Script Coverage
Professional analysis and summary of screenplays for development evaluation.
Definition
Script coverage is standardized analysis of screenplays used by studios, agencies, and production companies to evaluate material. Coverage typically includes a log line, synopsis, evaluation of strengths and weaknesses, and a recommendation (pass, consider, recommend).
Coverage readers evaluate scripts against commercial and creative criteria, filtering the massive volume of submissions to surface promising material for decision-makers who can't read every script.
Why It Matters
Understanding coverage helps writers know how their work will be evaluated and what makes scripts stand out. Coverage recommendations significantly influence which scripts advance through the development process.
For producers and executives, coverage provides efficient material triage while documenting evaluation rationale for later reference.
Examples in Practice
Feedback from coverage readers identified a structural issue in act two that multiple passes hadn't caught, enabling revision before submission to top-choice buyers.
A script receiving "recommend" coverage from a major agency's reader quickly advanced to partner-level consideration, demonstrating coverage's gatekeeper role.
Writers studied coverage template criteria to understand evaluation standards, improving their scripts' alignment with what readers are trained to assess.