ScreenplayLab Screenplay Feedback Checklist

by Robin Rowe

1. Be Positive. Say what you like about the script. Saying what to keep in a script can be the most valuable feeback Give honest praise saying, "I liked...".
2. Be Proative. Present actionable suggestions as, "I would like if it...".
3. Be 'Good in the Room'. Think of your feedback as a pitch for a future job interview, with everyone in the room being your potential employer someday. Be remembered as the one who had the great practical ideas for making the script better and who didn't step on the writer's feelings. Note that the writer is present or can see you on video.
4. Don't be a Critic. Avoid saying, "I didn't like...". We're not the critics association. You don't want to become known as a critic, an idea-killer lacking ideas of his own who can only criticize the work of others. The room is full of smart people. Don't presume you're the only person in the room who can see what's wrong, that we need you to list the flaws. Seeing what's wrong is easy. Having ideas to fix it is harder. Avoid wasting everyone's time with a lecture about your "honest opinion".
5. Keep to the Point. You can ask the writer a question for clarification of his intention so you give more relevant suggestions, but don't get into a dialog or argument with the writer. It's about what's in the script, not about the writer. Don't pick out a flaw in the script to ask why the writer wrote it that way, even if you are his mother.
6. Think Teamwork. Add on to others' ideas instead of taking away. 'The Deny' is a term in improv where you work against the premise of your scene partner. For instance, if your scene partner says he's a doctor then he's working an angle that expects you to ask, "How did you become a doctor?". If you say, "You're not a doctor -- you're a plumber!", that's a deny. It derails the creative process of the team. You may wonder, how does The Deny apply to reviewing a screenplay? If you think that a script is too dull because it's about fishing then don't deny the fishing, instead say, "What if this became a story about cops fishing?". Or nuns, or aliens, or whatever. Give ideas.
7. Think Big. You will find typos and format errors in any script that's in development. If you talk about that you're taking away valuable creative time from the team. Circle errors in the script to share with the writer later, but don't mention it in the verbal feedback.