Frequently Asked Questions

What is the point of providing a synopsis?

If you’re new to screenwriting, what you’re going to find out very quickly is that agents/producers/assistants have little time, and an even shorter attention span. If you’re lucky enough to have someone request your script after reading your query letter (more on the query later), one of the first things they are going to ask to see is a synopsis. This is a double-edged sword if there ever was one; on one hand, it gives you the opportunity to condense your meticulously crafted, 100+ page script into a 1-2 page document that highlights your best story features. On the other hand, it gives the agent/producer the opportunity to pass on your script in the blink of an eye. You want to make sure that your synopsis is concise, but creative enough to suck the reader in. The goal of a synopsis is to entice the reader into reading the full script. So be creative. This is where you can write in passionate prose about your story. It’s a less technical document than the script itself, so you should let your imagination run wild.

Have you ever read film reviews from the major Hollywood critics? You should. Use them as sources for inspiration. Log on to variety.com and read through the multitude of reviews. You’ll notice something very interesting; the critic piques your interest in the film with a positive review. He pulls out the best plot points, devices, characters, quotes and exchanges, usually in fewer than 750 words. When you finish reading a positive review, you’re ready to watch the movie. That’s exactly what you want your synopsis to do. Make it work for you. Make it shout the praises of your script from the rooftops. Suck the reader in, don’t let them go, and give them no other option but to turn to the script for the full story.

What is turnaround?

Turnaround is the length of time it takes us to complete a specific service. When we say that turnaround on a Standard Screenplay Coverage is 1-2 weeks, it means that you can expect to have your report finished and back in your hands 1-2 weeks after we receive it. You can see how long the approximate turnaround is for every service on the services page.

How scathing is the coverage?

Our coverage is fair and honest, but never mocking or derisive. We’re here to help, and no one benefits from negative feedback. Our goal is to help you craft a better script, not turn you off of screenwriting by providing biting coverage. That being said, you have to understand that constructive criticism is a positive thing, and all of our analysts are trained to recognize problems as plain as they see them.

You might not agree with the coverage provided (one of the most difficult things to do as a writer is to acknowledge the fact that what you’ve written might not be Oscar-worthy), but you will agree with the honest and sincere voice of your analyst, a voice that will be apparent in the coverage provided.

Our coverage mandate encourages positive reinforcement. Pinpointing the problems with your work and providing tips on how to fix them is our way to encourage you to keep writing and one day reach that high recommend that we all strive for.

Why should I register my script before I send it out?

You want to ensure that your script and the ideas powering your script remain yours. While intellectual property laws state that simply writing the words down on paper constitute your ownership of your material, you have to take extra precautions to protect yourself in the event a copyright issue is raised. Mailing your script to yourself, taking a photo with you holding your script and a newspaper, emailing your script to your mom and locking your script in a safety deposit box are all tried, tested and true methods of ensuring ownership, but they are not nearly as safe or secure as modern methods. And most agents will require you to sign a release and provide your registration number before you can submit your work to them.

Registering your material with a writer’s guild is the easiest way to protect your material. Registration is simple, affordable and secure. Writers in the USA should visit the Writer’s Guild of America, West (www.wga.org), or the Writer’s Guild of America, East (www.wgaeast.org), depending on geographic location. Writers in Canada should consult the Writer’s Guild of Canada (www.writersguildofcanada.com). International writers should consult their local guild for more details.

Will you evaluate handwritten material?

No. Scripts need to be typed and in proper screenplay format. And we prefer electronic submissions over paper copies. We’d like to save a tree or two, and our analysts’ eyes, while we’re at it.

What do the grades mean?

High Recommend generally means that the script is ready for entry into the market. The cream of the crop. Well written, original, fresh, exciting, commercial and universally appealing. A wide demographic, major star appeal, clearly defined target demo and compelling visuals are the hallmarks of scripts in the high recommend category. In recent years studio readers have given out this grade to scripts for The Lord of the Rings, Day After Tomorrow, Harry Potter, Jarhead and A History of Violence. Major Hollywood studios will generally not get involved with a spec script unless it has passed through a number of readers who have graded it with a high recommend.

Recommend means that the script, and the idea powering the script itself, is still very commercial, although there is some risk attached to the project. Not necessarily a fresh idea, but not necessarily a huge gamble, either. They possess many of the same qualities as a highly recommended script. Some recent box office successes fall into this category, including Van Helsing, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Red Dragon. Many scripts labelled High Concept fall into this category, and commercial smashes with limited critical appeal often begin life with a grade of recommend. Great scripts can be graded with a recommend if they fall short in any number of categories, the most important being target demographic appeal.

Consider. Many scripts in the Hollywood system make it to the screen with a grade of consider. Scripts and stories can still be great in a literary sense, but their commercial appeal is less substantial. “Pet Projects” of A-list talent and directors often fall into this category. Examples include Adaptation., Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Underworld, Mystic River, Cold Mountain, Gladiator, Flags of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima. Many of the best period pieces written in recent history were graded consider, not because of the value of their screenplays, but because of their commercial worth. A tricky, ambiguous rating and the one that gives literary agents fits and keeps executives up at night.

Track. A script on life support. Not necessarily commercial, and not well written. The potential of the concept usually keeps scripts in this category from receiving a pass. Scripts in this category need a great deal of work in numerous areas. Scripts graded track or lower make it to the screen as independent films, executive gambles and B-movies, though it is not unheard of for big-budget movies to have scripts that were given a track rating. Unknown and unproduced screenwriters trying to sell a script that has received a grade of track rarely succeed. Under our rating system, the script is worth salvaging only after a massive overhaul.

Pass. A pass usually means that the script should be abandoned. Not a good concept, generally not written well, no star appeal and no inherent commercial value. This is where most scripts, especially from new and inexperienced screenwriters, will end up. Elements of the script can usually be salvaged, but the script as a whole has very little chance of making it in the marketplace. A work in progress in the truest sense.

Interpretations
If you’ve been reading carefully, you noticed that some scripts given a high recommend bomb at the box office (Jarhead) while some scripts given a consider become major box office performers (Underworld). What’s the deal? The deal is that there is no formula for box office or commercial success (until Lucas and Spielberg decide to share their secret with the rest of us). What’s vogue one day may be out of style the next. This means that on any given day someone could get lucky with a script that appealed to virtually no one in the system.

However, as an inexperienced or new writer, rest assured that entering the marketplace with a script rated consider or lower is like starting to climb the highest mountain in the world in your thong sandals. You might make it to the top, but you’re probably going to lose a few toes on the way. We want you to keep your toes in tact. That’s why our consulting services are designed to help you reach an eventual grade of recommend or higher and enter the market in a more favourable position. It’s akin to being dropped from a helicopter ten feet from the summit in the world’s most comfortable parka.

Is it difficult to receive a high recommend?

Yes. Very.

Why?
The answer is simple, though most people don’t want to hear it: most screenplays on the market are not very good.

The motion picture industry is unforgiving, impatient and driven by the force of box office receipts. But it is also glamorous, fulfilling and rewarding (it is, perhaps, the most lucrative career a professional writer could ever wish for). So before you embark on your career as the next great Canadian screenwriter (move over Paul Haggis) you need to ask yourself if you’re ready for it.

If you’re an unknown talent trying to break into the market with a heartfelt, personal, self-fulfilling and moving script that fifteen readers have passed on (but I know it’s great!, you’re saying), you might want to change your career trajectory. Try writing a novel. Audiences eat up self-afflicting, meandering, plotless fiction. Just ask Douglas Coupland, who has made a great career out of it (that was just a joke, Doug; you’re my favourite author. Please don’t sue me).

Ponder this, if you will. Not too long ago I was a reader for a distribution and acquisitions company covering financed scripts in various stages of production. Over a six month period I covered 32 scripts. Of those 32, I did not give out a single high recommend. I recommended only one. The breakdown for the rest went something like this- Consider- seven, Track-10, Pass- 14. One of these scripts was written by an Oscar nominated screenwriter- that’s right- attached to four of the biggest names in Hollywood (two Oscar winners there, too), and powered by a studio marketing campaign in the tens of millions of dollars. I gave that script a grade of consider, while two of my contemporaries rated it with a track.

What’s the issue?, you’re asking. That movie made it, and you just said the script wasn’t very good. Why can’t I do the same with my script?

I didn’t say that it can’t, but you don’t have all the information yet. That particular script lingered in development hell for four years and went through no less than nine re-writes before it received the green light from the studio. This is for a script with four A-list actors, a name director and an Oscar nominated screenwriter attached. What you need to know is that this is not the exception. This is the reality of countless mediocre screenplays in Hollywood. Getting a script to screen is tough for even some of the most experienced industry professionals. Why would you want to enter the market with a script that’s only going to make it tough on you to market yourself? That is, after all, the key to all this. Agents and executives want to know how you, as a screenwriter, are going to impact their bottom line long term.

We want you to succeed, because we know just how tough this market is. That’s why our coverage and rating systems are comprehensive and second to none in the industry. We’re as clear as possible on every point and strive to leave no question unanswered and no grade unexplained. An investment in our services is your key to crafting the best script you possibly can.