Getting constructive feedback on your screenplay is an important and even essential step of rewriting, because giving your script to someone else to read will provide you with a fresh and objective point of view. This reader could be a trusted friend, a member of your writing group, a writing classmate, or a script consultant. In order to get the most from feedback, follow these tips:
1) Don’t give someone a half-finished script or one you know is seriously flawed. This is a waste of both your time and your reader’s, since he will most likely pinpoint problems that you already know exist. The criticism you receive when you do not yet have a solid footing can also be damaging, causing you to doubt your story and maybe even leading you to abandon it. The best time to give a script out is when you feel you have done everything you could; you know it’s not perfect, but you do not know what to do next.
2) Don’t argue with the reader. You have asked this person for her opinion, and an opinion, by definition, is neither right nor wrong. Don’t try to convince your reader that her note is off-base or bully her into taking the comment back. What is more helpful is to explain what you were trying to achieve, which can lead to a discussion of how you fell short and what you can do to correct the problem.
3) Don’t take the feedback as gold. Just as an opinion cannot be wrong, it is also not necessarily right. However, analyze the feedback closely. Although you may feel that a solution proposed by your reader is inappropriate for the story, the suggestion may still indicate a problem that is very real. Once you identify the problem, you can come up with your own, more apt solution.
4) Don’t rewrite immediately. Give yourself a week or two to let the notes sink in. Your subconscious will help sort out the good from the bad. Often, a writer initially feels resistance to the notes that are the most on target. These comments tend to stick with the writer as he thinks about his story. The truly off-base notes are usually forgotten once it’s time to rewrite.
5) Do ask questions once you have heard the notes. Just because your reader failed to touch on a point that concerns you, don’t assume this means it’s not a problem. She may not have noticed it, or not thought it was worth mentioning, or she may not think it is a problem, but the only way to know this is by asking. Also ask for clarification on any notes you don’t understand or think you might have misunderstood. Your goal is to get as much information as you can.
6) Do get more than one opinion. Ideally three readers will give you the benefit of different opinions while also underscoring the major problems; if all three readers have the same note, then this is probably a note you should take very seriously. However, more than three readers, and you will start to get too many individual points of view. This is likely to confuse you and pull you in too many different directions.
7) Do ask someone who will provide you with constructive critical feedback. While it might give you a boost to have someone who is unconditionally supportive read your script and tell you it’s brilliant, this should not count as one of your readers. Your goal is not to get validation but to make your screenplay better. On the other hand, do not give your script to someone you know to be unfailingly negative, because such feedback is as useless as total praise.
One of the best ways to get feedback is by taking a class or joining a writing group, and this means you will have to give feedback as well as receive it. The following tips will make you a helpful reader to your fellow writers.
1) Don’t personalize someone else’s story. If you tend to write hopeful and upbeat stories, and you are asked to comment on a bleak script with a downbeat ending, resist imposing your life view on the writer. Similarly, don’t make personal judgments about the writer herself. Stick to craft issues: where does the plot bog down or become confusing? Are the characters credibly developed? Is the structure sound? Etc.
2) Don’t be offended if the writer rejects some of your comments. Just as it is up to you to decide what notes are relevant to your script, so it is up to your fellow writers to pick and choose what comments they agree with. You may be convinced you’re right, but remember, it is your opinion only. If the writer rejects your opinion, it is not a personal slight against you; it is simply a professional choice.
3) Do tell the writer what works as well as what doesn’t. Not only is praise encouraging, it makes criticism easier to swallow. More importantly, reinforcing the strengths of the script will help the writer keep perspective and not cut something that is working simply because he is too close to it.
