Script Compass can deliver a compelling script every single time because of our unique, process-driven approach to script development.
Process-driven development applies a revolutionary combination of analytical tools to uncover the workings of your script. These tools are based on pragmatic understandings of how stories work, how drama is created, what actors need from characters and how cinematic storytelling works on the page.
These analytical tools aren’t story formulas; they're not about conforming to arbitrary rules. They offer producers and filmmakers powerful and profound ways to understand how your story works on the page as it is – its strengths and its weaknesses.
There are three main stages in process-driven development:
∙ Analysis and understanding
∙ Story building
∙ Honing the script
The most crucial stage of development is understanding the potential of the script. What made it onto the page, good and bad. We look closely at the following areas:
∙ The Gap: Does the reader understand what the writer intended?
∙ Does The Script Serve Actors? We ask, does this character work dramatically?
∙ Does The Story Make Sense? Does the protagonist actively engage within the story?
∙ What Is the Shape of The Story? We create a simplified outline of the story and discover whether it is compelling.
∙ Finding The Strengths and Weaknesses: What about this project is exciting, fascinating, and worth exploring creatively?
Once we understand the project and have a clear direction for the development, we move on to the next stage – story building.
Writing outlines is the fastest way to make rapid development. And in 99% of cases, the primary development issues are story related.
We have a range of story-based development tools that help us understand the story and can also be used by the writer in building their next outline.
Once the story is compelling, we move on to the first rewrite.
Honing the script usually takes two to three drafts.
The first draft is written to get the story into the right basic shape.
The second draft is about fixing individual scenes and sequences.
The Core Questions:
∙ Clarity – Can the audience follow the story?
∙ Cinematic Storytelling – We ask, is there a more cinematic way to achieve the same but better?
∙ Emotional Engagement – Does the scene emotionally connect the audience to the heart of the story?
The final drafts focus on dynamic formatting. How do the words work on the page? How does the script read? We look at:
∙ Tone – Does the tone of the writing match the tone of the action?
∙ Pace – Does the pace of the writing match the pace of the action?
∙ Language – Does the language used connect the reader to the emotional experience of the story?
Three drafts are usually enough to deliver the finished script. Occasionally, a writer may need an extra draft at the second stage, to put a final polish on the project or to elevate a scene or sequence to the next level.