I put this up on a writers group on Facebook...and rather than outrage...several writers have applied for the job lol!

Quoted from MarkRenshaw I put this up on a writers group on Facebook...and rather than outrage...several writers have applied for the job lol!

Yeah, then it'll be posts with 'I got the job!' Lots of likes and fake congratulatory pats on the back. I hate Facebook.

Unbelievable.  

If they do the job thoroughly and properly they'll come to realise they're being paid a pittance.

...

Ditto re FB.

Could it be possible that some of these people applying for the job see it as a good thing to put on their resume in the future?

Quoted from DustinBowcot I hate Facebook.

"I'm not on Facebook" is the new "I don't own a television."

By the way, I'm not on Facebook

Quoted from Grandma Bear Could it be possible that some of these people applying for the job see it as a good thing to put on their resume in the future?

Academics will list on their CVs the journals for which they've reviewed, and they don't get paid anything for those.

And of course, we don't get paid anything for providing feedback here, either.

But if you're going to pay people to do this, presumably it's because you want something beyond the person's free time. Pay them something worth their time.

So I checked out the BlueCat entry fees, and they are as follows:
Feature Screenplay $60
Pilot (Hour) $55
Pilot (Half-Hour) $50
Short Script $45
Short Film $45

The ad shows that

Preferred qualifications include having a film degree and/or professional coverage experience. $20 per feature screenplay, $10-15 per pilot script, $7 per short.

BlueCat essentially makes $40 per entry (I assume, though, they have other costs) after paying the readers.  I think they're one of the larger contests, so if they're making even $30 a pop off 3,000 entries, that's $90K they're clearing.  I'm guessing somehow it's more, though.

Gary

Quoted from oJOHNNYoNUTSo I personally wouldn’t fault a reader for doing it for experience on a resume.

Me neither. However, how does somebody justify $20 to themselves? Perhaps a native living in India or something could do it. Cost of living is low there. A friend of mine told me that he was used to paying 5p for a takeaway coffee. Compare that with £2.50-ish here.

Bluecat should give most of the money to the Readers. It should be 66/33 in the readers' favour. That would make for better feedback, and perhaps even more profits. Maybe fewer profits, but more respect!

Quoted from DustinBowcot However, how does somebody justify $20 to themselves?

I don't know, but if you're young and your dream is to be a professional screenwriter and want to move to Hollywood and start out by being a studio reader for example, perhaps it will look good on your resume if you can say you have been a reader for Bluecat? Or any other well known comp.