Frequently Asked Questions

You are serious about your film or TV script. We are equally serious about our editing mission. Our consultants have years of experience inside the film industry as script consultants, consultants and development professionals.

We will tell you frankly how the industry is likely to view your script. If the script is good enough, we'll help you locate an agent. If it isn't, we'll tell you what you need to fix and how to fix it.

See also: Film & TV Home | Film Editors | Film Advice Pages

What movie genres do you handle?
We handle every genre, every style. We are happy to handle arthouse projects as well as more commercial ones. We can handle low budget indie scripts and big budget Hollywood ones.

How about TV?
We can handle most drama-type TV projects. For anything else, please talk to us first. If we can't help, we'll tell you so frankly.

Who are your consultants and what are their qualifications?

Our chief film consultant is Liz Garner (left). She's worked for Miramax in London, was head of development at Gorgeous, an independent film production company, and now freelances for a number of outfits, including the Irish Film Development Board.

Liz is also a writer in her own right and understands the creative issues involved in putting together a screenplay.

All our script consultants have comparable backgrounds. We won't let anyone work on your script unless they are amply qualified. We are always happy to discuss our choice of consultant with you.

Which film agents do you work with?
We have strong links with some of London's leading film & TV agents and are rapidly building up comparable contacts in LA. When we consider that a screenplay is strong enough to be marketed, then we'll do what we can to get your script into the right hands, and with our endorsement.

We cannot guarantee that you'll be taken on - no power on earth can do that - but we do guarantee that agents will treat you and your work seriously.

How does the feedback process work?
First we'll read your script and write you a report on it. Our consultants are people who have handled exactly this job for film production companies. As successful writers themselves, they understand the creative issues involved as well as the industry ones.

The report you get will be long and detailed. It'll tell you what's working, what isn't, and how to fix it. We'll give you an honest assessment of how close or far you are from having a commercial piece of work.

And then?
Then we talk about it. Unlike other agencies, which just shove a report at you then leave it there, we believe strongly in the merits of full consultant-writer discussion. We'll give you our viewpoint. We'll take time to hear yours. There is no time limit for this discussion.

If you want to maintain a development relationship with this reader, we'll do all we can to make it possible.

What do I need to protect my copyright?
Surprisingly enough, you don't have to do anything at all. Your work is protected under US law the second it leaves your pen. You don't have to register it, claim it, or note it on your work. Easy, huh? If you want to be really secure, however, you can register your ownership of a particular draft by registering with the WGA - it costs about twenty bucks: just click the link to go straight to the registration page. One small point: don't put a WGA registration code or a copyright statement on the title page of your work. It looks amateurish.

In what format should I send my manuscript?
The film industry is very, very picky about format. If you send your script in the wrong format to a film agent or production company, it won't even be looked at. We'll look at your work, no matter what format it's in, but if you want to market it, then you must get it right. There's a lot of good screenwriting software available - Try Sophocles or Final Draft. Either way, it's best to send your script to us as a .doc or a .pdf file to ensure maximum compatibility with your consultant's PC.

If I want to go ahead, what do I do next?
Literally all you need to do is send us your script with your secure online payment. See our fees page to be guided through our hyper-simple payment steps. The charge for us to work with a feature film is £265. TV drama up to 60 minutes is charged at £195. If you have any particular requirements that don't fit into these categories, please contact us and we'll do what we can to help.

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