Telling a screenwriter that his script needs work isn’t easy. There are three immutable laws that govern screenwriting writ large: 1) Everybody has a script 2) Everybody is a critic 3) Some screenwriters aren’t quite good at handling honest feedback As screenwriters, we’ve all done “friend reads,” right? Me, despite doing script notes for a … Read more
With every script that comes in and piles up here at Screenplay Readers, I can’t help but wonder how many new screenwriters know how stacked the deck is against them. And I also wonder how many of them know how essential it is to know that in order to get a script sold and represented. … Read more
In the late 1990s, I worked for legendary B-film maverick Roger Corman, who made Bucket of Blood and the original Little Shop of Horrors, and whose film company gave some of Hollywood’s greatest filmmakers their first shot at directing – Ron Howard, James Cameron, Joe Dante, Martin Scorsese – the list goes on and on. … Read more
If you’ve written a script, open up your script right now and turn to any page in the script. Read the scene. Then answer these questions below. Run every scene of your screenplay through these five questions, systematically, to find out if it can be improved: 1) Is the scene even necessary? If yes, go … Read more
I’ve been reading scripts and providing coverage for over a decade now, and I’ve seen a few screenwriters come and go without really maximizing their script coverage experience. So I thought I’d share a few quick tips. If you opt for paid script coverage from a service like mine, Screenplay Readers, here are few ways you … Read more