Script Feedback: The Art of Addressing Writers
“Hey would you be interested in reading my script? Would love to get some notes and feedback on it.”
Whether you’re trying to make it in the film business or simply have creative friends, this can become a common request, and to be honest it can be a tricky one. Giving script notes is a delicate task and needs to be considered on a case-by-case basis. Writing is a very revealing process and it takes a lot of courage to put your story on pages for the world to see. Most writers are naturally very anxious around the feedback process, and it is up to the script readers of the world to determine how they will go about providing feedback. Will they be the positive hype man, encouraging the writer beyond belief, or will they be the rigid perfectionist pushing the writer to the best of their abilities? Let’s explore this conundrum further.
First off, as a reader, you should establish expectations around the type of notes you will be providing. If you’re going to give someone feedback on a script, make sure you understand what they are looking for. Are they looking for a general proof-read to pick out typos and formatting errors? Or are they looking for story notes concerning character development and plot holes? It is important for you as the reader to ask the writer what they are looking for. That way your feedback can be developed accordingly, and you don’t end up pitching them on a character’s back story when they already trust their vision and just want a proof-reader. It shows experience asking what type of notes they want and will likely lead to writers trusting you for more script reads in the future. As for the tone of your feedback, that is the real challenge.
Full honesty versus constructive criticism. It’s a delicate balance we all try to maintain in all aspects of life, not just script reading. You don’t want to tear apart a script that has just been brought to you, but at the same time you’re not doing the writer any good telling them their story is great when in reality it’s trash. I would say as a rule of thumb, you should be more candid with close friends and acquaintances. It’s hard hearing a script isn’t great, but it’s important to let writers know this before they share it with people who matter. You only get one shot to show production executives or agents a script, so it better be the absolute best you’re capable of. Therefore, readers should spare no criticism when it comes to their friends. Just be sure to tell them about all the great positives as well. When it comes to reading the scripts of someone who wants to do business with you, it’s a different ball game.
When being pitched on a script by someone who wants to do business with you. Whether it’s they want you to make their movie or buy the rights to it, I think you should start off by giving it a full read through and assessing whether or not the story is for you. If it is for you, that’s great. You can let them know and say you’d love to connect further to discuss. If it’s not for you, then you have few different options. You can simply let them know this project isn’t right for you and be done with it. You can let them know this project isn’t right for you, but you enjoyed their writing style and would love to see other scripts they have. You can let them know the project isn’t right, and you think they need to get some more practice developing characters, plot, etc. I tend to avoid too many specifics on a scene by scene basis, since at that point you are essentially re-writing their story for them. If the script is almost there but needs some tweaking, you can ask if they are open to re-writes around certain scenes to bring the story home. I would say that for whatever feedback route you end up taking for, you should always be sure to base your criticism in evidence (rather than simply saying it’s bad) and to include some positive aspect of the script to not come off as heartless.
Script reading is tough, but writing is a hell of a lot harder and takes immense courage. With that in mind, be kind and be honest.