An Analysis of Script Analysis

You've finished that script, and now you're thinking of getting an analyst or a consultant to give you notes. Should you do it? The price tag can be lofty. On the low side, maybe it will cost you $80 or $100. On the high side, we're talking $300 or $400-- even up to $1,000 for some of the top consultants in the business. Perhaps given the economy these days, those rates have dropped, but shelling out even $200 for notes on a script is no small decision.

First, if you have friends or colleagues whose opinions you trust, go with them. There's no better judge than a friend whose voice you can depend on for solid feedback. However, the drawback here can be turnaround time. Friends are busy and doing you favors, so maybe they won't get to your script for three or four weeks. For some, that can be a long time to wait. And then, what your friend gives you can be not as much as you are looking for, namely detailed notes on holes and problems in the script. Friends may give you broad thoughts but no notes and specific suggestions.

So it's at this time you might consider turning to a professional who will give you five pages of detailed notes in less than a week's time and who can do phone consultations to boot. Most consultants are professional and competent, but it's always worth checking them out and getting recommendations prior to enlisting their services. Be careful that if they promise five pages of notes you actually get five pages of notes and not four pages of a summary (which you already knew) of your script and only one page of recommendations. You also have the right to bargain. Some of the tip top analysts might not be open to bargaining but others will be--and they are just as good as some of the big names (they just don't have as much notoriety).

One other thing to watch out for are script services that are attached to agencies or management companies. You may query an agency, and they'll tell you before they can look at it you must get professional notes (for a fee of course). Or the reverse happens, you send a script to a management company which likes it, but in order for them to pitch it to producers or studios it must first get professional analysis (for a fee of course). It's not illegal for companies to do this, but to a certain extent some are taking advantage of writers' naivete. A writer gets jazzed up because a company has some interest in his or her script. So paying $200 to improve it seems like a small price to pay to get that script in shape for the company. But more often than not the script won't go anywehere and the writer is out $200.

This should not discourage you to seek out good analysts. There are many out there. Just do your due diligence before you open up the wallet. Joe and I would be happy to recommend several consultants if anyone is looking for one.

-Randy