Google does a lot of really great things. It answers questions ranging from “where can I buy pens” to “what’s the difference between mayonnaise and Miracle Whip?” (turns out, it’s mostly recipe differences and fat vs. carbs. Go figure) and so many more I’d spend forever trying to list it all. But if you type in “script coverage”, well… you get a lot of blogs talking about what, exactly, it is. And whether or not shelling out hard-earned cash is worth it. When you factor in the cost of competitions and applications for fellowships, adding another $80-$100 (or more, depending on where you go or who you’d like to provide the coverage or edits) for some stranger to read your script and, more than likely, give you a few more “here’s what to work on” notes than the “I love it!” notes, there’s definitely a reason to pause and think about it.
You could say I’m a little biased, since I'm offering the service myself, but believe me - if you’re at a point where you’re starting to pay for entry to competitions or, hell, even straight-up submitting your work to an agent or producer, script coverage can be incredibly valuable.
If you do your research.
Sadly, there’s always going to be people and companies out there more than willing to take your money and hand you a page of really generic, awfully unhelpful “notes”, so I definitely recommend looking around and doing some research on where you want to send your story. It’s sort of like buying a car, or a microwave, or finding a place to eat on Yelp. You want to make sure you’re getting what you’re going to be paying for. If someone says they specialize in Comedy, while they'd be more than capable of reading a gore-filled, chill-you-to-the-bone Horror script and giving good feedback, it may not be a genre they're really familiar with. Using myself as an example, I've seen a few horror movies but they tend to be either classics or closer in line with thrillers and suspense... Cabin in the Woods is one of the only modern horror films I've seen (along with a few others) but the zombie bits made me squeamish and I spend more time looking away and waiting for something to startle me than analyzing how the story is put together. Now, I've read my fair share of Horror scripts but again, if you find someone who states they prefer whatever genre you're working in, they may be the better fit for your script.
Since there’s a billion articles on script coverage (thanks, Google), I’ll do a quick rundown of what you should look for, and move on from there. The jury’s out on whether or not synopsis of the script itself should be included (I’ve heard both side of the argument and while you wouldn’t think discussions about a synopsis could get heated...), but while it may not be offered automatically, anyone who refuses on request should give you a big red flag. There should be at least a few pages of notes, varying from service or person, and potentially some kind of final grid at the end of it all. Now, some businesses will lay out exactly what you’re getting for the price, and after that it’s up to you. I recommend shopping around to see what stands out to you, and ask around to get some recommendations.
As for the feedback itself, Character, Theme, Format, Story Structure, Dialogue, and Plot are all major points for me. Those are the bones of the story, the places where I can really start to see where a script is headed and how things could translate on screen - and whether or not it has what agents and producers are looking for. It’s also relatively broad, so unless I find a script that’s the Best Script The World Has Ever Seen™ there’s going to be something to be said about all of those points.
Speaking for myself, our goal as editors and note-givers isn’t to tear you down and make sure you never want to write again, thus thinning out the pool of competition - I’m a writer and an editor, not a James Bond villain. There’s going to be criticism, yes, but we try to make it constructive. I love the "Shit Sandwich" method of constructive criticism, and while some people hate it, I’ve found it to be the gentlest way to give feedback. You start on a high note and end on a high note, and hopefully your coverage convinces you that, yes, it may need some work, but no, you shouldn’t throw it out and pretend it never existed. In my opinion, pretty much any script can be improved or at least cleaned up a little. Hopefully, the edits do what they’re meant to - provide a few glimmers of ideas on how to proceed with your next draft, and maybe give you a bit of direction for how to go about it.
So when those suggestions and notes come, don’t take it personally. I had a hard time getting over that as a writer (and still do, from time to time - a lot of work goes in to the scripts, after all) and I’m more than happy to discuss the notes once after passing them on in order to clarify something that may not be entirely clear.
The point of feedback isn’t to feel like there’s no point in continuing. The point is to take a step back, examine what’s there already, and explore how you can move forward with your work. At the end of the day, we should want to help each other. Getting a new pair of eyes on the work, especially eyes that have no emotional attachment to the amount of work you’ve done, or to the characters themselves (yet), is, in my opinion, always a good idea.
If you have any questions, or want me to elaborate further on anything, please feel free to drop me a note! If you have a topic you’d like me to talk about, get in touch. The point of this blog is to connect with the community, keep learning about writing itself, and hopefully help you guys out or at least give another angle on something you’ve been thinking about. I promise I’ll keep the self-promotion to a minimum, but I will mention that there’s quite a few contests looming on the horizon - there always are - and the next big batch of early deadlines start around November. If you want to get in touch regarding my editing services or script coverage in general, check out my website and fire off an email. I look forward to chatting with you!
All the best (and happy Canada Day!)
Dawn