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ScreenplayLab Feedback Process - No Criticism

In our opinion, there's no such thing as constructive criticism. Criticism wastes time and kills the creative energy in the room. If someone says, "Here are some ways you could make the second act more powerful...", that's not criticism. Implicit in that suggestion may be that the writer's second act is flawed, but it saves time and feelings to go straight to the potential solutions.

Part of our process is to encourage artists to be thinking and contributing solutions. Since we all tend to make the same mistakes, many writers will have the same flaws in their own scripts that they hear in another writer's script. Our readings are a great mental exercise for thinking of ways to improve your own scripts while silencing your inner critic that can cause writer's block.

Not only writers, actors and filmmakers need to be able to collaborate, to suggest solutions. When something isn't working during production there's no time to bash, and criticism is too easy. Thinking solutions instead of criticism makes everyone better writers, actors and filmmakers.