Franklin Leonard

Collapse

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Re: Franklin Leonard

    And I would have loved to be a fly on the wall to see Susan's many reactions to it. Heck, I'd love to have seen the studio people's reaction to seeing that movie.

    Comment


    • Re: Franklin Leonard

      The Charlie Kaufman thing brings up the thought of perception. If you perceive a writer as being someone that can deliver and give you more bang for your buck. A lot of the really good writers I already have a perception that they really know what they're doing from reading their stuff. So when I've seen them speak in person, even if they feel awkward, in the back of my mind I still respect what they have to say. I can imagine reps and executives having gauge this.

      Comment


      • Re: Franklin Leonard

        Originally posted by Friday View Post
        It's like handing a song to Mozart and Mozart just comes out with this amazing thing that you could never have thought of. Charlie I recall had said that he wasn't good in a room or something to that effect in an interview. And I remember a manager in an interview quipped that you don't have to be awkward like Charlie Kaufman. But, his awkwardness almost works better for him. It's like this genius that you want to nurture and almost chase down to get him to interpret your stuff. I can picture him as that tortured writer in Adaptation actually earnestly trying to adapt the Orchid Thief at first, then realizing that he couldn't...then writing about that. The hack writers must be the successful writers he knows that writes for those commercial movies.
        That's what I FUKKIN LOVE about that movie. It's about a really smart, creative dude backed into corner by people in suits... so he fukkin gives up (kinda). Meaning: he says "You know what would be MORE interesting? Me telling you the TRUTH about how I failed to conform to the Hollywood machine. I don't know how to do that... I honestly don't. Sorry, I tried. So instead you get THIS. And this is exactly what it feels like for us writers who aren't PLAYERS versed in the game, but actual creatives."

        I think Susan saw that and thought "This is REAL... I love it!" Fitting our creativity through the eye of their (suits) needle is excruciating at times. Round hole MEET square peg.

        Agreed. I would have loved to see her face after she read FADE TO BLACK:

        Yup, good writers gain confidence by people RESPONDING to their work. Suddenly they're viewed as 'good in a room' even though theoretically they're not.
        Bruh, fukkin *smooches*! Feel me? Ha!

        Comment


        • Re: Franklin Leonard

          Slightly OT: But has to do with creatives...

          I attended the reading of someone my ex represented (maybe she still does, no idea) the movie's first letter is "W".

          Client read from this book. Audience mostly friendly looking older people.

          THEN... she decides to read from one of her other books. DARK. AS. ****. This is a scene that has her getting ass raped. I'm like "Bro... holy sh!t... is this the right audience for this?"

          POINT: Creatives have that deep compulsion to be honest. The best one's anyway. Which circles back to Charlie. He was honest. And people loved him for it.

          I'd rather be honest and fail, offend people (I'm doing that right now with this current project) than LIE and be FAKE. Pointless...
          Bruh, fukkin *smooches*! Feel me? Ha!

          Comment


          • Re: Franklin Leonard

            Originally posted by GucciGhostXXX View Post
            Slightly OT: But has to do with creatives...

            I attended the reading of someone my ex represented (maybe she still does, no idea) the movie's first letter is "W".

            Client read from this book. Audience mostly friendly looking older people.

            THEN... she decides to read from one of her other books. DARK. AS. ****. This is a scene that has her getting ass raped. I'm like "Bro... holy sh!t... is this the right audience for this?"

            POINT: Creatives have that deep compulsion to be honest. The best one's anyway. Which circles back to Charlie. He was honest. And people loved him for it.

            I'd rather be honest and fail, offend people (I'm doing that right now with this current project) than LIE and be FAKE. Pointless...

            Old people probably are fine with that darker stuff more than you think. I sit in these arthouse Laemmle theaters and when trailers of some pretty dark out there stuff plays, I look around to the old people and they seem intrigued.


            It takes a special mind to think outside the box like that. You see scientists and artists come up with stuff that never really occurred to anyone. I don't know if you watched this show Survivor. There was this one challenge where Ozzy came up with a solution that was within the rules but it never occurred to the challenge makers that designed it that they could do it that way. He ended up saving loads of time and just dominated.

            Comment


            • Re: Franklin Leonard

              Originally posted by jroger View Post
              I feel like Franklin Leonard is kind of like the Dave Grohl of screenwriting. Seems like a nice guy, very enthusiastic, almost like an evangelist for his chosen field. Hard to talk smack about someone like that... but damn his band sucks.
              Foo Fighters rule! Can't we just make fun of one person at a time please? Thank you.

              Comment


              • Re: Franklin Leonard

                Originally posted by Bono View Post
                Foo Fighters rule! Can't we just make fun of one person at a time please? Thank you.
                Sorry, Bono. You're absolutely right. About keeping it simple, that is, not about the Foo Fighters

                I don't know if you've seen the "RIGBY" episode of Silicon Valley, but that is basically what I'm getting at here.

                If Craig Mazin wants to keep it real what he *should* say is something like:

                Franklin Is Great, But You know (FIGBY)... he's lining his pockets on the hopes and dreams of aspiring writers and providing little or no value in return.

                Comment


                • Re: Franklin Leonard

                  Great show. The best mainstream one (and most annoying) is WITH ALL DUE RESPECT. Just say FUCCK YOU I DISAGREE. It's more polite in my eyes.

                  I feel you j roger.

                  Comment


                  • Re: Franklin Leonard

                    This thread's 27 pages! Obviously, no way I have time to read all 27 pages.... Month after month, this thread seems to stick around.

                    Comment


                    • Re: Franklin Leonard

                      Originally posted by ScreenRider View Post
                      It's funny you say that because I got an 8 on the Black List and the same script didn't make past the first round in a contest. I also made semi-finals at AFF and then got a 5 on the Black List. I also got a 7 and a 3 on the same script on the Black List.

                      Not complaining. It's a gamble but the BL is one of the few ways to get your foot in the door. I just don't think industry readers in general are as qualified as people pretend. It's subjective of course, but what I mean is that they are not qualified to pick what their bosses would consider winners.

                      It's easy to eliminate the 90% of amateurish scripts but the people who can find the potential in the remaining few get paid a lot more than $50 a script.
                      to ScreenRider and UpandComing:

                      so i'm here to retract previous glowing reviews of TBL website. not afraid to admit when i'm wrong. in the beginning i do believe it had some very good readers-- they still had shitty readers, too, but there were really good evaluations. fair evaluations with the shitty ones.

                      i was worried about paying for reviews because of all the negative issues writers have had.

                      on one of the threads Franklin touts that evaluations are "bunched quite closely together." this is simply not true. maybe it's true for the ones currently on the top lists, see below detail, but it's not true for all scripts.

                      i decided to pay for evaluations on a script that i had previously had good reviews. it received a couple overall 8 reviews. there were lower ****ed up reviews too, but the high ratings kept it in the top list so, i didn't sweat. it also received individual ratings of multiple 8s and a 9 in individual elements.

                      i actually thought i could get back on the top list, not that it should have mattered.

                      some of the reviews in the past were shitty. a few times, in the beginning i complained as some readers got names wrong, the story wrong, the characters wrong. made incorrect claims. or basically couldn't write a clear sentence let alone a well written logline (recent review disputed and removed) that at least had the protagonist, their journey and the antagonistic force listed correctly.

                      when we look at reviews and ratings i'd expect that a well written script, at the most could maybe receive a disparity of maybe 2, but mostly one rating differences. there should be an established set of standards, criteria, and guidelines. it seriously can't or shouldn't be be what ever the **** the reader thinks that day. it has to be based on what The Black List views as quality standards not just whatever the reader "feels" based on their own experience.

                      i mean even the Nicholl has more than would be normally expected as a set of standards and guidelines that their readers take into consideration.

                      i haven't ever seen a single post, granted i haven't read them all, where FL explains what the reader's guidelines or criteria are when they evaluate a script.

                      it should never be the case that a script that received straight 8s receives a 3. or an individual element like "character" to receive a 9 in one evaluation and a 2 in another.

                      it's ****ing too ridiculous to even believe.

                      and what does TBL mean by "monitor [readers] closely?" because the way i see it, it shouldn't be up the writer to file a complaint, TBL should know if the evaluation sucks before the writer EVER receives it.

                      and where is the quality control? each reader should be evaluated on their ability to review a specific script in order to encourage better consistency.

                      wanna know how you do that? first, you establish a set of parameters, rules, criteria and guidelines that The Black List website determines are important based on THEIR idea of a great script. after all it is their reputation this is a reflection of, second, you blindly send all readers the same set of genre scripts and have them evaluate them. randomly throughout their employment, and then someone from TBL evaluates the readers ability to appropriately and fairly rate a script.

                      so if a new reader rates a script a 2 when 15 other readers give it a rating of 7 and above, then maybe that reader who gives a 2 should be reconsidered, repremanded or otherwise disposed of and anyone who has a review by them given another free review. it's not that hard.

                      what The Black List fails to understand is that their business model could be a lot stronger and make more money that is actually earned instead of vampire tactics that take advantage of writers who trust the name The Black List is supposed to represent.

                      and the biggest problem of all, of course, is that the industry is ignorant to this consistency failure of epic proportions and predatory behavior. the industry simply expects the 8s to be the best scripts and if they don't show up they aren't worth their time.

                      and another thing, ALL paid reviews should be included in your average and be made available on a list of all hosted scripts. not just the ones dated for the past month, quarter, or year. it's just stupid that they don't count and is a predatory action to not continue to support their paid evaluations.

                      so apologies to those that have been adamant that the black list is less than desirable and less concerned about actually connecting writers to the industry pros.

                      the last time tbl updated the "data" on their site was over a year ago.

                      here's some statistics. these are the top 21 scripts in order and their evaluation ratings

                      Code:
                      #of ratings     #evals visible     breakdown of ranges
                      5                   1                       (9=2, 10=2)
                      8                   2                       (8=1, 9=1)
                      4                   0                       not visible
                      22                 9                       (7=5, 8=4)
                      7                   0                       (6=2, 7=1, 9=1, 10=4) how to you get 4 10 & a 6?
                      12                 6                       (7=1, 8=4, 9=1)
                      126               2                       (10=2)
                      5                   1                       (8=1)
                      7                   2                       (8=2)
                      10                 9                       (7=6, 8=3)
                      14                 5                       (6=3, 7=5, 8=5, 9=1)
                      8                   4                       (6=1, 7=4, 8=3)
                      5                   0                       none visible possible all rep reviews?
                      6                   5                       (7=3, 8=2)
                      13                 4                       (8=4)
                      2                   1                       (9=1)
                      6                   0                       none visible
                      16                 10                     (6=1, 7=3, 8=4, 9=2)
                      8                   0                       (5=1, 7=4, 8=2,9=1)
                      6                   6                       (6=1, 7=3, 8=2)
                      44                 5                       (8=5)
                      so yeah looking at that, i don't see how i get 8s and a 3. how many others have stories like this? i think i've received every ****ing number except a 1, 2, and 10.

                      i can't honestly say that i would recommend this site any more. i have a friend who had a similar experience.

                      yeah, i'm mad. when you rely on something that you're paying for it really sucks when they let you down. now, my script might suck, it might deserve a ****ing three for all i know, but i don't really think it does. i mean, i would expect a 3 to be barely legible. at this time with the WGA/ATA making getting reads a challenge, it's just one more stumbling block.

                      here's hoping tomorrow is a better day. gotta go work off some steam.
                      be well peeps,
                      FA4
                      "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

                      Comment


                      • Re: Franklin Leonard

                        Originally posted by finalact4 View Post
                        to ScreenRider and UpandComing:
                        when we look at reviews and ratings i'd expect that a well written script, at the most could maybe receive a disparity of maybe 2, but mostly one rating differences. there should be an established set of standards, criteria, and guidelines. it seriously can't or shouldn't be be what ever the **** the reader thinks that day. it has to be based on what The Black List views as quality standards not just whatever the reader "feels" based on their own experience.

                        i mean even the Nicholl has more than would be normally expected as a set of standards and guidelines that their readers take into consideration.
                        I've been saying this for years on here. Any grading system worth its salt has some kind of tangible criteria attached -- whether it's a school paper, a screenwriting contest, or an online service such as this. The Black List has always said that its scoring is based on whether the reader feels that the script is "something they'd pass to a higher up," but that's meaningless -- partly because the different companies readers have worked at have different criteria for what gets passed up (often for reasons having to do with the specific content needs of the specific company). As the BL system stands now, it allows way too much room for subjectivity, which allows way too much room for disparate ratings, which allows way too many opportunities for the BL to make more money by offering a discount in case of said disparate ratings. Genius, right?

                        Originally posted by finalact4 View Post
                        i haven't ever seen a single post, granted i haven't read them all, where FL explains what the reader's guidelines or criteria are when they evaluate a script.
                        No one has. It's why I've always chuckled to myself when the word "transparent" is used to describe the site. Sure, it lets you know how many pros have downloaded the script and how many views it's gotten. But the fact is most scripts on the site disappear if they are not evaluated, and most pros don't care about scripts that score below an 8. So the most valuable form of transparency would be describing the methodology used to hand out those scores. But the BL can't, because it doesn't have any.

                        Nicholl and PAGE both have criteria and make them public. I will always place more trust in their operations than that of the BL.

                        Originally posted by finalact4 View Post
                        and another thing, ALL paid reviews should be included in your average and be made available on a list of all hosted scripts. not just the ones dated for the past month, quarter, or year. it's just stupid that they don't count and is a predatory action to not continue to support their paid evaluations.
                        As with many things involving this site, discarding old scores is nothing more than a means to get writers to buy more reviews, which is nothing more than a means to get more money. Just like saying that "evaluations will probably give you a leg up if you're applying to one of our fellowships." Just like raising the price of feature reads from $50 to $75 (and the hosting price from $25 to $30) with no discernible improvements in review quality or length to justify that hike. Oh, and remember Scriptbook?

                        Originally posted by finalact4 View Post
                        and the biggest problem of all, of course, is that the industry is ignorant to this consistency failure of epic proportions and predatory behavior. the industry simply expects the 8s to be the best scripts and if they don't show up they aren't worth their time.
                        We writers can raise our voices all we want (and many of have been for years). It doesn't matter at this point, because the BL was a first mover in online script evaluation and has the brand name behind it. Also, it's been good at ingratiating itself with influential people in the industry through partnerships, media appearances, etc. Hollywood doesn't care if writers may be receiving a bad hand from the site because Hollywood doesn't really care if writers receive a bad hand in general (hence the reason for the current standoff).

                        I'm glad you came to this conclusion, but the truth is we will complain on here and then go on to use the site because we have limited options to get attention (especially when most contest deadlines are over for the year). Also, if you think FL is ever coming back on here to defend the site after so many writers have wised up to its issues (his last appearance was over two years ago), I've got a bridge to sell you. Besides, BL is busy moving on to producing movies now, from what I hear.

                        As a final thought, I know that the Black List has been helpful for several people in terms of getting notice from low-budget producers (though much less so with regard to representation). That said, evidence of success doesn't negate inherent problems with the system. It's kinda like how even though several writers have gotten a lot of money through packaging, it doesn't change the fact that many aspects of the practice are ultimately unfair.

                        Writers have woken up to this reality with the ATA. It's too bad they probably never will with the BL.
                        "I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork.-- Peter De Vries

                        Comment


                        • Re: Franklin Leonard

                          worked just fine for her

                          https://deadline.com/2019/09/new-lin...ee-1202711200/

                          Comment


                          • Re: Franklin Leonard

                            Originally posted by JoeBanks View Post
                            Sure, and I'm happy for her. And I'm sure you could pull out several other examples. But as I said, identifying high-profile examples of success doesn't negate inherent flaws in the system and lack of transparency.
                            "I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork.-- Peter De Vries

                            Comment


                            • Re: Franklin Leonard

                              I’d say finally! First one I’ve heard of. So that means another 10 years before next one. Both people mentioned answered my queries before. Just saying...

                              Comment


                              • Re: Franklin Leonard

                                Originally posted by Bono View Post
                                I'd say finally! First one I've heard of. So that means another 10 years before next one. Both people mentioned answered my queries before. Just saying...
                                Is one of them Roy Lee? He read one of my scripts through a query, too.
                                "I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork.-- Peter De Vries

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X