Recruiter's Glossary

Examples: O.S. (Off Screen) • Revisions • Polish

Polish

Term from Scriptwriting industry explained for recruiters

Polish refers to the final refinement stage in scriptwriting where writers improve and perfect their scripts. This process involves making the dialogue sound more natural, tightening the story structure, and ensuring consistency throughout the script. Think of it like editing a rough draft into a final version - writers smooth out rough edges, enhance character voices, and make sure everything flows well. When someone mentions "polishing" a script, they're talking about this important final step that makes scripts ready for production.

Examples in Resumes

Polish|Polished multiple award-winning TV scripts for prime-time television shows

Provided Polish|Polishing services for over 20 feature film screenplays

Led script Polish sessions with writing teams to improve dialogue and pacing

Typical job title: "Script Doctors"

Also try searching for:

Script Editor Script Consultant Script Doctor Story Editor Script Polisher Dialogue Editor Script Supervisor

Where to Find Script Doctors

Professional Organizations

• Writers Guild of America (WGA)
• International Screenwriters Association
• Script Magazine

Online Communities

Job Resources

Example Interview Questions

Senior Level Questions

Q: How do you approach polishing a script that isn't working structurally?

Expected Answer: A senior script doctor should discuss their process for identifying structural issues, working with writers to maintain their vision while fixing problems, and their experience with different story structures across various genres.

Q: How do you handle conflicting feedback from different stakeholders when polishing a script?

Expected Answer: Should demonstrate experience in balancing creative and commercial concerns, managing relationships with writers, producers, and executives, and finding solutions that satisfy multiple parties.

Mid Level Questions

Q: What's your process for polishing dialogue while maintaining the writer's voice?

Expected Answer: Should explain their approach to improving dialogue clarity and flow while respecting the original writer's style and character voices.

Q: How do you identify and fix pacing issues in a script?

Expected Answer: Should discuss methods for analyzing script pacing, common pacing problems, and techniques for tightening scenes without losing important content.

Junior Level Questions

Q: What are the basic elements you look for when beginning to polish a script?

Expected Answer: Should mention checking for formatting consistency, basic grammar and spelling, scene transitions, and character consistency.

Q: How do you track changes when polishing a script?

Expected Answer: Should demonstrate knowledge of standard revision tracking methods, draft versioning, and communication with writers about changes made.