Some thoughts on "Amazon Studios"
clay...@aol.com
Amazon -- in conjunction with Warner Bros. -- has started this online
studio to "unearth" some scripts and/or movies.
WARNING: Any script you upload to this site is immediately viewable and
downloadable by ANYBODY who signs up.
WARNING # 2: If Amazon decides to award your script a prize, they OWN
it forever and ever. They award $20,000 to two scripts a month,
starting January.
WARNING # 3: Anybody can give "notes" on your script, qualified or not.
That being said, this could be a good opportunity to get noticed --
especially if you have a script known around town as a "Frisbee" --
it's been tossed around by everybody.
Which leads us to WARNING # 4: Don't upload any script you have "hopes"
for. Bad coverage/notes -- especially by unqualified people -- will be
the kiss of death.
However, the way the site is set up makes it easy to be "gamed" -- and
here's how: A group of screenwriters gets together and decides to give
each others' scripts five stars and good coverage.
That will start the ball rolling so that each script dominates the
highly rated section of the website.
FULL DISCLOSURE: Yes, I put a script up there -- one that I've been
having some second act problems with. It'll be interesting to see
what notes I get.
C.