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 includes, but is not limited to:
- INDENTIFICATION: Title, Author, Type of Material, Locale, Genre.
- LOGLINE: A one sentence summary.
- COMMENT SUMMARY: A paragraph summary of the analysis.
- GRADE: Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor for categories that include characterization, premise, storyline, production values, dialogue and more.
- SYNOPSIS: Summary of plot: 2-3 pages.
- BUDGET: The script reader's estimated budget.
- ANALYSIS.
The Script Timeline
Due to the high number of screenplays that production companies receive, script coverage is primarily the responsibility of interns and assistants within the development department. Some companies, however, employ dedicated staff readers or use the services of freelance readers who are paid on a job-by-job basis. A grade of "Pass" generally ensures that no one higher on the chain of command will read the script, but this is not always the case -- a high-profile submission may be read by executives regardless of the initial reader's verdict. A grade of "Consider" keeps the script in circulation, at which point it is usually read by another intern or assistant before it moves on to a department head or executive, who typically reads the synopsis and analysis when making a further decision.
Controversy
Any sort of rating system is prone to failure or ineffectiveness by all parties involved. Script coverage may suffer from the regular problematics of bureaucracies as well as a system of reportage that is too removed from the actual material at hand. The internal rules of a production company are thus taken into play: the search for new material is often side-tracked by a tendency towards familiar material and safer genres. citation needed
On the writer's side, a thorough knowledge of the business of production and script coverage mechanisms, (say, from reading this article), may yield a screenplay that has been tailored for acceptance rather than fresh ideas.
The above controversy assumes that production companies and script readers are seeking fresh ideas, which is commonly not the case. Script coverage makes reading easier, and is popularly a business venture. On the other hand, the aforementioned conclusion about tailor-made screenplays have been seen as reactionary because formulaic scripts are not the fault of the film industry, but of screenwriters who are looking towards formula for acceptance by production elements, instead of fresh ideas and creative writing.