I'm working on a passion project to try to solve a problem that I've seen in the film industry and I'm curious to hear feedback to see if I'm on the right track. Here it is: silverwit.com
For those of you who are producers or agents, how challenging is it to find great scripts and screenwriters? And does this approach to solving that challenge strike you as useful?
Thanks so much for taking a look!
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Right now the method to find great scripts works. It's not perfect and it DOES make it difficult for new writers. But the harsh truth is most scripts are terrible. There are dozens of on-line sites where writers can upload their scripts. The issues is getting prodCo's and producers with money to go to those sites. They still need to hire readers to sift through the bad scripts that writers think are wonderful. How are you going to draw producers to your site?
Like DanM I am wary of a "machine" (AI) than will use "data science to surface the most promising content automatically". I am a reader. Each company is looking for something very different. There is no "most promising content" that fits all needs.
Thanks for the feedback guys, really appreciate you taking a look. The concerns are totally valid, and I personally don't think AI will ever completely replace creative judgement. Instead, my two main goals are to:
1. Filter out identifiably low quality scripts (i.e. bad formatting, too many characters/locations, excessive camera directions, etc) among the spec submissions that producers already recieve
2. Surface scripts that haven't been submitted to a producer but match their requirements in terms of genre, budget, tone and other similar factors (avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach here)
The idea is to remove as much busy work as possible so readers can spend their time on the most relevant stories.
Does that sound like it would be helpful? And in another direction, in your opinion are there other areas in the production cycle where data science might be better applied?
Edward, an excellent script can have "too many characters/locations". A writer/director may write what you call "excessive camera directions" and still have an high quality script. Your filter may discard as many terrific scripts as a studio reader.
How many characters are too many? How many locations are too many. What is "excessive" in terms of camera directions? None of those things necessarily mean a "low quality" script.
I can't answer your last question; the very last thing I want to see is data science having any impact on creative writing. I think you see a problem that doesn't exist. But if you CAN make a better wheel you will save producers money by eliminating the job of "reader".
In truth, nobody is 100% sure. That's why there's so much crap. In 30 years, I haven't found a great script that hasn't already been optioned or made. Finding one would be like hitting the jack pot. But I'm still looking.