LitCentral.com – Revolutionizing the entertainment industry’s script development process.
In the movie-making process millions of dollars are invested into the potential of a single screenplay (i.e.
script). The process of developing a script is referred to in Hollywood as “Development Hell” with everyone working toward the coveted “green light”.
Before the actual production or shooting of a script, it is read and analyzed to determine its strengths and weaknesses. Scripts are analyzed by varying experts – from the lowly intern to development executives (i.e. “readers”). After a script has been analyzed it is given a grade of Pass, Consider, or Recommend.
To date, a reader’s feedback is given to the writer either verbally or via a coverage report (generated using a word processor). Coverage reports are 3-5 pages, with comments consisting of a “block” of text – offering the reader’s written opinion. There is virtually no technology used in the development process. In addition, readers of scripts have varying levels of expertise and a script can have multiple coverage reports attached. Writers are often frustrated with the contradictory (and often hard to decipher) feedback they receive, making the rewrite process difficult. Often times this results in a bad (or inconsistent) script resulting in a lemon at the box office.
LitCentral has developed a patent-pending method for analyzing scripts, turning the subjective feedback of readers into quantifiable data. Now the strengths and weaknesses of a script are displayed in bar/line graphs, comments are dichotomized by story structure, and numeric values (based on academia’s grading scale) replace the current ambiguous grading system. Using our methodology, readers are brought onto the “same playing field” regardless of their expertise. Writers are given clear and concise feedback assisting in the rewrite process. Production companies, literary agencies and studios can ascertain the value or quality of a script BEFORE going into production – potentially preventing a box office flop.
In addition to our script management and development system, LitCentral will provide a Coverage Service for writers for a nominal fee. Writers submit their screenplays to LitCentral to be analyzed in exchange for superior coverage using our patent-pending methodology.
Additional value of LitCentral…
Hollywood is becoming environmentally conscious and is beginning to reform studio moviemaking practices – producing carbon-neutral movies such as Syriana, the planting of trees near film shooting sites (Evan Almighty), and company-wide programs to improve the environment (NBC’s “Get On Board” program). However, the lack of technology in the script management and development process has script pages churning-out by the thousands every day, with recycling and double-sided script page printing as the only solution. With an estimated 12 million sheets of paper circulated annually, Hollywood is creating a carbon footprint nightmare. LitCentral’s paperless script management system is the solution!
