Poor "Flat Pennies" Gets Dumped on Again

The much maligned script has 500 downloads yet is in the 49th position of all scripts.

It has 414 wins out of 836 battles in Premise Wars and yet not even a top 100 placement.

There is obviously some concerted effort at AS to keep the bad boy down. Such a great storyline and not even on the Notable list. A shame. A sham.

Robert, AS is not searching for greatness. They are searching for specific types of scripts. A great script outside their scope will run as flat as pennies :)
Pun intended.

exactly! if they love your concept and the script isn't that good then would still pick you up. but they don't love your concept. don't you get that?!

That's exactly why I think the whole "notable projects" thing is useless. A good script will hit notable projects, but 1000 rewrites will not make them select it for DEV slate. If it's not right it's not right.

Notable projects and this "community" thing is a load of kidneys. They are searching for decently presented ideas. The pros will rewrite and they will produce. Give it your best shot and hope for a miracle, if it's a pass - pitch elsewhere.

Thanks Tony, made me feel better. At the very least, all my rewrites haven't been for naught. The script is better than ever and I'm looking forward to test driving it on the contest circuit.

Thanks Lisa for your usual wisdom and useful feedback. Sorry that the sight of my name, my screenplay's name, and/or my picture always turn you into a disgruntled harpy.

Robert said, Sorry that my screenplay's name always turns you into a disgruntled harpy.

Disgruntled harpy?

We're not supposed to use real names here. Screen names only.

Andy, as opposed to happy harpy?! Ha!

Glad you're still lurking about, btw.

i don't know robert...

you keep pushing and pushing FP

i intended to keep pushing a project here - there and everywhere - but the feedback i got helped me realize that a page one rewrite is necessary to impress upon readers that the project is genuinely unique, special, fresh, fascinating, etc.

i've also realized writing is about respect for the reader above all. That makes it 1000 times more difficult than i original thought it should be.

it seems to me you've not realized this. i haven't read the last 5 or 6 drafts of FP, but from what i gather, as Lisa once pointed out, you seem to be just tweaking the script over and over again like a good sport.

but

at the end of every day, you get the same feedback. what is it you don't understand?
what do you want, expect, etc. what are you trying to accomplish, creating new threads for this one project?

i'm only "challenging" you about it because you created another thread - and this is my two flat cents about it.

...and this seems like a great thread for venting my frustration with writing.
since learning the "respect for the reader" stuff, i find writing/story telling more fascinating than ever - but also more paralyzing than ever!

i'm writing 50 times slower because i'm scared to death of wasting a reader's valuable time so they can tell me what i should have understood from the get go.

umm... anyway...
like i said,
i don't know, robert...

:)

S G,

Soooooooooooo, you're judging my 25-year career as an award-winning journalist and the merits of my labor-of-love screenplay and yet you haven't even read the latest version?

Ooooookay.

Well Robert, maybe it's time to stop painting your horse and just accept that it's a llama.

I've been there many times myself.

Sometimes it's best to let scripts go and move on to the next, as painful as that can be. I've had to do it numerous times and each time I did I looked back on the script I thought was so great and realized, Wow -- why did I wast so much time on it?

Robert,
no, i'm not judging you.

i was just trying to initiate a dialogue about the difficulties of changing ones story from something that satisfies one's self into something that satisfies the audience.

i read the scriptshadow review and it was the same consensus -
hmmm... perhaps you mean to suggest that draft 16 is a significantly fresh revision...

very well, then.
i'll read draft 16 this weekend. then i'll post another review.

Dude, seriously, kill this thing.

Who judged your freakin' career as a journalist? Before you said that, I didn't even know it. Holy shit, you've been writing for 25 years??

At the very least, you should take it down and start over with a new draft. It doesn't look good to have dozens of drafts, some with less than flattering reviews, trailing along behind your newest version like one of those strange, long turds that follow gold fish around in their bowl.

To honest opinions already given, you have responded, "Don't pinch. I'm still dreaming."

As someone who has been an award-winning journalist, you should know that at some point, you must open your eyes and simply acknowledge the system you work in.

Put all this effort into another script, dude. Trust me, I have a weepy drama or two in my old script drawer, so I get your passion for this. Get famous, get to know some actors, then haul out "Flat Pennies" and see if you can call in enough favors to get it made.

Until then...

Pinch.

So if my script has only gotten twelve or so views, then it's no good? None of my work has gotten 500 views or anywhere close to this. Should my feelings be hurt?

Robert, surely you must have another story idea after all those years of journalism.

And yes, I called you Robert Shirley.

Robert - just sell out. Write something for teenage boys, then when you make your millions you can finance Flat Pennies yourself and sweep up at Sundance.

Guys. Please.

I didn't read the script, but AS not digesting it does not mean anything. It's absolutely non-indicative of quality of the story or script...

I am pretty sure my work is good and it has so far been completely below AS radar. So what? There's many ways of skinning that cat.

There's time.

Earlier, I was talking about a back-up script.

If you get in to see a producer, and he doesn't like your first project, it's smart to have a second script in your briefcase. Just in case he says, "I don't want to make a movie from your script, but I'd be willing to read anything else you write."

There's a story in the newspapers recently, about

Ten years ago, Brian Banks was the fiercest middle linebacker on the Long Beach Polytechnic High roster. The University of Southern California (USC), Ohio State University (OSU) and the University of Michigan (UM)l recruited him. Banks insists that he was ready to sign with the USC Trojans. It should have been a fairly tale story from there. Play for the best football program on the West Coast. Shine like he did in high school. Turn pro.


Then he was accused of rape by Wanetta Gibson. Gibson’s name was sealed as a rape victim while Banks was publicly accused as a rapist despite his insistence that it was consensual sex. It was his word against hers and

prosecutors threatened him with life imprisonment if he went to trial,

so he pleaded guilty to a rape that he did not commit.

Gibson accused Banks of taking her into the elevator and sexually assaulting her. Her alleging that he took her into the elevator to assault her was a key component, because it added a "kidnapping enhancement" to the serious charges Banks was already facing.

Per the advice of his lawyer, Banks pleaded no contest to the charges. Instead of getting 18 months, he would serve more than five years in prison.

When he was released he was surprised when his “victim” asked to befriend him on Facebook. She later admitted that she made the whole thing up but did not want to give back the $1.5 million that she won in a judgment against the school district for her alleged rape. (new reports indicate that it may have been closer to the $750,000 mark) She retains the money despite admitting to lying about the rape.

After his release, Gibson met Banks and agreed to speak in front of an investigator. She is quoted as saying “I will go through with helping you but it’s like at the same time all that money they gave us, I mean gave me, I don’t want to have to pay it back.”

Realizing what and who he was dealing with, Banks arranged a second meeting with Gibson to discuss everything – only this time he videotaped it. With that material in hand, Banks and his defense team took the new evidence to court.

This past Thursday, 10 years too late, Banks’ name was cleared
"Cases like Brian's are the reason I do the work I do," said Banks' attorney, Justin Brooks, the director of the Innocence Project and a professor at California Western School of Law. "I'm grateful to the Los Angeles [County] district attorney's office for reviewing the evidence and joining us in seeking to end this injustice."

"We do not plan on taking any legal action against Gibson," said Brooks. "We do plan on filing a state claim for the $100 a day Brian is entitled to under State Law 4900 for every day he was wrongfully incarcerated." - news reports

I'm thinking that a script about this kind of tragedy might appeal to the same producer who agrees to read "Flat Pennies."

@Tony

maybe you're missing the point.
or perhaps i'm missing yours.

while myself and others find FP admirable in concept, the consensus is that the script doesn't fully reward the reader's effort.

of course, draft 16 might be different.
but it better be - or i'm gonna be a grumpy reader/reviewer.

As and author and illustrator of a number of books, I have had a very good career in writing. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean I have written the Great American Script. Just because you can write one thing, doesn't mean you can automatically write another. You have been very luck, 500 downloads, hundreds of Premise Wars, and all these people taking time and an interest in your work. I've been begging people to give me some comments on my own script.

During my short time here at Amazon Studios I have realized this really isn't a contest. You put up a script, but your not competeing against the other scripts on the sight. What your really doing is showing Amazon your work and letting them decide if they think it is a piece of material that a movie can be made from. Downloads, Premise Wars, reviews mean nothing if your screenplay just doesn't fit in to what Amazon is looking for. (And let me state right here I am talking about any script in general, not your in particular.)

In my case, I have no delusion that my script will go anywhere. Mind you, I think it is a very good piece of work - and a few wise people here where kind enough to point out a few flaws, and I appreciate that they took the time to do so - but for it to be made the studio would have to go up against Disney. No one would want to take that challenge!

All I can hope for is that people will read my script - I can only dream of having 500 downloads - and let me know if it's good or not. If my work can entertain just one reader, then writing it was worth the effort. With that many downloads your story has to have entertained a number of people, and who really knows what the future may bring. Perhaps "Flat Pennies" will be picked in the upcoming months. If you really believe in your script - then have faith! Sometimes it takes time before your good manifests in your life.

Donald

Realize that all those downloads just didn't happen Robert has been here since the beginning, and Flat Pennies has been publicized more than any other script here. I once awarded Robert and Flat Pennies the AS Award For Most Publicized Script, sadly I couldn't afford to get him a prize. It was still a great honor.

And he has also had his script reviewed by several outside blogs. Not to mention Flat Pennies was recognized as being AS notable script most of last year. In addition, it was much easier to get folks to review scripts last year.

Dean, thanks, well noted.

m, I appreciate the original thoughts and the energy it took to tell me things I haven't heard before.

S G, no harm no foul, I still love you.

Michael, thanks for kind and thoughtful words and I'm definitely pinching.

Eric, yes the 500 downloads are nice plus the 501st which means S G just downloaded it so I must be prepared for a scathing review and obliterated self-esteem.

James, nope no other ideas but I do dig the Leslie Nielsen reference.

Anthony, the thought crossed my mind... more than twice.

Tony, I couldn't agree more since there are thousands of scripts and thousands of writers here that are no further advanced than my script.

S G, you're like Christmas morning in that I already know what's coming... A big ol' bag of coal.

Donald you made my day with your genuine good-hearted nature and I feel your warmth and love.

Calvin, bless you, as always.

Andrew, what the fuck?!

Dean, thanks, well noted.

m, I appreciate the original thoughts and the energy it took to tell me things I haven't heard before.

S G, no harm no foul, I still love you.

Michael, thanks for kind and thoughtful words and I'm definitely pinching.

Eric, yes the 500 downloads are nice plus the 501st which means S G just downloaded it so I must be prepared for a scathing review and obliterated self-esteem.

James, nope no other ideas but I do dig the Leslie Nielsen reference.

Anthony, the thought crossed my mind... more than twice.

Tony, I couldn't agree more since there are thousands of scripts and thousands of writers here that are no further advanced than my script.

S G, you're like Christmas morning in that I already know what's coming... A big ol' bag of coal.

Donald you made my day with your genuine good-hearted nature and I feel your warmth and love.

Calvin, bless you, as always.

Andrew, what the fuck?!

Love the double posts. Thanks AS!

I said, I love the double posts. Thanks AS!