Breaking Down Our Screenplay Coverage Services

We’ve updated our screenplay coverage service. Click here to learn more about our current script coverage packages.

You’ve finally written those last two words: THE END and you’re starting to look for contests, but something is still nagging you. Is it really complete? Maybe you’re rushing into things. You want another opinion, but maybe you’ve already had your friends look over the numerous drafts that came before this. What other options do you have?

If you’ve never tried screenplay coverage, it’s the best place to start. There are many different types of screenplay coverage services and it could be difficult to tell which one fits your needs. When it comes to WeScreenplay’s coverage, think of this as your road map to find the best fit for your script.

Something to keep in mind while considering each coverage service is that all of them have a 72-hour turnaround time.

Basic – $69.99

For the price of a pair of shoes, you receive five pages of detailed notes. This includes an in-depth analysis of character, plot, structure, dialogue, and concept. These core subjects can cover the biggest problems your script may have in a brief, succinct way.

While five pages may not seem like enough space to go into detail about your script’s concepts and potential faults, it means that it is boiled down to the biggest issues. As a writer, being given a full itemized list of all the holes and spelling errors in your script, while helpful, can be too overwhelming. This package cuts it down to the most crucial points that you need in order to make the biggest impact on your script.

What happens afterward is the reader evaluates your script for a pass, consider, or recommend status. This shows whether the reader believes the script in its current state would be marketable. Is the script altogether enough to get a producer interested? If you don’t get consider or recommend, it doesn’t mean your script has failed, it means that it just needs a tune-up.

Finally, a score from 1-10 is given to your script so you can compare your progress with those ratings. It gives you an idea of where your script falls if it’s a pass or the difference between consider and recommend.

If you want an excellent example of this coverage level, check out this coverage sample of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

Full – $99.99

For an additional $30, this coverage packet covers everything the Basic package does and much more. Including a two to three page synopsis of how your plot points are received. As the writer, it’s easy to pour over your own writings and understand everything that’s going on behind the scenes and more, but for the audience, it can be harder to decipher. This is why this glimpse into an example of the audience’s perception can be incredibly fruitful. You can see what successfully translated and what may have been confusing or missed.

Another great addition is the marketability analysis and selling recommendations. For those of us just starting our screenwriting journey and having never sold a script before, understanding the market and how to sell a script can be overwhelming. With advice and information coming straight from people who know the industry, it saves you a whole lot more than the $30 upgrade.

That’s not all. If you’re thinking about pitching your script, but are agonizing over a logline, the one provided in this package is the sweet cherry on top. Having gleaned all they need from your script, the reader can decide the perfect way to briefly explain the most marketable parts of your story and plot to a discerning audience like a room full of agents and producers.

Premium – $199.99

If the way you sell your scripts is mainly through competitions, you’ll want the best competitive edge you can get to make sure your script stands out to the judges and is remembered. While the other coverage packages help you fix your story on your own, this one really helps guide you along the way to making the most presentable script.

You get everything that’s included in the Full package including detailed notes on every page of your script. This includes everything from spell-checking to pointing out flaws in dialogue or formatting issues. Nothing is too small.

While the other two coverage services can help you discover the problems by pointing to issues with a certain character to a plot hole that seems to develop, in this package the reader provides detailed advice about how to fix issues in the script. They can also give lengthier responses about how to better market your script and resources you can use.

That’s not all. It’s not the same to just receive a packet and not get to discuss any of the comments made. Included with this package is the ability to ask follow-up questions to clarify any of the points or to propose your own ideas and see what the reader has to say.

Really like the idea of coverage, but not a fan of the price? There is a way to save money – with bundles.

For $423 you get seven Basic coverage packages for a year and save $60.

For $618 you get seven Full coverage packages for a year and save $75.

For $1,273 you get seven Premium coverage packages for a year and save $120.

The more you use the coverage services, especially with one script, the more you can see your progress and confirm the direction that you’re going in to get the best script you can to present to the competition. These can also be used on any script, it doesn’t have to be the same one seven times.

Whatever coverage you’re looking for, it’s always good to reach out and get a second opinion on a script before spending the $60+ to submit it to a screenplay. Give your script the best treatment you can and have someone with the best knowledge of story structure and construct to give it a dutiful appraisal.

Beverly Peders is a Screenwriting graduate from Drexel University. She loves all visual writing mediums and has experience in writing plays, comic books, screenplays, TV sitcoms, and video games. World building is her favorite and she obsesses over anthropology and linguistics. In her spare time, you may find her trying to get over her fear of heights at a rock wall or adopting yet another plant because she can’t afford an actual pet.