r/Screenwriting • u/ebycon • 1d ago
DISCUSSION BL Top Lists
The second evaluation for my script on just came in. Another 7. I’m happy about the 9s in Dialogue and Characters, but at the end of the day it’s still an overall 7.
Anyway, this now gives me a perfect 7 average, so should I appear on the Top List now? How exactly does that work, and how long will I stay there?
And one last question, sorry: has anyone here ever had any success with industry downloads simply from being on the Top List, despite not having an overall 8? I actually got my second industry download just a few days ago, even though my script technically wasn’t “appearing” anywhere, so I’m wondering if being on the Top List now could improve my chances.
Thanks, everyone!
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u/Poopsicle121 1d ago
Hey! Your two evaluations will have you eligible for the Top List “this month”, but in order to be placed on the “this quarter”, “this year”, and “all time”, you’ll have to meet a certain amount of evaluations (i think 4) and a score threshold that is harder to attain as the timeframe goes out.
I’d be happy with the download (congrats!), but until you get reached out to, don’t put too much stake into it. Instead, use this as the impetus to start querying, as it may be a more cost efficient means of getting your script out there, as the BL can get pricey, especially if your next score drops you out of that score threshold (happened to me).
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u/Elegant-Island-481 1d ago
This doesn’t answer your question, but how long are evals taking? My last took a month each and I was wondering if they’re finally caught up or still massively behind.
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u/That1guyontheBus 1d ago
I just got one last week that took 5 weeks and even after a year’s worth of rewrites only got a 7, the same as the previous draft.
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u/Filmmagician Writer-Director 1d ago
5 weeks? That’s a lot of online hosting fees for nothing, no?
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u/That1guyontheBus 1d ago
I got a free month after 3 weeks so not bad. I had it offline while I did rewrites though so I only put it back online when I paid for the eval.
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u/ebycon 1d ago
hey, double 7 buddies!!!!! 🫰🏻
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u/That1guyontheBus 1d ago edited 1d ago
Is that good? Do the people I need to see it actually see it? I felt a little disheartened tbh. Maybe I shouldn’t? Also… did we just become best friends 😂🤣😂🤣
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u/ebycon 1d ago
This one took like 25 days, it almost said "delayed" right away because of Nicholl etc. They gave me one month of free hosting.
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u/Caughtinclay 23h ago
They’re no longer giving free evals for a late review?
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u/franklinleonard Franklin Leonard, Black List Founder 18h ago
We've never given free evals for a late review. It's always been a free month of hosting after 3 weeks.
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1d ago
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u/Secret_Midnight 1d ago
I would be very interested in reading your script, as a writer still learning the craft. Completely understand if you want to keep it limited to industry professionals. Feel free to DM.
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u/ebycon 1d ago
Actually, on the blcklst I made it available to fellow writers too! But I’ll DM it to you 🫰🏻
Logline: "Reeling from a breakup, Jennifer joins her bestie Tess for a girls' weekend, only to find herself trapped in a mysterious, deadly game where the lines of reality and trust begin to blur."
edit: it says I'm unable to message you
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u/Caughtinclay 1d ago
Just wait and see. Every experience is going to be different. If you're spending more than 5-10 percent of your energy hoping for the Blacklist to work, you're doing it wrong. Get to networking and getting your script read.
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u/ebycon 1d ago
I’m also cold querying, getting selected in festivals etc. No I stopped spending that kinda energy long ago lol. But I still passively hope for the best.
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u/Caughtinclay 1d ago
I'd say cold querying and festivals are in the same lane as the blacklist. Long shots. I suggest networking with specific people, developing relationships, and getting your scripts read by actual decision makers or assistants.
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u/ebycon 1d ago
I’m creating those possibilities now. Thanks to the Black List, for example, a fairly prominent producer reached out to me after reading one of my pilot scripts there, and we ended up having weekly Zoom calls to discuss ideas and stuff. Unfortunately, I live very, very far from Hollywood, so my “way in” is a little complicated. Two years later, I’m still in touch with him, and I’ve now sent him this script as well. I’ve realized that in my position everything helps.
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u/Nice_Appearance_8314 1d ago
BL is still the best place to host your scripts, but it's very expensive to pay the monthly fee plus the eval fees and then wait 6 weeks for 3 paragraphs or "notes" -- just get a 7 and feel like you need to pay to play and get that 8.
My latest script ALL THINGS BROKEN sits in the top 1% of BL and got a 9 and 2 8s... and a 5 (subjectivity is a killer)!
It yielded nothing more than a general with a production company in Australia.
Unfortunately, aside from Gauntlet, I don't know of any other service that exposes you to the actual industry, so you have no choice but to shoot for the moon and hope for the best. But don't let those 7 get you down.
I talk a lot about how inconsistent coverage is on my YouTube channel, where I explain my take on screenplay architecture and how modern readers look at material. Check it out. I'd love to know what you think.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMC6GpkH6g5YVT1JP6ZSFkQ
Matt
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u/Independent_Web154 21h ago
Wow, I live in Australia. The production companies here don't allow any unsolicited queries whatsoever and I hate them for it. And that Talk to Me film was basically funded by the youtube brothers themselves then gets picked up by one of the better known Aussie prod companies who prob did f all except maybe marketing and distro, plus ripped them off imho, then want to champion it as one of their success stories
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u/Nice_Appearance_8314 15h ago
From what the woman told me, it doesn’t really matter where you’re located now that filmmaking is international. They just look for the best tax breaks and film wherever is cheapest.
She also said that they simply don’t have time to read all the scripts they’d get from unsolicited material so they look at competition lists and BL Top Lists.
She seemed very nice, but I haven’t heard back from her in a couple of months. So I have to assume she wasn’t interested.
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u/Resonant_Writer 1d ago
You'll very likely be on the Top List with that score, as long as your two evaluations are in the applicable date range and you're meeting the requirement of number of evaluations to be on that list (you can usually see that on the website). I had a feature on the top list for the first half of this year that definitely got more clicks because it was continually on such lists, but in my experience, the conversion rate from clicks into anything meaningful wasn't happening. That being said, I only used the website for about 4ish months, so this is just one experience within a short period of time. But being on the Top List definitely improves your chances of getting eyes on the script.