The Equalizer remake script is an awesome read. The movie could well end up being a mediocre borefest, but that Richard Wenk can write.  He can also direct Vampire movies with Grace Jones, but it's not 1985 anymore. Shame.

I'm guessing it's the same guy, anyway.  Couldn't stop reading that script, made me wanna buy the boxset of the old Woodward show.  The title music used to creep me out when I head it late at night when I was kid.

So, Carson let loose with the "everyone's my readers" blog post.
Honestly, I wasn't thrilled about the prospect for some reason.
Was it cuz I already had my 15 minutes on Scriptshadow? Nope.
I couldn't put my finger what disenchanted me about the process.

And then I read this post on the thread.
It made a lot of sense to me.
So, I'm re-posting here for thoughts...

I was really disappointed in the fact that Carson pretty much offered all of us opportunities one day and had us send in resumes to be script readers, only to have the whole thing turn out to be a volunteer effort with no credible experience to benefit from. I love everything Carson has done for the community, and I still love his website and I read almost everyday, but this sucked for me. It's the only reason I can't get into reading these amateur scripts for learning purposes. Part of me really thinks that if he didn't grant us such an opportunity, I'd be way more open to reading these and giving my opinions. I realize that I can benefit as a writer by reading these, but considering my income, I can't. I wish I could. I wish I had the time. I feel like a puppy who was offered a cookie & realized that cookie never existed. Shitty metaphor. But true. Anyone feel the same way?

Does this theory ring anyone's bell?
Kinda might explain the bad taste I have about this new format.

E.D.

Hey everyone

I think some patience might be in order for what Carson is trying to do. There will be missteps, but the blog is free, and since it CAN get a script important exposure, there is nothing else I know of like it.

My defense of Carson is not personal, I don't know him personally. I just think it's worth pursuing what he is trying.

The challenge is to sift out those diamond in the rough scripts that exist in a vast sea of work that falls short of being special. Black List and Tracking B have their own method for trying to do that, but it's not free.

If Carson just more or less picks out 50 random scripts a year, as he has in the past, the odds are against finding too many special scripts. But if he gets other writers to provide some feedback, that really expands the number of scripts he can at least get some sense of. The process will never be perfect or fair, but I think it makes the best of a difficult situation.

If we remember that it's just a blog basically run by one guy, not a business, then maybe it's easier to appreciate it despite its flaws.

Anyway, have a great weekend everyone!

Man, did anyone check out the open critique blog for the amateur candidates?
Yikes, lotta spammy nonsense being flung about.
I see Phil tried to get some notice on the neglected batch of scripts.
I hope that catches some attention, but with all these flame sessions, I dunno. :\

The new format didn't inspire me to contribute.
It was a zoo over there.
Did anyone else check it out?

E.D.

I saw it. Only contributed to Gideon since that won the grand prize. Other than that, the sites not as great. I think it's a result from not reading the professional screenplays.

That spammer is projecting a bad name for Simplyscripts. IMO.

Gabe

I read part of Gideon. The writer has some talent, and seems like a good guy. The story would benefit from being more tightly focused in a future draft. Nothing in the log is present in the first 20 pages. No boy(just an infant at this point) and no miraculous powers.

Scribbler is the guy who took the whole topic thing off track. I don't know who he is, but he seems to be someone from here based on his comments. Also seems like a very bitter and immature writer.

I don't know how long the blog will last without the pro scripts. In fact, the only reason I sent my script a few weeks ago was because I feared the recent change would ultimately result in the blog fading away. And that seems to be happening. Hopefully he will find a way to maintain what he has built with so much hard work.

Quoted from Mr.Ripley That spammer is projecting a bad name for Simplyscripts. IMO.

Quoted from Kev I don't know who he is, but he seems to be someone from here based on his comments. Also seems like a very bitter and immature writer.

What are you guys referring to?  Can somebody give me a link?

I would like to sniff this guy out if he is making trouble for our little corner of the internet.

Quoted from bert What are you guys referring to?   Can somebody give me a link? I would like to sniff this guy out if he is making trouble for our little corner of the internet.

Here's the place:
http://scriptshadow.net/amateur-offerings-weekend-is-here/

A lot of comments have been removed from the thread.
So, I'm not sure if there's anything left of The Scribbler.

But I do recall them mentioning this site once or twice.
Kevin was more involved, he'd have better intel.

E.D.

It's not worth wasting time on, Bert. Scribbler is obviously someone from here, but like others that go over there, the name is changed so I have no idea who. The only ones that have kept their names recognizable are me and Brett.

But generally everything is positive there when it comes to this site, and Carson has also been positive. Scribbler was an exception and he was obviously trolling. He did not have one ally there.

Quoted from KevinLenihan It's not worth wasting time on, Bert. Scribbler is obviously someone from here, but like others that go over there, the name is changed so I have no idea who.

Ha...I won't mention here, but looking at the posts that remain, I am pretty darn sure I know who.

Quoted from KevinLenihan But generally everything is positive there when it comes to this site, and Carson has also been positive.

I think what he was doing was pretty great, actually -- but my opinion is pretty uninformed. I always thought (as I do with MP) that there was room for everyone, and even better with shared members between sites.

I guess he ticked some people off, but I still do not quite understand what happened over there. Looked like a mountain out of a molehill from my perspective.

Too bad.

I have benefited tremendously from Carson's site. The two SS's were the twin pillars of learning for me.

The problem with Shadow is that he was distributing scripts, for educational reasons, without permission. It didn't become a problem until his blog became so influential. One can understand why writers don't want drafts distributed and reviewed without their ok.

I hope he can find a way to make it work under the new format. He takes a practical approach to scripts that is refreshing. All that matters to him is whether he thinks they work or not, whether they would be the basis for a good film. I appreciate the approach.

Quoted from KevinLenihan I read part of Gideon. The writer has some talent, and seems like a good guy. The story would benefit from being more tightly focused in a future draft. Nothing in the log is present in the first 20 pages. No boy(just an infant at this point) and no miraculous powers.

I know Randall (through email, other sites, etc.) and glad Gideon won the Kairos Prize (I was a Semi-Finalist).  He has been working on Gideon for some time and has received a lot of good feedback to help him get it to that point.  He is currently talking to Hallmark to make it.  Didn't know it was on Scriptshadow.

Quoted from Electric Dreamer Man, did anyone check out the open critique blog for the amateur candidates? Yikes, lotta spammy nonsense being flung about. I see Phil tried to get some notice on the neglected batch of scripts. I hope that catches some attention, but with all these flame sessions, I dunno. :\ The new format didn't inspire me to contribute. It was a zoo over there. Did anyone else check it out? E.D.

I was watching this over the weekend - was interested to see how this new format played out.

There always has to be one! It was completely unnecessary and definitely will turn a few peeps off which is a shame. I never saw any mention of SS on there or do I recognize Scribbler from the boards.

Will this amateur script open discussion be happening every week now?

I only browsed a few of the scripts that I recognized from TV where they have done quite well.

Brett,

I have to ask as someone who just had a script reviewed by Carson. Would you have liked Clone Wife to go through this open discussion or prefer it like before where it was all behind close doors so to speak, and all feedback went directly to Carson?

Just wondering? I guess it's no different than throwing your script up here on Simply.

The idea behind the open reviews is pretty simple: It helps Carson cast a wider net.

Before, he'd get however many scripts he got and had to more or less pick one blindly. If he can get some feedback from other readers, it makes it a little more likely that his net will catch the better scripts. Wider net, better results.

There are 2 ways of getting this help. Either having people send feedback by email, or by having some public discussion like he tried Saturday.

I would imagine it's a chore to have to sift through a bunch of emails. And this way allows a little bit of debate on a script.

But there is no perfect method. To rehash, there are 3 ways he has chosen amateur scripts.

1) he just picks them more or less randomly from his email based on log appeal. This is what he did until recent months. It's tougher for a good script to crack that if he is getting a lot of scripts.
2) send out amateur scripts on his newsletter and let people email him their opinion. This was how Clone was selected as it had positive feedback in the emails.
or
3) try as he did this week, and post them where people can discuss.

The downside to 3 might be the public nature of negative reviews, but I don't know if that will really hurt an amateur script, since I doubt anyone important remembers amateur stuff unless it's that rare positive find.

So I think it's worth giving this method a shot. But if he doesn't get better quality feedback than he did this time, it might have to be abandoned.

It's a free blog, and it provides an opportunity for writers to break a script through. That's what's most important.

Quoted from CoopBazinga Brett, I have to ask as someone who just had a script reviewed by Carson. Would you have liked Clone Wife to go through this open discussion or prefer it like before where it was all behind close doors so to speak, and all feedback went directly to Carson? Just wondering? I guess it's no different than throwing your script up here on Simply.

Hey Coop!

Hmm, good question...
Here's what I liked about the old method --
Privacy filtered out the static and spamtards.
The reader doesn't get any publicity out of their notes.
No platform for attention grabbing comments or self promotion.

That and this batch wasn't helped by a bunch of so-so loglines.

Oh, I DO think it's much different than SS.
Over there, we KNOW there's folks watching with industry ties.
That kind of agenda tends to bring out a contentious crowd and front loaded agendas.

E.D.