The audience potential of a film can be determined with a high degree of certainty if essential requirements are met in the screenplay:

• Is the basic idea convincing and comprehensively worked out?
• Has an interesting story been developed from it, with an INTRODUCTION, CONFRONTATIONS-RESOLUTIONS-FIGHTING and a convincing RESOLUTION? In short: with a beginning, a middle and an end. So is the story complete and told to the end?
• Have the dramaturgical rules been observed and, where the story allows, have surprising twists been added?
• Have the necessary sub-stories been developed that advance, comment on, supplement, vary and deepen the main story?
• Is the type of film narrative appropriate to the plot and story?
• Have the key scenes been fully developed and dramatised (Billy Wilder: ‘milked’)?
• Have credible characters with clear and interesting character traits been developed?
• Can the main character be identified with? Does it generate empathy? Does she/he have a goal or does she/he have no goal at all and cause catastrophes?
• Is the antagonistic character strong or even overpowering and makes us fear for the main character?
• Is there a clearly developed main theme with universal potential?
• Is the dialogue appropriate to the characters (short) or is it just the author talking?
• Is the story told credible and convincing in the context of the universe created?
• Have the various possibilities of using irony been utilised?
• Has a main genre emerged and has the mix with the sub-genres been successful?
• Is the narrative cinematic? Has the cinematic potential been utilised and have appropriate representational solutions been developed?
• Has the main character learnt something very personal and intimate and have we learnt something with her?
• etc., etc.

Without positive and clear answers to these basic questions, a flop is inevitable. Almost the entire potential of a film project lies in its script, which has to be worked out until it is the film on paper. A successful film cannot be made from a bad script. With a good script, there is at least a 50% chance of success.

With our SSO method | *40-step method, in which the screenplay is summarised on a few pages without compromising on content, for the actual analysis, in which the above-mentioned questions are answered, a relatively objective decision can be made about ‘good’ or ‘bad’. From WHEN HARRY MET SALLY to THELMA & LOUISE and AMERICAN BEAUTY, this system has proved its worth. Our expensive, detailed analyses hit the mark 97% of the time. Our cheap, quick, short analyses are still 78% accurate.

Rewriting or rewriting negatively assessed scripts with unrealised potential requires additional resources that are usually not spent. In Europe, the opportunity to achieve and save a great deal with relatively small investments and the deployment of experienced specialists is usually wasted. This is despite the fact that in Europe we often turn to much more relevant stories and then fail when it comes to turning them into a film on paper. Screenplay development is systematically underestimated here, not supported enough, given too short a time frame and dominated by thinking in terms of mediocre TV formats.

As a rule, 10% of the total budget must be invested in the pre-production of films. Half of this should flow into story and script development.

Or in the words of the great Akira Kurosawa:

“When I start a new film, I first imagine what I would do if it were a silent black-and-white film. I try to return to the era of silent film. Back then, cinematic expressiveness was based exclusively on the image. That’s where film came from, that’s its origin. If you forget that, you run the risk of misjudging the true nature of film. I always endeavour to return to the origin in my thoughts. I think this attitude is very important for a filmmaker.”

Akira Kurosawa