After working alone for some time on your script, you need a pair of friendly eyes to read it and give you feedback. However, scripts are not easy to consume, as they are not intended as a final art form for public distribution, so it can be quite tricky to find a friend willing to do the effort and provide competent feedback in a timely matter.
Throughout my years as a scriptwriter, I’ve noticed how difficult it is to lure a friend to read a new script. Some will say yes, but never get around it. Some will claim to have read it and provide a vague and extremely short opinion. But sometimes, someone will read it promptly and give an honest and organized feedback on whatever popped from the page to them. This is helpful to revise a few issues, even if not too in-depth, but it’s also quite rare. Most probably, the same friend will not be as accessible or helpful for the next draft or project.
Years ago, I was about to enter a new script into a competition and urgently needed feedback for a quick revision. A colleague of mine in linguistic quality assurance volunteered and provided me a couple of pages with notes for free. A few months later, I found myself needing a fresh pair of eyes to help me polish another script. I approached the same colleague that helped earlier, but this time I paid him his regular proofreading fee. We both knew I wasn’t getting the same favor again for free.
When you’ve been working on the same project alone and passionately, you may overlook many issues that require correction. Whether it be a personal friend, colleague, collaborator, professional reader or story editor, you do need someone to look at your script and help you pinpoint the details that need improvement, and also provide you with some helpful notes. Film and media arts in general are collaborative. The sooner the collaboration starts with other competent and helpful participant, the better outcome for the project.
Eduardo Falcon – Film Writer
