So, last week I received an email from writerduet about an analysis using their new ScreenplayIQ service. I decided to try it out today and the results were quite amazing. I've received a few paid services from readers, and this analysis was far and above anything I would have expected. Check it out and let me know what you think?
https://screenplayiq.com/report/v12Wa4eA915Opr2nzaB5B1PB64w2GNOM
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It's certainly impressive but I don't see how the "coverage" part is very helpful. I want to know the weaknesses of my screenplays, not how intellectual vs emotional they are
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Michael David For a free analysis without an emotional aspect I think it was great. It would be nice to get some notes on where improvements should be made, and maybe had I checked a couple more boxes while submitting, it would have done it.
Paid coverage is great to a point, with the main problem also being it's greatest advantage. The human element itself is too unpredictable. I can read the same story on different days, and come away with opposing views dependent on my own emotional state. This is true for everyone. What one reader may "feel" needs improvement, could be the highlight of another. Subjective not only to a reader, but subjective to the very emotional state of that reader.
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I had the same experience. Absolutely mind-blowing and surpassed any analysis I've received from a human. I haven't changed a word of any of my screenplays as a result, but it did make me think over a few things, did motivate me massively to believe in the material more, and it did give me a lot of stuff useful at a pitching/marketing level.
And this is just the first stage.
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Ok, you guys piqued my interest - I'm going to give it a shot!
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Okay, you guys sold me! I just gave it a shot and received my analysis and HOLY SCHNIKIES! I did the full analysis and they give you a poster and I looked at it and said - THAT'S IT!! THAT'S MY MOVIE! Impressive. I would still go to a real reader for analysis because there's a certain (subjective, certainly) inkling here, but the summaries/synopsis are great and this program is great fodder for a pitch deck and I plan to use it for that.
And dear fellow screenwriters... I hope this means WE'RE NOT NEXT!!
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Michael David Right!
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Michael David, glad you tried it for yourself. To me, it felt like a team of people had spent two weeks breaking down every aspect of my script, but I got it in 20mins. The value for me is all in the overview section.
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Michael David exactly right. IQ simply spits out pretty but useless by rote info. Useless because AI cannot form an opinion or analyze which requires critical examination to bring out essential elements; the essence.
It still requires a human to analyze a script and offer suggestions for improvement. IQ cannot be depended upon for this. The Assessment is a 10,000 foot view. IQ can't make a Pass/Consider/Recommend determination and probably never will be able to.
That said, IQ does might have a very limited appeal. For $50, it's worthwhile seeing the cool charts, I guess. Otherwise, save the money for a great human reader to help improve your draft.
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E Langley I feel the same about what you said re: Pass/Recommend/Consider. There's a certain human element that will always be lacking, also I don't think IQ can identify plot holes. That said, I think it's great for pitch decks and summaries and great at encapsulating major lackings in a screenplay.
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CJ Walley I wonder if the AI could identify a lacking in a screenplay in your TURN/BURN/EARN theories, though it can surely summarize your screenplay beats so that YOU can identify if the turn/burn/earn is lacking.
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As noted, critical thinking, Dan.
In the crowded marketplace, it behooves writers to put forth beyond their best effort. IQ will not essentially help with that.
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The same "people" that we submit our work to will be using AI to flush out the trash from the content worthy of landing on their desk. If AI isn't capable of pass/recommend at the moment, it's very close.
The algorithms will be set with genre specific coding allowing the program to filter out everything a reader has no interest in reading.
Is it good for the industry? Let's say 1% of all submissions are being read at the moment due to time constraints and disinterest. AI allows 100% of submissions to be read. What is the rate % of reccomend needed to land more work on the desks of human readers?
So many great stories go untold because nobody sees them. AI may in fact lead to the hiring of more human readers necessary to put eyes on recommended work, that before now, may have never seen the light of day.
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Whatever floats your boat - idealization-wise. Some belief is flawed. Like writers who believe those rating a film low on imdb are defective instead of accepting their awful writing might be the issue. That's pretty sad.
Two percent of scripts are Recommends. A human reader can spot a loser in the first ten pages, or sooner. Why read more.
Self-driving Ubers have been around for a while. While it's a mistake a nimrod driver might make, though unlikely, generally speaking a human won't drive into a large pad of wet cement. That's the difference.
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Let's just say that 2% of scripts are recommend.
If a human reader takes on 100 scripts per week, there's 2 that might have some juice.
AI can read 10000 scripts per week handing out the same 2% recommendation. Now we've got 200 scripts with juice that now require the human element.
Scripts that never would have been read, now have the opportunity to land on a desk, because they've been vetted to a set of parameters.
Readers will now have the time to really dig in to projects and provide higher level notes and feedback due to the vetting process of AI.
When self-driving cars can avoid cement. That's likely never. So, let's "not just say." All sorts of projections are possible. It's here and it's now.
Matthew is on the right track.
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That's awesome that it helped you! Maybe not for me because nothing beats the human mind imo, but the future is all about customization and it's good to know we'll have options
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Michael David, what you say about Turn & Burn is entirely possible, but I'd be hesitant to criticise someone's structure if they weren't intending to use that particular model. For what it's worth, Screenplay IQ thinks my scripts are in four acts, despite the fact they are written in five and even have chapter titles indicating as such. It also really struggled with my non-linear stories, but that was a while ago when I was helping test it. It might be much better now.
Some of the other stuff though, mind blowing. It literally identified some of my stuff as being similar in tone not just to Tarantino, but early Tarantino. A comment a few humans have made in the past.
Interestingly enough, I actually used some of the terms it had used in the overview for the marketing of a story today.
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Adam Brandt, what you write about prodcos using AI to analyse, value, and segment scripts is already in use. There was one that broke-down material, compared it to successful scripts, and gave it score, but that folded recently because people just didn't value the results. I know of another, industry side, that can be fed thousands of submissions and then categorise them all so they are easily searched through.
My personal view is that AI will be used in similar but different ways that only really replace the more robotic tasks. It won't be coverage, it will be breakdowns. It won't be scoring, it will be indexing.
It's clear to me that many of the people criticising Screenplay IQ aren't prepared to take even a brief look into what it's actually trying to do, never mind try it for themselves. Hopefully, in time, we'll find language which better defines this stuff, so people aren't so confused and put off.
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CJ Walley 100% agree. Whether we think there's a place for it, doesn't matter, as it's here. One thing AI will never replace is your story, and that goes for everyone. If we can get to a point where we find the value as a tool, opposed to viewing it as a threat, we will all be better off. Some people are slow adopters, heck, there's still a market for typewriters.