Script coverage: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 14:03, 27 March 2025

Revision as of 14:05, 27 March 2025

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* '''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.<ref>The Black List. (n.d.). About. https://blcklst.com/about/</ref>

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.<ref>Hicks, N. (2011). Screenwriting 101: How to Get Your Movie Idea Onto the Silver Screen. BT Elite Publishers LLC.</ref>

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."<ref>Blue Stocking Press. (n.d.). Screenplay Competitions. https://www.bluestockingpress.com/screenplay-competitions.htm</ref> 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.<ref>Kirkland, C. (2011). I Liked It, Didn't Love It: Screenplay Development from the Inside Out. Lone Eagle.</ref>

In recent years, advancements in artificial intelligence have given rise to AI-powered script coverage services{{opinion|date=September 2024}}