UPDATE: ALL ENTRIES CLOSE AT MIDNIGHT TODAY (05/09/07). I will not be taking any more guesses except those from tmw’s SP bulletin dated 6/09/07 since they would have had to post today (5/09/07). Since Red Planet have now announced they’ve received in the region of 2000 entries, all those who bid UNDER this number have now not made the shortlist – soz guys. So, those who have bid over 2000 are still in the running. And no you cannot re-enter if you didn’t make the shortlist. To re-iterate, this is the number of SCRIPTS entered, not people, my bad, etc etc. Fire darts at me, go on I dare you – I have a hardcore husband with an axe.)
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Many thanks to Andy Conway, the sole entrant thus far to my Red Planet Wager competition that I posted about on yesterday’s SP screenwriters’ e-bulletin! It’s a simple one: being a gambling gal, I’ve challenged all my blog readers and shooters to come up with a guess as to how many peeps have entered The Red Planet Prize. The closest wins a free overview script report from moi. What have you got to lose, hey?
Leave your guess in the comment section of this post or email it to me.
Well, it says hundreds on the website… so that’s anything up to 1,999…
I’ll go for 1,104. Then weep at the statistical chances of winning.
666. Just for the hell of it.
1743
Even if there are thousands of entries, they still need “hundreds” to make up those “thousands” so my thinking is it *could* be anything, but that’s just my logic. (And I suppose I better chase up Danny and find out how many entries there actually were, might help! With a bit of luck he’ll put it on his blog sometime this week or next!)
Andy’s guess off the bulletin this morning was 846. And the lovely Gavin Boyter has emailed to say that he reckons there will be 1043, given multiple entries were allowed after all.
So that’s 5 peeps so far – what about the rest of you??
1799
You were commenting whilst I was commenting Lianne!! Great minds…
I think 967. Run rabbit…save yourself!
Hi Lucy
just submitted mine to Shooting People as 666 then find Jason has beaten me to it.
So I’m doing 987. Boring but it will do.
Great offer.
Rachael (Says anonymous cos don’t know how do do this identity stuff)
or “to do” even. Great for a writer.
Rachael
616…
Or should I top Jason and go for 668, the Neighbour of the Beast! 😉
Save the Rabbit! Save the World!
1966.
You had to submit 10 pages, right? No fee? Multiple entries allowed? So Kaos had over 2000 entries at £35 a shot, I’d say RP would be at least 2500…
1425
S
Slightly surprised at the three-digit nature of many of the guesses here, and given that you were allowed more than one entry I’d guess nearer to 2000, myself. So, in honour of the underrated film sequel, I’ll say 2010.
J
Thanks guys!
Personally if I was entering this comp and not running it I would go more in the region of 4000+ on the basis that The BBC Evening Play comp of 2005 got 2000 entries and it wasn’t advertised even half as much as RP.
oooh this is like guess how many sweets are in the jar at the school fete…without the sweets.
Or the jar! : P
I vote 777, number of the not-so-naughty beast.
I cannot believe I share the same DNA as you ESM.
665. Hah.
Luv Mike.
Oooooo, new template.
Showing my amazing short-term memory off, I’ve already forgotten what the old one looked like. It was green, right? With tentacles?
Oooh, here we go…
926
667
I think there’s been quite a bit of underestimation here. I’ve submitted 700! I’ll go for 4000.
We must remember, incidentally, that this sweepstake is for the number of people who entered, not the number of scripts. Which may well be much more difficult for Danny and the RP folk to count up…
Is it people?? Or scripts?? Bloody hell, I don’t actually know and I made this up! I believe I asked Sir Danny of Stackshire for number of ENTRIES over at his blog which surely means scripts?!?
Love that bit in Gregory’s girl where Greg and his er, girl are swapping numbers and she says “A million and nine” and Greg says “Oh, you know all the best numbers!” But that much would be silly – wouldn’t it? So what year is it? Ah yes, TWO THOUSAND AND SEVEN
I reckon 1240 – scripts that is, not people. If I was guessing people, I’d say about 100 😉
Luce, well your original blog post says ‘peeps’. Y’mad bird, you.
I’m going to hedge my bets here.
If it’s for the number of people who have entered, I’m going with 842
If it’s for the number of scripts, I’ll go to 2142
eI’ve decided – it’s gotta be SCRIPTS, not people. Be easier for Danny et al that way. Seems most people were going for scripts anyway ‘cos people are saying stuff like, “‘cos of multiple entries…”
Note to self: before organising a competition on the internet, think through the terms FIRST. D’oh!
Then I’m going to multiply my 666 by 1.6, with a final result of…
1066 (rounded up).
I’m late in as ever, but I’ll up the ante and say 4256.
Got your email, Lucy – still catching up after yesterday’s jaunt to the south coast (and getting caught by the – gaah – tube strike on the way home) – but will reply sometime soon.
A good year, David!
I’ll take 747.
I’d guess somewhere between the 2000+ that entered the BSSC, and the 6000+ that applied to the BBC Writers’ Academy. So, 4500-ish.
Screw it, do the bunny!
They’re nice in a stew once you’re done.
MORE guesses, good, good! Keep ’em coming.
“ISH” though? Saucy Stuart, that’s CHEATING! I’ll put you down as 4,500.
GD – you were commenting at the same time as me… I’ve already eaten the rabbit but don’t tell anyone.
I’ve gone to the same place as Lucy’s site meter…
I’m going to guess at 2690. Quite high? Probably.
But saying that when I submitted a last minute (well, on the 1st at 10:17) second entry, my mail server said that the RP mailbox was full! How many people/scripts may have missed out because of that?
What if it’s a lot less? I think there’s value in an outside bid. So, I’m going for 125.
I’ve already put it in a post to Shooting People, but for the record, I’ve guesstimated 1400.
Shell
…and that’s numberwang!
(Not that anyone’ll get that reference!)
More rules lawyering! Are you counting only those scripts that got through by the closing date or including the ones that were allowed to be re-sent because of the mailbox-full snafu (like mine – top man, Simon Winstone!) I was assuming the latter. If the former, I’d say around 2490.
I got it Jon. And it’s also wangernumb!
bbc writersroom get 10,000 scripts a year, so I’ll go high and say 5000!
I’ll say 3251.
3420 scripts by 12 peeps!
Mine got the “Thanks” email when sent at 1320 on Fr1 31 and then on tues 4th sept ay 1620 the ~#####~ wondrous lycos email machine said “returned to sender as mail box full” & went to say how they’d stored it and re-sent it for 72 hours! Obviously then just got comp closed message!
You all know I’d have won….