Screenwriting: What is a Script Doctor? - article

In the “old days” of movie making, a script doctor was someone to whom the studios turned to “punch up”, or improve, a script written by someone else. They worked anonymously, not really caring about becoming well-known (except with industry insiders) because the pay was good and the work steady. These days, the position has evolved, and there are three main types of Script Doctors plying the trade:
1. The unknown script doctor. Known only to industry insiders, this cadre of talented story tellers takes raw scripts and improves dialogue, story structure and often incorporates suggested changes by the studio. Their work is uncredited, but their checking accounts are bulging.

Caution: Occasionally, unknown screenwriters are sometimes exploited by unscrupulous producers (seldom affiliated with major studios) to do free re-writes with the promise of future paid work; work that seldom, if ever, comes.

2. The hugely-successful-in-their-own-righ t script doctors . Combined, they’ve been involved in hundreds of projects, but as script doctors, they work anonymously. All are known for their expertise with dialogue, as well as their fast turnaround. In some cases, their work as script doctors led to distinguished careers in the film industry; in others, they were already successful when they began their “medical” careers. Why do the already successful do it? In some cases, it’s strictly for the money, but in others, they use their income from script doctoring to allow them to finance movies independent of the major studios. In this way, they maintain control and artistic integrity over their work.

3. The retail script doctor. With explosion of aspiring screenwriters has come a similar explosion in script doctoring services. These script doctors are available to anyone with a script and a bank account. The retail script doctors offer more than just “doctoring.” They also offer consulting, critique, suggestions on how to make your script more marketable, sales and marketing tips etc. Invariably, they will also claim to be well-connected with the Hollywood A-list decision makers. 

Note: The two script consultant services linked in number 3 were chosen at random as representatives of script service providers. The links are not intended as a review or endorsement.

Can you become a script doctor? Perhaps, but it’s not a job you’ll see commonly listed in online job banks. It’s a job you evolve into, based upon your hard work and acceptance within the film industry as a talented and dependable professional. And, should you decide to embark on a script doctoring career search, be prepared to work cheap, at least at the start. And, be prepared to gag when one of your lines shows up in a hit movie, and you can’t tell anyone that you, not the credited screenwriter, penned it.

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