Every week here at Compass, we'll be reading a script together and discussing it from all kinds of angles: Is it a good script? Is it a good piece of entertainment? How does it execute things like act structure, character development, scene construction, style? What are the best parts of it? What are the worst? What would you tell a friend if they sent you this script, asking for notes? How does the script compare to, if available, the produced version? And any other relevant question you can think of!

Have a deep, thoughtful analysis of the script you want to share? Drop it in! Just want to add a point or participate in the discussion, feel free!

Yesterday, it was announced that Compass' first Community Script Read would be the pilot of hit Canadian sci-fi series ORPHAN BLACK, penned by Graeme Manson.

The thread is HERE! 

The read will last from Midnight EST August 22 until roughly 4am EST August 23, though if discussion is ongoing at that point, I may wait until morning to wrap things up. Then, the thread will be locked and saved for posterity, though the discussions it prompts may move on over to the Writing Forum afterward.

As we prepare for tomorrow's read, we've also begun to get ready for next week's! We want to give everyone as much time as possible to read next week's subject, so we will be accepting suggestions for next week's read here, and will announce the title MONDAY AUG 25! Thus begins the cycle that will continue, hopefully indefinitely, for our Community Reads!

So suggest (publicly available) scripts for Compass to read below, and in the meantime - dig into Orphan Black!

COMPASS SEEKS SUGGESTIONS FOR 1st COMMUNITY SCRIPT READING
August 15, 2014

The Compass Network announced yesterday that it will, months after publicly broaching the idea, be establishing a WEEKLY COMMUNITY SCRIPT READING, wherein the members of the community will be invited to discuss a given professional script together on a specific day.

Starting Saturday August 23, this activity will run every Saturday right here at Compass.

For our inaugural event, Compass is seeking suggestions from the community. While RJ Alden Lackie and the Compass team will make the ultimate decision, we want the event to be successful - and we want your suggestions! Scripts must be professionally produced and publicly, freely available. Please post links below, or comment in favour of an already-suggested script.

As a starting point, we are looking at:

• Anything from the brilliant TV Writing Library here. As a starting point, there's a list of new pilots available: Manhattan, Outlander, Chozen, The Lottery, Married, You're the Worst, The Divide, Rush, Satisfaction, Dominion, Extant, Finding Carter, Murder in the First, Reckless, The Strain, The Last Ship & Tyrant.
• One of the many screenplays available in PDF format at Go Into the Story, including 12 Years a Slave, 9, 42, A Serious Man, All is Lost, American Hustle, Amour, Argo, Before Midnight, The Bling Ring, Celeste and Jesse Forever, Dallas Buyer's Club, Enough, Frozen, Gravity, Looper, Short Term 12, The Kids Are All Right, The Place Beyond the Pines, The Social Network, The Spectacular Now, The Wolf of Wall Street, Wreck-It Ralph.
• 2008 Black List script Gay Dude, which went on to become amusing indie Date and Switch.
  

COMPASS ANNOUNCES NEW #SUMMERISCOMING INITIATIVES, SAYS GOODBYE TO BLACK HOLE CINEMA
April 26, 2014

The Compass Network announced today that film review podcast Black Hole Cinema, after 11 stellar episodes, would be moving homes to BZN, the website its creator founded. "After careful conversation with Tony Black," Network Head RJ Alden Lackie said in a statement, "we agreed with Tony that BHC needs a home that fits with its style, tone and content. Considering the new journey Compass is currently on, it made sense for the show to change sites now while things are still being reshaped."

The site also announced new hires and initiatives as part of their #SummerIsComing campaign, to be rolled out over the course of May. 

• Compass announced the creation of a new staff position at the site: Community Project Coordinator. On the position, Lackie said, "Our CPCs will be a team of part-time staff whose role will be to make sure Compass is fun and exciting by coming up with and executing community initiatives and projects to keep people engaged. Our ideal candidates will be enthusiastic, fun, and responsible folks who love working with creatives."
  
  Compass has announced that the first Community Project Coordinator at Compass would be Claire Rooney (roonblah), a longtime advocate of writer development projects at sites like MZPtv. On the hire, Lackie said, "Claire is a dear friend of mine, and when the idea of CPCs came up, she was the first person I thought of. I cannot wait to work with her on new Compass projects!"
  
  
• Compass will launch a collaborative screenwriting and indie creation blog, tentatively called Compass Talks. The blog will feature members from the site blogging on common topics ranging from personal experiences, to creative challenges, to sharing knowledge on certain topics. The first topic, to be launched in May, will be My First Script. Members interested in participating are invited to privately message RJ Alden Lackie to pitch their stories.
  
  
• The site will also host Weekly Community Reviews, where the community will come together to discuss a piece of work with one another. The subjects will range from professional TV scripts and feature screenplays to independent webseries to projects submitted by community members. Subjects will be chosen by RJ Alden Lackie and the Community Project Coordinators, with public input from the community at large. The WCRs should begin by mid-May, with the first subject announced in advance to help members get ready to participate.
  
  
• Compass also gave hints as to big projects it would be developing for summer launches as Phase 2 of #SummerIsComing: A mentorship program to help writers and creators work on their abilities one-on-one with skilled mentors; an increased emphasis on giving and receiving notes and helping members develop their projects draft-to-draft; and the launch of a Compass Learns educational zone where tutorials and wisdom will be available.

THE COMPASS NETWORK ANNOUNCES NEW DIRECTION!
April 24, 2014

After the excitement of Compass' very successful #TheNewYear campaign, the community that never stops is undergoing a new evolution: away from being a content network and towards a screenwriters' and creators' hub aimed at professional development. The new direction was proposed after the exit earlier this week of The Kyle West Show producer and Network Director Kyle West.

"Compass, since its birth, has always come alive when engaging with its passionate community of screenwriters," Network Director RJ Alden Lackie said in a statement about the pivot. "We can't imagine a more natural next step for Compass - which has always, at its heart, been a network of people."

Compass will be saying goodbye to two of its founding Network Directors: Kyle West and Dan Taylor. Stepping in to consult on Compass' new transition are Steph Ouaknine, associate producer of Toronto's famed digital studio Smokebomb Entertainment; Tony Black, longtime administrator and script series showrunner at MZPtv & founder of spinoff site BZN; and Toronto-based comedy screenwriter Megan MacKay.

As part of the transition, Compass will begin to emphasise conversation over content, which has led to some changes in their project lineup. The network announced today that Compass would be ending its partnerships with podcasts Animation Damnation and The Beautiful Game, in addition to the previously-announced departure of The Kyle West Show from the network. Podcast Black Hole Cinema will remain on the site for the time being as Compass develops new podcast projects in line with its new mandate. Compass has also put into development a new screenwriting podcast from Lackie and longtime collaborator Stéphane Lachance, currently untitled.

As for its content partners such as Perspective Pictures (COLD), Outlitt Studios (Thorns) and Turnshoe Films (Previous, 185 Seconds), discussions will be underway to explore what their place at the new Compass might look like. Lackie has expressed optimism that the partnerships will stay in place. Script series Caydem Falls will continue on Compass for its third season, while webisode series Worlds may, or may not, return. Showcased feature screenplays like Bad Apple and An Honest Killer will stay on the site, though Compass may segue away from developing a feature screenplay inventory.

In line with Compass' well-received #evolution and #TheNewYear campaigns, Lackie announced that Compass would follow-up with another: Game of Thrones inspired #SummerIsComing. "Summer is going to change everything. And we absolutely cannot wait."