Script coverage

Script coverage is a filmmaking term for the analysis and grading of screenplays, often within the "script development" department of a production company.[1] While coverage may remain entirely oral, it usually takes the form of a written report, guided by a rubric that varies from company to company.[2] Criteria include, but are not limited to:

  • Identification: Title, Author, Type of Material, Locale, Genre
  • Logline: A one sentence summary
  • Comment summary: A paragraph summary of the analysis
  • Grade: Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor for categories that include characterization, premise, storyline, production values, dialogue and more
  • Synopsis: Summary of plot: 1–3 pages depending on script quality
  • Budget: The script reader's estimated budget
  • Analysis[3]
  1. ^ Hauge, M. (2011). Writing Screenplays That Sell, New Twentieth Anniversary Edition: The Complete Guide to Turning Story Concepts into Movie and Television Deals. Harper Collins.
  2. ^ Field, S. (2005). Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting. Delta.
  3. ^ Trottier, D. (2019). The Screenwriter's Bible, 7th Edition, A Complete Guide to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script. Silman-James Press.