#ReadersSoWhite This is the diversity problem in Hollywood...

Ironically, the coverage is from blcklst.com, which was started by African American Franklin Leonard, a development executive who subsequently worked at Universal Pictures and Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment. Since establishing the survey in 2005, Mr. Leonard must have left things on cruse control. 

I spoke with a number of African American writers and they insist they can't get a fair reading at blcklst.com or any other place in Hollywood.  There simple aren't any black readers and the white readers will simply not let most back screenplays through the filter.  

1. This reader doesn't know who Robert Smalls was. They are both "white" AND "uneducated". Every black person I know understands who Robert Smalls was. And even if the reader didn't know who he was that isn't an excuse for keeping others from learning this lesson from History. Films are to educate too; it's not only entertainment. Who knew who  Solomon Northup was before 12 Years a Slave? 

2. This treatment reads to me like a list of clichés used to turn people  of color aside. More than half is simply some sort of proof that the reader actually did the work and read the script; there is plenty of mention of meaningless information from the screenplay. But the heart of it is a tirade against bio-pics. This is code for no bio-pictures about African Americans?  What about Martin Luther King Jr. (Selma), Ray Charles (Ray), Jimi Hendrix (All By My Side), Muhammad Ali (Ali),  and Jackie Robinson (42). There are other bio-pics and basically the African American bio-pics have done better than the others (white bio-pics).  

3. This reader has no sense of history and African Americans place in it. The story is CLEARLY about Lincoln’s use of Black soldiers in the Civil war. They made a successful movie about the end result - Glory. This screenplay answers the question why did Lincoln allow the Black soldiers to fight. Most in the North were opposed to it and Lincoln himself was opposed to the idea. What changed his mind? Lincoln changed his mind after a meeting with Robert Smalls. But this movie isn’t worth making?

In the end, I’m just sick of the way African American writers are treated and I’m convinced the reason we can’t have Black actors nominated for Academy Awards is that their award winning characters are written but never produced. This is because of the poor quality and racial bias of Hollywood readers. 

And it isn't just this one African American story rejected by the Hollywood blacklist. There are numerous others that received a low rating. Blcklst.com freely admits that they employ no colored readers. They also admit they are told to out of hand reject any paid coverages. Thus they essentially lock out any writers of color.  

Join with me an tweet your disgust #readerssowhite

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Mid-1800s to 1900s

Washington, D.C./South Carolina/Pennsylvania/Massachusetts

Medium

Period Drama, Political Drama, War Adventure

The story of Robert Smalls, a freed slave from South Carolina who stole a Confederate ship during wartime, later helped convince President Lincoln to allow black men to fight in the war, and eventually became a US Congressman.

It's easy to enjoy Robert throughout this script. The story establishes his work ethic and impressive nature early on, as we (the audience) see him transition from working the docks, to working as a busboy AND waiter in the hotel. Robert even finds time to pitch in with Hannah's toddler, who's chewing leaves. Robert's resolves continues throughout the story, as he meets with Stanton and Lincoln, and later faces unrelenting adversity in the post-war South. The corrupt judge is just one example of the kind of trouble Smalls is wrongly up against, though he handles it about as well as possible. Another difficult moment that demonstrates Smalls' compassion comes when the old Mrs. Mckee invites herself inside and acts as though she's still Smalls' owner. Perhaps the most affecting element of this story is the relationship between Robert and Levy. The latter is unthinkably insensitive when she asks for an extra $700 for Hannah's and Robert's unborn child, and she has the gall to broach the subject after the war when she desperately needs the money. Thankfully, Robert maintains that the money "owed" is "utterly uncollectable". Finally, a specific description stood out as a vivid passage: the Captain noting that firing the guns on the ship is "like sticking your head in a bucket and setting off a stick of dynamite in your teeth".

The challenge in writing a biopic is telling a focused, overarching story. The script claims on page 5 that it's about Smalls convincing Lincoln to let him and other black soldiers fight in the Civil War, but in reality, that subplot plays a minor role. Yes, we flashback to Smalls' interaction with Lincoln during the climactic third act, but the script doesn't build to that point. Instead, we see a collection of important moments from Smalls' entire life, from his childhood all the way to his older years during the 1900s. Seeing Smalls' story play out after the Lincoln meeting saps the interaction of any conflict; we already know what Lincoln will decide. (As an aside: a script shouldn't need to tell the reader - meaning buyer - what it's about.) Much of the story is about Smalls' war exploits; then it's about smalls running for state legislature; then Smalls has become a US Congressman; then it's about Smalls court case, and so on. Each of these moments feels underdeveloped, because the piece tries to squeeze the lead's entire life into a 2-hour film. For instance, Smalls wins his elections though his campaigning is hardly ever shown. Another example: Smalls suddenly has a new wife (Annie), but it's hard to care about her passing since we don't know her.

Ultimately, it's difficult to consider ESCAPE THE PLANTER a serious candidate for sale in Hollywood at the moment. As noted above, the story needs focusing in order to engage an audience. If this script is about Smalls' climactic meeting with Lincoln, perhaps the entire film should be devoted to his time with The Planter leading up to that meeting. Or, perhaps the story could revolve around his campaign for US Congress, and the piece uses flashbacks to build Smalls' character and resolve while on the campaign trail (culminating with him winning the election). Those kinds of changes are going to take serious development, and it's hard to imagine buyers being interested in the piece until there are some major improvements. Some industry players avoid period pieces altogether, believing audiences are more drawn to contemporary stories. Recreating the setting can make a production more complicated and expensive, as well. Biopics are also a notoriously difficult type of film to sell; they're prone to under-performing at the box office, and the very nature of trying to tell someone's life story often makes for wandering, unfocused plots. Robert Smalls doesn't have the name recognition that typical biopic subjects do, either. All in all, it's an uphill battle to the silver screen for this piece.

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I'm sick and tired of Hollywood's Bullshit! 

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