How to Get Your Screenplay Read

When writing a screenplay all you have at the most is ten pages. That is about how many pages a script reader gives you before he/she decides rather or not your script is worth spending anymore time on. Is it fair? No, but that is the way it is.

These people are bombarded with hundreds of scripts every day so in reality there is no way that they can read all the scripts that come in. Honestly if they can find a reason not to read it, they will.

They will only read the synopsis of a script that come in with scripts, they scan the scripts only reading a few pages in the beginning, the middle, and end, anything to keep from having to read a long boring script.

Writing a screenplay is one thing, getting it read and into the right hands is quite another. Thousands of scripts are submitted to studios every year yet only a handful of movies get made.

What do the screenplays that see the light of day have, verses the ones that do not? The differences may be small, but a difference no matter how small is a difference.

The first thing a reader will notice is the style of the script, the way a writer puts his/her words down on the paper. The second thing is the "Who" and the "What". Who and what is the story about.

The third thing is the set up, the dramatic driving force. If these things are not clear, your script will be tossed. The easiest way to make sure your script is read is to make those first pages lean, clean, and tight.

You have to grab that reader's attention. Remember the key to getting past the script reader is, 1) Quickly establish who the main character is. 2) Quickly establish the premise of the story. 3) Establish the dramatic driving force.

If you can do this in a fresh way, there is a good chance that your script may fall into the right hands. It is a tall order, but it can be done, good luck.