Interview With Jennifer Lerch
Interview by Jenna Glatzer

Freelance script analyst Jennifer Lerch has read more than 10,000 screenplays for clients like The William Morris Agency. Her book, 500 Ways to Beat the Hollywood Script Reader: Writing the Screenplay the Reader Will Recommend is the synthesis of everything today’s screenwriter needs to succeed in the business. The tips format makes the book a ready reference tool that is practical, easy-to-understand, and easy to apply.

What kind of qualifications do script readers have?

Script readers are literate, like entertainment, and usually have a background in film or television. A reader must be able to express himself/herself well on the page and must be able to analyze what works/doesn’t work in story. A good script reader knows how to sum up a story’s essence and characters in a few pithy lines that communicate to the executive what the piece is all about.

How important is it to write "high concept" scripts? 

The most important thing is to create a story in which the lead character has a dilemma that takes some time and energy and savvy to resolve. Anything is possible on paper.

What is "on the nose" dialogue, and how can we avoid it?

On the nose dialogue is dialogue is expected, trite, unimaginative, the text-book cliché response. This is repartee that doesn’t go through the characters’ filters of personality, mood, and world view. Good dialogue opens up scenes and characters’ personalities, and consequently opens up your story. Good dialogue is as much about revealing as it is about concealing.

You say that lack of conflict is the most common screenwriting flaw.  Why is it not enough just to have one character in one conflict?  How can a writer "layer" and develop secondary and tertiary conflicts?

A single character wrestling with a single conflict through an entire feature-length script makes for a shallow story, and it keeps your story and character not-quite-realistic. Stories become more interesting, and more recognizable as real, when problems snowball and become more complex and when supporting characters wrestle with dilemmas of their own. A single conflict in a story is an indication that your character is operating in a vacuum.

You advise, "Don't kick off your story with an unrelated gimmick."  Can you give us an example?

If your story is about a party and you show a wild 3-page car chase in the opening sequence, then spend the rest of the story detailing the party without referencing the chase or hitting the streets again, you’ve kicked things off with an unrelated gimmick. The first scene should set-up your story, establish the tone, hook us into wanting to see more of the same or finding the answers to the questions that are asked in that opening sequence.

Are multi-genre scripts tough sells?

Mixing genres is a great way to have fun with a story, provided you integrate the genres and pay-off what you set up. Create a comedy/mystery/action story if you want, but integrate laughs, suspense, and action into each sequence or you’re going to come out with a product that’s half-baked.

Can the ending of a script be tragic and still satisfying?  How?

Slapping a happy ending on Romeo and Juliet would ruin the themes that the story took the time to develop. The right conclusion for your story is the one that best pays off the action you set up and is most honest about the place that it leaves your characters.

How prevalent is "script tracking?"  If a script has been negatively covered at a major production company, is it dead in the water?

No script coverage from a single source can ruin the chances of your project’s success. If you get negative coverage from a production company or studio, change the script’s title, re-paginate, alter the opening sequence and send it out again. It isn’t over until you say it’s over. Never give up on a project you believe in.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Have a good time as you write. Make situations really tough on your characters, keep your characters realistic in their responses, and always pay-off what you set-up. Only turn in products that you’re satisfied with and like. And don’t let anyone tell you that something cannot be done – a creative person who is willing to sweat and sacrifice can make anything happen on paper. Nothing is impossible.

500 Ways To Beat The Script Reader is available at bookstores.  You can also order by clicking here.  

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