Readers

[Enigma]

I ran across this and to help me understand "readers," thought I'd ask if this is the norm out there. If it is, "ouch." We pay interns at least a decent wage to start, even if they don't know anything (which none of them do, but we didn't either at one time - and sometimes still don't).
Our Reader Program
We can always use another quality reader to help with submissions and development. If you are interested in reading screenplays and writing coverage & development notes, please send me an email describing your experience, qualifications, and writing background.

If you have no experience with coverage or development we may be willing to teach you as long as you are an experienced writer who has written at least four complete screenplays and read a number of books on screenwriting. Most of our readers have been MFA Graduates or in their final year at local schools like USC, UCLA, LMU, etc. We primarily use readers who live in LA as we meet weekly to go over assignments. The best book for writing coverage to my knowledge is READING FOR A LIVING by T. L. Katahn and is required reading by all our readers.

We meet once a week to go over the last week's assignments in detail and discuss development ideas and solutions. There is no salary, but we share 10% of our earnings on the initial sale amongst all readers involved in helping us find material that we sell (often a script will go through multiple readers and drafts before it is ready and this amount is shared amongst all readers that wrote notes on that script). All our readers simply love reading and helping writers improve their craft and gaining development experience in the process. By not paying the readers we keep out the negative types that most writers fear. The readers are incented to find solutions to fix your script rather than just pass on it. The readers keep reading as long as they enjoy it and are learning and quit as soon as they get burnt out. 99% of all readers at the studios and agencies are highly burnt out but must continue to read to pay their rent. This is not the kind of reader you want to read your script and we don't use them. There is also a chance to be attached as an Associate Producer if you are assigned as a Story Editor to work directly with the writer. Many of our readers have also been promoted to executive positions here and at other prestigeous companies.

Our reader/ development program helps us find great material, helps the writers improve their script through the development process and getting notes from diverse readers (every opinion is valid to us). Finally, our program gives readers the opportunity to gain experience in development

[JustinoXXV]

I don't know about the norm but it is rather common for readers at the smaller agencies and production companies to be unpaid interns.

As for the studios, that I don't know. There are paid reader positions at studios, but I'm not sure if they use interns as the lowest level of screener or not.

[Chesher Cat]

Smaller prod companies not only use unpaid interns to read, the interns don't even have to have any qualifications - education, experience or otherwise.

I also know a woman who reads for CAA. They have full time salaried readers that are assigned several projects a week. She does mostly books for them but sometimes scripts as well. It is her job and she isn't burned out, so that part of there notice seemed weird. Maybe people who are reading for free get burned out.

[Joe Calabrese]

Most unpaid interns (in any industry) are college students and the turn over rate is extremely high. It's no surprise this notice came out just before school gets out too.

Small companies use them to cut down on overhead. Larger companies use them too (to a lesser degree), but only for low level or low priorty stuff, like filing, making coffee and reading unsolicited scripts (those that don't get trashed).

This particular posting seems like a new, indy production company which put out the call for scripts and use free labor to weed through them with a promise of hope in getting a percentage. I would stay away from these guys as they are not players in any sense of the word.

[Enigma]

We use interns and have for over twenty years - but we always pay them something, if for no other reason than to instill a sense of self-worth. "Dignity" enters in there somewhere too. So does "self-esteem."

I've seen interns treated like doormats before so it's no wonder there's a high turn-over. One I'll never forget was years ago in DC when the (paid) staff members and some of the hot-shot stringers of a news agency were all going out to celebrate something. We were going Dutch. I seem to recall it was the Jockey Club. This one little intern, a decent kid, really wanted to be included, but made up some excuse to stay behind. I forgot something and came back to find her sitting alone in the break room eating a peanut and jelly sandwich. When she looked up at me, I sensed her heartache, and humiliation, and I've never forgotten it.

That posting came from a web-site that I stumbled across and happened to notice the slug. I don't know, or care, what they are. They said literary manager, producer, developer and a host of other things relating to the film industry but I have my doubts. I didn't check 'em out because I wasn't interested but I do think they've been around for some time.