Michael Marine: Actor, comedian and screenwriter in Delray Beach, Florida.

So, I received feedback on one of my scripts from a large, long-running, prestigious film festival today, who promises a thorough read and feedback from a professional. While overall, it was great feedback and I was grateful for the kind and complimentary words that were offered, there were a few scores that were lower because the reader talked about a valuable piece of information that was missing from the script. The reader went so far as to say it was "jarring" that this information was not in the script. What's actually "jarring" is that the information they said was missing was actually in the script - offered by 4 different characters in the story - in 4 different places in the script - and all before page 41 (of a 65 page script). FOUR. And then it's mentioned again at the very end, so FIVE.

This is not the first time this has happened to me. I've actually gotten "feedback" from several people who call themselves professional who have criticized things that were NOT even IN the script!! It's happened enough times to make me wonder if ANYONE is actually reading our scripts.

So, how do I, or any other screenwriter, place any credence in these readers, their feedback and these festivals?

And aside from JUST voicing my frustration, I guess what I'm also trying to ask is: Is this common knowledge? Is there ANOTHER or any GOOD PURPOSE in sending your scripts to these film festivals that I'm missing???? Or is it all a scam and a waste of time and money?

I am a writer of novels and screenplays. My screenplay "Freedom" recently won an Honorable Mention in the Santa Barbara Screenwriting Contest and was also a Preliminary Finalist in the 2021 Creative Screenwriting Awards Contest. Freedom is my true story. I wrote it after living on an Oklahoma ranch for 13 years where I owned a western guest ranch and raised rodeo bulls with my cowboy partner. It's a unique "Thelma and Louise" type story mixed in with a little "Crazy Heart". I presently live near Coeur d Alene, Idaho while I wait for my Oklahoma film to go from development to preproduction.

Hi Michael. I'm RB, Founder and CEO of Stage 32. As a screenwriter, producer, actor and filmmaker, I know first-hand the challenges all creatives face finding work, landing representation, launching projects, securing funding and simply making the connections that will make a difference in their careers. That's why I created Stage 32. Since our launch in September of 2011, the community has grown to 1,000,000+ members representing every country on the planet making Stage 32 the social network uniquely populated with the most creative people on Earth.

This is a network for you, built by you. Like most things in life, the more you participate, the greater the rewards. We ask all new members to pay it forward by inviting 5 fellow creatives to the network and by spreading the word of Stage 32 through other social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The more creatives, the stronger the network. The stronger the network, the more opportunities.

Thanks for joining the movement and for being a part of this most talented and inspiring community. I very much look forward to your contributions.

Thanks, and have a creative day!

RB

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Hello Michael -

Welcome to the community! I'm Amanda Toney, the Managing Director at Stage 32. Since 2013 I've been proud to oversee Stage 32's Next Level Education, which provides you the most up-to-date tools necessary to become a better creative.

Over the years Stage 32 has worked with over 500 industry executives and professionals to teach online webinars, classes and intensive labs exclusively for you - our Stage 32 community. We bring you instructors who have worked directly on some of your favorite films, TV shows or theater productions to teach you in-the-trenches information that you won't find anywhere else on producing, directing, financing, writing, packaging, acting and more.

Our Next Level Education has a 97% satisfaction rate and averages 4.5 out of 5 stars. Plus, we've had the honor to be called "LinkedIn meets Lynda.com for film, television and theater creatives" by Forbes Magazine.

I encourage you to take the next step to continue learning and expanding your career by clicking here, or clicking "education" on your top menu bar.

I'm grateful you've joined the Stage 32 community. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Amanda