New Black List Thread - Franklin Leonard answers your questions

[cshel]

Re: New Black List Thread - Franklin Leonard answers your questions

CSHEL, you misunderstood my point. The individual score for PREMISE, as a category, was 7. I wasn't questioning anything about the overall score.

However, I'll give another shout out to Franklin's crew. Kate already checked the
fundamental errors and has offered to remove the evaluation, provide a new one, and a free month of hosting. So I couldn't be happier.

In addition the overall review still provided me with solid feedback I will use going forward so all in all a satisfying experience. While they can't control every individual readers write up I feel they do a fantastic job when handling customer service issues and that's really all I ask as a client.

Whether the next review is good or bad as long as there aren't any factual flaws I look forward to it.

Yes, I did misunderstand, (although the reasoning could still apply).

But it sounds like your perfect premise is on it's way, regardless. Coming up with one can be more than half the battle. Best of luck in your upcoming negotiations - break a pencil! Hope it goes all the way, and we see a spec sale listed with "premise being kept under wraps", and we'll never know until we see the movie trailer and think - "Wow! Now that's a perfect premise!"

[harbak]

Re: New Black List Thread - Franklin Leonard answers your questions

In answer to Manchester and Sallain, I have a vast amount of contact/email info from 10 years of querying (don't ask how much time I have spent building a stout data base). Typically when I send out a logline I get at lest 20 - 30 requests for material. In this case, I wrote the script specifically for the Black List NFL Call for Scripts which required the script to be hosted in July. So I thought a decent review would help in being considered for that "competition".

However, after I finished it and posted it on BL I re-read the submission terms and realized I could still market it on my own while I waited, and that the NFL thing wasn't looking for scripts to acquire, just writing samples to pick a writer to team up with. Therefore, I went ahead and queried it out to about half my contacts and within a week of sending it to folks the offers started coming in. A couple are just smaller dollar options with solid credentials to get films made, the third is talking about acquiring outright so this week will be interesting as they are going to get me their proposal tomorrow or Wednesday, and wanted to know if I could get to LA on short notice. Fortunately I am in Vegas so no problem there. Crossing my fingers, but worse case I will have some cash and an option with a producer with some chops.

[canela]

Re: New Black List Thread - Franklin Leonard answers your questions

I can't put the logline up as I have three parties making offers currently on the script and they all want it kept under wraps.

PERFECT!

Well done. Good luck.

[sallain]

Re: New Black List Thread - Franklin Leonard answers your questions

Uh, that sounds pretty good. (Unless I'm missing something.)

Anyway, if you don't have any 8s* (this sounds like Go Fish), how is it that so many prospective buyers saw it?

I have a similar question for Harbak: It sounds like you got eyes on this from some means other than the Black List. Why even pay for hosting/reviews if you already have interest in the script? Or did that interest come from the Black List, in spite of the mediocre review?

Just curious. Congrats, by the way.

[Manchester]

Re: New Black List Thread - Franklin Leonard answers your questions

From a matter of perspective I have had four professionals who have read it, one who thought it was ok, one who wants an option on it, and two whom I am discussing it with this weekend who both said they want to acquire it so I guess I will go with that crowds opinion.

Uh, that sounds pretty good. (Unless I'm missing something.)

Anyway, if you don't have any 8s* (this sounds like Go Fish), how is it that so many prospective buyers saw it?

__________

* - I deduced that from your comment, "My review was decent". OTOH, maybe for you 8s and 9s are "decent".

[harbak]

Re: New Black List Thread - Franklin Leonard answers your questions

I can't put the logline up as I have three parties making offers currently on the script and they all want it kept under wraps. Why? The premise is so good they don't want it getting out before they can get the script to their respective connections. However, the reader wrote my logline, and then followed it by saying in one part of the review it was fantastic, and in another literally used capitalized PERFECT to describe it. So for a 7 to be the score in the PREMISE category seemed odd. The folks at BL seemed to agree.

[FoxHound]

Re: New Black List Thread - Franklin Leonard answers your questions

CSHEL, you misunderstood my point. The individual score for PREMISE, as a category, was 7. I wasn't questioning anything about the overall score.

However, I'll give another shout out to Franklin's crew. Kate already checked the fundamental errors and has offered to remove the evaluation, provide a new one, and a free month of hosting. So I couldn't be happier.

In addition the overall review still provided me with solid feedback I will use going forward so all in all a satisfying experience. While they can't control every individual readers write up I feel they do a fantastic job when handling customer service issues and that's really all I ask as a client.

Whether the next review is good or bad as long as there aren't any factual flaws I look forward to it.

What's your logline BTW? And on that note, "perfect" is a strange choice of words for a premise. When I heard of Looper's premise, I said it was "mind-bendingly awesome," but perfect? It sounds odd. "Perfect" is what I'd use to describe the execution of a premise, not the premise itself. I think it's possible the reader meant it was perfectly suited for your particular plot and characters, but not in a general sense. For eg. The premise of Star Trek (2009) was perfect for THAT cast. But, generally speaking, an evil space lord blowing up planets is a stupid (and cliche) premise.

[harbak]

Re: New Black List Thread - Franklin Leonard answers your questions

CSHEL, you misunderstood my point. The individual score for PREMISE, as a category, was 7. I wasn't questioning anything about the overall score.

However, I'll give another shout out to Franklin's crew. Kate already checked the
fundamental errors and has offered to remove the evaluation, provide a new one, and a free month of hosting. So I couldn't be happier.

In addition the overall review still provided me with solid feedback I will use going forward so all in all a satisfying experience. While they can't control every individual readers write up I feel they do a fantastic job when handling customer service issues and that's really all I ask as a client.

Whether the next review is good or bad as long as there aren't any factual flaws I look forward to it.

[cshel]

Re: New Black List Thread - Franklin Leonard answers your questions

Just got my most recent review back and kinda shaking my head about this whole thing. My review was decent sixes and sevens and I wouldn't argue with it too much. However, I think the evaluators really should match their ratings up with their words a little better. In this case, and I quote, the evaluator said without any qualifiers, the premise is PERFECT, their capitals not mine. There was no qualifier before or detraction after. Just stated it, then said , is PERFECT. To which he gave me a 7. Is it me or the last time I checked PERFECT should get higher than a 7, correct?

That is my only real gripe. From a matter of perspective I have had four responses from professionals (producers) who have read it, one who thought it was ok, one who wants an option on it, and two whom I am discussing it with this weekend who both said they want to acquire it so I guess I will go with that crowds opinion.

Overall I don't think the eval was "horrible", but definitely shaky as regards numbers and words matching up. There were some very well thought out critiques that were probably spot on, if I was writing it the way the reader would have liked to have seen the "true story" play out differently.

Additionally the evaluator used a term that some players were drafted onto the team when that was never once stated or presented in the script. No one was drafted. So kind of annoying, but these things are very subject to interpretation and perhaps the reader misunderstood something.

The review could very easily make sense - a "perfect premise" comment, with an overall score of only 7. Not saying it's right, I haven't read your script.

While the reader may have thought you had a "perfect premise", they obviously thought you did not fully deliver on the "promise of the premise", hence, they scored it a 7 overall. In other words, they thought you had a great concept that was not perfectly executed. The worst writer in the world can have a great premise for a movie, but not be able to write a decent script from it. The fact that you have had outside interest in the script is not surprising, if you have a perfect premise. Scripts have been sold on a great premise alone, and then been completely rewritten by more skilled writers.

Again, not saying this is the case with yours, just saying the review could make sense.

[harbak]

Re: New Black List Thread - Franklin Leonard answers your questions

Just got my most recent review back and kinda shaking my head about this whole thing. My review was decent sixes and sevens and I wouldn't argue with it too much. However, I think the evaluators really should match their ratings up with their words a little better. In this case, and I quote, the evaluator said without any qualifiers, the premise is PERFECT, their capitals not mine. There was no qualifier before or detraction after. Just stated it, then said , is PERFECT. To which he gave me a 7. Is it me or the last time I checked PERFECT should get higher than a 7, correct?

That is my only real gripe. From a matter of perspective I have had four responses from professionals (producers) who have read it, one who thought it was ok, one who wants an option on it, and two whom I am discussing it with this weekend who both said they want to acquire it so I guess I will go with that crowds opinion.

Overall I don't think the eval was "horrible", but definitely shaky as regards numbers and words matching up. There were some very well thought out critiques that were probably spot on, if I was writing it the way the reader would have liked to have seen the "true story" play out differently.

Additionally the evaluator used a term that some players were drafted onto the team when that was never once stated or presented in the script. No one was drafted. So kind of annoying, but these things are very subject to interpretation and perhaps the reader misunderstood something.

[harbak]

Re: New Black List Thread - Franklin Leonard answers your questions

Just got my most recent review back and kinda shaking my head about this whole thing. My review was decent and I wouldn't argue with it much. However, I think the evaluators really should match their ratings up with their words a little better. In this case, and I quote, the evaluator said without any qualifiers, the premise is PERFECT, their capitals not mine. There was no qualifier before or detraction after. Just stated it, then said , is PERFECT. To which he gave me a 7. Is it me or the last time I checked PERFECT should get higher than a 7, correct?

That is my only real gripe. From a matter of perspective I have had four professionals who have read it, one who thought it was ok, one who wants an option on it, and two whom I am discussing it with this weekend who both said they want to acquire it so I guess I will go with that crowds opinion.

Overall I don't think the eval was "bad", but definitely shaky as regards numbers and words matching up. Additionally the evaluator used a term that some players were drafted onto the team when that was never once stated or presented in the script. No one was drafted. So kind of annoying, but these things are very subject to interpretation and perhaps the reader misunderstood something.

[FranklinLeonard]

Re: New Black List Thread - Franklin Leonard answers your questions

It looks like they are getting reviews back in under the three weeks on average currently, just an fyi. And I am going to give Franklin's crew a shout out. I had, perhaps, four/five, interactions with their customer service on various posting questions etc... and the customer service was quick, concise, and helpful. You have a solid back room supporting the site and the company Franklin so kudos there.

It's true. The turnaround time has begun to fall again.

Thanks for the shoutout. Will pass it along to Kate and Terry, who do a phenomenal job.

[harbak]

Re: New Black List Thread - Franklin Leonard answers your questions

It looks like they are getting reviews back in under the three weeks on average currently, just an fyi. And I am going to give Franklin's crew a shout out. I had, perhaps, four/five, interactions with their customer service on various posting questions etc... and the customer service was quick, concise, and helpful. You have a solid back room supporting the site and the company Franklin so kudos there.

[sallain]

Re: New Black List Thread - Franklin Leonard answers your questions

Has anyone had screenplay rated by a professional? Or have all your ratings been a result of the paid read?

If so, was it dramatically different than the paid evaluation?

I uploaded my script, MR. MALCOLM'S LIST, to the Black List in April and paid for one review. It scored a 9, which garnered me a second Black List review. The second reviewer gave me an 8, so I automatically received a third review. This one was a 7, so no more free reviews.

However, a little over a week ago I got my first industry pro rating on that script: a 9! That was quite a nice surprise. Prior to this I thought someone might come along, read the script with their expectations raised from the high scores it received, and think: "This script is way overrated, let me cut this girl down to size with a 4." It could still happen, I suppose, but it's reaffirming that the score was similar to the ones I received from the Black List reviewers.

I was also beginning to think no industry pro was ever going to give me a rating; I've hosted three scripts on the Black List and this was the first and only pro rating I've received.

[ClintW3]

Re: New Black List Thread - Franklin Leonard answers your questions

Has anyone had screenplay rated by a professional? Or have all your ratings been a result of the paid read?

If so, was it dramatically different than the paid evaluation?

Just curious.

Thanks.