Purpose

ScreenJSON is there to solve specific computer-related problems related to storing and analyzing semantic screenplay documents, and to provide post-draft functionality not available with current authoring platforms. The data embedded in the presentation is abstracted from mark-up to objects, attributes, properties, and variable types.

There are multiple screenplay formats. Most are focused on formatting the content in their UI, and and none of them are semantically-structured or suitable for the modern web. At a glance:

• Final Draft: Proprietary XML (no semantic data)
• Adobe Story: Proprietary XML (little semantic data)
• Celtx: RDF/XML (little semantic data)
• Open Screenplay Format: Proprietary XML (no semantic data)
• Fountain: Markdown (no semantic data)

ScreenJSON is not concerned with presentation of the data, and leaves this to the host application. Implementing applications are free to manipulate, display, and the UI-specifics themselves.

The aims and objectives of defining the standard are to provide:

• A universal and database-friendly data model and object model for screenplays;
• A universal data interchange format between platforms and programs;
• Support for multi-lingual authoring;
• Methodological tagging for pre-production activities (e.g. breakdowns);
• Support for encryption and element-level access control policies;
• Support for Git-style versioning and licensing data;
• Easier access for structured batch linguistic analysis;
• Support for production/distribution technologies (e.g. 3D, etc).