Coverage

bison said:

Do you think it is a good or bad idea for a newbie to pay for coverage prior to sending a script (query)??
I have a friend who was raised in the movie business and he says no, the producer (readers) will give you coverage for free when you submit.
BUT, (sez I) when you want to be sure your product is up to standard, what's a couple of hundred bucks compared to the potential upside?
Huh?

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Bison - Coverage is normally used by agencies and producers for internal use only. Chances are you will never see the coverage done on your script. Coverage normally consists of a short synopsis, comments about the strengths and weaknesses and a final recommendation to either recommend or pass on the script

Coverage services replicate this and is meant to give you an idea of what type of reaction you are likely to get to your script. Personally I think coverage is a waste of money because it gives you a sense of whether the script is good enough to be taken seriously, but it doesn't really give you much insight into what the problems are or how to fix them.

Make sure you get some kind of feedback be it from a professional or from people you know and trust to be honest with you before submitting.

If you are confident of your ability and the quality of your script then just submit to agents or producers. If the feedback you've received makes you think it still needs work - and you don't know how to fix it - coverage will not help you. You might want to consider investing in an in-depth evaluation from a qualified consultant.

You need to remember that you are not submitting in a vacuum - and your work will be judged against the work of professional writers, not just against other aspiring writers.

If you're willing to spend a couple of hundred dollars for a detailed analysis of your script, I'm sure it's worth it.

Find someone whose background you can verify and who you can trust. And go for it. If you work with someone or have a fantastic script, they may be able to make refferals to agents or producers.

We went over this in another thread. Most working screenwriters have either taken classes and/or used script consultants. Since you already had the idea to do so, I'd say go ahead and do it.

Even though this is common sense, I would still like to bring this up.

No offense, but it also depends too what you want the coverage for and what will you do when you get it.

If you are willing to accept constructive advice and make changes to your work then fine, but I know so many newbies who get feedback (from me or others in the profession) which goes against what they expected and send out their work anyway, thinking the reader didn't know or understand what you they were trying to do.

I have done coverage on several of those newbies, who email me time and time again, justifying what they wrote and telling them their intentions. I keep telling them that's all well and fine, but those intentions didn't come across on the page.

Coverage & More

bison said:

Do you think it is a good or bad idea for a newbie to pay for coverage prior to sending a script (query)??
I have a friend who was raised in the movie business and he says no, the producer (readers) will give you coverage for free when you submit.
BUT, (sez I) when you want to be sure your product is up to standard, what's a couple of hundred bucks compared to the potential upside?
Huh?

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Unless you really have connections, I've never heard of any studio providing formal coverage. Maybe if you can catch them for beers, after work, but even then - the guard is always up.
But, if you have the bucks, coverage from a consultant can be invaluable. It's not that expensive, either, compared to Book Doctors, especially if you just sample around.
Keep your goal in mind, however: everyone wants not simply to be optioned, but produced. However, even when you're connected - ie, half a "made guy" - Hollywood is a churning, fickle place. The only sure refuge, in the land of rising and falling stars, is to have absolutely the best product out there, whether it's technical skills, acting chops or the ability to tell a story.
It's in the creation of that quality product, within the limits of what can and can't be done, that the much-derided script doc - the "provider" - and you assume an almost therapeutic relationship.
To see yourself as others see you, then make adjustments accordingly, that's really the area we're talking about. There's no room for thin skins or argument, in that undertaking. It's gonna hurt - even if you have the best screenplay in the world - but, if the guy is good - and all the top guys, from Paul Young to Flaxner on down, are good - you'll grow in the process.
To travel that road to creating better work than you ever thought you could- then, what the Hell, letting happen what will happen - that's a ticket well worth the price.

Dustin Aascher

bison said:

No, Joe, it would be counter-productive to get "advice" from someone you view as a professional (and pay them $$$$) and not take their advice.

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True in theory, Bison - you sound like you are being logical and reasonable.

But the fact is many plonk down the money, not for advice, but for validation. They are expecting to hear that their script is fantabulous - and when the verdict comes back differently - they don't want to hear it.

As to your question as to whether it's better to learn from hard knocks or not. The thing is if your screenplay is rejected (and it most likely will be by some no matter how good it is) in 99% of the cases you will not learn why. You will simply get a rejection. You will not get a copy of the coverage, and only in rare cases will you receive any kind of constructive feedback. So you won't know if it's turned down because it was great but didn't quite ring their bell or was too similar to something else in the pipeline or if it totally sucked.

You usually only get one shot. If you submit and it's rejected and you revise, only in very rare instances will someone who has already read it be willing to read it again. So it's important that it's as good as you can possibly make it.

I have been absolutely stunned by some of the submissions that I've received. The writers obviously felt the scripts are ready to go - and these scripts are often 4 or 5 drafts away from being anywhere near ready to be seen.

Have you had anyone in the business read it? Other writers? What is your background? Are you self-taught or did you go to film school or take classes of some kind - that is to say do you feel that you know enough about the craft to make the call on whether it's ready to go or not?

Can you try to look it at objectively? Is the character arc strong? Have you given your character layers? Is he different at the end than at the beginning? Does the plot build beat by beat - or do you jump from one thing to another. Does the pacing fit the plot and genre? Does the tension rise as you get closer to the climax? Do the subplots serve the plot? Are the descriptions crisp? Is the dialogue real? Does each and every scene develop character, move the plot forward or both? Is your theme clear? Does the resolutions satisfy the reader on an emotional level as well as a plot level? Is your story fresh but familiar? Have you created a character that an actor would kill to play? Is this script as good as you are capable of making it in each and every area? These are all the areas that a good analysis will dissect.

If you cannot answer the above questions for yourself, then you may want to invest in professional feedback. If you can answer them all, and the answers are all 'yeses' then you can start submitting. If you can answer them all and you've got some no's then you probably need to do another draft. If you have some no's but you don't know how to fix them yourself - then again professional help may be something worth considering.

The above, from I-Write, says it all in regard to consultants, contests and submission of screenplays, and should be placed in a frame and put on your wall, if you're even thinking of being a screenwriter.

D.A.

I'm lucky enough to have a pal who used to work as a script consultant so any time I feel fuzzy about something, I run it by him. He's a lot of help, natch'.

A couple weeks ago, a site called simplyscripts.com posted coverage of a user's script done by a professional. You can check that coverage out and get a really good idea of the things a consultant looks for, as well as how his/her comments pertain to the specifics of the script. It might take some digging, though...the main page is updated regularly and links don't stay up front very long, though the files are stored on the website permanently.