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OH NO, ANOTHER “SCRIPT READER TELLS ALL” ARTICLE…
Okay, so there are plenty of internet articles out there describing what it’s like being a Script Reader. Do the google searches. You’ll find plenty... Maybe perhaps less than five… But I’m writing this for the person who’s often submitted a screenplay to a production company, and wondered what the heck happens after that script is given a good-luck kiss, and shoved into the mail box.
Now to me… I’ve spent some time, maybe longer than I should have, being a script reader for two companies in NYC. In that time, I pretty much suspended my writing to read “good” scripts. But most of the time, to be honest, I ended up reading “bad” ones.
But I consider reading scripts, whether good or bad, to be a worthwhile experience (at least that’s what I keep telling myself). Whether it’s learning NOT WHAT TO DO, or learning WHAT TO EMULATE. I’d hazard that nearly 80-90% of material I reviewed simply didn’t make worthwhile weekend reading for a producer. And I guess that’s why I was there. To read the crap - stop it dead in its tracks - acting as a sort of filter for the company, before the good stuff wriggled its way past me, and up the chain of command to the big fish in the clouds.
Contained in this article are some tidbits that the savvy writer no doubt will already know. But for those new to the game, or just damn curious as to what happens when ‘that script’ is sent to that precious production house, this is the article for you.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS IS…
When the script is received by the agent/producer/manager, the following often happens:
a) It’s logged. Recorded. Some proof of arrival is made.
b) It’s wedged in a closet for some time – a “cooling off period” if you will.
c) It’s assigned to a reader, who is given the project by the “boss”.
d) It’s read. No shit Sherlock, huh.
e) It then has coverage (see next section) written up on it.
f) It’s then either given a PASS or CONSIDER or RECOMMEND, which means either GAME OVER, or CONGRATS, YOU MADE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL!
WHAT THE HELL IS “COVERAGE” ANYWAYS?
It is usually three pieces of paper that distill your hard work (or maybe not so hard work) and kinda acts like a cheat sheet for an exam for the relevant superior, either, agent/ producer/ director of development, boss, etc… It’s a way someone can spend five minutes reading the coverage, and then make out (the liars) they have actually read the full script in its entirety.
A typical coverage will have:
a) All the essential contact info. Like your name, address, phone number etc.
b) A grid system where people tick boxes on just how much they hated/ loved your work (more of this below with THE FOUR ELEMENTS OF THE STORY GOD).
c) A logline and or main character list (breakdown).
d) A synopsis (which can be a page or more in length).
e) Then a brief paragraph written about CONCEPT, STORY, DIALOGUE, CHARACTERS, TARGET AUDIENCE, sometimes FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS and CONCLUSION, ETC
f) Then horrible stains will be found on a page somewhere. They will claims it’s coffee, honestly…
THE FOUR ELEMENTS THAT MAKE UP A SCRIPT, OR WHAT I LIKE
TO CALL: “THE FOUR ELEMENTS”
Basically, when a script is evaluated/ read, you’re meant to keep track of things that are POOR, OKAY, GOOD and GREAT. Then break them down and grade them according with an OKAY or GREAT etc, and assign them to CONCEPT and STORY and DIALOGUE and then CHARACTER. These four main elements I shall label: “The Elements of the Story”.
To please the reader, you must score highly in as many boxes as possible. This is your mission. Do you choose to accept it? Which of course you do. Which leads me onto the one element which can kill your script before it’s even read. It’s called the:
PREMISE/ CONCEPT/ MY GREAT IDEA!
If you can come up with a great idea, and by that I mean something that blows away your friends (not just your mother), then you have a foot in the door, or shall I say, two feet in the door. Having a great idea can save you lots of leg work. Great ideas open doors. Great ideas get your script into places it normally would be told to wait outside. Great ideas are… very rare.
But how do you know what is a great idea? Well, I can tell you what you shouldn’t be doing. You shouldn’t be rehashing ideas that we’ve all seen before. When someone pitches a story to someone in the industry, they will normally make up their mind in the first few seconds whether to punch you in the face and tell you to stop hassling them. Their mind will search its inevitable database of film (or IMDB) in a bid to locate a movie that’s already told this story before, and often better.
If you can come up with a truly original idea, and stumped the Exec with slow silence, then you have beaten the person into submission - which should hopefully lead to a “script request” – which is a fancy word I like to use for a read.
BUT, if you don’t beat them, they love to jump out with “Ha! It’s already been done. It’s XXXX movie”. No, that’s not triple-X as in the Vin Diesel movie. That’s the FILL IN THE BLANKS movie. It’s the movie that’s already been done before, and people in the biz aren’t really interested in stepping on already stepped ground.
But my point being that your idea will either get you read, or it won’t. You can tell when you have an idea people like. Companies or agencies request it a lot of the time. You have a good batting average if you will. You can also tell when an idea sucks big time. As in like: Nobody requests it.
Okay, so you’ve managed to trick, er, convince someone in authority that your script has a nice concept behind it worthy of a weekend read. You’ve sent it off. You sit and wait. You wait some more… Meanwhile, at the Batcave, someone is reading your:
STORY, OR PERHAPS LACK OF…
Okay. The premise sounded great. But in most cases, the story, or execution (for those medieval types) fails dramatically. So much so, the Reader just wants to cry tears. Sometimes, the story starts off well, then descends into reader hell after page two, er, I mean page twenty-two. It’s a given though, that most scripts fail in act two (the middle section or main section). Sometimes the story turns out plotless (nice idea but there’s nothing more to it) or too much story (never enough time to catch your breath) or it just plain fails to engage and entertain (uh-oh, boring). A solid story will always keep you glued. Never let go. It will always surprise you. Will always be one step ahead. It will always be intelligent. It will always keep you in the universe that’s been created…
A bad story will do all those things in reverse. If anyone has ever told you “It was predictable” or “It was dumb. It didn’t make sense”, and after you finish beating them with a cooking pan, then maybe you should consider that your script may have some problems. Yes, that’s right. It may have problems. Hearing someone say that can often kick off such emotions like “They don’t know what they’re talking about” or “My script is perfect - asshole”. Yeah, that’s right buddy. Keep telling yourself that. A way of fixing a broken story is much like fixing a broken car – long hard work. “But how can you do that?” I hear you scream! Well, a great way of learning just what makes a great story, er, great, is to read scripts that in your opinion, are great stories! Learn from the best. Soak up what makes the story. The structure. The timing. The subplots. Twists and turns. Learn them all. And just attempt to tell the best story you can - but always remember: “Never bore the reader”. excitement
DIALOGUE, OR: “IT BETTER JUMP OFF THE PAGE”
“It’s completely superficial”. That’s what many books on how-to-write-screenplays will tell you. Tell you that movies are all about moving images and not dialogue. “The pictures should speak, not your characters”.
Yet an agent or producer, time after time, will always get excited and wet themselves if your dialogue is original, witty, entertaining, or all damn three. But fear not, if your premise and story are all up to par, and your dialogue sucks, it is possible your script will still be given a thumbs-up, and another writer will be drafted into re-write your script.
But don’t use this as an excuse to write bad lines, attempt to make your dialogue the best if can be. Again, grab scripts that you think have great dialogue. Read them. Learn what makes them great. Pick up on the small differences between character dialogue. Study what makes them unique. We all talk in different patterns, using different words and slang, different grammar structures, heck, even languages. Just be savvy enough to know what sounds great, and what sounds bad, and write the best dialogue you can muster.
A great way to give your dialogue a workout is to read it aloud (or have someone read it aloud) and record it and play it back. It’s a guaranteed fine way to make any grown man or woman cry. But a word to the wise, great dialogue is often said with a little. In a nutshell: Economy of the word can be strong than many. And remember the three rules of dialogue:
1) Dialogue Entertains us
2) Dialogue Illuminates character
3) Dialogue Educates us to the story
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