Screenwriting : Screenplay feedback resources by Andres Ramirez

Happy Holidays, Andres! Prepare for all the feedback you can handle. :) Couple of questions for your thread? How many pages is the short? And are you shooting this yourself?

Happy Holidays Shawn! Yes, I write and shoot all my projects and my short is currently sitting at 28 pages and counting. I'm trying to lock it down to 30 mins but I have so much more ground to cover which I estimate will balloon it up to at least 40 pages.

Andres, many of our members are script consultants. Perhaps utilize the "Connect" feature and search our membership by occupation, reach out to someone in particular. :)

Thank you Beth! I'll certainly consider it :)

Andres – Short films is all I do (Write/Produce). I'd be happy to help if I can. There is a new review site called Crowd Critic (www,crowdcritic.com). I know some of the creators and they are excellent – I don't think it's fully up and operational quite yet but check it out.

SimplyScripts has a very active community who will provide feedback and pointers.

Thank you so much for the recommendation Doug! Crowd critic seems fantastic and I'm looking into it as we speak. Thank you as well Anthony! I've heard of simplyscripts before but I always thought it was a resource site to look up scripts.

Hi Andres, I recently taught a class for Stage 32 (https://www.stage32.com/classes/How-To-Hook-Your-Reader-In-Only-5-Pages). I am a producer based in LA, and I do script consulting on the side for US and international clients. If you PM me, I would be happy to email you my bio.

I've put some of my scripts on Simply Scripts and gotten some useful critiques. You kind of have to weed out the people who know what they're talking about from those who obviously don't have a clue, and some of the crits can get pretty snarky, but if you have a thick skin, it's worth a try. Doug: thanks for the lead on Crowd Critic, I'm going to check it out.

I really can't thank everyone enough for the great suggestions! Phil, I'm still trying to figure out Simply scripts but sounds fairly reasonable from what you tell me. I think I'll try both. The more feedback the merrier.

omg im so happy i came across this thread lol i was wondering the same for my script i really want more feedback and tips

Talentville.com. Your script will be mostly private if you choose (only members who are "assigned" the review can download the entire script. In return for performing the reviews, the get credit that they can use in lieu of cash to request reviews of their material). Also if you're comfortable using Reddit and hosting the script yourself, reddit.com/r/screenwriting is a place to request quick focused feedback.

Dylan, Talentville seems great. I've already signed up as tourist on it and once I complete my latest draft I will submit to review, as well as on Crowdcritic which also seems fantastic.

I refer you to the movie Finding Forrester where Sean Connery says, "You write the first draft from your heart ((loosely) The revisions come from writing by using your mind)."

I love this thread! I have always been passive at asking for feedback. Phil: you make a valid point. I've received critique from people who read my script and said "looks good" with no real notes. Only in the last 6 months have I received true, viable feedback I can learn from. I always feel like I am imposing on others. I took Regina's class and learned a lot. Her critique and feedback was some of the best I've received. It made two TV pilot rewrites a pleasure to work on. I could always use an extra pair of eyes on those scripts! I really need to visit CrowdCritic and Talentville.

WILDSOUND is over-the-top for 40$ I used them a lot in my early years.

Brian, beautifully said. Without thinking that's how I always approach my writing. I just write what I feel when the idea is bright and then I "shed the fat" and rework the mechanics. David, I have the seem issue about being passive. I usually rely on friends who I know will be sincere but sometimes a little too sincere for any real critique. I always had this fear of coming off imposing, but sometimes it's just worth the shot.

I follow WILDSOUND on Instagram but never actually gave their site a visit. I think I shall

I first write the first draft, just lay the story out as I want it. Then I do the revision, and check the voice and amount of dialogue and all the technical stuff....only problem is I don't get far enough before a new story burns in my head to come out. I tell myself I will get back to that first one later. Very slack but one day I will get myself write and push out four screenplays producer ready in one year. :)

WS gives 5 pages of notes. What you don't want is a coverage company that gives you a bullet point for a buck fifty, plus - unless you're prepro - then it's a different story. All companies provide sample coverage

So as you can see Andres – there are quite a few places available for critiques. Some are better than others and most charge some fee (they gotta keep their sites up). Then too, when it's as polished as you can make it – spend a few bucks on the top-of-the line contests. One bit of advice since you're writing a short: Keep it short! If you keep the run-time (page count) under 20 minutes/page count, you have a better chance of success on the festival circuit because it fits better into their screening blocks. Also, you can share a log-line, synopsis and script on Stage 32 (I've not yet done it so I can't attest to its usefulness.)

I wasn't aware of all these resources before and I really appreciate all the suggestions and feedback from everyone! Does it matter that once I get my script as polished as possible, that i register it before send it off to be reviewed?

Never does any harm to register a script, personally I use WriteVault for shorts... I also wrote a series of articles based on my experiences with Short scripts, where to get feedback, competitions, where to sell them etc - www.anthonycawood.co.uk/articles good luck with it.

Wonderful articles Anthony. Thank you for sharing that

You could break your story into stages from beginning to end with pointers noted for each segment and work upon each one to perfect what you feel would tweak each part to meet your ideas of it :)

Please take this with a grain of salt. Wildsound reached out to me a couple years ago and asked me to participate in some of their activities as a producer/consultant. I was not impressed with their approach, which seemed very "one size fits all" to me, so I did not participate. I have limited experience with them, so make up your own mind, and don't judge purely based on my limited encounter.

@David Levy - thanks so much for your feedback on my S32 class. I really enjoyed meeting you as well!! TV pilot writing is its own beast, and you have to accomplish a lot in a pilot that you wouldn't have to accomplish in a stand-alone feature, so a TV creator has that to worry about on top of all the fundamentals. But challenges are fun, right? :-)

Thank you for your honest Regina. I'll keep that in mind. Honestly from what I see on their Instagram account I could see why you say that. But then again, the don't really show much either. It al just seems like a template they apply to everything

Regina: You are so right. When you enjoy what you do every challenge is fun because the end reult is worth it.

Andres, do what BETH and REGINA say, they are one of our own, they are FAMILY HERE and start LATER and finish EARLY. Just try cutting (I know how hard this is) from the beginning or ending early, so you are within your goal as far as page count. Best of luck, brother. You can do it!!

Thank you, everyone once again for your generous and much-appreciated suggestions and input. It's helping tremendously.

sounds like you would just edit it yourself. start with a list of all the memorys one by one. If you have lived a hundred lives, take one at a time. Take your time.....breathe..... and let those creative juices pour out on paper or whatever. Then arrange and edit, or connect with an editorship.

If you are looking for pro feedback and help with you short, I'm happy to help over at No BullScript Consulting. Shorts are only $50 and I'll go through everything on the phone with you. Message me if interested..