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Script Reader Pro Review: Are their Services Worth the Money?

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Many of you have thought of writing your own scripts and making your own films. There are lots of resources online to learn from. And while doing that, most of us are thinking of making it big in Hollywood. Waiting for that small break from the industry or an internship writing a script. Then years go by, and nothing happens.

It’s not easy to write a script and sell them too. There’s huge competition. The screenwriting competitions are, of course, an option, but what if you just don’t have that much time? But they can take 6-8 months to get the results.

Then again, you might have to rewrite the script based on the feedback and apply it again. Isn’t it time-consuming if you have a little money to spare to learn from pros directly?

There are script coverage services that even do re-writing of your screenplays for a fee. The feedback from these services is from professional writers and script readers who have worked in the industry for a couple of years. 

Script Reader Pro is one such service. It is popular, I have researched it, and the people who run it seem to be genuine. It also features in my 8 Best Script Coverages Services list.

Scrit Reader Pro was founded by Alex Bloom, who struggled to find a good script coverage service in his early days as a writer. Read his answer to the reason why he started Script Reader Pro.

Some of the notable pro screenwriters in the Script Reader Pro team are: 

  1. Peter Briggs: He’s known for co-writing HellBoy with Guillermo Del Toro. In his career spanning 26 years, he’s worked with 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Universal, Sony/Columbia, Miramax, and many more, writing on such projects as Alien vs. Predator, Judge Dredd, and War Of The Worlds.
  1. Dash Finley: As a scriptwriter and a film journalist in LA, he has worked as a development assistant to a number of well-known executives. He has worked under filmmakers like Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity), Stanley Weiser (Wall Street).
  1. Jenna Mattison: Jenna is a TV developer, bestselling novelist, and feature writer. She currently has several TV drama pilots in active development, with Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate, Disney, and Warner Brothers. The Sound, a psychological horror film, which she wrote, directed, and produced, was released through MGM theatrically in 2017. 

There are some more people like these on their team. These writers are working screenwriters who love the art of storytelling and have gone through the system working their way through sheer determination. And they are currently in touch with the best studios in Hollywood.

These writers are doing this because they want to help those who really want to be great storytellers.

Script Reader Pro has a total of 13 coverage services. They let you pick the screenwriter to read your script according to its genre. 

Payments can be made via credit card, debit card, PayPal, ApplePay, or Google Pay. Let us go through some of their major services and see what they have to offer.

1. TV Script Coverage Services

Once you select the writer and submit the TV pilot, an analysis is done on it. The coverage fees are:

Logline: They write a logline, fill out a 17-point Rating Grid that rates story, characters, dialogue, scenes, theme, etc., and give your script an overall “Development Needed,” “Consider,” or “Recommend” grade.

Industry Connections: As they have good industry connections, the reader passes it on to them if the script has a recommended grade. But this is not guaranteed. The deluxe package has free follow-up emails, which are basically three follow-up questions to your reader, free of charge.

Delivery time: The turnaround time, i.e., delivery of the feedback, is 14 days. You can also get it in 3 or 7 days at an extra charge. 

Also Read : Is the Screenwriting MasterClass Really Worth it?

2. Feature Script Coverage

The feature film script has to be up to 125 pages. If it is longer, one can purchase extra pages at $2 per page over 125.

The fees are:

You can choose the writers but not all are available for this service.

20- point rating grid gives you an idea of what is missing in the script and what need not be changed. 

Delivery time is 14 days and you can pay extra to get it in 3 or 7 days.

3. Margin Notes

These Margin notes are written directly on the page of the script. The pro of your choice will go page-by-page and scene-by-scene through the script giving feedback on its plot, structure, characters, scenes, dialogue, writing style, formatting, etc.

The fees are:

  • TV Margin Notes: $349 for up to 65 pages
  • Feature Margin Notes: $449 for up to 125 pages

If you have a screenplay more than 125 pages, you need to pay extra for $4 per page. 

They accept scripts formatted to industry standards saved as an EDITABLE file, such as Fade In, Final Draft, Movie Magic, and Script Studio. They don’t accept scripts written in Celtx or WriterDuet due to the difficulties inherent in accessing and editing within the program.

Also Read : 18 Best Books & eBooks on The Art of Screenwriting

4. Rewrite and Polish Services

If you are not able to finish a screenplay or want the whole screenplay re-written by a pro, the Rewrite and Polish Services is the service to go for. It is way costlier than the $300-500 feedback as the writers have to invest time and energy in re-writing your story. The process includes the following:

  • Adding/cutting scenes, characters, and plotlines: Adding new characters, story beats, or cutting them down.
  • Polishing the dialogue: Making the dialogues sound more natural, adding some humor and sarcasm. 
  • Enhancing scenes: Creating more conflict, suspense, and surprises. Creating more emotional and thrilling moments.
  • Polishing characters: Definition of the characters and keeping them in sync through the whole script. 

If you have enough money to enroll in a film school or screenwriting academic institution, this is the best option for you.

5. Line Edit On-The-Page

Dialogue and description edits are made directly onto the script, cutting excess words and rearranging sentences. The fees are:

  • TV Line Edit: $399
  • Feature Line Edit: $599

Full description edit: Tightening up all action lines where needed.

Full dialogue edit: Tightening up the dialogue by editing down and reworking excess speech and any confusing words or phrases. This is different from polishing the script.

Full proofread: A page-by-page, line-by-line proofread which highlights any grammatical errors and typos.

Full formatting edit: All sluglines, montages, flashbacks, transitions, action lines, dialogue, etc., are edited.

The turnaround time is approx. 14 days.

6. Script Marketing Mentorship

The Script Marketing Mentorship is a 3-week program, and by the end, our goal is that you walk away feeling 100x more confident in how to position your script in the marketplace and be that much closer to actually selling it.

They don’t accept all scripts which are sent to them as not every script is ready to be marketed. 

You have to first purchase an Initial Assessment at $69 to see if your script’s ready for the market. The Initial Assessment will give you over a page of notes on your script’s marketability and let you know whether you’re ready for the mentorship or suggest alternative options.

This program is only for serious writers who are ready for BIG changes in their screenwriting career.

If the script is ready for marketing, they’ll send you a link to purchase their $499 Script Marketing Mentorship. They have 3 one-hour sessions.

This is costly I agree, but there’s no other program that teaches you to market your script in this kind of money. It’s worth a try if you can afford it.

Also Read : Screenwriter’s Salary: Do Screenwriters Really Earn Millions?

Their Other Programs

Their other programs on the list are:

From what I gather over the internet, Script Reader Pro is well worth the money only if you have enough to invest in it. 

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