Barry_Green
Moderator
Before you do anything else, have someone read the script who doesn't know you, isn't a relative, and knows about reading scripts. I say send it to Craig Kellem at www.hollywoodscript.com, he's by far my favorite screenplay consultant. It's far and away the best $230 you'll ever spend on your production. Lots of screenwriting consultants are complete amateurs just trying to make a buck, but Craig really knows story and has the resume to back it up.
The worst thing you can do is spend months and months of work of your time and other people's time, and thousands or tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars, and end up with a film that's not very good because the script wasn't solid in the first place.
There is no easier place to fix your film's problems than in the script.
And, well, I guess I'll be blunt -- if it's your first script, and you're the only one who's read it or your family has commented or whatever -- then the odds are extremely extremely extremely extremely low that the script is "ready".
Try this: instead of letting someone you know read the script, take it to an entertainment attorney or an agent and ask them their opinion -- tell 'em that a writer has submitted this script to you, and you're thinking of buying it. Then get their opinion. If they say "heck yes buy this, and if you don't buy it I will", then the script is probably ready. If they say anything less than that, then the script is not ready, and going forward with the film would be premature and probably wasted effort.
You need people who don't know you and don't care about your feelings to read the script. People who know you, or even people who don't know you but they know that you're the author, are going to naturally try to spare you from any actual pain that their words might otherwise cause. If you said to a professional writing instructor "here's my script, what do you think" they might say "eh, it's got potential but the second act is a bit slow." Whereas if you gave 'em the same script and said "I'm thinking of buying this, let me know if you think it's good enough" they would be much more likely to say "it's horrible and a complete mess" (if, indeed, it is). But frankly, if it is in serious need of repair, wouldn't you rather know that NOW, when you can still fix it for free, rather than after the film is made and you're in debt and you come out with an unsellable product, all because someone wanted to "spare your feelings"?
Send the script in to a dozen screenwriting contests. If it places in the top three finalists at four or five contests, that's a good sign. If it doesn't take the top prize in any of the dozen, then it's not ready.
And, as always, listen to Wabbit -- that guy always gives solid advice.
The worst thing you can do is spend months and months of work of your time and other people's time, and thousands or tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars, and end up with a film that's not very good because the script wasn't solid in the first place.
There is no easier place to fix your film's problems than in the script.
And, well, I guess I'll be blunt -- if it's your first script, and you're the only one who's read it or your family has commented or whatever -- then the odds are extremely extremely extremely extremely low that the script is "ready".
Try this: instead of letting someone you know read the script, take it to an entertainment attorney or an agent and ask them their opinion -- tell 'em that a writer has submitted this script to you, and you're thinking of buying it. Then get their opinion. If they say "heck yes buy this, and if you don't buy it I will", then the script is probably ready. If they say anything less than that, then the script is not ready, and going forward with the film would be premature and probably wasted effort.
You need people who don't know you and don't care about your feelings to read the script. People who know you, or even people who don't know you but they know that you're the author, are going to naturally try to spare you from any actual pain that their words might otherwise cause. If you said to a professional writing instructor "here's my script, what do you think" they might say "eh, it's got potential but the second act is a bit slow." Whereas if you gave 'em the same script and said "I'm thinking of buying this, let me know if you think it's good enough" they would be much more likely to say "it's horrible and a complete mess" (if, indeed, it is). But frankly, if it is in serious need of repair, wouldn't you rather know that NOW, when you can still fix it for free, rather than after the film is made and you're in debt and you come out with an unsellable product, all because someone wanted to "spare your feelings"?
Send the script in to a dozen screenwriting contests. If it places in the top three finalists at four or five contests, that's a good sign. If it doesn't take the top prize in any of the dozen, then it's not ready.
And, as always, listen to Wabbit -- that guy always gives solid advice.
