GITS: The Twitter Conversations — Script Readers (Part 6)

Back in May late one night, I stumbled into a Twitter conversation with @amandapendo [Amanda Pendolino], @BittrScrptReadr [The Bitter Script Reader], and @nate_winslow [Nate Winslow]. These three all have different things going on in their lives, but one bit of business they have in common: they read scripts, covering them for Hollywood industry insiders (production companies, agencies, etc]. In other words, they are professional script readers and as such serve as the first line of defense in the Hollywood script acquisition and development system.

Our conversation that night evolved into a spontaneous Q&A about the experience and perspective of professional script readers about screenwriting. You can read a transcript of that conversation in these GITS posts:

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.

The response to the conversation was excellent, and I received lots of email and tweets asking for it to happen again so others could join in with their questions.

So on Monday, June 25th between 7:30–9:00PM Pacific, we held a second conversation with the same trio. I will be posting an edited transcript of the conversation every day this week, essentially picking up from the first chat.

BSR [Bitter Script Reader]
GITS [Me]
NW [Nate Winslow]
AP [Amanda Pendolino]

Here is Part 6 of GITS: The Twitter Conversations — Script Readers:

GITS: First question from Shaula: what sort of page length should rom-com spec scripts come in at these days? 90–100?

BSR: I’d shoot for 105–110 range as a max. It’s not a sin to go higher, but keep it lean if you can.

AP: I’d aim for 90–110, but no strict rule. CRAZY STUPID LOVE & SEX TAPE = close to 120. cut out anything boring/slow!

BSR: Building off of that, it’s rare to see a script under 90 pages in any genre. Consider that your min.

BSR: Page count is important. anything over 120 pgs gets shoved to the bottom of the pile and put off til later.

AP: I’m sure this happens, but you’re making people predisposed to dislike your script if it’s long

NW: I think it represents the ability to tell a good story in a…reasonable amnt of pages. Discipline.

NW: And when you see a 140 page spec script, the odds say it prob didn’t NEED to be that long. Prob wont be great.

BSR: I don’t think I’ve EVER read a 140 pg script that needed to be that long.

AP: definitely impressed when writers pack a lot of story and character dvlpt into a small pagecount.

nicholasofpain: Would anyone cringe if the page count was 88 or 89? Would it get tossed out at 80 pages?

BSR: Prob wouldn’t get tossed, but you’re starting off with the perception your script may be too thin.

NW: Yeah, common reaction to that is “There’s not enough story in this for 90 pages? Ehhh…”

BSR: when I read at an agency, I chased after the 95 pagers like a madman. That’s just me though

markmazur: At what point do you know if you’re going to keep reading a script or toss it out?

NW: I can’t toss a script out. Execs get to do that, but I read every script all the way through. Can tell a bad 1 on pg 1.

BSR: I HAVE to keep reading, but if tossing WAS an option, always before 30 pages. Sometimes 10 or less if it’s real bad.

BSR: yeah, but nate, there’s a diff between “bad” and “Dear God let me burn this.”

NW: Didn’t have enough room in the tweet for DEAR GOD BURN!!!! but that’s what I meant.

BSR: I just meant, if you had the option, would you toss a script after one page, or is there a grace period?

NW: No, I wouldn’t toss it after 1 pg. I’d give it 15 if I thought pg 1 was awful. I’d give it 25 if pg 1 was “bad”.

AP: Not allowed to toss a script out; have to read whole thing. however, sometimes you know it’s a PASS by page 5.

Observant eyes will note a common theme here: page count. On two fronts:

* In terms of how long a script is: Under 90 is suspect as being too ‘thin.’ Anything over 120 gets shoved to the bottom of the pile, meaning readers loathe reading longer scripts. BSR says point blank: “when I read at an agency, I chased after the 95 pagers like a madman.” Why? Because that’s 25 less pages to read, analyze, and cover than a 120 page script. And don’t even get a script reader started about a script that clocks in at 140 or above. There is a sweet spot as far as the perception of a script goes: AP says 90–110, BSR has an even tighter zone: 105–110. That said, as AP says, there is no “strict rule” per page count. But since script readers are Hollywood’s gatekeepers, and if you’re looking to make your script as readable as possible, it pays to be mindful how long your script is.

* The second point of relevance for page count is how far into reading a script can a reader determine if it’s bad or not. AP says P. 5, Nate says he can tell by P. 1. They will give a script some latitude, by clearly by P. 30, these readers will have formed a clear opinion about your script. Hm. I wonder what takeaway we can get from this. How about write a kick-ass P. 1, P. 2, P. 3, and so on?

Your script must make an impression on a reader. Be damn sure you start entertaining them with the first line of your script and keep on doing that throughout. Yes, that’s a high standard, but you are competing against professional screenwriters who have been doing this for years. You have to tell a good story, you have to do it in an entertaining way from the first words in the script, and you have to do it in a lean, tight fashion conscious of page count.

Tomorrow: Part 7 of the GITS Twitter Conversation with Amanda, Bitter, and Nate.

Some background info:

The Bitter Script Reader has spent many years — “perhaps too many,” he says — working in development and as a reader at production companies and agencies. For over three years, he’s blogged regularly about the missteps he’s seen writers both young and professional make, and implored his audience to avoid those same writing pitfalls. You can find him at his blog and check out his videos on his newly-launched YouTube Channel.

After working for a motion picture literary agent at a major talent agency, Amanda Pendolino went on to become a professional script reader for a few different production companies. She is also developing some feature comedies, in addition to an original sitcom.

Nate Winslow moved to Los Angeles last year and spent the majority of his time reading scripts and writing coverage for a production company and an A-list director. He’s currently working at the production company Defender Entertainment.

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