Screenwriting : Taking script notes by Marcin Klinkosz

Hi Marcin. I love getting feedback on my script, I've gone through the process a few times and the feedback I have received has been invaluable. Their notes have elevated my script into the stratosphere and the script would not be what it is now if it were not for the feedback. I always take the script notes with good heart and grace and I know everything that has been said is for the good of the script, otherwise, why do it? It's nothing personal, it's all about the story and development of the script. I've received passes, but the feedback I received was absolutely right. I then sent in my script to the first 10 pages option, they read 30 pages and I got a recommend and a consider, which was amazing and I will be sending it again at some point. I highly recommend it.

The most important thing is to listen to the one giving the feedback - on the phone, email, in person. If several people bring up the same thing in a script then it probably is a problem. When you look at the list of notes you have received keep in mind they're notes and not mandates. If a note helps the script then consider using it. If a note hurts a script then don't use it. You have to look at notes as they apply to the entire script or you could make changes to the story, structure, and that creates a train wreck. A final point is make sure whomever you're giving your script to actually knows how to read a script and knows storytelling, story structure. Most people don't know anything about this. Find those who know.

I’ve been writing for a while and win some awards and produced movies. I really have a different approach at feedback. I’ve had script reading and watch the audience react to my work or read scenes to people and watch what they react to. Screenplays are meant to be performed and it’s important to give life to the story do the words are not just there on a page but judged with a view to how the character would deliver them. Instead of giving people a scene to read, get an actor to Read the scene and see if it comes alive for the audience.

This is similar to how comedians test out their work in front on an audience.

I am working on being here more but have been quite busy. This is my work http://prelude2cinema.com/books/

Notes are project dependent. If it's something you're being paid for and your producer or exec gives you notes, you listen to them all, see what they are absolutel adament about and do your very best to make them great...even the ones you think are awful. Sometimes it's not the note...it's what's underlying the note that you need to address. And if you're getting notes on a spec, my general rule is what sticks in your mind sticks for a reason, what falls away was never meant to be in your script. The key is to listen. Recognize that great notes can come from everywhere and that you as writer don't see everything, even about your own work.

Don't listen to everyone. Otherwise you'll have amateurs who have no business providing notes giving you such enlightening critiques as "Your inciting incident happened on page 13. It should have happened on page 12". Or "You had a block of 5 lines of prose. It should never be more than 4". Or "Blah. Blah. Blah. Let me regurgitate what I learned from 10 experts who have never sold a script in their lives."

Find a couple of people who have read professionally for studios, then give them a try.

Read a ton of scripts so you can see what works and what doesn't.

And don't believe everyone. Nothing's gospel.

This is not as cynical as it sounds, but whoever has the pay gets a say. While I listen to feedback and adjust my screenplays based on it when I think it's valid, (I have done massive rewrites in response,) truly, if there is no long-term relationship or future payday in the works, changing my screenplay in response to fly-by criticism doesn't seem particularly bright unless I agree with it.

Marcin - looks like you got a handle on it. I process it pretty much as you describe.

Doug - I have 20 years of journalist/marketing and professional athlete experience, so feedback is not a problem for me. Im fairly new to the scriptwriting, so I was wondering how "big dogs" are dealing with the problem when the ego is pumping and the competition is tight. The question popped up in my head after a few discussions Ive already witnessed on Stage 32.

Dan, you'll always get feedback from the peanut gallery whether you want it or not - it's just human nature. Obviously, consider the source.

I am working with a director in the UK at the moment. He is reluctant to give notes. He asked for some clarification on a character’s motivation. I reread the script and saw some crap I needed to fix. I told him and he liked that bit.

The best advice I have ever heard and live by is look for the note under the note. A note tell you how to fix something. That is normally wrong. look at what they are describing what they have bumped on or the issue the note describes. You are the writer, you will find a better way to fix it.

For example. I was told a character I trusted someone to quick. I fixed it in the character set up 15 pages earlier. I made it more obvious that he was a self important narcissists. So when it appeared he was trusting to quick, he was actually talking down to the person and being dismissive of the person. Without the back ground it read like trust.

Hi Marcin, you do not need to listen to everybody and anybody simply because you must have faith in your own work and must know what you want to achieve. Listening to others means giving away your power as a creator - it is your creation not theirs and thus you are the one who knows it better. Another point - assholes never have a point of view - they have their goal to put you down and bring themselves up by doing so. So, cross the assholes from the list. You do not need to praise any criticism let alone creative one. Constructive criticism is there to help you not for you to praise it. Test your story by publishing it online as an open source and you will gather all the comments you need. And one more point from my experience, audience e.g. ordinary readers or viewers are the ones who have the last say - not good wishers or 'friends' who try to help by criticising your work.

I try to do live script readings whenever possible. Getting a group of actors together and hearing the script read out loud is crucial to me for getting a better feel for dialogue and pacing. When organizing the readings I put out feelers for an audience of readers who have similar interests in the kind of film I'm writing. Like you said, not everybody will get it so it's best to stick with folks you think will. When giving notes myself I stick to the three main elements: plot, story, and characters. I ask questions about anything that isn't as fleshed out as it could be or question character motivations. For example, I read a friends script recently that takes place in a single location and involves some "bad guys" trying to get to a woman who has shacked up with a father and his son in their house. The entire movie revolves around the "bad guys" trying to get the woman back. The problem I had with the script is that I couldn't see any reason why the bad guys didn't just storm the house and take her. There was nothing keeping them from doing so and they obviously had no problem hurting others to get their way. So it didn't make sense to me that they would stay outside arguing with the father and his son.