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SERVICE 02 —

SCRIPT
SURGERY

Full script from raw material.

Most documentary scripts don't fail because the research is weak. They fail because the structure collapses. Script Surgery is the structural rebuild.

WHAT YOU RECEIVE

DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT BUILD

  • Annotated script notes

  • Revised narrative outline

  • Opening rewrite suggestions

  • Reveal timing recommendations

  • Structural edit guidance

  • Optional full rewrite notes

TURNAROUND · 3-5 working days

START HERE

Rather than rewriting everything, I rebuild the narrative sequence so tension escalates naturally. The focus is on what the viewer knows, when they learn it, and how the uncertainty escalates.

STRUCTURAL
REBUILD.

01 —

Restructure the opening — hook before context, never after

03 —

Strengthen mid-film escalation — jeopardy must grow, not plateau

02 —

Delay key information — answers should arrive later than you think

04 —

Ensure the final payoff lands — close the loop the opening opened

PROBLEM PATTERNS —

The film begins with context, biography, or background. But viewers haven't been given a reason to care yet. Without a clear narrative question, attention disappears quickly.

Important revelations appear before the audience has time to wonder about them. This removes tension and flattens the entire film.

Information appears suddenly without narrative build-up. Instead of feeling like a payoff, the reveal feels random.

Send me what you have. I'll tell you exactly where the structure is failing.

START HERE
SEE THE WORK

THE METHOD

Already have
a script?
Let's make
it hold.

COMMON STRUCTRAL
PROBLEMS

Most long-form documentaries don't fail because the material is weak. They fail because the structure collapses. The same patterns repeat again and again.

THE OPENING EXPLAINS TOO MUCH

THE ANSWERS ARRIVE TOO EARLY

REVEALS LAND WITHOUT PREPARATION

THE EDIT EXPLAINS INSTEAD OF UNFOLDING

Rather than letting the viewer discover information through evidence and process, the film simply tells them what happened. Engagement drops.

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You have a draft. I restructure it.

You have a cut. I rebuild the map.

ANATOMY EDIT PASS

SCRIPT SURGERY

STRUCTURE.
THAT’S THE
WORK

Control what the viewer learns, when they learn it, and why they need to stay. Not a polish. Not a proofread. A structural intervention.