LOG LINE:

A brief "high concept" description. For example... A superstitious ten year-old FBI agent and his skeptical pet collie solve a paranormal mystery in mid-25th century America. Or...
A tale of romance and intrigue set in World War II Casablanca, about a hardened cynic whose one true love cannot be separated from the forces of destiny.
 

SYNOPSIS:

The synopsis of the story should be written in concise, fluid prose which reads like the synopsis of a film in the early portions of a movie review.  Each paragraph should detail a representative portion of the work, e.g. three paragraphs detailing the beginning, middle and end of a movie plot, or two paragraphs on the two acts of a situation comedy.  If characters are prominent in the story, a descriptive note should be made when introducing them early on, e.g. RICK BLAINE, a tough, cynical U.S. expatriate now running a Casablanca saloon, is handed valuable letters of transit by a panicked fugitive.

If several subplots are present, you must unravel them and give us only the key elements of the most important plot(s).

While it's usually best to keep a synopsis free of value-laden critical terminology, it's useful to draw the readers attention to turns of plot which might affect development decisions.  For example, if the final act of is hinged upon the invasion of an underwater city by spaceships, you may wish to simply include this fact within your synopsis, but without making any type of remark or descriptive such as “potentially budget-busting”.
 

CHARACTERS:

These descriptions should be no longer than one long or two brief sentences each, and should only cover the most important characters. Skip a space between each character description. No more than the most important character set please: 6 max, unless you’re covering something like War and Peace.
 

BEAT-BY-BEAT OUTLINE:

List action of each major scene on one line. DO NOT LIST every scene in the book, just the most important 30-40 scenes in the adaptation. e.g. ...

Martians land in Playa Vista, appearing friendly at first
Bad Martian, disguised as an environmentalist, destroys the job machine
Friendly Martian, posing as a traffic jam, warns a child of the bad Martians
Child warns parents of aliens coming to wetlands, etc. etc.
Beat outline may run onto the 3rd page of the coverage
 

CRITIQUE (always begins on a new page, and always ends on the same page!)

First, write a paragraph about the most positive aspect of the property. Don't overstate the case, you're just giving your boss something nice to say to the writer's agent.

The second paragraph is your overview, summarizing the key findings of your critique, using whatever criteria are most relevant from The Story Checklist (see below). Try to find the central flaw (or strength) if there is one, and expand from there.  Demonstrate how problems may flow from a central weakness in a logical progression. Be sure to give proper weight to the positive aspects of the script as well, e.g. acknowledge strong dialogue and characters stuck within the confines of a difficult concept of confusing plot.

Succeeding paragraphs should each expand upon one important finding of mentioned in your overview paragraph. Examples from the story can be used to support your analytic arguments, and comparisons with familiar concepts, plots and characters from existing films or programs are sometimes helpful.  Be precise, avoiding terms like "good", "bad", "great", etc., and don't forget to proof and spell check every word!

In certain circumstances it is worthwhile to suggest ways of mending problems with a script, but make sure your fix works: there's nothing worse than an uncreative meddler. Less important findings not mentioned in the cornerstone paragraph may be added in the second-to-last paragraph.

The commercial requirements of the medium for which the work is being considered are always of paramount concern, so the anticipated audience response is worth mentioning in the final paragraph. Here's where your knowledge of the buyers must be shown.
 
 
 
 

Yes No

o o Is there a sympathetic, identifiable character to relate to?
o o Does the behavior of the characters ring true?
o o Is there a protagonist in action with a goal?
o o Is the antagonist a worthy adversary for the hero?
o o Is there enough conflict?
o o Is the conflict locked in early?
o o Does the pivotal character force the conflict?
o o Is there character growth?
o o Does the story have a dramatic "center"?
o o Does the hero rightly resolve a moral dilemma?
o o Are the supporting characters well orchestrated?
o o Does the piece reach us emotionally?
o o Does the emotional arc feel satisfying?
o o Is the setting recognizable or interesting?
o o Is there visual energy; a sense of movement?
o o Will the visuals be a vivid feast for the eyes?
o o Are the events interesting and surprising?
o o Are the stakes high?
o o Is there an ascending conflict?
o o Do complications and crises build to a climax?
o o Do sub-plots and small moments create a subtext?
o o Is the plot coherent?
o o Do scenes build to satisfactory conclusions?
o o Do acts build to strong curtains?
o o Is tension sustained throughout the story?
o o Are the characters well-differentiated?
o o Are the characters multi-dimensional and believable?
o o Is the dialogue both rich (not ordinary) and genuine?
o o Are the speeches and scenes brief enough?
o o Is there both the right amount, and the right kind of humor?
o o Is there a suitable amount of sex appeal?
o o Is the story relevant to today's interests?
o o Is there an appropriate balance of dialogue and visuals?
o o Will it make good use of costumes, music & props?
o o Is there both male and female appeal in the script?
o o Does the work appeal to a large enough audience?