Screenwriting contest feedback

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  • Screenwriting contest feedback

    Hi there, I'd like to know what you think about screenwriting contests and their feedbacks.

    It's because I sent a script to a supposedly well known one, and in the feedback my main character 'faked his own death' (what he actually not did), meanwhile another's initial intention was a robbery (what's wrong as well).

    Is this the 'normal way', that in the heat of the contest the judges get lost (and maybe mix different scripts)? I mean, one pays for the feedback, and obviously hopes to 'be discovered' by this way. But it seems they don't even read the scripts well.

    Thanks in advance.

  • #2
    Re: Screenwriting contest feedback

    the content of your script has nothing to do with whether a contest provides feedback or not. are you asking a question? and if so, i hope your post is not representative of your screenwriting.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Screenwriting contest feedback

      Originally posted by NikeeGoddess View Post
      the content of your script has nothing to do with whether a contest provides feedback or not. are you asking a question? and if so, i hope your post is not representative of your screenwriting.
      Thanks for your post, NikeeGoddess.

      I actually didn't think the content of my script had anything to do with the offer of a feedback. I was quite sure I got it because of the 70 bucks extra pay (apart of the normal contest fee) - as I mentioned in the beginning.
      [I mean, one pays for the feedback...]

      If I'm asking a question? Well, [Is this the 'normal way', that in the heat of the contest the judges get lost (and maybe mix different scripts)?] is the question. Why do I ask that? If other people had similar experiences, it probable wouldn't make any sense to pay for a extra feedback (and maybe not even for that contest), at least for me.

      Hmm, I admit it's my first thread, and I'm not a native English speaker either. Nevertheless, I don't see, why this makes you doubt about my screenwriting abilities. Although I think you might have missed some info in my thread, I wouldn't doubt about your reading abilities
      Just kidding. Any hint, how I could have written it clearer, is welcome.

      So, the question is still the same: Is this the 'normal way', or might I have had just bad luck with that special contest (or even only that judge in particular)?

      Thanks in advance again, and have a nice day.
      Last edited by TalesToTell; 12-19-2011, 05:19 AM.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Screenwriting contest feedback

        The quality of contest feedback varies. Some contests offer $10/script on Craigslist for readers, so you get what you pay for. You're better off hiring someone directly for that $70, rather than letting the contest keep most of it.

        I've gotten feedback from a few contests (and I've won several contests), and I can't say that any feedback I've gotten was useful in making a script better.

        OTOH, a guy who won the Nicholl this year credits the win to feedback he got from Bluecat.

        So as in all things, your mileage may vary.
        "People who work in Hollywood are the ones who didn't quit." -- Lawrence Kasdan

        Please visit my website and blog: www.lauridonahue.com.

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        • #5
          Re: Screenwriting contest feedback

          Originally posted by LauriD View Post
          The quality of contest feedback varies. Some contests offer $10/script on Craigslist for readers, so you get what you pay for. You're better off hiring someone directly for that $70, rather than letting the contest keep most of it.

          I've gotten feedback from a few contests (and I've won several contests), and I can't say that any feedback I've gotten was useful in making a script better.

          OTOH, a guy who won the Nicholl this year credits the win to feedback he got from Bluecat.

          So as in all things, your mileage may vary.
          Thanks a lot, LauriD.
          That's what I was looking for. And as it matches with my experience, there won't be any more extra fee for contests

          Have a nice day!

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Screenwriting contest feedback

            TTT -- the non-native english tongue may be a problem with your script. Of course, I have no idea. Feel free to get quick and easy feedback by posting a few pages here in the "script pages" section.

            You can also pay The Screenplay Mechanic about the same that you paid for that contest entry fee and get real results with feedback. go here: http://messageboard.donedealpro.com/...ad.php?t=49923

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Screenwriting contest feedback

              Originally posted by NikeeGoddess View Post
              TTT -- the non-native english tongue may be a problem with your script. Of course, I have no idea. Feel free to get quick and easy feedback by posting a few pages here in the "script pages" section.

              You can also pay The Screenplay Mechanic about the same that you paid for that contest entry fee and get real results with feedback. go here: http://messageboard.donedealpro.com/...ad.php?t=49923
              Thanks for the link, I'll have a look at it.

              I suppose in general the non-native thing won't be that problem. There are lots of dictionaries, thesaurus, and descriptive writing helps in internet - apart of studying English for nine years and travel abroad.

              But you're right concerning to slang / the right tone. It's quite easy to translate from slang to my native language - and to find out how / where to use it.

              But, yes, it's difficult the other way around. How would you say xxx in slang...thanks, Google - or whoever - for no results ;-) urbandictionary.com doesn't work that way either. But as I studied some other languages too, I'm used to make this travels through internet. And I rather attempt not to try to be too fancy with my wording.

              About posting a few pages here in the forum. That's what I started actually to have a look to, some days ago. Although entered in DD in 2010, I almost never had a look to the panel (too busy with Trottier, McKee, etc and writing/re-writing ).

              Now I'm ready for this step. But as I came too late for JeffLowell's offer for a free read, and I'm not willing to insult him, just to make him renew his offer , I'm going throught the panel, learning where to find what. (That thread really let me mouth open in disbelief, from the moment I realized he was not joking - what was his name, something with 'P', well, however).

              Thanks for your advice, NikeGoddess. I'll go step by step into it, and will hopefully form part of the panel.

              Have a nice day!

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Screenwriting contest feedback

                TalesToTell, please trust that I'm writing this as a kindness:

                Virtually every sentence you've written on this thread has been ungrammatical. For instance, in the first paragraph above:

                Originally posted by TalesToTell View Post
                I suppose in general the non-native thing won't be that problem.
                "Won't be *a* problem," not "won't be *that*" problem.

                There are lots of dictionaries, thesaurus,
                "Thesauruses" or "thesauri"; not "thesaurus."

                and descriptive writing helps
                "Helps" is not a noun. "Aids" would do.

                Originally posted by TalesToTell View Post
                in internet
                "On" is the preposition, not "in." And you're missing the definite article ("the").

                Originally posted by TalesToTell View Post
                - apart of studying
                Apart "from" studying. This is an issue of idiomatic preposition usage.

                Originally posted by TalesToTell View Post
                English for nine years and travel abroad.
                "Traveling" is preferable to "travel."


                Please, please believe me: this isn't me being persnickety. Any native English speaker who read that paragraph would have had the same reaction.

                To be clear: your English is virtually unintelligible. Why not write screenplays in your native tongue?

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Screenwriting contest feedback

                  like what I said in the beginning, but...
                  Originally posted by AnyOtherName View Post
                  Please, please believe me: this isn't me being persnickety. Any native English speaker who reads that paragraph would have had the same reaction.
                  <<snicker!>>

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Screenwriting contest feedback

                    I feel compelled to throw my 2 cents in... not exactly in defending language mistakes I might do myself *sarcasm mode*, but to give some hopefully useful hints for non-native speakers.

                    I had several reads of my writings (not only screenplays) and the people did not even figure out I wasn't a native speaker, so I SUPPOSE the hints could be useful (or the readers weren't educated enough or no native speakers themselves) I know I'm not perfect; please, especially because I do not apply the whole process below to every post in here Have mercy.

                    I just want to provide some help.

                    unless you've already done this TTT: before starting to write: watch/listen English TV and read books. A lot. Exclusively. Until you don't recognize anymore you're watching an English program.
                    Studying often is not very helpful. I studied French and wouldn't dream of writing prose texts in it.

                    Next step: use Thesauri, but use them backwards, means, check the words you think are the right ones, if your native expression corresponds to the one you had intended. (Don't know if this is clear...) Just re-translate.

                    There are slang-dictionnaries.

                    Get some honest native speaker friends you can ask.

                    In the end: let it proofread by professionals. That's their job. Such pros will even find mistakes when you write in your native language, believe me.

                    --

                    Nonetheless, I reconsider these contests.... this sounds very well like the one I had in mind to check out....

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Screenwriting contest feedback

                      Thanks AnyOtherName,

                      I don't think this is being persnickety. I've to admit your criticism made me swallow for a second. But you are very specific, and that helps.

                      I know I often struggle with preposition, mainly because I'm 'spanglishing' - actually I'm native German speaker, but living in Spain - ("en internet", they don't use the article, unfortunately mutates to 'in internet').

                      Lack of concentration (apart of/apart from, thesaurus), and lack of knowledge (helps/aids), makes reading definitely uncomfortable. And reading my post again, I find even more mistakes...

                      Travelling abroad is rather speaking than writing, and people mostly don't care about correcting some grammar mistakes, as long as the conversation is going on.

                      But whichever the reason is, if I want to write screenplays in English (and I do want so), I'll have to care about proper grammar. And specially if I ask for help on a forum (what is knew for me too), it's a kind of respect to keep concentrated in this language, instead of mixing two or three, or responding 'on the fly' at midnight. In other words: understand proper writing on a forum as important as I do in a screenplay.

                      I obviously will never be an English native speaker, but I'll improve my writing (and stay concentrated) in order to avoid these problems on the
                      forum in the future.

                      So thanks for taking time to specify these points.

                      @NikeeGoddess

                      Writing this, reading your post again, same for you. ;-) So thanks again.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Screenwriting contest feedback

                        Originally posted by NikeeGoddess View Post
                        like what I said in the beginning, but...

                        Originally posted by AnyOtherName
                        Please, please believe me: this isn't me being persnickety. Any native English speaker who reads that paragraph would have had the same reaction.
                        <<snicker!>>
                        I'm missing something. Why'd you turn a grammatically correct sentence into one that isn't?

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Screenwriting contest feedback

                          Originally posted by JeffLowell View Post
                          I'm missing something. Why'd you turn a grammatically correct sentence into one that isn't?
                          I think she meant to take the present-tense from the first sentence and carry it over to the second. So...

                          Please, please believe me: this isn't me being persnickety. Any native English speaker who reads that paragraph will have the same reaction.


                          But, yeah, it wasn't originally incorrect so I don't know why we're modifying it.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Screenwriting contest feedback

                            TTT -

                            I think it's really commendable that you understand, speak, and write as well as you do in a second language. I wish I could.

                            However, your writing in English, judging by your posts, just isn't good ENOUGH, YET, to write screenplays in English. The problem isn't just slang, or word choice, it's your grammar. At this point, you should work on that, and/or write in your native tongue.

                            It is way too soon for you to be entering screenplay contests. You are wasting your time and money. I would imagine it to be frustrating and confusing for a reader in a contest to read an entire screenplay that is similar to how you write in your posts. At best they will know right away that you are not a native English writer, at worst they'll think you are, but that you're a bad writer.

                            At this point you should get a pro analysis from somebody like The Screenplay Mechanic or Scriptgal. The cost, with the DD discount, would be about what some contests charge. They could at least give you an idea of how your script comes off grammatically, etc., as well as if it seems the story and characters are worth even trying to get it up to a better standard.

                            It certainly isn't anything to feel bad about, but you just need to understand the reality of the level where you are right now.

                            Good luck with your writing!
                            "The Hollywood film business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." Hunter S Thompson

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Screenwriting contest feedback

                              There are plenty of examples of non-native speakers making it in Hollywood, but typically they build up their portfolio in their local film industry and work from there. Perhaps you should try to get some writing credits in the German film industry while continuing to develop your English skills. Best of luck!

                              Comment

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