Is my script safe? Will you steal my ideas?
Your script is 100% safe. We keep our writers’ scripts and ideas 100% safe and secure, and we don’t pass on your script or its ideas to anyone. Your script will be read by our reader and that’s it. Nobody else will lay eyes on it. Our readers are screened not only for heavy experience, but TRUSTWORTHINESS as well, so your script and your ideas are absolutely, positively 100% safe in our hands. Lots of other coverage companies demand that you fill out a SCRIPT RELEASE FORM before they read and cover your script, but that’s just to PROTECT THEMSELVES. NOT YOU. We’ve been in business since the late 1990′s reading scripts and providing coverage. If we were in the business of stealing screenwriters’ scripts and ideas, there’s no way we would’ve stayed in business this long.
What are your credentials?
Our script analysts have worked for companies such as ICM, CAA, Warner Bros., Paramount, Benderspink, Samuel Goldwyn Company, Roger Corman, Steve Oedekerk (Ace Ventura, Bruce Almighty), Media Artists Agency, and festivals such as the Sundance Film Festival. (see our About Us page for more) Screenplay Readers consists of a solid team of extremely talented, experienced screenwriters, story analysts, development execs, producers, directors, and filmmakers — real folks who have real world experience in dealing on both ends of the screenwriting angle.
Why should I have my script covered before I submit it to agencies / studios?
If you’re a screenwriter, you already know this – the competition for screenplay sales is huge. If your script is not up to professional industry standards, you simply cannot even compete. A spec script from an unknown writer is an almost impossible sell. You’re up against writers that are already entrenched and making millions of dollars, why should any studio or production company or agent go with an unknown? When your script is submitted to an agency or a studio, it gets covered and likely entered into their tracking database. That means the details and quality of your script could be forever logged into a permanent database for the studio or agency to refer back to. If your script isn’t the best it can be, and it’s submitted, then your script is likely to be dead in the water at that particular agency or production house. Here’s more on why we think coverage is a good thing.
Will getting my script covered by Screenplay Readers improve my script?
No. That’s up to you. What we offer is our honest, and sometimes brutal insight, which can sometimes be painful for you to hear. You may disagree with our coverage and analysis, but we will never just tell you what you want to hear. We believe the only way writers grow and become better writers is if they’re willing to take a good hard look at what can be improved and be honest with themselves.
What exactly is a “script coverage report?”
A film industry-standard coverage report is usually 1-3 pages and consists of three parts: (a) the basic information about the script (author, genre, page count, logline) and a brief ratings area for different categories of quality (plot, characters, setting, theme), etc. (b) a synopsis of the film usually up to a page in length, and (c) an analysis page, containing the reader’s comments and opinions on the script’s strengths and weaknesses. Similar to coverages, but more comprehensive, script notes are much more detailed notes. SAMPLE SCREENPLAY READERS COVERAGE (sample opens in a new browser window)
Are you fair to the screenwriter in your script coverage?
Yes! “Fair” to us means not sugar-coating our comments and notes. Yet, we try to be positive and keep our criticisms in the constructive realm at all times. However, our notes can be brutal as well (but always respectful and professional). Remember – we love scripts and know what makes them work, but we’re just people with opinions, just like you.
Do I need to have a Paypal account to send payment?
No. You can use your VISA, AMERICAN EXPRESS, MASTERCARD, DISCOVER OR Paypal. We use Paypal as one of our credit card processors to give you an option. We also use Authorize.net, a world leader in safe and secure credit card processing. That means you can pay with your regular credit card OR with a Paypal account if you have one. There is no need to signup with Paypal. Re: INVOICES FOR LARGER ORDERS, we can invoice your company via Paypal, and you can pay that invoice online using your credit card or Paypal account. If for some reason you must pay by a regular check, we can send a regular invoice via email or snail mail. No work will begin until your check or payment has cleared.
Can I request or re-request a specific reader?
Yes. We now offer the ability to choose your own reader, for a $19.99 optional fee. One fee per reader requested. So if you order a 3-reader coverage, and only request TWO specific readers, you must pay two fees ($19.99 x 2) for the readers you request, and Screenplay Readers will choose the third reader. If you don’t pay the fee, no problem. Screenplay Readers will assign your scripts to whichever readers are available.
Why do I have to pay to have the same reader on the next draft of my script?
1) 99% of writers who turn in new drafts of the same script to the same Screenplay Reader are upset when that reader doesn’t catch every single tiny change they made to the new draft of their script, however minor or insignificant. This causes a good deal of frustration all around. More importantly, it leads to unsatisfied writers and just plain bad business relationships.
2) When you request a specific reader, it means less work for the other readers on our reader team, and a lot of extra communication, scheduling, and coordination for our entire team, as well as that of the reader you request, who may have a ton of other scripts on their plate.
How do I know if my script is under 120 pages?
Your script must meet the following formatting requirements to be considered under 120 pages: (a) The script has at LEAST 1-inch left, right, top, and bottom margins, and (b) it uses a 12-point Courier/Courier New/Final Draft font. If your script uses a smaller font or smaller margins in order to cheat the 120 page limit, we will send it back to you and request that you either 1) reformat it to proper page count using the above specifications before we continue, or 2) ask you to re-submit your order with the proper payment amount.
I sent in a new draft of the same script for new coverage, but the second coverage is essentially the same as the first!
We warn all our customers who resubmit their scripts that if your script hasn’t changed significantly, DO NOT RESUBMIT IT FOR COVERAGE. It’s a waste of everybody’s time. Changing some character names and revamping a scene or two doesn’t mean your script is any different, nor that our synopsis and comments should be either. If you feel this is too harsh, try submitting the same script over and over again to an agency, actor, or production house and see what kind of response you get there.
I can’t handle criticism. Should I order service from Screenplay Readers?
No. If you’re not here to get honest feedback on your script, whether positive or negative, we simply don’t want your business. We’re here to provide a service to help you identify what’s working and what’s not working with your screenplay, not to affirm your talents or tell you how great you are, despite however great you may be. But nor are we here to be overly negative or abusive. We don’t fluff you up and we don’t tear you down. We just give you our hard analysis.
It’s been a few days and I haven’t received my script coverage! What do I do?
Please make sure that your email program or webmail is not blocking or filtering out our email addresses brian@screenplayreaders.com & lynn@screenplayreaders.com, or just make sure your mail program considers anything from @screenplayreaders.com to be non-spam. If our email is being blocked by your spam filters, and you haven’t left us a telephone number, we can’t get through to you. As a very last resort, if it’s been a few days and despite our best efforts, we’re still unable to get a hold of you, we may try to get your coverage to you by either snail mail (if you’ve provided an address) or by posting your coverage on a private folder on our website with the address of http://screenplayreaders.com/yourlastname This page will have your coverage, as well as a reminder to unblock our email address from your spam filters and our office telephone number.
Do I have to be a screenwriter to order script coverage on a script?
No. Our script coverage is written as objectively as possible, so that agents, producers, managers, and studio executives can all benefit from the coverage. Our coverage writing style is neither “self-helpy” or “educationally oriented” so you can just get the feedback and do what you want with it, whether you’re a screenwriter or not.
My script received a RECOMMEND, CONSIDER, or PASS. What do these ratings mean?
Like most agencies or production studios, Screenplay Readers only RARELY gives a RECOMMEND rating to a script. Scripts which receive a RECOMMEND rating are exemplary in all categories. We’ve given out only a handful of RECOMMEND ratings the entire time we’ve been in business.
We give CONSIDER ratings to scripts which have great potential, but which need a bit more work to really shine and become worthy of a producer or agent’s attention. This may mean the script needs stronger dialogue, a more clear plot structure, or simply just better formatting and spelling.
When we rate a script with a PASS, it doesn’t necessarily mean we think the script is no good. It simply means our reader felt that the script needs a lot more work to make it marketable and sellable. For example, some scripts which receive a PASS may have a great concept and strong dialogue, but their plot structure may need a lot of work; others which receive a PASS may simply have a fabulous script, but an extremely over-used concept.
The reasons for a PASS run the gamut. But keep in mind three things if you’ve received a PASS rating on your script: 1) It’s just our opinion. Feel free to get your script read at one of the other great coverage companies out there, 2) We give out more PASS ratings than any other type of rating, because we’re very, very critical in general, and 3) We’ve given out only a handful of RECOMMEND ratings the entire time we’ve been in business.
Should I keep submitting my script to Screenplay Readers until I receive a RECOMMEND rating?
Absolutely not. Because it’s not likely to happen. If we suspect you’re resubmitting your script to us too soon, based on the scope of our comments and suggested fixes, we will let you know, and ask you to resubmit once you’ve really taken the time to make your script better, rather than just encouraging you to resubmit time and time again just so we can make money. We’re here to build long-term relationships with our friends and clients; not to make a quick buck.
If my script gets a CONSIDER or a RECOMMEND, will you pass it along to an agent or producer and/or help me sell it?
All we do here at Screenplay Readers is read screenplays and provide coverage. We send out a regular email to our list of agents and producers with the loglines and contact information of recently well-reviewed scripts. Your script’s logline and your contact information will only go out on this list if you ask us to do so, and only if we feel that the script may be of interest to our agent and producer friends. Getting your script on this list is FREE and totally optional.
Do your script readers rush?
Never. We may have an awesome general turnaround time (24-72 hours) but the readers never rush your coverage. And our turnaround time is only a general rule of thumb anyhow. We don’t guarantee that your script will be covered within 72 hours, even though 99.99% of the time, it is!
We screen our expert script readers heavily, and pay them well. And we have a large team, so no script reader has more than one or two (max!) scripts on his or her plate at a time. Which means they’re not just rushing through it just to make a quick buck and get to the next script.
Do you guys have “script gurus” working for you?
No. We’re not “script gurus” or “script self-help doctors” any of that other hooey. We’re just a team of experienced, fast, often brutally-frank script analysts, screenwriters, and script craftsmen who know what makes a good screenplay work. Nearly all our readers all have other careers in the film industry: development folks, screenwriters, casting agents, producers, television actors, you name it.
Do you guys offer 1-on-1 script coaching?
Our sister site Script Intensive is the place to go if you’re a screenwriter who wants to work 1-on-1 with a script coach to improve your script, and/or improve your screenwriting, or just get a super-detailed perspective on your script.
Will you guys have interns and college kids read my script?
No, with all due respect to college students and interns. (See “What are your credentials?” above). This is a silly marketing tactic a lot of our esteemed, higher-priced competitors and “script gurus” and “script consultants” use against here at Screenplay Readers, in order to make their higher rates seem normal, and our lower-priced services at Screenplay Readers seem “cheap” or “inferior.” But don’t take our word for it. We happily invite you to Google or contact any of the folks on our Testimonials page and ask them directly what they think of us.
Will you guys try to get me to buy more expensive coverage, or encourage me to keep getting coverage on my script(s) until I get a better review?
Absolutely not. Our business is based on friendship and long-term business relationships; not dangling carrots and gimmicks. This is just another silly marketing tactic trumped up by our esteemed competitors who tell their visitors that Screenplay Readers’ low rates translate to “low quality coverage.”
Can I see a list of your readers, their experience, and what genres they’re into?
Our readers, like most experienced script readers working in the industry, prefer their information to remain private. The alternative has proven problematic for some of our team members, who have been tracked down on Google and Facebook (sometimes just from their initials and photo alone), and pestered and (sometimes even harassed and/or threatened) by angry clients, bothersome clients, or even what we would consider to be, pardon the turn of phrase, “nutjob” clients. What’s just as problematic for us, however, is when clients see a list of our team members and then say “I want Reader X to read my script because he said one of his favorite movies was Full Metal Jacket and my script is a lot like that.” We’re trying to provide an experience that’s as close to the real-world script coverage you’d get (but often never see) from an agency/studio/production company. And that real-world experience doesn’t include picking your reader from a list, hoping that reader will “understand your script” better than the next reader.
If picking your reader from a list is what you’re looking for, we invite you to try another company, and wish you the best of luck!
Do you guys do TV scripts, pilots, and webseries?
Yes. But don’t expect our entire team of readers to be up to date (or even familiar with) every single show on television and cable. That being said, many of our readers have their fingers on the pulse of what’s currently on the tube. But even if they’re not familiar with the show you submitted a spec for, they’ll still be able to provide great analysis on what’s working in your script and what’s not.
Can I just send an actual printed script via the regular US mail? I don’t trust the internet for payments.
Sorry, we no longer offer this service to individual writers or scripts. We do provide local LA pickup for hard copies as part of bulk orders, but on a case by case basis.
What is WGA Registration?
WGA Registration is an official way of letting the people who come into contact with your script know that there’s a copy on file with the WGA. To register your script with the WGA, you send a copy of it to the WGA along with their requested fee, and they keep the script on file for a certain amount of time. This offers some minimal, basic protection in case of a dispute over your script, but not much. For more information, contact the WGA directly at http://www.wga.org
What are your office hours? Do you work weekends?
We’re a regular office with regular hours and we’re in Mon-Fri, 9-4PM Pacific Time (Los Angeles, California). If you order your script after business hours, it will be handed to a reader as soon as we’re back in the office. We’re closed on all major holidays, and any minor ones we feel we can get away with (hooray for Boxing Day and Yom Kippur!).