Congrats Matthew! Well and truly time to get rid of the disclaimer


Really happy with my placement, still very much in the mix.

Quoted from Warren Same thing Sean said, let's do this... Never Know what you’ll Get – Jeff The Package – Zack Virtual Vengeance Container– Alex Melt – Richard Sprung - henb

Nailed it, how did you go Matt?

Thanks ppl - Was unexpected, and I fear, undeserved - There were stronger entries.
Will give me a boost for the inevitable point losses in the second round though lol

Quoted from Matthew Taylor Let's do this Warren! Tha Package - Zack Head Space - Anthony Cawood Dr Schnederly - PKCardinal Just Stop - Hawkeye I'm Being Watched - Philostrate Virtual Vengeance Container - Warren (Although you just guessed someone else, so I must be wrong) The Doc is out - JEStaats Never Know what you'll get - Dreamscale Where did he touch you - Jayrex Sprung - Henb

Only 1 wrong lol - Annoyingly I had yours correct for ages and then changed at the last minute

Quoted from Matthew Taylor Thanks ppl - Was unexpected, and I fear, undeserved - There were stronger entries. Will give me a boost for the inevitable point losses in the second round though lol Only 1 wrong lol - Annoyingly I had yours correct for ages and then changed at the last minute

You're a guessing machine!

Just read yours, Warren. Wish I had before. Great job.
I also had a live Bobblehead in a draft of what I would have put up for this round, if I'd had time.  
Nicely horrific.  

Quoted from Philostrate Bobble-ageddon and Tucker & Doctor Daleman vs. Crazy were my top picks, glad to see them up there.

Thanks, mate. I really enjoyed yours as well. Just need to change that last scene and you'll have a great little short all round. Glad to see you up the top as well. I think your writing has come a long way

Quoted from LC Just read yours, Warren. Wish I had before. Great job. I also had a live Bobblehead in a draft of what I would have put up for this round, if I'd had time.   Nicely horrific.

I'm almost sure you would have picked me if you did read it. And thanks, appreciate it

Quoted from Matthew Taylor I'm 99.99% sure I have guessed yours correctly for the first round, it was one of those that shocked me with where it placed... it received amongst the highest scores in my scoring

Seems like you had me pegged from the start. Thanks for the high praise. I think you were the only one who really enjoyed it.

Really liked Bobble-geddon. It deserves top marks. Good stuff, Dude.

Quoted from Warren It’s a true testament to the fact that story will override writing

I don't think this is a testament to that. This is a testament to how the scoring is set up.

In a production setting, the producers wouldn't score scripts like this and pick the best one. Also, Jeff's script wasn't written very well. There were lots of technical issues I could have picked on if so inclined.

Quoted from DustinBowcot I don't think this is a testament to that. This is a testament to how the scoring is set up. In a production setting, the producers wouldn't score scripts like this and pick the best one. Also, Jeff's script wasn't written very well. There were lots of technical issues I could have picked on if so inclined.

I was being overly dramatic for the sake of it. But I do think there is truth to it as well. I think most people know I don't completely believe that myself, just look at any one of my reviews.

I cant see how the script would have done any better with any other scoring system, but that's also a personal taste thing. Some people seemed to like it.

The point I was trying to make is that he bangs on about all these technicalities of screenwriting but he fails to deliver time and again in the story department, and at the end of the day that what hurts him. Scripts that weren't as well written scored better and I think that's because they had better characters, stories, and met the criteria better.

Sometimes the best teachers don't make the best writers. You're free to take his advice or not. It's just his way of delivery and he does help people. Also, he's entertaining.

Quoted from stevie Yeah good stuff Matty.  Lol it’s uncanny how we had very similar titles :

I expected more bobble related titles to be honest...

Bobbleween
Nightmare on Bobble Street
Bobble Wars
The Bobble Witch Project
Bobble Runner
Guardians of the Bobble

... I spent most of the weekend trying to work bobble into a title

Quoted from DustinBowcot Sometimes the best teachers don't make the best writers. You're free to take his advice or not. It's just his way of delivery and he does help people. Also, he's entertaining.

I agree, but I don't necessarily think that applies here. Giving advise involves pointing out what is wrong (or thought to be wrong) and offering a correct way or better way to do something, how else would someone learn from their mistake? Jeff very rarely does that. He talks a lot about helping writers but that's not what I see. I'm sorry, but I see a bully who tears writers down at every opportunity. Others don't have to agree, this is just my opinion.

He will point something out like --

Quoted Text Wow...WTF?  The opening here is just terrible and oh so wrong.  You know why? First of all, how can you begin with a Flashback?  What are you flashing back from? Secondly, don't put "FLASHBACK" in your Slug.  It needs it's own line to "BEGIN" and "END".  That way, you can have multiple scenes (Slugs) in your Flashback. Now, we have a character we haven't met yet, doing a VO?  Oh man...not good. And, now a 5 line passage.  In literally any reading situation other than this, where scoring is by categories, meaning, I cannot quit, I would have baled by now. WOW...now we have "FLASHBACK CONT'D" in the Slug.  Unreal.  Just read above how to format a Flashback and make it easy on yourself.  Please. And, now we get, "THE PRESENT" in a Slug?  Do you like this way this looks?  Seriously, do you?  I sure don't. Love the "we see" passage ending in a lovely orphan to close out the humorless 1st page. 2 full pages and I think there's been 1 attempt at humor.  This is not comedy, as there's really no attempt to make it a comedy. Oh fuck...another Flashback?  I'm so tempted to stop reading. I'm sorry, but this is just simply not good.  It's awkwardly written and formatted, there's no story, and the few attempts at humor are complete misses. Wow...Page 4 is almost completely dialogue, and it ain't good dialogue. Who is "Alex"? WTF is going on now?  Complete tonal shift.  Giant rats?  Rats that explode when shot?  This is really bad, sorry to say Ending makes ZERO SENSE. Story - Very, very weak, and completely unbelievable. Characters - Not good. Dialogue - Not good. Prose - Not at all good. Criteria - You get 5 points.  You should feel very lucky.

-- but then offers no advise. He doesn't have to and it's a free site, but he proclaims to be about helping writers, he clearly isn't. How is he helping? He even says if he didn't have to read he would quite, wouldn't someone that wanted to help keep reading and point out the issues so the writer can better their craft - well no he wouldn't because that's not what he is trying to do.

I know a lot of people don't like my reviewing style either, but for the most part I will say I don't like something, and then offer what I think is the correct way or a better way to do it (the writer can agree or disagree and use what they want, or not, no skin off my back either way). Sure I don't always do that, it's not my job, but for the most part I definitely do. The difference is I also don't proclaim to be an expert who is 'helping writers'. I do it because that is the give and take nature of the site. Great writers on this site have moulded me into the writer I am today, and I do think I should attempt to give something back to SS.

I'm not entirely sure the recipient of the above review would agree that it was entertaining.

I blocked Jeff because his opinion means nothing to me, and he has nothing to offer me as a writer. I do think Jeff, as a large contributor to the site, is worth discussing though, but that's because people need to know that there is life after a bashing from him, and to not take any of it to heart, because at the end of the day they are probably still better writers, maybe not technically, but better storytellers, and that's damn important.

I think it's worth defining what I think a great script is, as you and I have disagreed what makes a well written script. For me a script that I can read from start to finish and not be taken out of the read is a good script. That doesn't mean it needs to be technically perfect, that means it needs to be engaging. Sure I point out a lot of minuscule issues in scripts, that's because that's the way I review and that's what I like to do. That doesn't automatically mean it's a bad script. I can point 20 things out and it could still be a brilliant script, it's just my way.

With effort and determination, anybody can learn to be a technically good writer. I barely passed English, I can't spell for shit, and grammarly is my best friend. I have learnt a lot of grammar stuff here and through my own learning to become a better writer as well but all in all I've always struggled. I also read a ton of screenwriting books and a ton of scripts, I taught myself to write. But the storytelling aspect of it, I don't necessarily think is teachable. Maybe the way stories are structured, and the common tropes of certain stories, but at the end of the day it's all about what goes on in your head.

So I don't see the point in Jeff bashing writers for technical stuff and talking to them like pieces of garbage. Help them if you want to, or point them in the right direction, it's that easy.

Quoted from Matthew Taylor I expected more bobble related titles to be honest... Bobbleween Nightmare on Bobble Street Bobble Wars The Bobble Witch Project Bobble Runner Guardians of the Bobble ... I spent most of the weekend trying to work bobble into a title

Lol great options!  I’m a big fan of one word title scripts   Bobbleution came pretty quick   I asked my daughter for other ideas but she declined lol

People always disagree regarding reviewing style... but, honestly, a writer needs to be strong and believe in themselves. No matter the delivery, or what a review says. A review with good intentions can be more damaging than an honest one that bluntly says what they think is wrong. Sometimes the writer deserves a bashing... like Frank in round 1.

Also, these are always just one opinion... at least with Jeff, you know you're going to get his honest feelings. He's always been good to my scripts when they've deserved it.