Review Checklist pt 2 – Concept

One of the areas you mark a script at Talentville is on Concept. I assembled the following list of prompts to help the reviewer (usually me) delve into whether the concept (the core idea driving the script) is working.

It may seem a little short, but even the Concept section of my typical review ends up longer than a lot of other reviewers full reviews (and “reviews” there are more like critiques).

CONCEPT:

• You can talk about a number of things here – the strength of the concept, the strength of the application of said concept (not the same thing… a strong concept is done no favours if what you’ve written doesn’t live up to it).
• Did it live up to the “promise of the premise”?*
• Is the concept derivative or original?
• If it’s a familiar concept, does it put its own spin on things? Does it subvert expectations set up by said concept or does it deliver exactly what you’d expect?

Next Up: STORY

*Note: “Promise of the Premise” is, obviously, a term from Blake Snyder’s “Save The Cat” books. I use the term because it’s succinct and aptly descriptive, but in no way to I slavishly follow Snyder in my reviews, or my writing.