Trackinb Contest

[kmcg]

I just have to chime in here... for those that think receiving notes or feedback is a measure of the quality of the contest (and I'm not talking about Nicholls or TrackingB here)...

Sometime ago, I responded to two ads looking for contest readers...

One contest that provides "notes" as part of the entry fee, pays their readers $10 for the notes and a "scorecard" on each script... I passed... but it really opened MY eyes...

The other contest paid $25... still not enough to make me consider the job... and with this particular contest you paid for notes in addition to the entry fee.

How much time do you think a "reader" is spending analyzing, critiquing, or even reading your SP when they're only getting $10 (or even $25)?

How knowledgeable do you think the readers are who are willing to work for that $10?

[gregbeal]

Since comparisons have been made about entry fees, I'll offer a guess about the average fee paid by TrackingB and Nicholl entrants.

TrackingB has a three-tiered fee system - $70, $80 and $95. There is also an option of guaranteed representation at a management company for an additional $25 fee. Given the way entries arrive at Nicholl and at other competitions and figuring that about 1/3 of entrants select the extra fee, my estimate is that the average TrackingB entry fee would be close to $95.

Nicholl has a two-tiered fee system - $35 and $52 in 2012. Based on prior years, my estimate is that the average Nicholl entry fee will be close to $47.

(As Nicholl expenses were mentioned earlier, I wanted to provide a clarification. My estimate is that the average $47 entry fee will not cover our 2012 reading costs. Fellowships awards (now $35,000 each), travel, hotel and awards ceremony, administration and staff, database and website development and support - all of this will be above the entry fee revenue. Essentially, the endowment provided by the Mrs. Nicholl covers the fellowship awards; the Academy covers all other expenses.)

[AlexNoa]

Originally Posted by Mintclub

Based on my experience in two of these contests mentioned. Both from the same year - Top 40 Finalist in final draft - 2 reads, Honorable Mention in Trackingb - 40+ reads...

2nd tier... ? Depends what you're looking for I guess...

Let's be honest. Top 40 and top 10 are two very different things.

[AlexNoa]

Originally Posted by SundownInRetreat

And here's the thing that seems to have been missed - whatever their judging critieria, it works. They may ditch scripts after 5 pages, they may vote titles to the next round based solely on the writing and not the story, or the story and not so much the writing behind it, it may be based on instinct and nothing regimented. But whatever the process - it works - and those still standing at the end are being snapped up by Hollywood.

That's a lot of assumptions, especially that your script will fall on the right side of the nonspecific judging process. Is your logline or first page that fantastic? Do you have faith that your reader will even like your genre or subgenre? Is your script right in the "sweet spot" of 100-110 pages? How do you have such belief without knowing? And how many scripts from the contest have you read?

[iggy]

Originally Posted by AlexNoa

That's a lot of assumptions, especially that your script will fall on the right side of the nonspecific judging process. Is your logline or first page that fantastic? Do you have faith that your reader will even like your genre or subgenre? Is your script right in the "sweet spot" of 100-110 pages? How do you have such belief without knowing? And how many scripts from the contest have you read?

What do you think happens when you query a management company directly?

Look at the advanced script pages forum right here at DDP. You can assess someone's skill set pretty fast.

Put aside $2.50 a week starting right now and you'll have the money to enter trackingb. If your script isn't great, don't enter.

[SundownInRetreat]

Originally Posted by justin

Well, Sundown, maybe that's what this thread is really all about. For the rich kids in town $65 is such a paltry amount that it doesn't matter whether you hand it out for something or nothing.

In what world is $65 a lot of money? let alone for the chance - if it's good enough - to get past the gatekeepers and in to the hands of people who really make a difference?

And if your script is exceptional, you don't need TrackingB. Exceptional scripts will find an agent without TrackingB.

What? You think every good script makes it? Really? There's a ton of great scripts out there right now that haven't been readbecause the inundated agent/prodco/studio got snowed under with a ton of queries and missed it, or they read the logline on a day when they were pre occupied/in a bad mood/sick, or they read it at a time when they weren't interested in that kid of stuff and yet 3 years later, they are interested.

And even if, by soem strange happenstance, all great scripts made it to the top, paying a lousy $65 to cut out 10 years of grind is well worth it.

Unless you're from some tiny island where $65 is a year's wage, I do not understand where you are coming from.

If you aren't writing exceptional scripts (and you aren't rich enough to treat money like dirt)

LOL - how can you reason with anybody who sees $65 as a lot of money and who thinks spending it on a chance for representation by the big guns is treating money like dirt????

then spend your money getting feedback which will improve your script and improve your writing - and enter Nicholl to find out if this improvement has done any good.

Now I kow you're joking! You think getting feedback is worth it? As SBScript said somewhere (maybe this thread) it's hilarious how people gladly fork out for some nobody to give out development notes and yet balk at paying for TrackingB!

Feedback services have ruined scripts that were just fine but they felt qulaified to comment and who also felt they had to give developmentnotes in order to justify the money you dropped. Let me run this by you again: you are quite happy to pay someone - usually with no influence or credentials - for notes and end up with your script no firther down the line but you are reluctant to pay that same amountof money to someone who, if they like your work, will hand you over to the big boys in Hollywood.

Most of all - if you feel your work needs development notes then what the hell are you doing entering TrackingB, Nicholl or any other top tier competition?!?!?!? You just invalidated your entire stance by saying this!

Originally Posted by AlexNoa

That's a lot of assumptions, especially that your script will fall on the right side of the nonspecific judging process. Is your logline or first page that fantastic? Do you have faith that your reader will even like your genre or subgenre? Is your script right in the "sweet spot" of 100-110 pages? How do you have such belief without knowing? And how many scripts from the contest have you read?

No assumptions at all. Reread my post. I am happy to pay $65 - a Friday night on the town - for the chance. I don't give a hoot about reader preference or logline. I just see the inherent value in the contest. it's like a wannabe singer paying for the chance to be signed by Simon Cowell, or a band paying for the chance to be signed by David Geffen, or an entrepreneaur paying for the chance to get angel investment from Donald Trump.

I don't know what anyone likes - nor do these guys when they send in their demos to the music labels. And you are being both preposterous and crazy to want to know the exact details. Even if they listed the judges, how do you knwo which one reads your script? or what mood he was in when he read it? Did he get a great BJ that morning or did she stop just at the crucial moment? You can't over analyse this stuff and the fact that you are is proof (to me, anyway) that you clearly aren't ready. You have to believe that your script rocks and is pro quality, regardless of genre, regardless of reader, regardless of whether he got a great BJ that morning or not.

If you are that good of a singer or a band and you think you can rock the music industry then you won't care which professional A&R guy listens to your stuff. You won't care at all. You'll just *know* you're better than 99.9% of the competition and that the industry is crying out for better than 99.9% of what's out there, trying to make it.

[AlexNoa]

Originally Posted by iggy

What do you think happens when you query a management company directly?

Look at the advanced script pages forum right here at DDP. You can assess someone's skill set pretty fast.

Put aside $2.50 a week starting right now and you'll have the money to enter trackingb. If your script isn't great, don't enter.

Like I said, it's not about the money. By your logic, every one of the 1000+ entrants last year thought their script was great. Some probably were. What makes you think yours is without knowing if it meets the nonspecific judging criteria? You and others are taking a plunge believing some rep will catch you, without knowing where to jump and what the reqs are for the rep to catch you. What's worse is you're trying to silence reasonable questions for those who'd like to know before they jump.

[Paradis]

Originally Posted by AlexNoa

Do you have faith that your reader will even like your genre or subgenre? Is your script right in the "sweet spot" of 100-110 pages? How do you have such belief without knowing?

Dude. Welcome to Hollywood. That's every agent, producer, and motherfcker you send it to. It's like talking to teenagers in here sometimes.

Originally Posted by justin

Well, Sundown, maybe that's what this thread is really all about. For the rich kids in town $65 is such a paltry amount that it doesn't matter whether you hand it out for something or nothing. So you simply can't understand what all the fuss is about. And if you have money to burn, why not burn it on TrackingB? I entirely agree.

Still, there is a bottom line with all this. Unless you're so rich that Daddy can finance your movie, you have to write an exceptional script to get it made. And if your script is exceptional, you don't need TrackingB. Exceptional scripts will find an agent without TrackingB. If you aren't writing exceptional scripts (and you aren't rich enough to treat money like dirt) then spend your money getting feedback which will improve your script and improve your writing - and enter Nicholl to find out if this improvement has done any good.

And, by the way, there is no such thing as a "nearly pro". Either you write great scripts, or you carry on trying until you do (or give up). And, hopefully, you will remain a "learner" until you either write better than Shakespeare or die - professional or not.

Man, I'm sorry but there's just so much wrong in here. If 65$ is alot of money to you, better yet, if investing 65$ into your career is enough to have you using phrases like "rich daddy"....


I can't do this thread anymore.

[AlexNoa]

Originally Posted by Paradis

Dude. Welcome to Hollywood. That's every agent, producer, and motherfcker you send it to. It's like talking to teenagers in here sometimes.

The difference here is you're paying a fee to enter. It is not a cold query. What's the problem with a more transparent process and why are you against it?

[Mintclub]

Originally Posted by AlexNoa

Let's be honest. Top 40 and top 10 are two very different things.

Really? Top 40 out of 4000/ top 8 out of 1000. Hmm, I'm no mathematician but they seem statistically pretty close to me...