or maybe not an actual script doctor, but is it necessary to submit your script to one of those script reading agencies?
is a script doctor necessary?
- Thread starter vanillamilkshake
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I wouldn't say it's necessary. It's really up to you. All they will help with are things like Plot, Character, Dialogue, etc. etc. I would say that if you didn't have someone you could trust to give you *honest* feedback, then you might want to consider it but remember this they can get pricey.
I agree with this although for many aspiring writers the people they trust to give them honest feedback may not have the knowledge base necessary to know what constitutes a professional caliber script or how to pinpoint problems with plot, character, dialogue etc., let alone be able to provide guidance and insight on how to fix the problems.
If you are going to seek out professional feedback, I wouldn't bother with coverage, especially, if you are not an experienced screenwriter and are not well-versed in the craft. A more in-depth evaluation by a professional screenwriter and/or higher level development professional may cost more - but you are more likely to get more out of that type of feedback and learn things that will not only help you improve the script in question, but will also help you become a better writer in general.
Very true. I should have clarified myself. If you have a friend, Preferably a Writer friend or something along those lines who understands this kind of things.
No, they cost too much money and most of the time the screenplay simply isn't ready. It's better to buddy up with succesful screenwriters and exchange critiques.
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From what I understand of the process, the studio would bring in a script doctor after the screenplay's been purchased, anyway.
What the term "script doctor" means in the context of Hollywood -- that is, they brought a script doctor to fix an ailing script a few weeks before production -- that means a top screenwriter who specializes in doing emergency rewriting.
That's a very different kind of animal from what's being talked about here -- that's somebody that you pay half a million dollars to for a week's work.
What we're talking here in terms of a "script doctor" is a story analyst, most likely someone who's worked in development (although some writers do it as well), who knows things like structure, pacing, character, dialogue and how to generate a detailed set of notes.
Though the names are sometimes applied to both, obviously they're quite different job descriptions.
NMS