Great screenwriting resource

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brianluce

Carbonite Member
I know a Hollywood reader who will give your script a thorough breakdown for under a hundred bucks. He's coming up on his 9,000th script read! I was skeptical at first, but the guy truly knows how to analyze a screenplay. You won't get anything like that at Zoetrope, that's for sure. HIghly recommended. Email me if interested and I'll send the link. Scott's also a writer and has flown to the higher altitudes at Nicholl.
I don't know him personally of get any kick backs, but he's seen every kind of script out there and can set you straight on your project.
 
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Thanks. I might consider him. Tried zeotrope, trigger etc over the years and had similar experiences. Either ranges from no input, to line by line breakdown of grammar, with no input on story.

Will check out his site.
 
seansshack said:
Thanks. I might consider him. Tried zeotrope, trigger etc over the years and had similar experiences. Either ranges from no input, to line by line breakdown of grammar, with no input on story.

Will check out his site.
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Yeah I actually got flamed by a reviewer on zoetrope for punctuation and format violations. Not one word about the story, character etc. Another Zoe reviewer made the strangest comment of all, he said "I think your script should be written with subtitles". I still have no idea what he meant.
 
Frustrating. Spend hours reading someones script, giving feedback and in return you get a rushed review, that is no helped.

And on the other side of the scale you had the people who had "way too much time on their hands" who would point out issues in every sentence. Not just mistakes but "better ways to describe things" - which is totally redundant as everything could be written differently. But has it been improved?

Better to spend your time writing. But we still need input (from time to time).

Will check out Scot's site.

Thanks for the pass along.
 
Reviewing a screenplay and commenting on the technicals of the writing is very amateur in my experience. On my course we all started out with these kind of reviews - called coverage - and not actually talking about the story.

A writer will always lift the passages from rewrites. It's the story that should be given attention.

Kind of the feedback I wrote for your Sean - literally jumping in and acting like everything, from the characters to the locations is real.

And that's real feedback that is helpful to the writer in the long-term. Personally I'd make some friends with some fellow writers, whom you believe are talented and respect what they have to say.

Best feedback I've ever had is from my writer friends.
 
I've found the Zoe website helpful, provided the feedback comes from the right writer. I do agree that there is little emphasis on the idea, which can be frustrating. Often the most common stories are the ones most handsomely rewarded in rating. So how does one go about establishing a network of writers to depend upon for constructive feedback?
 
So how does one go about establishing a network of writers to depend upon for constructive feedback?
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For me I have reached out a couple of times to people who have written stuff I like, + made contacts on sites like this. I won't say it's easy to meet genuine people - but guess that much the same in life (not just writing/internet usage).


But a fair question that others might know a better solution for.
 
Think I'll give him a blast too.

Too be honest, with four kids I don't have time to give reviews to get feedback. + much prefer to just write with the little spare time I have between the kids, work, college etc.

Will let you know how I get on with feedback etc.
 
I got my coverage from him today, literally in two and a half days, pretty amazing turnaround time, eh?

As said, the analysis was rock solid, some fair points raised (and few not so fair). About 4-ish pages of analysis, and very relevant stuff at that. On the whole, this has been worthwile for my screenplay and I'd highly recommend Scott!:thumbup:
 
nashmotionpictures said:
I got my coverage from him today, literally in two and a half days, pretty amazing turnaround time, eh?

As said, the analysis was rock solid, some fair points raised (and few not so fair). About 4-ish pages of analysis, and very relevant stuff at that. On the whole, this has been worthwile for my screenplay and I'd highly recommend Scott!:thumbup:
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That's great to hear! I like the fact he's a veteran studio reader and an aspiring writer himself -- not a guru or know-it-all charging way too much.

I also got 4 thoughtful pages of suggestions and notes. There were a couple of points I wasn't fully on board with, and neither was Scott actually, he floats things by in some instances. However, based on Scott's suggestion, I deleted the entire first act. That's a bold move but it transformed the script. Point is, Scott is gonna give you more than a proofread .
 
Here here, got my analysis back in about 2 1/2 days. Very thoughtful and detailed. Some good ideas, and some really sobering feedback.

Very worthwhile at $80.
 
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