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BREAKING… The Black List is film executive Franklin Leonard’s hot unproduced screenplay pecking order which he began in 2004 and releases annually every December. But since its inception, aspiring screenwriters have asked Leonard et al how to get discovered by Hollywood. And people in Hollywood have asked Leonard et al how to find great screenplays. So, in the next few weeks, the Black List will be launching a brand new service on its website:
If you write scripts, think of it as a screenplay contest with rolling admission and as many prizes as there are good scripts. If you turn good scripts into movies, think of it as the most efficient way to find them. Either way, we think you’re going to like it.
If you’re a writer, you’ll be able to pay a small monthly fee (probably $30/month) to make your script available to our industry membership. You’ll also be able to pay (probably $50 each) for brief evaluations from our team of professional (though anonymous) script readers, so that we can direct your script into the right hands.
Unlike other similar opportunities, you’ll still own your script and be free to negotiate its sale with and to whomever you like for whatever price you like.
The new service is not directly related to the actual Black List which is compiled every year from the suggestions of hundreds of film executives who each contributes the names of up to 10 of their favorite scripts and will not be released in theaters during that calendar year. But these new services are a way to help screenwriters all the same. Since the Black List is known for catapulting dozens of scripts into production and screenwriters out of oblivion. Diablo Cody’s Juno, Nancy Oliver’s Lars And The Real Girl, Scott Neustader’s and Michael Weber’s 500 Days Of Summer, are just some of the screenplays which appeared on The Black List and then were made. It’s also a “big dick” measuring contest for the Hollywood agencies and managers.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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Franklin Leonard is a genius. Hopefully he can retire off of this website.
Hmmmmm sounds strangely like SCRIPTSHADOW
that suddenly has boosted its fees many times over just for the opportunity to be read by a stranger for a possible chance at promotion to an unknown someone who only they know but will never be revealed to you on the outside chance there might be some interest.
Exactly! The exploitation of dreams and aspirations continues.
So basically it’s becoming like ScriptShark and all those other services out there. Tons and tons of services, websites, etc. like this. Sucks money from gullible writers. When has a real film or writer been made/gotten their start from those sites? Never. This cheapens BlackList completely. Of course, it could be argued that the BlackList itself has been cheapened throughout the years. I mean, it’s no longer about discovering talent. It’s about showing off famous people’s scripts. Quentin Tarantino “made” last year’s list, for crying out loud.
Agreed. But way to leverage the Black List brand for a buck.
Here here. Always liked Franklin, but this sounds less like a way to give access to outsiders and more like a way to make money off the Black List, which everyone knows has become a joke in the last few years including scripts like Prom and Going the Distance…
The fleecing of gullible writers continues. Shame on you guys. What a foul part of this business.
Yes, this. And it gets worse — a few of these “lucky” writers paying for access will soon find themselves with the “opportunity” to slave away on spec for rich producers.
I pity the poor schmucks who will be shelling out upwards of $400 from their minimum wage jobs flipping burgers and waiting tables, only to find it gets them nada. ANY service that claims it can get you “in” in exchange for your moolah is out to screw you. Getting your script into the right hands is generally 99% luck, but it will never ever cost you money.
“The new service is not directly related to the actual Black List…”
So…does this mean it has ANY relation to the people who are in control of the actual blacklist? Or just some dudes skimming PR off the name?
“But these new services are a way to help screenwriters all the same. Since the Black List is known for catapulting dozens of scripts into production and screenwriters out of oblivion.”
So the second sentence leads me to believe that it is related?
Anybody have info if this is all just a scam?
Cynical comments… and Perhaps they will be right.
I’m hoping for the best though. I know first hand how hard it is to get noticed–so I’d love to any tools to help new writers. This time next year we’ll all be able to judge the merits of this new system.
Because Hollywood owes me a living.
Having once toiled as an agency script weasel who did in fact manage to aid in getting one through the cash sale hoop, the good stuff is as rare as (choose your simile).
I lived for a good read. 99% were not. Strong drink didn’t begin to erase from memory some of the really awful ones. They linger, like the miasma from a hunk of Liederkranz smeared behind the study hall radiator.
Franklin seems to be pretty smart and should get paid well for being so. If he can help one of the .5% who have the discipline, talent and drive to keep rewriting, then hurrah!
So let’s just, as noted, wait for six months or a year and see what makes it down through the Pachinko pegs of submission.
Well said.
Similes suck.
Yeah, yeah, writers suck, blah blah…
I’m sorry you suffered so greatly at the hands of these cruel writers, but guess what, YOU WERE DOING YOUR JOB! Vetting material is the industry’s job — it’s the job of reps and studios and producers and people who buy and sell literary material to sift through piles of material to find the one they may actually want to make. It is the industry’s job to pay people to do this. No, it’s not sexy or glamorous work and it’s probably not why you chose to get into the industry, so what? Lots of aspects of the industry are pretty shitty and involve unglamorous grunt work, that doesn’t justify shifting the cost of vetting material onto the writer’s themselves.
“….writer’s themselves.”
Ok.
Try to find a community college remedial grammar course. “The writers” (no apostrophe) someone else? As opposed to “themselves?”
What’s next, “amongst?”
To both of you, I liked that job. It was hard but fun. The amount Franklin plans to charge will barely cover his expenses.
And surely you can come up with a better dismissive insult than “suck.” That’s like saying “a wide variety” or “plethora” etc. Study harder.
Hey, I can always go to a community college remedial grammar course and learn hot to properly punctuate message board postings to impress the internets.
But no amount of study will ever teach me to write anything so studiously awful as ” the miasma from a hunk of Liederkranz smeared behind the study hall radiator.” That’s writing so bad it’s good and then makes it all the way back around to bad again. But I do pledge to sign up for that grammar course. I don’t want to be attacked on anonymous internet boards ever again for a misplaced apostrophe!
I understand the “milking money from gullible writers” line, but it’s a noble pursuit for the talented writer who has no connections… the nobility of those running these various sites, however, remains debatable.
I know a few writers who have never known struggle, and it shows in their bland (albeit produced) work. And despite their hookups, they still have the gall to browse the Done Deal Pro forums and snicker at the “hopeless” cases asking how to get an agent to read their stuff, and debate – sans irony – whether it would ever be worth it… to “struggle” like this.
Nobody likes to pay to post their work, but it’s a necessary evil when your dad isn’t an entertainment lawyer who can get it read for free. Trust fund screenwriters are all over the place, and it’s fucking up the movie industry.
To the point above, numerous undiscovered writers have been optioned through Intip alone. If this new Black List endeavor brings even one original voice to the party, it’s worth it.
A long post that sounds level-headed, and also sounds like someone with a vested interest in this venture.
Who is reading the scripts? If it’s not Mr. Leonard himself, it’s just like every other service out there. They have no real interest in recommending the scripts, just collecting feees, because once the recommended scripts aren’t made or sold, there goes the business model.
Pass.
Sorry for the length. But I have no vested interest… I’m just a writer who only ever wanted to write, and by the age of 29 I had barely gotten anyone to read a query letter.
I quit my job, moved back in with the folks, and was determined to succeed at getting read. Still couldn’t get read. “No unsolicited queries.” Wrote a novel, found a publisher, and was finally able to get a look. It was very difficult.
So my only vested interest, I suppose, is in seeing people like me avoid the crippling despair that comes with being denied the simple chance to prove yourself at the one thing you feel you were born to do. If the Black List gives them that shot, then it’s a necessary evil.
You have no vested interest but you came back to this post a day later to respond? Your post seems completely fake; I’m sorry.
Look, I wish I were on The Black List. But I know this is just a money-making venture like the others, and unless Franklin himself is reading every script and recommending them, no thanks.
All the bitter posting aside, this could be helpful for those of us who go looking for a GREAT script and CAN”T FIND ONE.
Right, right — funny but when you’re a writer you get tired of hearing the very same people complain about not being able to find a “great script” while also telling you they’re unable to pay writers anything. Funny how that works.
I also want to find a great roofer to put a new roof on my house but am having trouble to find a good one willing to do it for free.
I will roof your house for free if you’ll buy my awesome screenplay. You don’t have to read it just buy it.
I received an email from The Black List about a half hour before this post by Deadline. Only there were two major differences:
The “small monthly fee” was quoted as “probably $10/month.”
The “brief evaluations” was quoted as “probably $20 each.”
Now if there was a journalist error then this post is in vain (these things do happen). But there exists the possibility that moments before publicly releasing this information, The Black List raised the monthly fee 300% and the evaluations fee by 150%. As an MBA and CEO of a company, this type of price jump is, in my opinion, socially unethical. It leads me to believe that this service exists solely for the profit of the organization behind it and is not meant to help improve the industry in the slightest.
On a second note, as a financier of independent feature films, I would not scan a database of existing projects that are publicly available for anyone to take. Just like I wouldn’t scan IMDB for “in-development” indie films. This service will allow for writer’s scripts to be handed over to agents and managers. This is a positive thing, but it does NOT mean that this will improve the chances of your script being made. It will put writers into the agency-system where you will get mass exposure but rarely results. If you want me to fund your script (which, unless you get picked up directly by a studio, us indie financiers will be the ones to do it) you honestly have a better chance of sending me a cold email. And I won’t charge you for the notes I’ll give back to you.
WRITERS WHO WANT TO KNOW HOW TO GET DISCOVERED: go make your scripts into films. Don’t put your script on a website. Go find a director. Juno, Lars and 500 Days are noted because they are great FILMS. Not great SCREENPLAYS. Try naming as many Black List scripts that WEREN’T produced as you can. I bet you can’t name one (and if you can, try naming two). This is easier said than done, but it is honestly better to have one shitty movie than none at all.
If he finds one Pierre Pierre in the whole life of the site, it will have been a success. With what’s selling out there, I GUARANTEE theres some unknowns who have talent that don’t have the balls to just pack up and move to la for some dead end gig till they get discovered. this will be a gamechanger.
Nah, there’s nothing new here.
Look at the Nicholl Fellowships, look at amazon studios, look at script shark and trigger street and any one of the dozens of screenplay competitions and pitch fests and consultants and coverage services all taking writer’s money and promising industry access.
This is just one more to add to the slush pile. Soon there will be people taking writers’ money to offer to help them sift through the deluge of consultants and competitions and coverage services.
Yep, just another rip-off, feed-off the starving writer site. Franklin can park his Benz next to Audrey Kelly’s BMW.
making money off desperation is the truly the American way.
Doubt this will be a game changer.
The black list may partially be about discovering “new talent”, but nowadays you will find handfuls of scripts from established writers on the black list. It’s more like a list for the voters favorite scripts that have not been produced yet, whether they are written by a newbie or someone established like Tarantino.
There is also the alleged collusion of agents, execs, and others voting for their own clients or scripts from inside their business circles.
Yet, one thing that stood out was the cost of the script services. If that number stays at the same amount as stated in the article, then it is not an outrageous amount when compared to other script coverage websites/people. There are some script coverage sites that charge over $400 for evaluation, which definitely should raise a few flags for naive writers. I just found out one script consulter charges over $750 for feedback notes, which is definitely taking advantage of naive writers.
Do you know how long it takes to read and properly digest and write valuable suggestions to a writer to make their script better? It takes at least 1.5-2 hrs to read a good script. And usually the worst a script is, the longer it takes to read, so that could go as long as 3-4 hrs. Then another 2-3, maybe even 4-5 to write a really good helpful evaluation. We’re talking better than most industry coverages.
I’m not saying the people charging $400-750 write great notes, but if they do, and they help their clients improve their scripts, then it’s worth it. You’re hiring a writer here, a script analyst, not a burger flipper.
At $50 a script, at 5 hrs minimum, that’s $10 an hour. Seriously, that’s what you intend to pay a professional, a hair above minimum wage, to analyze your script and you expect to get helpful feedback back?
I’m not saying it’s right to promise industry connections, but I don’t see what’s wrong with a writer/script analyst charging a decent amount of money for notes, granted they have a background in writing and/or a track record of helping clients. These services that charge between $50-100 for coverage, for an analysis, is ridiculous. You really expect someone to work on close to minimum wage? How come?
And what’s wrong with someone being an analyst? Someone has the balls and ego to call themselves a screenwriter and/or think they can write a screenplay just cause they like movies or think they have a great idea. Why should anyone read their script for free?
Not every Joe Schmoe can write a script, and not every Joe Schmoe should try. And if you have the ego to try it, and you WANT valuable feedback, you should have to pay for it, just like you pay any other professional, like a mechanic, a house painter, etc.
If you can find an agent for free, great, do it. But if not, then maybe there’s something wrong with your work, and maybe you should hire a professional to try and help fix it… or maybe just give up your writing aspirations. But don’t go around being a bitter writer complaining that a professional charges too much. You are paying for their time and their expertise.
I think thou doth protest too much. We get it. You are a reader and want to stick up for your profession and bank account. Readers shouldn’t be expected to work for free and should definitely be paid. The issue is more of script consultants who charge excessive fees for coverage without having significant track records of success for themselves as filmmakers or from people paying for their service. I know there are some coverage services that do a great job, but to think that 100% of them are is…
The emails sent out to Black List subscribers had varying amounts (i.e. $10/20/30 for the monthly membership fee) and were done to gauge people’s interest at each level.
As far as the cost of script coverage, there are a couple reasonable ones to be found which also happen to be the most qualified people (having worked in the industry, in some cases even as writers). But there are also ridiculous scams from “gurus” who have never worked in any capacity yet charge outrageous amounts. I’ve seen several that cost over $1000 for notes on a single script, though in all fairness anyone who’s willing to pay that amount for analysis from any source deserves to get fleeced.
Let’s try that again, shall we…
I have a very good comedy that I just finished, but I know very well that I have almost no chance of getting it read, let alone produced because I have NO connections in the industry and refuse to sleep my way to any favors. I also refuse to waste my money on script contests: virtually no one has ever made it as a writer after winning a scrip contest. (I checked.)
There are of course bound to be a lot of awful scripts out there, but the industry is missing out on many gems by being so closed off to new writers with no connections. Bad for the industry, and especially bad for the writers, and audiences.
I’d sleep my way to favors. Sounds like a win/win to me.
“virtually no one has ever made it as a writer after winning a scrip contest. (I checked.)”
Lots of people have used the exposure from those contests to get solid representation, which can obviously lead to making sales and getting work. Evan Dougherty, who went on to sell “Snow White and the Huntsman” for $3m, was discovered via a contest. And larger contests like the Nichol Fellowship and Page have a history of introducing talented writers to the Hollywood community.
The challenge, obviously, is that your work truly has to stand apart from the pack to get noticed. If the comedy you’ve written is “very good” as you’ve claimed, then why wouldn’t you have the confidence to throw it in the ring?
“There are of course bound to be a lot of awful scripts out there, but the industry is missing out on many gems by being so closed off to new writers with no connections.”
And if you don’t want to spend the money on a contest, you can simply query managers you’re interested in working with, which has worked well for lots of people (including myself). The industry is anything but closed off to talented new writers, believe me. But it’s very closed off to shitty new writers.
Uh, hey guys, lets keep in mind just two weeks ago across all the industry job sites and board The black List put an ad up looking for readers to read scripts for $10 a piece. So yeah… I’m sure you’re going to get top notch “notes” from people taking $10 a script. Ugh!
Anyone who knows Franklin & The Black List guys should know that this isn’t a financial endeavor at all. Sounds like a smart way to expose unknown writers to hungry agents, managers, etc. Applaud them for trying something.
Best of Luck, Franklin!
I find the comments more intriguing than the service. The first thing that’s obvious is what appears to be a double standard that’s pervasive in these critiques. Do not “acting classes” or “writing workshops”, offer the same thing? What percent of students go on to make a full-time living acting? Or writing? Interesting that those are given a pass. It seems that the core of the issue here is the promise of a qualified, meaningful assessment, that can in a very real way, help a good story get developed.
Thus, the real questions are: what qualifies the readers at this service to assess? What method do you they use? What is their track record? And finally, what impact does a good review have on their chances of getting funding.
Currently only one service that I know of has any real impact. I know several scripts that have gotten funding due to a positive assessment (and were made), and several that lost funding from the one offered by OTX/MPG. . I heard that Salter, Lokey, etc. depend on them, but I don’t know if that’s true. I do know it’s like $20K for an assessment, which I doubt any of these writers could afford anyway.
Either way, from the little I know of Franklin, he doesn’t strike me as the type out to fleece anyone. But then again, this is Hollywood, where you can get fleeced while smiling.
Received this e-mail this morning:
Since the inception of the Black List, aspiring screenwriters have asked us how to get discovered by Hollywood. And people in Hollywood have asked us how to find great screenplays.
But we never had a great answer…
Until now.
In the next few weeks, the Black List will be launching a brand new service.
If you write scripts, think of it as a screenplay contest with rolling admission and as many prizes as there are good scripts. If you turn good scripts into movies, think of it as the most efficient way to find them. Either way, we think you’re going to like it.
If you’re a writer, you’ll be able to pay a small monthly fee (probably $30/month) to make your script available to our industry membership. You’ll also be able to pay (probably $50 each) for brief evaluations from our team of professional (though anonymous) script readers, so that we can direct your script into the right hands.
Unlike other similar opportunities, you’ll still own your script and be free to negotiate its sale with and to whomever you like for whatever price you like.
Since you’ve patiently waited on our waiting list, we wanted to give you a chance to be one of the first to upload your script (and get it read by one of our readers) when the site launches.
Just let us know that you’re interested below, and we’ll be sure you’re invited a few days ahead of everyone else.
Sincerely,
The Black List
So the price has already gone up.
Maybe we should just offer the execs cash to read our stuff and cut out the middle man altogether.
Curious how he plans to protect the writers who submit their screenplays? The copyright laws and WGA registration policies are both the biggest jokes as far as “protecting” writers. If he can figure out how to protect the writers submitting, I’m all game – otherwise, it sounds like an easy way to just poach unknown talent.
Why would anyone pay money to submit a script to a film executive who doesn’t even have a ‘Producer’ credit (or EP, Co-P, or even an Associate P credit) on a feature film? Seriously. Seems like the reality is that you’ll be paying Franklin to give you notes that will develop your script into NOT getting made.
Gee…ya-don’t think anyone would “lift” an idea from any of these “reads” do-ya?
Philip Seymour Hoffman’s brother has shown that even though a lot of similar services already existed, you still can turn plenty of bucks with a screenwriting contest and evaluations for a fee. So here’s one more that brings nothing new to the table.
“Unlike other similar opportunities, you’ll still own your script and be free to negotiate its sale with and to whomever you like for whatever price you like.”
UNlike? That’s a typo, right? They meant to write LIKE most other..?
“Since the Black List is known for catapulting dozens of scripts into production and screenwriters out of oblivion. Diablo Cody’s Juno. . . ”
Diablo Cody, (in)famous blogging stripper, was in oblivion? Now I’ve heard it all.
On average, how many different people/companies/competitions claim credit for getting a script into the right hands? My guess is 3. At least.