All screenplays on the simplyscripts.com and simplyscripts.net domain are copyrighted to their respective authors. All rights reserved. This screenplaymay not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.
Irrelevant. The only review that matters for your vote is your own. Granted, you might glean something from the other reviews, but how many other reviews to do need to get a point you might have missed or something you didn't think of?
I'm sorry Rene, I read that a few times and I don't quite understand what you're trying to say.
You say "it is early days", as in we still have alot of time to receive feedback, but let's understand that in the past, it was pretty much always 1 week to read and review, then voting and reveal. When these types of things "drag" on for over 2 weeks, interest is gone...both from the individual writer, looking at his feedback, and the reviewer, who sees x amount of reads under every script. Whatever comes in next week is merely stragglers, IMO.
As to voting, if someone who is voting didn't read/review a script, they shouldn't be scoring it, so if Reader A reads 42 scripts, he'll score 42 scripts, and if Reader B reads 3, he'll score 3. In theory, no one is "hurt" by having less reads and scores, but the reality is if someone reads 3 scripts and thinks to himself 1 should be a high score, 1 should be a middle score, and 1 should be a low score, then they are skewing the score, because they have no clue if the 3 they read were good, bad, or middling compared to all the scripts. Know what I'm saying?
I guess I'm being mildly optimistic that the review count will go up, but yes I agree that interest starts to wane the longer it goes for.
As far as the voting goes, yes I get what you’re saying.
For many noobs, getting negative reviews is tough. When you first start writing, it can be very personal.
It takes a bit to learn to take notes. And, it takes a bit to realize reviewers are most often right.
So, here are a few quick bits of advice to our new screenwriters:
1. This is a profession and an art. There are techniques. There are rules. There are correct ways to do things. It takes time to learn them. And, you'll make many mistakes along the way. Know this: there are reasons things are done the way they are. And, we've all made the exact same mistakes as you. If you listen to the reviewers, you can speed up your learning curve. And, trust me, you'll see your writing get better.
2. It's not personal. Most everyone here wants to help. Some are better at formatting, some are better at story. Some are great at dialogue. But, most everyone has something to offer. For example, Dreamscale is going to pick your opening slug and action block apart. He gets in your head. And, let me tell you, you begin to really watch how you open your script. And, he's right. Your script's first impression changes everything. (You get better because of him.)
3. Get over it. Seriously. You're a professional. You want people to pay you to do this. You think this is hard? Wait until you have money and reputation on the line. So, practice here. Practice taking it on the chin and responding professionally. Practice staying in the game.
That's enough preaching for now. Sorry for the long post.
PaulKWrites.com
60 Feet Under - Low budget, contained thriller/Feature The Hand of God - Low budget, semi-contained thriller/Feature Wait Till Next Year - Disney-style family sports comedy/Feature
Many shorts available for production: comedy, thriller, drama, light horror
A few years back Don implemented an asterisk system where you could see how many scripts in an OWC a person had read. He would apply it to that persons script so if it showed they had reviewed bugger all then you could opt not to vote for that script.
There have been a couple of challenges ‘won’ by ring ins who entered, wrote a really good script and were voted the ‘winner’ all without reviewing any other scripts!!! lol!!!
A few years back Don implemented an asterisk system where you could see how many scripts in an OWC a person had read. He would apply it to that persons script so if it showed they had reviewed bugger all then you could opt not to vote for that script.
Actually, Don put an asterisk next to the script where the writer had been reviewing, I think. That way you could see if the script's writer was taking part or not and decide if you wanted to comment on the slacker's scripts.
Bert usually comment on all of the scripts (when he submits something) and then when the writers are revealed and it turns out some didn't review, goes back and deletes his reviews for those writers' scripts. That works too, IMO. That way the writer knows s/he is being punished, but sort of in a quiet way.
For many noobs, getting negative reviews is tough. When you first start writing, it can be very personal.
It takes a bit to learn to take notes. And, it takes a bit to realize reviewers are most often right.
So, here are a few quick bits of advice to our new screenwriters:
1. This is a profession and an art. There are techniques. There are rules. There are correct ways to do things. It takes time to learn them. And, you'll make many mistakes along the way. Know this: there are reasons things are done the way they are. And, we've all made the exact same mistakes as you. If you listen to the reviewers, you can speed up your learning curve. And, trust me, you'll see your writing get better.
2. It's not personal. Most everyone here wants to help. Some are better at formatting, some are better at story. Some are great at dialogue. But, most everyone has something to offer. For example, Dreamscale is going to pick your opening slug and action block apart. He gets in your head. And, let me tell you, you begin to really watch how you open your script. And, he's right. Your script's first impression changes everything. (You get better because of him.)
3. Get over it. Seriously. You're a professional. You want people to pay you to do this. You think this is hard? Wait until you have money and reputation on the line. So, practice here. Practice taking it on the chin and responding professionally. Practice staying in the game.
That's enough preaching for now. Sorry for the long post.
I think every new writer to this board should be required to read this post, because it is spot on.
Some of my scripts:
Bounty (TV Pilot) -- Top 1% of discoverable screenplays on Coverfly I'll Be Seeing You (short) - OWC winner The Gambler (short) - OWC winner Skip (short) - filmed Country Road 12 (short) - filmed The Family Man (short) - filmed The Journeyers (feature) - optioned
For many noobs, getting negative reviews is tough. When you first start writing, it can be very personal.
It takes a bit to learn to take notes. And, it takes a bit to realize reviewers are most often right.
So, here are a few quick bits of advice to our new screenwriters:
1. This is a profession and an art. There are techniques. There are rules. There are correct ways to do things. It takes time to learn them. And, you'll make many mistakes along the way. Know this: there are reasons things are done the way they are. And, we've all made the exact same mistakes as you. If you listen to the reviewers, you can speed up your learning curve. And, trust me, you'll see your writing get better.
2. It's not personal. Most everyone here wants to help. Some are better at formatting, some are better at story. Some are great at dialogue. But, most everyone has something to offer. For example, Dreamscale is going to pick your opening slug and action block apart. He gets in your head. And, let me tell you, you begin to really watch how you open your script. And, he's right. Your script's first impression changes everything. (You get better because of him.)
3. Get over it. Seriously. You're a professional. You want people to pay you to do this. You think this is hard? Wait until you have money and reputation on the line. So, practice here. Practice taking it on the chin and responding professionally. Practice staying in the game.
That's enough preaching for now. Sorry for the long post.
The number of reviews a script gets doesn't matter. The only review that matters is your own since you're the one voting.
I don't get this either, Rene, and I don't think you're getting what others are saying.
If your script got, let's say 2 reviews from peeps who didn't have a clue what they were saying and they didn't like the fact that you had some sex in the script for instance, your "score" would be very low, right?
If you got 40 reviews from a mix of seasoned and unseasoned peeps, some who like sex in a script, some who don't, your "score" wold be much more down the middle.
We're all winners just for entering, but we all know that we all want to "win", in terms of a good score overall.
I have no idea how the scoring works, but how does a script with 15 views compete with one that's had 25?
This is what I was responding to. You asked about scoring and how a script with 15 views competes with a script that's had 25. My point is, the only view that matters is yours since you're the one voting, so only your view affects your scoring.
This is what I was responding to. You asked about scoring and how a script with 15 views competes with a script that's had 25. My point is,
Did I misinterpret that?
I might be having a really slow morning, but no I still don't, I'm sorry.
My point is that if some scripts are read and reviewed 15 times and some are read and reviewed 25 times, one will have 10 more votes than the other. So that’s what my question was regarding.
It's this that I can't get my head around, " the only view that matters is yours since you're the one voting, so only your view affects your scoring."
I might be having a really slow morning, but no I still don't, I'm sorry.
My point is that if some scripts are read and reviewed 15 times and some are read and reviewed 25 times, one will have 10 more votes than the other. So that’s what my question was regarding.
It's this that I can't get my head around, " the only view that matters is yours since you're the one voting, so only your view affects your scoring."
You and me both. I don't understand either. Rene can you clarify please? Thanks.
Okay, it's me, not you. I read that differently, but I get what you and Jeff are saying.
I just don't think it's that big a deal, and I don't think the views count for as much as you think. Some writers look at their own reviews an awful lot, like multiple times a day, and that adds to the thread count. Not me, of course, but a friend of mine...okay, it's me.
Some writers read a script but don't leave a review. I've done that too, for a variety of reasons. I do that a lot less now, but in the past I've bailed on reviewing because I really disliked something or felt I couldn't help the conversation or was in a mood or didn't have time or wrote a detailed review and my browser crashed and I didn't want to type it all again...or whatever.
If you really think it's a big deal, ask Don how he tabulates the numbers. Then see if there's a better way to do it. Otherwise, the same argument happens every OWC but I say if it isn't broken then maybe it's fine the way it is.
If you knew the writer of the piece would you frame your critique in the same way?
If a review starts with 'this is terrible' then I for one fail to see how it will encourage a Newb writer. You may well argue writers have to get used to this kind of reality check from industry professionals but this is not the case here. It's clear in this challenge quite a few entries are from people starting out. As Pia said we are writers and readers and quasi reviewers, the latter meaning a lot of us have learned our stuff. But, being constructive and helpful is of far greater value than plain out hammering a point home by being thoughtless and careless in your approach.
I also don't think review count helps if it's just jumping on the bandwagon (with reader fatigue at a certain point) and agreeing with the previous reviewer verbatim - what he/she said.
Far better if you have something to contribute that's an original thought on story or construction that someone else hasn't mentioned. You still get to vote on a particular entry as long as you've read it. You don't have to add your comment if it's already been said a few times.
Also, relating to Glenn's complaint, try not to be condescending. Some of this might not even be intentional but read what you've written and ask yourself: could I phrase this better?
To reiterate Don's advice: be nice. And I'll add, try to be respectful.
We don't want to scare people away from SS.
What I've noticed over the years is that Anon challenges sometimes cause people to throw their manners out the window which sets a tone and often mob mentality leads to jumping on that same bandwagon.