Twitter Rant: Nate Winslow on the Black List, uploaded scripts, and genres

Super Producer in the Making Nate Winslow went on a Twitter rant last night which I thought the GITS community should see.

https://twitter.com/nate_winslow/status/507371938214211584

So people on the industry pro side read @theblcklst scripts a lot. There are agencies that devote manpower to covering just @theblcklst.

When a friend finds a script that he/she likes, they’ll usually send it out to whoever they’re buddies with and say “Hey, read this.”

Over the past few months of that or me just looking at “Scripts You’d Like” emails from the website, I’ve noticed a strange trend.

There are a lot of scripts on with more than one genre chosen.

There are also a lot of scripts with more than two genres chosen.

There are also a lot of scripts with more than THREE genres chosen.

I’ve also been sent BL uploaded scripts that have more than FOUR (4) (1–2–3–4) genres chosen. You guys.

I’m here to say, in the nicest way possible, your script isn’t four genres. It’s not three genres. It’s also prooobably really not even two.

Most* movies are just one thing.

*Obviously, as with anything movie/screenwriting related, always an exception. I know.

But Nate, the more the merrier, you say! My script can’t be put in a box like that! I’M NOT JUST ONE THING, NATE.

How is putting all the genres I think my script is a bad thing, you ask? I will tell you!

I get a BL script with 3 genres and my first though as someone on the development side is “This person doesn’t know what their story is.”

ESPECIALLY when those genres conflict! Scripts aren’t “family dramas” and “comedic thrillers.” That’s not a thing, nor should it ever be.

.@theblcklst scripts=your title page tells the person reading it more than a normal title page mostly bec. genres you chose are right there.

Your first impression on a reader is that you chose two to four conflicting genres? Avoid! Avoid at all costs.

And I get it: the more genres your script might sort of be, the more of a chance it pops up in filtered searches on the website.

Like most people, I’d hazard the guess development assistants don’t like being lied to any more than anyone else.

If a title page says this script I’m about to read is a dark thriller, a comedy, a coming of age story, and a drama? You’re lying to me.

It’s also not helping your cause if you’re getting your scripts evaluated through the site, either!

I looked it up: https://www.blcklst.com/help/article/267 …

Readers choose the genre of scripts they get sent. Presumably because they want those genres + they’re good at evaluating them.

Your comedy script that’s three or four genres? That’s going to someone who doesn’t want at least one of those genres.

What’s the reader going to do when he said no romantic comedies and your rom-com+thriller+drama+horror+sci-fi script gets sent to them?

Most (catering to the three of you who would call me out on saying “all”) good movies are just one thing. The vast majority.

And I know it’s a function of the website, and maybe it’s a case of just having too many genre offerings to choose from. I get it.

But you, the writer, control a lot about how a reader feels about your script before they ever read a LETTER of the actual story.

Get really honest with yourself when you’re filling out those genre boxes: is your script REALLY all of those things you’re about to choose?

Do some of the genres not really make sense when paired with the other three (GULP)? Is there kinda really only one big comedy scene?

That title page is your script’s first introduction to its reader. Just like meeting a person, you want to make a good impression.

Make solid eye contact. Firm handshake. And you probably don’t lie to them about your job title or where you work, right?

So, yeah. Do it for the kids, but mostly do it for yourself and your reader. Strive for one genre. Everyone wins.

Nate’s point is aimed at those writers who upload scripts to sites like the Black List which has thousands of Hollywood professionals covering the content that gets posted there. He makes an important point, but I think his observation is applicable in a broader sense relative to the writing process in general.

I push the writers I work with to zero in on a story’s specific genre or at most cross-genre for several reasons:

* This is how Hollywood operates. They think in terms of genre. Studios have development slates which they fill out per genres. If they’re heavy with Science Fiction projects, they may hold off on acquiring another one. If they’re light in Dramas, they may be more inclined to look for a project in that area.

* The studios work with specific genres because one of the first questions they ask about a project is this: Who is the target audience? If you hit them with a script you describe as an Action-Drama-Romance-Comedy, they have no idea how to market that. If, however, your script is Action, Horror, Thriller, that rises to their comfort level because they believe they know how to market a movie to a specific, core audience.

* Beyond talking the buyer’s language, defining your story’s genre can help you as a writer because it provides a lens through which you see your story. If your script is a Comedy, then you know your fundamental job is to make it funny. If it is a Thriller, you understand your main goal is to make it thrilling. This works for cross genres, too. If your script is an Action-Comedy, you know it needs to provide action and laughs.
 
* If you know your story’s genre, you can work with tropes, memes, patterns and conventions common to that genre. Give them a spin. Invert them. Go meta like 22 Jump Street. But you can only do that if you have identified your story’s genre and have a knowledge of that genre’s oeuvre of narrative elements.

So for those of you uploading your script to sites like the Black List, be aware — as Nate says — how a pro reader will react: “I get a BL script with 3 genres and my first though as someone on the development side is ‘This person doesn’t know what their story is’”.

But from a creative standpoint, it’s important for you to zero in on your story’s specific genre to align you with how the buyers think and help you in terms of the way you develop and write your script.

Are you following Nate on Twitter? If not, why not? He’s smart, savvy, and knows the right people. He’s also a big soccer fan which elevates him to Gold Star status in my book.

Twitter: @nate_winslow.

If you have any thoughts on this subject, please head to comments where we can carry on the conversation.

Comment Archive