Congratulations! You finished that first draft. You agonized over the rewrites. You got coverage. Your Mom loves it. But will THEY love it? You know who I'm talking about.
The producers. It's a agonizing moment.
We've all been there. It's ready. It's not ready. It's brilliant! I'm a genius! Wait. This is crap! I can't send it out.
The endless feedback loop in our own heads does nothing to reassure us that what we have in our script is ready to be read... by anyone. It's a big risk, sending that script out, and you want to be sure that you don't blow perhaps your only shot with a producer or agent when they (finally) agree to read your work. Make sure it will stand up to professional scrutiny by using this checklist. It is taken mainly from the Academy Nichol's Screenplay Contest coverage that their readers use, and a few extra items from Chris Soth's Mini Movie Method Class (which I use to write) and a few extras from Screenwriting U's ProSeries rewrite suggestions. Hope it's helpful for you!
