The Highs and Lows of Being a Professional Script Reader

I gratefully—and begrudgingly—called myself a professional screenwriter for an Emmy award-winning production company and major studio. Before taking on the position, I dreamed of getting paid to read and review screenplays.

During my time as a pro script reader, I quickly realized that it’s not necessarily a “dream” job. After my run in the position, let’s just say that hindsight is 20/20. I can share many highs and lows for those blessed, poor souls who take on pro script reading duties in Hollywood.

Let’s get started! First off…

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What Is a Script Reader?

A script reader is a person tasked with reading screenplays for a company, individual, or organization. They are the filtration tool of the development process utilized to whittle down the vast amount of screenplay submissions to the best of the best.

Script readers don’t just read scripts. They are also required to write script analysis called script coverage that analyzes screenplays by way of detailed notes and grading systems.

Read More: What Is Script Coverage?

Who Can Become Professional Script Readers?

We grew up being told you can become whatever you want to be in life. Anyone can become a professional script reader if they put in the hard work, mix in a little creative networking, and have a little bit of luck when it comes to being at the right place, at the right time, with the right person looking for a new script reader.

Script readers come in all different shapes and sizes:

• Interns read scripts and write coverage
• Assistants read scripts and write coverage
• Screenwriting contest, competition, and fellowship readers and judges read scripts and write coverage
• Scripts consultants working for script coverage services read scripts and write coverage

Then, you have dedicated professional script readers hired to read scripts and write script coverage for studios, production companies, management companies, agencies, and individual Hollywood talent. There’s actually a union for pro-script readers.

Read More: How to Become a Hollywood Script Reader

'Asteroid City' (2023)

How Did You Become a Professional Script Reader?

It’s important to learn a bit about who is telling you about the highs and lows of this unique professional.

I worked as a studio liaison for Sony Studios. As a side hustle, I interned for a prominent director with many iconic movies in their resume. This internship tasked me with filtering submission requests, reading scripts, and writing script coverage. I learned how to do this on the job.

During my studio liaison work at Sony, I was in charge of handling incoming executives and production personnel when it came to security clearance, parking, and creating Sony ID badges. One day, a new development executive working for a high-profile producer (and former studio head) came in for security clearance, parking assignment, and ID badge. Once I learned that they worked in development, I took a shot in the dark and said, “If you need any script readers, let me know.”

As I mentioned above, it was a dream job of mine. I moved to Los Angeles from the Midwest to become a screenwriter. Through my studies, I learned that being a script reader was an excellent educational opportunity to learn the craft and business of screenwriting.

By luck and coincidence, he was looking for a new script reader. I sent him some samples and two weeks later I was a professional script reader for his production company housed on the Sony lot. They were signed to a term deal to develop production for Sony Pictures, which meant I was also a script reader for a major studio as well.

'The Shining' (1980)

The Highs and Lows of Being a Professional Script Reader

OK, let’s get to the highs and lows!

High #1: You’re Getting Paid to Read Screenplays

We covered this excitement factor. Sure, once you’ve been in the position for a while, this realization is diluted somewhat—but you’re still getting paid to read screenplays!

It’s a big step for anyone looking to become a screenwriter, agent, manager, development executive, or producer. You’re actually making money reading screenplays for potential features and television series. It’s a great high.

Low #1: You Don’t Get Paid THAT Much

Yes, it’s cool to be paid for doing something as cool as reading and analyzing screenplays. But it’s not big money for most. Unionized script readers can make a good living. However, most professional script readers are doing so through other positions like internships, assistant jobs, and development jobs. Many professional script readers are actually contractors working for a script-by-script fee.

Back in my day, I was getting paid just $25 per script—but I read a lot of them. Today, contracted readers make around $40-$50. Only when you’re hired as one of the few in-house company story analysts can you make the union-regulated $1750 (this will change per new union deal) per week. Some contractors with years of studio experience as a script reader can earn hundreds of dollars per script. However, those jobs are few and far between.

So, on average, you’re getting paid, but not that much. While forty-some dollars can add up when you take on multiple scripts per week, the hours needed to read each screenplay (and write coverage for it) can also add up, making the average hourly rate per script fairly minuscule when all is said and done.

High #2: You’re Reading Screenplays from Established Screenwriters

When you’re a script reader for a major studio, network, streamer, management company, or agency, you’ll often find yourself reading scripts from established screenwriters whose movies you know and love (and sometimes hate). It’s exciting to be in charge of the fate of an already-established writer whose name you know (or find on IMDb).

Low #2: You’re Mostly Reading Screenplays from Unestablished Screenwriters

While you’ll come across established names now and then, most of the screenplays you’re covering are from novice or undiscovered writers. More on that below.

High #3: The Excitement of Searching for the Next Big Script

Ah, the thrill of the hunt. If you’re a movie buff, there’s nothing better than the excitement of opening each assigned script and hoping to find the next Back to the Future, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ghostbusters, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Barbie, or Oppenheimer.

'Barbie' (2024)

Low #3: 95% of the Screenplays You Cover Suck

You’ll quickly realize that the need for script readers arises from the fact that many screenplays submitted to Hollywood are either outright (and objectively) terrible, or simply not ready for consideration. And this is coming from an optimist, mind you.

Script readers are the filtration system, and the numbers show that:

• An average of 95% of the screenplays submitted aren’t the next big script
• Another 4% are possibly above average and worthy of consideration for certain elements
• Just 1% (a little less) are worthy of recommendation for immediate acquisition and production

High #4: Finding a Script Worthy of Recommendation Can Be Thrilling

In my time as a pro script reader for a major studio, I recommended just a handful of screenplays. They were amazing, and it was such a thrill to hand that script coverage in with confidence. The ones I did recommend all became feature studio productions starring major Hollywood stars.

Low #4: Just Because You Recommend Them Doesn’t Mean Your Bosses Will Produce Them

The ones I recommended—and were later produced by major studios and starred major Hollywood stars—didn’t get made by the production company or studio I recommended them to. One took a few years before it came out, produced by another studio. Another took 15 years to later debut by Netflix, which didn’t even exist as a content platform when I recommended it to my bosses.

Why does this happen? There are a few ways:

• Hollywood is competitive
• Studios and production companies can lose projects in bidding wars
• Packaging a script for production can take years while often seeing the script shift ownership to many different companies
• Development Hell is a real phenomenon

Read More: Spec Scripts That Were Sold for Millions But Were Never Made

'Pulp Fiction' (1994)

High #5: Being a Script Reader Is THE Best Screenwriting Education

My years as a script reader for a major studio have taught me more than I ever learned about the art, craft, trade, and business of screenwriting from any screenwriting book, screenwriting course, screenwriting blog, or screenwriting advice videos.

You don’t just learn what to do from the best screenplays found in the market. You learn what not to do from reading the 95% that represents the worst. You learn:

• Wants and needs of major Hollywood companies
• General guidelines and expectations from those companies
• What works
• What doesn’t work
• And the whys to all of the above

Low #5: Reading and Covering Screenplays Leads to Burnout

Most professional script readers get to a burnout point where they’ve read enough. There’s a reason why script readers have a job in the first place—they are employed by executives, producers, agents, and managers who don’t want to read so many screenplays anymore.

This is the average breakdown of an assignment for a script reader:

• When you read a script, you need to read the whole thing, which will take upwards of one to two hours
• Then you need to take additional hours to write a 2-3 page synopsis of the whole story
• After that, you need to take the time to write detailed notes covering the strengths and weaknesses of the script
• Finally, you need to grade the script using a grading scale for certain elements

You need to do all of that for each script you read. It’s exhausting.

Bonus Low: You Generally Can’t Submit Your Scripts to Your Bosses

For the most part, it’s bad form to push your screenplays on your employers if you’re a professional script reader who wants to become a pro screenwriter. It’s relatively unprofessional.If you build a good relationship with your bosses, you might get a chance to take a shot in the dark, but it must be a very calculated one.

'Babylon' (2022)

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Make no mistake, becoming a script reader is an exciting job and can lead to many career opportunities. The purpose of this discussion is to help get you ahead of the game by setting your expectations where they should be when considering becoming a professional script reader: grounded.

Read More: Confessions of a Studio Script Reader

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