There’s a slew of self-appointed script “gurus” out there that you’ve never heard of. For $175-$1200 and on up, they’ll provide a screenwriter with their notes, consultations, phone interviews, and whatever else.
On their websites, they pose with their cameras, or in their director chairs, looking quite official and important.
But the truth is, I don’t know any screenwriters out there that can afford to spend $100 on a script coverage, let alone $1200, on anything.
A lot of these script gurus will offer you their advice and council, at a premium rate that no struggling screenwriter can afford.
The bottom line is that if you’re sending a spec script in to any production house, studio, agency, name actor, or producer, 99 times out of 100, the script will be read by an underpaid, underappreciated college intern, receptionist, or junior assistant.
These assistants – generally called script readers – are the gatekeepers to the agents, the producers, the managers, the studios.
They read the script and provide a “script coverage.” A script coverage is basically what amounts to a “book report” of your script: a basic synopsis of the story and a quick review of what they thought of the plot, characters, action, budget level, and more. It’s basically a short, concise set of script feedback, or script notes.
Then in turn, that script coverage gets read by the agent, producer, actor, or manager. Because a script coverage is a lot less to read than a whole script, and these folks have very little free time, or are already reading scripts sent to them with financing, actors, or other talent attached that makes them a priority over your script.
Put simply: If your script doesn’t make it past this one underpaid, underappreciated script reader, and given decent script coverage, it won’t get to the agent or producer.
What we do at Screenplay Readers is provide as close to that real-world reader script coverage experience as possible. Our readers aren’t overpriced, overinflated script gurus. They’re not full-time frustrated screenwriters. They’re not self-help charlatans. They’re real life, regular human beings. Just like you. And just like the real-world script readers at agencies.
So when your script comes in, our readers read and write a script coverage report for it and then we send that script coverage to YOU. So you can see what we think a real-life situation would be like, say, if you submitted it to a producer or an agent.
We provide you that first “litmus test” of your script and tell you, in the short but detailed format of script coverage, where your script goes right and where it could use some attention.
The onus is then on YOU to either utilize our advice in the script feedback we give you in our coverage and make fixes before you submit to an agent, or not.
Most scripts that come in need a LOT of work. But most writers don’t need to spend $1200 to have someone tell them that. Our $59 coverage gives screenwriters more than enough of what they need to know to start to get their scripts in the right direction.
Sure, expensive script notes are more detailed and more specific than script coverages, but what writers can afford them? We offer them as one of our script services, but at a much, much lower rate than anywhere we’ve found.
Don’t let the script consultants and their bloated egos tell you that screenplay coverage doesn’t help.
Sure, coverage reports are different from agency to agency, from production company to production company, as each place may have a different set of coverage standards, or a different way of providing script feedback, or may be looking for a certain type/genre of project at a certain time, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get your script covered.
Put simply, receiving script coverage from Screenplay Readers or any other reputable coverage company is the fastest, most reasonable and affordable way for most screenwriters to get quick script feedback on what’s working and what’s not in their screenplay.
And if you can afford the script gurus, more power to you! Go for it! But I don’t know many screenwriters who can afford rent or their groceries, let alone a $1200 3-hour phone consultation with some no-name, self-appointed script expert, who, if they were such experts, wouldn’t be peddling their expertise online. Have you ever seen an A-list, working screenwriter selling consultation minutes online? We haven’t.
My advice is to look up any of these gurus on http://imdb.com before you spend one dime with an online “script consultant.” Find out what other films have they written or consulted on.
You won’t find Screenplay Readers on the IMDB, but we’re not claiming to be gurus. We’re still in the trenches.
Screenplay Readers is a company of real script readers. Doing real script coverage.
Get your script in the trenches as soon as possible and see if our script feedback helps make it a stronger, more sellable script. Our script coverage service is the first step. And one that won’t break the bank.
Brian
Screenplay Readers
