Black List founder Franklin Leonard answers your questions about the Black List

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  • Re: Black List founder Franklin Leonard answers your questions about the Black List

    Franklin:

    Gotta say, I admire the way you've hung in here. I just signed up - I'm curious to see it for myself.

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    • Re: Black List founder Franklin Leonard answers your questions about the Black List

      Originally posted by JeffLowell View Post
      Franklin:

      Gotta say, I admire the way you've hung in here. I just signed up - I'm curious to see it for myself.
      Jeff, you remind me of The Man with No Name.

      Comment


      • Re: Black List founder Franklin Leonard answers your questions about the Black List

        Originally posted by sc111 View Post
        LOL~! Irony duly noted.

        Maybe it's the years in marketing that make me hyper-sensitive to this inherent promise stuff.... whatever.
        You know, the promise and what you are getting is pretty clear. I think you're nitpicking and manufacturing complexity where this is none. There's no bait and switch here, there is no promise being hinted at, it all just strikes me as being extremely straightforward.

        You pay to join. You pay for a read or a couple of reads. You use common sense in terms of how you decide to proceed based on the response your script is getting. If you spend 125.00 to get a couple of reads and they both trash your script, then it's pretty obvious that the script isn't going to cut make any headway down this avenue, you get out.

        There are some givens in this thing that any *reasonable* person will understand. The primary one is that 90% of the scripts uploaded to the site will not be viable.

        The given is that 90% of the people who pay for this and participate will not get what they hope for, i.e., a positive response and real industry exposure.

        So, you are going to have a lot of complaining out there. A lot. But, that doesn't mean that the system they have put together isn't working and achieving what it was intended to do.

        Here's my crazy prediction. If this is in place five years from now, it will have been the avenue by which more movies are produced than any other contest or non traditional approach. Period.

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        • Re: Black List founder Franklin Leonard answers your questions about the Black List

          And, by the way, I read a script yesterday that was suggested to me by the algorithm, and I liked the writing a lot. Already in touch with the writers. So, for me, it's already a success because I read something that showed real potential.

          Comment


          • Re: Black List founder Franklin Leonard answers your questions about the Black List

            Good to hear Geoff!
            www.JustinSloanAuthor.com

            http://www.CreativeWritingCareer.com
            http://www.MilitaryVeteransinCreativeCareers.com

            Twitter: @JustinMSloan

            Want a free book?

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            • Re: Black List founder Franklin Leonard answers your questions about the Black List

              Originally posted by RGF View Post
              I've been reading the previous comments with an absolute sense of amazement...wondering what is going on with these ratings. But even these comments didn't prepare me for the review of my script that I got late last night. I posted a thriller on the Black List because I consider it one of my best scripts.

              I won't post comments. Just scores.

              Premise 2
              Plot 1
              Characters 2
              Dialogue 1
              Overall 1

              Needless to say I was stunned and, honestly, very pissed off. I know this script is better than that. I can handle 7's or 6's or even 5's. But a 1's and 2's? Did I write it with Crayon?

              Before you ask....yes the script was vetted by both "Scott the Reader" and our "Screenplay Mechanic". The Mechanic gave it a consider and placed it on his Lugnut List of the best 10 scripts he read that year. This script also was a semi-finalist at PAGE, and was also previously optioned by a very well-respected producer and has been through rounds of development with a director attached. Me...I already won Austin...so I consider myself a fairly decent writer. But a 1? Really? Anyway....I'm yanking it and I won't use that service again. With people like that doing the reading, what a waste of money.


              I had a nice email exchange with Franklin last night, on his request, todiscuss my concerns over the rating given to my script. I believe he is a total professional andtruly trying to help writers break in. And, as Geoff mentioned, there are already positives coming out of it.

              What I got out of the email exchange was that he unequivocally stands behindhis readers and will not comment on the evaluations others have given ascript. He stands by the ratingsgiven.

              I'm sure he thinks I'm a whiner...and can't handle a badreview. If this was a new script that noone had ever read, he might be right. But given the track record of this script, I can honestly say that hehas at least one reader that is not on task.

              He stated that this reader 'made a compelling argument for alow score based on the standards expected of highly rated screenplays on oursite'. What he didn't comment on was thefact that the reader comments leave hints that either the reader either didn'tcompletely read or understand the script.

              When I challenged him that a 1 rating infers that the writing level of thescript was the worst imaginable, he said "What they were saying is thatthey didn't respond to your screenplay, that it lacked a number of elementsthey would expect of a screenplay that they would recommend to their peers,bosses, and others in the industry."

              Essentially this left me with the feeling that if a reader doesn'trespond to the material it deserves a 1 or 2. If he does, it seems logical that it would get a 9 or 10. So, I wonder, why even have ratings between 3and 8? Recommends get a 9 or 10. Passes get a 1 or 2. Hmm. The 3 to 8 ratings are there, in my opinion, to remind me that hisreader believes I have written one of the worst scripts he has ever reviewed. Which means the reader is faulty either inhis ability to read and understand screenplays, or he was having a horrendousday, or he was overworked and had to skim the pages, missing the point.

              I believe Franklinhas at least one mess within the ranks of his readers. I don't believe he is willing to clean up thatmess or search for others as it will reflect on his standing within the filmindustry. How could he possibly tell hisreaders that they got it wrong? Hecan't. I understand that. It's all, ultimately, subjective. And he's not going to go to bat for a fewunrepped writers with complaints.

              Regardless, I asked him to review the work of thisparticular reader. Maybe he'll see atrend with other script reviews. It's his business, so he can do what he wants.

              [FONT="Times New Roman"]T]
              Last edited by RGF; 10-26-2012, 09:51 AM.

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              • Re: Black List founder Franklin Leonard answers your questions about the Black List

                Originally posted by Geoff Alexander View Post
                And, by the way, I read a script yesterday that was suggested to me by the algorithm, and I liked the writing a lot. Already in touch with the writers. So, for me, it's already a success because I read something that showed real potential.
                Pretty much sums it up right there. Good writing gets good reviews.

                Best,

                MB
                twitter.com/mbotti

                Comment


                • Re: Black List founder Franklin Leonard answers your questions about the Black List

                  Originally posted by michaelb View Post
                  Pretty much sums it up right there. Good writing gets good reviews.
                  Actually, it means a script that Geoff likes got a good review. Or some number of good reviews. And it means the algorithm worked for Geoff.

                  Otherwise, by implication, you're saying that the only scripts you've ever rated as "good" were also judged as "good" by all other readers.

                  I'm not saying I'm for or against BL and its readers. I just think "Good writing gets good reviews" is a silly thing to say. Some bad writing gets good reviews and vice-versa. And Michael, I'd be surprised if you haven't seen that happen.
                  Last edited by Manchester; 10-26-2012, 10:05 AM.

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                  • Re: Black List founder Franklin Leonard answers your questions about the Black List

                    Originally posted by RGF View Post
                    Which means the reader is faulty either in his ability to read and understand screenplays, or he was having a horrendous day, or he was overworked and had to skim the pages, missing the point.
                    You left out a fourth possibility.
                    ==========

                    Comment


                    • Re: Black List founder Franklin Leonard answers your questions about the Black List

                      Originally posted by Hasil Adkins View Post
                      You left out a fourth possibility.

                      Then you go tell our Evil Robot/Screenplay Mechanic that he was wrong for placing it in his top ten of 2011. Or the producers and director who spent most of last year and this year working their asses off to set up an international co-pro on it and get it financed.

                      Comment


                      • Re: Black List founder Franklin Leonard answers your questions about the Black List

                        Haven't seen this addressed, but for the folks who already got reviewed, what is the turnaround time? I paid for a review on the day the site first went up and still don't know what I've received. Were you e-mailed when the review came in?

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                        • Re: Black List founder Franklin Leonard answers your questions about the Black List

                          Originally posted by CColoredClown View Post
                          Haven't seen this addressed, but for the folks who already got reviewed, what is the turnaround time? I paid for a review on the day the site first went up and still don't know what I've received. Were you e-mailed when the review came in?
                          Yes. You receive an email.

                          Franklin has stated that the wait time could be up to 2.5 weeks but for me it was a week and I put mine in on the day it launched. Email them next week if you haven't received it. Also check your blacklist account under MY SCRIPTS and see if it is there already.

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                          • Re: Black List founder Franklin Leonard answers your questions about the Black List

                            NOTE: In keeping with my promise last night, this question is for Geoff not Franklin. Franklin can feel free to ignore this post.

                            Originally posted by Geoff Alexander View Post
                            And, by the way, I read a script yesterday that was suggested to me by the algorithm, and I liked the writing a lot. Already in touch with the writers. So, for me, it's already a success because I read something that showed real potential.
                            First -- I'm thrilled for any writer who gets notice. My concerns are not for the new writers who indeed have the chops to break in. It's the starry-eyed I feel bad for, those who are far from being at a break-in level yet spending lots of unnecessary money for many different services.

                            (BTW, I'm not dissing those who have a way to go. I have a way to go. I know I'm not at the level I want to be yet and therefore I'm not putting my scripts out for reads.)

                            Here's my question, Geoff -- it's sincere question and I think it's helpful to hear your POV as a potential buyer:

                            If the logline for the BL3.0 script you liked was sent to you via an email query, would you have requested it for a read? Yes? No?
                            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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                            • Re: Black List founder Franklin Leonard answers your questions about the Black List

                              Originally posted by wickedlies View Post
                              Yes. You receive an email.

                              Franklin has stated that the wait time could be up to 2.5 weeks but for me it was a week and I put mine in on the day it launched. Email them next week if you haven't received it. Also check your blacklist account under MY SCRIPTS and see if it is there already.
                              Thanks for answering. I uploaded a script the first day, but then paid for the review a few hours after reading the various threads that Franklin's been responding to.

                              I did go to the "My Scripts" section and would see a "you have a review pending" a few days ago, but now it's not saying anything. I'll just e-mail them. I'm not trying to complain about it, but was just wondering about the time frame for the people who already received the review.

                              Comment


                              • Re: Black List founder Franklin Leonard answers your questions about the Black List

                                Originally posted by CColoredClown View Post
                                Thanks for answering. I uploaded a script the first day, but then paid for the review a few hours after reading the various threads that Franklin's been responding to.

                                I did go to the "My Scripts" section and would see a "you have a review pending" a few days ago, but now it's not saying anything. I'll just e-mail them. I'm not trying to complain about it, but was just wondering about the time frame for the people who already received the review.
                                Is there a 1 in your box that says RATINGS? If there is then you need to go over to the right side of the screen and click on the title of your script. It should be in an orange font Scroll down and see your review.

                                But if not then they will be helpful via the email you sent. I know there were glitches with some reviews getting posted.

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