Online Information Sites: The Tracking Board

The amount and quality of information online about the Hollywood movie business nowadays is remarkable. Writers from anywhere in the world can track the progress of a spec script all the way from its submission to acquisition through development and into production.

Some sites have been around for years, while new ones continue to emerge, so I figured it would be helpful to GITS readers to provide an overview this week of some of the most prominent information sites currently available online.

Today we feature The Tracking Board:

Do you know what the most valuable item is in Hollywood?
A-list talent? — No.
A great script? — No.
A family connection? — No.

INFORMATION

From script to screen, and the million pieces between, information is the fuel that drives every project, and every decision that makes this industry thrive.

Information can be directly linked to everything that happens in this industry; whether it’s knowing who’s buying what, or who’s looking to star in what kind of project, or what studio just lost a comedy and needs a replacement, to which writer is looking for a new rep, which spec is getting the most heat, or which exec is looking for a new home. Information is the most important element of every decision made, and those with it, have become the most influential players in the machine that is… Hollywood!

And that is the driving force behind what Tracking Board delivers, and what has made us the #1 stop for writers, agents, producers, managers and executives alike.

I asked the anonymous hosts of The Tracking Board some questions:

If I asked you to describe tracking-board.com as a high-concept, what would that description be?

I would describe The Tracking Board as a one-stop shop for all of the exclusive details behind a project’s journey from script to screen. Whether it be a spec on the market, new attachments, rewrites, or sales, we’ve got you covered!

How long has tracking-board.com been online and what was the impetus in creating the site?

Our site at tracking-board.com physically launched in January 2009, though had been an active private industry site for about two years prior to that. Our core group of founders and contributors are a group who also run some of the industry’s biggest private tracking boards, as well as some of the smallest and most exclusive boards ran directly for studios & agencies.

Which brings us to the why behind creating it?

Collectively, our founders & contributors are a group of Executives, Assistants, Producers, Agents and Managers whose job it is to be on the frontlines of Hollywood’s Information Superhighway.

However it was once we made it to this place that we quickly realized that so much of what could actually benefit those looking to break in, who are already established, or who are simply looking for an advantageous edge, is safeguarded, hidden, and buried away.

So, cue back to 2009, when we decided it was time we made a place available for members who were serious about their careers to come and find that advantageous edge in navigating Hollywood.

Simply put, this site, the new features, and all of the content and contributions we add to it are there because it’s a site we all wish we had access to when we decided to start climbing the Hollywood ladder.

What information and services does tracking-board.com offer that distinguishes it from other online script tracking sites?

The Tracking Board is the only site in existence that tracks specs, sales, attachments & updates as they happen. And, while we are very proud of offering all of those features, we even take things a couple steps farther, offering three new and exclusive “Elements” to our site: The Forums, The File Exchange, and the Script Library.

The Forums provides an exclusive, private, and anonymous community for our members to interact, share, discuss, debate and have fun. This is also the place most members can meet one another, and build relationships, both professional and personal.

The File Exchange allows access to a subsection of the forums for our members and administrators to upload & share files in a rapid-fire and instantly accessible format. Here you will find a mixture of film & TV files, as well as screening & party details, or detailed breakdowns on Open Writing Assignments or Job Lists.

The Script Library is a vast, detailed and fully searchable Film, TV, Manuscript & Comic Book script library boasting some of the hardest to find, hottest, and most exclusive scripts out there. From specs to sales, classics and unproduced titles, our library is the largest and most comprehensive collection found anywhere.

Overall, we created our site to PROVIDE ACCESS. Access to what’s in the market. Access to what’s selling. Access to who’s buying, and Access to look behind the curtain, and to take a peek at everything that makes this industry tick.

What are your annual subscription rates?

Our current Annual Rates are $59 a year, however for the month of June we’d like to extend an exclusive 25% off ($44.25) annual fee to all GITS readers. This annual membership will allow all members complete access to the Main Site, the Forums, the File Exchange, and the 12,000+ files in our script library. And, exclusively for GITS readers, for the month of June only, we’re going to extend the annual “Tracking-board.com/Itsonthegrid Deluxe Pro Combo Membership” to both sites for a combined $199 (that’s 50% off both sites).

[See links below.]

You’ve recently partnered with itsonthegrid.com. Could you tell us why tracking-board.com decided to enter into that partnership?

As of May 1st, 2010, tracking-board.com has partnered with the powerhouse database itsonthegrid.com. The driving force behind our partnership was for both sites to secure additional resources for our members. For The Tracking Board, it was finding an in-depth and comprehensive database that we could utilize to provide our members with additional search features, updated OWA & ODA information and a rolodex full of contact info for anyone and everyone in this industry.

The idea behind the partnership is to be able to get the updated & instant details at tracking-board.com, but to be able to dig deeper, and find out more about everyone involved by clicking over to IOTG.

How much of an opportunity is there on tracking-board.com for networking?

The Tracking Board is a fantastic network resource, and is only going to expand, as a few of our new features and collaborations launch over the next few months. Currently we have new chat, forum and comment exchanges that extend across multiple platforms. Our forum alone houses hundreds of members from every level & career in this industry, and it provides a great place to discuss, ask questions, and chat with both professionals, and aspiring alike.

As we continue to expand over the next couple of months, we will see our community and interactive possibilities continue to blossom as well, with the addition of private user-to-user chat & instant online messaging.

While the core of what we do on our site is based on “information,” that is something forever hand-in-hand with “communication. Having the most exclusive info is nothing, if your members don’t get it quick enough. Thus, while already having the chat features, forums, etc. we’ve recently added Twitter feeds, RSS feeds and Facebook accounts, which further provide opportunities for members to interact, network, and build their own communities.

In your view, why should a screenwriter join tracking-board.com?

Many of the features on our site were created, and decided upon to cater to a writer-centric audience. Two of our main contributors are in-fact writers. While The Tracking Board does cater to several degrees of the industry, it’s always with the writer in mind. We’ve covered a number of examples of that above, but just one simple thing to remember is, whether it’s a writer, an agent, an exec, or an actor… it always begins with the script, and that’s exactly what we cover best!

Finally we all know how slow the current spec script market is. As an informed observer of that part of the industry, is there anything you can say to GITS readers to talk them off the ledge and give them some hope about the future re spec scripts? Or are we officially in sick, dying, or dead territory?

The Spec Market, like the stock market is in a consistent state of ebb and flow. I remember someone telling me years ago that “the entertainment industry is the worlds biggest roller coaster. You’ll experience the highest highs, and the lowest lows, but at some point it levels out again, and you remember you were riding it because it was fun.”

Ok, maybe that’s not the best analogy (it sounded better in my head) but it does get the basis of the idea across, in that just like a roller coaster, the spec market will rise and fall… just that the drops may be a lot less fun.

But, how about where it’s going, and when it will rise again?

Well, I don’t think we’re going to see anything like the 90’s quite again, but I think we’re seeking different platforms & avenues that are leading to sales. For example, while it’s nothing relatively “new” adaptations are steadily on the rise, along with projects “based on” other items (even board games w/ no story). The studios & buyers are looking for a more “Complete Package,” that they can hedge their bets against.

Comic Books, TV, Novels, Articles, Remakes, Reboots & Board Games are just a few of the things the biggest selling scripts have been based on in the past year. Heck, just this year 1 spec has hit the market actually “based on” another script, and just this past week a sped went out that was a page 1 rewrite of a script coming out of turnaround. These are just a few of the new elements shifting our spec market into a new arena.

Even attachments, once thought only as a bonus to a spec script, are now almost must-haves to get the territories you want. And, more than ever we’re even seeing specs go out with multiple directors attached to the same script, but for different territories.

The reality is there is more money in Hollywood then there has ever been, but with rising budgets comes rising risk. And, with this shift catching us at the time of a recession, the spec market is in a state of flux, still holding on to some of the old guidelines while bringing in some of the new. I think it’ll still be a few years before the market can be as clearly defined as it was a decade ago, but a few key thoughts just to keep in mind when deciding your ready to take on that spec, and the market that lets it live or die:

-Attachments are hot! You’re doing part of the execs job for them, and instead of everyone needing to remember every detail about the script, they can sum it up in a logline and “McG’s directing.”

-Based on/Adaptations. I’m the biggest supporter of the “write what you know” school of thought, but lets be honest, other people are creating properties in the same wheelhouse or genre already. Do a little research into the comic book you love, or that novel you read, etc. I think people are stunned when they realize they can not only option properties themselves, but that sometimes they can do so for a relatively cheap price. And again, please don’t take this as any form of crushing the independent spirit, but instead, an alternate idea for those of you sitting at your desk, asking your self what you want to do next.

-Study the market. Hollywood is at a point where it is demanding you to BE A SMARTER WRITER! Never before has this been more essential, as Hollywood is telling writers to become more serious about their careers, and more current on the industry they work in. The days of Joe Eszterhas writing from a farm in middle America with no phone, are gone. Today’s screenwriter MUST be plugged in to the on goings of their industry, and execs & agents are not afraid to tell you so. And can we blame them? Right now we are in an age of technical wonder, where everything you want can be at your fingertips in a matter of moments. So, utilize that. Keep tabs on what genre is hot (thrillers & family films are making a strong resurgence) and which are not (horror, war, downer dramas). Keep an eye on who’s buying, who’s spent all of their money, and who’s searching. And most importantly, just learn a little about this industry you hope to conquer some day. A little knowledge could go a long way in the big scheme of things.

To wrap up — Why Tracking-Board.com?

Look, here’s the reality… Every site is going to tell you, we do this the best, or we do that the best, and we’re the #1 at each and everything they do. But, for each user, member and subscriber, it should be a matter of researching the sites and finding what gives YOU the most benefit.

Of course, it’s why every day we’re excited to work on it, to interact with our members, and to continue researching new ways to make our members the most informed people in the industry. But, we ask that you don’t take our word for it. Instead, click over to the site www.tracking-board.com, have a look around, feel free to ask any questions, and let the site speak for itself. We look forward to seeing you!

For the 25% off subscription deal for The Tracking Board, go here.

For the special combination subscription deal on The Tracking Board and It’s On The Grid, go here.

Tomorrow’s featured site: Film News Briefs.

EDITORIAL NOTE: The series of posts I’m running this week is not intended as a recommendation for any specific site, but rather to provide information to GITS readers about various information resources that are currently available online.

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