Nicholl 2015...

[figment]

... appears to be opened for entries.

http://www.oscars.org/nicholl/about

I was poking around the website to see when we could enter, and was able to load my entries, so...

Early Entry: by March 2... $40.
Regular Entry: by April 10... $55.
Late Entry: by May 1... $75.

Also, new this year, you can sign up to receive comments -- you get two reader's comments and they are an additional 40 dollars per script. (something I didn't realize until I'd already processed my second payment, but oh well, so I only entered two instead of three scripts to balance out the additional cost.)

Good luck, Done Dealers!! You can do it!!!

[Furious Anjel]

Re: Nicholl 2015...









An additional $40 for comments tho?


Detailed feedback or the stuff we see on facebook?

[gregbeal]

Re: Nicholl 2015...

... appears to be opened for entries.

http://www.oscars.org/nicholl/about

I was poking around the website to see when we could enter, and was able to load my entries, so...

Early Entry: by March 2... $40.
Regular Entry: by April 10... $55.
Late Entry: by May 1... $75.

Also, new this year, you can sign up to receive comments -- you get two reader's comments and they are an additional 40 dollars per script. (something I didn't realize until I'd already processed my second payment, but oh well, so I only entered two instead of three scripts to balance out the additional cost.)

Good luck, Done Dealers!! You can do it!!!

Thanks for posting about the official Nicholl opening earlier today.

Not clear what you mean when you say you didn't realize it was an additional charge.

This is what appears adjacent to the checkbox that an entrant must select in order to pay for reader comments (prior to selection):

Entrant Fee: $40
Reader Comments Fee: $0
Click here to pay for viewing 2 or more reader comments on your screenplay.
The Reader Comments Fee displays when you select checkbox.

Total Charge: $40

After ticking the checkbox, the Reader Comments fee changes to $40 and the Total Charge changes to $80.

Is there a way we could have made it clearer?

[gregbeal]

Re: Nicholl 2015...

As noted in the earlier posts, one major change for 2015 is that the Nicholl competition is offering reader comments to all entrants. Selecting reader comments costs $40 per entry, is optional and will not affect an entry during the competition in any way.

A second change is that there is now a minimum and maximum page limit - all script submissions need to be from 70 to 160 pages in length. Shorter or longer script entries will be disqualified. "Cheating" margins, typeface size, line spacing, etc. to meet the page limits will also result in disqualification.

[gregbeal]

Re: Nicholl 2015...

Another new feature is that the Academy Nicholl Committee rewrote the reader guidelines and asked that they be released to potential entrants. They've been posted on the Nicholl Facebook page. Here they are for your enjoyment:

Academy Nicholl Fellowships - Reader Category Guidelines

STORY
Does the story have an original premise?
Does that story idea start the movie forward?
Does the story itself have a strong beginning, middle & end? How about two out of three? If the story is non-linear, does it make sense?
Does this script make you feel that the writer is taking you on a journey?
Does the story connect with you emotionally, whether it's a comedy or drama or another genre?

VOICE
Does the script have a distinctive and original voice? (Or do you feel that you've read or seen this movie before?)
Are the premise, story and characters new or fresh for you?
Does reading the script make you think, "This person genuinely has the potential to develop into a real writer-?

CHARACTERS
Does this script have vivid characters who each speak in their own voice?
Do you want to know what happens to them?
Does the central character change over the course of the story? If it's an ensemble film, does more than one character change?
Do the dialogue and tone seem consistent from scene to scene?
Does the way the people speak fit the tone and setting of the story?

CRAFT
Does this writer know how to use description and dialogue to create suspense, tension, drama, comedy and conflict? Does the conflict propel the story forward?
Do the main characters take actions that move the story along?
Are these actions in keeping with who these people are? Or do they happen "conveniently-?

MEANING and MAGIC
Does this script genuinely make you want to keep reading? Are the themes of the story thought-provoking, across genres? Is the story "about something- that might spark discussion among friends?
When you finish reading the script, even if it has flaws, do you still feel that there's something special about it? Is there an indescribable "something- that elevates this script above the ordinary?

[figment]

Re: Nicholl 2015...

.

Is there a way we could have made it clearer?

No. I was concentrating on trying to get my loglines correct, and zoomed through the rest. It's called not paying attention. Thanks.

[gregbeal]

Re: Nicholl 2015...

An additional $40 for comments tho?

Detailed feedback or the stuff we see on facebook?

I believe a number of Done Dealers posted their reader comments last year (perhaps in 2013 as well). The 2015 reader comments will resemble those.

Wasn't there a Nicholl reader comments vs. Black List notes challenge somewhere? - perhaps posted on Go Into The Story or The Black Board. That would offer another opportunity to see what some 2014 Nicholl reader comments looked like.

As stated every day, the posts on the Nicholl Facebook page were excerpts drawn from complete reader comments.

At some point in the future, we'll probably post some sample reader comments, most likely drawn from 2014 submissions.

[gregbeal]

Re: Nicholl 2015...

One more reader comment item:

Every entrant who selects to see reader comments will receive at least two. Some entrants will be able see from three to six comments, depending upon their advancement.

[UpandComing]

Re: Nicholl 2015...

Hey Greg, thanks for sharing this information. I think it's smart for you guys to monetize this service given the amount of time and effort involved.

One question -- does this mean that people who make it to the Quarters/Semis/Finals will no longer automatically get reader comments? So, if I opt not to pay the $40, and I make it to the Quarters, tough luck?

[Furious Anjel]

Re: Nicholl 2015...

I believe a number of Done Dealers posted their reader comments last year (perhaps in 2013 as well). The 2015 reader comments will resemble those.

Wasn't there a Nicholl reader comments vs. Black List notes challenge somewhere? - perhaps posted on Go Into The Story or The Black Board. That would offer another opportunity to see what some 2014 Nicholl reader comments looked like.

As stated every day, the posts on the Nicholl Facebook page were excerpts drawn from complete reader comments.

At some point in the future, we'll probably post some sample reader comments, most likely drawn from 2014 submissions.

Ah... my mistake. Thanks for clearing it up.

[gregbeal]

Re: Nicholl 2015...

Hey Greg, thanks for sharing this information. I think it's smart for you guys to monetize this service given the amount of time and effort involved.

One question -- does this mean that people who make it to the Quarters/Semis/Finals will no longer automatically get reader comments? So, if I opt not to pay the $40, and I make it to the Quarters, tough luck?

Being a non-profit, we're not much good at monetizing. Last year, entry fees averaged just under $53 per submission. Per entry direct reader costs alone averaged more than that. We're hoping to break even on reader costs, plus cover the database enhancement expense that allows us to share the comments with entrants.

While it's true that comments will not be shared for free with quarter/semi/finalists, it is possible to add comments at any time (probably until December 30). If an entrant were to reach the quarters and know that five-to-six comments were available, she could pay the $40 comment fee at that point.

[justin]

Re: Nicholl 2015...

I was surprised at the $40 charge for the notes as I'd understood the charge was to cover admin costs. If everyone bought the notes it would raise over $300,000 - which would buy a heck of a lot of admin.

Presumably, since Nichol is not for profit, the money raised will go into the pot to allow entry fees to be kept down - though I notice that these have actually increased over last year. Was the assumption in setting the $40 charge that most people wouldn't opt to receive notes, meaning that the admin charge had to be spread over fewer people? If so, will it be reviewed in the light of this year's experience?

My guess is, even at $40, over half the entrants will buy the notes; but I'll spend the money on getting coverage on my scripts before I enter them.

(This was posted before the posting from Greg Beal directly above had appeared)

[UpandComing]

Re: Nicholl 2015...

Being a non-profit, we're not much good at monetizing. Last year, entry fees averaged just under $53 per submission. Per entry direct reader costs alone averaged more than that. We're hoping to break even on reader costs, plus cover the database enhancement expense that allows us to share the comments with entrants.

While it's true that comments will not be shared for free with quarter/semi/finalists, it is possible to add comments at any time (probably until December 30). If an entrant were to reach the quarters and know that five-to-six comments were available, she could pay the $40 comment fee at that point.

Noted. And good to know about the lengthy timeframe for adding comments - thanks!

[gregbeal]

Re: Nicholl 2015...

I was surprised at the $40 charge for the notes as I'd understood the charge was to cover admin costs. If everyone bought the notes it would raise over $300,000 - which would buy a heck of a lot of admin.

Presumably, since Nichol is not for profit, the money raised will go into the pot to allow entry fees to be kept down - though I notice that these have actually increased over last year. Was the assumption in setting the $40 charge that most people wouldn't opt to receive notes, meaning that the admin charge had to be spread over fewer people? If so, will it be reviewed in the light of this year's experience?

My guess is, even at $40, over half the entrants will buy the notes; but I'll spend the money on getting coverage on my scripts before I enter them.

(This was posted before the posting from Greg Beal directly above had appeared)

Yes, it will be reviewed (and I actually argued for a lower fee, but after we crunched all the numbers with estimated comment purchases, we ended up at 40).

A tad early to say the least, but right now reader comments are about 1/5 of entries. That would cover reader costs but not sure that it would cover the database/application development costs.

[justin]

Re: Nicholl 2015...

Yes, always hard to know what will happen when you try something new. I think the principle of making the entry fees cover the reading costs is a fair one, so I would have raised the entry fees enough to do this, then added an additional amount to cover the development/admin cost of providing the notes.

People who didn't want notes could then have checked a box to opt out of them and get a small discount on the total fee. I think this would have resulted in a very hight take up rate, but who knows?