Screenwriting Services

by Coop Cooper (*Professional Bio at the bottom of the page)
The Small Town Critic

Before sending your screenplay or novel out for production consideration, it is a must that you have it professionally read and evaluated. If not, you could be sabotaging yourself by presenting work that is simply not ready. A coverage/critique by a professional can give you an advantage in an extremely difficult industry to break into. Relying on friends and family to critique you will not provide you with this advantage. That’s a fact. Only professionals trained in screenwriting and script coverage will know if your screenplay need more work, what can be done to fix problems or even if it has what it takes to make it to the next level.

Coverage is a skill I perfected all throughout film school and practiced professionally for many years after graduating.

Coverages include:

1. A log line
2. A synopsis of your story (not necessarily helpful to you but it’s standard practice)
3. Comments summary on the front page
4. 1 page of official comments
5. A grade of excellent, good, fair or poor in 5 important fiction aspects
6. 1 additional page of development notes from me

Everything above is standard except for the additional page of notes which I am including solely for your benefit (something other coverage services don’t include).

CLICK HERE to download a sample of one of my coverages (it’s a novel coverage without the extra development notes)

Non-disclosure agreements are not necessary in a teacher/student situation, but here is a sample non-disclosure agreement between screenwriters and producers for reference.

Once your check/payment for these services have cleared, analysis can begin (PayPal option will be available in the future). Due to other projects I may have commitments to, some of these services may not be immediately available at the time of your material’s delivery. I will inform you of any changes or delays and provide reimbursement of fees if necessary. Under normal conditions, please allow a two week turnaround on coverage and a month for script doctoring.

Please send your material and payment to:

Coop Cooper
188 Westover Dr.
Clarksdale, MS 38614

Or contact Coop at:  Smalltowncritic1@aol.com

SERVICES

Script Coverage:
Coverage is a service that involves me reading your script and writing a 3 (+) page report in which I critique the script and give my general opinion on its strengths, weaknesses and potential improvements. I will point out the positive aspects of the script, and also the glaring problems that could prevent your script from getting through the Hollywood filtering process. I will give it a final grade of “Pass”, “Consider” or “Recommend” as I would on any script coverage. I will also include a summary of what I read and construct it exactly like a professional script coverage so you can show it present it to someone who hasn’t read your script… like say a producer. However, if it earns a “Pass”, don’t get discouraged. That simply means it needs more work and may earn a better score in a future draft. This also includes a follow-up correspondence email where you can ask me questions about the coverage in order to clarify or get additional info.

**NOTE: I will only accept scripts written in the proper format using screenwriting software, otherwise I’d waste your time explaining what’s wrong with the format which the software can instantly correct. I also recommend having it proofread to eliminate any spelling/grammar mistakes before submitting it. Not doing so can hurt your score. Resubmitted scripts should include notes summarizing the changes made. This applies to script doctoring and teleplay coverage.

Price:

• $125 for former seminar attendees (I keep a record of your email addresses)
• $150 for new clients
• $100 for a resubmission (synopsis omitted, please include notes on what was revised)
  !!!for all scripts, add $2 per additional page for scripts over 120 pages!!!

*Script Doctoring (refer to “**NOTE” above):
Doctoring is a more in-depth coverage that falls just short of a draft rewrite. For a doctoring job, I write notes within a physical copy of the script (I’ll print one out if you sent me a digital copy), break it down and focus on the details of the script. You will also get a scene-by-scene, in-depth report on elements such as format, story structure, dialogue, etc… all designed to help you construct an effective next draft. This also includes a one-hour phone call where I will answer questions, provide further feedback and clarify comments. This service is recommended for beginners needing extra help.

Price:

• $350 for clients who have already received script coverage from me on the same script project
• $450 for clients with new scripts
• $250 for a resubmission (please include notes on what was revised)

*Teleplay Coverage (refer to “**NOTE” above):
Teleplays are scripts written for television and include the 60 minute drama or 30 minute situational comedy. They should both have page numbers of exactly 60 & 30 pages respectively in a standard screenplay format. This also includes a follow-up correspondence email where you can ask me questions about the coverage in order to clarify or get additional info.

Price:

• $125 for a 60 minute drama
• $100 for a drama resubmission
• $85 for a 30 minute sitcom
• $70 for a sitcom resubmission

Novel/Novella/Short Story Coverage:
This is the same as “Script Coverage” except I break down your work of prose to determine whether it has the cinematic qualities and structure needed in order to become a good screenplay and motion picture. I will write this up as if I’m covering it for a producer, giving either a “Pass”, “Consider” or “Recommend”. This also includes a follow-up correspondence email where you can ask me questions about the coverage in order to clarify or get additional info.

Price:

• $1 per novel/novella page ($100 minimum)
• $85 for a short story (less than 50 pages)

Treatment Coverage:
This is a service perfect for those not yet comfortable with writing a proper first draft of a screenplay. A treatment is a 4-20 page, double-spaced short story of what your screenplay will be about. It’s a road map for your story that lays out the story structure and contains the action, twists and turns needed to keep your audience interested. In the coverage, I will analyze what is working or not working with your story and its structure. This also includes a follow-up correspondence email where you can ask me questions about the coverage in order to clarify or get additional info.

Price:

• $85 no matter the number of pages (4 page min. – 20 max.)
• $70 for a resubmission (resubmission not recommended unless you are not writing the screenplay yourself)

Adapt your work into a screenplay: Currently not available

Write your original screenplay idea: Currently not available

Thank you for considering these services and I hope to be working with you soon!

-C

*COOP’S PROFESSIONAL BIO:  

Coop Cooper, AKA “The Small Town Critic,” has the versatility of a Swiss Army knife when it comes to writing in the motion picture industry. After earning his BFA in Cinema at Southern Methodist University and an MFA in Screenwriting at the American Film Institute in Hollywood, he collaborated with Academy Award-winning director Seth Winston on a Civil War-themed screenwriting project. He then applied his newly acquired skills to writing script coverage, movie reviews, entertainment-related articles and various screenwriting projects. After the events of 9/11, he decided to earn his Secondary Teaching Certificate and taught English, writing and screenwriting at North Hollywood High School for five years. Coop now lives in his native hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi where he writes movie reviews for the Clarksdale Blues-Star, operates his movie-related website http://www.smalltowncritic.com, aids/promotes film crews seeking to shoot feature films in in the Mississippi Delta, teaches seminars, does location scouting, works on about a dozen screenwriting/film projects at a time and still manages to watch an average of 2 movies per day.