In partnership with Creative Screenwriting and ScreenCraft, “First Draft” is a series on everything to do with screenwriting.
Screenplays don’t exist in a bubble. They’re fated to be poked, prodded, tweaked and deconstructed. Over and over again. The average produced script spends 5-7 years in development, and during that time it must survive rounds and rounds of coverage, development notes, talent notes, production notes and market research notes from an army of people. As a writer, it can be a challenging process to assimilate all of this feedback, and you’ll inevitably have to process and assimilate notes that you initially find mystifying.
It can be helpful in that situation to try to understand the notes from the perspective of the person who wrote them. Who knows, one day you may even find yourself crossing the aisle and working as a reader or story analyst yourself. If so, consider the below.
Writing amazing screenplay coverage and feedback is an art unto itself. It takes practice, discipline and well thought out execution. It is far from just voicing an opinion on a screenplay—anyone can do that. But not everyone can write a detailed analysis of a cinematic blueprint for a film, showcasing a knowledge of the art, craft and business of film and screenwriting as a whole.
I’ve been on both sides of the table. I’ve written studio coverage and I’ve also had my own scripts subjected to the process by studios, production companies, agencies and management companies.
And what I’ve learned in that time on both sides of the table is that there is a clear distinction between good and bad coverage and feedback.
Whether you’re looking to become a script reader for studios, production companies, management companies and agencies or are just hoping to learn the best ways to help your writing peers as you read their scripts, here are some key directives to becoming both an in-demand script reader and a peer to turn to for help figuring out what is right and what is wrong with your peer’s script.
Be Objective
To give effective notes, you have to master the art of analyzing a screenplay from a somewhat objective perspective.
I say somewhat because there exists an unavoidable subjective angle that most professional script readers have to adhere to, due to the genre and subject preferences for whatever studio or production company they may be working for. Beyond that, readers have to learn to push aside their own likes and dislikes as much as they can and look at the scripts with a more objective perspective.
- Will this sell?
- Is my boss going to want to pump millions of dollars into this?
- Is the concept original enough or is it just another knockoff of Taken?
- Does it have strong leads that are going to draw in major talent?
- What’s the demographic for this script?
- Is it contemporary and does it jive with the current industry?
These questions and so many more have to be taken into account.
The same can be said for critiquing screenplays in a peer-to-peer situation (writing groups) or through mentor position (teaching classes).
Put Your Own Style and Preferences Aside
Part of offering objective coverage and feedback is having the ability to disassociate your own work, your own visual styles, your own habits and your own likes and dislikes, with whatever script you are reading. You need to look at the script from a purely objective standpoint.
If you hate romantic comedies and you’re reviewing a romantic comedy script, you have to look beyond your subjective viewpoint of the genre and ask yourself questions like:
- Would this be a popular rom-com for those that love them?
- Hey, my wife loves these types of movies. Would she love it?
- Is this a concept within that genre that I haven’t seen before?
- Are the characters in this rom-com original and new, or at the very least, do they offer a different approach or different angle on what we have seen before in these types of movies?
Then you can move into…
- Is the script well-written?
- Is it easy to follow the story and character arcs?
- Is the dialogue strong?
- Is there a true beginning, middle and end or do they introduce a concept and seem to not know where to go with it?
Those are all objective questions for the most part.
Don’t Just Look for What’s Wrong in the Script
The biggest mistake people make while critiquing scripts is making a concerted effort to pick the script apart and point out everything—big and small—that is wrong with it. If that is all that your coverage or feedback entails, it’s bad coverage and bad feedback—plain and simple.
This is especially prevalent in writing groups and with peer-to-peer or friend-to-friend feedback, but can also be found within studio and production company coverage. Remember that many script readers are struggling screenwriters themselves.
“The script did this wrong here, that wrong there, this character was written terribly, that plot point didn’t make sense, etc.”
The best way to critique a script is by finding not only what doesn’t work, but especially what does work.
“The script struggles with formatting mistakes, which makes it difficult to read and follow. The writer needs to tighten up the dialogue and scene descriptions as well. The lead character doesn’t have a great arc. However, this concept is amazing. The second lead character is written brilliantly. The pacing keeps you engaged throughout, full of many twists and turns that you don’t see coming.”
You see the difference? Instead of focusing on only the negative and what the script and the writer did wrong, you equalize everything by finding the strengths of the script as well. That’s what real script readers have to do. That’s the true measure of being a good story analyst—being able to analyze and showcase the strengths and weaknesses so the producers and development executives can ascertain whether or not the script itself needs to be optioned or purchased, and whether or not the writer should be considered for possible assignments.
And as a peer helping out another writer, you will offer them a more pleasant and constructively helpful experience in what is an otherwise nerve-wracking task to undertake, handing over your “baby” for judgement.
That said…
Avoid Overly Glowing Accolades
Now, let’s keep it real here folks. A vast majority of screenplays out there outside—and inside—of the film industry are terrible. Some people just aren’t ready or just don’t understand how to concoct a compelling story with compelling characters—at least in cinematic fashion.
Conventional wisdom and experience within the film industry has proven that 95% of screenplays that go through the system are either horrible or just aren’t ready. The same can be said for the writers that wrote them. Those are the Passes. 4% are average or just above average in regards to varied ratings of concept, story, characters and overall delivery of each. Those are the Considers—the ones that showcase some noteworthy potential. Just 1% or less are truly outstanding. Those are obviously the Recommends. When a script reader recommends something, that’s them basically saying, “Buy this script right now or hire this writer before somebody else does.” Yet even those Recommends warrant some development notes and constructive critiques.
In short, no script is perfect.
Yet somehow, what often happens in writing groups and peer-to-peer critiques is the fellow writer often feels obligated to write nothing but glowing accolades and positives. This—much like writing nothing but negative feedback—is another example of bad feedback.
To be blunt, you have to avoid blowing smoke up someone’s ass.
That doesn’t help screenwriters. If anything, it destroys their chances of realizing their dreams because you didn’t care for them enough to offer the truth, at least what you think that truth may be. And that also doesn’t help the producer or development executive you work for. Just because you love a script doesn’t mean you stop doing your job of being a story analyst or being a good writing peer. They need the big picture. Good, bad and everything in between.
I’ve read thousands of scripts from novice to working writers. And even the many bad ones had some elements I could point out that worked or at least were on the right track to working. Many were horrible and void of hope, I’ll admit, but a majority of the time you can find both the good and the bad elements to share.
Bring Your Passion of Film to the Process
You have to bring your passion of film into play when critiquing scripts. The majority needs to be objective, but the subjective reaction needs to be present as well. Why? Because it’ll help the writer in the long run, and it will enhance your studio coverage notes as well.
“I love prison movies. It’s been so long since we’ve seen a good one and this script and its writer finally delivers something fresh and new.”
Or on the flip side, in the context of peer-to-peer feedback:
“I hate romantic comedies and there’s a reason for that. It’s always the same formula. Guys meets girl. Guy gets girl. Guy loses girl. Guy gets girl back. That’s what you wrote. Shake it up, man! You know what romantic comedy I did like? 500 Days of Summer. Why? Spoiler alert! The guy doesn’t get the girl!”
If you inject that passion of film within your objective notes that point out what works and what doesn’t work—and why—your coverage and feedback will shine. Keep in mind though, that this passion has to be professionally channeled…you don’t ever want the coverage to be about you, because if you’re writing notes for someone that doesn’t know you personally, a bunch of first-person statements and informality will prove jarring and distract from the actual notes.
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