Nothing wrong with bringing up marketability, if someone wants to bring it up or if no one does. Produced or unproduced.


I understand where mcronetto is coming from, the market and Hollywood will be speculative, but so is writing with different theories. I mean we don’t, maybe we should, critique an unproduced script, have the writer take that advice and rewrite the script, so we can re-read it, or at the very least read a later script from the same writer, to see if he/she has learned from what we perceived as mistakes. Do we? Will we?


I think we should learn, with all topics, when to move on to the next topic. Maybe marketability after we hear from the writer on our previous conversation/topics, then inject who we think the audience is, who’s buying similar stories all based on what previous movies have done. I hear a reason why some scripts don’t get picked up is because companies already have something similar in the works. It’ll take a little homework, but

Say we read a script with a similar story and/or premise to Righteous Kill…

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1034331/ (how was it received)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1034331/business (budget/Box Office)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1034331/companycredits (who produced/bought it)
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0002572/ (what else are they buying)

http://www.imdb.com/company/co0142446/ (this company has thing for Ellen Page or vice-versa)

I think Market Club would overshadow Script Club, as you can see 6 pages jumped to 14. I’d rather keep them under one umbrella.

I like Bert's idea too. 'Pro' Script Club, 'Unpro' Script Club. The ideas I brought up could be just for 'Pro' Script Club since we won't have the advantage of talking to the writer, which I think is unique to 'Unpro'. And indepth market talk unique to 'Pro'.

I think between 'Pro' and 'Unpro' that the writer go back and either re-write a scene or sequence to see if picked up anything, or at least write a summary of the things he/she thinks about changing/improving, whether hook, premise, character, scene...

If we’re going to do one at a time, and I agree that trying to do both at the same time would be too exhaustive, then I think we have to go back to Pia’s idea.

I think examining unproduced scripts is a great idea. It helps everyone personally. Not just the writer but the readers. And on a personal level. Because we might be in the middle of a project and learn something that will benefit it.

My problem with treating the pro script the same way as the unproduced script is that I would like to discuss what makes a pro script a pro level script. I would like to be able to do that without discussing how to improve it. In other words, I would like to discuss it as it is. I want to examine how it’s constructed; how to emulate it, not change it. I want to treat it as a model for success.

I want to examine why it sold - as it is. I want to examine how the writer gauged the market, how he arrived at a salable premise, and also how he drummed up interest.

I’m afraid the things I wish to discuss regarding a pro script might hurt an unproduced script discussion. That’s the only reason I even thought about a separate thread in the first place.

When it comes to pro scripts, although I can understand the value of trying to improve them, I’m really not interested in that part of it. I’m not saying it isn’t valuable, but discussing how to improve a sold script is the very last priority of issues I personally wish to discuss.

I’m interested in taking Verdugo’s advice. Because I think it was good advice. And I think it will help me become a more salable writer. And becoming a more salable writer is my primary goal.

But I realize different people can have different priorities even while having the same goal. And I don’t want to push my priorities on the whole group.

I think Bert has the most sensible solution. But I don’t want to step on Pia’s toes here. And I’m sorry if I did. So I honestly don’t know what to do right now.


Breanne

Having considered this since yesterday, I think the sensible thing to do is to have two separate threads in order to distinguish easily between the two. However, to place less strain on the board-- of promoting one thread at the sacrifice of others, I think Bert's recommendation to carry them out one at a time is a good one.

Sandra

I agree...2 threads, at different times.  We should do an unproduced script next.

OK.  Here's the dealio.  "Script Club" is still a work in progress.

For all intents and purposes, I suppose we are done discussing "Countdown" -- as this thread has evolved into what to discuss next.

It was bumpy at times -- as experiments often are -- but by and large, it seems there was a great deal of interest, and I would count it as a success.

There is alot of wisdom buried in this thread -- even if it is not of the sort people expected (or maybe hoped) to find.

We now move the discussion here:

http://www.simplyscripts.net/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah.pl?m-1222311499/

This is discussion of where to go next.  Produced or Unproduced, it will be a discussion of what "Script Club V" ought to be.

Decide on a script -- decide on some specific goals for the discussion -- decide upon a host to guide the discussion -- preferably someone other than I --

-- and we will proceed from there with a "Script Club V" thread when everyone is in agreement that we are ready to go.