The foundation of Talentville's Script Review system is YOU

The Foundation of Talentville’s Script Review system is YOU

By Ben Cahan

So much of what makes Talentville work is our peer-based review system.  Members are assigned scripts of other members, to read and then write up their take on the script’s plusses and minuses.  And to give the script scores in a number of fundamental categories. 

Subjective to be sure, but such is the nature of opinion and criticism. 

To make the system worthwhile for the authors looking for critiques and feedback, getting useful, actionable and detailed reviews is the goal.  Character, plot, structure, the quality of the writing, the realism of the dialogue, the action, the ending, the love story, the crime, the setting or time period, there are endless areas which a reviewer can and should comment on.  Detailed, fleshed out reviews that address specifics, with suggestions for alternatives where appropriate, are reviews that truly help authors as they continue to hone and tweak their project. 

Less welcome (and quite frustrating for authors) are minimum-length, generic reviews full of cliches and vague reactions, those reviews don’t tend to help much and often point to reviewers unwilling to do their fair share.  Keep in mind reviews get scored too, and getting a low reviewer rating won’t earn much good will from others.

Be sure you are in the first group, not the second.  Please?

Assignments…huh?

We all want others to read our script, then to tell us what they think of it.  What worked, what didn’t, is it ready to get sent to agents or something closer to a rough first draft.  And wouldn’t that be great if all we had to do was post our script and wait?

Well, sure, but the real world usually needs incentives for everyone to get involved, to give as much as they get.  That is the fair system and the one we have at Talentville.

To ensure everyone pitches in, we created the assignment system, where members request a script to review and we assign a script to them.  They read the script, write a review, and submit it so the author (and others) can see what we thought.  From that, they earn the right for others to get their script assigned, completing the circle.  

It starts with TalentDollars

At the core of the review system are TalentDollars, our internal review currency.  Specifically, authors spend TalentDollars to get their script put in the assignment hopper (to be assigned to someone to review), and reviewers earn TalentDollars for getting and completing a review assignment (which they then spend to have their own script put in the hopper). 

A circular system where TalentDollars are spent, then earned, then spent again.  Rinse and repeat.

It’s great when we all pitch in

Because the payment for a review is based on the length of the script, as opposed to the quality or length of the review, making the system works is based on us all doing our part, putting in the time to really give useful feedback. 

Sure, reviewers who submit skimpy bare bones reviews are likely to get a low reviewer rating, but we would all prefer everyone just took it all seriously instead of trying to blast out reviews to earn more TalentDollars.

So take it seriously, give good feedback, help the author understand what you thought and why.  Details, specifics, suggestions, those are all welcome and appreciated.

Minimums are just that

We do have a minimum length for reviews, but we hope that each of you will have much higher standards than just the minimum when you write a review.  Review length is not everything (although longer ones tend to have more substance), but if you took at least an hour (or more) to read the script, take perhaps half that to write your review so the author really understands what you thought of their work.

What is a reasonable minimum length? 

I would propose that for a feature-length script, a full page should serve as a minimum that should earn it a good review rating and also give the author some details and specifics.  For even a 20 page short script you should be able to cobble together a half page review.

You Get what you Give

The thing to keep in mind when getting and completing review assignments reminds me of a nugget from the Bible:  “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” If you want others to really dig deep and give you great feedback on your scripts, do the same for them.

One last thing 

All feedback is good feedback, and even tough love can often help as much as lavish praise, when deserved.  I have seen some reviewers state (in their review!) that they are beginners, that their opinions may not be worthwhile, but the reality is that we are all writers, and we all have opinions we are honestly sharing, whether we loved the script or not, and authors need to hear from everyone to see where they stand.

Oh yeah…don’t forget our Reviewer of the Month contest

A final incentive to write thorough reviews is our monthly Reviewer of the Month competition, where we award a 3 month upgraded Citizen membership to the reviewer who go the best review ratings from others for their reviews. 

Of course we hope everyone supports the site by purchasing a membership upgrade, but at the very least our ROM competition is our small way of rewarding those who put in effort to make our site a place where great feedback is the norm, not the exception.

--Ben Cahan

In Upcoming Articles, we will be giving specific ideas on how to craft top notch reviews, written by some of our professional script analysts who read and critique scripts for a living. 

Stay tuned!