Just wanted to relate my most recent BL experience for anyone out there curious about the cost / benefit and how things are operating since they changed the pricing structure.
Brief backstory- I've used the BL twice before, both times listing high budget studio-type features. On each of those occasions I purchased 2 evaluations, owing to the fact that it takes an average of at least 2 scores to get your script ranked on any of the top lists.
Both scripts got 7's overall, found their way into the top 25 in their respective genre rankings, and went almost completely ignored. 1 or 2 pro views, 0 pro downloads, and a quick trip into oblivion.
This was very disheartening for me and obviously disappointing at the time, because I didn't really understand the seemingly arbitrary numerical scoring system. Though I've since come to the realization that the reason that my scripts didn't garner any interest is because a 7 is a PASS. So is a 6 or a 5 or a 3. The only difference between a 7 and a 3 is that a 7 is indicative that a script might be worth the time and effort to develop further.
I uploaded my newest script about a month ago, this time a small crime thriller that could be made for 5-10 million, in the hopes of attracting a larger pool of buyers.
I only purchased 1 evaluation this time, because I wasn't really interested in getting onto any 'top' lists. I just wanted a fresh set of eyes to tell me what was wrong with it. I squeezed a 135 page story into 120 pages and, in my opinion, truncated the ending and undermined the emotional core of the story, and I wanted to get a handle on how obvious the damage was.
The review came back in 5 days (much faster than all of my previous experiences) and it was an 8. Needless to say I was very pleasantly surprised. Did not expect that at all. Better yet, the evaluation didn't really list any weaknesses, just encouragement and a few exclamation marks.
I immediately opted in for the 2 free evaluations (to go with the 2 free months of hosting) and my script was assigned to readers and downloaded almost immediately. The first of these bonus reviews came back in less than 8 hours (!) and it was another 8, and even more complimentary than the previous one.
Knowing that I was now entitled to 2 more free reviews and two more free months of hosting, I decided not to opt in for it. Because what did I have to gain here, except the inevitable diminishing returns? The script was already in the top 5 for the website, and I got my first pro download hours after the second review posted. And whoever that pro was, they came back and rated the script a 9 (bless them), which boosted it to #1. Pretty exciting for a script I had no faith in to begin with.
Over the next 6 days (which lapped over the Monday BL email) the script got 13 pro views and 7 pro downloads, which doesn't seem like much, but it's 700% more than my previous efforts, and I got an email from a lit manager at a company you have heard of, inquiring about other scripts. I sent him one of my high budget failures from 2015. Ugh (Lesson 1: ALWAYS have more than one good script ready just in case).
During this week, I emailed about 20 managers and agents (I know that's not much, but they were very targeted) mentioning the 8s and the high ranking, and didn't get a single read request (Really?). I even sent 5 via Virtual Pitch Fest targeting producers, (which I really didn't want to do- there's just something so seemingly desperate about paying people to read an email) knowing that they would have to at least respond one way or the other.
They did: 'Sounds great. Not for us.'
This is a tough business, folks.
At this point the second of my complimentary evaluations came back (after 6 long days) and it was the '6' that I had been expecting all along. Damn. Someone was out to take me down a peg.
I immediately changed my mind on the second helping of free evaluations and opted back in. Had to bolster that 6 with something.
Both of the new evaluations were done and posted in less than 8 hours. I don't know if there was some kind of demand for my script because there were so few crime thrillers listed that week or if everyone is getting this kind of service, but it is an amazing change from the way things used to be.
Anyway, I got two 7s. Not great, but not enough to knock me out of the top 3, where my script remained for most of November, ending up with 32 pro views and 13 downloads (.400 average).
Along the way, I was contacted by 2 small independent producers, who are making tentative nibbles regarding options.
The two things that stood out to me about this whole thing so far is the speed at which things take place these days, (I have been doing this long enough to remember mailing hard copies out and then waiting 8-12 weeks for a No Thanks) and how lucky I was to not get that '6' review first.
The lit manager got back to me after he read my other script, about 3 weeks later. He didn't offer to rep me, but left the door open for submissions. Good enough.
I don't know what's going to happen for me here (I am mostly curious about who the 10 other downloads were and if they passed the script to anyone else and if I'll ever hear from any of them) but I am very encouraged about the chances for my little script, especially after some future rewrites.
So I guess the TL;DR here is that the Blacklist website is functioning for the most part exactly as it was designed to. You just have to execute your idea really really well, lower your expectations and hope for a little luck.
Brief backstory- I've used the BL twice before, both times listing high budget studio-type features. On each of those occasions I purchased 2 evaluations, owing to the fact that it takes an average of at least 2 scores to get your script ranked on any of the top lists.
Both scripts got 7's overall, found their way into the top 25 in their respective genre rankings, and went almost completely ignored. 1 or 2 pro views, 0 pro downloads, and a quick trip into oblivion.
This was very disheartening for me and obviously disappointing at the time, because I didn't really understand the seemingly arbitrary numerical scoring system. Though I've since come to the realization that the reason that my scripts didn't garner any interest is because a 7 is a PASS. So is a 6 or a 5 or a 3. The only difference between a 7 and a 3 is that a 7 is indicative that a script might be worth the time and effort to develop further.
I uploaded my newest script about a month ago, this time a small crime thriller that could be made for 5-10 million, in the hopes of attracting a larger pool of buyers.
I only purchased 1 evaluation this time, because I wasn't really interested in getting onto any 'top' lists. I just wanted a fresh set of eyes to tell me what was wrong with it. I squeezed a 135 page story into 120 pages and, in my opinion, truncated the ending and undermined the emotional core of the story, and I wanted to get a handle on how obvious the damage was.
The review came back in 5 days (much faster than all of my previous experiences) and it was an 8. Needless to say I was very pleasantly surprised. Did not expect that at all. Better yet, the evaluation didn't really list any weaknesses, just encouragement and a few exclamation marks.
I immediately opted in for the 2 free evaluations (to go with the 2 free months of hosting) and my script was assigned to readers and downloaded almost immediately. The first of these bonus reviews came back in less than 8 hours (!) and it was another 8, and even more complimentary than the previous one.
Knowing that I was now entitled to 2 more free reviews and two more free months of hosting, I decided not to opt in for it. Because what did I have to gain here, except the inevitable diminishing returns? The script was already in the top 5 for the website, and I got my first pro download hours after the second review posted. And whoever that pro was, they came back and rated the script a 9 (bless them), which boosted it to #1. Pretty exciting for a script I had no faith in to begin with.
Over the next 6 days (which lapped over the Monday BL email) the script got 13 pro views and 7 pro downloads, which doesn't seem like much, but it's 700% more than my previous efforts, and I got an email from a lit manager at a company you have heard of, inquiring about other scripts. I sent him one of my high budget failures from 2015. Ugh (Lesson 1: ALWAYS have more than one good script ready just in case).
During this week, I emailed about 20 managers and agents (I know that's not much, but they were very targeted) mentioning the 8s and the high ranking, and didn't get a single read request (Really?). I even sent 5 via Virtual Pitch Fest targeting producers, (which I really didn't want to do- there's just something so seemingly desperate about paying people to read an email) knowing that they would have to at least respond one way or the other.
They did: 'Sounds great. Not for us.'
This is a tough business, folks.
At this point the second of my complimentary evaluations came back (after 6 long days) and it was the '6' that I had been expecting all along. Damn. Someone was out to take me down a peg.
I immediately changed my mind on the second helping of free evaluations and opted back in. Had to bolster that 6 with something.
Both of the new evaluations were done and posted in less than 8 hours. I don't know if there was some kind of demand for my script because there were so few crime thrillers listed that week or if everyone is getting this kind of service, but it is an amazing change from the way things used to be.
Anyway, I got two 7s. Not great, but not enough to knock me out of the top 3, where my script remained for most of November, ending up with 32 pro views and 13 downloads (.400 average).
Along the way, I was contacted by 2 small independent producers, who are making tentative nibbles regarding options.
The two things that stood out to me about this whole thing so far is the speed at which things take place these days, (I have been doing this long enough to remember mailing hard copies out and then waiting 8-12 weeks for a No Thanks) and how lucky I was to not get that '6' review first.
The lit manager got back to me after he read my other script, about 3 weeks later. He didn't offer to rep me, but left the door open for submissions. Good enough.
I don't know what's going to happen for me here (I am mostly curious about who the 10 other downloads were and if they passed the script to anyone else and if I'll ever hear from any of them) but I am very encouraged about the chances for my little script, especially after some future rewrites.
So I guess the TL;DR here is that the Blacklist website is functioning for the most part exactly as it was designed to. You just have to execute your idea really really well, lower your expectations and hope for a little luck.
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