or: A Few More Things I Like About My Internship

You may have seen my previous post about my new internship, listing five things that I really appreciated about my new internship.  Since that first day, I’ve gone back twice and it’s been going well.  The people there seem to appreciate my script coverage, and say I do a solid job on it as well.  Luckily, the way I’ve learned to do coverage in the past seems to be more thorough and better than what they usually require.  Rather than come down to that level, I’ve decided to stick with my better quality of coverage.  I’ve just realized that I’ve mentioned script coverage twice now, and some people may not actually be aware of what it is.  Since this particular task is what makes up about 99% of my time at any development internship, perhaps I should go into it a bit.

Script coverage is when you read a script and then create a short document in which you completely summarize the plot of the script and then write a commentary section saying what was done right, what was done wrong, and whether or not the script is worth considering for development.  This commentary will usually go over character, dialogue, plot, structure, and anything else that’s relevent to script analysis.  I’ve found that the best lengths for these two sections are to shoot for around a page and a half of summary and about 3/4 of a page of commentary.  This obviously depends greatly on the material you’re working with, especially since you might not be covering a script at all, but rather a comic book, novel, or any other medium that tells stories.  You’ll also give both the writer and the script itself a final judgment: PASS, CONSIDER, or RECOMMEND.

The whole point of this is to save the executives and their assisstants time.  You’re taking the time to read it so that they don’t have to.  Hopefully after reading your coverage, an executive will be able to discuss the project with the writer or someone else involved with the project and be constructive and sound like they know what they’re talking about.  It also helps them know whether or not a script is worth reading at all.  Most companies receive hundreds of submissions in a month, and the people who work their don’t have time to read everything.  It’s a reader’s job to help narrow things down.  If a reader does decide that something is really good, based on the coverage an executive may decide to take the time to read it themselves.  If the reader thinks it’s a load of crap, it probably will get buried or thrown away by the company.  And usually when a script is poor, there is still a follow-up meeting with the writer, the coverage helps whoever is meeting the writer to give constructive advice and still pass on the project in a way that is considerate and understanding.

I was also asked recently by a friend what the general breakdown of script quality is.  How many are worth filming, how many are torturously bad, etc.  This really depends on the company.  I imagine a more reputable company is also more likely to receive a stream of quality scripts.  One that’s just starting out might receive a range of scripts written by writers who are still unknown.  Different companies also have different policies for accepting submissions.  My last internship, Valhalla Motion Pictures wisely only accepted script submissions through agencies.  They always said it was for legal reasons, and it very likely was, but it also puts up a very important middle man between them and the sea of writers trying to get recognized.  Sadly though, what it comes down to is very few scripts that a given reader is handed are very good.  If something is coming from a fantastic writer, the executives usually jump on it themselves.  It’s our job as readers to find diamonds in the rough.  If I had to make an estimate though, I’d say about 75% of the scripts I read are bad, 24% of the scripts are passably okay, and only 1% of the scripts are truly good to great.  So when you see a script that really is good, it really feels like a fantastic and rare find.  A discerning filmmaker would probably only make films from this small percentile, but because these are so rare (and get snatched up quickly I imagine), most companies (and readers) have to at least consider some of the ones in the passable percentile.  This does seem like a depressing set of statistics, but the fact is there’s a lot of writers out there trying to hone their craft and get known, and therefore there’s a lot to be read that won’t ever be able to be filmed.  Finding those great scripts really feels good after trudging through the mud for so long.

I mention all this because I’m coming off of a work day in which the two scripts I read included one passably okay script, and one good script.  Overall a very good day for reading scripts and I’m quite happy about it.  So on that note, I’d like to add a few “things I like” to my previous list.

1. The chair I’ve been assigned is awesome.  It’s really comfortable, flexable to various needs, and simultaneously supportive.  I have a lot of back and neck problems, so this is a big deal for me.  I wish I could take it home with me sometimes.  It also really helps me understand why all the characters in the book Then We Came to the End always made such a big deal about “inheriting” the good office chairs from their coworkers who left.  A very funny passage from a funny book made all the more relatable by personal experience.

2. Good office spacing.  The office spacing is comfortable and roomy.  The desks and offices are spaced enough to where things are quiet enough to work.  At the same time there’s no stairs to go up and down and things are close enough to communicate easily, you could even talk without leaving your desk if you chose to, it would just be slightly disruptive.  A small thing overall, but it makes working just that much more comfortable.