Franklin Leonard

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  • finalact4
    replied
    Re: Franklin Leonard

    Originally posted by GucciGhostXXX View Post
    I would be concerned too. Who's the reader doing the eval? KNOW ONE KNOWS!

    I tried The Blacklist (website) as another 'test the waters' venture. A script I'd already sold. Low marks, to me, 7s. Didn't Jeff do the same test, same results-is as me? I immediately deleted my account. Beyond that, no idea how it works. They gave me high marks for character (maybe 8-9, hard to remember) but low marks for concept originality, 7. Seriously? There ain't never been a show about this on TV, so? And it already sold, so? And had big showrunners, so? And a name producer, so? Oh and a studio, so?

    Meh... fukk all this sh!t. Try to do **** yourself as the main GRIND. See my post today about intros. IOW -- Have your rep hustle, but also have your own hustle.
    a 7 isn't a bad score. and it doesn't indicate the script can't get sold or into dev, it's just one person's POV. that happens at different prodcos, too. all the time.

    Many scripts receive high and lower scores. the name of the game is when you have a consensus of people that all agree on higher scores. it's similar to real world- one prodco rejects it and another doesn't.

    Jeff received one evaluation with all 9s and one with 6s. but the low score was specifically a personal taste thing. the script was about the porn industry i think in the 70s and the reader didn't like the way the female characters were depicted, if i remember correctly.

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  • finalact4
    replied
    Re: Franklin Leonard

    Originally posted by Friday View Post
    For those who've used the Blacklist....how does it work? Do you get the evaluations first, then decide after the eval comes in, whether to make it public? If you don't like the eval (i.e. it doesn't get an 8 or above), does it just remain unviewable for the public. Also, I am a little concerned about the fact you don't know who's downloading that script.
    yes, you wait for the evals and determine if you want to make it public. i usually do one first then a second after because you have to have two that score above the community ace to get on the list.

    if you get two right away your score could be high enough even without getting 8s which will keep you one the lists and viewable. The score still count to your average but you can choose not to make it public.

    Yeah the not knowing who downloads your spec is a problem, but you can't do anything about it. If you get high scores they'll offer you free or discounted reviews which are always good to take so you can get on the annual top list which takes a min of 4 reviews above ave.

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  • GucciGhostXXX
    replied
    Re: Franklin Leonard

    Originally posted by Friday View Post
    For those who've used the Blacklist....how does it work? Do you get the evaluations first, then decide after the eval comes in, whether to make it public? If you don't like the eval (i.e. it doesn't get an 8 or above), does it just remain unviewable for the public. Also, I am a little concerned about the fact you don't know who's downloading that script.
    I would be concerned too. Who's the reader doing the eval? KNOW ONE KNOWS!

    I tried The Blacklist (website) as another 'test the waters' venture. A script I'd already sold. Low marks, to me, 7s. Didn't Jeff do the same test, same results-is as me? I immediately deleted my account. Beyond that, no idea how it works. They gave me high marks for character (maybe 8-9, hard to remember) but low marks for concept originality, 7. Seriously? There ain't never been a show about this on TV, so? And it already sold, so? And had big showrunners, so? And a name producer, so? Oh and a studio, so?

    Meh... fukk all this sh!t. Try to do **** yourself as the main GRIND. See my post today about intros. IOW -- Have your rep hustle, but also have your own hustle.

    Leave a comment:


  • Friday
    replied
    Re: Franklin Leonard

    For those who've used the Blacklist....how does it work? Do you get the evaluations first, then decide after the eval comes in, whether to make it public? If you don't like the eval (i.e. it doesn't get an 8 or above), does it just remain unviewable for the public. Also, I am a little concerned about the fact you don't know who's downloading that script.

    Leave a comment:


  • catcon
    replied
    Re: Franklin Leonard

    Why not just trust what the experts at Virtual Pitchfest say!

    9 of 10 of the responses I've ever received were "Nothing personal, it just didn't grab us".

    To determine this, I went through the first of five screens of 'responses' on my VPF profile: 251 total pitches since I joined up, in 2010. Needless to say, I've only sent about $75 (for maybe 10 pitches) in the last four years, after finding more reasonable (ie. free) alternatives.

    And as it turns out, I think VPF changed this stock rejection blurb: It obviously didn't sound like very good value for a $10 pitch! However, I'm not sure the newer version is any better: "Strong project, just currently not the right fit."

    On the other hand, I've also received these on VPF:

    - We already have a similar project.
    - We're not interested in the subject matter at this time.
    - The budget for this film would be too low for us. (I presume there'd be one for 'too high for us' !)

    They must employ some sort of a checkbox response function, to make it easier on those poor 'pros' to respond quickly and easily.

    Among these 50 I reviewed, a few did add 'comments'. One guy said 'It seems an original premise, but you haven't really included enough in the pitch for me, story wise, to really make a solid judgment.' Now THAT was a waste of $10!

    The funniest one was a bit of prose from a producer who passed on my kids' time travel story that also had an environmental message: "Don't think this one is for us (we have to stray from the "environmental" messages after xxxxxx by order of our financiers)"

    I didn't want to identify the company or its film, hence the "xxxxxx". But isn't it odd that "financiers" are directing them to avoid enviro-themed films! (The film in question scored a mere $5M above its middling budget, according to IMDB, but I think that's domestic. Wiki has it doubling its budget, overall.)

    But you see the politics in these things?

    Leave a comment:


  • ScreenRider
    replied
    Re: Franklin Leonard

    Originally posted by Bono View Post
    Why would you expect different readers not to react differently to scripts? It's all opinion.
    I think the confusion is not about how the readers react to the script but how they rate them. I don't like romantic comedies but I can tell the difference between a romantic comedy with a solid structure and clear character motivations and one that is a total mess.

    Yesterday I saw a reddit post by a user who got an 8 and a 3 on the same script. One reader thought the script was on a professional level and another thought it was the bottom of the barrel.

    Leave a comment:


  • Bono
    replied
    Re: Franklin Leonard

    I can't even get my friends to agree on how we feel about Toy Story 4.

    Why would you expect different readers not to react differently to scripts? It's all opinion. It's all timing. It's about getting the right spec in front of the right person at the right random time when they didn't just have a huge fight with their ex on the phone or getting yelled at by their boss or just got the flu.

    If this was the movie Yesterday where people forget about The Beatles music except one person and no one had every heard for great 80s movies except you and you could "write" Beverly Hills Cop and Die Hard for the first time -- they probably wouldn't sell in your hands. Times have changed for one. But even if you wrote the hottest spec that just sold last month and went out with it to same buyers, it still may not sell with same set of readers and buyers. It's talent meets random luck!

    That's why in some thread I suggested maybe other forms of writing like novel writing would be slightly more fulfilling in that you have a finished product to sell. I'm sure it's just as hard in same and different ways but it seems slightly better on the sales side. Maybe just because I see 100 specs sell a year and some stats say there are over a million books put out a year -- let's half that for self published people and you still have 500,000 books sold to 100 specs sold and now I dont' know why any of us try at all.

    Leave a comment:


  • GucciGhostXXX
    replied
    Re: Franklin Leonard

    Originally posted by ScreenRider View Post
    Do you think this says something about TheBlacklist in particular? Or is this the sort of inconsistency that you get from industry readers in general?
    I think it’s The Wild Friggin West out there. Truthfully, I think I do better with reads the higher up I go. Meaning, the kids don’t like my shiz but their bosses tend to. So, I try to bypass as many kids as I can, and hope their bosses don’t ask them their opinion.

    Leave a comment:


  • SundownInRetreat
    replied
    Re: Franklin Leonard

    Originally posted by JaGra View Post
    If your script is good enough to receive an 8,9,or 10, chances are your script is good enough to get reads from free queries.
    You're. Missing. The. Point.

    It doesn't matter if your script is the best thing since Lawrence of Arabia if your emails are not being read. Your strong competition or TBL placement is the subject line that stops your email being mass-deleted with everyone else's. Then it's up to your brief email to flesh out your subject line with a brief history of your writing, TBL/comp placing, and log line.

    Then and only then does your script get opened.


    Stop being lazy and send out those queries.
    As abov has just explained, it has nothing to do with being lazy or having a great script. You need to give the powers-that-be reason to give your no-name, nobody email then time of day (let alone your script) over all the other no-name, nobody emails in their inbox.


    The blacklist pay site exists primary to tell industry folks NOT to read scripts.
    Wrong again. It exists primarily to tell the industry folks what's the wheat and what's the chaff - that in making it easier for the industry people it's making it easier for those writers who ARE good enough, whose scripts ARE excellent, instead of having them lost in a sea of enquiries where 99.5% are turgid and worthless.


    If industry pro gets query that sounds interesting, they might look at first few pages.
    Wrong again. Because they have so many they don't even read them. Just like the music industry, mass deletion is the norm and fear of litigation drives the 'no unsolicited content' mantra. You have to be very lucky for anyone to read your email when it's just a standard begging letter in a sea of begging letters, a sea that's largely dead and rank. Luck, rather than the quality of your script!! Fuck that, I'll take the 'Thriller - top 5% Black List/Austin/Nicholl' option, thanks.
    Last edited by SundownInRetreat; 07-07-2019, 09:51 AM.

    Leave a comment:


  • SundownInRetreat
    replied
    Re: Franklin Leonard

    Originally posted by LauriD View Post
    The point of the disruption blog is to suggest a new model, and one less dependent on reps.
    This is an industry to break into if you can. A capitalist industry that is there to serve itself, not aspirants. It doesn't need to do us any favours and nor should it be that way. The socialist-cum-Utopian approach of making it easier for writes to succeed in, to not need commendations, reps, or paid avenues (pitchfests, competitions, review sites - which no one is compelled to shell out for) is both misguided and wrong.

    Leave a comment:


  • SundownInRetreat
    replied
    Re: Franklin Leonard

    Originally posted by finalact4 View Post
    and it's no different than a respected screenwriting contest.

    when i hear statements about how dismal the chances are with a for-profit screenwriting site, i'm amazed that anyone thinks entering a screenwriting competition is any different. i mean, seriously. chances of winning the Nicholl are "dismal, too."

    let's consider a little perspective working off facts.

    2018 Nicholl
    i think we all agree that the semifinalists are the most important 'winners,' right? here are the results for 2018.

    entrants = 6,895
    semifinalists = 10
    percent chance = 0.0014 or 0.14%
    quarter finalists = 226
    quarter finalists = 0.0327 or 3.2%

    corrected noted: (thank you Greg)
    entrants = 6,895 (from the https://www.oscars.org/news/academy-...creenwriters-1
    finalists = 10
    percent chance = 0.0014 or 0.14%
    semifinalists = 149
    percent chance = .0216 or 2.16%
    quarter finalists = 375
    quarter finalists = .0545 or 5.4%


    looks dismal to me. one tenth of one percent. and you can ONLY enter ONCE a year. there is an entry fee.

    The Black List (website) using this as a comparison because i can access the information.

    hosted scripts = 3,747 (rolling annually not once a year)
    top monthly = 76 scripts (two ratings required)
    percent = 2%
    top quarterly = 213 scripts (two ratings required)
    percent = 5.6%
    top annual = 208 scripts (four ratings required)
    percent = 5.5%

    *this can result in thousands of views of your script over a year's time. and you can host more scripts as you write them throughout the year. the downside is that there is a fee and it can add up.

    these are facts.

    the bottom line that seems to elude many is that there just aren't that many amateur writers that are good enough, yet. and the truth is many never will be. you can't blame it on a competition or a for-profit website. it's a simple fact.

    these are opportunities to get your work noticed. the chances are always dismal, that's why the reward is so coveted.

    just because you write a script doesn't mean you deserve attention for it. you have to earn it. there are no short cuts. it takes perseverance, dedication and discipline.


    every writer must follow their own path. something that works for one may not work for the other. i don't waste my time with Nicholl because i know i don't write material that would do well with that competition. that's my choice.

    writers should seek opportunities and if that means the only thing you can do is send 300 queries, then that's what you do. if you have the means to do more. do it.

    my only advice would be to be cautious about anything that the industry doesn't use or has't heard about. because winning that could be meaningless.
    Spot on.

    Leave a comment:


  • SundownInRetreat
    replied
    Re: Franklin Leonard

    Originally posted by LauriD View Post
    The problem with all for-profit script-listing sites is that the return on investment for writers is dismal. Only a tiny percentage of scripts get read, and an even tinier percentage of listings lead to options, sales, representation, or paying work.
    I couldn't disagree more. Sure, the chance of your script being optioned let alone produced is still minimal but the ROI is fantastic if you score well. It opens doors and even if it did nothing else, that is a great return.

    Pre-BL you'd get a recommend or consider from prodco X and there was nothing you could do with that you so in order to catch the eye you had to place high in 1 of the 3 big competitions - all of which are knockout format which means worthy scripts are jettisoned to make the numbers work - but with TBL(and a good score) you have a solid calling card and no knockout format, meaning anyone can get in on the action as long as their scripts are good.

    My enquiry success rate was practically zero pre-TBL but after I scored high, and had the subject line to reflect this, I got a lot more interest. And that's all anyone can hope for. So for me, that's worth the $150 or whatever the cost is these days. I'm sure everyone who's hit brick wall after brick wall with their enquiries would gladly pay double that for to open doors.

    It seems too many blame TBL for their lack of success after TBL sent eyeballs their way but that's not its fault. That's a combination of your script and the state and approach of the movie-making industry.

    Leave a comment:


  • finalact4
    replied
    Re: Franklin Leonard

    Originally posted by ScreenRider View Post
    Do you think this says something about TheBlacklist in particular? Or is this the sort of inconsistency that you get from industry readers in general?
    jumping in for a sec...

    i went to a private meeting with a V.P. of production. she said she sent everything to their reader. i asked, "do you ever disagree with the reader?" she said, "all the time," but i still send it to the reader.

    admittedly, there are wide varying reviews on The Black List. people who receive several 9s can still get 5s. people have opinions.

    there are some pretty impressive top scripts up right now.

    Leave a comment:


  • ScreenRider
    replied
    Re: Franklin Leonard

    Originally posted by GucciGhostXXX View Post
    ...Oh, and let me add that:

    My same (dark) script that tanked on TheBlacklist website via low scores and zero reads is the same script that went to showrrunners and got me in the running for 3 network shows.

    Trippy shiz... I don't get this town.
    Do you think this says something about TheBlacklist in particular? Or is this the sort of inconsistency that you get from industry readers in general?

    Leave a comment:


  • UpandComing
    replied
    Re: Franklin Leonard

    Originally posted by GucciGhostXXX View Post
    True, it's a great place to pad your PILE if you're a wannabe producer. Free filtering system for a dude running an operation out of his closet. They don't pay, correct?

    Ps... Franklin, you're welcome, I bought you dinner!
    Nope, pro members don't have to pay a cent. Just us rich writers! Gotta love it.

    You seem to have been in this town for some time. Feel free to chime in with any knowledge/thoughts you may have in the Daily Beast thread (in the Articles section) about Max Landis. Like whether his career is over, lol.

    Leave a comment:

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