Tag Archives: screenwriting

November 10, 2023 · 10:50 am

PERFECT ZERO earns a “Recommend”

With eyes opened about the value of coverage, I also sent my Christmas script and pilot/pitch bible to Extreme Screenwriting for a floodlight of a review. As I mentioned before, no stone is left unturned: plot, characters, dialogue, etc.

Last night, I received back the six pages of coverage for PERFECT ZERO, my dystopian sci-fi pilot. First thing I discovered, I need to up my formatting skills in a few spots. (I’m on it!)

Then to the bottom of page 6, in conclusion:

“An engaging series that reads like it was written by an A-list TV creator with multiple series under their belt. A highly commercial project.”

“Extreme Screenwriting gives PERFECT ZERO a RECOMMEND.“

And now comes the marketing (right after I tweak the formatting in a couple places).

DIRTY POLITICS earns a “Recommend”

Earlier this month, I sent out DIRTY POLITICS for coverage with Extreme Screenwriting.

It was the first time I’d ever sent anything out for coverage because I have terrific screenwriting peeps who don’t hold back when we trade scripts. Instead of sending out for coverage, I put my money toward tightening and improving my screenwriting chops.

Still … I knew I needed to do this.

I finally did and discovered why coverage is a master class unto itself.

A deep unbiased dive into DP, the coverage left no stone unturned: “Plot/Execution,” “Characters,” “Dialogue,” “Scenes,” and more.

If a screenwriter has a thin skin, this is not the place to be. If a screenwriter is serious about her craft, this is exactly the place to be.

Coverage notes included fix a typo, get rid of a prop that dates the script, break up a way-too-long scene, and so forth. I now have things to do, but fewer than I feared. The coverage also included these comments:

“A timely and highly commercial script. Lots of fun with a heart of gold! It often goes beyond dramedy to comedy, but the heavier topics keep this story grounded in the Dark Comedy genre.”

“Extreme Screenwriting gives DIRTY POLITICS a RECOMMEND.“

Now on to making those updates — and decide which script to send next.

Go, Team!

I recently mentioned to a producer that I like the collaborative side of screenwriting — my words on the page take on new life once others weigh in and shape what I began. “All the inspired words of God are gone,” I said. “I’m not going to write any of them.”

I meant it.

So I appreciated reading something similar from the amazing Richard Walter, chair of UCLA’s screenwriter grad program. In the terrific ISA Insider Q&A, “Character Is Story,” he said:

“If you get precious about what you’ve done you are your own worst enemy. Many will tell you the downside of writing for the screen is that so many people come between you and the final work, the movie, you are creating. I say, that’s not the downside, that’s the upside, that’s the special nature of writing for the screen. You are part of a family of creative artists and craftspeople, collaborating and working together on a common and seamless enterprise, if it’s any good. You should rejoice. Don’t merely tolerate changes they make.”
Richard Walter

Go, Team!

Tag Archives: screenwriting

PERFECT ZERO earns a “Recommend”

DIRTY POLITICS earns a “Recommend”

Go, Team!

@hopemcp

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