I think Simply Scripts could evolve into a major tool that could launch you into the business, easily... The only problem is lack of direction in "some" areas.  I think Don, being the deep down good hearted person he is, has opened his site up to a wealth of people and let the site become "their" site and not "his" site.

That's tops in a lot of ways.  It shows that he's really thinking of the average person and site member.  What I feel he should do is regulate some of the boards, though.  This is a screenwriting forum and website... Cut all the loose talk out. Do away with "certain" threads and board.  Bring this back down to a site where writing is encouraged over talking about music - video games - and other such happenings.

Once you wrangle those aspects into the barn, that's when you can start to broaden again.  Make a designated mod to a designated board.  Make them read a certain amount of scripts submitted or at least skip through them and see if they are properly or poorly formated.  

We need a board souly for regular members... A place where only those with a certain number of post can even access. This board is where all legit work could be posted - exchanged - read and reviewed.  It would be open to download and the author could be contacted through PM by members, but only commented on by his direct peers...

While this all seems extreme, and it is; I'm sure it is... I think some of these ideas could be applied for the benefit of the site and the writers here who are serious about getting proper feedback for their hard work.  A board where you know if you put up a script you're going to get reads and critique.

Sadly, the guy that this thread is about will probably go on to prosper in the business while so many of the talented writers here will get discouraged and quit writing all together...  There is nothing like reading a damn good script here by someone who knows what they're doing and then letting that person know how they hooked you and reeled you in.  That is an important thing for a writer to hear... and I feel so much of that is gone with these new members and their 5 page scripts.

And, yes... I'm a prick.  I know a great many hate me and that's fine. I work better that way.  But I've never said something here I didn't believe in and I've always gave sharp, honest, gloves off advise that, when applied to the writers work, will help them a great deal... So what if they have to lick their wounds while they apply that advice, next time they should spend less time licking wounds and more time getting it right.

My bucket of change --

Quoted from Baltis. This is a screenwriting forum and website... Cut all the loose talk out. Do away with "certain" threads and board.  Bring this back down to a site where writing is encouraged over talking about music - video games - and other such happenings. --

We tried this and everybody pretty much disappeared until the fun boards went back up.

Face it man, the focus is on making friends and not writing.

People would rather rush through and post a short instead of putting in the time to write something interesting.

Quoted from bert You are never a pain, Dec -- but in this instance, unless I am mistaken, you have never posted a script. So you might not be getting it. You have never been an active member posting a work you have sweated over -- eager for feedback -- only to find your script buried beneath ten 3-page scripts by complete strangers who will never respond. For the active members who crave feedback, it can be a very frustrating process to watch all the reviews on those 3-page scripts while your own script slips down the boards. Don does what he can -- I have seen him post scripts from the regulars last -- or separately -- but that only helps for a day or two. I bet there is a simple solution out there that will not require additional work from Don. That is what I would like to see happen on this thread -- not a discussion of "what you do" or the relative merits of 3-page scripts -- -- but instead, the members putting their heads together and finding that solution.

Hi Bert,

I've posted several scripts over the time I've been here, you even reviewed a super short that I wrote years ago.

The reason I don't post more often is that I invariably get approached by people asking to make it, or someone takes it upon themselves to make it without even asking and considering the intention is for me to make them myself anyway, it can become an unwelcome complication.

Maybe I'm wrong, but it doesn't seem like the regulars struggle to get reviews to me. Maybe on features, but that's a different issue.

Seems to me that the regulars are very good at looking after each other and reciprocating reviews on here. Looking at the shorts section, there isn't a script that hasn't been reviewd at least once and many of them have been reviewed numerous times.

I think everyone needs to be careful that they don't make the site stale. Authors who don't intend to participate much might be drawn to the board by the discussion of their work and become an active member long term. That won't happen if the scripts are just posted on the home page.

Also, it's part of the script writing "experience ", if you like, to write scripts that attract attention based on their loglines, premises and such. Newbies whose are getting lots of reads must be doing something right, because this site has always operated under the principle that only people who review get their work reviewed in exchange.

In other words it seems like the core issue is that some of the active members are reviewing scripts from newbies at the expense of reviewing regulars, but surely that's just life isn't it? Being a regular doesn't necessarily entail that your script will be the most attractive, or the most worthy (although that can often be the case).

All I'm saying is that the site has a great many uses, some of them are not overtly visible (eg the Producers who trawl looking for scripts). Getting produced seems to be a concern for many of the writers on here, so it would be unwise to make the site less Producer friendly. I like to read what other people (who will be your audience) think of the scripts and I'm sure other Producers do as well.

Rick

Quoted from Baltis. I think Simply Scripts could evolve into a major tool that could launch you into the business, easily... The only problem is lack of direction in "some" areas.  I think Don, being the deep down good hearted person he is, has opened his site up to a wealth of people and let the site become "their" site and not "his" site. My bucket of change --

The obvious thing here, is a top 50 unproduced feature showcase. Yeah... I am aware of how difficult and subjective that would be. But let's face it, that's what the world's like, It is competetive and it is subjective. We could have one board where potential applicants to this board can be discussed, critiqued, shot down, whatever. If you are not an active participant on the boards, you're never going to get in. This also would give those of the industry who did want to have a look at the SS a place to go without wading through all the crap.

And no, I don't think I'm good enough yet to get on said showcase - but at least it would give me and the rest of the newbies something to aspire to.

I think that a couple of simple solutions that have already been suggested might help. The idea of a tick box for "Discussion Thread" when you submit scripts for example - it is true that not everyone will tick it, but it will eliminate some of the problems.

I also think that the author's name - board name probably to indicate they are SS members - should appear on the boards to show us who wrote what - if only for search purposes. Maybe instead of the title you could have it underneath the "Posted by SimplyScripts" (pp Niles Crane) or something like that.

I would not be at all happy with the idea of an "Elite" section - "All writers are equal, but some writers are more equal than others"!

And how would you decide that? Baltis, for example, has been around here a lot longer than me - I have only been here a little over 3 months, but I have more posts to my credit. And would have even more, but when threads are cleaned/deleted, my total has gone down. So do we use posts - and if so how many? 100? 500?

And who is to say that someone who posts (as has been mentioned in another thread) a couple of lines on a thread repeatedly just commenting on insignificant things, and easily exceeds a set total, just so you could join the "Elite".

Which would then bring you into the area of "your posts are more important than his posts" sort of judgement!

Anything along these lines would not work and would be severely detrimental to this site.

btw I have looked at Movie Poet, and noticed the overlap of names with this site. What put me off it was the fact that you are assigned scripts to review (correct me if I am wrong), and the element of this "Elite" with some of the comps limited to members who have reached certain levels.

Finally I would say that the "non-writing" threads are still about us as writers - we absorb everything from around us, we are not hermetically sealed in. So discussion on music, sport or whatever, helps us develop as writers.

Malcolm

A while back I suggested a rating system for scripts, but it was generally felt to be a bad idea (including by me eventually!).

The problem with any "top of the pops" style chart is how do you decide which is best - who votes - everyone or an a voting panel made up of members based on what criteria? Is it just for shorts, features, TV scripts, Movie scripts, stage plays? The complications will be enormous.

We already have a thread for recommending SS scripts - I recommended one of yours on it! - and personally have come to the belief that this works best. Maybe better promotion of it would be an answer?

Balt,

The thing is, this site is just what it is, a virtual meeting place. It seems to me that anybody can make of it what they want. We all have PMs, we all have email, we can all start threads. Anyone one of us can start something up and get others involved.

There doesn't seem to be a need to physically change anything.

I do think that the board for the regulars sounds appealing to some degree. One of the problems you get with the internet is that a lot of the better writers, the ones on the kind of cusp on something, stop posting their scripts. You're basically giving the keys away to the farm at some stage because a lot of the bigger companies aren't going to be interested once it's been publicly available.

That being said, I don't realistically see how a board can ever be a way of getting you into the business. In truth a board that could do that would have nothing to do with screenwriting and would be largely about marketing, precedures for approaching agents, pitching, advice on how to build a network of contacts and that kind of thing. It's that that separates the people who make it from those that don't.

A lot of the time I'm not even sure how important the script is when I see the standard of some of the films that get made. I saw 2012 last night and the first 45 minutes were amongst the worst I've ever seen committed to the screen. The writing was as bad as I've ever come across. It improved considerably when everyone stopped talking and the world just fell apart, thankfully, but I was close to walking out (and more than a few did so).

On the other hand I recently watched David Mamet's Redbelt which was superbly written and was clearly a labour of love. It was the best fighting film I've seen since Rocky. The film absolutely died on its arse, making less on average in the cinemas it was shown than most independent filmmakers manage with their DV film.

I'm open to discussion on it though. I've said before that there should be some way of making more of everyones abilities.

Rick

To be fair, I've been booted from this site so many times now I lost track... My count resets each time.  I've been apart of the community, in some form, for many, many years, though.

As for the raiting system... I think that works. A 1 out of 5 stars system would let members know what is and isn't good.  Only allow 1 vote per user. Or, only those who have reviewed a set umber of scripts are allowed to vote... That way we know they're not just marking a mark to mark it.

There are many ways to make the site more productive and active... Maybe these aren't the best ideas, but something good should come of all the ideas collectively.

Quoted from Niles_Crane Malcolm A while back I suggested a rating system for scripts, but it was generally felt to be a bad idea (including by me eventually!). The problem with any "top of the pops" style chart is how do you decide which is best - who votes - everyone or an a voting panel made up of members based on what criteria? Is it just for shorts, features, TV scripts, Movie scripts, stage plays? The complications will be enormous. We already have a thread for recommending SS scripts - I recommended one of yours on it! - and personally have come to the belief that this works best. Maybe better promotion of it would be an answer?

Niles,

As stated, I know how subjective these things are and that they can easily become a popularity contest, rather than an honest rating system. But I also understand the frustration of the active members who are good enough to give critique.

I only started writing scripts ( if you could call them that ) in August of this year. Although I've been writing most of my adult life. The help I was given on this site (yourself included) has been invaluable. When I read someone like Alffy, RV, or Balt saying that their going to stop helping the newbies because they're ungrateful, really worries me.

There has to be away of stopping people from taking the piss. I'm not even talking about review exchange. Just... Hey man, thanks' for that you really helped me.

There's a top 100 list of the best produced scripts written, so a top 50 unproduced list is at least possible.

Maybe bring in an independant - charge a fee, for those particular applicants. That way you cut out the popularity ellement. Let's face it - who wouldn't want their sript in that showcase. Once it's grown legs, you could propably use it as a calling card to get an agent. Some sites already do this.

I've tried other sites too, but come back to SS because its by far and away the best site for aspiring screenplay writers. The members here are damned helpful and yes I include Balt in those. I don't want it to go to hell in a basket just because of a few ungrateful assholes.

Maybe a line could be added to inform the newbie that if they want their script read, they should read other scripts and post reviews to gain a review in return.

When I was new I didn't know this was how this site worked and feel many newbies think it's a case of post a script, get reviewed, leave it at that.  Knowing what to do in advance would probably help newbies before any mistakes occur.

Quoted from jayrex Maybe a line could be added to inform the newbie that if they want their script read, they should read other scripts and post reviews to gain a review in return. When I was new I didn't know this was how this site worked and feel many newbies think it's a case of post a script, get reviewed, leave it at that.  Knowing what to do in advance would probably help newbies before any mistakes occur.

Jayrex,

There's already a thread for review exchange.

The problem with this is that a lot of newbies just don't have the confidence to give reviews to established members.

I reviewed one of RV's recently and pretty much everything I wanted to say had already been said. It is difficult for the newcomers. They're damned if they do and damned if they don't.

The one thing you shouldn't do EVER! Is not aknowledge. Thats just bad manners.

I would say that I regularly visited the SS site to look for script links for years before I realised it had either the unproduced scripts section or a Discussion Board!

Maybe the solution is simple - if you want to post scripts, you have to register - and to do that, you are directed to the Discussion Board so you see the forum exists and can't say you didn't.

The Top 100 Scripts list (which is now several years old) featured on the SS site the result of an Institute wide vote by the AFI a few years ago (they also voted on 100 Best Films, 100 Best Comedies and so on). It isn't anything to do with the site, nor required poor old Don to slog his way through a list of screenplays!

There is in fact nothing to stop us (I assume) creating a thread "Best SS Screenplays 2009" and creating such a list - every time a member posts there, the original post is amended to reflect votes - the list is built up, the rankings based on how many times a script is recommended, and so on. It would be relatively simple to do - and all but the original post could be cleaned regularly, so keep the size down.

Anyone fancy setting it up? I'll do it myself if you want?

Several good ideas on this thread, especially having the writers name or username on the title of the thread. I have been guilty in the past of opening up a thread for a new script to see who wrote it, noticed it was a three pager from someone I've never heard of but read and reviewed it anyway. Having the name on the title will keep me from ever doing that again for someone who doesn't even say 'thanks'.

The voting idea also sounds good. Giving the regulars a set number of votes (say 3) every year to vote for the best of that year gives all the writers here something to aim for. Well done to whoever suggested that.

I'm not sure about a board for regulars only. I'm aware Niles has over 400 posts but I've been here for over a year now and haven't reached 250 yet, but I still visit this site everyday. I'm sure I'm not the only one in this position so how would cases like that be judged?

The box to tick when submitting a script is also a good idea although I can see where the admins are coming from as it would be a nightmare.

Niles,

Sounds like a plan.
Obviously any suggestion has to go through Don and I'm sure there could be any number of problems that haven't been thought of, but at least it's an idea. This kind of discussion can only be helpful.

The idea of promoting the better scripts does keep the older members interested and can give the newer members apirations - always a good thing. If it can help cut down the post it and go crew, so much the better.

The one thing this site cannot afford to lose, is its wide appeal. It's a bloody good site and I'm sure everyone wants to keep it that way.

There has got to be some middle ground here.

Please, Please, Please, let's not get to a stage where the members here stop helping the newcomers. It's so counter productive.

Quoted from malcolm3 There's already a thread for review exchange.

What I said was for when submitting a script, not in the discussion boards.

Some newbies don't even know the boards exist.  And the ones that do, don't know how the boards work.