A Decision Log for Screenplay Development Teams

This is a Filmclusive editorial template for handing screenplay notes to a team. It does not claim to describe how every development office works. Adapt the fields to the project’s actual brief, agreements, and decision process.

The goal is simple: let the next person see which draft was reviewed, what the reader observed, what they inferred, what remains uncertain, and what action is being requested.

  <h2>Start with the exact draft</h2>
  <p>Record the script title, writer name as supplied, draft date or version label, file received date, reader, and assignment. If page numbers or scene numbers matter, record the file format too. Notes attached to “the latest draft” are hard to verify after another version arrives.</p>

  <h2>Separate evidence from interpretation</h2>
  <p>Give each important note a page, scene, or sequence reference. State what happens before explaining its effect. A brief hypothetical example:</p>
  <p>For a reusable note-taking format, start with the <a href="https://filmclusive.com/insights/articles/screenplay-coverage-evidence-log">screenplay coverage evidence log</a>.</p>
  <ul>
    <li><strong>Evidence:</strong> On page 18, Mara refuses to call her partner. On page 25, she asks for help without a new event changing her position.</li>
    <li><strong>Interpretation:</strong> The change may feel unearned because the draft has not shown a new reason for her to trust the partner.</li>
    <li><strong>Question:</strong> Is there a missing beat, or is the refusal meant to signal a different conflict?</li>
  </ul>
  <p>This example is invented to demonstrate the format. It is not feedback on a real screenplay. The interpretation is a reader’s judgment, not a fact about the writer’s intent.</p>

  <h2>Write the recommendation from the notes</h2>
  <p>Summarize the central premise and major turns in a separate section from evaluation. Then state the recommendation and connect it to the evidence. If the notes do not support a confident recommendation, say what is uncertain and what additional read or discussion would resolve it.</p>
  <p>Use the criteria assigned to the project. The Academy’s <a href="https://www.oscars.org/nicholl/about">published Nicholl reader questions</a> are one public example, covering areas such as story, voice, character, craft, and meaning. They are not a universal rubric and should not replace the commissioning team’s instructions.</p>

  <h2>Copyable handoff</h2>
  <ol>
    <li><strong>Project and draft:</strong> title, version, date received, reader, assignment.</li>
    <li><strong>Brief:</strong> the question this read is meant to answer.</li>
    <li><strong>Summary:</strong> premise, protagonist, goal, major obstacles, ending.</li>
    <li><strong>Evidence log:</strong> use the <a href="https://filmclusive.com/insights/articles/screenplay-coverage-evidence-log">copyable screenplay coverage evidence log</a> for page or scene, observed event, interpretation, and story effect.</li>
    <li><strong>Strengths and concerns:</strong> each tied to a specific moment.</li>
    <li><strong>Recommendation:</strong> action proposed and the reasons supporting it.</li>
    <li><strong>Open questions:</strong> uncertainty, missing context, or a point needing discussion.</li>
    <li><strong>Next step:</strong> decision or work requested, owner, and due date if one exists.</li>
  </ol>

  <h2>Keep the team decision visible</h2>
  <p>Track the handoff separately from the reader’s original notes. Record who made the decision, what action was chosen, and which questions remain open. If readers disagree, preserve the specific disagreement instead of averaging scores into a false consensus.</p>
  <p>This log improves traceability; it does not make taste objective or guarantee a fair outcome. Teams still need clear criteria, appropriate permissions, and a person accountable for the final decision.</p>