how do i become a script reader .doc

8/10/2019 How Do I Become A Script Reader .doc

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How Do I Become A Script Reader And/Or Script Editor?

http://www.bang2write.com/20/0!/how"do"i"become"#cript"reader"andor.htm$

B% &'c% ( Ha% On September 22) 20 * + ,omment#

One -'e#tion I get a#ed a$$ the time i#) How do I become a #cript reader or#cript editor?

A# I1e #aid be3ore) I neer SE4 O54 to become a #cript reader. I did theBA6Hon#7 Scriptwriting 3or 8i$m 9 4( co'r#e at Bo'rnemo'th 5nier#it%and parto3 the co'r#e coered it. A# I detai$ in thi# po#t) when wor eperience came

aro'nd 6which %o' HAD to do) to pa##7) it made #en#e to #cript read; I wa# a#ing$e


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In the o$d da%#) when I #tarted) interning wa# the #'re"3ire wa% in to #criptreading and thi# ha# not changed. @etting a 3ew wee#1 wor eperience ata $iterar% agent1# or prod'ction companie# and being gien a 3ree rein ontheir mo'ntain o3 #cript# i# a @REA4 wa% to get #tarted) een i3 it mean#

being thrown in the deep end. I1$$ neer 3orget one g'% opening a door and I#aw pi$e a3ter pi$e o3 #cript#) #taced 'p) $ie ta$$) &eaning 4ower o3 i#a3ormation# in a room abo't the #ie o3 a medi'm itchen. Eager to impre##) Ito$d him I1d get them a$$ read b% the end o3 the #'mmer. Fo' won1t get thema$$ read b% the ED O8 FO5R &I8E) he retorted G And a$wa%# p$ent%more where the% came 3rom>

How the wor$d o3 interning wor# HAS changed howeer #ince I #tarted.4ho'gh 'nier#it% #t'dent# are eempt) the aerage intern now re-'ire#pa%ing b% $aw. hi$#t proper and good that peop$e are not ep$oited = o3

co'r#e = thi# DOES mean the opport'nitie# to intern) e#pecia$$% at #ma$$companie#) hae dwind$ed awa%. 4hi# then ha# the noc"on e33ect o3 woreperience opport'nitie# at the bigger companie# being 8IER,E&Fcompetitie. 4hen o3 co'r#e interning i# not 3or eer%one) e#pecia$$% i3 %o'hae re#pon#ibi$itie# and rent) bi$$# etc to pa%.

So i3 %o'1re not a 'nier#it% #t'dent b't want the nece##ar% #cript readingtraining 6b't can1t intern7) then there1# a$wa%# a #cript reading co'r#e. 4he#ehae #pr'ng 'p in the $a#t decade or #o) #tarting 3ir#t with 4he Script 8actor%)b't now inc$'ding Ind'#tria$ Script# and other re$ated co'r#e# atE'ro#cript)

&ondon Script ,on#'$tanc%) Straight ,'re and no do'bt man% other#.&EASE O4E: 4ho'gh I hear man% good thing# abo't tho#e p$ace# Imention 3rom m% Bang2writer#) I hae not done an% o3 the co'r#e# #ocannot 3orma$$% recommend... I3 %o' can) p$ea#e add %o'r tho'ght# to thecomment# #ection o3 thi# po#t>.

B't ma%be 3or whateer rea#on %o' can1t do a co'r#e) either. Script readingCi#C one o3 tho#e ob# %o' can do on the #ide and b'i$d 'p whi$#t %o'$earn on the ob. I3 thi# i# what %o' want or hae to do) there1# no rea#on inthe wor$d %o' can1t. Join eer Reiew #ite#. ,hec o't #ite# $ie4a$ent ,irc$e.5#e #ocia$ networ# $ie 8aceboo and 4witter to 3ind 3i$mmaer# who need%o'r he$p. So he$p them. &earn with them. A$$ b'i$d %o'r credit# together.

Fe#) getting that 3ir#t ob wi$$ be di33ic'$t = b't perhap# %o' can 'ti$i#e #i$$#3rom other ob# or ed'cation to get in with the 3i$mmaer: woring with id#at other creatie endeao'r# perhap#) or a degree in Eng$i#h co'$d go a $ongwa%. Fo' co'$d tr% approaching peop$e to he$p read 3or conte#t# andinitiatie#. 8rom there) the wor$d i# %o'r o%#ter. 4he#e da%# I do 3ar more


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#cript editing than #cript reading = and I $oe it>

So) to conc$'de:

4here1# man%) man% wa%# in and i3 %o' want to create and b'i$d %o'r career

thi# wa%) go 3or it. Do be aware it can be '#t a# m'ch a #$og e#tab$i#hing%o'r#e$3 a# act'a$ #criptwriting) thi# i# no -'ic 3i or ea#% ro'te. And don1tthin %o'1$$ earn megab'c#) Kco# %o' won1t> ; 7

See a$#o:

How 4o rite A Script Report

Q & A: The Accidental Script Reader

If you're wondering what I'm up to and I'm sure you are judging by the

amount of emails I've had in the last week asking if I'm"still here"since I've

"hardly written anything",then I can assure you, my lovely bloggers that

indeed I am. Just stressed. And ill, thanks toJames Moran. No, we're not

having an affair, it's his blasted Space Virus. Somehow he's managed to

transmit it over the radiowaves (or whatever the internet works on) and on to

me. Cheers. Mate.

The lovelyAnya, whom I read for recently, emailed with a few questions

about being a script reader amongst other things, so here are my answers

for your viewing pleasure. I'm hoping that once my brain has stopped melting

and my cats have stopped tearing up my new carpet, I may have two

seconds to write an in-depth article about something (anything!), so if you

have any requests too, you just let me know on the usual address. Ciao!

How did you become a script reader?

Dannyhas a few thoughts on this over at his site and I've answered a couple

of his posts, the most recent being last thursday, but to reiterate, I became a

script reader completely by accident. I had no idea any one could make a

living reading (okay, half a living) and when I went to university, I had no idea

jobs like this existed. For my course I had to do a six week work placement -
http://www.jamesmoran.blogspot.com/http://www.dannystack.blogspot.com/http://www.jamesmoran.blogspot.com/http://www.dannystack.blogspot.com/


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most of my class had places booked at amazing places like London and evn

abroad; my then-boyfriend went to Scala, a chap went to some prodco in

Amsterdam, two other girls went to ITN. I drew a complete blank however: I

was a single Mum with no money and no prospect of making any: I couldn't

afford the childcare to work for free: my parents did not live in Bournemouth

and all my friends were on work placement too! In short, I freaked, because

without this work placement I would not pass the course. Then one of my

lecturers hit on the idea of asking the Script Factory to let me read for them -

I could do it from home. Whilst the uni said this was okay, The Script Factory

said no. No matter though, because it gave me the idea and I wrote to a

whopping 79 literary agents and production companies begging them to let

me do something similar. Of the 79, only 16 replied, 15 of which said no but

thanks anyway, though about five were nice enough to let me have a lookround their offices, meet people, that kind of thing, including Working Title.

However, the sixteenth said yes and the rest is history. I read most of the

summer from home, though I would usually go in on Mondays for the day as

my son's father unexpectedly moved to Bournemouth that summer around

July-time, which, though stalker-ish, came in quite useful.

Can you REALLY tell a bad script from the first page?

I would love to say no to this question, that I'm not prejudiced against various

things, but you know what? I'm only human. All readers are. I do groan when

I open a script and there's a ton of black on the page. Why? Because I know

it's going to take twice as long to read andpossiblynot be as interesting as a

lean one. Sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised; an idea is so good, it shines

through despite the dense scene description. Most of the time though I am

confused as to which are the signficant bits of the story because there's too

much distracting stuff and that does, in my view anyway, obfuscate even the

best and/or most original story.

Since you say horror is your favourite genre, does that mean you get bored

by others like drama, sci-fi and comedy?


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Absolutely not. Whilst one of my favourite scripts ever that I've read through

Bang2write, lit agents and initiatives WAS admittedly a horror, of the other

two that share that fabled spot, one was a straight chase/thriller and the

other a period drama. Story matters most to me, not genre. Another script

that particularly sticks out in my mind is one about baseball, something I

know absolutely zilch about plus I HATE sport, yet the story was so good I

was gripped from start to finish.

How do you like to work?

In short sporadic bursts, mostly because I have to. I have no childcare which

means I do the majority of my work in the evening at the moment, which is a

mega-pain, though this will change hopefully when I move house and anursery place becomes available for the little one. Having said that though, I

DO still believe you can get far much more done in short bursts than sitting

in front of your PC for hours on end. I would far rather do the washing up or

even the ironing (yuk!) and think about my script - or even someone else's.

I'll often read clients' work, then clean the house. (So I've probably come up

with ideas for YOUR development notes whilst cleaning the loo! Nice

thought.)

Do you read novels as well as feature and short scripts?

I read a lot of novels - or rather what some Lit Agents call the "starter pack",

which is a one-page synopsis and the first three chapters, usually totalling

approximately ten to fifteen thousand words. The idea is, if you can't interest

someone with the starter pack, then it doesn't matter what the rest of the

novel is like. I do this for Bang2write clients if they want me to as a "trial run"

before they send off to Lit Agents. Once, a chap sent me his starter pack

privately, then sent it to one of the Agents I worked for, so I got the revised

version too! Publishing seems to be a small world. Occasionally I get huge

tomes, unsolicited through the post, bound in Leather on that parchmenty

paper and I freak out slightly when that happens, because it's such a labour

of love for the author I wonder why they want feedback? When I first started I


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would read these manuscripts, but I just don't have the time any more

unfortunately, so I send them back with a polite note saying the "starter pack"

is the usual way to send stuff out. Also, asking first is kinda nice.

And finally, the best one in my opinion:

Do you really have children and a mad woodcutter-type husband, or is your

family made up? (Well, you are a writer!)

Lol! Thanks but not even I have a twisted enough imagination to come up

with their antics!

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