One interesting feature of the Slamdance Horror Competition is that you can request a reader's analysis ("coverage") of your script for an additional fee.
I didn't opt for this service, as I prefer cash to cavils.
Many years ago, when I sent out my first feature screenplay, one Hollywood agent sent back a copy of the reader's coverage. The reader included such salient comments as "this is the worst screenplay I've ever read" and "the grammar is weak, especially in the dialog" and "while set in the future, this story doesn't work as science fiction; the advanced technology is unrealistic."
I admit that my first screenplay was not great. It had a strong concept but weak execution. However, it did get me into film school at UCLA, so someone liked it.
I've also read plenty of scripts from friends and classmates, and I know how difficult it is to give good notes.
I do think it's great that Slamdance offers this service. Some people will find these notes very helpful.
Kelly Parks is not one of them.
Kelly's script, Ghoul, was a quarterfinalist for the Slamdance Horror Competition this year. He ordered coverage, but did not find it helpful.
If you'd like to see the feedback he received, you can check out his blog, where he's posted the coverage along with his own rebuttal.
Keep in mind, Kelly is already an award-winning horror screenwriter. Another script of his, Howard's Cross, won 1st place at the 2006 International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival.
So the guy's got some chops.
What happened? Was the script bad? Was the reader incompetent? Was it a poor match?
I don't know. I didn't read the script.
Sometimes these things are just the luck of the draw.
On Wordplay, Terry Rossio (Pirates of the Caribbean, Deja Vu, et. al.) once posted five coverages his company received based on the same script: Instant Karma by Paul Hernandez. Terry had loved the script and optioned it, but found that getting past the readers was, even for him, incredibly difficult. It's an excellent article, well worth your time, and you can find it here.
Also, I should mention that I did once pay for coverage, and found the script notes very intelligent and even a little helpful. I can recommend "the $60 notes offer" from Scott the Reader without hesitation.
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4 comments:
Hi David -
I had a comment from you on my blog, introducing yourself as another Slamdance Semi-Finalist. I forwarded the comment to my husband Mark, and appreciate your invitation. May I ask how on earth you found my blog?
Heather
www.gourmetknittingdisaster.blogspot.com
Hi Heather, I actually came across your blog as well. If you google "slamdance horror competition" your blog comes up a couple of pages in.
David, in regards to coverage, I didn’t get any from Slamdance, but I sure am happy that I didn’t end up with the reader that Kelly got, because in that case I might not have made it to this point in the competition. It’s obvious that they didn’t know anything about the horror genre, which is disappointing, since you would expect a better assessment considering it’s a horror competition.
Heather:
I found your blog by Googling the term "Slamdance Horror" in the "Search Blogs" feature.
Your "Mark Rules!" post was, at the time, only a few hours old and was listed as the top search result in order of date posted.
I believe most people who've commented here found my site through Google.
I just now read your new post titled "Now We Know" (my script did not make the Top 5, either).
If this was really Mark's first feature screenplay, then making the Top 20 is an amazing achievement.
I hope he takes his near-win as an encouragement to continue writing.
- David
I've never read scripts, but I know how hard it is to give good constructive comments when reading someone else's fiction. I'm not sure paying for coverage would be worth it unless you were sure of the quality of the reader and his/her knowledge of your genre.
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