Right Tool for the Right Job

 I was a daddy's girl growing up. I'd follow my dad around like a puppy dog and learned how to graft a tree branch, change the oil in our cars, and even castrate cattle.  My dad also always said "The right tool for the right job."  I learned when to use a hammer vs. a mallet and I won't go into the castration tools!

When it comes to screenwriting, I'm a huge Final Draft lover.  I have three different licenses; one for my Windows laptops (they let you install on 2,) and another for my MacPro that was generously given us by Final Draft during the Native American Media Alliance Writer's Lab Fellowship in June 2023, and I recently bought the new mobile version for my iPad.  I like this version because it is simple to put in night mode when I take the iPad to bed to read a cohort's script or do a final proofing of my own.

I put all my scripts on Google Drive, so easy to pull up the latest revision - no matter if I'm using Windows or Mac. I prefer the Mac version when I have the script read to me because the speed is much better than the Windows version.  I've been using the Windows version for over 20 years - upgrading from Final Draft 6 - all the way up to Final Draft 12 now - so I'm more familiar with the screen layout. I like the structure of Blake Snyder's Saving the Cat - and I normally start that Template - Beat View, then when I get done outlining, it is easy to Insert, Send to the Script and then start writing.

Final Draft wasn't the first screenwriting software that I learned.  I attended UCLA in early 2000 and selected MovieMaster 2000 as my first tool.  After a few years, I switched to Final Draft because it seemed like more people in my class used that.  You might wonder why I haven't been more successful if I've been writing screenplays for over 20 years.  That is because after finishing UCLA and writing a few scripts, we had a family tragedy and I had to stop writing and focus on my technology business.  For the next couple of decades, we helped raise our grandaughters and earned enough to support two families. 

 Fast forward to last year, when I sold my software company and turned back to screenwriting.  I started learning again how to write and rewrite and entered contests.  I've done well and now have quite a few scripts ready to be produced.  I'm in the pitching phase - learning how to sell my screenplays.  I won a second NAMA - Native American Media Alliance Fellowship that starts at the end of August 2023 and goes through November.  My next feature screenplay will be started from scratch and I'll have the input of my cohorts and instructor.  My first step is to create 3 pitches and I've asked my family and friends to rate them to help me pick the one I want to write about.  Hopefully, by November, I'll have a great script and pitch it at Skinfest.   https://nama.media/sandi-jerome/

Getting back to the "right tool for the right job," I'm also learning how to use a Mac to make my YouTube videos.  This month was my first using iMovie instead of Movavi for Windows which was getting slower and slower and difficult to move videos and photos from my iPhone to Windows.  I was considering changing to an Android phone to make things easier, but in the end, I only needed to learn iMovie.  One thing that I've learned is once you've learned a type of software, it was pretty easy to switch to another one. I easily switched from MovieMaster to Final Draft and now, I've learned iMovie after years of using Movavi.  I'll use Final Draft for Mac to have my script read to me and the iPad version to read late at night.  The right tool for the right job.  I'm going to print this and send it to my dad - I know he'll be proud.

Here is my latest YouTube about our trip in April to Disney's Castaway Cay. I've been behind, but after changing to a Mac, I should be able to get these done quicker.
https://youtu.be/5wI44tPY-KU