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Trainees Example Studio Coverage

“The main characters and even the minor characters are relatable and yet invigoratingly unique, due to the blunt, witty dialogue…” Extracts from a script report by our trainee Daniela Piper-Vegh, based on a reading of the script MEAN GIRLS: CLICK HERE

TITLE:         MEAN GIRLS                           DRAFT DATE: 06/3/03

AUTHOR: Tina Fey                   COVERAGE DATE: 2/22/16

 

SYNOPSIS

The story starts on CADY HERON’S first real day of high school, after having been homeschooled all her life. Cady gets on well with her Research Zoologist parents, and is sweetly naïve about the realities of high school. Cady’s favorite subject is Math, as it is the one language that stayed constant during her family’s travels. Two high school outsiders, JANIS IAN and DAMIAN, befriend Cady and educate her about the social hierarchy in high school. The ‘plastics’ the girls at the top of the hierarchy also befriend Cady, with Queen Bee REGINA GEORGE taking a particular interest in grooming Cady. The ‘Plastics’ show Cady their ‘burnbook’ a picture diary where they write bitchy things about girls they don’t like. Cady reveals to the plastics that she has a crush on AARON SAMUELS in her math class, who turns out to be Regina’s ex-boyfriend. Gretchen promises not to tell Regina, but she does anyway, and Regina gets back together with Aaron just to upset Cady. Cady, Janis and Damian then make a plan to take down Regina George, with Cady working as a double agent.

Cady pretends to be bad at Math in order to get Aaron to tutor her, so that she can spend more time with him. She feeds Regina Swedish Kalteen bars that make her gain weight, whilst lying to her that they are good diet food. Cady then tries to ‘crack’ Gretchen in order to hear all of Regina’s secrets. Cady starts getting obsessed with the ‘Plastics’, unknowingly becoming more and more like them each day. Cady tells Aaron that Regina is cheating on him, and they break up. Cady has now successfully ruined everything that made Regina special and popular. Cady throws a party, neglecting her previous commitments with Janis. However, Cady still can’t get Aaron to like her, as he does not like the new ‘Plastic’ Cady. When Regina finds out what Cady has been plotting, she goes into a mad rage, and writes horrible entries in the ‘burnbook’ about herself, in an attempt to frame Cady and the ‘Plastics’. Regina spreads photocopies of the ‘burnbook’ around the school, causing pandemonium amongst the girls. The teachers try and rebuild the trust between the female pupils with a special meeting including trust falls and apologies. Cady does not participate in the apologies, to Ms. NORBURY’S disappointment. Cady and Regina have a huge argument which is only interrupted by Regina suddenly being run over by a bus. This accident prompts Cady to make amends with everyone she has hurt. Cady attends the semi-finals with the Mathlethes to make amends to Ms. Norbury. The final climax comes at the Prom, where Cady apologizes to the student body and breaks her Spring Fling Queen crown, sharing it with the audience. Cady finally wins over Aaron, and manages to break down her school year’s ‘Plastics’ hierarchy.

 

COMMENTS:

The script has a clear structure with Cady learning the structure of teen social hierarchy and then deciding to take down the Queen Bee. Cady is initially a very sympathetic character, having been home-schooled all her life and brought up in different countries. Her innocence and naivety is endearing and it shows her in stark contrast to the bitchy and manipulative ‘Plastics’. Cady wanting to take down Regina is justified by Regina getting back together with Aaron, just because she knew that Cady liked him. Cady is also working towards the greater good of the student body, by trying to get rid of a cruel and restrictive social order. The audience continues to empathize with Cady along her journey, in particular watching her become corrupted by the ‘Plastics’. Cady has strong character development, as she learns from her mistakes and grows emotionally as a character. It is important that she eventually apologizes to all those she hurt. The moment in which she breaks the Spring Fling Queen crown is particularly poignant, as it is a bold and dramatic move, used to promote equality and to praise everyone at the Prom. The plot includes several surprise twists, such as Regina being hit by a bus, helping to keep the audience excited and engaged in the story.

The script is clever in the way in which it embraces stereotypes, and even exaggerates them for maximum comic potential. The main characters and even the minor characters are relatable and yet invigoratingly unique, due to the blunt, witty dialogue. There is a sense of truthfulness about the tone of script, giving it excellent commercial within a young audience. The main characters are distinctive and memorable, making them appealing to young emerging talent. Overall, the script capitalizes on well-known high school stereotypes and approaches them from a witty and original perspective, through the eyes of an untainted and optimistic young heroine.

To see the full industry-standard format we use for Studio Coverage, either commission your own (CLICK HERE) based on the script you submit, or purchase The Confidential Studio Manual to get the inside track on how the industry will really assess and process your script (CLICK HERE)!

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