A Short Script Revolution: Interview With CJ Walley

Killer Shorts is excited to bring you this interview with CJ Walley, a screenwriter and film producer, and founder of Script Revolution. Killer Shorts is happy to promote Script Revolution as a fantastic resource for writers to get their scripts discovered. CJ started Script Revolution as a solution to over-priced screenwriting competitions, to offer a free-to-use platform for all writers, from varying backgrounds, to showcase their work. Script Revolution has opened up a level-playing field for writers through a term CJ coined, SCRIPTOCRACY. You will read more about the meaning of the word in the interview below.

Many of our Killer Shorts finalists have showcased their work on the Script Revolution site as a large number of success stories lean towards low budget and horror. Script Revolution is an excellent resource for Killer Shorts horror writers to promote their scripts for free. Poster artwork is a big feature of the scripts showcased on Script Revolution, so get creative, create a profile, and start uploading your scripts.

For a deeper dive into the brilliance of Script Revolution, check out the interview with CJ Walley below.

Conversations with CJ Walley

What made you want to start Script Revolution?

As I made more and more friends within the amateur screenwriter scene, I couldn’t help but notice how many were in this awful situation where they felt they had to keep spending money, significant money in fact, to get any kind of exposure on their work. Back in 2016, when I launched the platform, it felt like you only really had the choice of competitions at around $50 an entry or hosting platforms at £50 a month. It was obvious this was putting an additional level of pain and stress onto people who were already struggling financially and mentally.

Check out Script Revolution here.

What was your goal when you launched Script Revolution? Who is the main demographic you hope notices the scripts being featured on the site?

My main goal was to generate competition by offering a free alternative that would ultimately drive costs down for the average screenwriter hoping to get discovered. I also wanted to offer something that was open to all filmmakers and non-exclusive or elitist. Those getting squeezed out of the alternatives were low-budget independent filmmakers. Just the kind who could launch an undiscovered writer’s career.

Why do you feel it is important to provide a resource for writers to highlight their work without a paywall and what advantage do you think this gives to writers that paid services do not?

Artists come in all shapes and sizes and many who have the greatest contributions to make do so because they come from a background that isn’t privileged. I also know that discovering material takes time – a lot of time- so a free to use platform gives the average person somewhere they can park their material for the months or even years that it may take to get noticed by the right person. They can do that and get back to doing what makes them happiest, writing.

What has the process been like of getting Script Revolution noticed on the same scale as The BlackList or Coverfly?

I thought launching a free script hosting database with all the features Script Revolution had from day one would be a huge deal. I couldn’t have been more wrong. In almost six years, the press and opinion leaders have mostly avoided ever mentioning it. It’s uncanny and I’ve had both PR people and industry members comment on how it feels like the break-in industry actively doesn’t want to talk about it. As a result, the site has grown almost entirely via word of mouth and new members still often exclaim they can’t believe they didn’t know it existed. There are a handful of highly respected champions out there however such as Jonathan Wolf (MD of the American Film Market), Rich RB Botto (CEO of Stage 32) along with Brian Austin and Scott Foster (ScriptHop). I’ll take validation from people like that over paying for advertorial any day. Ironically, the only time Script Revolution has received any mainstream coverage was in an article on the MovieMaker website thanks to a charitable mention by a friend at Coverfly!

You’ve generously provided a free 1-Year Rockstar membership to the Killer Shorts Top 3 winners in each category this year. Can you tell us a bit about what this Rockstar membership includes?

Rockstar Members get prioritized listings for all their scripts, access to a bunch of discounts on screenwriting related services, extra features such as the ability to see all their statistics, and various other perks such as being invited into occasional webinars. Rockstar membership was born out of a willingness by members to contribute to the costs of running the site and then giving them something back in return. It’s beautiful because it’s turned into a situation where everyone wins.

How do you think a short script can be beneficial for a writer’s career?

Not in the way many people think. Most screenwriters focus on a short getting them noticed as a writer but that’s unlikely given how all the focus is on the director and the actors. The real benefits, in my opinion, are in the rapid rate of learning and networking. Getting a short made is like a boot camp in professional film production. It teaches you so much about the process and how to effectively collaborate while also potentially building working relationships that grow together. Directors tend to stick with writers and the best time to form that partnership is right at the beginning of their career.

How do you think a writer can best utilize a short script?

I feel that short scripts are best utilized as calling cards that showcase a writer’s true artistic voice. You want material out there that only you can write and someone on your wavelength is going to want to make. Again, you learn a lot from sticking by your “brand” so to speak and that prepares you somewhat for building a career in the industry. It’s also some of the best validation you’ll get as a writer who’s struggling to believe in themselves. I owe a lot, perhaps everything, to the short scripts I optioned. The experience gave me a newfound faith in myself.

What success stories can you share with us of shorts being noticed or optioned from writers utilizing Script Revolution’s services?

The majority of success stories on Script Revolution have been short scripts and that’s thanks in part to me giving the Shootin’ The Shorts team both a home and the facility to highlight great material. In fact, one of our members, Jason K. Allen, has optioned around a dozen shorts via the site. When it comes to short productions that feel like they have big budgets behind them, it’s worth checking out the success story entries for Confession Day written by Zack Zupke and An Angel Whispers written by J.B. Storey. 

Screenwriters are often laser-focused on finding representation, but this usually doesn’t happen with short screenplays. Script Revolution allows writers to connect with other writers and filmmakers. Can you talk about the benefits of using short scripts to network in this way?

Short scripts can be like little proof of concepts for writers. They can sell your unique voice by demonstrating your tone and style. Most industry members I know, particularly those with influence, do not want to read yet another feature script unless they absolutely have to. A short script doesn’t come with that kind of time demand. Amateur writers who think representation is the answer need a reality check. Most agents and managers with clout are looking at pros who are already working unless they have someone highly recommended by a respected third-party. All that energy writers are using up chasing reps is best spent going direct to directors, actors and producers.

Script Revolution is big on poster artwork. Whether or not to include an illustrated title page can be a polarizing topic. Can you talk a little bit about why you’ve chosen to embrace it on the site?

I think it’s fair to say Script Revolution is the poster child for adding posters to scripts LOL! I was the first to drive this trend and appreciate how polarizing it can be. The simple fact is that I’ve seen the positive impact posters can have on industry members. It would have been disingenuous of me not to encourage people to leverage the opportunity and orientating the site to showcase the best examples has given it a look and feel that really helps it stand out. We’re moving into an era where screenwriters are having to do a lot more to get people to go from reading a logline to reading an entire script (something I call the “gap”) and posters are a great way of doing that.

What is SCRIPTOCRACY?

It’s a term I coined for creating a level playing field where scripts can find champions that help validate their potential. Script Revolution orders scripts in mostly random fashion and allows users to effectively “upvote” them by marking them as a favourite. If half a dozen people love your script, I think that’s powerful; you have the nucleus of an audience there and that deserves to be both recognized and leveraged.

For the short scripts that have been optioned on your site, have you noticed anything they have in common? In other words, which scripts have the best chance of being discovered?

In terms of trends, they seem to run very similar to features; low budget and horror make up the bulk of the success stories. Filmmakers producing shorts tend to be doing so at a loss with zero profit prospects so the cheaper and easier to make, the better. Horror fans are enthusiastic consumers, highly supportive of new talent and very forgiving when it comes to production limitations. 

Which genres of screenplays see the most traction or popularity, and why do you think that is?

You can actually analyze this for yourself by exploiting some of the features in the database. For example, going to the Most Popular Rockstar Scripts page and filtering it to features that are under option shows a clear trend toward thrillers. This doesn’t surprise me in terms of the kind of material people want to read and produce as thrillers tend to be engaging, cheap to make, and suitable for a very wide audience worldwide. Horror, dramas, and comedies are also common as, again, they are low cost to make while also having sizable markets to serve. 

Killer Shorts endorses Script Revolution as an incredible free resource for writers, and we’re happy to see many of our finalists already showcasing their horror short scripts on your site. For those yet to take the plunge, can you talk a bit about how easy it is to create a profile and upload scripts?

I see every account that’s created on Script Revolution and every logline posted. I’ve watched people sign-up and upload their entire portfolio in an afternoon with my email inbox pinging with each submission. We’re over thirteen-thousand members strong now with no complaints over it being too complicated to use the site. It just makes sense to be part of the revolution.

What if they don’t have poster artwork? Would you still recommend they upload their script anyways? 

I think it would be madness to miss out on the opportunity, especially when it’s free. Scripts without poster images get read on Script Revolution all the time. The Success Stories section might not make it look like that’s the case as I’ll often create a poster when one doesn’t exist – I do that because it generates more interest for the writer when I share their news online – because, you know, people like visuals.

Script Revolution appears to be highly successful, with hundreds of scripts uploaded monthly and many success stories. What are some challenges you face with keeping this site going that people might not be aware of?

I know for a fact that many members don’t realise it’s just me behind the scenes because they’ll send emails addressing the “team”. I literally built the site by myself, learning most of the skills needed on the fly. I have to juggle maintenance, development, and admin with my writing career which now also includes co-producing films on top of writing them. The last five years or so have been a near vertical learning curve so the challenges are always finding time and developing new skills.

What’s next for Script Revolution? Any goals you’d like to see come to fruition in the future? 

I’ve learned not to be goal-oriented and instead focus on an attitude over a plan. There’s no real strategy for Script Revolution other than to put helping writers unite with filmmakers as a priority and taking each day as it comes. If the platform continues to be kept underground then so be it. I’d rather a thousand writers start humble lifelong careers than one appear to make it into the limelight for a fleeting moment. I guess my ultimate ambition is to be able to walk into a film festival and have a drink with my peers knowing I’ve earned their respect and done my best to further this artform.

Final Thoughts

At Killer Shorts, we really suggest all you horror writers, and screenwriters in general, to check out Script Revolution. All on his own, CJ has created a platform that makes scripts discoverable for all writers. By removing the paywall, Script Revolution has made it possible for any writer to create a profile and submit all their scripts for free. Script Revolution just might be that step you need for your scripts to be discovered. What are you waiting for? Go set up that free profile!

Submissions to Season 4 of the Killer Shorts Contest are now live. Make sure to submit by the early bird deadline on August 5th for only $25. Submit here.

Script Revolution website.

Script Revolution on Twitter.

CJ Walley on Twitter.