Coverfly introduces free table reads and Pitch Week for screenwriters

It’s no secret that the only thing more difficult than writing a great screenplay is convincing an industry professional to read it. Luckily, Coverfly has two new ways to help writers get their scripts read: free table reads and Pitch Week.

Free table reads

Coverfly is now hosting regular table readings of screenplays that have high scores on Coverfly’s Red List. These events take place on the first and third Saturday of each month with professional actors and held at Culver City Casting Studios, the American Film Institute (AFI), or the Writers Guild Foundation Library. 

There are numerous benefits to having a table read of your screenplay. One benefit is that the process can function like a workshop of your latest draft. You get to hear actors read your dialogue and no doubt get a better sense of what is working in the screenplay.

This is especially important if your script is a comedy. During the reading that takes place in front of an audience, you’ll get to hear first-hand which jokes land and which jokes need improving. If your screenplay is dramatic, you’ll get to discover which scenes evoke the most emotion. 

Another great benefit of Coverfly’s table reads is getting to see your characters come to life instead of existing as a bunch of voices in your head. 

It’s a great reminder how important actors are to the process and this will help you evaluate your protagonist’s arc. Does he or she change enough? Or are they pretty much the same person as they were in the beginning of the story? It can also clarify your antagonist – are they powerful enough? Or are they too easy to defeat?

Watching your characters interact may also help you to determine whether or not their relationships need to be strengthened on the page. These are all questions writers ask themselves when they sit in front of the computer, but seeing the story in action may reveal things the writer hasn’t considered.

A table read also creates a fantastic networking event. You can invite those industry professionals who say they’ve been meaning to read your script to attend. It’s a painless, even fun way for them to get to know you and your work. 

Getting the actors, casting directors and everyone else together for the read is a great way to combat the loneliness and isolation many writers feel and instead, be part of a group experience. Screenplays aren’t supposed to sit on a shelf, they are meant to be spoken, performed and seen. 

Table readings are free to Coverfly members and the high scoring screenplays will be selected by the Coverfly team. Click here for more info.

Pitch Week

Finding literary representation is crucial to being a working screenwriter. Because getting an agent or manager is incredibly difficult task, Coverfly wants to help. Coverfly will select 20 to 50 writers after they apply for Pitch Week and match the writers to agents or managers for video conference meetings or phone calls. These calls will last 10 to 12 minutes. 

Pitching your screenplays is an excellent way to virtually meet agents and managers and can help you establish a relationship with them, even if your current script isn’t something they think they can sell. If an agent and manager likes you, they may be open to hearing about new projects in the future. The more interaction an emerging writer can have with agents and managers, the more they can build their confidence and expand their network. 

Because studios and producers rely heavily on writers pitching their ideas, Coverfly’s Pitch Week is a great way to practice pitching and hone your skills.

The deadline for applying to Coverfly’s next Pitch Week is December 1 and is free to apply and free to participate. Sign up here.