New Black List Thread - Franklin Leonard answers your questions

[docgonzo]

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

This may have been covered in the previous thread, but has the BL started to include TV pilots? I know there was a plan to do so, but I haven't seen if this has happened yet. And if you haven't allowed people do submit pilots, will you do so in the future, and when?

[ewbet]

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

Franklin,
I have a script that's currently hosted on the Black List site that isn't active.

Do I need to unsuspend it to be eligible for the Vegas lab?

Thanks,
Eric

[FranklinLeonard]

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

Franklin, does a script have to be rated an 8 for consideration in the Lab?

No, but we'll be using all of the ratings at our disposal to decide on the 15 finalists so without question higher ratings will be an asset.

[Anointed]

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

Franklin, does a script have to be rated an 8 for consideration in the Lab?

[FranklinLeonard]

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

Very excited to announce our inaugural Screenwriters Lab in downtown Las Vegas.

[EJ Pennypacker]

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

Something only intended for a male audience. Say for example GROWN UPS.

EJ

[emily blake]

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

What's a "man comedy"?

[EJ Pennypacker]

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

Genres/sub genres/tags for comedy...

gross-out comedy
teen comedy
man comedy
mature comedy
grounded comedy
double hander
tripple hander

[joshbuxton]

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

From Terry at Support:

"Non-unique downloads will count multiple downloads by the same member. But all other downloads are unique, meaning if a member downloaded it twice or more, it would only count once."

Josh

[LIMAMA]

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

Perhaps this has been covered elsewhere but what is this new "non unique download'?

[ewbet]

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

Franklin,
Having the option to have the Heist genre without Comedy would be great.

I.E. Heist/Crime or Heist/Thriller

Thanks.

[SundownInRetreat]

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

But (and here is where Sundown was inconsistent with posts): "The reader loved my script but wouldn't recommend it because the market is too tiny because it's too dark and brutal " is a valid case for a free read.

I never said this. (And the reader clearly didn't love my script). Even if I did, I don't get how it's flawed: "maybe the reader who loved it wouldn't recommend it to a superior because it would probably never get made from a too-tiny niche standpoint" because you earlier said: "I definitely agree that a score shouldn't be knocked down because of a limited audience." Never mind, I don't want the thread to be about me any longer.

By the way, if you haven't noticed, I think there's a possibly-top script on the site with the same name as yours

Now I'm lost.

EDIT: I see the script but as a writer I can't read it and it has no ratings or reviews.

[BillG]

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

That's fair enough. If you read above, I never claimed you complained. I just suspected and asked. You didn't answer directly until this post, and as you rightly said, you don't owe me or anyone else an answer.

I haven't been on the site in awhile, but it sounds like you can put all that similar films/ratings right in the logline section now (I guess you could do that before, too), so I'd do that -- maybe you already did.

By the way, if you haven't noticed, I think there's a possibly-top script on the site with the same name as yours

[SundownInRetreat]

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

Did your reader actually say, "I love this script, but am giving it a low score because its darkness and brutality would limit the audience"? He/she probably just didn't like it, even if the sole reason was because it was too dark and brutal for his/her taste.

This is Franklin's thread not mine so I'm not going to go into detail but as a quick example, stuff was listed as a strength and then again as a weakness.

Crime Thrillers/Gangsters/Film Noirs these days tend to be R-rated scripts. Readers know the violence and the drug use and whatnot that these genres can entail.

Yet I got many comments about it and a suggestion to include "a friendly face" to help the audience through. That's just what Reservoir Dogs needed: Rob Schneider.

you can't compare your what-might-be-an-NC-17 movie to R- rated movies and be shocked when they say it's too dark.

It would just be R. As you said, most such films are R and the reader knows what to expect so I say you can be miffed if they make an issue of rating appropriate content.

And you're being intentionally vague - did you or did you not complain for a free read?

I wasn't being vague, I got sidetracked by your claim I'd complained about an unjust read. However, I'm non-plussed by your interrogation when I don't owe an explanation.

I posted suggestions and Franklin can take or leave them. I don't feel the tags do enough - mine include "violence" and "hand to hand combat" but that covers The Karate Kid just as much as John Rambo. The main reasons I mentioned them was that it would cut down on complaints, free reads requests and grade-grubbing (what I've been accused of) and for the industry peeps so the guy who wants atmosphere over gore; an R rated rom-com; or a 70s-esque thriller can easily find such scripts. How providing this detail is a fault of the script is beyond me

For the record, I made my feelings known. I acknowledged tastes vary and I wouldn't mind the scores if the comments weren't contradictory and off-base. It wasn't grade-grubbing and I didn't ask for anything.

I'm perturbed by the way this has turned out. If I knew I'd get publicly dissected then I wouldn't have provided my suggestions and the last thing any service wants is a lack of customer feedback.

[BillG]

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

Yup, I can definitely understand why Franklin would give free reads, even if it's not based on something that's "factually incorrect" about the script -- it's a business, after all.

"The reader didn't like my script because he/she thought it was too dark and brutal" is not a valid reason for a free read.

But (and here is where Sundown was inconsistent with posts):

"The reader loved my script but wouldn't recommend it because the market is too tiny because it's too dark and brutal " is a valid case for a free read.

Maybe the reader who loved it wouldn't recommend it to a superior because it would probably never get made from a too-tiny niche standpoint, but the Blacklist's rating system is centered around how likely that reader would recommend it to a superior OR a peer in the industry -- a peer who may not be to do anything with that script, either, but who might just be interested in reading great material.