Is this bad critique?

[anksta]

I applied for this script writing program a few weeks ago and didn't get it, I might have made a thread on here about it I can't remember.

Anyway I was proper gutted at the time and I asked them for some feedback and they've just got back to me today, this is what it said:

Both of the ideas that ***** submitted with his application felt a little lacking in cinematic potential and international appeal, I also worried that the narrative approach to the themes and issues he is interested in exploring was a little heavy-handed.



*****'s CV shows that he is relatively inexperienced as a writer and my feeling is that he needs to concentrate on writing some short form screenplays that have the potential to be produced before leaping into feature-length writing on Drafted. I was also a little confused why he mentions in his CV that feature length comedies are a personal passion and yet neither of the ideas he submitted with his application or his writing sample make any reference to comedy.


Now I know this is part and parcel of the industry I want to get into and a thin skin will get me nowhere but I'm pretty gutted about it. I've only ever had critique from people who are either anonymous or biased. All the feedback I've got has been mostly positive, just change this and this or whatever but they've either known me and feel they have to say its good or I have no reason to not doubt a person's credibility.

The thing is though, I knew my ideas were bad, I knew they were rushed and I didn't like them, they eventually reduced to being there for the sake of it. I know this is an expected reaction and its something no one would believe but I did run out of time, I only got it there on the day and I had to be persuaded to go for it because I knew they weren't what I wanted.

But right, the writing sample I sent was what I used all the time up on and I thought it was one of the best things I'd written but none of the feedback relates directly to that, other than its not comedic (its a drama), the first sentence states "In his 2 story ideas" so I don't really know what to do.

Firstly, is this that bad? What does it mean? Should I be gutted?

Secondly, should I ask them for more feedback regarding my writing sample?

I am so far out of my depth and I have no clue what I'm supposed to do other than "accept it and learn from it" but I'm not even sure what there is to learn? I'm not syaing that because I dont think I have to learn anything, I dont know what it is that I'm supposed to learn.

Sorry for the long post, any advice I appreciate.

 

[SideWinder]

The thing is though, I knew my ideas were bad, I knew they were rushed and I didn't like them, they eventually reduced to being there for the sake of it. I know this is an expected reaction and its something no one would believe but I did run out of time, I only got it there on the day and I had to be persuaded to go for it because I knew they weren't what I wanted.

^ I lost interest after you said this. The writing industry, as you rightly know, isn't for the thin skinned. You have said you expected to be knocked down and you have indeed been flattened by an 'expert'.

Learn from it, suck it up and carry on.

I am not sure about asking for more feedback though.

 

[icedbullet]

Doesn't seem too bad imho. When I paint I hate people rushing me, for my Art A-level final pieces I took 4 months to finish (which is a very long time but I refused to be rushed by the head of art), my point here is that writing is a creative process the same way painting is. If you a rushed, chances are your work wont be the best reflection of what you can really do.

Maybe you could post some of the stuff you submitted and people could give you an unbiased critique here?

 

[Deadbeat]

The fact that you feel so far out of your depth kinda ratifies the criticism. The second paragraph, not sure if it's the same critic or a second guy, but clearly they noticed this in your writing style. It's hardly a crushing "you have no talent, start practicing your burger flip", is it? I don't mean to sound harsh, but it does sound like you're being a little over-sensitive to it. Spend some time reading through the feedback you requested, look past any hurt feelings it may stir in you and apply it to your own subjective opinion of your work and goals.

 

[semi-pro waster]

Without viewing the screenplays you sent in it's hard to know if the criticism was warranted or fair in the conclusions. Due to this it's difficult to state whether that counts as constructive (if terse) criticism or whether they're being unduly dismissive.

As you've said though a thin skin isn't likely to get you far so remember that art is subjective, the ideas might or might not be terrible but one view doesn't necessarily make it so - that you've said you disliked your own ideas ought to give you a clue to their merits though.

 

[anksta]

Doesn't seem too bad imho. When I paint I hate people rushing me, for my Art A-level final pieces I took 4 months to finish (which is a very long time but I refused to be rushed by the head of art), my point here is that writing is a creative process the same way painting is. If you a rushed, chances are your work wont be the best reflection of what you can really do.

Maybe you could post some of the stuff you submitted and people could give you an unbiased critique here?

I can email my writing sample to anyone who wants it, the ideas were terrible. As I said I knew they were bad, they weren't what I wanted at first when I had a clear idea and they by the time I was reading over it and over it I couldn't even remember what it was I wanted the ideas had become so muddied. Like I say I was persuaded to submit because I knew it was bad. I wanted to just submit a writing sample but it was pretty strict.

The fact that you feel so far out of your depth kinda ratifies the criticism. The second paragraph, not sure if it's the same critic or a second guy, but clearly they noticed this in your writing style. It's hardly a crushing "you have no talent, start practicing your burger flip", is it? I don't mean to sound harsh, but it does sound like you're being a little over-sensitive to it. Spend some time reading through the feedback you requested, look past any hurt feelings it may stir in you and apply it to your own subjective opinion of your work and goals.

Is that something they would say though "you have no talent" I dont think I would have minded if they said "this is bad, it doesn't work, you have lots more to learn about this and this and this and that but keep at it there is something there" I think I just expected negative criticism to be specific but informative and something to build and anything that is just a dismissal is something they might say instead of "you have no talent".

 

[TriedandTested]

You've got to expect some knock backs dude. The feedback isn't very comprehensive and also isn't that bad. Without reading the scripts (screenplays?) myself it's hard to pick apart what the feedback is referring to of course.

Remember, this is ONE person's opinion on your work. Doesn't make it right/fair/accurate!

Do you agree with what they have said?

Also, you say you knew your ideas were bad...so how well did you expect them to be received?

Why didn't you put more time in and/or write about your supposed 'passion' of comedies? Or, are they a passion but not something you are comfortable writing?

 

[anksta]

You've got to expect some knock backs dude. The feedback isn't very comprehensive and also isn't that bad. Without reading the scripts (screenplays?) myself it's hard to pick apart what the feedback is referring to of course.

Remember, this is ONE person's opinion on your work. Doesn't make it right/fair/accurate!

Do you agree with what they have said?

Also, you say you knew your ideas were bad...so how well did you expect them to be received?

Why didn't you put more time in and/or write about your supposed 'passion' of comedies? Or, are they a passion but not something you are comfortable writing?

I expected to not get on but I made my peace with that, i expected one thing in whatever they said, not the whole critique just one part of it I could console myself with while I dealt with the bad parts.

The fact that its bad but there aren't really any specifics is whats got me. Its not that I don't agree with them I just don't really know what they mean, how can a narrative be hamfisted? It didn't say "this guy was murdered" or anything in it.

I dont know, I think the critique I would have gotten purely from my sample would have been more helpful. I dont know whether the fact I got about 4 lines says much about how easily my application was rejected.

 

[anksta]

hey orange