What if my reviewers disagree?

How to make sense of analysis where readers/viewers are expressing different opinions

Mary C. avatar
Written by Mary C.
Updated over a week ago

Just like studio executives and movie critics, Slated's reviewers have different points of view and may disagree about your project.

Slated does not require that reviewers agree with each another. On the contrary, allowing each reviewer to come to their own conclusions independently is a core part of our methodology.

The fact that films draw different reactions is part of what makes moviegoing intellectually stimulating; and at the development level, too, creative disagreement is inevitable. While most companies stagger individual reads, this can create confusion and frustration as different people at the company express different opinions at different stages.

Script and Screening Analysis, on the other hand, provide a spectrum of perspectives at the same time, and share that collective assessment with you.

Our ability to sample reactions from three different development professionals at the same time is the reason Script and Screening Analysis is so predictive.

Every member of our development staff has a proven track record of picking great films at the script stage and post stage. So, you can rest assured that each opinion represents a meaningful contingent of the audience with whom you'll eventually be sharing your material - whether that's a group of producers, critics, or moviegoers.

Not all films are crowd-pleasers, and they're not all supposed to be. While studio movies like FREE GUY and READY OR NOT drew three Considers in their Script Analysis, indicating broad appeal, we've seen awards caliber indies like MANCHESTER BY THE SEA and THOROUGHBREDS draw both Recommend and Pass ratings in the same set of coverage. Analysis that exhibits contrasting opinions like this may be an indication that your film is polarizing. In independent film, that's definitely not a bad thing.

With the world's most comprehensive Script and Screening Analysis often totaling more than 10 pages and 6,000 words, you're unlikely to agree with every comment made about your project. As with any feedback, we encourage you to focus on the notes that you feel 'get' what you're going for and speak to your vision. We also encourage filmmakers to take seriously any points of feedback that come up in two or more reviewers' comments.

More important than getting everyone to agree about your film is connecting with a passionate contingent of advocates. That's why, more often than not, earning one Recommend will warrant a 70+ Script or Screening Score, even if the other two reviewers Pass.

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