Screenwriting : Thoughts on blacklist by Bill Albert

The Blacklist started by development exec Franklin Leonard in 2005 as an annual report from a survey of the best unproduced screenplays that were being circulated around Hollywood based on industry votes. He took the idea and created a hosting site for producers to read posted screenplays.

The scripts are evaluated by industry pro readers and ranked on a scale of 1 to 10. The goal for writers is to gain high scores and reads. Highly ranked scripts make various lists and are promoted by the site, but writers can also share a link to their scripts on the site. The scores don't have to be perfect to gain attention. An overall score of 7, still might have an 8 for dialogue and gain attention that way. Genre scripts like horror don't have to get 8s to get attention. Drama has a higher standard because it's a broad category.

The site hosts scripts from amateurs to WGA pros. So, the bar is high to gain scores of 8 or 9.

I had lunch with Franklin eons ago when the site was still relatively new. He said that the sight isn't designed to just post scripts and leave them up there. If the script isn't getting traffic after a month, it probably should be removed and reworked. The good thing about scoring high on the first review, the second review is free and the writer gets another month of free hosting. If the writer gets a modest review, but still traffic due to the concept or genre, it should stay on the site. But if the script gets a modest review and no traffic, it should probably be taken down and reworked.

In my opinion, it's a waste of money. If you're looking for notes, there are better places to get more for your money. If you're looking for access, there are better/more proactive avenues.

What John sez. BL is a money printing, dream-selling machine with near astronomical chances of a Spec being recognized. Very expensive with a monthly hosting fee required before pricey coverage costs. The reads are uneven, hasty (readers make $40 - a low wage) and with little to no actionable material.

There are pages of anecdotes by writers who received eights and either get no downloads or were viewed by low level producers with no juice to make a film. I have never heard of anyone who hosts there getting an option or sale.

The most amazing aspect about BL is Leonard's success in creating the legend and lure. Caveat emptor.

Try Script Revolution. It's free! I figured I paid out the nose for my education, I cannot spend anymore money. That's the deterrent for me for Blacklist. Also get busy reaching out to producers or managers yourself. That's free and in my case has paid off. Trust me, the waiting for anyone to get back to you is grueling so I get tempted by all the Blacklist promises but I just look at my student loans statements and throw a prayer up the big guy and resist! Keep the faith, your work will find its proper home ;)

Thanks for the tip of script revolution, Cannon. I'm going to have to check that out myself.

The writer of Jo Jo Rabbit script said at the backstage interview of the Academy Awards that the script got on the Blacklist, was made 6 years later and was rejected by every studio but one. That tells me he got an at least an agent from making the Blacklist but he didn't say that.

WL Wright -- just to clarify, in that interview he was talking about the "real" Blacklist, which is legit, but those writers usually have a manager or connections already (see Christopher Phillips' explanation above). The Blacklist hosting site is the one to stay away from IMO.

Blacklist feedback is not worth it. Speaking as a writer. You get a brief strengths and weaknesses. Doesn't help much at all. Definitely not worth the money paid. You're paying for the score, essentially. In the past when I used it, I never broke a 7. I found this to be kind of annoying because they said the 8 or 9 would be what gets you attention, so even with rewrites, every script I ever submitted hit 7. Either I never improved as a writer and my top will always be 7, or they give out 7s to encourage you to buy more reviews. I would also get anonymous industry downloads and that always made me uncomfortable, not knowing who was reading. I personally knew people who read for the Blacklist as "industry pros" who were not industry pros at all. So you never really know who's got your script and you don't know who the reviewers are.

Nick Assunto Is correct. I run across many writers that try to use the Black List as cheap coverage. That's not the point of the coverage. The point of the service is to get the ratings to draw traffic, not to use the service to get feedback to use for a rewrite. But at $250 a pop for some coverage services, I can see why people use the Black List that way.

The Blacklist website is there to give you a gauge on how good your script currently is in comparison to the average script out there... anything else and you're using it as a bad notes service.

As much as I believe all that is said in the comments so far, I have also talked to half a dozen managers that told me they use it as a way to gauge a writer's talent. They all said they would take a look at the talent that have great scores - not good scores.

Well all these posts say to me, glad I can't afford it. I am on a tight budget, every penny actually counts. I was thinking about the Blacklist and saving up for it. But now, nope, I like this, let's get to the pitch. I am IN!

All these comments bashing on BL/Leonard’s rep. Just tacky. Who here has a industry job/career equal to Franklin Leonard? The guy received a WGA lifetime award.

I wouldn’t use the BL unless I am too lazy to write my own synopsis. Their readers write a decent synopsis. Coverage reports are useless for rewrites. Who predicted in the internet boom that Writers would pay money for coverage? Geez

A few (actually many) years back - during its early days, I recall scoring an 8.8 by their count... didn't do me a damn bit of good.

Hey Bill Albert - the trouble with Blacklist is that you never know who is reading your script! You can order reads on there and the Blacklist is happy to take your money for them, but you never know if the person reading your script is reputable or experienced. They will happily let your script sit on their site and have you pay a recurring fee, but there again, you have no idea who is downloading your script.

I had a script on the Blacklist and just canceled my recurring billing because it was so passive. I had a total of 4 downloads and never heard a word or get a single review from them.

If you are going to pay to have someone read your script, you should be able to pick the person who reads it, know their bio, credits, and achievements. It puts the power in your hands rather than keeping you a passive part of the process.

As Jason Mirch suggests...you can pick who reads your pitch for a mere $35 bucks here on Stage32. I had a good experience with it just recently. They requested my script and I got a little feedback on that as well. Since it all starts with the pitch I thought it was worth the cost of pizza for my fam ;) Sorry fam, mama wanted feedback.

Thanks to everyone for your open and honest advice. I think it's best to just let that one go and not invest in it. I understand that I'm not at the point yet where I'm making money on scripts but there is a limit to how much I'm willing to loose. Thanks again.

Bill Albert If you ever want additional help or guidance feel free to reach out to me at any point j.mirch@stage32.com - I am happy to help you find the right executive who is the best fit for your projects.

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