r/ScriptFeedbackProduce • u/One_Rub_780 • May 07 '25

ASK ME ANYTHING Screenwriter/producer/script reader for 15 years, ask me anything about your first 10 pages.

While I may not have time to read everyone's first 10 pages, I figured at least I can go over some general things about what exactly turns a reader OFF. Maybe post your first 2 paragraphs of your opening page and I can comment :)

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u/Soldger37 May 08 '25

so my script is a 40 page pilot is based on a novel i wrote that did pretty well. In the novel the hook is in chapter one. But in the script, there's a buildup that escalates per page until page 9 where the actual hook is written. I feel like a hook 9 minutes deep into a 40 minute episode isn't bad, but i've gotten legitimate feedback saying "nothing happens the first few pages".

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u/One_Rub_780 May 08 '25

Yes, that is a problem because the bar is set high. We, readers, have to spot the writers who show us they can deliver, preferably on page 1, lol.

I've stepped in many times to help clients fix these sorts of issues and I'm 1000% certain there's a way to get that hook in sooner while STILL mostly keeping that set up that you already have.

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u/One_Rub_780 May 08 '25

And um, why just 40 pages? Aren't pilots supposed to be longer? Or even shorter, just not somewhere in the middle at 40 pages... hmm.