Turn, Turn, Turn
By PJ McIlvaine

What is an industry reader really looking for?  Readers are the gatekeepers of Hollywood and all too often, writers make mistakes that stop a reader cold. Learn more about what life is really like for a script reader: long hours, stacks of scripts and politics. In the class that Julie Gray, founder of The Script Department and a former production company reader, will give at the Great American Pitchfest (Top Ten Things That Turn Readers Off) promises to show you how to see your script through the eyes of a reader and gain the critical insight necessary to keep a reader engaged, absorbed, and totally focused on your pages.

The founder of The Script Department, the premiere script coverage service in Hollywood, Julie employs a number of script readers to give notes and feedback to a very large clientele, including agents, managers, production companies and aspiring writers.

In her former life as a script reader, Julie evaluated scripts for: Walden Media (NARNIA) Seed Productions (THE TOURIST) Red Wagon Productions (JARHEAD) Bedford Falls (BLOOD DIAMOND) and Cinergi (SWIM FAN). A screenwriter, published essayist and short fiction writer, Julie was also the inaugural winner of the 2003 Creative Screenwriting Expo Writers Boot Camp Award. Julie graduated from the program in 2005, and is also an alumna of the UCLA Writers' Program Studio.

A lifelong Californian, Julie resides in Hollywood. When not working on one of her psychological thriller scripts or spending time with her two children, or one of her two dogs (Ray the Chihuahua, or Maddie the ShiTzu), she is writing her Young Adult novel and sharing her knowledge about writing, entertainment, and life in her popular blog, The Rouge Wave. 

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PJ McIlvaine: What makes for a good script reader?

Julie Grey: A good script reader is a person who can read a script quickly and be engaged in the narrative and concurrently absorb, at a very high level, what is or is not working from an execution standpoint. A good script reader understands the mandate of the company he or she is working for and a good script reader not only appreciates compelling entertainment but has a sense of what audiences appreciate too. And last but definitely not least, a good script reader has seen millions of movies and can then quickly identify if a script is at all derivative or reminiscent of other movies. Boy, that sounded so dry! But honestly, being a good script reader is definitely not something just anyone can do. Really good script readers are talented - and often unappreciated for playing such a key role in the Hollywood food chain.

PJM: Do you have to be able to write a script in order to judge it on its merits, or merely just the ability to deconstruct a script?

JG: Overwhelmingly, script analysts are also screenwriters, but that said I don’t think you have to be able to write a script to evaluate one. It’s not so much deconstruction as evaluation, by the way. A good script is hard to “deconstruct” because ideally, all of the elements come together so that the whole is more than the sum of its parts.

Bad scripts are the ones in which individual elements really stand out. But good scripts are like a symphony; it all comes together in a beautiful way. Knowing how to write a script allows you to appreciate how hard it is to write a script but appreciation for the craft is not really part of being a reader, unfortunately. Your script is being read and evaluated on its own merits, not on how hard you worked on it or how hard the process is.  Story analysts are like doctors – they take the pulse and give a report based on that examination. Period.

PJM: What makes for a “good read”? 

JG: "EF." The Entertainment Factor! Scripts that tell a story that is so engaging and compelling that the reader forgets they are doing a job and are instead taken on a journey. Good scripts are page turners. Good scripts are chock full of voice – the writer’s personality, in other words. Good scripts make you laugh aloud. Or cry. Or get scared. They evoke emotions in the reader and they paint a vivid picture. Good scripts are inhabited by characters that are at once very familiar to the reader because they are so real and yet also totally unique and unforgettable. Good scripts make a reader say to a friend later, “Let me tell you what I read today, it was so great! There was this one part, it was so unbelievable/touching/scary/funny…”

PJM: What do you look for when you read a script? 

JG: All of the above. My favorite thing in the world is reading a script that entertains me and moves me and makes me lose myself in the world the writer created. It’s just so fantastic.

PJM: What turns you off?

JG: Dull, plodding scripts. Scripts in which it is apparent to me that the writer is unaware that he or she has not really got an engaging story to tell. So often newer writers have not really tested their premise to make sure that this idea is in fact a movie. And by that I mean, an original, compelling, fresh idea with engaging characters. I get really turned off when I have to read and reread action line/descriptions and reading each page is a chore not a pleasure.

Sometimes I wonder how the writer could possibly have thought the pages would be entertaining to anyone outside of themselves. It’s a turn off when a writer just isn’t entertaining you or taking you anywhere. I’d rather read a wildly entertaining script with a few typos or a dense action line or three than a perfectly executed snore-fest with soft turning points, uninteresting characters and no plot to speak of. Of course, that’s not perfectly executed, is it?!

PJM: Can you tell on the first page if this is going to be a good script? What are the signs that it’s going to be a mediocre screenplay?

JG: Well, one page might be a little extreme when it comes to having a gut feeling about whether this is a good script but I can usually tell within two or three pages, max, whether this script has the promise to be good. I say promise to be good because sometimes the first few pages or even the whole first act are really entertaining but then the writer falls down after that. It’s like they run out of fuel after 30 pages and can no longer sustain a highly engaging narrative because the structure falls apart or beats are repeated or the resolution isn’t satisfying. Nine times out of ten this means the writer probably didn’t do a great outline first.

But yes, you can tell a whole lot right on the very first page, it’s true. I think the signs of a mediocre script are evident pretty much immediately. For my money, the two biggest indicators of mediocrity (or worse) are dense, wordy, un-cinematic action lines and wooden dialogue. If that’s evident on the first page, it ain’t gonna get better on ensuing pages. The first page of a script is the red carpet the writer is rolling out – it has to contain ALL of the signposts of a good script – pithy, cinematic action lines, engaging, organic dialogue, brisk pacing and a totally unique feel.

PJM: What advice would you give to aspiring writers hoping to get a coveted “recommend” or “consider” from a script reader in order to go up the ladder? What should they avoid?

JG: Write a lot of scripts. Seriously, many new screenwriters have the mistaken idea that their first or second script is the height of his or her talent – but it’s not. Practice makes perfect. Get feedback from colleagues, friends, family or ideally, a script coverage service. Learn, learn and learn. And write everyday. Learn to test out your premise to be sure it’s solid and unique before delving into a script and then wondering why it’s not been received well. The list of what to avoid is pretty long, so I’d suggest taking my class at the GAPF.

PJM: What makes for “good notes” from a reader?

JG: Well, from where I sit, as the employer of many readers and a reader in the past myself, I would say that the notes need to be objective, respectful, instructive and well organized. Good notes from a company such as The Script Department are presented in such a way that the writer not only feels encouraged and validated in those areas that did work, but motivated and instructed about where to do better. I like my clients to come away with a plan of action and the energy and inspiration to attack improving the script, rather than feeling downhearted and directionless. Bad notes are vague, snarky, verbose, disorganized and ultimately disrespectful of the writer. A good reader HAS to respect what the writer was trying to do. Nobody sets out to write a bad script. Nobody. Doesn't happen.

Now: there’s a very important distinction to be made here. Readers who work for production companies provide coverage that the writer will never see. The report is not for the writer, it is for the production company. So these notes will be quite a bit harsher and pretty unforgiving. Well, totally unforgiving. Readers who provide notes for a company such as mine are working for the writer. And the writer is going to see those notes and use them as a guide for improvement. That’s quite a different kettle of fish. Coverage versus Notes: Coverage is a brutal assessment. Notes are an instructive assessment.

When it comes to readers who work for The Script Department, I have one, overarching philosophy that my readers are aware of:  I don’t care where a writer is on the curve, they worked hard on the script and deserve to be treated with respect because anyone who creates something where there was nothing and then asks for feedback is pretty okay in my book.

Readers who come to my company after having read for a production company have to take a moment to adjust to a new atmosphere; kind honesty and shrewd observations instead of brutal honesty and shrewd observations. Having made the transition myself, I know it is quite an adjustment. Believe me, it's much, much easier to do notes for a production company. You just crank them out and the writer's feelings are inconsequential. To produce notes that instruct and motivate takes more thought and time.

Good notes that YOU the writer will actually see and read should leave you feeling inspired to do better, not crying in your soup. Even when we have to give you bad news, it should be given in such a way that you want to rise to a challenge, not jump off a bridge.

PJM: How many recommends did you give a script when you were a reader? Did you ever pass on a script that eventually became a big success?

JG: I think I have only given maybe one “recommend”. Two at the most. But “recommend” is not a common rating for a reader to give. Don’t forget, when a reader gives a “recommend” that reader is effectively saying to his or her boss – STOP what you’re doing and read this IMMEDIATELY. So for a script to get a “recommend” it has to be absolutely beyond beyond. I gave THE STRANGERS a “pass” but that’s because it wasn’t right for the company where I read it. I have a friend who is a high level reader at some pretty famous production companies who passed on AMERICAN BEAUTY and he regrets it to this day! Aside from judging whether a script has merit on its own, readers also have to make a judgment call as to whether, in their opinion, the script would be attractive to audiences. It’s a terrifying responsibility! Of course, readers are making as informed a decision as they can and ultimately it’s the exec’s call, whether to listen to a reader’s judgment in coverage or not. But readers are that first line of defense and it’s nerve-wracking at first!

I primarily direct The Script Department these days but I do read for a production company owned by a very A-list actor and I recently had to cover William Shakespeare if you can believe that. I gave the writer a ‘recommend’ and a smiley face. I mean – it’s Shakespeare!

PJM: The class you'll be giving at the GAPF, can you tell us more about it?  

JG: It’s really fun! We go over the Top Ten Things That Drive Readers Nuts, with examples (don’t send weird stuff in the mail with your script!) but we also talk about what the life of a typical reader is like. What they get paid, how they pick up your scripts, how they deal with executives, and how many scripts they might read in a typical day and week, etc. I think it’s really eye-opening for writers to have a glimpse into that world. Readers are really misunderstood. They are frequently seen as faceless enemies who live to say “pass”! Understanding that a reader has to work fast and efficiently for many companies helps writers gain clarity on why those first few pages better be GOOD.

The exercise we ended the class with last year was really illuminating, fun and daunting – I passed out the first ten pages of a script to everyone in the class and they had exactly five minutes to read and evaluate them, circling anything that stood out. The basis for the five minute time limit was something that we cover earlier in the class; readers have to time their reads in order to be efficient. They usually take about one hour to read your script. Give or take. So that’s about five minutes for every ten pages if your script is on average, 115 pages long. So ten pages, five minutes and....GO! It was an eye-opening experience for the class.  To say the least.  My favorite thing about teaching this class is that there’s a lot of laughter involved.   Which is the best way to learn because we have fun.  I think screenwriting gets taken way too seriously – we are making stuff up here, people! We are telling stories. And yes, there’s a specific way that screenwriting works but if you aren’t having fun along the way, something needs to be adjusted. 

PJ McIlvaine is a screenwriter and yes, in another life, she read for a big LA entertainment conglom. She reads scripts voraciously and has been known to hurl scripts across the room in mid-read. In the interest of transparency, PJ is also a script analyst for  The Script Department (www.thescriptdepartment.com)