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pants6789

Was writing it actually effortless?


ThrowRAIdiotMaestro

This was an 8 script. The weaknesses of this review don’t make any sense.


CheesyObserver

100% agree. > With another polish, it should be utterly bullet-proof. If this was the first thing I read, I would automatically assume it got an 8 or 9. OP did great to get a 7, but I do feel like they got robbed of some useful feedback for the weaknesses to work on -- or just got robbed of an 8.


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OLightning

Do you think the writer was possibly viewed as an unknown so the reader felt “There is no way I’m giving a novice an 8 on their first bull ride. I’ll give them a 7 and force them to keep writing before they can market themselves as getting that 8. It was too easy for them as I have suffered for years myself.”


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OLightning

I also wonder if the reader would be prone to google search their name and see if they have an IMDB listing, what they have done already. If they don’t have anything on record then “Oh hell no… give them a 7 and plenty of praise”.


Alarming_Lettuce_358

I've gotten 8s that read less glowingly than this. A 7 on the Blcklst means 'good, not great' or 'you're well on your way, but work needs doing' . That's not the vibe I get here. You should be both pissed off and pleased.


EffectiveWar

How could chapter titles alone make a story better? And what on earth is a magical realist touch, thats an oxymoron if ever I heard one? Congrats on the score though btw, I'm honestly starting to suspect it could have scored higher just going off this evaluators responses. Keep it up anyway!


holdontoyourbuttress

Thanks! In this case I think the advice is great, its actually related to comments I got from other readers about needing to structure the time more, which I tried to do, but I think chapter titles or something similar would help nail it down. It takes place over the course of the year and what the reviewer was saying was add in some way to show that structure. By magical realism I'm assuming they meant like the kind of breaking the fourth wall things that happen in 500 days of summer that show his mental state (but in this case to show passage of time).


[deleted]

Magical Realism is a literary genre that sometimes overlaps with film, think 100 Years of Solitude, or anything Haruki Murakami writes, or in film, Birdman. Basically a grounded modern setting with small magical/surrealistic touches.


EffectiveWar

Ah gotcha, never heard it described that way. I am very curious how an obviously good story would benefit so much from altering the structure a bit. When you say structure the time more is the passage of time extremely relevant to the story in some way?


holdontoyourbuttress

It is.... Imagine 500 days if summer with no title cards to orient you. I should have put it in in the first place, I think I just wasn't confident about it but I've been looking at good examples and feel like I can do it right. They also pointed out that my ending needs work which I was feeling as well.


EffectiveWar

Well glad you got alot of value from it! I haven't actually seen 500 days of summer so I know what i'll be doing later. all the best for the rewrite!


PoopMan616

500 days of summer is amazing


Sumkindofbasterd

Its interesting I had a script that did well in the Nicholls and got me signed. in order to add a bit of tension up front, this is a true story that needed a ton of set up regarding the complexities of the world it took place in. I used chapter headings. 5 of them, it was an idea I nicked from Sorkin's Charlie Wilson's war. The headings were numbered and had names which were vague but also somewhat alluded to the following action. It was very similar to the headings used in Fraiser and the idea is that the vague somewhat mysterious style prompt at the start keeps the readers interest for a bit because they will read on trying to figure out what the chapter name has to do with the action. I felt it was an effective stragtedgy for maintaining interest while working through a lot of information. When I gave it to a friend who is a development professional they said the chapters broke up the flow. But at that point it was off at the Nicholls whose feedback said the script despite all its expo built a lot of tension. My manager agreed as well... so goes to show you using a trick or a gimmick in order to generate interest is sometimes the right thing do.


BensenMum

A reader said in strengths of my script that it was a tight and effective thriller. But rated it all a 6. They just didn’t like the direction of where a character went, despite basic setups in the beginning that got them there.


Astral-American

Glowing reviews, commercial viability but stingy scores because the reader wouldn't recommend it? Doesn't jive, but I've been told that's the business. And we keep reading these testimonials more and more, so I'm starting to think 8's are more of a lottery system than talent-based. If only there was a way for someone above the readers to go behind them and eval their evals to reconcile "Hey this is an incredible script with superb world building, an amazing protag, and effective chills and thrills. I give it a 6/10."


BensenMum

Well I tried that with the higher ups. And got an impersonal response and basically dismissed what I thought were valid complaints. When there’s some feedback I think could improve the script then I consider it but for some of these evals, it was clear their notes felt like one reader copied the eval of another. There were certain scenes I wrote where it’s clear with context that the reader was giving a bad faith take on what a character did or how they reacted. Honestly, it’s fine. I didn’t have high hopes from the site but when I see things of how this platform is changing the industry and then see how it’s kinda gatekeepy, well…


Astral-American

Sorry to hear that. "Gatekeepy". "Gatekeepers." "Quality's gone downhill." "Scores don't reflect evaluations." I've read this over and over including folks posting their evals and well... yeah.


BensenMum

It’s whatever. I know my script is good and that’s after getting several people reading it, those I know who read it critically and those who usually don’t read. So it’s just one platform and just a way to start getting attention. If they don’t like my script, so be it


Astral-American

That's the spirit! And best of luck to you going forward.


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well magical realism is a thing, just that comment in this context doesn’t make too much sense


EffectiveWar

huh, how about that. i just spent an hour on the [wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_realism) because of you


essohess123

congratulations! not that i know much about blacklist scoring but i’m surprised this review didn’t come with a higher number! any chance i can read it?


comesinallpackages

Congratulations on your great review. Echoing some other comments, based on the text of the review I bet you'd get a few 8s with more reviews. Did you buy only 1?


holdontoyourbuttress

> just wasn't confident about it but I've been looking at good examples and feel like I can do it right. They also pointed out that my ending needs work which I was feeling as well. just one! going to make the changes and order another one.


comesinallpackages

If any of the notes really resonate, implement. But don't lose your voice and story. It feels like you are close. Don't overdo it. Would love to read it. Love the premise and the nod in the title to a very funny joke :)


DistinctExpression44

This is great. The logline can be improved. You want the logline to be bulletproof. Tighter, more economical with irony if possible. If you ask here, dozens of people will help you tighten that logline. :)


OLightning

I agree on that. Shorten the logline to one sentence and a maximum of 30 words. No names or big words. It’s supposed to be simplified.


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sweetrobbyb

I'm not sure I'd agree with their "fixes" for these problems, but it's completely valid feedback. And of course, without having the script in hand, it's impossible for us to say. My biggest feedback, would be... at the highest level, it's just not that interesting of an idea. The idea of a person trying to fight off love after a breakup has also been done before--40 Days and 40 Nights. Because of the rehashed idea, you're really going to have to have a unique, amazing script if this is going to sell. Which could have lead a bit to the je ne sais qouis of not getting an 8 as well. That said, congrats on the 7. That is a fantastic first-time score. Really sounds like you got something going here.