1 Answer

Last year, a script reader read 300 scripts for 5 studios, all the while taking notes on the problems and trends he saw. The number 1 problem? The story started too late in the script.

The scriptreader listed 37 frequently occurring problems, here are the top 20:

1. The story begins too late in the script


2. The scenes are void of meaningful conflict


3. The script has a by-the-numbers execution


4. The story is too thin


5. The villains are cartoonish, evil-for-the-sake-of-evil


6. The character logic is muddy


7. The female part is underwritten


8. The narrative falls into a repetitive pattern


9. The conflict is inconsequential, flash-in-the-pan


10. The protagonist is a standard issue hero


11. The script favors style over substance


12. The ending is completely anti-climactic


13. The characters are all stereotypes


14. The script suffers from arbitrary complexity


15. The script goes off the rails in the third act


16. The script's questions are left unanswered


17. The story is a string of unrelated vignettes


18. The plot unravels through convenience/contrivance


19. The script is tonally confused


20. The protagonist is not as strong as [he or she needs to] be

In a way, while the information about script problems is helpful, there's a ton more information included here. Like the fact that 270 of the scripts were written by male writer(s). Or that only 2 scripts took place in outer space. Or that the most common location for these films-in-waiting was "some anonymous small town," which just narrowly edged out its exact opposite, a place called "New York City."

http://io9.com/infographic-shows-the-most-common-problems-in-screenpla-1514229773