It's really, really easy... all you have to do is read an entire feature screenplay and write notes. Interested? Apply to the Bluecat Screenwriting competition as they are looking for readers. Here's their ad'

Quoted Text SCREENPLAY READERS. Our friends at BlueCat Screenplay Competition [www.bluecatscreenplay.com] seek readers. Please note low pay. Script readers sought for international screenwriting contest. Read features, pilots and short scripts and write written feedback on the script. Preferred qualifications include having a film degree and/or professional coverage experience. $20 per feature screenplay. You will be asked to demonstrate your coverage skills as a part of the application process. For immediate consideration, please submit a letter of query and resume.

Now you know who is actually reading your shit. People in a rush to justify $20. Wow. And I thought I was low paid. I'll never grumble again.

A friend of mine read for a well known comp one year. 20 dollars per script and he was supposed to read a hundred of them...

No wonder they like plenty of white space.

Quoted from Grandma Bear A fiend of mine read for a well known comp one year. 20 dollars per script and he was supposed to read a hundred of them...

"You can earn $2000 in a day!"

...later...

"Now when we used the $ symbol, we didn't mean to imply those were United States dollars."

I've seen this ad before.

Apalling on so many levels.

Jeez! Where did you see this ad? Can you link it?

The first time I saw this ad I'm pretty sure it was an ISA notification.

Slave labour.   ??)

Quoted from LC Slave labour.   ??)

We get paid less to review scripts here :p

I'm looking for a job right now and was offered 16.50 for over-the-phone translation, no benefits after and if I complete a one-month training for that. And only then they'll decide if it's half-time of full-time job. I already went through several stages of testing)

Got to mention I would have to travel for an hour and twenty-five minutes per google map app for that.

And I'm not underqualified or anything, it's just job market is tough these days.

Thanks for posting, Dustin. I might want to apply actually.

Quoted from MarkRenshaw Jeez! Where did you see this ad? Can you link it?

It was a lead sent by Screenwriting Staffing, but here is a link to the same ad on Indeed:

https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=48e1cfba820a358e&from=tp-serp&tk=1cobg3jee40t2807

That's real work. I know the market is tough as I'm playing too, but I have my limits. I'd have to read too many scripts per day to make this work.

It takes me about 5hrs to read a feature and provide notes. $4/hr. No thanks.

I've never been impressed by BlueCat's notes. Now I know why.

I charge $100 for personal consultations. Even when I was writing coverage, I was making $50 per script. $20 is a joke.

And I thought the thread title was a lead in to a different type of joke.

Ba-dum-dum!

You'll get richer flipping burgers :)

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.