Well readers, I've received a few emails this week with questions that will soon make upcoming blog entries, but other than that, email questions have been pretty sparse lately. Consider this an invitation for open forum questions, much like what Scott did over at Go into The Story last week.
So hit me up with your question(s) and topics you'd like to see addressed in the blog. Email me at zuulthereader@gmail.com, Twitter me at @BittrScrptReadr, or just comment below.
I've just hit 200 followers on Twitter so if everyone sent me just one question, I'd have enough to keep me busy for a year. There's no limit on questions, and feel free to be creative. Answering your questions is one of my favorite things to do on this blog.
Question / Comment --
ReplyDeleteI recently read that the guy who invented "Paypal" wanted to go into movies and financed "Thank You for Smoking". A decendant of the Seagrams empire took his half and went to Hollywood as well, and has produced movies and music.
With a high risk but good payoff, who don't more entrepreneurs get into film, or do they, and we just don't hear about it?
Out of all the scripts you read, what percent are:
ReplyDeleteGreat?
Good?
Mediocre?
Bad?
Downright Awful?
i'm new to this blog so perhaps you've answered this before...
ReplyDeletewhat do you think of devoting energy to bypass the script reader entirely? is it worthwhile?
see, i don't trust script readers, b/c i was one. i worked alongside them discussing the mostly horrible scripts we were forced to read, and i just didn't trust the taste of these young kids doing the reading (FYI i am also a young buck). more than recognizing what was bad, they didn't know what was actually GOOD. this isn't to say that my material is awesome, b/c it isn't (one day!), but some of what these kids actually liked, i thought was utter crap. you would think i'd view having them read my mediocre script be a good thing, lower standards and all, but i don't see it that way. i just don't think most readers are qualified to judge what is or isn't good.
so, mr. script reader, i ask you this: how do i avoid you? (not YOU you. you're cool) how do i get someone who's opinion is 'valid,' for lack of a better word, to read my stuff? should i stalk producers/writers/directors' assistants? bribe them with offers of free lunch and sexual favors?
should i bother trying to avoid you?
will you read my fucking screenplay?
ReplyDeleteand re: brian burke's question, see the latest nic cage flick.
What's your take on having v.o. in the opening image? Understand it's not being used as blatant exposition but rather to give a bit of backstory and set the tone. It's also the only v.o. in the script.
ReplyDeleteI ask because it really works in the context of the script but there seems to be a universal rule out there to not to have v.o. in the opening image of a spec script.
Do scripts longer than 120 pages automatically get thrown in the trash?
ReplyDeleteAlso, what is the "acceptable" number of pages in a spec these days.
Has any spec longer than 120 pages ever made been bumped up the ladder?