What Do Story Analysts Do? by David Bruskin In March, members of local 700 voted overwhelmingly to merge with the 182 members of the Story Analysts, IATSE Local 854. The Editors Guild extends a warm welcome to these new members. In 1999, with the goal of improving the efficiency of the West Coast IATSE, International President Short urged the members of Story Analysts Local 854 to merge with another IA local. Story analysis as a profession does not easily "fit" with other IA crafts, which all seem to be directly related to physical production. Yet the craft has something distinctly in common with editing: trying to make the story work as well as possible. Story analysts contribute all they can before production; editors do their work during and after it. Story analysts are also known as "readers," but the image of a reader as a wet-behind-the-ears kid just out of college is inaccurate. The average career-IA story analyst has been working for the same employer for ten years. (A few have been at the same company for over twenty years!) We mostly read screenplays but also read books, novels, manuscripts, plays, newspaper and magazine articles, comic books – anything and everything that might be the basis of a movie. We read "hot" scripts (and even entire books) overnight, and then "cover" them by writing a synopsis and comments. We read every draft of every studio project, compare it in detail to the previous draft, and provide advice on how to make it better. We may attend creative meetings. We write legal comparisons and are considered expert witnesses in plagiarism cases. Some of us read foreign languages. Most important, with an objective yet critical eye, we evaluate a piece of material’s potential to be the basis of a movie. And we’re the only voice in the development chain with the freedom to state an opinion without worrying about offending above-the-line talent. (Well, 99% of the time!) Joining Local 700 is an exciting new beginning for us. During the previous twenty years, only one new IA story analyst shop was created in Hollywood. Yet on any given day, the town employs thousands of freelance analysts. Many work for major production companies that produce the town’s biggest movies. Even before this merger, the desire to organize had begun to grow in our ranks. Now that we’re part of an organization as professional and powerful as Local 700, we can look forward to expanding the influence of story analysts and, at the same time, contributing to the resources of the Guild. We’re excited and grateful to have Local 700 as our new home and industry identity. You’ll be hearing about us, seeing us at screenings and reading our names as contributors to the Guild magazine. We want to support the Guild’s strength and diversity and share in all our crafts’ appreciation of storytelling and entertainment.   David Bruskin is a story analyst for Universal Studios. He was the last president of IA Local 854. He can be reached via email   Reprinted from The Motion Picture Editors Guild Magazine Vol. 21, No. 3 - MayJune 2000   Guild Home | Magazine Home | Top of Page   Copyright © 2000, All Rights Reserved by The Motion Picture Editors Guild, IATSE Local 700