Screenwriting Needs
You are a serious, aspiring screenwriter trying to break in, or an independent creator developing a production. You intend to apply for funding, enter competitions or show a solid draft to contacts in the industry. Perhaps already a producer, fund or grant requires you to work with a story consultant for your next draft. Even if you are ready to shoot, you should check that your script makes sense from a production and directorial perspective.
Film Writer provides screenwriting services to cover all your storytelling, editing and writing needs, helping you improve your script and bring it to a higher level with creativity and thorough attention to detail.
The scripted projects can be of any length, format and medium (cinema, TV, web, stage, voice over, corporate, commercial). A feature script runs from 75 to 130 pages. A TV pilot script runs from 25 to 70 pages.
Film Writer can tackle any narrative genre, but has a deep understanding and passion for drama, historical fiction, thriller, horror, science-fiction, action-adventure, western and social justice.
A free 10-minute voice consultation (or email exchange) can be arranged to discuss your project and needs. Beyond this brief free consultation, Film Writer's services require payment upfront in USD or CAD.
Script Services
- Analysis, notes & feedback
- Proofreading (spelling, grammar & formatting)
- Script editing & story consulting
- Script doctoring
- Polishing & quality assurance
Additional Services
- Coverage
- Pitch critique & guidance
- Screenwriting
- Treatment writing
- Story research
- Adaptation from a completed, professional text (novel, stage play, etc.)
- Script breakdown (for tentative budgeting & scheduling)
- Translation (English, French, Spanish)
- Language localization (USA, Canada, Latin America)
Formatting
Format in scripts follows certain standards. Film Writer can verify and edit your script formatting to comply consistently with those guidelines. However, if your text isn't written as a script, you should adapt it into script form beforehand. Please check the format page to make sure your draft follows standard script format.
Price List
Base Service: $199 USD / $249 CAD. Entails reading one TV pilot or feature-length draft, providing proofreading and at least two pages of notes that highlight problems, needs and suggestions for development and improvement.
Revision - Screenplay: $480 USD / $600 CAD. Reading the current draft, at least three pages of notes and possible changes, a 30-minute session (or email exchange) to discuss needs, followed by two full days of editing and polishing a new draft. May include a small amount of rewriting, without any major changes in the narrative structure.
Add-On Minor Rewriting: $180 USD / $225 CAD per day. The number of days will be calculated in advance after reading and evaluating the current draft, and discussing the needs of your script.
Add-On Live Session: $40 USD / $50 CAD (up to 40 minutes). Remote, one-on-one conference with video or just audio.
Add-On Script Doctoring: $40 USD / $50 CAD per hour (minimum three hours). For major rewrites, Film Writer can provide guidance and consultancy as you work on your rewrite.
- Rates & deals valid until August 31, 2023. Please notice that these rates are competitive and as low as possible.
- All services include digital documents only. No physical printouts. Revised drafts to be delivered in PDF, and optionally, in RTF or FDX (Final Draft 12).
Script Editor & Story Consultant: adaptable to the budgets set by US, Canadian and European grants.
Creative Screenwriting: for developing a new script from a treatment, outline or prose text, the fee will vary depending on page count, production budget and other factors, based on competitive market wages for non-union writers. Service offered only to verifiable producers as it requires a professional contract and attorney fees.
Please do not send any documents or payments until we agree on the terms of service and you receive an invoice.
Once you receive your invoice, payment is made in advance via PayPal (worldwide) or e-Transfer (Canada).
Benefits
The media arts scene is highly demanding. Grants and the top scriptwriting contests are extremely competitive. Final decisions tend to be quite subjective, so there is no way to foresee if a script will be a winner. However, to have a real chance, the script surely needs to be close to perfection. Your work can be improved objectively in craft, format, language, syntax, clarity, aesthetics, plot structure, narrative design, audiovisual cues, characterization, subtext, relevant connections & thematic references. Film Writer finds the goodness in the details.
If your script is ready to go into production, the final draft should be attuned to budget, schedule, technical difficulties and foreseeable limitations. Even if you are directing or producing your work, the shooting script needs to be as tight and clear as possible. You will also need a breakdown of your script elements to organize and plan the production. Film Writer can help you shape the filmmaking aspects of your script.
Experience
Film Writer is an extremely creative and experienced professional with a degree in film production that has written, directed and produced short films and full-cast audio dramas (adapted from his film scripts). His spec portfolio includes 17 feature-length screenplays and a few TV pilots that have garnered over 100 accolades in the competition circuit (the Nicholl Fellowships, the PAGE Awards, the Austin Film Festival and many other contests). He is also the author of a new book on screenwriting concepts and pointers.
Film Writer has a keen eye for detail and a background in quality assurance, translation and localization of major films, TV series and video games.
Comparison
Film Writer offers you a tailored service with the elements your script needs for its next stage.
Elsewhere, you can get your script looked at by an anonymous, underpaid reader who will write derivative coverage full of claims about undetermined producers, tiresome formulas and hypothetical current trends. For your own personal use, coverage is mostly a waste of time and resources as it won't provide you with enough information and guidance for your next draft. If a real producer or grant needs to see coverage from a third party, they will want to authorize the analyst beforehand and inform guidelines about their needs. Film Writer will gladly provide coverage in that case.
Often readers will tell you vague reasons why your script is bad in their opinion without any guidance on how to improve it. They will neglect and diminish your story, characters and all your work, time, effort and suffering you have invested. In contrast, Film Writer will help you communicate and shape up the core elements in the story you want to tell.
Credit & Copyright
Film Writer will not seek for screenwriting credit or ownership for editing, rewriting or consulting jobs of existing scripts. If the work is produced, a "story editor", "script doctor", similar credit or a mention in the "thank you" section will be appreciated but not required. However, for the creative writing of a first draft script (or a complete page-1 rewrite), proper credits and ownership will need to be negotiated with a legal contract.
Film Writer Tournament
Open to all screenwriters! Submit full scripts for shorts, features & TV pilots.
- Every entry receives feedback, at least 1 VPF Pitch & discounts.
- FilmFreeway Gold members receive an additional 10% discount.
- Qualifiers: First 10 pages of every script.
- Semifinals: Next 10 pages of each qualified script.
- Finals: Full scripts of the top contenders.
- Champion: Wins 10 VPF Pitches, Film Writer's base service & $50 USD gift card.
