WHAT IS A SCRIPT REPORT OR COVERAGE? (In the Entertainment industry.)

Script Coverage / Photo Credit: Quora

WHAT IS A SCRIPT REPORT OR COVERAGE? (In the Entertainment industry.)

Bruce Bisbey…please follow me at: https://dumbdogproductionsllc.blogspot.com or https://www.facebook.com/DumbDogProductionsLLC/ thank you.

What is a script report or coverage?

Script readers are tasked with writing script coverage.

Script coverage is the analysis of a screenplay, encompassing various grading of a screenplay’s many elements and accompanied by detailed analytical notes that touch on what works and what doesn’t work within the script — everything from concept, story, characters, dialogue, pacing, and structure to marketability, cast ability, and overall worthiness of acquisition by whatever company the script reader is working for.

The general structure of coverage varies per company, but you can usually count on including a logline, synopsis, character breakdowns, and anywhere from a single page or more of notes.

Script coverage is a filmmaking term for the analysis and grading of screenplays, often within the "script development" department of a production company. While coverage may remain entirely verbal, it usually takes the form of a written report, guided by a rubric that varies from company to company. Criteria include, but are not limited to: 

• IDENTIFICATION: Title, Author, Type of Material, Locale, Genre…
• LOGLINE: A one sentence summary…
• COMMENT SUMMARY: A paragraph summary of the analysis…
• GRADE: Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor for categories that include characterization, premise, storyline, production values, dialogue and more…
• SYNOPSIS: Summary of plot: 1-3 pages depending on script quality…
• BUDGET: The script reader's estimated budget…
• ANALYSIS: At the end, based off of the grading and notes, the script is given a final Pass, Consider, or Recommend rating… 

Script coverage is the summary and analysis of a script's plot and writing quality, used by production companies and agencies to track film and TV screenplays. Coverage consists of a number of elements. The first is a 1-to-2-page synopsis of the script’s story highlighting the main characters and events of the tale. The second is a subjective review of the piece (typical length of which could range anywhere from 1 sentence, in short-form contest coverage, to 2 or 3 pages) which assesses the effectiveness of the screenplay’s various components—including its concept, story structure, story development, characters, dialogue, and writing style—and points out its strong points and problem areas. The evaluation ends with a recommendation from the analyst as to what he/she feels the production entity should do with the script. This recommendation usually employs 1 of 3 terms:

•   Pass: The reader feels the script fails to make the grade in most areas and that the production entity should not proceed with it.

•   Consider: The reader feels the script has a considerable number of strong points and is good enough to proceed with, while acknowledging that it has a number of significant problems that need to be successfully solved before the piece can be considered suitable for production.

•   Recommend: The reader feels the script is extremely strong in all respects and that the production entity should proceed with it without reservation.

When completed, the synopsis, review, and evaluation are assembled and fronted with a cover page that lists the script’s vital information (author’s name, story genre, time and locations in which it takes place, length of the script, etc.) and contains a brief summary of the story and the review. The cover page usually includes a checklist in which the script’s various aspects are rated on a scale ranging from poor to excellent. Finally, the cover page highlights the analyst’s ultimate recommendation.

Although script coverage is a tool used primarily by motion picture production entities, it is sometimes used by screenwriting competitions as a way of separating "wheat from chaff." The coverage done for script competitions is usually simpler than that done for production companies — substituting a logline (a brief 1 or 2 line summary of the story) for the synopsis and simplifying the assessment — often employing only the checklist rating of the script’s various aspects.

In addition to production entities and screenwriting competitions, a number of independent services employ a roster of veteran script analysts to provide professional-level coverage for screenwriters who wish to see how their scripts will be received by the industry. This gives the writers a chance to identify and resolve problems before submitting them to production entities.

Generally speaking, 95% of the scripts you read will be easy passes, 4% will be above average at best, and maybe 1% will be actual great reads that showcase huge potential.

While it’s great discovering that 1% (or less, to be honest), it’s the 95% of crap that really burns script readers out.

But the coverage doesn’t stop there. It’s not just about the script. Many times, the scripts are being used not for potential acquisition, but as samples to see if there are amazing writers that the company would like to hire to develop and write their own material — whether it’s a rewrite of an acquired script or an assignment to take an original (or franchise) concept the company is developing and turn it into a screenplay.

As a script reader, that’s all you do. You read scripts and you write coverage.

You don’t know who the coverage goes to. You don’t know how far up the coverage goes. You don’t have any say beyond the coverage you’ve written. And you certainly can’t take credit for any major discoveries because most scripts have been vetted by multiple readers.

Economy of the script   

By the very nature of summarizing a complicated plot, the coverage will not include every plot twist and subplot. Some characters will be omitted, or only briefly introduced for the sake of brevity. In order to decide on what will stay and what will go, the character and actions must support the main plot, and ultimately the premise of the story. Scripts that are not economical and include peripheral characters, scenes, and storylines that do not support character or plot development do not affect their motivation, and therefore can be omitted from the coverage. In this manner, well-written scripts may have longer synopses than poorly written scripts with a lot of extraneous action.

What Script Readers Get Paid

This is where it gets interesting — and utterly depressing for some.

Most script readers start as interns. And as you may or may not know, interns don’t get paid. Some do, but most don’t. More on interns later.

So, yes, if you’re first starting out, you may not even be making any money. If you’re an assistant at a studio, agency, or Production Company, script reading may be rolled into your hourly or salary pay for that position. So not only do you have to answer phone calls, sit at the front desk to welcome visitors, grab lunch, grab coffee, and a dozen other duties, you also have to read scripts and write coverage.

If you’re a freelancer, you can maybe make $40-$60 per script. Most freelancers, when not working for free to prove their worth, may start as low as $25 per script. As your reputation (hopefully) grows, your fees can grow as well.

But on average, expect between $40- $60.

However, if you’re a union story analyst, you’ll be making the union minimums — $43 per hour (average of a few hours to read a script and writer coverage) and/or $1750 weekly if you’re an in-house story analyst.

So joining this script reader’s union, which is an off-shoot of the Editor’s Guild, can be more lucrative if you’re not one of the poor souls that have burnt out. However, it takes some time and money to join the union. You need to work a confirmed thirty days within a guild signatory company and then pay $1900 in initiation and processing fees.

How to Become a Hollywood Script Reader

These positions aren’t handed out that easily. It’s a great responsibility, thus the positions are kept close to the hip by the powers that be.

Internships

It sucks to work for free, but that’s what you often have to do when starting out. It’s the classic Catch 22 from Hollywood — in order to be considered for prime jobs, you have to showcase that you have experience in those prime jobs. The ultimate conundrum.

Internships afford you the ability to get your feet wet. Yes, you have to be enrolled in a university for most internships. However, there are companies that will take on others willing to prove their worth for no monetary return.

Sources, References & Credits: Bruce Bisbey, Google, Wikipedia, Wikihow, WikiBooks, Pinterest, IMDB, Linked In, Indie Wire, Film Making Stuff, Hiive, Film Daily, New York Film Academy, The Balance, Careers Hub, The Numbers, Film Maker, TV Guide Magazine, Blurb, Media Match, Future Learn, Quora, Creative Skill Set, Chron, Investopedia, Variety, No Film School, How Stuff Works, WGA, BBC, Daily Variety, The Film Agency, Best Sample Resume, How Stuff Works, Bright Hub, Career Trend, Producer's Code of Credits, Truity, Production Hub, Producers Guild of America, Film Connection, Variety, Wolf Crow, Get In Media, Production Beast, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, UCAS, Frankenbite, Realty 101, Liberty Me, Careers Hub, Sokanu, Raindance, Film Connection, Cast & Crew, Entertainment Partners, My Job Search, Prospects, David Mullich, Gear Shift, Video University, Oxford Dictionaries’, Boredom Therapy, The Bold Italic, Meets the Eye Studio, The Guardian, Elliot Grove, Jones on art, Creative Plant, Studio Binder, Film Tool Kit, Still Motion, Film Under Ground, Steves Digicams, Improve Photography, Guy Nockels, Namib Films, Film Support, Screen Craft, Movie Outline, Stack Exchange, Ken Davenport – The Producers Perspective, Rocket Lawyer, Stacks Magazine, Lemoine Law Firm, Gano Lemoine,

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Script Coverage / Photo Credit: Quora