All screenplay contests are SCAM?

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  • #61
    Re: All screenplay contests are SCAM?

    A few years back there was a Nicholl winner who revealed that in the year of this fellowship win he sent his script to ten contests. In nine of them he was eliminated in the first round; the other was the Nicholl, which he won.

    There have been cases where the Nicholl Fellowship was awarded to a script that had failed to get out of the first round the year earlier.

    When I made the Top List at blcklst.com, I noticed that my script was ranked higher than several that were listed as Nicholl QF/SF scripts. Which is a little odd, given that this script got killed in the first round of the Nicholl both times I entered it.

    These aren't indications of an ongoing scam, just reminders that the judging process is much more subjective than we would all like to admit. Please do not be fooled by the pros among us who confidently proclaim that they can infallibly detect true screenwriting talent just from reading the first page of a script.

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    • #62
      Re: All screenplay contests are SCAM?

      "All screenplay contests are SCAM (sic)?" Seriously?

      All blondes are dumb.
      All Jews are rich.
      All poor people are lazy.
      All cops are corrupt.
      All salesmen are liars.
      ad infinitum...

      Jesus...

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      • #63
        Re: All screenplay contests are SCAM?

        I think the OP question is valid. Contests aren't stereotypes of people you listed. The answer to this thread can be YES as contests aren't living breathing human beings.

        Also, Jesus is very busy today.

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        • #64
          Re: All screenplay contests are SCAM?

          Originally posted by MrZero View Post
          A few years back there was a Nicholl winner who revealed that in the year of this fellowship win he sent his script to ten contests. In nine of them he was eliminated in the first round; the other was the Nicholl, which he won.

          There have been cases where the Nicholl Fellowship was awarded to a script that had failed to get out of the first round the year earlier.

          When I made the Top List at blcklst.com, I noticed that my script was ranked higher than several that were listed as Nicholl QF/SF scripts. Which is a little odd, given that this script got killed in the first round of the Nicholl both times I entered it.

          These aren't indications of an ongoing scam, just reminders that the judging process is much more subjective than we would all like to admit. Please do not be fooled by the pros among us who confidently proclaim that they can infallibly detect true screenwriting talent just from reading the first page of a script.
          YES. And this is precisely the situation of sending scripts to producers, managers, and agents. It's subjective, and it's just about finding that one person (of 100) who loves it.

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          • #65
            Re: All screenplay contests are SCAM?

            Originally posted by Turbopolis View Post
            Lindelof was born in*Teaneck, New Jersey, the son of Susan Klausner, a teacher, and David Lindelof, a bank manager.[3][4]*He attended*Teaneck High School, a school whose diverse student body he credits with expanding his horizons as a writer.[5]*His mother is Jewish and his father was ofScandinavian*descent.[6]*Lindelof celebrated his*bar mitzvah*in Teaneck, where he attended synagogue for the Sabbath; he has stated, "I was a Jewish white kid growing up in Teaneck, but at the same time, I had African and Filipino and Asian friends and to have that experience all through high school while getting an awesome education was wonderful."[7]*Lindelof attended film school atNew York University, performing briefly in the band Petting Zoo, and moved to Los Angeles after graduating.

            An early boost to his writing career came in 1999, when he was selected as a semifinalist for a Nicholl Fellowship for his screenplayPerfectionists.[8]*Before this, he worked on reviewing scripts at*Paramount,*Fox, and*Alan Ladd*studios.
            ---------------
            Damon Lindelof,*Star Trek Into Darkness*
            "I wrote a script called*The Perfectionists, a Western comedy,- says Lindelof. "I got a letter saying I was a [Nicholl] quarterfinalist, and I felt an incredible desire to really win.- Lindelof wanted to win so badly, in fact, that he knew if he ended up losing it'd come as a blow. So he got proactive: "I wrote an email to everybody I knew in the TV business, saying, 'I want to be a professional television writer.'- When he learned that he hadn't won the Nicholl Fellowship, it didn't sting as much as it might have: His email had already landed him a job on ABC'sWasteland.

            ----------------
            "To everebody I knew in TV business" .......

            Yes..well ..maybe Perfectionists was a really good script..possible
            Petting Zoo!!

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            • #66
              Re: All screenplay contests are SCAM?

              Originally posted by Bono View Post
              I think the OP question is valid. Contests aren't stereotypes of people you listed. The answer to this thread can be YES as contests aren't living breathing human beings.

              Also, Jesus is very busy today.

              You're kidding, right? Like any business, contests are run by human beings. Some may be run well and some may not.

              You need me to make the leap of logic for you?

              All restaurants have bad food.
              All department stores are over-priced.
              All law firms are corrupt.
              All advertising agencies are smarmy.
              All (name whatever business you're in) are staffed by idiots.

              Generalities like this are ridiculous.

              And the consensus is the poor Jesus dies 2000 years ago. Do you want to dispute that too?

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              • #67
                Re: All screenplay contests are SCAM?

                Let me put it this way. If you paid someone $50 bucks to judge how you dressed compared to 100 other people and pick 5 people as the best dressed -- isn't that a scam even if you win?

                So it's like the 10,000 diet plans you can choose from. Most are 100% scams, some are legit science, some really want to help you lose weight. Like script contests. But all are there to take your money.

                Everyone knows how to lose weight. Eat better and exercise is so clique because it's true. So do you need to buy that diet book or take that course or hire a trainer to lose weight -- of course not. Same goes for contests and becoming a pro writer.

                I do know for sure that all message boards are a big waste of time. You can't dispute that can you?

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                • #68
                  Re: All screenplay contests are SCAM?

                  You really need to look up the definition of the word "scam," Bono. A scam is something dishonest or fraudulent. In your own words, some diet plans are legit science and really want to help you lose weight. They are not scams. All businesses and workers get paid money for the work they do. That does not make them scams.

                  Certainly there are some screenwriting contests out there that are dishonest and fraudulent. There have been many discussions about those in this forum, on Moviebytes and elsewhere. But that does not make all contests scams.

                  And, sorry, but I do not believe that all message boards are a waste of time either. Over the years I've learned a lot from this board and others. Though it does seem there are always certain people...

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                  • #69
                    Re: All screenplay contests are SCAM?

                    Right, something can be unnecessary without being a scam. There are some diet plans that actually do help people lose weight - it's perfectly possible to lose weight without them, but since some people find them helpful, they pay money for them. Those people aren't being scammed - at worst, they're wasting their time/money.

                    Likewise, you definitely don't need to win any contests in order to be a professional screenwriter, but some of them have helped people get there in the past.

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                    • #70
                      Re: All screenplay contests are SCAM?

                      Originally posted by wildswan View Post
                      And, sorry, but I do not believe that all message boards are a waste of time either. Over the years I've learned a lot from this board and others. Though it does seem there are always certain people...
                      I have learned a HUGE amount from this board, and found some great advice. And I've been on here a LONG time, under different names. I was here when CreativeExec was posting....he was DA MAN. I miss him. And where else can you get thoughtful, pertinent critiques of your work when you live in FLYOVER country?

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                      • #71
                        Re: All screenplay contests are SCAM?

                        Originally posted by boudiccarules View Post
                        I have learned a HUGE amount from this board, and found some great advice. And I've been on here a LONG time, under different names. I was here when CreativeExec was posting....he was DA MAN. I miss him. And where else can you get thoughtful, pertinent critiques of your work when you live in FLYOVER country?
                        The Inside Pitch has a fairly active Facebook page

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                        • #72
                          Re: All screenplay contests are SCAM?

                          You are taking me too seriously and missing my award winning sarcasm.

                          Just always assume there are better things to spend money on than things marketed to aspiring screenwriters. Be skeptical of all.

                          You'll be much better off thinking all screenplay contests are out to screw you than thinking they are all there to help the writer. So if you have to pick one side of the argument pick scam over helpful. (Yes, I know you don't have to make that choice. But I believe this particular thread is asking all in or all out. So I vote all out as a general rule.

                          The important thing is the writing and the script. I did well in a big contest, but before I could capitalize on it I found a manager on my own a few weeks before finding out the results. So if I wasn't simultaneously looking for a rep, that contest would have lead me to a manager as well and then I would have assume it was the contest that had helped me (which can be true too) but the truth would be the script was good enough to be queried and I didn't need any contest to get reads.
                          Last edited by Bono; 04-08-2015, 12:04 PM.

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                          • #73
                            Re: All screenplay contests are SCAM?

                            Originally posted by Bono View Post
                            You are taking me too seriously.

                            Just always assume there are better things to spend money on than things marketed to aspiring screenwriters. Be skeptical of all.
                            I have partied away 100 times the amount I spend on contest entries. As well as the piddly amount I've spent on script consultants to become better at writing. 1 Contest entry = 1 decent bar hop. 1 script coverage = better bar hop. Contests/Coverage = better investment at this point for me.

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                            • #74
                              Re: All screenplay contests are SCAM?

                              Originally posted by boudiccarules View Post
                              I have partied away 100 times the amount I spend on contest entries. As well as the piddly amount I've spent on script consultants to become better at writing. 1 Contest entry = 1 decent bar hop. 1 script coverage = better bar hop. Contests/Coverage = better investment at this point for me.
                              As someone that doesn't drink, I think anything is better than spending money on booze. However, at least a $5 drink does what it was supposed to do for you and is the same in Arizona or Mars. Script advice various a lot, including price. Both can make you sick if you have too much.

                              I wish you good luck in your alcoholism and writing career.

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                              • #75
                                Re: All screenplay contests are SCAM?

                                Originally posted by Bono View Post
                                However, at least a $5 drink does what it was supposed to do for you and is the same in Arizona or Mars.
                                Now this I have doubts about. What effect does Mars's atmosphere have on carbonated drinks? If in a space station, what is the effect of 100% recirculated air on the scent and flavor of wine? Is there a different threshold to be considered a night of "heavy" drinking, due to the difference in gravity?

                                And that's without even getting into exchange rates.

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