On a completely different note than my last post...

Anyone notice how the vegan and carnivores are being stereotyped? Pretty consistently, actually. The vegans are portrayed as cultured and classy (and in the case of dual sex scripts, they are usually female) where the carnivores are usually male and a bit dirtier and lower on the class scale.

I give thumbs up to those who break the mold here. So far, there haven't been many.

That first one was a good one, though people complained that the genre was too restrictive.  People have always complained about the OWC.  Some say they're too easy; others say they're too hard.  Others say they're going to enter, only to back out when because they don't like the genre/theme.

My big gripe with it is that outsiders are entering it who are not SS members and won't read other people's work.    I've read about eight of the scripts so far.  I don't have the time to read the other 32 of them.  I'll probably wait for Don to post who read what and read those who actually post here.


Phil

Quoted from George Willson On a completely different note than my last post... Anyone notice how the vegan and carnivores are being stereotyped? Pretty consistently, actually. The vegans are portrayed as cultured and classy (and in the case of dual sex scripts, they are usually female) where the carnivores are usually male and a bit dirtier and lower on the class scale. I give thumbs up to those who break the mold here. So far, there haven't been many.

There's been a lot of the typical argument that we all know. The script known currently as Dumb Animals did very well because it presented the argument from the opposite point of view we normally think of. It did so more in pictures than in dialogue and I think that was important in this case.

We can all argue until the cows come home about topics like this and it just gets very old for us and so readers get very tired of hearing it over and over.

Definitely I give credit to the writer of D.A.

Sandra

I've read and commented on 28 of 29 and am reading the 29th in a few minutes.

I complained about this challenge and still think it's extremely weak and pigeonholing us into writing a script we don't want to...BUT...I did enter 3 scripts.

I will read every single script as I always do.  I'll comment on every script as I always do.  People may not like what I have to say, but it's going to be honest feedback.

IMO, there are very few decent scripts so far.  As far as "good" scripts, I've only rated 2 scripts with 3 stars, and that was pushing it (4 stars is what I'd call good, and of course 5 stars is what I'd call great).

The vast majority are getting 3 to 5 X's, and that's not pushing it.

Quoted from Dreamscale Maybe that's why I didn't take this OWC seriously and entered nothing but pisstakes...very funny pisstakes!

Quoted from Dreamscale I complained about this challenge and still think it's extremely weak and pigeonholing us into writing a script we don't want to...BUT...I did enter 3 scripts.

You wrote 3 scripts to waste everyone's time.  Cool.  

Seriously, what the hell, Jeff?

No, Greg, I didn't write 3 scripts to waste everyone's time. In fact, a number of people, including you seemed to like at least 1 of them.

If you want to go into which scripts are a complete waste of time, we could, but chances are, the authors wouldn't be too happy about that.

The problem I had with this particular challenge is that it virtually guaranteed a multitude of scripts with pages of dialogue that sound exactly the same as the others.  Sure enough that's what we got.  The fact that the genre was drama took a lot of the potential fun out of this OWC, IMO.  By the amount of pisstakes(sorry...blame the Aussies) it just seems a lot of people were itching to have some fun with this theme.

As far as the page count debate, I personally like the twelve page limit.  I also think four or five would be a reasonable minimum.

"it was a drama about a funeral home and a bully or something like that."

Now, that actually sounds like a very interesting theme, open to all kinds of interpretation.

Quoted from Dreamscale No, Greg, I didn't write 3 scripts to waste everyone's time. In fact, a number of people, including you seemed to like at least 1 of them.

Redskin and Ill were probably 2 of the 3, right?  Maybe the lesbo one also?  

My question is why would you even bother submitting something if you weren't taking the challenge seriously?  As amusing as your scripts may have been, it was probably obvious that they didn't fit the theme, thus making me ask what's the point of reading it if the author isn't going to take this seriously?  And with 37 other scripts to read, no less, many of which probably weren't pisstakes.  Except that stupid Cabin one.  

Nope...sorry, but I can't take credit for Redskin or Ill.

If you think the majority of these scripts weren't pisstakes (damn, I love that word now!), I think you're way wrong...or else, there are just a whole shitload of terrible writers competing this go around.

My 3 scripts all fit the theme and genre...at least in my mind they did.  I took the challenge seriously enough to write 3 horrendously written scripts that were hilarious in both delivery and content...again, IMO.

I bet more than half are pissers, and hopefully close to 75%!

Quoted from Dreamscale I complained about this challenge and still think it's extremely weak and pigeonholing us into writing a script we don't want to...

This is an important part of the OWC.  What if a filmmaker wanted to film a ten minute comedy about an alcoholic auto mechanic, and he was giving you a week to write it?  Would you turn him down because the idea doesn't do it for you?


Phil

Quoted from George Willson On a completely different note than my last post... Anyone notice how the vegan and carnivores are being stereotyped? Pretty consistently, actually. The vegans are portrayed as cultured and classy (and in the case of dual sex scripts, they are usually female) where the carnivores are usually male and a bit dirtier and lower on the class scale. I give thumbs up to those who break the mold here. So far, there haven't been many.

This was one of my biggest problems with the challenge and one I predicted beforehand. Tons of vegans using words like "barbaric" and carnivores talking about how delicious meat is in a patronizing manner. This is seriously people not trying. Even if the story's original, these kinds of characters indicate writers not paying attention to a specific facet of their writing.

Contrarily, I tried to break the mold but it backfired on me and actually left me somewhat annoyed by the reviews which doesn't happen to me often. I'll get to it when the names are revealed.

No, Phil, I wouldn't turn anyone down when money is on the table. In your scenario, I'd write a 10 page script on the topic.  Since it didn't specify genre, I'd have lots of options on where to take it.

Your theme/genre was extremely stifling...it didn't really give many options on execution, IMO.  The part about a vegan and a carni having a discussion over their feelings on the subject left little room other than talking heads saying the same thing over and over.

I apologise for inadvertently lodging the word 'pisstake' into SS vocab!!  I'm over the word myslef now!

Seriously though, i had no prob with the drama genre. How many of us have tried to write a draama? How many of us read any scripts posted in the Drama section?
I had some good serious ideas but didn't get time to do them. I offered one to screenrider but he wasn't keen to enter.
I admit my script(which hasn't come up yet) is a comedy BUT does have drama and conflcit involved. And it fits the general theme of the challenge.

if we change the theme after 2 days because everyone is whinging about it, well, that kind of defeats the purpose for me. Its like grabbing a lucky dip then saying, 'oh, I don't like this, let me try again'.

As Phil says, one day one of us might get a gig writing something under prerssure and on a certain topic. We have to be prepared for that.

As to page length, I think 12 pages was ok as a max. But we have to set 5 or 6 as a minumum and stick to it.

I'd like to see the next OWC as a pairs one like in Jan 09. That was great!

Anyway my 2 bob's worth

stevie

Quoted from Dreamscale No, Phil, I wouldn't turn anyone down when money is on the table. In your scenario, I'd write a 10 page script on the topic.  Since it didn't specify genre, I'd have lots of options on where to take it.

I said 'comedy.' Look again.

Quoted from Dreamscale Your theme/genre was extremely stifling...it didn't really give many options on execution, IMO.  The part about a vegan and a carni having a discussion over their feelings on the subject left little room other than talking heads saying the same thing over and over.

I disagree with you, there's plenty of wiggle room in this theme.  If your ideas are limiyed to talking heads, then that's your shortcoming.


Phil

Nothing wrong with a comedy.

My 3 scripts don't have talking heads.
I'm not the only one who didn't like this challenge, Phil. Maybe I'm the only one sticking up for what I said and still think now, though.

It was a weak theme/genre and it has yielded weak scripts.