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

    Originally posted by RGF View Post
    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.
    Free advice... there's no margin in parsing a pass. I understand that it hurts your pride to be given a 1, but it's wasted emotional energy. The script didn't work for that reader. Does it really matter if they gave it a 1 or a 3 in a game where you need an 8 to stand out of the pile?

    The truth is that everyone gets bad reads; I've hated plenty of scripts that have sold or gotten people work. It's a subjective business. So to get angry at one particular reader or question the professionalism of an entire enterprise based on that reaction... like I said. Wasted emotional energy.

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

      I think it's funny when people in the industry assert the cream will rise to the top.

      They said that about American Idol too.

      And then Taylor Hicks won.

      Taylor Hicks was purportedly the best that America had to offer. I'm not slamming the guy, but really? Out of hundreds, or thousands of voices, of looks, he's the American Idol.

      People who judge can be wrong.

      Look, the contestants of American Idol aren't strictly vetted by the public. A panel of three judges with supposed expertise makes the decisions of who gets through. So we're seeing the best contestants they believe to be worthy of the title American Idol.

      We don't vote on everyone, but what insiders have decided what's worthy. And we're supposed to take it as a given that Taylor Hicks or any of the other forgettable winners of AI were the best this country had to offer.

      Are judges in any competition beyond scrutiny? I've read a sizeable number of scripts that made the Blacklist, that, although showing a certain proficiency above and beyond that of the unwashed masses, still aren't very good. Some with unique premises that people so used to "Transformers" crap see as these glittering diamonds of originality.

      But then I've read them and they still aren't very good or engaging stories.

      I wish movies were better today, Michael B. I wish this cream rises to the top philosophy were somewhere in evidence at the multiplex. But its very arbitrary. Adam Sandler just sold "Ridiculous Six".

      Dregs rise to the top just as much as cream in your business. We've all seen the proof.

      Comment


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

        Originally posted by Wes Tooke View Post
        It's a subjective business. So to get angry at one particular reader or question the professionalism of an entire enterprise based on that reaction... like I said. Wasted emotional energy.
        Not angry. And I've never questioned the enterprise. I support the enterprise. I wish Franklin the best with it...but even more so...I hope it opens doors to emerging writers. I question the judging ability of one reader and recommended to Franklin that he review the situation. Perhaps he'll see a trend from that reader that is sabotaging decent scripts with poor ratings, thus hurting writers with real potential. But he declined. So there it is.

        Comment


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

          Thinking out loud here... Say I'm a rep or producer looking for a diamond in the rough... And let's say I find it (or perhaps am undecided about it), why would I go and give it a high ranking to draw more attention to it? I mean, aren't all managers/producers/agents essentially in competition with one another ? To me this would be akin to a baseball scout emailing 100 other scouts to say there's a great arm in the back fields of Iowa they should go check out...

          So I'm just puzzled as to why a producer/manager/agent would want to rank a script highly, but then just move on? Am I missing something here? Perhaps it's just not their genre but want to be altruistic?

          Calc

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

            Originally posted by sc111 View Post
            NOTE: In keeping with my promise last night, this question is for Geoff not Franklin. Franklin can feel free to ignore this post.



            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.<<


            I get that, and I share some concern about it, but as I said, 90% of those who submit their scripts are probably going to be disappointed. It's the nature of the business. If they have the money to take the shot and potentially learn something about where they stand, there's nothing wrong with that. At the same time, I think they should consider limiting the number of purchased reads to three, or something like that, to be certain that people aren't going crazy with it with no potential benefit.


            >>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?
            It's a good question. If the guys had included all their info, I lean towards a yes. I think they would have gotten some reads based on the logline, but I suspect that they will get more reads and reads from folks that are predisposed to responding well to their material with this system. II could be wrong, I will ask them how it is working for them in a couple of weeks.

            Comment


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

              I don't think the disparity in script evaluations is all that puzzling. Reactions are colossally subjective. It's not a case of rogue readers or overvalued scripts. It's simply a reflection of colossal variances in taste.

              Consider how much disparity there is among film critics' reviews, even for masterpieces. (E.g, Roger Ebert awarding Unforgiven a mere two-and-a-half stars in his original review.) Readers are script reviewers, after all, therefore it stands to reason that their reactions will likewise vary greatly.

              The only professional script reader of whose blog I'm aware is The Bitter Script Reader. I remember encountering this instructive post a while back:

              http://thebitterscriptreader.blogspo...e-want-to.html

              He describes at length a "generic piece of violent drek" that he absolutely "hated." His comments suggest that on a Black List grading scale, he might have given the script a 1 out of 10. And yet,

              in the end, the writers had the last laugh as they've gone on to work steadily, working on at least one franchise.
              Think about it -- steadily working writers, good enough to work on a franchise, yet their script garnered such polarizing reactions among different industry professionals.

              With that in mind, I do like this bit of info from the Black List FAQ:

              How do the readers get assigned a script?

              Our readers [...] [are] assigned scripts based on their stated genre preferences. A romantic comedy fan will never read a horror script and vice versa, unless that reader is the rare person who seeks out both genres.
              This does give a nod to disparities in readers' tastes, which is encouraging.

              Comment


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

                Originally posted by sc111 View Post
                NOTE: In keeping with my promise last night, this question is for Geoff not Franklin. Franklin can feel free to ignore this post.



                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?
                Oh, BTW, for the sake of clarity, we are not buyers, we are management-production.

                Comment


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

                  Originally posted by wickedlies View Post
                  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.
                  Ah, I found the "awaiting feedback" upon clicking on the title of my script, so that helps in the sense that I know the credit was honored and it's just in the process of getting reviewed. I won't send an e-mail now, but thank you for pointing that out!

                  Comment


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

                    Originally posted by halloweenjak View Post
                    I think it's funny when people in the industry assert the cream will rise to the top.

                    They said that about American Idol too.

                    And then Taylor Hicks won.

                    Taylor Hicks was purportedly the best that America had to offer. I'm not slamming the guy, but really? Out of hundreds, or thousands of voices, of looks, he's the American Idol.

                    People who judge can be wrong.

                    Look, the contestants of American Idol aren't strictly vetted by the public. A panel of three judges with supposed expertise makes the decisions of who gets through. So we're seeing the best contestants they believe to be worthy of the title American Idol.

                    We don't vote on everyone, but what insiders have decided what's worthy. And we're supposed to take it as a given that Taylor Hicks or any of the other forgettable winners of AI were the best this country had to offer.

                    Are judges in any competition beyond scrutiny? I've read a sizeable number of scripts that made the Blacklist, that, although showing a certain proficiency above and beyond that of the unwashed masses, still aren't very good. Some with unique premises that people so used to "Transformers" crap see as these glittering diamonds of originality.

                    But then I've read them and they still aren't very good or engaging stories.

                    I wish movies were better today, Michael B. I wish this cream rises to the top philosophy were somewhere in evidence at the multiplex. But its very arbitrary. Adam Sandler just sold "Ridiculous Six".

                    Dregs rise to the top just as much as cream in your business. We've all seen the proof.
                    People in the industry don't assert that the cream will rise to the top, they assert that commercially viable projects tend to rise to the top. It's not a statement on quality, it's a statement on the potential for profit.

                    Comment


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

                      Originally posted by Geoff Alexander View Post
                      It's a good question. If the guys had included all their info, I lean towards a yes. I think they would have gotten some reads based on the logline, but I suspect that they will get more reads and reads from folks that are predisposed to responding well to their material with this system. II could be wrong, I will ask them how it is working for them in a couple of weeks.
                      That's a great response. A nice peek behind the curtain.

                      Comment


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

                        Originally posted by The Calculator View Post
                        Thinking out loud here... Say I'm a rep or producer looking for a diamond in the rough... And let's say I find it (or perhaps am undecided about it), why would I go and give it a high ranking to draw more attention to it? I mean, aren't all managers/producers/agents essentially in competition with one another ? To me this would be akin to a baseball scout emailing 100 other scouts to say there's a great arm in the back fields of Iowa they should go check out...

                        So I'm just puzzled as to why a producer/manager/agent would want to rank a script highly, but then just move on? Am I missing something here? Perhaps it's just not their genre but want to be altruistic?

                        Calc
                        Good points. Creating the illusion of looking for new talent, while actually continuing the tired and beaten path of pursuing production for writers they personally like and champion.

                        Who wants to send the elevator back down for someone you don't know?

                        So few projects actually get made into movies, insiders have to be very discriminating in their choices of what to advocate. And they're always meeting people in person who they want to help, based not just on talent but likability. ( again in a singing competition Taylor Hicks comes to mind. In screenwriting Nia Vardalos who continues to benefit from Tom Hanks friendship with "Larry Crowne" following some real clunkers. Not MBFGW of course )

                        Personal relationships seem just as much a factor in the production process as talent. We've seen movie after movie which attests to this. The "Zookeeper" anyone?

                        This seems like a service that finds and lauds talent, with 99% of the professionals unwilling to break a writers cherry themselves. There I did my community service, worked a day in the soup kitchen now I've got a lunch date to make.

                        Comment


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

                          American Idol is a reality TV show. It's #1 job is to get ratings, not talent. The "artists" career ends when the season's over.

                          Originally posted by halloweenjak View Post
                          I think it's funny when people in the industry assert the cream will rise to the top.

                          They said that about American Idol too.

                          And then Taylor Hicks won.

                          Taylor Hicks was purportedly the best that America had to offer. I'm not slamming the guy, but really? Out of hundreds, or thousands of voices, of looks, he's the American Idol.

                          Comment


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

                            And to touch a bit on the ranking system... I think the 1-10 scale is far too basic and much too vague...

                            Why not break it into two separate rankings: a 1-10 scale for IDEA and a 1-10 scale for EXECUTION.

                            High marks on IDEA, but low on EXECUTION, could still be of interest to a producer. And vice versa... High marks on EXECUTION, but low on IDEA, could still be of interest to a manager or agent.

                            I just don't think the current ranking system tells the whole story.

                            Calc

                            Comment


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

                              Question for Franklin when he bravely comes back on and wades through all the various posts: If a writer takes down their listing, does a significant rewrite, then reposts, is there any way to tag the upload as such so that the script might land in the hands of a fresh paid reader? Even if it lands in the hands of the same reader, I'm thinking it would be helpful if they knew it was a rejiggered version. (I seem to remember a "revision" field on the upload form, but can't recall its purpose.)

                              On a separate note, I applaud Franklin's candor and commitment during this. I've been in his same shoes before and I can vouch for the fact that launching a web service like this isn't easy. Lots of behind-the-scenes technical stuff to deal with - all while balancing communication with paying customers.

                              Comment


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

                                Originally posted by Geoff Alexander View Post
                                It's a good question. If the guys had included all their info, I lean towards a yes. I think they would have gotten some reads based on the logline, but I suspect that they will get more reads and reads from folks that are predisposed to responding well to their material with this system. II could be wrong, I will ask them how it is working for them in a couple of weeks.
                                Geoff -

                                In response to whether you'd have requested to read this script if sent to you via regular query, you replied, "If the guys had included all their info, I lean towards a yes." Will you please explain what you mean - what info?
                                "The Hollywood film business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." Hunter S Thompson

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