Carson, here– I’m currently stuck in someone’s basement. Say no to strangers, kids. Especially if they don’t know the secret word. But not to worry. Last week some of you were asking to hear from a genuine script reader. Today I’m making those dreams come true. Here’s Matt, who read for a couple of production companies. He’ll tell you what kind of people you’re trying to get past, and has even offered to answer questions in the comments. So shoot them out there after you read his article, which is damn good!
{Note: These are my experiences having worked as a reader for two production companies. As I learned by working with two different companies, every process is slightly different. But I also learned that for the most part, they’re incredibly similar. Also note, I will not, for what should be obvious reason, be publicly naming any names.}
Okay, so what I’m going to do is a bit of a faux-interview in that nobody is actually interviewing me, but I’ll present some questions and answer them, and go into the details of my experience as a script reader, advice, etc. Some of this is probably blatantly obvious to many of you, some of it may not be. I’m just putting it all out there.
My Background
In short, I started writing when I was 17 after I watched (for the first time), Pulp Fiction, Taxi Driver, and The Departed (the latter had just come out the year prior). Before that I had maybe seen fifty films in my entire life, and none of them were like those movies. Long story short, I found this amazing website called TriggerStreet, became a member (which was against the rules since I wasn’t 18 yet), and read and reviewed at least four hundred scripts on that site over the years, and wrote many myself. I met some incredible people, and eventually moved to Los Angeles and remain good friends with many of them. I mention this because it is a wonderful site to get feedback on your scripts, as well as read others’ work (which is an invaluable learning experience unto itself). I encourage you to check it out.
How’d I get a job as a reader?
I don’t know how most people do it. I never asked them. Mine was sheer blind luck. I was 19, living in Ohio, and I ended up working on a documentary for some people that flew in from Los Angeles. The director happened to have worked for this company in the past, and he said he’d set me up with an interview. I did a phone interview and sample coverage and there you go. I was getting paid to read scripts.
The Process – What did I do?
I would get a script emailed to me. I knew nothing about the script other than the title. No logline. (this applies to both companies) They’d give me a deadline, though usually I’d do it much faster so I could get another script to read. I’d read the script, and fill out a coverage sheet. The coverage sheets vary from company to company, but all of them are essentially: a one page synopsis and then rating (scale one to ten usually) and describing the concept, story, dialogue, character, and marketability. I would also assess (obviously a guesstimate) the budget (low, medium, high). Then I’d tell them whether I recommended the script or whether it was a pass. If I recommended it, it would be kicked further up the ladder for someone else to read. If I passed, that was the end of it. And that last part is why lowly readers like myself (well, okay, there is someone even lower – the unpaid intern) are so important. If you submit an unsolicited script, you can bet that it’s going to be read by someone like me. Or, as I mentioned, an unpaid intern.
About Unpaid Interns
Unpaid interns are people who pimp themselves and their knowledge out for free in the hopes of one day securing a job. Go to Los Angeles Craigslist TV/Film jobs, and you’ll see how many unpaid internships are floating around out there. I’m generally against this type of work, for a variety of reasons. One of which is that unpaid interns write HORRIBLE coverage (no this is not universally true, but almost). When I say horrible, I mean that their coverage often lacks attention to detail and at least fifty percent of them I read indicated a significant lack in ability to form a coherent sentence. And I largely think this is because they’re unpaid! As The Joker said, “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.” But like I said, this isn’t universally true. I’ve read plenty of coverage from unpaid interns who took it very seriously and were incredibly diligent.
Know Who You’re Sending Your Script To
One company I worked for would get all types of scripts, all different genres. The other company worked primarily in comedy. Don’t send your sci-fi adventure script to a company who only makes low budget dramas! Do some research about who you’re sending it to first. This will maximize your potential, waste less time, and if you’re querying a company (yes it does work sometimes), you can personalize the query.
What Kind of Scripts Did I Read?
Everything. And I mean everything. Like I said, one company dealt specifically in comedy, so I didn’t read everything there. The other company… I read low budget dramas, I read comedy, I read high-octane action scripts. The longest script I ever read was 138 pages, and the shortest was 57 pages. Yes, 57 pages, and no it was not a TV pilot. I’m not sure how or why that script was selected, but I suspect it was as a favor.
Did I Ever Recommend a Script?
Yes. For every hundred scripts, I probably recommended five of them to go up the chain. Does this mean I’m a hard-ass? Maybe, but probably not. It simply means that a majority of scripts aren’t ready for the big time. And there were times when I did not recommend a script, but I’d recommend the writer. Maybe the script would be too expensive. Maybe it wasn’t quite right for them. But the writing was excellent. So I’d recommend the writer, but not the script.
What Happened if I Recommended a Script?
Well, I’m not 100% in the know on this in terms of every single step that would happen. I never followed up on scripts, I just did my job and read them and provided feedback. But what I can say is that if I recommended it, it would get kicked up to my boss, who wasn’t the top of the ladder, but certainly had some strings they could pull and stuff might happen. From what I understood, it would get kicked up to this person, and they would read it, and if they liked it, then they would have other people read it for more feedback. This was the case not only where I worked, but many other agencies, production companies, etc. One person who has a lot of sway may like a script, but they will almost always have other people that they work with read it to get their opinions too. So once you get past the lowly reader, you (usually) have to not only impress whoever they kick it up to, but probably two or three other people as well before you’ll even hear back from them.
Essentially, you have to make quite a few people fall in love with your script before anything will happen. On the bright side, it’s incredibly rare that every single person who reads it loves it. But if six people at the company read it, and only one doesn’t like it, you have some good odds.
I do believe that I once recommended a script, and while the script was not purchased or made into a film, the company hired the writer to do some other work for them. That kind of ties into the “recommending the writer” thing, except I also recommended the script in this case.
What Did I Look for in a Script?
Great writing, of course! But more so than that, I wanted originality. I wanted scenes and characters I hadn’t seen before. And I wanted to be MOVED in some way. It doesn’t have to be to tears. A horror script might creep me out. A thriller might… thrill me. If you can make the reader feel something, you have just improved your odds of a recommendation ten fold.
What to Avoid in Your Script
None of this stuff is guaranteed to screw you if you have it in your script. It’s simply a matter of increasing your odds, and these types of things will most likely lower them.
Big budgets
If you’re writing the next Pacific Rim, it may not matter how amazingly well written it is, if the company can’t make that kind of film, they can’t make it. The chips are a bit stacked there. Sure, these films tend to be more marketable and make more money, but bang for your buck? Horror and comedy. Thrillers are also a much easier sell. But, if your heart is set on that big-budget action film, go for it. You have to write what you love, or your script will suffer. And there ARE companies looking for that stuff. Same goes for sci-fi.
Being Too Subtle
This is incredibly tricky. All good films have their subtleties. Their subtext. All good scripts have them. But when it comes to readers, some of whom don’t put much effort in at all, there is such as a thing as being too subtle. Problem is, of course, there’s such a thing as hitting the reader over the head. It’s such a tricky, fine line to balance that I can’t possibly explain how to walk it. But simply keep in mind, you can be too on-the-nose, but you can also be too subtle, and it will completely go over the inattentive reader’s head.
Directing from the Page
Sometimes this is perfectly fine. But a lot of amateur writers completely overdo it, and it’s ANNOYING. Not only does it make for a tedious read, but if it ended up being produced, the director will do whatever the hell he wants. Use these only when ABSOLUTELY necessary, and I would say no more than three times in a script.
Music Cues
Unless the music is playing in the scene itself, don’t include it. You’re not writing a friggin’ soundtrack. Not only will they totally ignore your ideas if it was produced, but it’s really damn annoying to read. It pulls the reader out of the script, and that’s the last thing you want.
There are of course many other things to avoid, but those four in particular are important when it comes to the lowly script reader. The rest (like less black more white on the page, too many characters, etc.) are just universally good to avoid.
Myths About Readers
In my time spent on Triggerstreet and in the screenwriting world in general, I heard a lot of these (and probably more). After working as a reader, I realized how many of them were just utter bullshit. Note: this applies to readers only, not to people like development executives. It applies to the lowest people on the totem pole (which are the first people who will read your script in most cases, unless you know someone higher up and can bypass these people).
If you don’t hook them in the first ten, they’ll throw your script in the trash
No, they won’t. Not only is this the age of the Internet, where it would be the recycle bin instead, but none of that will happen. Why? These people are PAID (or sometimes not paid, but it’s still their job) to read the ENTIRE script. As I mentioned above regarding the coverage sheets I would fill out, I had to write a synopsis! You can’t do that unless you read the entire script.
Now, this is one reason I specified this applies to readers only. A development executive, for example, who isn’t paid per script and has no obligation to read an entire script, will most certainly toss your script if he doesn’t like it after ten, fifteen, twenty pages. I’ll never forget one script I got into the hands of someone who could make shit happen and their response: “gave it twenty pages, good writing, liked it, didn’t love it, thanks for sending.” But the little guy that works for someone like him who’s paid to read scripts and send the good ones up the ladder? THEY READ THE ENTIRE THING.
Grammar/Spelling/Formatting
Your script will not be discarded if you make a few grammatical, spelling, or formatting guffaws. This goes back to the “they are paid to read the entire thing.” However, if your script is rife with errors, it will give the (potentially incorrect) feeling of amateurism. So it’s not entirely a myth that this stuff can sink a script, but it is a myth that it’s guaranteed to screw you over if you have a few mistakes here and there. Nobody. Cares.
Directing From the Page
Yes, I said to avoid this. And you should. But like the grammar/spelling thing, if you do this a few times in your script, no one will care. I promise.
Dramas Won’t Get Read
Wrong. They just might not get sold. But as a reader, if I got a script and I liked it, I would recommend it. I didn’t care about the genre (and I wasn’t supposed to). But there’s a bright side: there are niche markets for low budget indie dramas. There are companies who specifically cater to this and WANT these kinds of scripts. This goes back to my “know who you’re sending your script to.” IMDb Pro is a great place to get information like this. Also, you can do as Carson suggested, and throw in a hook.
Query Letters are Pointless
Nope. They may be pointless if you’re trying to get The Weinstein Company to read your script. But there are plenty of companies out there who accept unsolicited submissions (one I worked for had a link on their page to submit to). Once again, IMDb Pro can be very helpful here. (note: don’t ever pay for those mass query services)
Only Scripts that Are 90-120 Pages Long Will Get Read
Wrong! As I mentioned above, the longest script I read was over 135 pages. The shortest was 57! Now, there is a bit of truth in this, though I would adjust it to 80-120 pages. That’s the range in which 98% of the scripts I read fell. How that 57-pager got in is beyond me. And too long can definitely be a turn off, but by and large, it’s all about your pitch and the concept. The company doesn’t care if their reader has to read an extra long script. They get paid the same amount. But like I said, it’s definitely extremely preferable to stay between 80 and 120 pages.
They Want True Originality!
Kind of. Here’s the thing, and this isn’t coming from the way I would personally assess scripts, it’s coming from the bajillions of other coverages I read. Sometimes true originality can baffle readers. They don’t know what to make of it. This is where the old adage “same but different” comes into play. And it’s a fine line. Not too much the same that they say “we’ve seen this before”, but not too different that they don’t know what to make of it. Though I also firmly believe that a great script, with a solid grasp on storytelling principles, original characters, and an original story WILL find a home.
Okay, Carson said to write about 2000 words and I’ve already exceeded that, so I’m going to wrap this up with some closing thoughts.
The single best piece of advice I can give is to love what you’re writing. Don’t write something because you think it’s more likely to sell or whatever. I’ve tried it, and I didn’t even finish the script. If you’re not 100% devoted and excited about your story, it WILL show. Believe me.
And, in true ScriptShadow fashion….
What I Learned (by being a reader): Obviously, all of the above. But beyond that, know what you’re writing about. I could tell when someone was writing about a subject that they had never researched or experienced. To write a war film, you don’t have to have been in a war, but you damn well better research that shit. Otherwise you’re just gleaning information from other films and TV and it comes off as derivative. Also, I highly suggest, unless there’s some sort of deadline, to wait two weeks after you finish your draft before sending it to anyone. Why? That kind of time gives you distance and allows you to be a bit more objective about your work. I would read some scripts that had a draft date that was a week before I received the script (which means they probably submitted it to the company the day they finished it). Don’t do this.
I hope you guys found at least something in here a bit helpful. I am more than happy to answer any further questions in the comments section (I post as “Matty” with the little George Clooney head). Those two thousand words went quickly!
Have an A-1 day!
