Live Read/LA

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  • Live Read/LA

    Does anyone have any experience with the Live Read/LA, either through the contest or just attending the event?

    http://www.livereadla.com/

  • #2
    Re: Live Read/LA

    Looks better than Table Read (re: the Verve Rep), and 25$ is cheap!

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Live Read/LA

      I've never submitted but I went to this event in May! I was really surprised and impressed by the quality of the two scripts presented. Both writers said they had workshopped their scripts previously in other table reads, so these were clearly very advanced drafts. The actors were really great too. The feedback from the industry expert and the audience was constructive, I thought, and probably useful.

      It's a great event to attend, but the quality bar seems high for "winning" (at least the month I went) so that's something to be aware of depending on how late of a draft your script is. Because I'd never heard of this event, I assumed the submissions would be lower quality than they were.

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      • #4
        Re: Live Read/LA

        Since the original posting, I entered and then wrote an article about the experience.

        https://www.finaldraft.com/learn/fin...screenwriters/

        If you live in the area, it's worth attending. And the contest is worth entering for the chance at have your stuff performed. Great fun.

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        • #5
          Re: Live Read/LA

          I didn't win but I was a finalist twice with two different scripts. The contest seems to be run pretty well. When they gave dates for notifications, they were always on it.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Live Read/LA

            Not so sure about this. Their videos are on YouTube and the moderator specifically states that they don't select "polished" scripts to win. They choose instead "scripts that could benefit from a live read and make their drafts better".

            So do they deliberately choose worse scripts?

            Originally posted by lauriestark View Post
            I've never submitted but I went to this event in May! I was really surprised and impressed by the quality of the two scripts presented. Both writers said they had workshopped their scripts previously in other table reads, so these were clearly very advanced drafts. The actors were really great too. The feedback from the industry expert and the audience was constructive, I thought, and probably useful.

            It's a great event to attend, but the quality bar seems high for "winning" (at least the month I went) so that's something to be aware of depending on how late of a draft your script is. Because I'd never heard of this event, I assumed the submissions would be lower quality than they were.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Live Read/LA

              Live Read/LA did a reading of the first act of one of my scripts in 2016. It was a great experience for me and I'm glad I did it. Some thoughts:

              1) My script wasn't in terrible shape, but it still needed work. The panel and the audience provided LOADS of excellent, non-judgmental feedback. Tim - the guy who runs the read - was especially good at using examples from my script where I got it right to show me where it was going wrong.

              2) The actors reading the script are damn good. Hearing actual actors say the lines is not only awesome, but also a great way to hear what does and doesn't work.

              3) Audience feedback was great. My script is a comedy, so hearing where the laughs come (or in one very memorable moment for me, where the laughs *didn't* come....) is important. I was also surprise to see they had maybe 40-50 people in attendance, which seems like a really good turnout.

              4) I think (but could be wrong) that they look to read material that is well-suited for whomever their Hollywood insider might be. My Insider was a screenwriter of a few very successful comedies, and both scripts read that night were comedy.

              5) It's run by some really nice people who value writers. Tim's kids bake cookies for each read. Good cookies. And they don't care if you go back for seconds.

              Again, these are my experiences. And no, I'm not affiliated with Live Read/LA beyond the two times I entered and the one read they gave me.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Live Read/LA

                This is what I'm wondering: are they deliberately choosing scripts that aren't fully polished yet? The videos they've posted on their readings open up with the moderator (Tim?) stating up front that they don't choose polished scripts. Just curious what their criteria are.

                Originally posted by GlitterKitty View Post
                Live Read/LA did a reading of the first act of one of my scripts in 2016. It was a great experience for me and I'm glad I did it. Some thoughts:

                1) My script wasn't in terrible shape, but it still needed work. The panel and the audience provided LOADS of excellent, non-judgmental feedback. Tim - the guy who runs the read - was especially good at using examples from my script where I got it right to show me where it was going wrong.

                2) The actors reading the script are damn good. Hearing actual actors say the lines is not only awesome, but also a great way to hear what does and doesn't work.

                3) Audience feedback was great. My script is a comedy, so hearing where the laughs come (or in one very memorable moment for me, where the laughs *didn't* come....) is important. I was also surprise to see they had maybe 40-50 people in attendance, which seems like a really good turnout.

                4) I think (but could be wrong) that they look to read material that is well-suited for whomever their Hollywood insider might be. My Insider was a screenwriter of a few very successful comedies, and both scripts read that night were comedy.

                5) It's run by some really nice people who value writers. Tim's kids bake cookies for each read. Good cookies. And they don't care if you go back for seconds.

                Again, these are my experiences. And no, I'm not affiliated with Live Read/LA beyond the two times I entered and the one read they gave me.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Live Read/LA

                  Originally posted by nguyensquared View Post
                  This is what I'm wondering: are they deliberately choosing scripts that aren't fully polished yet? The videos they've posted on their readings open up with the moderator (Tim?) stating up front that they don't choose polished scripts. Just curious what their criteria are.
                  Based on my experience, I'd say the scripts they select are in need of a polish more than a re-write. For example, if it's a comedy and it isn't very funny, they won't pick it. But if it's a comedy that's hilarious, but needs some work tightening the pace, then they'd consider it.

                  What I sent Live Read/LA (that they selected) was something I was on draft 5 of. I considered it to be in pretty good shape, but I was sure I was also at the point where I wasn't objective about it. The script I sent that they didn't accept was a first draft that was admittedly fairly crappy.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Live Read/LA

                    Originally posted by GlitterKitty View Post
                    Based on my experience, I'd say the scripts they select are in need of a polish more than a re-write. For example, if it's a comedy and it isn't very funny, they won't pick it. But if it's a comedy that's hilarious, but needs some work tightening the pace, then they'd consider it.

                    What I sent Live Read/LA (that they selected) was something I was on draft 5 of. I considered it to be in pretty good shape, but I was sure I was also at the point where I wasn't objective about it. The script I sent that they didn't accept was a first draft that was admittedly fairly crappy.
                    Seems like the scripts are chosen based on the "live-read" factor (genre, amount of dialogue, how many speaking parts, etc.) moreso than on how good the script is overall?

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Live Read/LA

                      Originally posted by nguyensquared View Post
                      Seems like the scripts are chosen based on the "live-read" factor (genre, amount of dialogue, how many speaking parts, etc.) moreso than on how good the script is overall?
                      I wouldn't say that. My script had 3-4 speaking roles and the other person's script read that night had probably closer to 10.

                      They have a YouTube channel with previous live reads. You might want to check that out, too.

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