Contest Ranking

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  • #46
    Re: Contest Ranking

    Out of interest, have there been cases where there has been crossover of finalists across competitions (e.g. a finalist in both TrackingB and Nicholl or Nicholl and Austin Film Fesitval?)

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    • #47
      Re: Contest Ranking

      Originally posted by Rhodi View Post
      Out of interest, have there been cases where there has been crossover of finalists across competitions (e.g. a finalist in both TrackingB and Nicholl or Nicholl and Austin Film Fesitval?)
      Max Adams won both the 1994 Austin and Nicholl with different scripts. The last two years the Austin drama winner has also been a Nicholl winner. At least a few other finalists have been shared.

      The 2008 TrackingB overall winner was a 2011 Nicholl finalist with the same script.

      A number of TrackingB top 8 finishers have been Nicholl semifinalists.

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      • #48
        Re: Contest Ranking

        what, no Amazon Studios?

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        • #49
          Re: Contest Ranking

          Originally posted by gregbeal View Post
          Did a 2011 TrackingB finalist or honorable mention script sell or appear on the Black List?

          A 2011 Nicholl finalist script did both.

          Still don't understand how exactly you're measuring reads. You counted every time a script was read or requested? Or appeared on a tracking board? I don't believe you did either.

          Sure, let me explain this to you, as I am on 14 tracking boards. When the finalists are announced, on all 14 of those tracking boards on the same day, people are emailing asking if anyone has the scripts and everyone starts to compile them. This happens for all three of the contests I just mentioned. And if you are a finalists, trust me, your script is found and shared.

          As far as reads, it's simple. I read them. Most if not all of my friends read them. We talk about them. Other people talk about them on the tracking boards. This is great. This is mediocre. Etc.

          And last time I checked, all of the tracking finalists had reps. The same can't be said for the 2011 Nicholl class. And again, I am not saying one is better than the other. I said all 3 are solid, and depending on the year, one can outshine the others.
          twitter.com/mbotti

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          • #50
            Re: Contest Ranking

            Some interesting opinions and dubious sweeping statements being thrown around regarding contest winning scripts outside of the Nicholl. As an honorable mention in this year's trackingb and a winner with PAGE, I'd like to believe that my material didn't just 'luck out' solely based on a high concept and that there was a solid grasp of execution involved... Or is that only saved for Nicholl winners then?..

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            • #51
              Re: Contest Ranking

              Originally posted by JoeBanks View Post
              what, no Amazon Studios?
              Again, this is a list of contests Aspirant has had personal experience with. Presumably, he has no direct experience with AS, hence no ranking.

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              • #52
                Re: Contest Ranking

                Originally posted by Mintclub View Post
                Some interesting opinions and dubious sweeping statements being thrown around regarding contest winning scripts outside of the Nicholl. As an honorable mention in this year's trackingb and a winner with PAGE, I'd like to believe that my material didn't just 'luck out' solely based on a high concept and that there was a solid grasp of execution involved... Or is that only saved for Nicholl winners then?..
                Assuming you're responding to my comment, I wanna say congrats on your placements and winning at PAGE.

                I didn't mean to imply that anything other than Nicholl scripts are weak on execution. Just saying that Nicholl typically nails the scripts that have great execution and don't seem to judge on concept nearly as much as other comps.

                Can scripts from other comps be strong on concept and execution? Absolutely. And if so, great. Best of both worlds.

                Just doesn't happen that often is all.

                A good example, from recent memory, would be Shrapnel by Evan Daugherty. I think it won the '08 Script Pipeline Contest. I thought it was very strong on concept and execution. And I guess the industry agreed, as it was bought shortly after. And, of course, he went on to sell his spec, Snow White and the Huntsman, a year-or-so later. A soon-to-be blockbuster.

                So it's possible, yes. Just don't see a lot of 'em.

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                • #53
                  Re: Contest Ranking

                  Originally posted by gregbeal View Post
                  Did a 2011 TrackingB finalist or honorable mention script sell or appear on the Black List?

                  A 2011 Nicholl finalist script did both.

                  Still don't understand how exactly you're measuring reads. You counted every time a script was read or requested? Or appeared on a tracking board? I don't believe you did either.
                  trackingb just announced their new finalists, so you'd probably have to give it a little time to do that comparison... But last year, their finalist EVIDENCE not only sold, but was produced. Don't know what happened to the equivalent year's finalists for Nicholl (2010?)... But either way, I think it's fair to say both contests have helped a lot of writers, and we should be thankful they both exist...

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                  • #54
                    Re: Contest Ranking

                    Originally posted by michaelb View Post
                    Sure, let me explain this to you, as I am on 14 tracking boards. When the finalists are announced, on all 14 of those tracking boards on the same day, people are emailing asking if anyone has the scripts and everyone starts to compile them. This happens for all three of the contests I just mentioned. And if you are a finalists, trust me, your script is found and shared.

                    As far as reads, it's simple. I read them. Most if not all of my friends read them. We talk about them. Other people talk about them on the tracking boards. This is great. This is mediocre. Etc.

                    And last time I checked, all of the tracking finalists had reps. The same can't be said for the 2011 Nicholl class. And again, I am not saying one is better than the other. I said all 3 are solid, and depending on the year, one can outshine the others.
                    So what you're saying is that you read the Nicholl and TrackingB finalists/winners/honorable mentions and liked the TrackingB scripts better. I don't have a problem with that. Not much of an objective standard, though.

                    Only four of the top eight TrackingB finalists/honorable mentions are repped according the TrackingB site.

                    Which year did Austin outshine Nicholl or TrackingB.

                    If all of the Austin finalists/winners are passed around, how come Austin finalists often report getting only an email/phone call or two?

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                    • #55
                      Re: Contest Ranking

                      Originally posted by jsay View Post
                      trackingb just announced their new finalists, so you'd probably have to give it a little time to do that comparison... But last year, their finalist EVIDENCE not only sold, but was produced. Don't know what happened to the equivalent year's finalists for Nicholl (2010?)... But either way, I think it's fair to say both contests have helped a lot of writers, and we should be thankful they both exist...
                      Believe I left 2011 out of my original comparison as being too recent.

                      Destin Cretton (2010 Nicholl) wrote and directed "I Am Not A Hipster" from his fellowship year script. It premiered at Sundance last month.

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                      • #56
                        Re: Contest Ranking

                        Have nothing but respect for The Nicholl and Nicholl winners. I'll enter this year and I'd be ecstatic if I ever had the honor of winning.

                        That being said, as an Honorable Mention in Trackingb, I can vouch for this contest. My script was NOT high concept, but still placed, and the Insider worked tirelessly for my benefit.

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                        • #57
                          Re: Contest Ranking

                          Originally posted by gregbeal View Post
                          So what you're saying is that you read the Nicholl and TrackingB finalists/winners/honorable mentions and liked the TrackingB scripts better. I don't have a problem with that. Not much of an objective standard, though.

                          Only four of the top eight TrackingB finalists/honorable mentions are repped according the TrackingB site.

                          Which year did Austin outshine Nicholl or TrackingB.

                          If all of the Austin finalists/winners are passed around, how come Austin finalists often report getting only an email/phone call or two?
                          That's not what I said. Go back and re-read where I said it varies from year to year about which one comes out on top. I said this year Trackingb came out on top, and last year Nicholl did.

                          As a rep, I don't care how many finalists get reps in the long run (outside of being happy to see writers take that next step in their careers), I only care about the ones I read and like as potential clients. This year I didn't read any in either that I wanted to pursue, but I did like the writing and stories of 2 of the trackingb scripts more than I did any of the Nicholl scripts.
                          twitter.com/mbotti

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                          • #58
                            Re: Contest Ranking

                            Originally posted by brubenow View Post
                            Have nothing but respect for The Nicholl and Nicholl winners. I'll enter this year and I'd be ecstatic if I ever had the honor of winning.

                            That being said, as an Honorable Mention in Trackingb, I can vouch for this contest. My script was NOT high concept, but still placed, and the Insider worked tirelessly for my benefit.

                            Wasn't the trackingb winner this year a true crime? It did not strike me as high concept....
                            "Do just once what others say you can't do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again." -[/SIZE] James R. Cook

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                            • #59
                              Re: Contest Ranking

                              The thing about any good contest is this: if your script isn't outstanding, it's not going to win. This remains true however many contests you enter it into. So, entering lots of contests is a waste of money. In terms of cost and benefit, I think there's near universal agreement that Nicholl is the best one. I choose to enter Bluecat in addition to Nicholl because it has always offered me feedback that helped me improve my script. I'm willing to pay for that. This year I also entered Page because I had 3 brand new scripts plus a rewrite of my Nicholl QF script. But the only duplication of script entries will be the one script I entered into Bluecat which I will also enter into Nicholl.

                              I definitely think it is worth entering one or two good competitions because they will give your script one or more full reads and give you some idea of how it compares to other scripts out there. I'm pretty confident that if any of my scripts is outstanding it will advance in the Nicholl. If it's only quite good, it may get kicked out when it deserved to make the QF. Not really a big deal. My aim is to write screenplays that people want to make into feature films. If my scripts aren't good enough to win Nicholl they are almost certainly not good enough for someone to spend huge amounts of their money turning into a film. Getting an agent is only important to me if I'm writing scripts that are outstanding or which the agent thinks he can help me make outstanding. Even the best agents can't sell mediocre scripts.

                              Yes, I could save $105 by sending my three Nicholl scripts out to agents and Prodcos. But then I'm unlikely to get any sort of feedback unless the script is outstanding - often, not even a no. I'm also less confident that they would identify even a great script because they are trying to process so many scripts, probably at the end of a very long day. I suspect many scripts get little more than a glance.

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                              • #60
                                Re: Contest Ranking

                                I entered Nicholl 3 times. Never made it past round 1. That's okay, no hard feelings. Probably wasn't ready. Nicholl is great.

                                I entered TrackingB once - with a script that I did not have a chance to submit to Nicholl - and the win has launched my career.

                                This is not a competition pissing contest. It is incredible when a contest can launch a career. When Nicholl puts somebody out there, that is amazing. If TrackingB, Page, Austin, whatever else - if they start somebody's career that's awesome.

                                I am still in awe of all that has happened to me since TrackingB. That is what contests are about, right? Launching writers? If I'd won Nicholl I'd be just as in awe. These are all top notch contests that do a lot for the winners. That's what matters.
                                Chicks Who Script podcast

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