Running 'The Gauntlet'

I'd heard about "The Gauntlet" over a year ago, but since I didn't know anyone who'd actually used it, it kind of fell off my radar. Now the reviews are starting to trickle in, including this blog by Charles Haine of No Film School.

The Gauntlet was developed by ScriptHop, whose advisory board includes Jim Herzfeld (Meet the Parents), Akela Cooper (M3gan) and the legendary Shane Black, (The Nice Guys, Lethal Weapon) among many others whose movies you have probably seen as another way for new screenwriters to break into the business.

With a price tag of nearing $400, what do you get since it's not actually a screenplay contest or, technically, a consultant? Haine describes it, somewhat hesitantly, as a "development funnel."

The process is scaffolded: you send in your script, and the first 20 pages are read by several experienced readers. Currently, for Round 1, it’s seven readers. If that is rejected, you can revise and submit based on their feedback. Once you make it through that step, you go to Round 2, where the full project is read by five more readers who are different from the original batch of seven. If they give you the go-ahead, you get sent on to the Final Round, where five more read the script. At this point, you've gotten feedback from 17 readers.

For the price, I would think The Gauntlet is only going to make sense for people who are working at the more advanced level instead of, say, on their first screenplay but far be it from me to tell people what to spend their money on. I know if I was the recipient of one of TSA's scholarships, I'd give some serious thought to running the Gauntlet. No Film School went more in-depth about The Gauntlet when it was first launched - here's their early report.

It's definitely an interesting system and the ScriptHop folks seem to have some pretty experienced pro readers involved up and down the line. They also seem to offer a service to looksmaxx your pitch deck. It's always worth taking a look at the different avenues and resources out there, so if you or anyone you know has used the Gauntlet, chime in and let the rest of us know how it went.