What is Script Coverage?

Script coverage is the analysis of a screenplay. It can include summaries, character breakdowns, thematic reviews, plot dissections and structure critique. Script coverage is performed by a professional reader to either provide a screenwriter feedback on their script or for buyers to determine the potential for success of the final feature film or television series. 

Script readers are employed throughout the film and TV industry to provide script coverage and may include anyone from interns, assistants, junior development executives or agents or professional script readers and screenwriting consultants. They will have their own professional screenwriting experience and training as well as familiarization with the needs of the company they work for. 

But first let’s talk a little bit about the different types of script coverage.

Industry Coverage

Every single day, studios, networks, streamers and production companies receive hundreds of screenplays for consideration and acquisition. In order to filter through them, script readers must read each script and provide coverage — usually along with a rating such as Recommend, Consider or Pass. 

Script coverage is designed to quickly give development executives and producers the information they need about potential screenplays to acquire and greenlight. Vetted scripts from trusted readers can increase the possibility of the right industry person getting their hands on the right script at the right time.

Read More: How to Get the Most Out of Screenplay Coverage

Screenwriting Craft Coverage

Screenplay coverage can also be provided to a screenwriter to give them feedback on their script. Writers can pay for this coverage or receive it as part of a competition entry package. The coverage will let them know how their screenplay compares to other industry projects while also noting suggestions for improvement. 

WeScreenplay, for example, will not only provide coverage that includes analysis of the plot, structure, characters, dialogue and concept, but will rate each one before giving the overall project a final ranking. 

You might want to also check out the official notes service offered at The Script Lab through WeScreenplay. 

Ratings Explained

Ratings are often used to analyze elements of a script. The concept might be thrilling but the structure could be weak. The characters might be compelling but the dialogue is clunky. Analyzing each of these separately allows a writer and a buyer to know where the script needs work. 

WeScreenplay rates each element of a screenplay using these tiers: Improve, Good, Excellent, Virtually Perfect. You can read about the details for each one of these ratings here, but ultimately in a competitive market like the industry today, a script should aim to be within the Excellent or Virtually Perfect categories to get noticed. 

Rankings Explained

There are just too many scripts for them all to receive a Recommend or even a Consider ranking from readers. Buyers especially are looking for screenplays that are ready to move into pre-production. At WeScreenplay, approximately 3% of projects receive a Recommend and ~20% of projects receive a Consider. 

Pass

The script simply isn’t ready in the reader’s opinion. Even exciting scripts with a lot of life and promise might still need work before they are ready to be produced. Remember, it likely costs millions of dollars to develop a feature film or television pilot — that kind of investment will only be made on something ready to earn that money back.

Consider

A script that receives a Consider ranking means that it could be ready to go after implementing notes from the reader. A Consider has clear potential and is nearly ready to go. 

Recommend

This ranking is for undeniable scripts with earning potential. It’s well written with a captivating plot, compelling characters, interesting dialogue, and entertainment value. 

What to Do With Your Coverage

One of the most valuable components in the screenwriting process is applying notes during revisions. Whether you’re writing on spec or you’ve submitted a draft to your showrunner or it’s time for the network to weigh in, feedback is inevitable — and that’s a good thing. It will always make your script stronger. 

Even if the feedback is negative.

Receiving notes on a script might not seem straightforward. It can feel deeply personal, it can expose issues without providing clear solutions, and sometimes it can even be insulting. There are countless examples of writers who receive high praise from one reader and get completely trashed by another — even within the same company. Some scripts win certain festivals and fail to even place at others. For more on how to handle different kinds of feedback, check out this WeScreenplay article on 3 ways to use feedback in your rewrite. 

So the first thing to do is remember that feedback is always subjective.

Writers should accept feedback for what it is: the opinion of one person. From this perspective, the notes become a series of clues. They will draw attention to a response that your reader had. From there, it’s your job to interpret the note and apply it to serve your story.

The more experienced and trustworthy your reader is, the more likely it is you’ll get relevant notes on your screenplay. From there, it’s up to you to interpret the notes and make decisions about how to apply them to your screenplay. Even if you disagree with a note and you choose to disregard it, you’ll stand stronger in your writing and become more clear about why you’re defending your first instinct. At the end of the day, feedback is a tool for you to wield to make your script stronger.

Final Thoughts

Writing excellent screenplays is the bare minimum for writers in today’s industry. The competition is fierce, so make sure you are well-rounded as a professional and savvy about the business. Get your writing samples as amazing as you can and then strategically work to get them into the hands of people who will want to partner with you to bring them to life. 

If you’ve never received professional coverage on a script and you can afford to pay for some, it’s helpful to see how an industry reader dissects a screenplay. That kind of analytic approach to a script is a skill that you can develop during your own revision stages. You may not ever receive a copy of the coverage that, say, a production studio created when considering your script, but if you’ve done your work then you will already have a good idea of your own strengths and identified any problems before submitting.

As always, good luck out there and happy writing!

Access WeScreenplay’s Stellar Script Coverage Services Right Here on The Script Lab!

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Shannon Corbeil is a writer, actor, and U.S. Air Force veteran in Los Angeles with appearances on SEAL Team and The Rookie. She was also a 2023 DGE TV Writing Program Finalist and her screenplays have placed in various contests. You can read more about her on her website or come play on Instagram and Twitter!