This text delves into a crucial aspect of film development and producing: the art of writing script coverage and story notes.

By offering practical tools and insights, it serves as a holistic guide to analyzing, assessing, and developing material for film, TV, and streaming. Readers will gain a step-by-step understanding of coverage components, including loglines, synopses, comments, and recommendations, while exploring storytelling elements such as character and story arcs, act structures, themes, and genres. The book stands out by offering a producer’s perspective on story analysis, providing insights into the entire development process—from idea inception to screen. It includes specially designed exercises, principles, and guidelines to help readers execute better coverage and notes, with the help of sample coverages, loglines and templates that illustrate best practices. Additionally, the book features exclusive interviews with industry professionals, such as Christopher Vogler, who share their experiences and discuss how writing script coverage shaped their storytelling skills early in their careers.

This text is designed for film and TV students, educators, and early-career professionals seeking to enhance their script analysis abilities. It is particularly suited for courses in producing, screenwriting, storytelling, and script analysis, as well as for professionals aiming to refine their evaluation and development skills.

Online resources include writing exercises, masterclass materials, and industry insights to support readers in their learning journey.

Jane Goldenring is a TV and film producer and educator currently teaching a Script Analysis course at NYU Los Angeles, United States. She also taught a writing workshop at the American Film Institute (AFI) for five years and was an adjunct film professor at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts for eight years. With a career spanning decades, she has extensive experience as a development executive at Disney, where she supervised over 40 films, including notable titles such as Adventures in Babysitting, Hocus Pocus, and Phenomenon. Additionally, she has produced 13 TV movies and three independent films. Jane is a member of the Producers Guild of America, Producers United, and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.