1) Maurice has been writing and updating the Fan Film Writer's Primer and the Fan Filmmaker's Primer for years. There's not a shred of advice or content in there that isn't worth reading, re-reading, and learning if you want to make a film. All the more frustrating is how readily all of that information, from the benefit of his experience in his career is so freely and readily available yet so many in the fan filmmaking world who post here curiously just ignore it.
2) Unlike many others, Maurice is also good at offering his advice and commentary without letting it devolve to unnecessary insults or an implied hostile tone.
3) As any good writer or filmmaker knows, "notes" come with the process of writing and making a film. I read the Axanar thread and I see helpful comments made and the negative reaction to those comments boggles my mind. To me (and I'm sure to Maurice, it's a tell-tale sign of a non-professional when they can't take a note in a civil fashion, whether they choose to employ it or not.
3) Speaking to his IMDB credits, I have a few points to make. a) Just because its on IMDB, doesn't mean that it's the entire body of one's work. Alec Peters would have you believe he is a professional actor, yet he only has four short films to his name. How in the world did he qualify for SAG membership if that's all he's done?
b) it's another tell-tale sign of someone inexperienced in the business to relegate the value a person can bring or the knowledge they have to draw upon solely by virtue of IMDB. Every single job is different, even if you're taking the same position. Short films, TV shows, features, web series, you learn something new each time and you grow and your experience informs the kind of job you do.
c) Emmys and Oscars are nice, but they are not the sole indicators of quality. You know who has an Oscar? Akiva Goldsman, the same guy who wrote such classics as Lost in Space and Batman & Robin. You know who else has an Oscar? John Logan, the guy who wrote Star Trek Nemesis. This isn't to say they aren't talented writers, but at some point in their career they took credit for films that were utter disasters. Likewise, writing experts and talented, brilliant writers in their own right may go their entire careers without winning any awards. Suggesting that a writer has no voice to offer any critique because there isn't a gold statue in their hand is again, another sign of someone who doesn't work in the business valuing a superficial criteria over actual evidence of skill and experience.
3) Finally, I've read Maurice's writing. From his posts here, and his actual scripts. I've been fortunate enough to see his mastery of the craft for myself and I assure you, he 100% knows what he's talking about.
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It seems there is a Jones-ing. (Or is that a Jonesey-ing.)
