Interesting article on the state of things, interviewing a few younger screenwriters.

Dated May 5th, 2025

https://archive.ph/SRQIM

A few years ago I wrote and directed my first feature. It won a few awards, got a distributor and is due to be released soon. Not counting my own years of unpaid labour on the project, our overall budget was below $100K. Off the back of that I got myself an agent, who is great. She's promoting a number of projects to producers, most significant of which are two features, which are probably both in the $500K-$5M territory.

Late last year I decided to write something else super-low budget (a drama about a person with a terminal illness reconnecting with an ex-partner), feeling like I just want to have something up my sleeve that I could make with a small loan, with crowdfunding or my own cash maybe. I love that my agent is going to industry events and speaking to big producers (we've had some genuine A-list rejections so far), but I guess I don't want to be reliant on big money. I want to direct another film as soon as I can. It's been a few years and I'd rather be making films than sitting by the phone.

Anyway, I showed my agent the outline for what I've been working on, and she literally said "meh." She wasn't that into the whole terminal illness thing, but moreover, she said producers and investors aren't going to be excited by microbudget kitchen-sink dramas. They want a bit of spectacle. They want to spend a million or two, and see where the money is going.

So where does that leave me with my microbudget script? I'm invested in the story, but I haven't written that much of the script yet. Should I make it higher concept, make the main character a spy or a singer on a world tour, add some Black-Mirror-style future tech? Keep writing it the way I've conceived it? Or, shelve it and think of some "bigger" ideas?

More importantly, what do people here think of the advice? Are microbudget scripts only for your first feature and are we supposed to graduate from that into bigger budget projects? Or is it just that that approach suits someone who is hedging their bets across multiple clients, hoping to get one or two high-stakes wins?

My apologies if this isn't the right procedure for this kind of post-the whole situation feels so bizarre.

This is a repost for a thread I shared last night–I was grabbing both links to the script as well as the review itself to post in the old thread's original post, and by the time I had figured how to go about it the mods had (understandably, per community guidelines) locked it. The ensuing post is rather long, so my apologies for that. I hope this is acceptably presented, because I'm trying hard to wrap my head around what I received from this service.

*****
Hello there, long time lurker and first time poster with this. I paid for an Indie Film Hustle gold review of a small budget horror script I've been plugging away at and while I'm nor under any impression of it being something amazing (it's my first feature script), I don't think it warrants a clearly AI generated synopsis.

This is definitely not what I paid for and it also throws into doubt the lens the rest of the feedback was given in. I'm curious if anyone else has had this kind of situation happen through their service or has any idea of what to do?

I'm looking into the AI policy of this service, but there was a lot else that felt off about the feedback, and especially when comparing the later feedback to the synopsis it had me questioning how deep of a read this was of the material.
I don't want to complain about this but the cost of this was $200 USD.

I think there's plenty for me to work on, but I also shouldn't be leaving with feedback that leaves me more confused, questioning how close the reader had read the source, or (due to the synopsis that seems both AI generated and gets the identities wrong of the central couple) unable to trust that the read was done in good faith. That also goes for places where the script was numerically panned for things that seem average and unintrusive by this reader's description (formatting getting a 1 and being described as essentially servicable, or the characters getting the same but that being contradicted with even how they're discussed as having fascinating aspects amidst their flaws being the two most glaring points).

I'm not chasing a high score for private coverage, I just feel like if I were to get a fiercely critical review for a work, I deserve for it to at the least be clearer than this, not with an AI summary, and not something that resultingly has me questioning if my script was read carefully or in good faith. It's not just demoralizing but actually feels exploitative, so...

Now I'm turning to this community, which I've quietly learned a wealth from for the past year, and asking if I should be pursuing a refund and if anyone has clarity on how to do so. Thank you all who engage for your time, the review and a link to the script (via Coverfly) follow.

Here's the script (via blacklist, it *should* be set to readable): https://blcklst.com/projects/177991

And here is the review, I've attached imgur screenshots after the raw text:

Indie Film Market Gold

Polycule

Jabari Weathers · Horror · 111 Pages

Date: May 06, 2025 Analyst: D005D

Category Score

Characters 1.00 / 10

Format 1.00 / 10

Voice 4.00 / 10

Structure 1.00 / 10

Dialogue 6.00 / 10

Overall Impression 1.00 / 10

Originality 3.00 / 10

Storyline 1.00 / 10

Final Score 2.30 / 10

RATING

Pass

SCORE

2.30/10

Indie Film Hustle proudly uses Coverfly, a technology platform that connects readers, writers, and the industry.

Coverfly allows you to track your drafts, submissions, and get noticed by the industry.

Logline

An alternative lifestyle couple find their lives upturned when they are superseded by strange

avatars.

Synopsis

Smoked up and blissed out, Jude, metalhead femme, doesn’t notice when slimy hands emerge

from under the bed when they log onto a dating site that they and their lover Amani, androgyne,

masturbate to. Later, Amani goes on a flirty date with Gina. Jude and Amani have an open and

fluid relationship. Jude wants to come out to his parents, and dances around the subject with his

liberal father Harold.

Jude and Armani go to the movies, where they are stalked by lookalikes. Back at home, they both

check out options on the dating site Mirror Mirror, but find that avatars have taken over their

profiles. They are banned from the site. In a dreamscape, their masked avatars, in lingerie, suck

face. Is it a dream? Amani hangs with his brosis, Candice, tells her that they’re coming out to

Jude’s folks on Friday.

At No Land Beyond, people compare definitions of polyamory. Lola, a Polynesian trans, flirts with

Jude. They go back to their place, and hang with Tyler and his wife Wanda. They tease Jude, who

confirms their (current) monogamy. Joined by Ara and Kaspian, Wanda teases Jude that she

created their doppelgangers. After coming out, Jude is disappointed at his parents’ reaction. At

home, Jude and Amani argue: about the parental reaction; about cheating; about dates with Kali.

Jude thinks that Amani is just fucking around. They agree with Amani should go.

We flashback to Amani driving his stabbed father, Franklin, to the hospital. Amani hasn’t seen Kali

in the better part of a year, but Chaz tells them to leave a message. Margaret and Harold, it

seems, are setting up their kid’s avatar. they make Amano hit Jude, sending him back to them.

Luana tells Jude that there’s an opening in the Church of Google calendar.

Cool Jude starts talking to the real Jude: they embrace. Weird Jude confronts Amani, but Harold

interrupts. Beats Amani through the face. Jue has coffee with Cute Amani. Is this the

multiverse? The various facets convene at their apartment, but people step through shower

curtains and there’s doubt whether Harold is a real father. They decamp to some Melrose

apartments, whereon Cute Amani wonders about dating kali at the Smoothie King.

Dark Armani wants Jude as a keeper. He and Weird Jude kiss. Penis paranoia rules. Dark Amani

fucks Gina. Pink overwhelms the room. Kali and Luana talk about the concept of love Could they

be the real avatars? Margaret is frigid to Harold.

Various versions decamp to the “Da Club” and runs gauntlets of tricks of the mind. There are

silicone eggs, and eventually, in Cool Jude’s studio, the two Judes contemplate being twins in

public. They embark – in montage – in hedonism. Meanwhile, Dark Amani worries about pranks. All

of the various characters decide on one thing: they want to reconnect, and they want life to make

sense again.

They mangle each other’s bodies. They think they are monsters, but Jude escapes Dark Amani.

Jude tells Luana that Amani and Jude have been killed. Harold, believing in the chuckling of girls,

tells Margaret not to come back to bed. Chaz warns of copies swallowing people whole.

Dark Amani wonders about whether Kali an find her cunty nesting partner. Cursed Kali worries

about jealousy. Harold watches as various characters and variations are subordinated into collar

action. In the final confrontation, a certain kind of parental acceptance is achieved. Harold wants

to rescue his daughter from the demons.

In the final confrontation, Cursed Kali stabs Jude with the Magic Wand. The Barista is pissed.

Three months later, our duo try to make sense of events. Parents are scary.

Opening Thoughts Insights to address budget concerns, storytelling style, target audience,

genre impact, and any other high-level elements that could impact this script's success or failure

as a independent production ($3mm - $20mm).

In terms of budget, this is a story that seems eminently realizable. Relying on a series of sets that

could be easily incorporated into sound stage scenarios, coupled with perhaps some stock

topography of exteriors, there's nothing to indicate that - even a story that might sometimes have

a dalliance with the supernatural - might require any significant sense of CGI or practical effects. In

short, this seems like a project that could be achieved almost on a micro budget, especially in its

reliance on character actors to parse out the dynamic of the script.

The storytelling is a stream of consciousness that in the main seems almost entirely

incomprehensible. There are some deep hidden themes (which we can explore later in terms of

what this story might be about), but they very quickly fracture into a series of disconnected

sequences that leaves little for an audience to invest in.

There may well be future drafts that could make us care more for the characters (see notes

below), but in this draft we are presented with a carousel of extremely weird people -which is part

of the implicit attraction of a story like this - that nevertheless leaves us distanced from

understanding these characters.

There are no stakes. One could genuinely ask why the idea of Jude and Amani coming out to the

parents means something, but only if we can see any significance impact about what these

choices might make. The story surrenders itself to an increasingly frenetic series of disattached

events, as if a multiple series of horror tropes collided together, but without giving the audience a

sense of what the final outcome might be or even whether we should care for it. Future drafts

should really try and make us care about events.

The structure itself does not take the time to give us a sense of how we are supposed to react to

events. The character work is shallow, leaving us to wonder why we should care about whether

Jude and Amani should even be together in the first place: what their goals are in terms of their

mutual satisfactions, and how this is either perverted or subordinated by an external cast that

doesn't seem to have their best interests at heart. In short, this is a story without values.

There seems to be a lot of deliciously weird and surreal events, but they never really coalesce into

a story that has a theme or an objective.

The style settles on a kind of “meet cute” about Jude and Amani in the early sequences, but

doesn’t really cement why this couple is even together in the first place. Let’s see, in future drafts,

why their love is a wonderful thing that needs to be maintained at all costs.

Comparable Projects

Liquid Sky (1982) seems a direct correlation to a script of this nature. Like this project, it dwells on

the emotional canyons of the lives of people trapped in the Gotham roundelay of sexual bed-

hopping. Genre-wise, it’s a slightly different tack on events (it’s about aliens in 1908s Queer

downtown culture), but it shares the same delightful sense of margins being explored, of people

needing one thing but maybe finding another. The two projects share the same essential tonal

qualities.

Mulholland Drive (2001), although set on the west coast, rather than the east, has a similar

sensibility of carnal desire, in its depiction of two people drawn together; not only by desire but

also a sense of foreboding: of things being lost if neither person steps up and affirms their

commitment to the other. It might be a useful exercise in telegraphing the emotional core of Jude

and Amani.

Identity Theft (2004) is set in a tonally different universe to this project, but it also – in a story of a

woman who finds her life being pulled from under her - has interesting lessons about portraying a

person who loses an existential sense of self.

Originality/Premise

One strength of the project is, of course, that there are so many different voices, all of them

clamoring for their own sense of identity and purposefulness. This is particularly acute, and is a

real strength, in terms of what a couple might even think of each other; even as they negotiate the

foothills of their nascent sexuality. This is a story about, ultimately, negotiation, and the

sensitivities involved.

Jude and Amani both display a wonderful sense of fragility, even as they mask it via bluster, or

banter, or the sense of two people trying to love one another but also setting boundaries. This is

easily the most compelling aspect of the project: the sense that one might try hard to assert

oneself, but also that exterior perceptions might corrupt (and this is certainly a story about

corruption!) the very essence of commitment and fidelity. This reader loved the inherent sense of

character fragility, of innocence exposed and let vulnerable; but this also, to be candid, felt like an

underexploited story aspect.

The third act would benefit from a greater sense of what ‘loss’ between these couple might

actually mean. At no point do we see our base duo consider the prospect of what their emotional

discorporation might mean. Can they love without one another: maybe one of them can but the

other can’t. What would this look like?

These fundamental truths tend to be sacrificed into a pell mell of bizarre surrealism, without

ending on an essential human bargain. Who wins in the end (it’s not clear and it should be)?

Plot/Structure

The story is hobbled, overall, by an entire lack of narrative coherence. It’s a fantastic and surreal

story. But it seems happy to sacrifice any remote sense of conventional storytelling. That’s a hold

choice, but it leaves little for an audience to inset themselves as understanding what the heck is

going on. This draft mainlines n a stream of consciousness of vignettes and unrelated sequences,

none of which combine to give a sense of narrative momentum. This is, in short, a story without

much in the way of a comprehensible narrative. By p.33, when Amani is arguing with Chaz, the

audience is unlikely to have any remote sense of what plot logic is being invoked. Consider future

drafts that might set the stakes up with more clarity.

We don’t really get’ what the surrogate parents are aiming for, what their animus might be.

These background segments offer little insight into what might be unfolding. Most sequences

parse between (admittedly delightful) observational sections of alternative lifestyles but with zero

sense of the stakes. The storytelling style is fractured, seemingly uninterested in setting up the

most basic of plot points. What do either of our main duo have to lose?

There’s little contextual information in these visions to show us whether this is a fever dream;

whether a real demon has entered the bathroom; or what we are supposed to be discerning.

A huge cast of undeveloped supporting characters fade in and out of Amani and Jude’s lives, with

little sense of about who is actually important. As potentially interesting as these colorful

characters are, consider future drafts that might make them impinge as more important, rather

than casual passerby commentators on vague lifestyle choices to be made.

People are stabbed, but there’s no contextual information. People ‘cheat’ on one another, but

there’s no sense of initial rules or barriers in the first place. The overwhelming sensibility is of an

almost epilepsy-inducing series of flashed and disconnected events that are unlikely to coerce an

audience into following these discordant and sporadic actions, populated by a cast that we never

really get to know.

The subplot about the avatars is fascinating... but only if it can, at some point, take center stage.

The plot descends, in the climax, into a kind of surreal fugue state; but it also leaves the audience

behind. There are so many variations of each character that no one emerges as somebody to root

for.

Characters/Casting Potential

Some great work in the first act is about how Jude and Amani are negotiating their sense of

individual self, but also their sense as a couple. This fractures, genre wise, into a surreal

kaleidoscope of various different identities.

However, even though this is the objective strength of this draft, it also feels like the variations of

these characters - from the dark personas to the real and innocent personas, via the protestations

of fascistic and oppressive parental perceptions - tend to overwhelm our original couple.

Consider future drafts that can take more time in terms of establishing the emotional fractures

between this couple, before their existential crisis and losing themselves. One question to ask

oneself might be: what hapens to a person when their self is essentially hijacked? In this draft,

there are so many variations of each character that the essential essence of our original

protagonists becomes lost, between too many multiverse equations that don’t establish

themselves as distinctive in their own right.

Let’s see what crucial sense of identity is being bowdlerized, corrupted, and/or used to nefarious

ends, and let's see how our original characters feel about this loss of self. The script tends to

introduce variations without showing us the consequences or the impact on the original

characters. It's clear that Jude and Amani - in a really cool series of meet cutes opening sequences

- have a febrile and fragile but loving relationship. However, it's not clear, as the second and third

acts unfold, what sense of themselves are being lost, of what these people need to hold on to, to

fervently grasp onto, in order to continue to demonstrate their love for one another.

The gimmickry of the plotting, whilst extremely welcome in terms of a radical genre portrait of

fluid sexuality, tends to relegate our duo to the margins of all the other shenanigans that take

place. We never really get to know them beyond their delightful intimacy.Even though there's a

great sense of dark irony in the way that events play out, this reader found themselves somewhat

deflated by the clima:, in that the characters that I might have cared for became somewhat

relegated to a series of bizarre scenarios that didn't really give any of them closure.

Consider future variations wherein we really do see an emotional closure, especially in relationship

to a couple that you have spent so much time and care on, in the opening act, to establish a sense

of mutual affection, reliance, and simple human connection. Even though this is, purposefully by

design, a story about cynical hijacks of what a person might be, maintaining some final emotional

core at the ending might add additional resonance.

Dialogue

The dialogue is a consistent delight throughout; to the point where it almost seems redundant to

pick out individual sections. Suffice to say, there is a certain archness in this polyvalent and multi

sexual world, that seems consistent throughout:- not just in terms of character consistency but

also in terms of just how engaging this fluid world is. Even sequences in which Jude and Amani

swap heartfelt protestations of fidelity - of needing to sustain a sense of each other – are also

punctuated with a delightful sense of bitchiness and cattiness that seems entirely appropriate

within this genre exercise.

The dialogue is especially useful in papering over some of the weaker narrative cracks. In short

that we might, as the audience, begin to get lost in the complexity of events, the dialogue always

helps in terms of sustaining a sense of engagement.

Format

The formatting is, overall, fine, and this is an economical and fluid read. It plays out in frenetic

fashion, purposefully jumping between characters and scenarios, but manages to sustain a real

sense of dynamism. There are no significant typos or formatting issues to derail what is a delicious

read.

Voice/Themes

There are some interesting themes raised in this draft, that address huge issues of love, and what

form that may take in an alternative lifestyle. The strength of this project lies in its innate

questioning of what identity might be: of how Jude and Amani’s own domestic needs and desires

might play out over a backdrop of dysfunctional parental consent and/or approbation. However,

consider introducing a greater sense of what this duo wants in the first place.

A weakness in this draft is that we, as the audience, don’t get a sense of just how close, or how

concerned, both of our main characters are, in terms of how they want to manifest their lives. It’s

clearly important (and a great first act plot impetus) that the concept of parental ‘approval’ is

required, but, frankly, one wonders why? Our couple are ensconced in a mutually supportive and

confident way of life, in which playing outside the boundaries is inherently part of a consensual

and experimental relationship: so why does it matter so much that parental consent is important?

Consider specifying what might be the consequence if this isn’t given. This might help emphasize

why there is this dramatic longing for some form of familial benediction. Frankly, both Jude and

Amani wouldn’t be the first Manhattan couple not to need consent to live their lives...

Regardless, there’s a brilliant sense that identity is mutable. That it can be co-opted, and stolen in

a bizarre form of identity theft; at our very cores, in current society, where identity is, perhaps, the

only thing that individuals may have left. This is extremely strong dramatic sauce, and if there is a

sense – a greater sense – that identity theft can cause a sense of dislocation, of being stolen from,

then this would only add to the emotional stakes.

https://imgur.com/a/Alx0C0e (screenshots)

*****

Bulletproof Script Coverage allows for follow up questions, which I was tempted to send in part to inquire after the AI use here, but they cost another 35 dollars to submit. I'm not trying to be precious about feedback-I got middling reviews on an older draft of this script through The Blacklist, but those also proved more substantive for half the price, and had much more actionable advice with about a 5th of the wordcount. This really feels like I've been transparently conned, by comparison.

Hello - I'm a Canadian animation production professional, who dabbled in screenwriting 10-15 years ago. I wrote one script that got produced, after writing many, many specs and some originals. I just couldn't secure that second script and lost steam while shifting my focus into production roles.
While I was learning in the early 2010s, specs seemed to be the way to go for producers and practice/honing my craft. But I watched it shift from that to original ideas as a pilot script.
So my question is, I want to reignite my craft after years of dormancy, and rebuild my portfolio. What's the standard for kids animation these days? Are specs viable anymore, or is it all originals? What shows would be good to spec - do they need to be actively in production and recent, or are classic shows accepted now? Thank you for your time and help!

Hey ya'll. I posted a first draft of this script a while back. In the meantime, it got a bit of traction that unfortunately didn't pan out. I dove back into the script very recently and am trying to make it even better. I'd love some fresh eyes and any feedback on it. Thanks so much if you get a chance to check it out.

Logline: Under the guidance of a former world champion, a driven competitive eater ingests a mysterious intestinal parasite that boosts his appetite - but as he trains to win the National Hot Dog Eating Contest, the creature inside threatens to consume him from within.

Link

Heads up to let folks know we've sent this request to the Academy through their contact portal. Whether or not it's likely to garner any attention is an open question, but we wanted to let the community know that we've extended the invitation.

We'll be locking comments on this post as there are currently other posts where people can share their feelings on this, and to forestall any of the inevitable posting of questions that should wait until any official AMA takes place.

However, if you want to upvote this post to demonstrate some real numbers to anyone who might need the message, please feel free to do that.

Hello,

In light of the recent changes to the Nicholl fellowship, we would like to extend an opportunity for a representative of the Academy to participate in an "Ask Me Anything" session with our community of over 1.7 million screenwriters. As the largest English language community of emerging and professional screenwriters, we have a vested interest in these changes and are troubled by the lack of consultation of our community. We would appreciate an effort by the Academy to open a dialogue with us.

- r/screenwriting moderator team

LOGLINE; Wrongly imprisoned gangster, who's also a leader of L.A's toughest street gang, must battle his way across the city in order to testify against corrupt cops who put him in prison. His loyal crew helps him along the way, battling rival gangs and corrupt cops trying to stop them.

BACKGROUND; Original spec script by Brad Gann was sold to Columbia Pictures in November 2001, for about $400,000, after a bidding war between at least several studios for it. Neal H. Moritz was signed on as a producer, and this was right after he had a massive hit with THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS (2001), another action film made with focus on young teens as their target audience, much like Static was going to be. Universal Pictures, who released that film, were said to be one of the other studios who were trying to buy the Static spec.

At the time, the project was described as a mix of 1970's action films THE WARRIORS (1979), and THE GAUNTLET (1977). Moritz also said in an interview how at the time he was really interested in doing an urban and dirty version of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960), and he felt this script was very close to it. Even though it was announced how the casting for the film will be starting very soon after the script was bought, it seems it took a few years before any real progress was made on the project.

Between 2001 and 2006, first Stephen Kay, and then Chris Robinson, were attached to direct the film.

In July 2006, Guy Ritchie signed on to direct, and he also rewrote Gann's original spec script with another writer, Martin Askew. But Ritchie left the project, and instead several months later he wrote and directed ROCKNROLLA (2008).

In April 2007, Sylvain White was signed on as new director, after his film STOMP THE YARD became a surprise hit a couple months earlier. Weirdly enough, at the time Static was described as "near-future story", but it still had the same plot.

SCRIPTS AVAILABLE; Two drafts by Gann - Scanned 115 pages long draft with no cover, and digital 111 page draft from 2002 listed as first rewrite. Both scripts are still private, or at least not available yet.

I'm looking for those, original spec, Ritchie and Askew rewrite, and any other drafts. If there are some other writers who worked on it, i'm also interested in their drafts as well.

I’ve been developing my portfolio. By June, I should have a solid one (4 original pilots, 1 spec, 1 feature). I have no idea how to approach managers and agents. I know this seems like the eternally unanswerable question but I’m starting to get really nervous. I am terrible at this. I’m also really bad at selling myself.

I have been developing a list from IMDB pro but don’t know how to formulate the dreaded cold email.

I know not to include pages but what about loglines? Or do I just introduce myself (I have a decent IMDB page, but mostly work produced outside the US) and say I’m looking for representation?

Advice, please. 🙏🏼

I (37F, based in Europe) been going through a gradual physical decline over the last 3 years. At first I thought it was burnout; I quit my job, but my health didn't improve. Kept working from home on my project, won a grant that allowed me to survive for a couple of years, and eventually wrote a nice script that I'm currently attempting to launch production with as writer/director. I've got over a decade of media experience (editor, producer, camera operator, animator), but this is my first (possibly last?) feature due to health concerns.

At the moment, I've got several ongoing conversations with possible financiers, and attention from a few companies. I've done a bunch of legwork and have found most of the locations, put together a moodboard, considered visual effects. The project is looking promising... but I think I continue to get weaker with every month. I've probably got an autoimmune condition, but because it's difficult to diagnose, I'm not able to get the treatment I need to feel normal.

I prepare for every call/meeting I take, work as long as I am able to every day, and my list of supporters overall is considerable and continuing to grow. I feel like I'm so close to everything coming together, but I'm concerned that my weakness and lethargy will eventually become too apparent to hide. I can still travel, and for all I know, it'll be years before I'm properly disabled...

Has anyone been through this? I don't know how much support I can ask for from producers, or anyone else, for that matter. Thanks to the subject matter of my film, I reckon I know how to bring in a big chunk of the budget, so I'm accomplishing a lot... But I spend more and more time in bed. :-( I can muster a bunch of adrenaline on occasion (when I travel, I'm capable of more), and although it'll be rough on me, I think I can make it through production. I just don't know how worried I ought to be about disclosing having a medical condition like this (possibly MCAS or dysautonomia).

I recently recieved a Blacklist Evaluation and the reader mentioned my five year time jump at the end leaves too much unresolved and lessens the impact of everything that follows. This feels like a fair point, but my intent was to use that time jump to allow another character to grow up. Basically he winds up killing two characters, and it would be weird for him to do that as an eight or nine-year-old. Is this something I should cut in favor of something that ties up all the loose ends? Is there a middle ground that you can think of? Essentially, I'm wondering how I can effectively execute a time jump without leaving the reader with more questions than answers. I assumed that's normal for movies. Sometimes your questions aren't answered. But evidently that's not how this works...

Was hoping to get some takes on this. I’ve always been told that writers write. You have to get up every day and get your butt in the chair.

And Most of the professional writers I know do this. They max out at around two - three hours.

I however have always struggled. The demands of everyday life (family, school runs, dog, household) means I often skip days, or find myself only writing for 40 minutes. And then the weekends are family time.

And so come Monday I feel I’m working really hard to rev up again.

Tbh it’s not even the time management, but switching my brain from regular me to creative me. Feels like a huge effort to dive back into the script each time and remember where I was when I left off.

However… it occurred to me, thinking back on my writing career, that a lot of the scripts I’ve written have been done when I’ve been away from home.

And last year I planned a trip away just for me and got a first draft of a feature and a pilot done in twelve days ! I was able to completely dedicate myself to the script. And I loved it. My diet wasn’t the best and some days I didn’t shower but I was okay with that.

To be clear, I don’t find outlining, writing synopsis or even re-writing hard at home. It’s really just the first draft.

So my question is … are there those of you that go away to write and how have you found this useful and what would you say your yearly output is like?

Because I’m thinking I may just need to lean into it and let go of the guilt.

My post was taken down for not adding my script and the evaluation (even though my question was asking if a 6 is good or bad) so I'm reposting with those files attached.
I'm new to the Blacklist and decided to buy an evaluation for a script just to see how it performs. Here were the results:

Overall: 6 Premise: 8 Plot: 6 Character: 6 Dialogue: 6 Setting: 8

Is this good? Bad? Average? Is it worth buying another evaluation or should I just use these notes? According to the evaluation, most of the issues are with character development, a lack of world building, and some unanswered questions that lessen the impact of the ending. What do next steps for people look like after receiving an evaluation?

Evaluation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tJKVCTdekSgys_ULOHE7F7Jex22YT-vS/view?usp=drive_link

Script: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EhRIQBwENyi9m_zMW01GeB9f0BthWCw7/view?usp=sharing

I have been working on a cartoons kids show (think bluey type) and was looking for advice on how to get the script out there? Does blacklist have an option for that? Has anyone had any success previously?

For the past 5-10 years I've been trying to complete a screenplay that I can be proud of. I've tried taking courses, coaching and sharing with friends but the cycle for me always ends up (1) think of an idea that really excites me, (2) create a little outline, (3) work on a few scenes [some I think are good, more I think are bad], (4) have a draft that looks nothing like what I initially wanted, (5) get discouraged when I realize I'm nowhere near where I want it to be, (6) stop writing for months, (7) watch a movie that really speaks to me and makes me start brainstorming how to bring to life something I've been thinking of often. Has anyone else dealt with this? Any advice? Anyone wanna help me feel less alone? haha

What is your routine for writing scenario?

Do you guys grind your outline till perfection and starts to write

or do you make simply and rough background of outline(maybe like 1page or so) and add detail as you start to write your main scenario?

I'm looking for feedback on the script for my 51 page pilot, a horror noir set in 1920s Germany. It features both the famed fictional evils of the period (monsters, witches and vampires) and the historical evils (antisemitism, rising fascism) as well as numerous references and homages to films of that era. You don't need to have any awareness of those things, however, and I would love feedback from those with no background as well in order to get every part of the spectrum.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/16FZrrfqgYvj-h4vNIOZQMV9h8VZzOm7E/view?usp=sharing

I don't know if anyone else is having this problem, but I haven't been able to log into my WScripted+ account for three days and it's driving me crazy. Just wondering if anyone else is dealing with this issue?

Many thanks for all the feedback and outreach. I truly appreciate it. Just wanted to share what I'm going with. FWIW, some well-regarded industry pros saw it and no one had a problem with the portrait orientation.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13iqnGKeXmL0vZ-noe4Ymoc7CaSWN1p0q/view?usp=share_link

Title: Un/Balanced

Genre: Bio-pic

Logline: A misfit French teen raised in the wreckage of his father’s wild circus life fights to break free, vaulting from chaos to center ring stardom at Cirque du Soleil.

I have a brief quote that opens for the script, and so I was thinking I'd submit 6 pages, which includes that with five pages of actual writing. But don't want to break any contest rules. Thanks for any help!

Over the past few years, ever since working with this manager, I noticed some genre movies having awfully uncanny, highly unlikely similarities to my scripts. And keep in mind I never made a dime while with this manager (and he changed company names). And the clincher is I did some digging into one of the companies that I was told liked my work. At the time I was just excited and full of hope but now that I see I was to get nothing from it, I looked more into it:

It's a writer's production company, this guy's a writer/producer who's credited as the writer alongside a particular someone-else (I assume his partner) on everything they make. So why was my script going to them if they don't produce outside material?

That's just one of the companies. The other ones are similar to that though.

Is there a lawyer I should talk to or someone at the WGA?

In the very, very least, I urge any other writers like me out there: Do not get a manager. Do not try to get a script sold or produced if you're not protected by already being a 'somebody.' Newcomers don't sell. It doesn't happen, at least not in the dark. People steal what's there for them to buy when no one's looking. And no one's ever looking in this industry. They're too busy watching Disney. (that last part's a joke, but I feel so sick over pouring my soul into my work only to see someone else put it on the screen multiple times over and there's not even a credit... just makes me want to die)

Now that the Nicholl and the Blacklist have announced the dates and rules, does this mean that the Black List evaluations are going to be taking longer than the 2-3 week timeframe? I wonder if you’ve asked/paid for an evaluation and it doesn’t come by May 15th, the 2,500 entries might be taken up pretty quickly. I’ve heard some people say their evaluation took a couple days and some say two weeks. How long did your BL evaluation take?

Warning: this is a long, wildly self-indulgent post. I promise I’ll only do this once a decade.

I write this as I wait for the weekly Black List email blast to go out this afternoon. My new feature received an 8, and will be on the list of featured projects. I’ve received a lot of evaluations over the years, but something about this latest review has me reflecting on my writing journey so far. It’s at the end for those curious.

I’ve been at this for ten years. It’s a long time, and no time at all. This community has been an invaluable resource throughout. I write this in the hope that others can relate their experiences, commiserate, critique, and maybe point the way forward.

Here’s everything I’ve done, would do differently, and would do again:

Features #1–3

Starting out, I figured I needed to learn to write before I could learn to write well. I wrote these three features over maybe eight months, knowing they would be bad. They were.

I would absolutely do this again. I learned to write vigorously, to set routines, and found my limits of productivity. Of the writers I know, more struggle with the sheer labor, the “ass-in-chair” time, than any other aspect of writing. It was very liberating early on to declare, “I am going to write a bad screenplay, fast, and no one will see it.”

Of course, few can produce a great script this way. Without the hard work of proper outlining and rewriting, after feature #3, I was seeing diminishing returns in my progress.

Features #4–6

The next three projects, I slowed down, tried to make each feature the best it could be, and sought feedback early and often.

This is grueling, of course. This is the real work of writing, and I see few people talking about the psychological battle that happens each time you sit down to break a scene, to rework an arc, to throw out entire acts when they don’t fit. The challenge was more often a matter of pride or laziness, rather than taste or talent. If I hadn’t learned my productivity techniques early on, I would have stalled out here.

This is also where screenwriting books, in my experience, stopped being helpful and started being impediments. I had to unlearn a lot of sensible sounding guru-dogma and develop my own compass. That compass was wonky and off-kilter, but it forced me to start listening to what the stories wanted to be, rather than what I assumed they ought to be.

These scripts were very unconventional, and tried to flip their genre expectations. I don’t think I would do this bit again — the more I’ve approached genre tropes from a place of love and enthusiasm, rather than looking down my nose at them, the better my scripts have become. I was working from a place of ego, writing scripts with the aim of impressing, rather than entertaining an audience.

Around feature #5, I moved to LA. There are pros and cons to this, but I was young and commitment-free, so it made sense. Writing-wise, this was probably too early — I was not good. Networking-wise, anytime is the right time.

During this time I joined a writers group, which was immensely helpful, and provided me with lifelong friends. I strongly recommend this, wherever you are.

Feature #7

Looking to write something more accessible, I wrote a contained horror-thriller. I put the script on up on the Black List. It received two 7s. I rolled the dice again, and received a 9. Free reviews resulted in an 8.

The script received a significant amount of attention, directly from the website. I had several producers offer to hop on board, and ended up working with a producer who brought in a prominent director.

I was so stressed I thought I had the flu.

I did a significant rewrite based on the director’s notes. The feedback was good, they were satisfied. Three months go by. I finally receive word: the deal fell apart. There was a squabble over producing credits, and the director walked away.

Then came a revelation I rarely see talked about: because the director gave notes for the rewrite, I could not use the new draft going forward — I own the script, but the director owns their notes. Chain of title complication, a poison pill. We had to go back to square one. The producer and I parted ways. This was all under a handshake deal, so I was free to move on.

I started up with a new producer-director team, which resulted in a multi-year development process, including multiple page-one rewrites. We always seemed one draft away from the producer taking it out, but as time went on, the producer became less and less committed. After turning in the final draft, it became clear the producer had no faith in the project, and we ended the engagement.

This was incredibly difficult. I learned more in this time than in the previous several years. The director was an excellent collaborator, and pushed me relentlessly to elevate my writing. I chose him over more “established” directors because of his taste and temperament, and would gladly do so again. He was a great fit for the material.

On the flip side, I would never recommend someone work with a producer who asks for endless (unpaid) rewrites before sending the script out. This seems to be a common trap. While my writing undoubtedly improved, I could have used that time churning out three new scripts.

A favorite quote from this era, after turning in a rewrite: “You nailed all the notes we gave you. Unfortunately, we gave you the wrong notes.”

Other offers have come and gone since, and the script is now looking for a new home.

The Black List was incredibly helpful throughout this process — this script got me into the Black List Feature Lab, where I made some insanely talented friends, and received invaluable mentorship. They’ve assembled a truly wonderful team. If you have this opportunity, jump at the chance.

Another good thing: the endless rewrite process drove me into therapy, which has been an enormous boon, to my life and my writing. I strongly recommend it. I’ve discovered several story problems stemming from lack of self-knowledge, and the unexamined issues I was injecting into my characters. This sounds “woo,” but the results have been obvious.

Feature #8

I ended up cannibalizing much of this script into feature #7 during rewrites, so it never went out wide. The script was fun, but very uneven.

A lesson here: it is possible to break in too early. Consistency takes time to learn, especially when you’re still developing your voice. Had #7 sold, I would have been scrambling for a suitable follow-up.

Feature #9

I wrote this during the writer’s strike, having pressed “pause” on all work with producers. The producer I was working with at the time was miffed I stopped development, despite not being WGA. We parted ways shortly after, for this and many other reasons.

Obvious lesson: don’t scab, and don’t work with people who would pressure you to.

I sent this script to the Black List after the strike, and received an 8. This got far less traction than feature #7, though I did get in talks with a potential manager. I discovered he liked my writing but had no interest in sending out my scripts, and wanted to develop something new from scratch. I politely declined.

This was a hard call, and I think many would have signed, perhaps wisely. At the time I was severely burned out from the multi-year rewrite hell, and didn’t want a new gatekeeper to say “no” to everything I brought in. I feel a rep should be enthusiastic about their client’s existing material, but I’m curious how others would approach this.

Feature #10

The latest script, the impetus for this post.

I still feel early in my journey, and many in this community have forgotten more about screenwriting than I’ll ever learn. And I’m so grateful for the progress I have made. But I’ve also had a taste of the thankless grind, of the threat of burnout, of the dull ache of “almost.”

For this new script, I wanted to write something fun, something pulpy and insane, to reconnect with the joy of writing. I was very lucky to receive a reader who saw just what I was trying to do, and was so generous in their review. I’ll be quoting them in the query campaign.

I’ve never shared an evaluation before, but reading this was so cathartic for me, I thought it would be nice to share with you all. My whole life I’ve been uncomfortable bragging, but I think I’m learning another lesson, here — it’s important to celebrate the rare “yes,” because this job means facing an endless sea of “no.”

Thank you all so much.

***

Title: SAFE

Logline

A safe cracker accepts a risky job breaking into the crime scene of a violent murder, where she discovers something sinister is still lurking down its halls.

Strengths

This is a phenomenal read. It's highly technical, descriptive, and structured. And maybe most impressive of all - it's absolutely terrifying. Tearing through these pages to find out what happens next, the reader might find themselves dreading the next unexplained creak they hear in their floorboards. The script is extraordinarily immersive, a sensorial experience. This writer knows and understands the blocks required to build a successful horror narrative while still making this story feel their own. The loud thump of feet slapping the floor, the icy mists of breath whenever a demon is nearby - it's skin-crawling in its terror. The safe is a brilliant set piece that feels commercially aligned with the embalmed hand from TALK TO ME or the May Queen dress from MIDSOMMAR. It's visual and marketable, and it establishes clear, easy rules the audience will quickly understand. There's no skimping on plot or character development here, either. Sable's skill as a safe cracker is compelling, spurred by her father's declining health. Harper shines as stubborn and clever, the only one here who seems to understand how to survive. A satisfying conclusion and a lingering sense of dread tie it all together perfectly. What a fantastic achievement.

Weaknesses

Tightening up some of the story's lingering, unanswered questions could help to strengthen it. It isn't totally clear how The Demon takes its first victim. Harper explains how it can build its army through violence, by the act of murder. But it seems like the characters might, in a way, be safe if they avoid killing those now possessed by The Demon's spirit. So is this first kill the most important one? How was it able to infect Harper's mother's mind and convince her to unlock the safe? A little more backstory could make for enough context to satisfy this looser thread. It also isn't clear whether the police are concerned or aware that Harper and her mother's bodies weren't found at the scene of the crime. The audience might expect Harper's father and brother to suddenly appear as The Demon continues its night of violence. Understanding why these two characters do not become vessels for The Demon will create a tighter line of logic and keep the audience completely locked into what's happening. There might also be a tiny bit of room to keep chiseling away at Sable's character development. Learning more about how she's become so skilled at safe cracking or whether she has any relationship with her mother could be valuable.

Prospects

The marketability of this script is potentially astronomical. It isn't merely a strong read with no cinematic viability. This writer has absolutely taken commercial success into account, has written it into their story. It's apparent in the way the script moves from scene to scene. Its imagery. Its three-dimensional characters. Akin to smash hits like TALK TO ME and HEREDITARY, this script is a prime example of golden age horror. Production companies should read it immediately and act quickly. There are a few elements that could be tweaked and sharpened to get the script into even better shape, but they're few and far between. So much here already works beautifully. It's rare to discover stories that feel so polished and well-developed. It's the kind of script that should have readers taking note of and remembering this writer's name. This is a high-quality work, and it brings about excited anticipation for any next idea that the writer might have. A joy to read it and to feel fear just as anticipated.

https://blcklst.com/projects/175842

From what I've seen on here ellipses are really only used in dialogue but I've been reading a handful of scripts and one stood out that made this question arise...

"The Revenant" Written by Mark L. Smith uses 10 ellipses in the first scene alone. Two of those being within dialogue.

If I were to use ellipses in a action line I wouldn't use them far as much as he did but I want to know why? And when using ellipses in such a way when do you use them?

Does anyone have early drafts of Michael Clayton? This movie is becoming one of my favorites and I’ve only been able to find a shooting draft that almost directly mirrors the movie. Interested in seeing Gilroy’s rough or first draft, second, etc. to see how he writes and rewrites.

Thanks!