead amateurs astray, including the classic "pros can do what they want but amateurs can have their script tossed for a typo".


                    Thanks.

                    Comment


                    • #70
                      Re: Nicholl Fellowship 2012 open for submissions

                      Thanks for that.

                      The document mentioned no camera shots - is that still a no no or is there leeway?
                      M.A.G.A.

                      Comment


                      • #71
                        Re: Nicholl Fellowship 2012 open for submissions

                        Originally posted by SundownInRetreat View Post
                        Thanks for that.

                        The document mentioned no camera shots - is that still a no no or is there leeway?
                        Do readers think Nicholl entrants are wasting space when they include shots as in a shooting script?

                        Most probably do.

                        Write a good enough script and they won't care.

                        Write an okay script and they're more apt to notice.

                        Other than a few selected shots - POV and Insert/Close Ups being the most obvious - there's no reason to include shots in a spec draft. And those same shots can be written into a script without calling a single shot by using a style similar to what you posted earlier.

                        Comment


                        • #72
                          Re: Nicholl Fellowship 2012 open for submissions

                          Originally posted by gregbeal View Post
                          Do readers think Nicholl entrants are wasting space when they include shots as in a shooting script?

                          Most probably do.

                          Write a good enough script and they won't care.

                          Write an okay script and they're more apt to notice.

                          Other than a few selected shots - POV and Insert/Close Ups being the most obvious - there's no reason to include shots in a spec draft. And those same shots can be written into a script without calling a single shot by using a style similar to what you posted earlier.
                          I was referring to POV and close ups. Not looking to direct any swooping camera shots. Thanks once again.
                          M.A.G.A.

                          Comment


                          • #73
                            Re: Nicholl Fellowship 2012 open for submissions

                            As the Nicholl early deadline approaches, a few tips and reminders to anyone who is currently in panic mode trying to make the 11:59 pm PT, March 15 cut-off.

                            Final Draft 7.0 creates immense PDF files, which the Nicholl application will not allow to upload. Upgrading to FD 7.1 or later or adding a free PDF converter such as CutePDF or PDF995 will eliminate the problem.

                            Entrants have found that our finicky application form seems to like some browsers in some OSs on some days and others on other days. If you're hitting a wall in Internet Explorer or Safari, try switching to Chrome or Firefox. Or vice versa.

                            We have discovered that the Select Script (for upload) button does not function in Firefox 3.6.x. It is possible that it may not work in other older Firefox versions. The solution is to update to Firefox 10 or to switch to IE or Safari or Chrome.

                            If you're a new entrant and have not yet created an account, you might want to do so now rather than wait until 11:37 pm on March 15. Accounts can be created in advance and are needed to access the application form.

                            Having a log line ready to go prior to filling out the application may save you a few minutes. BTW, log lines are never seen by readers but do help us assign scripts to readers.

                            Remember to remove your name and other personal information from your title page and all other pages of your screenplay prior to creating your PDF.

                            If you have any questions or have encountered any problems with the application, please email us at nicholl at oscars.org. Or add your questions to this thread. Emailing may garner a quicker response.

                            Good luck to all entrants.

                            The Nicholl application form, rules and FAQs are linked at:

                            http://www.oscars.org/nicholl

                            Comment


                            • #74
                              Re: Nicholl Fellowship 2012 open for submissions

                              Originally posted by gregbeal View Post
                              ...

                              Our system doesn't allow us to assign a script title to a reader who has previously read that script and warns us if the reader has read the writer previously. By and large, we do not assign any writer's script to a reader who has read the writer in a prior year.
                              So even if the title has changed from last year to this year, there's no problem? I didn't see any place this year to say whether the script had been submitted in a past year.

                              Comment


                              • #75
                                Re: Nicholl Fellowship 2012 open for submissions

                                Originally posted by P-jay View Post
                                So even if the title has changed from last year to this year, there's no problem? I didn't see any place this year to say whether the script had been submitted in a past year.
                                The first page of the application asks whether the writer has entered previously but does not deal with specific scripts. If the title stays the same, the system automatically excludes it from a previous reader's potential assignments.

                                If you have changed a title, it's handy to include the old title in your log line. Something like (aka Old Title) would give us a little additional information.

                                Comment

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