Hi, my name's Alex, founder of the Script Reader Pro script consultancy. Thanks for checking us out!
Why did I decide to set up my own script coverage service? Frustration!
Several years ago in the late 2000s I was trying to “make it” as a screenwriter. Writing scripts was tough enough, but reading coverage on them from various screenplay consultancies was even tougher.
The problem wasn’t that I couldn’t take constructive criticism. The problem was the criticism wasn’t all that constructive.
Often the notes I’d get back would amount to a series of unhelpful cliches or advice that was just simply wrong.
- When your protagonist’s an asshole, and you know that some of the most memorable protagonist’s in movie history have also been assholes, it can grate on the nerves to continually be told to make them more “likable”.
- When you’re waiting to read solid, practical suggestions on how to fix problems in the script, it can be frustrating to read things like “Try to let the story breathe” and that’s it.
- When you want to add a few judicious camera angles to help evoke in the reader’s eye what you want them to see, it can be annoying to constantly hear “Never use camera angles”.
In short, all too often the coverage I received wasn’t as helpful as I was expecting, and this was the sparked the idea in my mind of setting up my own screenplay consultancy.
My Script Consultancy Vision...
Script Reader Pro, I decided, would be script consultancy based around the following principals:
- No Vague Cliches: “Just trust in your characters” “Let the story breathe” etc. are annoying and completely meaningless. Don’t use vague cliches, instead show the writer how they can practically tackle problems.
- No Rules That Only Exist In Script Consultancy Land: “Don’t bold your sluglines” “Never use camera angles” etc. are rules that only exist in the heads of some script readers. Ditch the lot of ‘em!
- No Padding: I once had a script reader spend the whole “Structure” portion (almost a page) on the fact my comedy screenplay was eighty-nine pages long and not over ninety. Focus on the most important problems in a screenplay and don’t sweat the small stuff.
Other Things I Wanted To Include In The Company
- Working Screenwriters: Another important element I wanted to include in Script Reader Pro was to only hire script readers who’d achieved some degree of success in screenwriting themselves. I wanted to give Script Reader Pro an edge over other script consultancies who hired readers who’ve never written a script themselves. Or if they have they’ve never had any success with their writing. You can read all about our script consultants, Heidi, David, Rebecca, and Scott on our Meet The Team page.
- Visible Readers: Another thing I wanted to steer clear of in Script Reader Pro was the slightly shady anonymity of some companies whose readers “have all worked for various big studios and production companies” with no mention of who these people actually are.
- Choice of Genre Expert: That’s why at Script Reader Pro anyone can read real bios of all our script consultants, and choose who they want according to their chosen genre. Whether you've written a Drama, Comedy, Thriller, Horror, Action/Adventure or anything else in-between, one of our readers will be able to help.
Thanks For Reading!
Over the years it’s been a blast building up the company and we now have a huge base of repeat customers, so it seems I wasn’t the only one disheartened by all the vague, nonsensical, cliche ridden feedback out there!
If you want to get your script covered by one of our genre experts, Scott, Rebecca, Heidi or David, head on over to our script coverage services page by hitting the button below.
