The Gatekeepers: Hollywood Script Readers


Arts:

I am a dreaded reader. Hollywood script reader, that is. I am one of a rare, misunderstood tribe. Writers hate us, executives underpay us and the average movie viewer has never heard of us. There is a reader's guild but most readers don't belong to it. And at the moment, Local 854 is not accepting new members anyway. Readers are sometimes called "the gatekeepers" because we are the first people who read the scripts sent to movie production companies. We read, synopsize and rate the scripts, either PASS, CONSIDER or RECOMMEND. Nobody ever gives a "recommend" because that's putting your behind in a sling. If the executive reads the script and doesn't agree that it was that amazing you'll be called on the carpet. Most scripts receive a PASS. We "pass" on scripts because they are boring or poorly written or cliched. We "pass" on scripts because the story is not in line with that particular movie company is looking for. We "pass" on scripts because we're afraid that the executive won't agree that it's good and fire us. Hollywood is driven by fear. It's not an easy job, being a reader but somebody has to do it.

I read for several pretty big, pretty well known production companies and I consider myself lucky. I also read for an A-list celebrity, looking for material he can star in. I don't get paid anymore there than anywhere else but I get to say I work for him. I also do script consulting privately and that is something I really love to do. Production company coverage is pretty brutal; our job is not to be nice to the writer but to quickly summarize what is and is not working in the script. When I read scripts for aspiring writers, I teach, encourage and generally be civil. It's a nice change.

Writers do not realize the pressure readers are under. I have been called on the carpet for being "too nice" to material. I have read scripts that were written by friends or relatives of the executive who gave it to me and then gotten in trouble for being too hard on them. Our job is full of pressure and politics. But most of us try to just read the story and honestly answer whether it is a story that would be entertaining up on the big screen. At some production companies, once every few months we have meetings and the executives review their slate of movies and what they are looking for going forward. Other production companies barely know our names; we pick up the scripts and go home with barely any contact. We have to do all the driving; if you're a reader, you make sure to work for production companies that aren't too far away. Otherwise the hourly rate after gas and drive time isn't worth it.

We may not be the highest paid people in entertainment, but we are the vanguard. If a script can't make it past a reader that's it for that script. At that company. Opinions are like snowflakes no two are alike. As readers we try to be as objective and as professional as possible. On some days, being paid to read stories is pretty amazing how many jobs are like that? Other days, when you've reached your saturation point, it's pretty tough. But despite everything, it's hard to imagine a job I'd enjoy more.

Copyright (c) 2007 Julie Gray

Julie Gray lives and works in Los Angeles as a writer, story analyst and consultant.www.thescriptwhisperer.com


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