Imagine
you're a studio script reader. It's Sunday night. You're dog-tired. Dreading
work tomorrow where you're stuck in your own version of 'Swimming With Sharks'.
Your girlfriend (or boyfriend) has just broken up with you - for the 5th time.
Your rent is past due - for the 5th time.
And you still have to face THE STACK.
What is 'the stack'? It's that monstrous pile of screenplays sent in by aspiring
writers - and a few professionals - that you must do 'coverage' on (a 2-4
page document a reader creates for their boss -- a producer, agent, studio
exec -- where they write a synopsis of the script, a couple pages of comments,
and a grade of either 'pass', 'consider', or 'recommend').
Now how receptive do you think you, The Reader, are about now? How generous
and willing are you to overlook the writer's mistakes and sloppiness? How
likely are you to be looking for a reason - any reason - to say "NO"?
What are the odds you're going to throw those scripts into the round file
or across the room - whatever it takes -- to get through that stack and get
to bed, get drunk, or watch Desperate Housewives?!
That, my friends, is what you, the writer - and
your script - are up against. I don't say that to scare you (and, yes, I'm
exaggerating a bit - only a bit), but if you are harboring any fantasy that
the reader is looking forward to your script, that it'll be greeted with open
arms like some liberator -- that they'll 'overlook' your spelling mistakes,
poor formatting, weak premise, or one-dimensional characters, and just 'fix
it in development' - you'll be living in that fantasy for a long time.
SO SNAP OUT OF IT!
The truth is, your script is going to be in that stack, facing an overworked,
underpaid reader - who is also a struggling writer himself (or herself), and
they're not going to give you a break - unless you earn it. The sooner you
acknowledge that, without resentment, self-pity, or why-me-itis, the sooner
you'll begin approaching this business of writing more professionally and
generate more success.
Yes, I did say "business of writing", because that is exactly what
it is, and what it needs to be for you to succeed. I know I'm being pretty
in-your-face here, but I just see so many writers railing against the 'system',
bemoaning their fate, and wanting to slit their wrists with script pages -
all the while treating their screenwriting like a hobby or the lottery --
and not putting in that extra mile that makes them truly competitive.
So stop it already!
Okay, enough about you, let's talk about me. As a produced screenwriter, script
consultant, and founder of ScriptwriterCentral.com,
the fastest-growing online script consulting and screenwriting organization,
I have had the privilege of interviewing and working with dozens of studio
and production company script readers. And what I've discovered are a handful
of key things that they look for when judging a script -- things other than
overall storytelling -- things that get you rejected, or seriously discredited,
before they even get into the heart of your script.
Obviously, we can't go into all of them here, or the deeper story issues that
can get your script rejected, but let's dive into a few of the basics:
KEY REASONS READERS REJECT SCRIPTS
Amateur Mistakes
Some of you already know these, but the question is "Are you implementing
them?" The major signs of an amateur are:
· Fancy covers and bindings, with drawings, photos, and anything
other than #5 brass brads
· More than a 120 pages (actually over a 110 is more like it nowadays)
· A non-disclosure agreement (any sign of a paranoid writer scares
everyone away - don't do it!)
· Any font other than 12-point Courier
· Camera directions, parenthetical phrases (that's where you tell
them how the character says their lines)
· Too much ink on the pages and not enough white space
Format
There's something I call "The Art of the Page". Besides the actual
story, there is a craft to how you design your script page in order to maximize
reader ease and enjoyment. As already mentioned, you want more white space
than black ink. The less you write, the more they'll read. Brand
that into your brain.
Think of your words like music and strive to create a rhythm that pulls
the reader's eye down the page and makes them turn it. One trick is to create
hooks at the bottom of the page (a question that isn't answered, a visual
that leaves them hanging, etc.)
Bottom line, look at your script pages and ask, "Does that make me
want to read it or scan it?" and then make the necessary adjustments
to make that page more inviting.
Concept
I can't go into this in-depth, but basically this is about making sure your
concept is fresh. That might seem like a "Duh," but you'd be amazed
at how many scripts are still written like Pulp Fiction, Die Hard,
and Lethal Weapon! Enough already!
Crafting a great story idea is not just about 'hi-concept,' it's about
avoiding worn-out clichés. If you're doing another heist story, you
need to make sure it has a unique twist on this tired genre. Turn it upside
down, inside out, reverse and invert it…until it yields a new angle
on the old idea. And keep asking these questions throughout.
Page-1 Read
You might be amazed at how much your first page - even your first sentence
-- tells a reader about your talent, or lack of it. On that first page,
you need to clearly establish the tone and genre (if it's a comedy, they
better at least chuckle; if it's a thriller, they better be thrilled), begin
creating your key image system or motif, hook the reader into your story,
and possibly pose a central question.
The truth is, many chronic problems in your writing appear on the first
page. If you can master this page, then globally export your new level of
writing to the rest of the script, you will take your story to a whole new
level.
Ten Page Analysis
Most of you probably know this, but it needs to be repeated - because the
same mistakes keep getting made in a majority of scripts submitted. In the
first 10-15 pages, you must establish your protagonist, antagonist, the
central goal, the stakes, the thematic argument, and the 'inciting incident'
- the event that ignites the story.
I'm not talking about formula here, I'm talking about the reality of the
studio reader. Whether you like it or not, that's what they're looking for.
If you don't hook them into the main story and let them know what this is
going to be by page 10-15, they are likely to toss the script or start scanning
it. And once they do that, it's all over.
I know you have so much important info you want to tell the reader before
the plot gets started - all those character bios and backstory you labored
for months creating. I only have one thing to say: CUT IT ALL OUT! If you
can't set up your story and characters in the first 10-15 pages, and hook
the reader, you don't know your story - or you don't have one. Yes, there
are exceptions -- but you're not one of them!
You want to sell your script, right? Then stop thinking like a writer and
start thinking like a reader - because they're the gatekeepers and they
will close the gate and lock your script out of the party if you don't grab
them in those first 10-15 pages.
Last Page Analysis
How many times have you seen a movie that started out pretty good, sagged
in the middle, then knocked your socks off in the end? Despite the problematic
second act, did you walk out of there feeling like you just saw a really
good movie? Most likely you've had that experience. And what does that tell
you?
The ending is everything.
Don't just let it be where your story comes to a conclusion, craft that
ending so that it's where your story - and all the tension you've built
up - explodes all over the page. Leave the reader laughing her butt off,
crying his eyes out, cheering, or afraid to turn out the lights…and
you will have a reader who recommends your script.
Of course, this is easier said than done, but then that's why they pay
us the big bucks, right? The key strategy here is to work until your fingers
crack and bleed and your head is ready to explode - to discover that ending
that blows you away. There are many questions and techniques I can't go
into now, but if you dig deep enough and ask long enough, your story will
reveal the best ending possible.
Don't be impatient. I recommend not even starting the script until you've
nailed the ending. But if you find yourself really stuck, sometimes writing
the script can jar the true ending loose from your unconscious. Just remember,
it's not called the 'climax' for nothing. Without a big climax, all you're
giving the reader is a bunch of foreplay!
Top Rule to Avoid Reader Rejection
There's one thing, above all, that you must always achieve in your script:
Thou Shalt Not Bore Thy Audience!
Did you hear the heavenly music? I know this statement doesn't tell you
what to do or how…but you must keep this in mind at all times. No matter
how brilliant, poetic, visual, and commercial you think your writing is,
if it bores the reader it sucks!
Don't get mad at me for saying that, I'm on your side. Your writing might
actually be brilliant. But if the reader gets bored, you, your writing group,
and your mother are the only ones who will be reading it! When you become
an A-list writer, you can write boring masterpieces. But right now, you
need to write something that sells. Again, there are exceptions to this
rule - but you're not one of them!
And those, folks, are the basics. Ignore them at your writing peril.
-------------------------------
There's another motto I want you to post above your computer that will
keep this process on track for you:
"Write Like a Writer, Read Like a Reader."
When you're writing, go for it, let it rip; don't think, just pour your
unconscious out; don't get it right, just get it written. But when you sit
down to evaluate your script and prepare for a rewrite, read it like a development
executive, marketing executive, studio reader, and script consultant - because
that's the way the gatekeepers and buyers are reading it. And if you're
not evaluating it that way, you are likely to miss some key issues that
could cost you the opportunity of a lifetime.
Bottom line, you need to do whatever it takes to make your script look,
feel, read, and smell professional. Do just that much and you'll put yourself
in the top 10% of all scripts submitted.
Remember, this is a business. To be truly successful you need to embrace
it like a business. A script is often called a 'blueprint.' And it's often
looked at like a 'business proposal' by execs (marketing departments at
studios have a big say in what gets bought and made). So deal with your
script like an architect deals with her blueprint for a multimillion dollar
building or an entrepreneur deals with his business proposal for a multimillion
dollar business. These pros seek professional counsel and work on their
proposals until they are letter perfect - BEFORE submitting them.
You, the professional writer, must do the same. Whether you use colleagues,
classes, or script consultants - and I highly recommend all of the above
-- you need to do whatever it takes to take your script to the highest possible
level before submitting it. Like I said, just doing that much puts your
script in the top 10%, because a vast majority of scripts are so poorly
formatted, presented, and riddled with fixable problems that they never
make it past the 'round file'.
From this moment forward, yours doesn't have to be that way ever again.
Now all that's left to do is tell a great story…
------------------------------------
If you would like more information on the complete e-course, "Bullet-Proof
Your Script Against Reader Rejection", and the other e-courses
coming out, please sign up for the free newsletter, THE MUSELETTER"
at www.scriptwritercentral.com.
You'll also be notified of other free products, services, and important
screenwriting news to help you create a successful screenwriting career.
While you're at it, you can also sign up for the f.ree e-course, "7
Deadly Mistakes Screenwriters Make When Using a Script Consultant."
www.DontGetScammedByScriptConsultants.com.
By Derek Rydall
Founder, ScriptwriterCentral.com
Derek Rydall is a produced screenwriter, best-selling author, script
consultant, and founder of ScriptwriterCentral.com and EnlightenedEntertainer.com
(coming soon). Working with Universal, Fox, Disney, RKO, and many others,
he has sold, optioned, or been hired to write over 20 scripts, a dozen hours
of TV, and several books. As a direct result of his consulting, writers
have made 6-figure script deals, raised millions in financing, gained representation,
distribution, and even starred in and directed their feature films. He is
the author of "I Could've Written a Better Movie Than That!" (in stores
now) and "There's No Business Like Soul Business" (available for pre-order
on Amazon). For more info, you can check out his site, www.scriptwritercentral.com,
email derek@scriptwritercentral.com
or call (661) 296-4991.
Copyright by Jerrol LeBaron, 2006
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