These readers are usually given an outline of criteria for what the company is looking for and a format showing how coverage is to look. At most studios and production companies that are signators to the I.A.T.S.E. contract, all the readers are union and most fulfill their responsibilities in offices on the lot. Experienced readers are often so talented that even in a short synopsis, they can convey the writing style of the original writer. Writers should be aware that a number of companies use unpaid interns and others who may have very little experience reading scripts or evaluating them. It is ironic that often the first person reading your script may be the least experienced person and have the most impact on whether anyone else even looks at it.
Writers sometimes hire a professional reader or story analyst to evaluate their scripts.
This type of evaluation can be invaluable if it is performed by an experienced reader. So, if you decide to pay someone to read your script, know their credentials before you write the check. The synopsis contains all the main action and any major character changes. Minor characters and subplots are eliminated unless the main story is incoherent without them. The synopsis is always written in the present tense.