So you’re ready for the next draft of your script—congrats! You’ve done the hardest part and conquered the blank page. This next phase is all about notes: You might’ve received a pile of them. Remember to take in all feedback and not get defensive. Don’t push back or dismiss anyone’s thoughts or opinions out of hand. Your goal is to organize these notes and determine which are the most important pieces of feedback and which are worth letting fall to the wayside, or getting more clarity on.
These questions should also allow you to approach feedback from executives, producers, and reps with an open mind, and help you catalog your notes on the notes.
Is this note about formatting or a typo?
Highlight these types of notes and go through your script to correct them first. It will be easier to find them now, before you make any changes, since the reader likely listed page numbers and further changes could impact the location of these typos. Software like Grammarly could also help you identify any script typos.
If the notes are formatting-related, definitely check out screenwriting software like Final Draft. It will save you a great deal of time and energy. The best way to learn what your formatting should be is to use ready-made screenwriting software and read recently produced professional scripts.
Is this a world or prose note?
Are there any notes that mention your prose writing style? Any that point out moments when the story drags but you’ve included these scenes to show the audience the rules over the world? How about comments about having too much exposition?
No matter the genre, there’s information you have to get across to the audience, and you want to do it in an interesting way. Sometimes, you simply have to include exposition in dialogue, but the goal is to get anything in this vein across through the story, which means character action.
Think of movies like 2015’s “Inside Out,” which uses the opening to show us not only who Joy is (setting up her emotional arc, vulnerabilities, and desires), but also the bigger rules of the fantastical world in a little girl’s mind.
Even in more grounded stories, like Emma Seligman’s 2023 teen comedy “Bottoms,” the script uses character interactions and humor that let us know how different the heightened attitudes at the high school are from real life. Without this distinction, you would never allow yourself the suspension of disbelief to go along with the premise of the film: two girls start an administratively sanctioned fight club at their school.
Is this a plot or structure note?
Now, let’s look through your feedback and highlight anything that falls into “structure.” The reader may be looking for an inciting incident, catalyst, midpoint, low point, all-is-lost moment, climax, reversal, pinch, setback, etc., to anchor your story. Do you have clear moments in your script that cause your character to palpably change? That is what your structure is meant to elicit.
If you’re writing an action film, for example, you might hear over and over to make it “bigger.” The reader likely wants bigger setpiece moments that stand out, either to crank up emotional intensity or to advance a character’s trajectory. As you go bigger, don’t forget the stakes—whether it’s something tangible (like money) or emotional (like a relationship).
Is this a character note?
“I don’t understand why a character did this.” “This moment didn’t feel that big to me.” These kinds of notes come when the reader doesn’t know who your character is and what makes them tick.
The audience needs to know early on:
- what the character needs, whether that’s healing, overcoming a flaw, leveling up, or all of the above
- what they want/desire in life
- what their goal is in the story
- what’s at stake if they don’t get it
Their goal drives the plot of the film, but everything that leads to that choice has to be grounded in character. Every setback has to hit those main emotions in a new and bigger way.
If we don’t know what’s at stake or what makes them tick, you’re going to get a lot of questions and pitches on how to fix it. Don’t push back. Hear the ideas—there may be some good ones in there—but remember the “note behind the note” is that they just don’t understand your character.
How can I combine these notes in my script?
As you pull back and look at all the notes, is there a throughline about what’s not working for the reader? Are there ways to solve multiple issues that come up in one scene or sequence?
You have likely heard that problems in the third act come from problems in the first—meaning, your opening pages will impact the rest of your script and should answer a lot of questions for your reader.
Let’s say you are told that the reader doesn’t understand why your protagonist is making certain choices in the middle of your script. In the opening pages, did you set up how your character reacts in similar situations? Did you show their vulnerabilities? If so, a callback in those mid-film moments may solidify those character traits.
Ultimately, a great script will have the characters’ wants, needs, and stakes apparent. It’s not an easy thing to pull off, but as you grow in your craft, you’ll get stronger with every round of notes and rewrites.
This article originally appeared on ScreenCraft and has been condensed.
