WHAT ARE THE MAIN THINGS YOU LOOK FOR WHEN YOU READ A SCRIPT?
When I analyze a script I take on the role of a detective attempting to solve a mystery. If the script is successful, why was it successful? If it’s an abject failure, why did it die? I first investigate the big questions (structure, characterization, theme and dialog) to find out if the answers lie within those elements. Then, I dig deeper into the smaller issues. Once I complete my investigation, the chances are good that I’ll have enough evidence to declare whether or not the script was successfully executed. And even more importantly, I’ll be able to address the issues in a specific, constructive way that will better help the writer choose the correct path to take in regards to revisions.

WHAT MAKES BELIEVABLE CHARACTERS?
The believability of characters is often more dependent upon the execution of other elements in the script (e.g., plot, theme, dialog) than anything else. A trap writers (myself included) often fall into is to confuse “believable” with “realistic.” Thus the ever-present tendency to write characters who are mill workers, teachers, office drones, etc. While there’s nothing wrong with this if that’s what your script dictates, it’s also important to remember that some of the most believable characters in cinematic history were also some of the most unrealistic: E.T., Yoda, Kermit the Frog, Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, etc. They’re believable not because you could see them walking down the street, but because the creators of those characters did an amazing job of creating the world in which they existed.

WHAT’S THE MOST COMMON MISTAKE YOU SEE?
From young writers it’s always basic mistakes: mechanics, too much dialog and/or scene direction. Sadly, these mistakes are also the easiest to avoid. What they reveal is that that writer hasn’t bothered to learn the fundamentals. This is fascinating because I can’t think of any other vocation where a similar incident would occur. If one were serious about learning to cook, a cookbook would be the first purchase. If you wanted to scuba dive, you’d take lessons before jumping head first into the ocean.While all the fundamentals are usually outstanding in the work of veteran writers, there is often a lack of courage and conviction in terms of content, as if they’re afraid to try something different for fear of being tossed out of another development meeting. If you are going to make the huge time commitment needed to write a spec script, swing for the fences. The creative dilution process can come later, once the script’s been optioned.

WHAT KIND OF SCRIPTS ARE YOU MORE LIKELY TO CONSIDER?
For a script to get a “consider,” the majority of the basic elements must be superiorly executed. Next, there should be something special in the piece. Even if it’s a basic genre fair, the script should include elements that make me sit up and say, “Wow! I haven’t seen that before.”

WHAT’S THE BEST SCRIPT YOU’VE EVER READ?
Elizabethtown by Cameron Crowe. I read the script while it was in development and was never so moved or in awe of a piece of screenwriting. In the end however, the final lesson I gained from the experience was that great scripts don’t always make great movies. For whatever reason, the alchemy needed to successfully transform material from page to screen failed. This specific incident was doubly disappointing since the writer directed the piece himself and has shown time and again that he’s an immensely talented director.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE MOVIEGOING EXPERIENCE?
Seeing Star Wars as an infant. Although my own memories of the experience are vague, my parents continue to talk about how I was in a state of near-rapture, sitting in their laps, unmoving, my eyes locked on the screen for the entire two hours.