In January, I was asked to be a screenwriting judge at a Texas Film Festival, with the administrative work being done via Film Freeway. This is the second time I’ve been a festival judge, as I previously evaluated short scripts for the New York Midnight Film Festival. However, this is the first time I’ve used the Filmfreeway platform as a reader rather than a contestant. So far, this has been an illuminating experience to see how the platform works for the judges. As you might expect, the quality of the work varies, and I have a new respect for readers of festivals and contests.
Finally, my hats off to Filmfreeway for running such an excellent festival platform. Very easy to navigate, and they have a scoring system that uses a simple weighted average.
Has anyone else done any screenplay judging?
How was your experience?
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For a number of years. A few comps. Hundreds of scripts.
Overall, enriching.
There's much to learn about your writing from reading. What works and what doesn't. After a while, a comp reader knows if a script will succeed from the first page. Sometimes from the first paragraph. It's a generality that pans out more often than not as the entire script is read. That's a clarion call for writers to swing for the fences from word one. Grab us by the throat and don't let go.
Grammar. Punctuation. Typos. Limp Actions with too much detail. Active protagonist. Tell a story. Don't describe a movie. While it can work, too many amateur scripts open with the protagonist waking up and their boring morning routine. Brushing teeth or slurping coffee is not all that intriguing... unless Ninja Assassin Monkeys swinging nunchucks invade the kitchen.
Stretch. Be bold. Entertain us.
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E: Good post. Thank you for sharing.
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Congrats!!! I haven't judged but it sounds like fun.
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Yea I was (a reader) for a Nashville, which is an Academy qualifying festival and that's the scary part (sarcastically speaking)...
...best part is when you run into "fu*k off" script and in a kind of way author is giving two middle ones to the whole hope selling industry after probably been sucked dry...I gave those an instant drop, of course, as show must go on...
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Not screenplays, but just signed up to be a film screener for a big festival later this year. Its definitely interesting to see how the screening process works.
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Congratulations on being asked to be a screenwriting judge, Phillip E. Hardy, Prolifique! Twice!
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MV: Thanks, my friend!
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Phillip E. Hardy, Prolifique - FilmFreeway is such a solid website! I love how use-friendly it is, for both filmmakers and festival executives. 2022 I judged screenplays for the WIFTA Short Film Showcase, it was a lot of fun!
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Robert Russo - I'm a festival programmer and always encourage filmmakers to volunteer as screeners, you get a peek behind the curtain into the decision-making, and how others view films with evaluation criteria in mind. Have fun with the process and remember to network! :)
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This is super cool, Phil! I’ve never judged a screenplay contest but I’ve been a judge at a film festival. It’s such an honor and so great to see the work people are putting their hearts and souls into.
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Hi Uncle, not talking about people that enter to get the notes. But how many people would you say enter a few rewrites to early?
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Shellie: Film Freeway is excellent. That's why it replaced Without A Box within a few years.
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Craig: With the ones I've read thus far, it is less about the number of rewrites and more about a fundamental lack of technique. IMHO, many newer writers tend to overwrite the narrative and overuse the parenthetical function. Also, falling in love with every scene and every word and not grasping that like with music, less is more.
You're welcome, Phillip E. Hardy, Prolifique.