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This is what my problem really is, we had a selection of scripts, some of them specs, some of them by first time writers, some great scripts that we could possibly learn much from. But the popularity contents deems that we might be reading the X-Files.
The X-Files script was not chosen by anyone, Chris Carter is the man in control of the franchise and he wrote the script. It was a pretty crap script to be honest, something anyone here could have done a better job with. The fact is it never had to be good, the film was never about the script because it would have made $50million at the box office if it was just Fox Mulder picking his arse for 90 mins, the fanboys were going to see this movie whatever. I just completely fail to understand how that helps anyone be a better writer.
To be honest, I think that these poll results are not exactly above board. I am sorry for thinking like that, but there is something fishy here and that is what has pissed me off about this whole thing.
We are supposed to be a collection of people who want to become screenwriters, how in God's name did the X-Files get so many votes? Did we open up the voting to IMDB.com members?
This is why I think we should do another script club with a forum member's screenplay, that way we know for sure at least one person is getting something out of this.
I know a lot of people want to understand and discuss why certain scripts get optioned and produced, but there are plenty of other similar topics to pick at (example, why did Bo Ransdell's script Vermin get 3rd place at the Terror Film Festival? Why hasn't it been picked up yet?).
I think placing that high in a contest is something to recognize considering the amount of people that enter competitions these days.
I know a lot of people want to understand and discuss why certain scripts get optioned and produced
I hate to always play Script club historian but...
If you look back at the Countdown script club - you don't even have to look at the first gazillion pages - just the last page will do. You will notice that it was decided there to have two different script clubs, one for produced and one for unproduced. Pro script club and Unpro script club, they can survive if they are staggered. There is no reason why anyone should have to be displeased with the discussion, they can join the one that interests them the most or join both.
I'm not sure why we never put this into play but maybe now is the time to consider it.
I know a lot of people want to understand and discuss why certain scripts get optioned and produced, but there are plenty of other similar topics to pick at (example, why did Bo Ransdell's script Vermin get 3rd place at the Terror Film Festival? Why hasn't it been picked up yet?).
I think placing that high in a contest is something to recognize considering the amount of people that enter competitions these days.
I agree with you to some point. There are however over 1,500 film festivals in the US every year and who knows how many screenplay comps there are. They are all of different level of importance or "prestige". Anything from your local little thing in a small town someplace to the biggest ones like Nicholls. Placing or even winning in one of the lesser ones might be really cool and might increase your chance at getting some agent to read your stuff, but seldom does it mean the scripts get produced.
I personally like to offer my comments on scripts written by participating members here, but I also do like reading pro scripts in hope to learn something.
The Strangers was not a good script IMO, but I think we still learned something in that SC too.
To be honest Wesley the Script Club is more like a book club, nobody chooses a book to read in a book club based on whether that book benefits from it. The point is that the readers are the ones who benefit from the exercise. I don't partake in script club to help someone else out, that is why we do so many produced scripts, I partake in script club because sometimes it is a bloody good exercise and helps me become a better reader. If someone else gets benefit from that then even better, but it is not my aim.
But the stuff to discuss like first impressions and all that is similar and pretty much expected in a review.
If you want to get better reading scripts that's why you have free time. Why do we have to use up space posting our thoughts about them if it doesn't benefit anyone other than the one reading?
That makes no sense to post it here. Your post, my post, Mike's post about a particular script is meaningless to anyone but the one posting it.
I'm not directing this at you GM in a negative way, I am simply using your reasoning which is a good reason as a point. (I have a habit of coming off like an ass so I'm just throwing that in there.)
EDIT:
Quoted Text
While reading a book, a club member should reflect on these questions, and research other supplementary materials. This is most important if you are leading the book discussion.
* Did you like the book? If you have read any of the author's other books, how does this compare? * What is this book's message? * How did you feel about the characters? Whom did you like or not like and why? * What did you think of the ending? * In a movie version, who would play what parts? * How did you feel when the character did or said....How do you think the character felt when she did or said...? * If questions...e.g. If the characters had done this instead, how would the story have changed? * What do book reviews say about this book or more generally the author, and her past works? * What did you think of the plot line development? How credible did the author make it? * What moral/ethical choices did the characters make? What did you think of those choices? How would you have chosen? * How authentic is the culture or era represented in the book? * Why do you think the author wrote this? What is her most important message? * How do you think the main character's point of view is similar or different from the author's point of view or background? * What is the author's background (her style, stature and focus)? * How does the setting figure as a character in the story? * Are the characters' actions the result of freedom of choice or of destiny? * Is there any moral responsibility that was abdicated? * Are there any symbols that may have cultural, political or religious reference? e.g. flag, tree, rose. * What type of vision does the author use with her word choice? Is it optimistic, pessimistic, prophetic, cautionary, humourous, satirical, venomous, cathartic? * What effects do the events (time, nationality, physicality) have on the character's self or personality?
That is general stuff, it should be in any good review in some form or another.
Book clubs or script clubs prove one thing... people can do better than they actually do as far as reviewing goes.
Call it different all you want but it's not that different if you look at how it is done.
I assume that is aimed at me. Fair call, but with 37 votes it is obviously very clear that something has gone very wrong and for that fact I would say no, in this case nobody should just expect people to partake just because they said they would. I or anyone else for that matter do not have to join in if they do not want to.
It wasn’t aimed at you. It was a statement put out there for consideration by all.
Which one has 37 votes? Are we able to click somewhere that I don't know about to find out?
Wow! 37? That is crazy. Who are the 37 people is what I wanna know. There should be some kind of mechanism on the voting that allows only 1 vote per person.
Wow! 37? That is crazy. Who are the 37 people is what I wanna know. There should be some kind of mechanism on the voting that allows only 1 vote per person.
Sandra
As far as I can tell you can only vote once. I tried, it doesn't work a second time or it does but doesn't record. I voted for one of the 0 ones and it looked like it worked but no 1 showed up.
A dynamic IP, proxy servers, access to more than one computer, a cell phone with internet will allow you to screw with an online poll. It's not a hard thing to do.
It's probably not the best idea to discuss how to cheat the poll in this thread. Suffice to know that you can and ask that people don't try, because how else are people going to try except to vote again and I don't think anyone wants that.
Since there is such a contention over this poll, I would suggest that we do not use this poll for the next script club vote. Instead we should do as someone suggested and each take a known vote in a thread set aside for that purpose - that should be easy enough to count and maintain.
Or because even our posts can be modified then maybe we can IM George with our vote. I've used that method before and it works well.
Ok, this is just getting silly. Of course, you can cheat the voting system. It's an independent polling site that runs off of cookies. Yeah, I figured out how to cheat it as soon as I read how it worked. I'm easily as big a computer geek as Mcornetto. Don has made the local polling work again, and I think that runs off of logins, which might make people think twice about voting.
Yes, there are some silly picks on there, but my hope in including the ridiculous along with the serious is to show that suggestions are considered. Did I expect it to win? Hell no. If it won, I would have vetoed it, and I think many others would have agreed.
It seems, however, there is some considerable contention coming out of this from the people who regularly participate in the readings. Why would I give any favor to these people? Same reason we give favor to those people who always participate in other parts of the board. Those people keep the script club interesting, and I listen to them.
My inclination at this point is to cancel the poll and start all over with this because of the way this is going. A second to the script selections is an excellent idea before adding them, so we feel more like a group and less like I'm in charge.
Since there appears to be some question as to the validity of the poll...
What I would like at this point is a PM from those who do plan on participating on their actual desired script to read. It doesn't have to be from the list. I just want that opinion and whatever the group decides, we'll go with. Please don't vote more than once or I'll ignore it.
I have very little time on the weekends to post and keep up with this, but I'll try to check in later to see if I keep praise or flames for this intervention.
All right, so after the debacle of the unlimited voting poll, its cancellation, and then the counting of votes (both from the thread for those who stated their votes directly and from those who PM'd me), the actual winner came out to Angels & Demons, though not by a landslide.
I do hope this incident has not dissuaded both the regulars and those considering from participating. Angels & Demons is a little unique in that it's not online anywhere, so if you want to read it, you'll have to PM me with your email address and I'll send it to you.
Some things to consider on this one is that it was a successful novel before it was a movie, and while its movie falls after the movie, The DaVinci Code, the book order is the reverse in that Angels & Demons came first. Not the first time book order has been switched in the movies (You Only Live Twice and On Her Majesty's Secret Service are reversed in order from books to movies, which explains how Blofeld saw Bond in YOLT but apparently didn't know him on sight in OHMSS), so it would be interesting to see if the filmmakers went fully loyal to the books' orders or if they changed things to accommodate the movie order (or if they just skipped over those things entirely).
I'll also note that I have not read either book, though I have seen The DaVinci Code, so I can't make any book comparisons.
Are there any feelings about the results? I promise the next discussion over topic will go smoother. We'll make more uniform decisions about the script, and really only do a poll if we're at an impasse. Also, I can do an onsite poll now which only allows one vote per login (no sock puppets).
I'm more than a little bummed by all this. Especially that we have a new winner this time. What does that say? I'm not sure but obviously something was a littel fishy in the previous poll. Maybe there were a bunch of lurkers who voted but didn't vote on this new poll? I don't know.
I don't think Angels and Demons is a good chice here at all. Anything that's tied to something else (book, movie, whatever) is going to make for a difficult read, I'd imagine. I bet alot of us have not read or seen Davinci Code. I did see it (at the theater) and was so dissapointed in it.
I'll give it a quick read (or at least attempt to), but I can't be sure I'll be paricipating this time around (I know numerous tears are falling around the world right now, right?).
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