Taking Your Script To The Next Level, and the impact it has on how studios streaming & investors decide if they accept your script for review.

Taking Your Script To The Next Level, and the impact it has on how investors, studios, streaming, broadcast, and cable companies decide if they accept your script for review, funding, or a production deal.

Sophie Marcelle, Producer - BSI Films:

Keep in mind I’m speaking with executives on the business side of the industry who rarely read scripts. Their focus is on projects their Development Executives (DE) determined meets their creative and business directives and recommends for further review.

In today’s industry, Development Executives (DE) are a key position at studios, streaming, cable, and broadcast companies. They are “The” person that decides if your script gets reviewed, sent to committee, sent to inventory, or "Passed" on. There's also a category called the "List." This is a site only DEs in the industry access. More on that next time.

• DEs define “Taking Your Script To The Next Level” you have a High Concept (defined below,) script is Polished, and your Development Presentation highlights key creative and business factors that meet their needs.??
• The 2 most important documents that will determine if your script gets further consideration or “Passed” on.
• Although, your script is important, it’s not the first document a Development Executive will look at. There are 2 documents they will look at first. Your Development Presentation (view sample of a Development Presentation) and a Script Analysis Report (SAR.) SAR is a 1-page objective analysis of the first 10 pages of your script. The Creative Executive hired by the DE to evaluate your script, uses specific guidelines and internal business directives given to them to determine grade and score if that information exist.
• The grade given in this report, is a factor in determining what happens next to your script. Note: Development Executives will not read your script, but they will read that SAR report.

2 Key factors that will determine if your script is accepted and reviewed by Development Executives.

• High Concept: has different meanings to different executives. Common definition, any concept or script that immediately engages the attention of the executive and audience. Example: opening of first page, “terrorist pull up to office building, blow up 10th floor, take hostages, has demands for info that doesn’t exist.”
• What Quadrant is your film, series, or content? Projects that appeal to both male and female, and both over and under-25s is considered a level 4. Execs are most impressed with projects that have that level 4 of appeal. Projects will still be considered if it only appeals to a level 2 or income buying demographic.

Regardless of who you submit to, some of their decisions are subjective but most are based on objective creative strategies and business directives set by their Development Executive. Therefore, the more research on who you submit to and info you gather, will help in providing answers to what they’re looking for. ??

Contact me if you have questions. Sophie Marcelle, Producer, BSI Films