Coverage :: scriptshark.com / other ?

Question

I want to get coverage for my finished screenplay, well once I finish my 4th revision. I am looking for honest unbiased critique / evaluation of my screenplay. Suggestions for sites to use or not use? I searched within this group and saw a post highly recommending scriptshark.com, looks good. Any reason not to use scriptshark? Is there a comparible or better site/service to use? Thank you in advance. ~Randall

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[nq:1]I want to get coverage for my finished screenplay, well once I finish my 4th revision. I am looking for honest unbiased critique / evaluation of my screenplay. Suggestions for sites to use or not use? I searched within this group and saw a post highly recommending scriptshark.com, looks good. Any reason not to use scriptshark? Is there a comparible or better site/service to use? Thank you in advance. ~Randall[/nq]
It's important to understand that "coverage" is not the same as a script evaluation. The primary purpose of script coverage is to provide a quick (and often very rough) summary of a property. The evaluation portion of coverage is generally very limited, often shaped to the specific needs of the company, and not particularly designed to help you improve your script.
It is also frequently idiosycratic, depending in large part on the particular tastes of the person doing the coverage. That may seem odd. You may think isn't the person doing the coverage supposed to be some kind of pro, giving an "objective" evaluation of the commercial merits of the material.
Well, yeah, but it really never works that way in the real world.

As a rule, different readers have different strengths and weaknesses and different preferences things that they universally hate, things that they're big fans of. Producers as a rule have many readers and part of what you do when you get in material is to know how to assign particular material to particular readers. If you've got a romantic comedy you don't send it to the guy who likes action and horror and hates all the romantic comedies because he's not the guy who's going to be able to tell the good romcom from the bad. Nor is the reader who loves romantic comedies going to be able to tell the next great horror movie from a run-of-the-mill derivative slasher movie to that reader, they'll all look the same.
The point is, the kind of evaluation that you look from from that paragraph or two at the end of the coverage as a producer isn't the kind of "analytical" evaluation that you, as a writer, are looking for.
A producer just wants to know whether or not to buy it. You want to know how to fix it.
I've gotten negative coverage on things that I've also gotten positive coverage on. I don't know that either was particularly useful to me as a tool toward fixing the script.
NMS

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[nq:1]The point is, the kind of evaluation that you look from from that paragraph or two at the end of the coverage as a producer isn't the kind of "analytical" evaluation that you, as a writer, are looking for..[/nq]
So hows does a noobie writer know if his screenplay is ready to try showing to agents/other? My mentor/consultant who guided me through writing the screenplay really likes my screenplay (could not stop reading it, says it was one of the fastest reads she has encountered ever, and it was 120 pages), but I have to think she might be biased, afraid to tell me faults. I can't really trust friends and family, they would hold back too. I need unbiased critique so I know if and what I really need to to fix in the story. I thought coverage was the way to go. Is coverage still worth it, if taken in stride with a grain or two of salt? Or is there some other route to go?

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[nq:2]The point is, the kind of evaluation that you look ... "analytical" evaluation that you, as a writer, are looking for.[/nq]
[nq:1]... So hows does a noobie writer know if his screenplay is ready to try showing to agents/other? My mentor/consultant ... it, if taken in stride with a grain or two of salt? Or is there some other route to go?[/nq]
Scriptshark's decent enough, haven't kept up with their prices.

I charge $250 and people get their money's worth, except when they send me **** they think is gold, and then they get ***. That happens on an average of about 1 in 100.
Pilar Alessandra is very good and I just found out yesterday she charges $700, the little minx.
Robert Flaxman is a good guy and I think charges $1000 or so and goes over everything extensively, pain in the *** kind of way but apparently people love it because he's been ranked the best by a few magazines like Creative Screenwriting.
Linda Segar charges $2000 last time I checked, lives in Colorado, has never written a script.
I don't know what Donie Nelson charges but she's been reading scripts (for studios too) probably longer than you are old.

Lew Hunter's retired to Nebraska might still do it, charged $1000 last time I checked (years ago).
Richard Walter charges $5000 - it ain't worth it.
There's plenty of others around. See whose clients have done what. Pilar's got a long list of those I believe. Mine have done pretty well but I'm more in the writing business than consulting, have been for years.

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[nq:1]I want to get coverage for my finished screenplay, well once I finish my 4th revision. I am looking for ... Any reason not to use scriptshark? Is there a comparible or better site/service to use? Thank you in advance. ~Randall[/nq]
http://sixtybucknotes.blogspot.com/
Don't know if this offer is currently open, but this guy reads for a lot of big companies. He's a casual friend of mine, totally legit. You're going to get studio-style coverage. Reread Neal's post for the limits of what that means.
No promises. No connections. Just an honest evaluation from a guy who reads a lot of scripts for a living.
Honestly, you might be better served by putting it in a drawer and writing another screenplay first, then coming back to this one - particularly if it's your first, which I can't remember if it is or not.

-Ron

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[nq:1]http://sixtybucknotes.blogspot.com/ Don't know if this offer is currently open, but this guy reads for a lot of big companies. He's ... No promises. No connections. Just an honest evaluation from a guy who reads a lot of scripts for a living..[/nq]
nice link, thank you. I might check it out, for $60 I don't expect much. I just need somebody with experience that I can trust to give an honest evaluation (script notes / coverage) without worrying about buttering themselves up or telling me what I want to hear. I want to an honest eval, otherwise how do i learn what needs fixing. ~Randall

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[nq:1]http://sixtybucknotes.blogspot.com/... -Ron[/nq]
I am going to give Scott a try ($60 notes). $60 isn't much, worth finding out. I just emailed Scott to get the process in motion. ~Randall

Coverage :: scriptshark.com / other ?

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