Often when writers have completed their script, they often question if they should get coverage on their script or not. As someone who has been in this situation prior to being a script consultant, I've submitted my scripts out to various screenwriting contests and always asked for feedback. When it comes to receiving coverage on a script, it's always best to keep in mind that the feedback is subjective and not to take anything personally. Here's a few reasons why you should get coverage on your script.
Builds Confidence
When someone is looking at your script, they're going to provide some feedback that is going to help motivate you during your next draft. Script consultants, like myself, aren't here to shred your script to shreds and trash your script if we don't like it. No matter how your script turns out, there's always going to be something that's going to be fixed. Even when films are made today, there's always going to be someone who's going to offer some kind of criticism about the film. That's okay! Not everyone is going to like the same film. When you get feedback from someone, it's your choice if you want to make the changes or not, because after all, you are the writer! It's your story and you can do whatever you want with it! "But what if my script isn't good?" you ask yourself. Well with that mindset, anyone reading your script is going to have a hard time with providing coverage because we want to provide honest feedback, but don't want to come off as rude in the coverage.
You catch those easy to miss mistakes
Sometimes writers tend to make small mistakes they don't notice until the reader points it out to them. For example, maybe there was a typo they missed or there was an unfinished scene in their script. I've been there before and sometimes I just realize later that there were a few small typos in my script. It happens to everyone and it's not a big deal if someone points that out to you. Even if it's a formatting thing, those easy to miss mistakes can be easily fixed in the next draft.
You get an outside perspective
I love providing coverage on scripts because I feel like an audience member at the movies. When I provide coverage, I base my feedback based on what I've learned from my screenwriting courses and feedback I've received on my own scripts, but also from an audience members perspective. I've read a variety of scripts of various genres. Most of what I've read has been good and enjoyable to read and others weren't my type of film, but I still provided the coverage that would help the writer improve their next draft.
So if you're questioning if you want coverage on your script or not, follow your heart and see where it leads you. Trust that if you want feedback, know your script is in good hands with the reader and you'll get some valuable feedback in return. If you'd like me to provide any feedback on your scripts, or need some mentorship, please reach out to me! I'm more than happy to help.