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I want to get a professional assessment of my script before I send it out. How would I go about doing this?

There is much debate among writers about the pros & cons of getting a Reader Report on a script, and much concern over charlatans robbing writers in return for illiterate, misspelt, negative reports!
 
Despite some legitimate concerns, it seems to be the general consensus that reports do have the potential to give huge help in moving a script through problem areas, while at the same time energising its writer. Obviously it’s hard to hear criticism, so negative reports can be tough to swallow; but writers have to get used to the concept of criticism because they are going to face it again and again however successful their career turns out to be – better to get used to criticism you can read, digest and cope with on paper in the comfort of your own home, than face it for the first time in your first encounter with Mr Weinstein. Traditionally there are two types of report – those written by production outfits deciding whether to ‘pass’ or ‘second read’ a screenplay. These can be harsh and negative and are not intended for the consumption of writers but designed to be read by company personnel. The second type is a Reader Report prepared for the eyes of a writers by an independent organisation. These will normally offer a synopsis (fascinating reading even though you know what happens in your script – because often a reader thinks something entirely different is occurring). Following that, reports will normally cover comment on structure, genre, premise and technical areas (dialogue, pace, visual grammar etc), before giving some feasibility comment which outlines the potential of the project in the current industry.
 
There are numerous organisations and individuals offering reading services ranging from 2-10 pages and costing from £15-150. Needless to say The Script Factory was one of the first organisations in the UK to offer a Report Reading service and has developed a large team of trained readers since and built a good reputation for the standard of its reports including delivering reports for the UK Film Council's Development Dept for 3 years.
 
Have a look at our Development Feedback Service when considering getting some professional feedback on your script. And if you are interested in learning to write Feedback yourself (perhaps as a producer, developer - or simply as a writer wanting to second guess industry responses to your work) you might consider joining one of our perennially popular Script Reading Courses.
 

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