Customers receive a 2-3 page entertainment industry standard report ("coverage") that breaks down the material into feature film or television marketability components. Studio executives and producers look at these reports when deciding which projects should be developed further and eventually "greenlit." Writers should use the reports to: 1) submit along with their query letters to potential buyers if they receive a "Recommend" or even a "Consider" stamp of approval, and 2) to uncover their material's strengths and weaknesses, so that any areas for improvement can be addressed before submitting the material to potential buyers. A sample coverage template is available for you to see how a report will be organized and what components are evaluated. Those key components are detailed below.
NOTE: if you have a preset format you would like
your coverage report to reflect, please inquire. Our team has experience with
many studio coverage formats. The rates are the same whether you use our
template or yours (maximum 3 pages).
Customers can also receive, along with a coverage report, their material
returned with the evaluator's
handwritten notes on it (referred to as "Coverage
with Margin Notes").
Customers receive a 6-8 page detailed critique of their material (or a coverage report PLUS). It has the same key components of a coverage report (and then some), but the material is analyzed in greater detail to flesh out areas of improvement. Where a coverage report gives an overview of what works and what doesn't in the material, an analysis report gives more insight into how to make the material better, more marketable (if it is possible). A sample analysis report template is available, and the key components that comprise the report are detailed below.
Customers can also receive their material back with the evaluator's handwritten notes on the script (referred to as "Analysis with Margin Notes").
NOTE: All evaluations are based upon the material's ability to be or be adapted into a feature film or television show. Coverage and analysis reports are not available to evaluate a material's merit only as a stage play, short story, or novel.
Customers have access to a talented crew of writers who can tweak material for dialogue and/or narrative improvements (polish), or have their material typed and formatted into proper screenplay, teleplay, stage play, or manuscript format. Polishes do not include adding or deleting scenes or characters, plot changes, or fixing structural issues; it is only to "punch up" what is already on the page. Making the narrative or dialogue sharper in its delivery is the primary focus. Polishes also include fixing spelling, punctuation, grammatical, and formatting errors. If customers only want the spelling, punctuation, grammatical, and formatting errors corrected, then they have a choice of whether or not the analyst/writer corrects the errors on the soft copy of the material (original electronic file) or on the hard copy (red ink notes on the script pages).
Our team is available to write marketable loglines (1-2 sentences), synopses (3 paragraphs), outlines, and treatments (3-5pp) based on original work, or as part of our Story Development process. We can take unprotected story ideas and brainstorm them into marketable (and copyrightable) material. Customers can also receive rewrites, adaptations, and initial manuscript drafts from treatments, notes, or outlines. Services include receiving only a soft (electronic) copy of the completed material (in Final Draft, Movie Magic Screenwriter, or MS Word/Rich Text format). Hard copies can be mailed upon request. Fees for these services are well below Writer's Guild of America (WGA) minimum rates to provide affordable options for everyone. Depending upon the service option requested, and the turnaround time desired, customers have the option of selecting their team member from a narrowed pool of resumes [names removed for privacy].
Service requests that warrant receiving an electronic copy of the completed material must include a copy of the original material in electronic form with the order (an exception would be adaptations to film screenplays). The services above do not include typesetting, unless that service is requested and paid for with the order. For example, requests for a script to be rewritten or polished must include an electronic file of that script with the order. Otherwise, material submitted by mail can only be serviced as follows: coverage; analysis; spelling, punctuation, and formatting error correction (red ink); writing loglines, synopses, treatments, and outlines.
IMPORTANT: All ownership and copyright claims to the ghostwriting work belongs to the client at all times. My Script Needs Help! nor any of the writers on its team will ever receive or seek writing credit on the completed material. Likewise, material is never shared with a 3rd party unless it is with the client's written consent.
PROCESS STEPS: Script rewrites, adaptations, and initial draft creations follow a 6 step process, which can correspond easily to payment plan arrangements. At each stage, the completed material to that point is emailed to you for review & feedback. Creative meetings or consultations are available upon request, but will be limited so the turnaround timeline is not hampered.
Note: Material which follows a 4 Act or non-traditional structure will have a creation process similar to the above steps. Please inquire.
Material can typed as written for $3/page (all words will be typed as legibly as they appear on the page). If the material needs to be properly formatted and check for spelling or grammatical errors, that additional service option needs to be added to the order.
If the material you have in hand, or wish to have created, falls into one of these categories, then click the corresponding link to see the service options and prices. If none of the below categories appear to meet your needs, please inquire at service@myscriptneedshelp.com.
Submissions that go over these requirements must include an extra $2/page over the limit. We set these limits to discourage excessively long scripts that are harder to pitch from the start without proven track records.