Re: Black List founder Franklin Leonard answers your questions about the Black List.
Do execs usually vote for scripts fresher in their minds, or do they still tend to vote for something they read back in February? Do you find a disproportionate amount of nominees from later in the year?
Re: Black List founder Franklin Leonard answers your questions about the Black List.
Have you kept a list of scripts that have made the list and have gone on to be sold and/or made? If so, what do the numbers look like overall and on a year to year basis?
Do you have a favorite Blacklist script (from any year) that has not yet sold? How about an overall favorite (sold or unsold)?
What is the cut-off to make this years Black List? Nov what?
EJ
The voting period is a moving target and designed as such to keep those agents and managers who might want to campaign off-balance and unable to do so effectively. Late November is a reasonable (thought not entirely accurate) assumption.
Do execs usually vote for scripts fresher in their minds, or do they still tend to vote for something they read back in February? Do you find a disproportionate amount of nominees from later in the year?
This was something that I worried about a bit during years two through five, but I've found (though I have no statistical evidence to back this up and am not sure that it would even be possible to put together that sort of analysis) that to the extent that that bias exists, it's not terribly significant.
Many executives I know now keep a mental (or physical) list of "Black List scripts" over the course of the year that they're going to vote for when voting time comes.
Put more succinctly, I think the knowledge that the Black List exists and that voting happens at the end of the year makes people are a lot more vigilant against that potential bias.
Re: Black List founder Franklin Leonard answers your questions about the Black List.
What are the benefits of membership? What would people be doing on a daily basis on the website? I remember hearing about a coverage service - will it be competitive with other places, or at least not charge a 1000 bucks.
Have you kept a list of scripts that have made the list and have gone on to be sold and/or made? If so, what do the numbers look like overall and on a year to year basis?
Do you have a favorite Blacklist script (from any year) that has not yet sold? How about an overall favorite (sold or unsold)?
228 Black List scripts have been produced as movies (4 of which are currently in production) though that # isn't entirely representative since the first list included scripts that got one vote.
Since 2005, approximately 30% of Black List scripts have been produced though that number is by no means constant as new movies head into production frequently, and we repopulate the pool of unproduced Black List scripts every year.
A few other quick stats:
Movies based on Black List scripts have
* Earned over $16BN in worldwide box office.
* Been nominated for 121 Golden Globes
* Won 21 Golden Globes.
* Been nominated for 148 Oscars.
* Won 26 Oscars.
* Won 2 of the last 4 Oscars for Best Picture (SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, THE KING'S SPEECH)
* Won 5 of the last 10 Oscars awarded for screenwriting.
I have many favorites from past years. For now though, I'll stick with the ones that are likely to be part of this year's Awards conversation:
ARGO
THE IMPOSSIBLE
LOOPER
SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS
WARM SPRINGS
DJANGO UNCHAINED
What are the benefits of membership? What would people be doing on a daily basis on the website? I remember hearing about a coverage service - will it be competitive with other places, or at least not charge a 1000 bucks.
Membership is only beneficial to industry professionals, which is also why it's limited to that community. Current benefits include access to real time filterable and sortable Black List as well as algorithmic screenplay recommendations based on one's taste.
We will be launching a new service next month for aspiring screenwriters. It will not be a "coverage service," per se though I'm not yet ready to reveal exactly what it will be.
Suffice it to say that while it won't be free, it will be far more than "competitive," especially if $1000 is your benchmark.
Membership is only beneficial to industry professionals, which is also why it's limited to that community. Current benefits include access to real time filterable and sortable Black List as well as algorithmic screenplay recommendations based on one's taste.
We will be launching a new service next month for aspiring screenwriters. It will not be a "coverage service," per se though I'm not yet ready to reveal exactly what it will be.
Suffice it to say that while it won't be free, it will be far more than "competitive," especially if $1000 is your benchmark.
No, 1000 was a joke, a reference to something else. No, my benchmarks are places like The Tracking Board and the ubiquitous screenplay consultants.
We will be launching a new service next month for aspiring screenwriters. It will not be a "coverage service," per se though I'm not yet ready to reveal exactly what it will be.
I don't have any questions yet, but just wanted to chime in -- I love the excitement and interest that the Black List creates for writers. If you can do even half of that for aspiring writers then god speed.
I'm excited to see Argo, too -- I'd forgotten that was a Blacklist script.
Re: Black List founder Franklin Leonard answers your questions about the Black List.
And while I'm here, let me plug a few aspects of the Black List website that go overlooked all too often.
1. Our official screenwriting blog, Go Into The Story. I honestly can't say enough good things about Scott Myers and the heroic work he does as a resource for screenwriters, both aspiring and professional. If you're trying to become a good writer and you're not reading his blog on a regular basis (the volume alone impressive, but the quality that comes along with it is extraordinary), you're not trying hard enough.
2. Xander Bennett's Screenwriting Tips... You Hack. Begun as a Tumblr I followed regularly and now also a book by the same name, bite size information that will probably change the way you look at your own work.
3. The Quest and The Quest Forums. An extraordinary component of Go Into the Story that I will leave for Scott to explain in his own words. Just click the link. You won't be disappointed.
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