You've agonized over your screenplay. You've written and written and now you finally have a completed draft. Maybe you've even done a couple screenplay rewrites. But now, at long last, it's time to show people your script and get the dreaded notes!
This is a necessary part of the process, and one that all screenwriters go through, be they writing their first script, or writing their hundredth as a professional writer. It's all part of the job and it's all in the pursuit of getting your screenplay into the best shape it can be.
But why? I know my story better than anybody.
That's true. And it's because you're so deep within your screenplay that some problems, or solutions, might not occur to you that they do to others. Let's dive a little deeper into why we get notes.
Why do notes help in your screenplay rewrite?
Writing is such an insular activity that we can very easily lose any perspective. What's good? What needs work? It all kind of blends together along with all the drafts or rewrites we've done in our head on the way to this draft. By the end of a draft, we've been with it so long, that we can often think about the changes we've made and why those have helped while losing the larger picture of whether or not this works as a story, or whether a character would actually do X, or whether our act breaks still make sense.
That's why it's important to move outside of yourself, and see somebody else's perspective. In fact, it's best to get multiple people's perspectives, and move forward with your rewrite accordingly. But, here's the thing... not all notes are created equal. Some you won't agree with. Some will misunderstand the point of what you're going for. Some will just be plain wrong.
So, how do you figure out...
Which ones to listen to?
Which ones to ignore?
Which ones to learn from and perhaps take in a different direction?
These notes may come from competitions, writer friends, non-writer friends. Either way, most can be valuable. But the value of a certain note may not be in what the note itself is addressing. Some notes address fixes rather than the problems, so you have to look for the note behind the note. Some notes are more emotional in nature and less practical.
In order to parse out your notes, and figure out which ones are worth your time, I've put together the key questions to ask yourself to decide whether to use a note or to dump it. The first question is...
Are These Screenplay Rewrite Notes Actionable?
I worked as a screenwriting consultant for a few years, and many of my clients would bring me notes and feedback they'd received from companies that do coverage or feedback from competitions. And a lot of the feedback was garbage SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE the notes were based on opinion and not grounded in story/structure/character frameworks.
Competition readers and coverage readers look over a TON of scripts. And some of these readers get angry when they read something they don't like. It doesn't mean it's wrong, but it may just not be for them. There's a visceral reaction stirred up in some readers and it shouldn't reflect in the feedback they're giving, but I've seen so many instances when it absolutely does.
Therefore, if you've gotten a note that veers towards an opinion rather than a fixable point, you may need to disregard. OR you may need to look deeper to see if there's an underlying problem. I realize this is a difficult difference to understand, so let me give an example.
"I didn't like the ending. It doesn't work."
VS.
"The ending wasn't satisfying because the protagonist has no emotional arc."
Both could be correct. And both do address the same point. The latter is getting to the root of the problem. The former is relying on emotion and opinion to frame the note, which is dangerous and could lead you astray.
Knowing that a person didn't like it because there's no emotional arc for the character gives you something very tangible to fix. Knowing that the ending "doesn't work" leaves you with more questions than before. It doesn't mean the first note is necessarily wrong, but you may have to dig a little further, and again, look for the "note behind the note" to understand what the reader didn't like about the script.
The next question to ask yourself is...
Are There Multiple Solutions To This Issue?
Sometimes notes jump to a solution rather than addressing the root issue. Therefore, once again, always ask yourself, "what's the note behind the note?" Often there are several different ways to tackle a story or character issue. And the one presented in a note may not be appropriate for your screenplay or to your liking. Getting to the root of the issue allows you to brainstorm and see if there are other fixes that you like better or feel more like your story.
Finally, potentially the most important thing to ask yourself is...
Is This A Repeat Note?
It's advisable to get several different readers before tackling your notes draft. With several different trusted readers, often, the same note will rear its ugly head multiple times in slightly different wordings. Those are notes that it is crucial that you take!
If multiple people are giving you the same note, then it's very clear you have a specific problem that needs addressing. For the others, it could be a toss-up. And a deeper analysis of their note may be necessary.
For any screenplay rewrite note, you are the ultimate arbiter
At the end of the day, this is your screenplay, and only you know what is right for your story. So, listen closely to story structure notes, take a more lighthearted approach to notes that veer into "feeling" territory, and pay the most attention to any notes you've gotten more than once.
With those, you can set out to take another crack at your screenplay and successfully turn in a new draft.
