The story behind script coverage: “How to Write Coverage”
A week or so ago, I received some feedback about this series: The Story Behind Script Coverage, which I ran in June 2009. The readers suggested I re-run the series, figuring that many GITS readers might have missed the original run. So each day at 11AM PST (U.S.) for the next eight days, I will break down one facet of what a script reader does per the actual coverage packet from an actual Hollywood agency. Today’s topic: How to write coverage.
Once more into the breech with our ongoing dissection of the “ICM Story Department — Coverage Packet.” Today’s scintillating subject: “Appendix A: Summary Outline: How to Write Coverage.” Ooh. Doesn’t that title just send a tingle up your spine?
Actually I think you will find this pretty fascinating, offering another window into the soul of a script reader — and yes, they do have souls, at least for the first 1,000 bad scripts they read. After that… who knows?
APPENDIX A
SUMMARY OUTLINE
HOW TO WRITE COVERAGE
You will find this summary especially useful as a quick reference guide when writing your coverages. The main points of each coverage component are outlined here to jog your memory.
I. The art of reading
A. Look for:
1. The main points of the plot
2. The main and supporting characters
3. Aspects of the work pertaining to the purpose of your coverage
4. Visual value
B. Ignore:
1. The little things: typos, grammatical errors, tense changes, and the like
C. Skim:
1. Fight scenes
2. Chase scenes
3. Love scenes
4. Bloodbaths
5. Background and internal action unrelated to the main plot or to major points of character development
II. Writing the synopsis
A. Stick to the main plot
B. Write as much as you can from memory
C. Capture some of the mood or tone of the work
D. Use evocative words (use a thesaurus)
E. Simplify
F. Show the work in its best light
III. Writing the character breakdown
A. List roles in the following order:
1. Leads
2. Co-stars
3. Supporting roles
4. Minor roles
5. Cameos
B. For each character, include:
1. Name
2. Age
3. Physical appearance
4. Personality or background
5. Page number on which the character first appears
C. Follow closely the writer’s description of the character
IV. Address comments to:
A. Concept
1. How original it is
2. Whether it’s high concept or a soft story
B. Premise/theme
1. Strength
2. Universality
C. Plot
1. Predictability
2. Obstacles, complications, reversals, twists
3. Believability
4. Subplots, if any
5. The hook, if any
6. Continuity
D. Main and supporting characters
1. Background
2. Range of emotion and expression
3. Motivation
4. Fatal and other flaws
5. Evolution
6. Consistent development
7. Rooting interest
8. The spice of life: variety of characters
9. The proof of the premise: the right hero for the story
10. In general, what kind of talent would be appropriate
E. Dialogue
1. Reveals character traits
2. Reveals essential information
3. Flows or flounders
4. Is over- or underwritten
5. Sounds like people talking
a. Is appropriate for the various characters
b. Is appropriate for the time period and culture
F. The stakes
1. What is at stake?
2. How crucial is it?
3. How dangerous is it?
G. Structure
1. Use of back story or ghost (a beginning that is really the middle)
2. Proper setup of main character and conflict in the beginning
3. A middle that smoothly follows character development and pursuit of the goal
4. An ending that resolves the conflict presented in the beginning
H. Pace
1. Fast, slow, or varied
2. Appropriate for the tone and theme of the piece
I. The writing itself
1. Mastery of the craft
2. Individual style
3. Concept and execution
J. Audience
1. Age
2. Sex
3. Media
a. Feature film
b. Public television production
c. MOW (TV movie of the week)
d. TV series, drama or sitcom
e. Miniseries
K. Does the work succeed in its objectives?
1. Realization of the premise
2. Evokes the intended emotional response
L. Comparisons
1. Refer to genre
2. Refer to similar films if appropriate
M. Overall reaction
1. Mention anything unique about the work
2. Is it a good blueprint for a movie?
N. The grid may include any or all of the following:
1. Characterization
2. Dialogue
3. Story line/plot
4. Setting/production value
5. Structure
6. Theme/concept
7. Writing ability
8. Budget
9. Recommend, consider, pass
V. The cover sheet
A. Copy info directly from the work itself when possible
B. Use “N/A” when information is not available
C. Write a catchy, brief log line
VI. Editing
A. Organize your thoughts
B. Be clear and concise
1. Cut out unnecessary phrases
2. Beware of redundancies
3. Use verbs instead of nouns to express action
4. Use verbs in the active voice instead of the passive
5. Keep subject, verb, and object close to each other
6. Express one thought per sentence or clause
C. Refer back to the project itself as necessary for accuracy
D. Check spelling, punctuation, and grammar
E. Use running heads
F. Keep a copy of each of your coverages.
Okay. Yes. I will grant that the whole outline approach, plus, the business at the end about keeping subject, verb, and object close to each other and the rest is very much like forcing you to relive that 5th grade class with your cross-eyed shrew of a teacher Ms. Hauck. But if you can get beyond those horrible memories of your childhood, it’s possible to zero in some key insights into how a script reader thinks… and even more importantly, how an lit agent thinks.
* “The art of reading”: Nothing in “Look for” we haven’t covered already, but check out the next two items: As far as the agency is concerned, they are granting script readers an imprimatur to Ignore and Skim some script material. From a script reader’s perspective, they are going to have to do that in order to plow through all the projects they have to cover; but as far as the agency is concerned, that’s okay!
* So what is okay to Ignore? “The little things: typos, grammatical errors, tense changes, and the like” to which I say bull-shit! Yes, there may lenient script readers. Nice script readers. Even ignorant script readers who don’t know the difference between “they’re,” “their,” and “there.” But most script readers — myself included — despise stupid “little things” like that. The way I look at it, if a writer doesn’t care enough to spellcheck their script or handle grammar properly, then they probably don’t care enough about their plot, their characters, their dialogue, or anything else. So Insider Secret: When you’re done with final final final draft, get someone to proofread your damn script!
* Okay, now let’s look at what’s okay to Skim: “Fight scenes, Chase scenes, Love scenes, Bloodbaths.” Uh-huh. What do all those scenes have in common? They are heavy with scene description. And that means another Insider Secret: Script readers don’t like to read scene description. Dialogue margins are narrow, in fact narrow enough that a trained reader doesn’t even have to move their eyes from left-to-right. Scene description, on the other hand, does require the reader to shift their eyes. Plus, all those paragraphs! And here you have the agency agreeing that they can “skim” SD.
* Well, screw dat! Consider this a gauntlet thrown down at your cyber-feet! It’s up to you — yes, you, Hollywood Pre-Pro Screenwriter — to write such great scene description, the reader can’t look away, won’t skim your gripping words.
* How to do that? Start by keeping your paragraphs no longer than 2–3 lines.
* Embrace the fact that you don’t need to write in complete sentences (this is especially true for action, thriller, horror movies).
* And approach SD more as poetry than prose — go here for some thoughts on that subject.
* This is interesting: When writing the synopsis, they encourage the script reader to “Write as much as you can from memory.” Big tip there for writers: Create memorable moments in your script.
* Another interesting point under synopsis: “Capture some of the mood or tone of the work.” This goes back to Narrative Voice, the invisible character in your script. If you don’t have a handle on your Narrative Voice, then you can’t very well expect a script reader to capture the “mood or tone” of your script.
* The whole section on “Character Breakdown” has this big fat subtext infused in each word: Talent. Readers are supposed to set up the coverage so the agents can start “mind-casting” the movie (see previous posts on packaging). Pay special attention to the last note: “Follow closely the writer’s description of the character.” Which underscores how important it is when you introduce your character. Provide 2–3 lines that convey something about that character’s core essence, some key aspect of who they are.
* The next section — “Address comments to” — provides a bunch of tips for writers. For instance, what tops the list? Concept. This goes back to previous posts about how incredibly important it is to have a great story concept.
* Re Plot: I zero in on “Obstacles, complications, reversals, twists.” It’s ironic that by the end of Act One, the reader should know where you’re story is heading, but they should not know how you’re going to get there. How can you do that? Obstacles, complications, reversals, and twists. For more go here and here.
* Interesting to see Structure located after Dialogue. In my experience, script readers put a lot of focus on the plot structure. And while sparkling, great dialogue can certainly make a script a better read, I don’t know any screenwrier who would claim that it’s more important than the story’s structure.
* A final thought re Pace: “Fast, slow, or varied” and “Appropriate for the tone and theme of the piece.” Honest, now. Do you think about pace when you write your scripts? How the pace should reflect the genre of the piece? I think readers are heavily attuned to this because they typically read a script in one sitting. Therefore, they can feel — in a compressed fashion (like a movie) — the ebb and flow of a script.
So are you getting sick of this series of posts yet? There’s still more to be mined. Any takers or do you cry uncle?
UPDATE: Let me underscore something I touched on previously. I’m only going through this doc in order to give you a sense of what type of things can be going through a script reader’s mind as they read your script. This is not meant to freak you out, leave you flailing, and/or gnashing your teeth. Rather if you take some of the key points here, you can, I think, use them to your advantage as a storyteller, plus make your script more attractive to a script reader.
For the original post [June 26, 2009] and comments, go here.
Go here to download the coverage packet. Note: It is likely dated at this point. However the basic areas it covers re script coverage still pertain to how readers go about their business on a daily basis in Hollywood.”