Scriptnotes' slushpile

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  • Scriptnotes' slushpile

    so i've not listened to scriptnotes in awhile, mostly because of the politics that now seem infused into every episode. (i mean, if i had any interest at all in knowing what those guys think politically, i'd simply turn on jake tapper to find out -- which i watch all the time, so....) anyway, i went ahead and listened to today's ep, and today's episode they talked briefly about scriptshadow and the script carson reeves wrote, and how if carson had sent them that script via 3-page challenge it would have went straight into the slushpile. I'm curious if anyone here has submitted to the 3-page challenge and, if so, was it read on air?

    I have. And nope, it was not.
    Last edited by Done Deal Pro; 10-09-2020, 04:31 PM. Reason: Added tags

  • #2
    Re: Scriptnotes' slushpile

    Or last week's filler word episode, where they USED FILLER WORDS NON-STOP. It's a kvetch fest. Always has been; always will be. I just prepare myself mentally (put on my tolerance hat) before tuning in

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    • #3
      Re: Scriptnotes' slushpile

      Originally posted by bjamin View Post
      I'm curious if anyone here has submitted to the 3-page challenge and, if so, was it read on air?
      I have. And nope, it was not.
      I sure haven't. I don't think I have the, er... stomach for Craig's comments, though I thought his idea [to change the order] was excellent for the cannibal restaurant three-page script.

      I see precious little payback for the public humiliation one might endure, though I suppose you could use a pen name. It seems so rare that they both really like any of the scripts, anyhow.

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      • #4
        Re: Scriptnotes' slushpile

        Originally posted by nativeson View Post
        Or last week's filler word episode, where they USED FILLER WORDS NON-STOP. It's a kvetch fest. Always has been; always will be. I just prepare myself mentally (put on my tolerance hat) before tuning in
        "tolerance hat" that's rich. At least filler-words pertain to screenwriting and things interesting to screenwriters. repeatedly mocking a woman because you disdain her and her pov does not. but if you can stomach that, more power to you.

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        • #5
          Re: Scriptnotes' slushpile

          Originally posted by SBdeb View Post
          I sure haven't. I don't think I have the, er... stomach for Craig's comments, though I thought his idea [to change the order] was excellent for the cannibal restaurant three-page script.

          I see precious little payback for the public humiliation one might endure, though I suppose you could use a pen name. It seems so rare that they both really like any of the scripts, anyhow.
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6_QUhUPrF4&t=31s

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          • #6
            Re: Scriptnotes' slushpile

            Originally posted by bjamin View Post
            so i've not listened to scriptnotes in awhile, mostly because of the politics that now seem infused into every episode.
            Thank you. I thought I was the only one.


            I have submitted to the 3 page challenge, but it didn't get read.

            Back when Craig and some of the other pros were critiquing script pages here, I posted 3 pages and got pretty well clobbered, but came away from it realizing that 3 pages isn't a big enough sample to establish anything significant, and therefore the criticism you receive will be superficial and not of any great use (unless the pages are REALLY bad, which is always fun to listen to, but not applicable to my situation).

            Best case scenario is that you might get a nice compliment on a succinct character introduction or something else, which is great for the ego, but not much help.

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            • #7
              Re: Scriptnotes' slushpile

              Thanks for sharing, bjamin.

              This is beautiful as a video, but for those who might not take go to the link-- reading the words is well worth a moment of time:

              "If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don't even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery--isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it. And, you'll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you're going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It's the only good fight there is.-

              Charles Bukowski

              I found myself listening to the poem/video which followed which was also powerful:

              "invent yourself and then reinvent yourself,
              don't swim in the same slough.
              invent yourself and then reinvent yourself and
              stay out of the clutches of mediocrity.

              invent yourself and then reinvent yourself,
              change your tone and shape so often that they can never categorize you.

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              • #8
                Re: Scriptnotes' slushpile

                Originally posted by kintnerboy View Post
                ... but came away from it realizing that 3 pages isn't a big enough sample to establish anything significant, and therefore the criticism you receive will be superficial and not of any great use (unless the pages are REALLY bad, which is always fun to listen to, but not applicable to my situation).
                I think you make a great point, but I have found that the [oft thoughtful, oft difficult] feedback I've gotten here on DDP from posting short excerpts went a long way in helping me identify ways to improve them.

                In this week's challenge, I thought the guys actually provided a lot of helpful ideas and advice.

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                • #9
                  Re: Scriptnotes' slushpile

                  Originally posted by SBdeb View Post
                  I think you make a great point, but I have found that the [oft thoughtful, oft difficult] feedback I've gotten here on DDP from posting short excerpts went a long way in helping me identify ways to improve them.

                  In this week's challenge, I thought the guys actually provided a lot of helpful ideas and advice.
                  You're right.

                  My mistake (when the advanced pages thread here was up) was that I did not submit the FIRST three pages, so they had no reference point for who or what was happening (I'm probably the only person who made this blunder).

                  John and Craig always used to chide Stuart (John's old assistant) for picking scripts where Page 1 opened at the height of an action scene, only to run into the "Two Weeks Earlier" SUPER on page 3, but it seems like that's exactly the kind of gimmick you need to get anywhere with a prospective manager, especially with guys like Jake Wagner, who will tell you up front they only read the first 10.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Scriptnotes' slushpile

                    I thought the "slushpile" comment was interesting, because John has said a couple of times that they pick 3-page challenges based on what will make for interesting discussion, not necessarily for quality.

                    Anyway, I usually find the 3-page challenges really helpful, though I agree the feedback can sometimes be brutal. Though I thought they were actually pretty gentle with the third script, which was plainly either an early draft or someone's first attempt at screenwriting. They recognized that it was an early writer and really focused in on the helpful feedback.

                    Short excerpt feedback like this is most helpful for passing the "Would I keep reading this?" test. That's your main hurdle in an opening. I think they've brought up that people can submit three pages from elsewhere in their script, but I don't know how helpful that would be unless there was one specific scene that was giving you trouble in some way. Probably work better for something like a sitcom than a feature.

                    I submitted pages to them once, but it was mostly a way to get myself to commit to what I was doing. They weren't read on the air.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Scriptnotes' slushpile

                      I used to listen to Scriptnotes often.

                      But I haven't in the last few months. It's become more and more about politics and gadgets and software, and less about screenwriting.

                      Carson isn't perfect. He's just another guy. He isn't even a good screenwriter, and admits that himself.

                      I feel that one of the reasons I follow Scriptshadow is that Carson is a good script reader-cum-'producer'. He certainly doesn't know everyone, but seems to have a good feel for the film world.

                      It's kind of like the Bitter Script Reader, except much more active, friendlier and less bitter.

                      Ragging on them because they haven't won an Oscar for Best Screenplay is like ragging on a sports journalist because they haven't made the playoffs in the last few years.
                      https://devonmw.wordpress.com/

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                      • #12
                        Re: Scriptnotes' slushpile

                        I always kind of like what I've seen from Carson's musings, but if he did say what Craig said he did [about Moonlight and Manchester], it does give me pause, and maybe Craig is right about him, though the vitriol was a bit much.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Scriptnotes' slushpile

                          Originally posted by SBdeb View Post
                          I always kind of like what I've seen from Carson's musings, but if he did say what Craig said he did [about Moonlight and Manchester], it does give me pause, and maybe Craig is right about him, though the vitriol was a bit much.
                          Carson's had some massively misguided commentary on quite a few award-winning and/or successful films (including Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea), and he tends to double down on it and then justify himself using really basic screenwriting tenets. Like, "This doesn't line up with what I read in my screenwriting book, therefore it is bad" kind of stuff. His viewpoint isn't well-respected among any actual, working screenwriters that I've seen discuss it.

                          I don't read the guy regularly or anything (I admit I mostly notice him when someone's doing a particularly entertaining takedown of his work), but I think his deal is just that he's very focused on commercial, by-the-numbers scripts, and he really doesn't get anything outside of that. He should probably just stick to talking about the stuff he likes, which is big-budget stuff that'll bring down big-budget paychecks. I don't think he tends to be far off on those.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Scriptnotes' slushpile

                            I used to really enjoy Scriptnotes. But lately I find Craig's tone to be wearily patronizing - can't believe he doesn't live in San Francisco - and they go off topic too often. It feels like a show that's getting a little stale. My favorite episodes are when they have guests, like when they had Malcolm Spellman on. I did send in three pages years ago. They were never read. Now thinking about doing an experiment where I send in a smattering of different three-page entries from different email addresses w/ fake names on them to see if anything gets in. Just for kicks.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Scriptnotes' slushpile

                              all about the lolz

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