Making The Most of Professional Consultation

By Christina Hamlett

One of the terms you’ll often encounter on the path to being a screenwriter is “script coverage.”  Script coverage actually refers to two different levels of critique.  The first type is done by studio readers whose job is to give each project either a pass (thumbs down) or a recommend (thumbs up).  What they are looking for—and subsequently summarizing in one page or less—are projects that are not only professionally packaged but are in keeping with the studio’s corporate vision, budget, and wish list.

You, as the writer, won’t be privy to what appears in a studio critique unless you have someone inside the system who can find out for you.  Therefore, should your submission receive a polite “No, thanks,” you’ll have no clue whether they thought your premise of flesh-eating hamsters from Saturn was a singularly stupid idea or if it had too many similarities to a flick on flesh-eating woodchucks from Akron they had already optioned three months earlier. 

While rejection without explanation is one of the more frustrating realities of this business, the sheer volume of material received and the shortage of personnel to process all of it makes it impossible to counsel individual writers on why their work didn’t click.

The second type of coverage is a paid critique that screenwriters do see.  Unlike the pass/recommend format, this type is designed to address the strengths and weaknesses of a project in the context of a teaching tool for the writer to improve his/her craft.  Coverage consultants (who may or may not be affiliated with a studio or agency) are either generalists or specialize in specific genres (i.e., romantic comedies) or aspects of screenwriting (i.e., character development).

The fees charged for coverage services vary in accordance with expertise, level of detail and recommendation provided, and whether the client wants to engage in an ongoing mentor relationship.  While script consultants are fairly easy to find on the Internet and in the classified sections of screen trade magazines, finding one who is committed to giving you honest and practical advice is a little harder.  Just as there are unscrupulous therapists who prolong the recovery of patients who represent a long-term meal-ticket, there are also all manner of “script doctors” whose method of cure has more to do with reducing your bank account than maximizing your talent.

Certainly one of the best ways to find professional assistance is through word of mouth.  If you know of fellow screenwriters who have engaged the services of a script consultant and were pleased with the feedback they received, find out whether you can be referred to them.  Screenwriter chat rooms are also a good place to post your query and garner a wide variety of suggestions…including which ones to stay away from.

If you haven’t already bookmarked the following websites, you’ll find them to be a good source of consultants who are not only accomplished writers themselves but who additionally have worked as agents, entertainment lawyers, directors and producers.

• American Screenwriters Association www.asascreenwriters.com

• InkTip www.inktip.com

• Writers Guild of America www.wga.org

• MovieBytes www.moviebytes.com/directory.cfm

(Note: This directory lists contests which are sponsored by coverage consultants as well as studio competitions that provide feedback to each entrant.)

Did you hear a good speaker at your last screenwriters’ conference?  There is a strong network of writing professionals who are always more than happy to do referrals to colleagues and/or recommend courses in which one-on-one feedback is a major component.  If you subscribe to trade magazines such as SCREENTALK, MovieMaker Magazine and Scr(i)pt, you may want to extend your sleuthing to the bios of contributing authors and editors, many of whom do independent consulting and referrals.

What can you expect to get back in terms of professional advice?  Again, this is contingent on the background of the consultants and the value of their time.  For my own clients, I provide 5-8 single spaced pages of analysis covering the following topic areas: originality, character development, dialogue, pacing, structure, budget, and marketability.  In addition—and dependent on a submission’s degree of polish—I recommend upcoming competitions, websites, and independent studios that I feel would make a good match.

While this type of consultation works well for many writers in identifying what kind of first-aid their scripts need, others will seek out someone who can do a line-by-line analysis of the full text and, if necessary, participate in an actual rewrite.  For those who are just starting out, consultants who can provide mini-critiques of the first 10-20 pages plus a synopsis are all they really need to let them know if they’re on the right track.

Keep in mind, of course, the subjective nature of this exercise.  One of the caveats I always include in my own coverage notes is that it is up to the individual writer whether or not to incorporate the recommendations into subsequent drafts.  Certainly the more people you invite to read your work, the better handle you have on how it’s going to be received by a broader audience.  Just because you have paid someone money to render a critique of your work doesn’t mean that his or her opinion is more valuable than nine friends of yours from college who just read it for free.  What it does mean, however, is that you are tapping the expertise of an industry pro who can provide solid guidance on how to fix trouble spots that may be keeping your work from getting produced.

That said, you need to remember why you engaged the consultant’s services to begin with, especially if the critique you receive is less glowing than what you were anticipating.  For as many clients as I mentor who come away with a clearer understanding of what needs to be done in order to make their work stand up to scrutiny and tough competition, I have an equal number who take a defensive stance and spend more time arguing than learning.

If you decide to get a professional evaluation of your work, the following things should be taken into consideration.

• What are your expectations of the critique? (i.e., an evaluation of your strengths and weaknesses, a referral to a studio or agent, a mentoring relationship.)

• What are the qualifications of the consultant who will be reviewing your script? What do others have to say about the quality of their work?

• What can you afford to spend on script coverage?  Since fees range from less than $100 to over $1,000, it pays to shop around.

• What kind of timeframe is involved between submission and receipt of a coverage document? (Note: If you’re planning to enter the script into competition, allow at least 4-6 weeks in order to have the coverage done and address the recommended changes.)

• Do you need the entire script reviewed or just a few scenes that you feel are cumbersome?  Some consultants, such as myself, will do mini-appraisals that not only save you money but enable you to assess whether you could have a comfortable relationship.

• How well do you feel you handle criticism?

• Are there provisions in place for follow-up questions with the consultant after receipt of his/her critique of your script?

• Is the consultant amenable to second-reads of the same material at either a reduced fee or gratis?

Former actress/director Christina Hamlett is an award winning author whose credits to date include 21 books 115 plays and musicals, 4 optioned features and columns that appear throughout the world.  She is also a professional script coverage consultant for the film industry, and for those of you who have taken the time to read all of this small print, she will offer a half price consultation (normally $450) to any aspiring screenwriters who identify themselves as a WRITER ONLINE subscriber between now and June 30, 2005.  Contact authorhamlett@cs.com for details.