Quoted from Colkurtz8 It seems hardly no one reads and reviews scripts on the boards here anymore unless its part of an OWC/7WC. That used to be the heart of the SS community. It was thriving. A shame its fallen away.

I remember when I came to the site 4 or so years ago I would literally read every single short that was posted to the board. I think I remember counting once and it was at 70 or so in a row. I remember when the setup of the board changed that it really effected how I used the site. That's not an issue anymore but I've definitely lost the drive to read everything that gets posted. I will generally read scripts that have great reviews, some kind of controversy attached or ones from the members I consider good friends.

Dave seems to be the only real constant when it comes to reviews, which is great for the newbs as his advice is worth following.

Quoted from MarkRenshaw I can only speak personally but for me, there’s too many. There can be 30 new scripts in a week spread over quite a few different forums. I have little time to read and review scripts these days and I don’t see much in the way of interaction by newer members so I do what I can, when I can. The OWC is a focused sprint of reviews in one forum and that helps me.

Yeah, there are certainly no shortage of new scripts. I'm talking more about the (lack of) conversation around them. Why this newer culture of writers don't want to engage in a dialogue about their work. They just post it with no follow up or participation in the site. That is why I wondered if there are other sites where this is actually going on. Good point about the OWC though.

Quoted from Grandma Bear I'm currently reading two features and one novel for members.   I know what you mean though. That part of SS has definitely changed.

Yeah, I do all my exchanging off the boards now. On that note, I'm still waiting for your feature

Quoted from Warren I remember when the setup of the board changed that it really effected how I used the site.

Are you talking about the categorising of shorts by genre?

I think in the beginning, when I first came here 5 or so years ago, I was so gung ho about learning the craft and writing and reading, acceptance was key. By my peers here on SS, other writers, and participating. My goals then were different -- I wanted to hone my craft, get better in my own writing, and have my shorts produced. My goals have definitely changed. Almost no focus on shorts and, like Col, I do most exchanging by email with other writers. Mainly writers I have met here.

I still check the weekly list of new scripts, and generally look for scripts by folks I know. But back when, it was all so new and fun and I couldn't wait to dive in and participate. So, yeah, things have definitely changed for me, personally. There's less drama, too. We used to have member against member, arguments, fights, back and forth on threads that lasted all night long. I love those writers that refuse to accept constructive criticism, think their word is God's gift. It makes for good drama.

Maybe we've all gotten a bit more mature and, then again, so many old schoolers have left, moved on. I miss those people.

Quoted from SAC Maybe we've all gotten a bit more mature and, then again, so many old schoolers have left, moved on. I miss those people.

I miss Baltis.  

Quoted from Zack I miss Baltis.

Haha, the great Baltis! Now there's a blast from the past.

I assumed he elevated to a higher, astral-like plane (think Hugh Jackman in "The Fountain") reserved for those truly exceptional minds, visionaries, trailblazers, geniuses, etc.

He's still here alright, it's just us normies cannot perceive him anymore.

Quoted from Colkurtz8 Haha, the great Baltis! Now there's a blast from the past. I assumed he elevated to a higher, astral-like plane (think Hugh Jackman in "The Fountain") reserved for those truly exceptional minds, visionaries, trailblazers, geniuses, etc. He's still here alright, it's just us normies cannot perceive him anymore.

In some strange alternate dimension, Baltis is telling some poor writer that their script sucks goat nuts and porks chickens in the butt.

Quoted from Zack In some strange alternate dimension, Baltis is telling some poor writer that their script sucks goat nuts and porks chickens in the butt.

See, that's what I'm talkin bout.

Omg you all were in the time of Baltis! I came after but managed to catch like a glimpse of him. And I thought he was fine. People said he changed before he disappeared. But he�s like a legend here.

Quoted from khamanna Omg you all were in the time of Baltis! I came after but managed to catch like a glimpse of him. And I thought he was fine. People said he changed before he disappeared. But he�s like a legend here.

I came post-Baltis. I do recall hearing his name spoken in hushed tones, though.

Sure, everyone remembers Balt, but where would we be without Chris Halvorson??

Simply was founded on the tail end of the indie film boom and the spec script boom. Microbudgets of all genres had been playing in theatres to acclaim and financial success, while breakout writers like Shane Black and Joe Eszterhas were prominent icons of overnight success from original, gutsy approaches. The internet was a new and wildly democratized space where no-one knew your age or identity.

Flash forward twenty years, and corporate giants are doing their best to push anything less than perfectly safe out of the mainstream while screenwriting gurus ramble on about rules, structures, and systems to make your work look exactly like the currently-desired product. On Simply, lots of reviewers will similarly criticize formatting and aesthetic without attending to story, implicitly propelling the view that corporate-friendly craft should be a primary consideration for budding writers.

Film, writing for film, and online film forums held an excitement and appeal to amateurs and hobbyists then that is not the same now, when the barriers seem so different (and as the web itself has been tamed into a dull, homogenized, largely corporate space).

There don't seem to be as many colourful and talented characters like Balt coming around, but there also aren't nearly as many intrepid young amateurs and curious hobbyists. All are equally important in making Simply such a great place.

TL;DR -- "we can see her ass shining in the moonlight."

Great Post, Heretic.

Especially the iconic reference.

It's a strange world for us oldies. The Internet was a sudden, enormous, exciting freedom thrust upon the world. A Freedom, like you say, that somehow got largely taken away. For the younger ones who grew up with it, I suspect they don't even have an inclination of the freedom it once represented.

It's amazing, really, that the advent of the Internet along with super powerful cameras at a budget price has led not to a golden age of independent cinema, but to its near demise.

I've been here 15 years. Place definitely has changed.

I've sorta chocked it up to an influx of new members, a higher profile for SS as a place to be discovered and make things happen, and a greater priority placed on going professional. I've seen many posts here and there where folks have suggested they're a little more precious of their work and time compared to the old days, which I expect factors into more private script exchanges among people who know and trust each other and less people reviewing scripts regularly on the boards themselves.

The OWC has also changed drastically. Back in the day, everyone knew each other's work, so the anonymity factor seemed more for fun compared to these days where it seems the intended effect is to preserve the honesty and lack of bias in reviews. Plus there're tons more people involved, the challenges are harder, and there's way more commitment expected from the participants. As an observer, it seems like people take it way more seriously than they used to.

None of this is intended to be a criticism btw. I just figured I might throw out some personal observations from an old head. Plus the site's not the only thing that's changed over the years, as Chris has nicely illustrated above. The industry's changed, the Internet's changed, people change, etc. I've definitely changed. I don't even write anymore; I still show up because I know a decent chunk of people and want to see how they're doing, there're some engaging discussions from time to time, and the nostalgia factor.

Maybe it is what it is.

Quoted from Heretic Sure, everyone remembers Balt, but where would we be without Chris Halvorson??

Oh yeah, who could forget the great Chris Halvorson?  But who remembers that Jackson Abernathy actually also contributed to that classic, Cannibal"?

Do we remember the writer, Andrew Senesac, or just his classic creation, entitled, "The Cabin: Episode one - Continuous Evil (originally named The Cabin Party)"?

Or, how about the greatly underappreciated Josh Bushman's, "Damn you Bruce!!!"?

And, let's not ever forget Donny Thirsty's pirate classic, "Estaban".

The impact these scripts have had on me is immense.  I even wrote 2 OWC scripts using characters so artfully created by Halvorsen, Abernathy, and Senesac.

To this day, I still use the phrase, "Damn you, Bruce", and every time I do, my girlfriend, Teri, asks WTF I'm talking about.  LOL.

These are some of the masters for sure and I can't thank them or Simply Scripts enough for being a part of my life.

Quoted from Colkurtz8 Are you talking about the categorising of shorts by genre?

I am, yes. It really messed with how a used the site. I cant really recall what the issue was, but I do remember it changing the experience for me. I do realize it's better for producers though, so all good in the end.

I've been here since 2014 when I typed my very first FADE IN - and I think I did that wrong. I think I've reviewed about 30 features - mostly PM requests. I have noticed three general macro level changes since I joined.

OWC EXPLOITATION

OWCs do thing to be the only real comment generators here - although I grow increasingly pissed at the number of folks who enter and don't read/review.  It's almost like eff you - I'll use the review resources of SS for my own purposes and a big eff off to everyone else. I'm also getting older and therefore crankier - so maybe that's it.  

WRITER'S NOT RESPONDING

Seems like when I first joined writers almost always responded to comments on their scripts. Now, other than the regulars, it seems that they almost never respond.

Although I did recently chided from a writer who finally weighed in two years after my initial comment.  I don't know what caused this change - but it does make me less interested in commenting.

WRITER'S NOT REALLY TRYING

Okay, again - this may be just me being cranky - but there seems to be an ever increasing frequency of new writers just winging it and slapping stuff on paper to see if it flies. Admittedly, when I started I needed a lot of help and got a lot of that help here  but I did Google how to write a scene heading, how to use a transition, etc. etc. before just throwing up something on the site (kids these days!).

For me, one thing that would be nice is if there was a "written by" by field on the recent threads page. I almost always read scripts from peeps I know and hardly do now from peeps I don't. The written by field would help in identifying those up front.

Anyways......