Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

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  • #46
    Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

    Originally posted by Rantanplan View Post
    Much appreciated for those of us who aren't on Facebook!
    Don't worry. Both of you will have plenty to read here.

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    • #47
      Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

      Originally posted by LateNightWriter View Post
      I find it heartening that the reader made it to page 65! Yay!

      Late Night Writer
      (trying for a positive spin)
      Wonder how many readers finish the whole script, even if they're not totally impressed with it? Or do they stop at 5? 10? 20? Are they required to read the whole thing?

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      • #48
        Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

        Originally posted by gregbeal View Post
        I guess I differentiate between a story and the telling of that story. If two scripts have the same essential story, when one is replete with conflict and the other has all too little, does one have not enough story or not enough conflict?

        But it doesn't matter much - not enough story, not enough conflict, nothing much happens - they're all variations on a theme.
        For me, it's mostly about: is it interesting? There are stories with tons of conflict that are dull, and stories with no major conflict that are fascinating.

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        • #49
          Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

          Originally posted by Rantanplan View Post
          For me, it's mostly about: is it interesting? There are stories with tons of conflict that are dull, and stories with no major conflict that are fascinating.
          Can you give an example of a story with no major conflict that's fascinating?
          Chicks Who Script podcast

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          • #50
            Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

            Originally posted by emily blake View Post
            Can you give an example of a story with no major conflict that's fascinating?
            Stuff like BEFORE SUNRISE / SUNSET which would get you dropped by your rep like a rotten potato in a milli-second if you dared show him such talky, non-commercial crap where nothing happens.

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            • #51
              Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

              Originally posted by Rantanplan View Post
              Stuff like BEFORE SUNRISE / SUNSET which would get you dropped by your rep like a rotten potato in a milli-second if you dared show him such talky, non-commercial crap where nothing happens.
              While I think it's true that those kinds of films are very unlikely spec sales, I don't think that either are lacking in conflict.

              In each film, had you not had the ticking clock through which the characters were going to be separated, they would not have worked nearly as effectively.

              In a way, I feel that conflict is always being addressed by the characters, even as they merely chat about childhood memories, as they are on a mad dash to fulfill the potential of emotional connection that they seem to have before it's over.

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              • #52
                Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

                Originally posted by Rantanplan View Post
                Stuff like BEFORE SUNRISE / SUNSET which would get you dropped by your rep like a rotten potato in a milli-second if you dared show him such talky, non-commercial crap where nothing happens.
                those movies were sooooo boring. i mean its like they literally filmed a couple on vacation for an entire day where nothing interesting happens and nothing is at stake and there's no conflict. okay so there's a bit of a question with whether they'll end up together or not but it's buried so deep underneath all the banal talk that it seems like an afterthought.

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                • #53
                  Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

                  Originally posted by lordmanji View Post
                  those movies were sooooo boring. i mean its like they literally filmed a couple on vacation for an entire day where nothing interesting happens and nothing is at stake and there's no conflict. okay so there's a bit of a question with whether they'll end up together or not but it's buried so deep underneath all the banal talk that it seems like an afterthought.
                  Yeah I'm with you. About 45 minutes into Before Sunrise I started fast forwarding to find something interesting. Every time I stopped it was just more dialogue that didn't go anywhere. Obviously people loved that film, but I'm not one of them.
                  Chicks Who Script podcast

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                  • #54
                    Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

                    Originally posted by brubenow View Post
                    Wonder how many readers finish the whole script, even if they're not totally impressed with it? Or do they stop at 5? 10? 20? Are they required to read the whole thing?
                    Nicholl readers are told to read the scripts they are assigned.

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                    • #55
                      Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

                      Originally posted by emily blake View Post
                      Can you give an example of a story with no major conflict that's fascinating?
                      Oh no, we're straying into "subjectivity" territory!

                      If "major conflict" means a deep personal or political or natural crisis that's really in-your-face, then, yeah.

                      But I enjoy lots of films, sometimes worthy of second viewings, that have little or very subtle conflict, but have entertaining dialogue, or amazing sets, or camera work, especially if you realize they were the first time used in film and so you ponder how revolutionary they were. (That's why I like a lot of the older films, by which I mean older than 1980.)

                      Or FX, of course. Really great FX can satisfy for one or two viewings.

                      Or a very complex, layered, ambiguous story (see Gilliam, Bergman, et al).

                      Of course, if you have none of the above, the film's a pretty empty experience.

                      But if you have any or all of these along with great conflict and arcs, the film's worth several viewings!

                      The problem I'm finding with many movies these days, and I'll admit I also see it in the judgements by readers and evaluators of my own scripts, is that unless there's "conflict" every two pages, the project's a lost cause. And unless the writer's very, very good, conflict only comes to mean pyrotechnics, kung fu, ludicrously unrealistic stunts to appease the "big stars" acting them out, car chases, and natural disasters pushing the budgets into the stratosphere.

                      PS. I really liked Before Sunset. Seen it once. Maybe see it once more, even if just to marvel at the performances -- and the actors' astounding memory skills!

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                      • #56
                        Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

                        Originally posted by gregbeal View Post
                        Nicholl readers are told to read the scripts they are assigned.
                        And if they don't...

                        Ever notice a shortage of quick-dry cement from Home Depot around this time every year?

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                        • #57
                          Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

                          Originally posted by emily blake View Post
                          Can you give an example of a story with no major conflict that's fascinating?
                          i really like these 2 "low on conflict" stories that really kept my interest: the burning plain http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1068641/ and the dead girl http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0783238/

                          i think the key to making stories that lack conflict interesting is in the creative, non-traditional structure.

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                          • #58
                            Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

                            Originally posted by NikeeGoddess View Post

                            i think the key to making stories that lack conflict interesting is in the creative, non-traditional structure.
                            Or perhaps in creating interesting characters who actually have interesting things to say

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                            • #59
                              Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

                              Greg, did you ever announce the total number of entries for this year?

                              Sorry if I missed it.

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                              • #60
                                Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

                                A. "More than just a thriller, at its core it asks some very serious questions about . . .-

                                B. "A lovely, intelligent, charming script! The plot is beautifully crafted, the characters are authentic and well defined, the dialog is quirky and intelligent, and you care about everyone.-

                                starting to sound redundant and meaningless. not enough detail in the comments for one to really care about them since they're so generic.

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