Quoted from MarkItZero If people want an in-between OWC, I'd be happy to run one. It's actually very easy to do. Don does all the real work, then I get to take the credit. Unless Pia's original post was an offer to run one herself, in which case carry on.

No plans on my part. Just noticed how quiet it´s been here for awhile. I will be busy from now on until at least the first week in January. Shooting that short Call On Me next weekend and then hopefully one or two for Halloween.

Quoted from MarkItZero As for doing a feature challenge at some point, I'd definitely partake if the parameters were optional. I realize that goes against the whole idea of a challenge... but a feature is such a big undertaking I don't want to commit to an idea I don't believe in 100%.

The ones we have done before are not run like the OWCs. It´s more of a challenge to see if you can write a first draft of a feature in 6 weeks. We´ve had things like Thriller, Female lead for example. We came up with that after that was and still is a constant WANTED at InkTip. Both Dena and I ended selling our scripts from that challenge.  

Yeah, I've noticed the site tapering off in recent years. My presence has been sporadic but when I am around I try to read and review scripts, offer exchanges. That is the heart of the site,  the platform it offers which no other site does (to my knowledge)

It seems, as others have pointed out, that it only becomes active when a format/rules thread starts up (yet again) or an OWC. However, during the OWC everything else dries up even more and even less new scripts generate discussion. As someone who doesn't enter OWCs this can be frustrating but that's on me, not the site. Plus, I haven't submitted anything new in a few years anyway.

So is it because there is so much other stuff out there to compete for people’s attention? There is surely some truth to that but, as I surmised, is there another site like this which offers writers to share their work? If so, then it would make sense but I don't think there is. Someone can correct me on that.

I agree with what Dave said too about offering thoughts on a script and getting nothing in response. It can be disheartening. Reading and commenting on a script is time consuming. I'll never know why people take the time to write a script, post it here and then disappear. Yeah, some might be just hoping for producers/filmmakers to come across it but if it’s not generating discussion then it just falls down the list and gets forgotten about. Even if that is the reason, the proportion of scripts posted and the writer not following it up seem unfathomably high.

It feels like there are not the same number of core members here who take the craft somewhat seriously and are willing to engage. Are there less people trying to write screenplays nowadays? That seems unlikely as there is more content out there than ever. So where are all these potential writers going?

Col.

Quoted from Grandma Bear The ones we have done before are not run like the OWCs. It´s more of a challenge to see if you can write a first draft of a feature in 6 weeks. We´ve had things like Thriller, Female lead for example. We came up with that after that was and still is a constant WANTED at InkTip. Both Dena and I ended selling our scripts from that challenge.

Yeah, I want the tight deadline. That would be great. Long as the parameters are more broad like the example you gave. Or, I could run it myself and coincidentally make the criteria exactly the type of script I was planning to write anyways...

Quoted from LC Who's the culprit then who foisted Frank and Matt upon us? I kid

You've got Google to blame for my arrival  

I'm a fan of features, I really like those 7WC's. And then we could submit them to comps... and wait for the outcome. Cause features are features.
But I'm with James - I would be very loose with the parameters too. We could have very loose parameters if at all and accept work from regulars only. That way we make sure there's no old script in the pile. Cause we know each other work and I believe we can trust each other at this point.

Two things and an idea.

1. The site used to be simpler. When it got expanded and shorts all got divided into genre, it made me less likely to trawl through. That is me but in general website design, UX (user experience) can make a big difference.

2. I’m too busy writing particular projects to take part in writing challenges that deviate from the stuff i’m writing. This is a shame because I enjoy a challenge. And most people do. So here’s -

AN IDEA. An SS comp that members can enter any material to. It would obviously need to be designed in such a way that it runs itself. For instance - everyone enters the first five of their scripts. You have to read, score and comment on at least five of the entries. The top scripts go through to the next round - more pages - You get the idea. I realise this would take some serious organisation. But it would get a lot of engagement / new members / winners would get producer interest.

Essentially its a bigger carrot to ensure more engagement. And writers only have to commit to comments and scores. There could be a system so you score the scripts in a different category/genre to ensure fairness. Now - I realise there’s work involved setting it up. But boy would it get people fired up. An open comp where the judging has total visibility.

I NEED an OWC or something... Anything!

Personally I find the challenge parameters useful to generate story ideas. Even the Writer’s Tournament with Sean’s hyper-specific “Professor Plum in the Study with the Lead Pipe” parameters we got an impressive variety of submissions.

Story prompts don’t need to be organized challenges, but I wager they get much better engagement that way.

But if they are organized as challenges, then it’s only fair to have parameters that make the scripts comparable. The bigger contests divide things up by genre for that reason.

One a broader note, the best ideas for driving engagement with core users are not going to be the best ideas for attracting new users. To cite an obvious example of the tension, this thread is not the first time I’ve seen the suggestion of restricting contests to regular users.

Getting new users means getting in front of their eyes at a time they’d be interested in what we do here. Showing up in search engine results is awesome, and generally indicates high interest in that particular searcher, but there are other places an aspiring writer or producer might be hanging out that indicates vaguely aligned interest.

Think of places where people tend to fall into a black hole of recommended content (Twitter, YouTube, Wikipedia, etc.) and how to get glimpses of SS there. Posting contest announcements and thread highlights on Twitter would take someone’s time but wouldn’t require anything radically new. Curating and SEOing a library of YouTube videos (both SS-listed films and “instructional”/“interview”/“debate” stuff) is considerably more complicated.

Could it be because a lot in the movie/tv content development world has changed during the last 5 years? It's hard to keep up with.

The old model: write a spec script, put it out there, and if it somehow survives the gauntlet, maybe a producer picks it up.

But so much has changed.

Before, you had studios making movies and small producers making stuff for a DVD market.

Now, there are hundreds of content producers for features and series.
There is a huge podcast market paying for stories.
And new technology allows more people to make movies on smaller budgets.

The content producers no longer limit themselves to screenplays. They scour the planet for novels, graphic novels, comic books, short stories, etc.

Most features are a pain to read, especially if the writing sticks to the weird rules that have evolved. Much easier to read a short story, much easier to pass it around to others you work with. A good concept can be developed.

Twenty years ago, people that loved movies and had an inclination to give it a try wrote screenplays. Many ended up in places like this.

But now they have more options. They can delve into podcasts, create comic books and graphic novels, etc.

I'm not tapped into any of things, so I could be way off. Just wondering if these changes might effect things here.

There are two possibilities that I keep coming back to. One is a way to advance your writing career and the other is purely for fun.

1 (Fun). The Killer Game. Michael Cornetto used to run these every once in a while and they were fun as all hell. A few years ago, I tried getting one set up again, but it ran into too many logistical issues. I think, if there were enough interest, I would be willing to set that back up again.

2 (Career). A horror anthology. The quickest and easiest way to write a feature, I've found, is to not write something feature length. Somebody could plan out the bones of a story (I believe Kirk White was going to film something like this years back, but don't quote me), pick out a few writers to each write a segment, then the lead would be responsible for copyrighting and things of that nature.

With all the other ideas you guys had listed so far, these were the only ones I hadn't seen mentioned yet.

Quoted from Anon Two things and an idea. 1. The site used to be simpler. When it got expanded and shorts all got divided into genre, it made me less likely to trawl through. That is me but in general website design, UX (user experience) can make a big difference. 2. I’m too busy writing particular projects to take part in writing challenges that deviate from the stuff i’m writing. This is a shame because I enjoy a challenge. And most people do. So here’s - AN IDEA. An SS comp that members can enter any material to. It would obviously need to be designed in such a way that it runs itself. For instance - everyone enters the first five of their scripts. You have to read, score and comment on at least five of the entries. The top scripts go through to the next round - more pages - You get the idea. I realise this would take some serious organisation. But it would get a lot of engagement / new members / winners would get producer interest. Essentially its a bigger carrot to ensure more engagement. And writers only have to commit to comments and scores. There could be a system so you score the scripts in a different category/genre to ensure fairness. Now - I realise there’s work involved setting it up. But boy would it get people fired up. An open comp where the judging has total visibility.

I has a very similar idea for kind of an annual event. Going to post it on a separate thread

Ramblings below:

1) Embrace social media. I see SS has a twitter account, but why is it not used to direct people to the site? Every week when new scripts are posted, send a tweet "New original screenplays for consideration *link to site*" - new challenge? tweet it, new review/interview/film whatever gets posted to the main site, tweet it and provide links to the site.
I'm sure Don has a trusted circle of members who wouldn't mind helping out operating the twitter account.

2) Separate optioned/sold/filmed script threads into its own category (Success stories - or something similar) to highlight to new users that scripts can and do get picked up from the site.

3) Move the "getting to know you" section to the top of the boards - hopefully, would encourage newbies to post in it? maybe...

4) sign up process - To me it was strange, having to email, never seen it anywhere else - why not a simple sign up form? maybe it discourages some from signing up.

5) "Highlights of the month"... or something similar. Basically, any member who reads newly posted screenplays can put their top 3..4..5 however many, into a post. It can be done monthly, bi-monthly, with a rotating cast of posters - basically just to put extra emphasis on those scripts which stand out above the rest, at the moment they can get lost in the mix. (Highlights would be entirely the views of that particular poster, and not those of SS as a whole  )

6) It would be interesting to hear from filmmakers who use the site to search for material - how they go about searching through the many threads, what would make it easier for them to find the material they are after etc.

I’m largely with Matthew on these, though there is more to social media than just Twitter. Not sure where aspiring writers would actually be most easily found.

I personally found the site searching for the answer to a script formatting question.

Any video associated with the site ought to get cross-posted thru a single SS account (might need to have an account on each distinct video service to make a one-video “playlist” pointing at members’ films, SS’s own content can be where it is easiest to maintain).

Quoted from Matthew Taylor 1) Embrace social media. I see SS has a twitter account, but why is it not used to direct people to the site? Every week when new scripts are posted, send a tweet "New original screenplays for consideration *link to site*" - new challenge? tweet it, new review/interview/film whatever gets posted to the main site, tweet it and provide links to the site.

Don has promoted the OWCs on social media in the past. The result is typically that we get too many entries and a lot of them are from people who have no intention to participate on the forum. Not even reading the other entries. Plenty of regulars get pissed off at this.

Quoted from Matthew Taylor 6) It would be interesting to hear from filmmakers who use the site to search for material - how they go about searching through the many threads, what would make it easier for them to find the material they are after etc.

I´ve had a LOT of scripts picked up from here. Probably near 50 or so by now in total. Including features. From what I understand, none of them go to the forum. They typically go to the home page and click on unproduced scripts page or the Original scripts Sunday link.

Quoted from Grandma Bear Don has promoted the OWCs on social media in the past. The result is typically that we get too many entries and a lot of them are from people who have no intention to participate on the forum. Not even reading the other entries. Plenty of regulars get pissed off at this.

Fair enough, then omit promoting the OWC and leave that for forum regulars - other stuff should be promoted though, especially when new original screenplays are added in an attempt to direct filmakers to the site.

Quoted from Grandma Bear I´ve had a LOT of scripts picked up from here. Probably near 50 or so by now in total. Including features. From what I understand, none of them go to the forum. They typically go to the home page and click on unproduced scripts page or the Original scripts Sunday link.

Which could link to my point 3) - I know reviews are sometimes posted there, but not everyone has time to leave detailed reveiws - if people can instead post their top 5 new original scripts (Shorts, features or even the first 10 pages for features) to highlight those that they think stand above the rest. that can be a post on the main site which might attract filmakers to look at the scripts highlighted.