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IN DEFENSE OF SCRIPT CONSULTANTS
There are some bad script
consultants.
But there are also people
like me who have read thousands
of scripts and who know
more about how to fix your
script than your mother,
best friend or even another
writer.
I think coverage—a few pages
outlining a script’s problems—is
a limited tool. It’s a litmus
test: good or bad. I try to price
myself out of doing coverage,
because I don’t think it
helps writers improve their scripts.
On my pricing page, I refer you
to a respected service that does
it for about half my rate.
What I do is dig into your
script, pull its heart out
and discuss it with you.
And together we figure out
how to fix its problems.
My background as a development
exec, writer, director and
editor allows me to approach
your script from many different
angles.
| As
a dramaturg, I will
ask these types of questions
about your obligatory
scene (climax): |
| •
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Does it
contain the purest form
of the one dilemma your
main character has been
struggling with? |
| • |
Does it
succinctly express the
theme? |
| • |
Is there
adequate setup earlier
in the movie—with
taglines, dialogue,
subplots, foreshadowing—which
clarifies the thematic
intention of the climax? |
| • |
Does the
resolution waste any
time? And is it consistent
with your thematic intent? |
| • |
Does the
end of the second act
unify the character’s
need and goal into the
climax’s one concise
action? |
| • |
Is it
absolutely clear that
the main character could
not have made the climactic
choice at any earlier
point in the movie? |
| As
a director and producer,
I will ask these types
of questions: |
| •
|
Is there
enough in this scene
to get a good actor
to want to play it? |
| • |
Is there
enough in this scene
to get a star out of
his trailer? |
| • |
If an
actor asks me “what
am I fighting for”
in this scene, do I
have an answer? |
| • |
I gotta
pay the character actor
$2,000 bucks for the
week and he’s my
sister’s acting
coach, so I want this
minor character to be
drawn distinctively.
Is he? |
| • |
Is the
level of conflict in
this scene any different
from the last scene?
|
| • |
I won’t
shoot a scene which
only contains exposition,
so is there enough conflict
to bother with this
scene? |
| • |
Is a character
saying what he means?
I hope not. Will this
dialogue play? |
| • |
Is there
plenty for my DP, Locations
people and Set Designer
to do? |
| As
an editor: |
| •
|
Does the
scene end differently
from where it starts? |
| • |
Given
that different parts
of the film require
distinct pacing, does
each scene begin at
the last possible point
such that it still works? |
| • |
Did you
end the scene at the
earliest possible opportunity? |
| • |
Can you create
suspense or mystery by simply
excising—or adding—one
key piece of information in
a scene? |
| • |
Did you
miss the opportunity
for a meaningful transition? |
| • |
Would
we miss anything if
I cut out all those
lines of exposition? |
| • |
Can I
lose that subplot? Or
what does that subplot
need to be indispensable? |
I may never ask you one
of these questions explicitly,
but I will address all of
them and hundreds more.
When I find an unsatisfying
answer to one of these questions,
I give you ways to fix it.
I discuss your intention,
how it may have failed,
how to achieve it, and/or
how to modify it. You will
know what the problem is
and I will offer examples
of how to solve it.
As a writer, I’ve
been on the other side of
the table. I’ve received
awful notes. The reasons
varied: the note-giver was
jealous, was trying to show
off, wanted to impress his
boss, didn’t understand
the script or wanted a completely
different script. But have
you ever been given a great
set of notes? I have. It’s
wonderful. I study how people
give notes. If your script
needs work and you want
a highly trained professional
to help you improve it,
you can afford a script
consultant for about the
amount a lawyer would charge
you to submit your script
to half a dozen companies.
I can help you to improve
your script. My current
clients welcome you to contact
them as a reference.
Sincerely,
James P. Mercurio
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