• To help the writer polish his/her script so that it has a chance to be read in today's competitive movie industry.
  
• To provide critique and story suggestions to literary agencies, managers, and production companies in the movie industry that will enhance their project.

We offer the following:

1. CONSULTING SERVICES

    •  IN-DEPTH SCRIPT ANALYSIS

    •  FOLLOW-UP SCRIPT ANALYSIS

    •  TV ONE-HOUR PILOT ANALYSIS

    •  SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS

2. WRITING SERVICES

     •  SCRIPTWRITING

     •   TREATMENT WRITING/REVISION

     •  SYNOPSIS WRITING/REVISION

     •   QUERY LETTER WRITING/REVISION

MAILING OR EMAILING INSTRUCTIONS

While we are aware that there are analyst services that promise hooking a writer up with agents, managers, and producers to induce business and keep you coming back, we don’t make that promise. Our primary focus is the perfection of your script. It’s true that producers contact us frequently looking for material because they know our reputation. If a producer calls us and we feel that your script matches what s/he’s seeking we’ll put you in touch. However, we must first read the latest draft of the script before we give you the contact info, and we read it at that time for free because it is to our advantage to place you with a producer. It would be foolish for us to make a promise that we can get you lots of industry contacts before the fact. It must pass the Rainey standards first.

This service was featured in the Mar/April 2003 Creative Screenwriting article (vol. 10; #2). Prior to the phone consultation, John sends you his structural breakdown of the external quest/plot, internal journey/thematic story, (created from 3 reads). Then, he tapes the conversation and sends you script and tape when done. All for only $900.

If you would rather that John write it out and have a 30-minute phone consult after, he will do so for $1500.

If you want a written critique for $900, Anna-Maria will do it with John’s review of script and critique. Anna-Maria is a published author who has been studying script analysis with John for 5 years. She graduated summa cum laude and valedictorian of her class with a major in creative writing. Many have applied to work for Rainey Script Consulting. Only Anna-Maria has satisfied the strict criteria, and only she has had the dedication to the craft. This is how we work it. She studies the script in the manner that John has taught her and writes the critique. Then, he reads the script, reviews her critique, and makes amendments that he feels are necessary for the writer and script. The last few critiques that they’ve done together, John has not had to make any amendments or adjustments. She’s good to go!

This service includes the following:

1 -- LOG-LINE - In movie terms, the conceptual hook that makes the story unique and the screenplay commercial. It's a one-sentence summary of the story.

2 -- OVERVIEW - A summary of impressions of the strong points of the writer and the script. The commercial and artistic merits of the script in general are addressed as well. Then, there is an overview of suggestions for discussion that will be covered in the critique.

3 -- GENRE - Type of movie and explanation if the story ventures outside of the tonal story environment that is set up. Hybrid genre mix is one thing; aberrant tone is another.

4 -- THEMES - The abstract ideas that permeate the story. The underlying universal value (moral) implied by the story, usually through the main character’s internal journey, which unfolds as a result of the inner conflict provoked by the external quest. The resolution of the inner struggle within a philosophical, political, or social framework implies theme. Yes, even silly comedies need one of these. It’s what makes the story worth telling. Otherwise, it’s just a mindless series of events.

5 -- STORY - Addresses the principles of tying theme to plot in an organic manner that implies the theme without blatantly stating it. These principles are applied specifically to your story and characters. The subjective part of your script is broken down and the elements are discussed with an eye toward story cohesion.

6 -- STRUCTURE - Detailed comments on the inner design of the story, pacing of the plot, relationship of the subplot to the main plot thematically, and the proper order of structural steps that the protagonist should be taking in his/her transformation while advancing the conflict toward the plot’s resolution. (Notice how all these elements of plot, theme, structure, and character unite in an intricate relationship with each other.)

7 -- CHARACTERS - Observations on how well-defined they are regarding needs, wants, motivations, flaws, ghosts, and character traits. Do they act and speak in keeping with their intentions, drives, and motivations? Are they sufficiently different from each other?

8 -- RELATIONSHIPS - How well do they work regarding the story? Is there sufficient conflict in each one to create and maintain your story argument while sustaining a forward thrust to the story? Also, we take a look to see if there is sufficient Protagonist/Antagonist bonding through conflict that leads naturally to climax. Is there sufficient internal conflict created within the main character from the tug-of-war battle between Conscience Character and Tempter Character?

9 -- DIALOGUE - Does it match the character's semantic universe? Does it move the story and/or character forward? Does it reflect the character's needs within that situation? Is it really the character speaking, or the writer? Does it imply character motive, or does it bang the audience on the nose?

10 -- WRITING STYLE FOR SCREENPLAYS – Once upon a time, I was a lonely voice screaming in the wilderness about inadequate writing style – poor grammar, punctuation, spelling, passive verbs, non-dramatic description, telling without showing, etc. It seems that I’ve been heard. Now, others are teaching this and writing books on it. Why? A screenplay is more than a mere blueprint. It must evoke emotion and passion without distraction. The writing requires a certain kind of immediacy in its expression. The writing should be efficient to make the mind and eye of the reader zoom down the page. I used to write all my suggestions out. Now, I just refer you to CRAFT NOTES, which has all this info for free. I suggest that you peruse the CRAFT NOTES web page and fix these things before you send it to Rainey Script Consulting so I can focus on your story.

11 -- FORMAT - Is the screenplay formatted according to current industry standards? I’ll mark improper or antiquated formatting and refer you to my CRAFT NOTES page.

12 -- PAGE NOTES - in which John notates his specific thoughts, ideas, responses, reactions, suggestions, criticisms (things that work; things that don't work) that come to him while reading your script 3 times. Page Notes are his unadulterated thoughts and impressions at the point where he has the thought. It is valuable for you to know what thoughts come to a reader as he reads... let you know what he likes, what he doesn’t understand, and what takes him out of the story. Many of these notes will be fodder for discussion, or for the written critique if requested.

13 -- RECOMMENDATION - suggestions on the steps to take with the rewrite of your script.

Included with the written In-Depth Analysis is free 30 minutes phone discussion with John to ask any questions you may have regarding the analysis. $150 an hour for any time over 30 minutes.

The In-Depth Analysis helps to expand the writer’s perspective on the story, especially if s/he may sense that something isn't working but can't see the forest for the trees. It assists the writer in understanding current script-writing standards in today's movie industry. It also provides a great deal of knowledge specifically applied to your story that can’t be found in books and seminars.

Your script needs to be in New Courier 12-point type with margins of one inch at top (page # as a header), bottom, and right side at one inch, and left side at 1.5 inches. Do not cheat the script with the software. That means there are 57 lines per page. Plus, all description paragraphs need to be no more than 4 lines, and preferably less.

Mailing info below, or we can accept the script by email in Movie Magic Screenwriter, Final Draft, Word, RTF, or PDF. If emailed, you must add $15 for printing and $5 for return mail.

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Follow-up review is available to writers who have received the In-Depth Analysis and desire feedback on their rewrite. The script is read 3 times and a structural breakdown chart is created. You receive the structural breakdown prior to the discussion. It consists of two parts:

1 -- OVERVIEW

The Overview covers detailed comments about Theme, Structure, Character, and Dialogue. With the foundational knowledge of the In-Depth Analysis, this discussion takes you to the next level.

2 -- PAGE NOTES

Page Notes will be particularly helpful if you have made all the necessary global changes and merely need to revise scenes, character beats, and dialogue. We’ll go through the pages one at a time.

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A series of one-hour phone sessions with John will guide you from the beginning to the end of a specific project. You can begin with a story idea, a character, a treatment, or an outline. If you have a completed draft, we request that you get an In-Depth Analysis first. John will help you to craft a strong story structure with three-dimensional characters, plot, subjective story line, and other elements that make a good screenplay from Fade In to Fade Out. At the end of each session, you will get a suggested guidance for the next step.

Development sessions are ideal for part-time writers who need a structured step-by step approach, or who are new to writing screenplays. They are also great if you are a seasoned writer and feel as if you’ve gotten stuck in a rut, need fresh insight and a different perspective into your craft. It lends a sense of structure to your process that perhaps has dissipated. You may arrange the frequency of sessions to fit your schedule and writing process.

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PRICES FOR SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS:

SCRIPTWRITING -- POLISH - includes cleaning up the writing style, enhancing word choice in description and dialogue while maintaining the sequence of scenes as you have it.

SCRIPTWRITING -- PAGE ONE WRITE OR REWRITE - a complete development or revision of your story.

STORY TREATMENT WRITING/REVISION – Many confuse the difference between a treatment and a synopsis. A treatment can be two different things. First, a sales tool when there is no complete script and you want to raise the money to write the script. You show the treatment around to people who may be interested in the story. Second, as a writing tool, a treatment is the step between the idea and the step outline so you can know the beginning, middle, and end of your story before you invest your time in further development. The only time a treatment is written after the completed script is when you go into a development process with a producer who has purchased your spec script. A treatment can be anywhere between 3 to 100 pages depending upon the amount of detail you include.

SCRIPT SYNOPSIS WRITING/REVISION - a synopsis is a tool for selling your completed script. Whereas a treatment is the complete story showing your well-wrought surprise ending, a synopsis can tease while it gives a brief sketch of your story, characters, and tone. It is usually only page or two in length.

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Please send the following:

1 -- Your script

2 -- A self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) for the return of your script and critique. Use a 10 X 13 inch envelope or a "FLAT RATE priority mail" envelope with a stamp to cover return postage, or a Fed-ex number. Please, include e-mail in your contact information so we can confirm receipt and keep you informed of your script's progress.

3 -- A check or money order to cover the fee of the service for each script under 120 pages made out to Rainey Script Consulting.

RAINEY SCRIPT CONSULTING
217 Palos Verdes Blvd.; Suite 900
Redondo Beach, CA 90277

If you wish to email your script, please add $15 for printing & $5 for return mail. We can accept documents formatted in Movie Magic Screenwriter, Final Draft, Word, RTF, or PDF. Again, make sure that there is a title page, that it’s formatted properly, uncheated, and that there are page numbers from page 2 to the end. Also, there should be no description paragraph longer than 4 lines.

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