I want to hire one to see if my script is good and what structural problems I need to fix. However, I am about two thirds finished the written script. Do you think that I need to hire a proofreader to look at the whole script? I mean I am on the first draft, so it will be a while before I hire one, but I feel that I probably shouldn't continue. ... This way, a proofreader can spot the structural problems alone, just in the scene list, without having to go through all the dialogue and what not. And by doing it this way, you don't even have to write a first draft yet. You might as well see if your idea works in the scene list, before even writing the first draft. What do you think? Should I not finish the first draft right now, and just hire a proofreader to go over the scene list first, to see if it's even work-able perhaps?
Let's first sort out terms. A
proofreader will check spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc. That can be very important but they aren't necessarily qualified to advise you on your script (cheap). A
script reviewer will often give you 2-3 page feedback about your script's character and story development, structure, formatting and issues that should be corrected (inexpensive). A
script consultant will often work with you to strengthen your story and often helps with coverage (marketability) and preparing summaries/treatments/loglines (expensive). A
script doctor (or ghostwriter) will take your idea and produce a script for you that you can market under your own name (can be very expensive).
If you want someone who will give you quality feedback, you don't want a proofreader. Be sure the person you hire to review your script has some experience and credentials. While many reviewers will point out grammar and spelling issues, it's not their job to clean up your work. They are paid for their knowledge of screenwriting.
Second, you should have a finished script to submit. Giving a mechanic your car in pieces and asking for an opinion about its resale value is ludicrous. At the moment, it's just "junk". The same is true of an unfinished script. Once you've finished it, then a more reliable assessment can be made of your story, structure, dialogue, plot, character development, etc. While a reviewer can give you some general feedback based on your unfinished work, that can be precarious. Often the advice is given with no clear idea how you wish to end the piece. The writer may work to refine the middle and find their ending no longer works. That's not always bad but it can be frustrating. Knowing the ending, the reviewer can sometimes suggest alternate routes to get there.
The scene list is pretty useless if you don't have a complete script. John Truby has great advice. My problem is that what he says initially comes across wrong until he explains himself. For people who only listen to the first catchphrases, they are misled. Initially, writers shouldn't just put their ideas down ("vomit drafts"). He qualifies that writers should do solid planning and not just write off the top of their heads. In consulting, he can see the problems just by seeing the scene list. He qualifies this that structural and pacing issues become apparent looking at how scenes are sequenced. Some structural issues will jump out immediately. A long series of DAY or NIGHT shots mean the 'movie time' is moving very slowly. While rapid alternations in locations and times can suggest filming issues that could become production nightmares. Since there are so many factors that play into it, the scene list is a useful though not definitive tool in looking at pacing and structure. Rightly or wrongly, it's fairly easy for a writer to justify, "Well, it needs to happen here and then because ...."
Let's imagine worst case. You hire a
script reviewer for a couple hundred dollars to give you expert feedback on your script. S/He tells you that your character development is poor, the story line is muddy, the premise and action is unbelievable to this point and the pacing is off. In addition, there are numerous spelling, grammar and formatting issues. What is your response going to be?
When consulting, I'd have to say most of the time the major problems are structural and character development. The script is slow and the characters are blah. If writers want to be told how great they are, that's what family and friends are for. I've only run across a handful of masterful scripts. And often the writers have been working at it for years when I read their pieces. If you haven't planned out your script in advance (echoing Truby), then odds are the pacing is uneven. A solid understanding of the beats helps. I'm not saying to write to page counts in a formulaic way. I've read those too and they are just as bad.
How the process works varies by reviewer. As a reader, the first 10-15 pages tell me tons about the script. If a writer can't sell me the story, characters and use good formatting in that interval, the rest of the script often doesn't get any better and it's a pass. If a writer sells me there, I'll read the whole draft. From that point, I can often give more specific notes. As a reviewer, I'm paid to be bored out of my skull. I try to be gentle, but let's face it bad is bad. Writing is part art and part craft. The craft side can be tweaked. The art side is more or less innate. I believe it can be developed over time but most new writers want to be superb instantly, hence the success of Blake Snyder's beat sheets (the screenwriting equivalent of Bob Ross' art techniques).
After reading a couple hundred scripts, it's easy to distinguish technique from talent. New writers complain "... but look at X written by Y. It does the same thing." Fine. You aren't Y and you didn't write X. Chances are, X isn't what Y wrote but a doctored version. Nonetheless, my point is that as a writer receiving feedback, you can either respond defensively or stepping back, think about it and apply it. Nobody says a writer can't have several variations of the original idea. Each time a writer comes at it, s/he is learning more about the story, the characters and the craft.
You might want to hold off paying for a script review until you have a finished first draft. At that point, you'll have outlined all the scenes for your film if you want to ship it off to Truby. Other reviewers would look at the list and wonder what they're supposed to do with it or tell you. In the interim, you might post a link to the first 10-15 pages on the IndieTalk forum for feedback.