Screenwriting : Script Notes; What do they really mean? by Beth Fox Heisinger

Sometimes feedback comes back as... "if I were writing your script..." Ultimately, I use my belly barometer. When you get good input and you don't like it, an ache bellows up. When you get bad input and you know it, that churning sensation is not to be ignored. You know how it is, after you stomp about a bit and spit upon reading feedback, your guts can assess if the notes are spot on, if the reader tracked the story, and if there was a lack of tracking, was it something in the script?

Hey Beth, I actually did a free teleconference for ISA Network about 2 months ago that tackled this exact topic - how to take notes, and how to know the Note Behind the Note that you actually need to figure out, especially when it comes from an executive. Ill post a link to the recording here - http://www.networkisa.org/podcast.php?id=2611 The key really is to try to understand WHY they may have suggested that note, look for places where you may have already tried to address that note in the script and see if that's coming across enough. Or if it's a note to something missing, always look first to your setups. And see if you get the same note consistently. The worst way to interpret notes is defensively. Some notes are just wrong. Some readers/consultants/fellow writers/execs just don't know the F they're talking about. But always try to explore what their note would mean to your script and internally (at least) brainstorm the consequences to implementing that note. And if it's an exec, rep, or consultant, your job as a writer is to come up with ALTS. Alternative ways to address that note while keeping your intentions or your story intact. Sometimes it's a small way - by adding a line of set up or decsription here or there. Sometimes it's much deeper than that. But hopefully this helps a bit. And check out the teleconference, it was pretty cool.

Thanks for sharing, Danny. I'll definitely take a listen. :) Yes, reacting defensively is not good. However, when a note hits you right in the solar plexus it's hard not to give a knee jerk reaction. When that happens, I set it aside and come back to the note with a clear head and return to an objective position so I can better receive it, determine its meaning and its benefit. I give every note serious consideration. Like you, Phillip, I've learned to trust my gut. :)

I feel that very rarely should a good SP need post-script notes, unless the scene is something unusual or varied from the norm. It marks the difference of a SP with a book's MS.

Joseph I have no idea what that means but I have never ever read a screenplay that couldn't be improved in some small way at least and I've read well over 5000 scripts. if you think your script doesn't need notes I can guarantee it needs them really badly.

Danny. I referred to notes outside of the SP notes that precede & follow dialogue; that this is varied from additional notes as in a book affirming its back-up reference. My view is, the concise description & dialogue is able, or should be able, to convey the fully intended portrayal - else the reader's input is compromised. IOW, the minimization = a better writer. Just an opinion, not an absolute.

If people have time, please check out the post "Script consultant or script doctors" originally posted by Rickardo Beckles-Burrowes. This thread includes a spirited discussion about notes and where they're coming from.

Danny. Looks like I miss-understood the issue. My bad.

For me, the first place I look is the agenda behind the notes. Have the notes been provided to benefit you or the person giving them - it's remarkable how often it's the latter. The way I see it is like this; Imagine you were offered the reflection of a mentor. However very quickly it becomes apparent that this mentor feels challenged by you. Not only are they eager to spa over pretty differences, they think nothing of dressing you down in public by ridiculing your efforts. They criticise you on first glances, rarely reading no more than a page or two into your work before feeling anything more would be a waste of their time, they have many other mentees to deal with. You realise you don't align with them on taste and fear they care less about the story you want to write and more about the voice they want to project, worse still, they have very strong opinions on important subjects that contrast yours. Would you value a single note from that person? The vast majority of notes I see are subjective and superficial. There's this consensus that every piece of feedback should be treasured when in fact every negative comment receiving by a writer is a potential hand grenade packed with self doubt. Rudeness is masked as bluntness and any defense mocked as having a thin skin. Often if comes from people eager to build themselves up by knocking others down while they themselves couldn't pick out story if they'd been born with four arms and lived in a library. The best notes come from those invested in the story and the writer. This is where the person giving feedback, via compensation, investment, or good will, is effectively giving away knowledge and good ideas because they are looking for the love and want to be part of making something better. They are excited by the concept, compelled by the story, feel for the characters, and see a vision of the writer taking them further. They feel a deep need to motivate and inspire, not to dwell on negatives, but to unite on positives. In a way this is one of things I like about paid reads or peer-reviews, the reader is obligated to feedback and that can make a big difference. If I agree to feedback on a writer's script, I know that's a day gone focussing on it, thinking hard about it, and putting together my understanding. But then, on the flip side, the feedback can sometimes come back as very obligated if that reader is embittered, too busy, or unprofessional. When it comes to notes from a producer, that's where we have to understand our role and respect who is in the driving seat. This is where the foundations of the relationship couldn't be more critical. If we get into bed with the wrong people, then can easily become a bitter experience. However we have to make sure we're not falling foul of being too precious, stubborn, or pig-headed on our part. Again, we have to look to the agenda, are the notes coming from a loving place or something more selfish. Ultimately we serve the best interest of the story as much as we are enabled to do so. The difficulty is always going to be balancing the head and heart.

@Rikardo I'd like you to watch the 1941 Preston Sturges' film Sullivan's Travels and read the script. Both are things of beauty. And guess what? Sturges never took a screenwriting class (or a directing class for that matter). What he did do was read scripts and write. And write. And write some more. Back in Hollywood's golden age, writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway were just put in a room with a pile of produced scripts. By the time they'd read through them all, they knew how to write a script. Here it is: writers write. As the wonderful Eliot Grove of Raindance in the UK famously said, "If you're not writing, you're wanking."

@Regina BTW Mickey Fisher, the writer of Extant, did not "come from nowhere" - he was a finalist in the Writers Store Industry Insiders contest, as was I. And I can tell you that once you've been through their intensive development program, you come out of it with a commercially viable script. Incidentally, the Writers Store offers a notes and coverage service which I can recommend.

I have recently sent my script to a consultant and got back some really helpful notes and feedback. I also think research is very important when looking for a consult. I agree with CJ also.

@Alice, thanks for keeping in check my loose usage of the expression "came out of nowhere." Am I correct in my belief that Mickey Fisher's first "Hollywood" sale was EXTANT? Obviously, you're right in that he had a manager in place who helped him make that sale, get an agent, etc. The manager became an EP on the show. I do believe that the EXTANT sale comprised his first points on the Hollywood scoreboard, so to speak. Let me know. Thanks in advance.

To me, I give credit to Mickey, with no previous sales (that I know of) rising to series creator/EP of a CBS series, all in a matter of months. To me, that's coming out of nowhere, but I can see why my expression could be way more precise and comprehensive. Thank you, @Alice!! You're right not to give people the wrong idea about the steps Mickey took to reach this huge achievement.

You're welcome, Boomer -- awesome moniker, BTW! Thanks everyone for commenting. :) CJ, love your point, among many other great ones; "The best notes come from those invested in the story and the writer." Very true. :)

If it's honest, to the point and can help improve your script, then it's useful. I think a lot of writers who receive notes that are constructive criticism, view them as personal, or negative. The key, IMO, is to separate yourself, from your work. Hope that helps :). Good topic for discussion.

I came across a way, or perhaps an approach, to help a writer better discern notes after receiving feedback from several different intellectual and supportive sources. It is: take all the notes and group or organize the comments by story elements to better translate the issues. So, create a story element category list; premise, character, dialogue, antagonist, subplots, ancillary characters, narrative, structure, logic/world, theme, set up, resolution; then, break down the comments and place them under their respective categories. What do the notes have in common? Did every reviewer have the same issue with your script? Did only one reviewer not see a theme? Did an issue land in several categories for several reviewers? Now re-examine your premise. Are the problematic issues you've categorized related to the premise or the execution? The distinction is vital. I know this all sounds like a heavy-handed, overly-serious approach, but I have found it to be quite helpful, certainly before beginning the rewrite process. I try to receive at least three separate sets of notes on a script, then after the sting wears off, I lay them out next to each other and break them down. It is quite effective -- helps to better see the forest for the trees. :)

Yes, great point, Eoin. We must be able to view our own writing as objectively as possible; see it outside of ourselves. :)