Let's Get Started

I do many things and have many hats. I'm a writer, producer and director interested in both film and television which gives me many, many things to have an opinion about.

You can find out more about my credits and background at IMDB and my website at http://www.jemartin.net/. This blog is for opinions and observations so lets get started.

I've recently signed on to do coverage and ratings for a very large screenplay competition. I have to admit, I'm floored by the quality of scripts that I'm reading. While the stories are clever and interesting, the presentation is miserable. I don't think that formatting is the most important aspect of a screenplay unlike many people I know who do coverage. It IS, however, important not to scare the reader away with formatting so far from standard that it reeks of an amateur screenwriter.

You don't have to buy a lot of books and please don't rely on published screenplays. You should not be submitting shooting scripts to contests, agents or prod cos. You can learn a great deal by using your search engine and by signing up for any one of the gazillion groups online. Ask questions when you don't know.

At some point, I'll put together an e-book of my observations being what is essentially a judge for a major contest. Of course I can't mention which one it is and please don't ask. Would something like that be useful?