How an underground script list changed movies

The e-mail survey that became a Hollywood institution.
Subscribe to our channel! goo.gl/0bsAjO
Many thanks to Franklin Leonard and TED for this interview we recorded at TED 2017.
Phil Edwards has a chat with Franklin Leonard, the creator of The Black List, Hollywoods’ famous anonymous survey of unproduced screenplays. The Black List isn’t a guarantee that a script will be produced, however, it does give overlooked scripts a second shot of getting on the big screen. A handful of academy award- winning-films found their second chance on the Black List. And in an industry brimming with multi-year contracted sequels, and well-established franchises, the Black List survey has become one of the few places in Tinseltown where one-off scripts have a chance to make it to the big screen.
Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out www.vox.com to get up to speed on everything from Kurdistan to the Kim Kardashian app.
Check out our full video catalog: goo.gl/IZONyE
Follow Vox on Twitter: goo.gl/XFrZ5H
Or on Facebook: goo.gl/U2g06o

[@bethlenfalvydavid]

Vox, please give your motion graphic designer a cookie

[@MediaJunkey]

Dávid Bethlenfalvy I want to learn how to make motion graphics from one of them!!!

[@ExplodedFrog12]

Dávid Bethlenfalvy I

[@kaitlynh3626]

They should make a video about how they do it! That'd be really cool!

[@mrbrightside3771]

I'm a motion graphic designer and I approve of the the cookie.

[@paulhendrix8599]

Yes, please. Some info on the music would be MUCH appreciated as well.

[@cockskacke]

You got some weird topics VOX. But that's kinda why I subscribed

[@error404heather3]

No replies...

[@myatyuwu7303]

@@error404heather3 no likes for u either…

[@Oniikami]

tl;dr: The Blacklist helps movies get made by looking purely at their script instead of the source material (eg Harry Potter), director, actors, etc and having a community of script writers tell what their favorite scripts are. The Beaver had a good script.

[@jeffc5974]

I haven't even seen it, but I know Jim Carrey or Steve Carell would have done it better.

[@jeffs1546]

Yeah, why watch an interesting video and retain information when you can read a brief summary by some guy and forget it before your next meal?

[@swipingsquirrel]

Fun fact: Damien Chazelle's (Director of LaLa Land) script Whiplash was on the Blacklist.

[@Alpha-Andromeda]

There should be a blacklist of independent filmmakers because the Hollywood aesthetic is partly to blame for the flop of movies such as The Beaver. I could have imagined the movie filmed partially with animation to really get us into his mind. Depression is after all a mind voyage. They could have done so much that was different from their usual cinematography, angles, music etc. But it got treated as if it were a standard script. Hollywood needs some fresh blood in there as soon as possible. Such a waste of good talent lies outside the norm.

[@DecafKauffee]

I completely agree. But in this particular case, I think a lot of people skipped the movie because of Mel Gibson.

[@Sageboy13]

I agree

[@Generation4EvaYoung]

I thought the blacklist was a list of actors you should never hire

[@ProfessorSyndicateFranklai]

It was in the McCarthy era. Terms change.

[@sihplak]

They literally brought that up in the video

[@mikq]

Kuo Chong Yii hahahaha

[@finnelhumano6096]

I though the blacklist was a tv show

[@mayagold10]

There is still a blacklist for actors, ask monique.

[@bonibontv7374]

Nice topic Very interesting, keep going Vox

[@Adranash]

nice comment very wholesome, keep going Bonl BOn TV

[@barbeszkovics]

nice answer, keep going Dani Büki

[@animationcomplex]

nice reply, keep going barbara szabo!

[@guiroque8073]

BonI BOn TV I

[@bonibontv7374]

Lol guys

[@cheesecakelasagna]

A Slumdog Millionaire also came from The Black List!

[@jadechang6206]

Thank you Double D

[@aishawaterman492]

i love how vox teaches you the most random and obscure things

[@johnpaulsylvester3727]

Call me crazy, but I saw The Beaver for the first time recently, and it is honestly the best film about mental illness I've ever seen.

[@RealIronyIsGood]

Well he did tell you to call him crazy...

[@rumblefish9]

SuperKane5 everybody is mentally ill nowadays... its more shocking if you aren't

[@Anonymous-eo2er]

John Paul Sylvester the USA has a huge dilemma about talking about mental illness so I wouldn’t call you crazy for saying that.

[@grammarpoliceunita2745]

Anonymous [26490] no they don’t lmao, there’s even self-diagnoses for attention

[@rubycosmo6279]

Exhibit A

[@VSpoodle]

These short form, slick news pieces and factoid videos are consistently of high quality. Go Vox Go

[@onee]

If I have to believe those headlines, you can conclude that "The Beaver" failed because Mel Gibson was the wrong actor. And people kinda hoped to see him fail, after him being so negative in the news for so long.

[@revangerang]

Agree

[@Sagittarius-A-Star]

I don't like him since I know about his religious fundamentalism.

[@mylifeafterbreakfast]

The thing is he's not the wrong actor for the role, but he's the wrong person for the movie. By that I mean that he is a really talented actor and played the role beautifully, but he's such an awful person that a lot of people didn't want to support him.

[@sophiacastano7501]

This is a beautiful video essay. Had me engrossed the entire time!

[@hanspekel1370]

Sophia Castano J

[@ChangeUrAtOnYT.comSlashHandle]

Sophia Castano You're gross

[@samanthaclaremejia7975]

chris why?

[@katkhan6049]

I love how the narrator basically called The Beaver (movie) something straight out of the trash.

[@likhithchandragiri6245]

The editing on this video was so good. And anybody else get excited when they hear the iconic vox tune at 6:14.

[@Touchgrassplz]

i liked that thing. what is that thing called? a chord? a riff?

[@ChilliCharlie22]

I found The Black List about five years ago and I love how it gives aspiring writers like myself hope. Great piece Vox

[@nardo218]

Why do movie insiders always act like a movie with the tiniest dash of magical realism is SO WEIRD SO NEW NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE. There are hundreds of movies with talking toys or talking animals. "Harvey" was 1945. There are talking doll stories in Babylonian scrolls.

[@autonaut279]

America in general is weird about the unreal existing within the real.

[@whiteninja6913]

I agree

[@syahirrashid34]

Only people who has depression could understand The Beaver movie.. I literally cried watching it.

[@KittySYT]

Rais Khairi Oh. How are you feeling now? 😐

[@syahirrashid34]

Kitty S now? I'm feeling gr8 :) have u watched The Beaver?

[@bobmiller3627]

Another good one is Lars Von Trier's "Melancholia." People who have never suffered severe depression will likely struggle to grasp that movie.

[@usmang.a7770]

Everybody has depression nowadays

[@clown_lad]

Usmas As Actually only people diagnosed with depression have depression :)

[@tcdoesstuff]

i've seen the beaver before and it still gives me nightmares thanks for reminding me of it..... it's quite a good and "impacting" movie i get scared easily pls dont judge

[@ayle1312]

*judges you*

[@danielthefox2187]

boo!

[@opheliasghost5783]

The Beaver is actually a great movie, it was a shame that its main actor was a shitty human being

[@gurpreetdhillon5182]

Opheliasghost Mel Gibson rocks!

[@FredrickTesla]

Opheliasghost I'm glad that open minded emotionally aware individuals, such as yourself, don't think people can change for the better, and have absolutely no capacity for forgiveness inside them... oh wait... no, I'm not.

[@part-timepartytime9621]

People change when they're young. When you're grown your brain is set.

[@AvgJane19]

Opheliasghost one of the headlines suggested Jim Carrey was up for the role, I really think it could have been amazing of he's done it.

[@ska4dragons]

No one's brain is ever "set". Your brain is not a cake baking in the oven, though maybe you are baked if you think your brain becomes "set".

[@margaesperanza]

This made me remember the original script for Passengers. It was said that it was a top contender on the blacklist with a different way the scenes were arranged and an even darker tone (it was more of a thriller than a romance). It was said that studio execs would produce the script IF he wrote the script for Prometheus. He got his wish in the end, but studio execs thought HEY LETS MAKE THIS A ROMANCE AND CHANGE THE INTENT AND TONE OF THE WHOLE GODDAMN SCREENPLAY! So basically getting your screenplay chosen from the blacklist is only half the battle, now you have to hope that the director and the studio respect your vision.

[@trapador36]

I am a simple man, i see new Vox video, i watch

[@TheDudsPlay]

Simple sheep

[@bex9199]

Weasel Whale I agree

[@nickskrable6473]

Mr. Kebab you better not watch the new video

[@johnhooft5091]

Try being original

[@Lobstrique]

this is amazing. damn. i love you, Vox. love you to the bottom of my heart. thank you for existing. you anthropoligical media geniuses.

[@dangeejr]

Vox, you have become my number 1 for incredibly interesting information. Thank you, to all of you at Vox. Your hard work and efforts do not go unnoticed.

[@LanakilaMiller]

I recommend everyone acting this video is to watch the 16 minute video on the TED Talks channel that goes into further detail solely interviewing Franklin Leonard about the accidental blacklist and how he changed the ways movies get made. (Goes to show one person can truly change a business industry and the outcomes of those to get nominations and awards at the different areas. (Ultimately even changing people’s careers from new actors or writers to having a movie made and win awards, making the actors jump to be desirable for other roles as well as writers and others to be hired for future films. It didn’t just change movies being made but changed careers for actors and the behind the lens people on movies)

[@jimb1580]

Thanks for the thoughtful suggestion!

[@braddelade]

You're videos are really awesome dude!

[@jiaxign]

That ending line was great, nice metaphor used!

[@nedisahonkey]

Great idea for a video! Been fascinated by the topic since I learned about it.

[@sharon__a]

Phil Edwards thank you for your consistently captivating video topic choices 👌

[@mckayla1609]

i was looking through the blacklists and i saw the imitation game, one of my favourite movies, on there with 133 votes, and the umbrella academy, one of my favourite tv shows, with 6 votes!! i also saw birdbox (13 votes), the fault in our stars (17 votes), i, tonya (8 votes) and booksmart (13 votes) just to name a few!! it was also cool to see that bohemian rhapsody use to be called somebody to love with 2 votes!!

[@jimb1580]

I, Tonya ! ! ! ⭐ 📖 ⛸️ 😆

[@AmberAmber]

This was freaking fascinating!💗

[@kittyykatie]

steve carrell wouldve been a better fit than mel

[@Valrax]

Yeah... not for a movie meant to show depression, hes too funny naturally lol

[@IronicHavoc]

@@Valrax He has range, especially recently

[@AmberAmber]

@@IronicHavoc yeah - I feel Steve Carrell does sad verrrrrrry well.

[@BibleStorm]

Steve Carrell is remarkably one-dimensional. He's typecast for a reason.

[@UltimateKyuubiFox]

nooneknows Watch the movie Foxcatcher.

[@aapjeaaron]

0:35 this is perfect. Not only do you state just the review score but the person or the amount of reviews that ultimately gave that score. Ideal transparency. Why doesn't everybody do this?

[@linasuperdina994]

this was really interesting! Thanks VOX :)

[@korakys]

Excellent sound design on this video Vox.

[@alibaebee7675]

what a great idea! great topic for this as well 💖

[@Danielevans2]

THIS IS INCREDIBLE!!! This has summed up the film industry in 7 minutes. A uni would take 2 years to even get close to explaining something as intricate and engaging as this! Love it VOX

[@kalenzypie]

Fascinating and timely to come across with the oscars around the corner! Vox and Ted is a top-tier collab team!

[@tbrokeboy417]

Nice job on the ending. Great metaphor.

[@JamesJohnson-kb9ff]

Loving the Box and TED clash

[@HanaTNT]

Wow! very interesting topic! Thanks Vox for always giving me general knowledge!

[@MoonFairy929]

Had never heard of the beaver and have fallen off the Mel train. But, I can't wait to see this movie. As a writer, I loved this video. Thanks for the info. Keep up the great work!

[@sploosh6433]

Thanks for sharing this - a way around the "Hollywood" picks

[@KookyAssignments]

God i love stuff like this! Thank you Vox

[@elixorvideos]

"75 of my peers" mr popular over here. Seriously though, definitely going to check the list out.

[@har795]

Awesome topic, I've been looking at list of scripts on Black List for a while, it's surprising how many are turned into movies a couple years later

[@zanearnold1337]

That was a great conclusion.

[@mrunseen3797]

Would be interesting to see a making of of a vox video. Especially the editing process.

[@Sickhoop]

God I love the analogy at the end

[@HOTKNlFE]

I remember watching The Beaver infront of our box tv when I was 6, some of the scenes changed my perspectives and made me learn new things and ask new questions I’ve never had before, “the Black List” is a kinda life changing list of films if you really dig deep into it. :-)

[@leovomend8789]

great video and great music on the video

[@passthelimejuice]

I'm too distracted by the graphic design in the video to pay attention to what the video was about.

[@ZachBobBob]

Yeah it was way too erratic. Amazing all the same, but it needs calming down a tad imo

[@nathanplacer4176]

I agree. I could hardly hear what Franklin Leonard said because of the erratic editing and the intense sounds and music.

[@gooney2846]

Nathan Placer lmao then turn on the subtitles lil bih everyone else seem to hear it just fine

[@gooney2846]

Damn bro how come u dudes can't listen and watch at the same time?

[@benjamin3813]

Yall keep bring me outta boredom all the time. I love Vox...#VoxforPres&Govt2020

[@comady25]

Vox's entertainment videos are easily the best on the channel

[@GuyverV]

i love that you didn't feel the need to "finish" that last sentence. that's good writing

[@lorealmadonna8]

Yes! I love videos like this!

[@aarond9563]

Shoutout Franklin Leonard!

[@mizzbelle97]

That guy is so crafty. This is such a no-brainer I can't believe it already hadn't been made. What an interesting Vox.

[@jakmanxyom]

1:43 - The King's Speech and Django Unchained were in The Blacklist?! Duuuuuuuude... Also, The Hitman's Bodyguard too was part of this too - originally a serious drama before a drastic rewriting not long after Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson's casting was done

[@Hayahuya]

pretty cool metaphor at the end

[@alypixar4690]

Great video

[@coreycox2345]

Inviting participants to add to the list was smart. Once I formed an ad hoc group of all the planning directors in Maricopa County. It reminds me of this because they were expert and smart. All of their ideas were a lot more powerful than any one of them.

[@kandystorressantiago8865]

I loved The Beaver! lol. I guess I'm one of the few. I loved its strangeness and the "wtf did I just watched" factor :)

[@Justgirlmustache]

I'm glad to see there's a creative way out of just remakes and franchises

[@Dubandlela12]

Video so good i didn't even notice its 7 minutes

[@Devinn504]

Thought this was about my favorite Netflix show, the blacklist!

[@TheJrbdog]

You mean the NBC show...

[@jupitired777]

Thank u I literally didn't know that existed

[@GennaG]

The beginning scared me so much oh my god

[@bas8116]

very interesting video, thank you.

[@TonyMacFarlane]

Thanks so much for this. I've been cogitating how it happened to our culture that movies such as Juno and Argo could be considered "Independent Cinema". Now I know-it is merely a post-modern astroturfing of the subgenre-more an "alt-blockbuster" than truly Independent Cinema. I am glad that Hollywood found a way past the gatekeepers of CGI/SpecialFX eye-bombardment that has dominated our screens throughout this century, but I am also saddened that quirky, struggling stories are getting horned out by mediocre, stay-in-your-lane flix that have more in common with the big hits: greenlighted by accountants (not artists).

[@RuRaynor]

This video just made me wonder how much magic is in the thousands of scripts that don't get ready every year, the ones written by people who have no desire to be anywhere near Hollywood or brown nose a bunch of abusive movie types to get their scripts looked at. More truly independent cinema please!

[@runarandersen878]

This was interesting. Never heard of it before, but a great idea.

[@sweiland75]

Shoot! I knew about that movie The Beaver from years ago but never got around to seeing it. I need to find it online.

[@pratikmantri2757]

Mona Lalwani you are doing a awesome job at editing!

[@Gangerworld]

Man Vox really knows how to make videos.

[@curtiscarpenter9881]

I think this deserves my close attention as I want to write under my pen name Cornelius Esquire.

[@juliaczenmelendres7945]

I live for these things...

[@chain-wallet]

this is great

[@kennedythedford9102]

For my script class we had to read the Black list. It’s great.

[@isabelaoliveira9270]

Really interesting video

[@Mandraquex3000]

You know what would be nice, Vox, if you could provide the links you discuss in your videos, in the description so we can just click to the right website. Just sayin' :)

[@kayduff5676]

Very interesting!

[@blondedtiff]

wow.

[@salokin3087]

Those braids, so cool

[@katieray436]

What's the song that you've used in the first part of this video? I love it!

[@NilssonTheo]

Katie Ray tell me if you find out! I need it in my playlist!!

[@SuperBlackjow]

Locked-in mind - Frédéric Cyrille

[@katieray436]

Sweet! Thanks for the info!!!!

[@Chetab01]

They should definitely expand this to Books and Articles too

[@TheTablaChannel]

I was so high I thought this was going to be about the NBC show

[@Adityashrivastava27101992]

Now I want to see that movie

[@hackerofawesomeness]

I liked that guest speaker

[@revangerang]

[images of scripts] "...sees something mangy and weird in the pile of trash. He pulls [it] out. And then, everything changes." Nice metaphor you got there A+ 👍🏻💯

[@maurijnmaurijn4631]

Do no understand much from what i just seen? Can someone explain in short?

[@9786oof]

Maurijn //Maurijn movies that haven't been produced yet but people in the movie industry are interested in making are put on a list so that they can make them in the future

[@sergonesergo]

'The Beaver' is a beautiful movie, I think. I have nostalgic memories about it being insightful and intriguing. And it does bring through a good way of how we see depression coping. And I mean it's weird alright. But the weirdest part is Jennifer Laurence's acting, not the beaver concept lol

[@MotorHeadTech]

Cool, I need my good type of autobiography/ biography movie idea to be started...

[@TheChurchHistoryChannel]

I want to watch that movie now.

[@rajb4726]

Thank you for introducing me to Mexicanos Lento Edit by La Palma

[@aizadaznal3050]

Damn, this was good.

[@Rboym]

Wow. That was wild. But bravo.

[@cesarT921]

Phil Edwards is the best.

[@mrseaweed1000]

Argo was a bloody tremendous movie. If you haven't seen it, I absolutely recommend it

[@danielmarynak3033]

why is this so fu***ng interesting omg

[@spiderliliez]

Hey, I liked "The Beaver" you know.