Hello, what's everyone's opinion on script grading. Does it accompany the query to agents or managers, or part of a pitch deck...The information out there is overwhelming. I have a limited budget to spend on script polish but debating whether to spend the $ on another polish or get the script graded.
After receiving feedback from a consultant, I did at least three passes of edits myself and in my humble opinion the story is complete.
Yet of course, in the eyes of the professionals it may need more edits. Where do you draw the line as far as analysis paralysis. Would love to hear from experience writers
Thank you for the feedback, Nick, can I post it here for a table read?
Solicit feedback from three or four screenwriters. If they come up with very similar notes on the story then you know it's something to be addressed / fixed. So get some "fresh eyes" on the script!
My scripts are 'finished' only when someone prys 'em from my hands. If you feel it's complete, polished and ready to go - enter it in a couple of top tier contests. If you win a blue ribbon - take it wide in the marketplace... Otherwise, get all the input from other (professional) writers & script doctors (like Dave Trottier) and keep workin' on it.
p.s. Dave's gonna charge some money but it's worth it.
I struggle with this too. Eventually - I just get sick of the script and move on. Haha.
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It's only done when someone pays you for it... or you think it's at a point where someone else can pay you to work on it again.
Just remember.... your last touched version is going to be someone's first touched version down the road.
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I was facing the same issue. I had at least seven pieces of feedback and did multiple rewrites. Then had to put it aside. Working on new projects has made me more critical of my previous work but remember it's up to you when it's finished. I've had produced work that I sent for feedback and still was told it could be improved, that's the nature of the beast.
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You shouldn’t pay for validation. The scripts are just writing samples until they ain’t. Start meeting peers, filmmakers, actors- your circle of people in the business of making movies & tv shows. That is your validation - when peers recommend & pass your script samples to their friends. We want to be in the movie making & TV business, not the script re-writing business.
I don't do that....When I judge my work is ready, I put it out there....now, someone options it and asks re-writes for a production sake, I'm ok with that.
Gotta lot of bad comments and reviews behind me, but doesn't matter as long it's not from the interested party.
What you and all writers should really set concentration on is - concept. You've got producer in love with your concept, he'll be patient enough for as many re-writes as it take.
Barry, as Ismael said, just take the info you need and ignore the rest.
Dan, for what it is worth, I downloaded "Hot Stuff" and really enjoyed reading the first twenty pages; fast-paced and good character description. Then again I have become a sucker for bringing Hollywood to Bollywood, instead of the other way around.
... Haha - I read the rest!
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These comments are truly inspiring and they validate some of my own thinking. As much as I am confident about the work I have done for the past 9 months on an adaptation, jointly working with the author of the book, I see value in professional feedback to some extent.
Because of the reasons you mention here, I wholeheartedly agree, feedback can lead to analysis paralysis and self-doubt. I have been there.
Format (not literally) is good but it can also put you in a box and impinge on creativity. We get tangled up in the fear & confusion that if we don't follow the rules to the T - the gatekeepers would trash the script. and that's the end of it
The script is a piece of the bigger puzzle which is at the end of the game is a multi-dimensional output and not limited to words and dialogues. Some of the best script made the worst film and vice versa. Music, sound, great acting, cinematography can make or break a movie. Of course, script is the heart..
At the end of the day if it is a non-conventional Hollywood production then, the ingredients that make the film are reflection of artistic choice and we should not be afraid. Regarding this topic Werner Herzog had some interesting perspective. Unfortunately , we all pander to the big studios who say, you must follow the rules before you break them.
As a indie filmmaker, I look at the script from a different angle and my application worked for me, knowing many of the scenes would be modified for production any way. A script is only the beginning and not the end and flexibility is the key.