Screenwriting

Congratulations on the meeting requests, everyone!

Congratulations! Best of luck to you all!

48! Congratulations, everyone!

Congratulations!

“The golden age of mod TV”- agree. I think we’re seeing some “safe” TV alternatives coming out of the strike but I have talked with some streamer buyers who are still willing to invest in unique stories, it has just pulled back in mass like how it was a couple of years ago.

I don't think we've entered the golden age of Mid TV, Pat Alexander. There are incredible shows out, like "Shōgun." And some people think mid shows are fantastic. It's really about opinion. As for the safe part of Mid TV, some shows do feel like the companies behind them played it safe, but I don’t think it's that way for a majority of the shows.

Yeah, I think there's a lot of great concepts coming out on streamers, with big actors and flashy marketing, but I kind of agree with the author of the article. It's a lot of lukewarm shows and few that really inspire. Guess that's always been the case, but it does feel like the volume of mid (safe) shows is high as its ever been. And there's less truly experimental stuff being put out there. It's that mind-numbingly annoying corporate C-suite way of thinking. Execs would rather fail with something they can easily sell to their CEOs -- "it's like Band of Brothers and The Pacific, with Austin Butler and Barry Keoghan!" -- rather than fail with surreal crime mysteries made by auteurs with visually interesting ideas and something to actually say. To use a baseball metaphor, they're playing small ball and going for walks or singles, instead of bringing in home run hitters and swinging for the fences.

My 3 cents....

Streamers and networks are still "mostly" stuck with the closed loop system mindset.

The greenlight or get product from "mostly" within the system or connected to the system or fall within the "norms" of what has been produced. (Which is why 99% of everyone here struggles to break in)

Only when something that catches "them" off guard (like squid game) do "they" wake up for 24 hours and peek at stuff from beyond the normal channels of product.

But then things go back to...well normal.

YouTube and others break the mold but the ROI isn't upfront money isn't there either.

I don't have an answer other than pray for a break or win lottery to fund your projects.

Really enjoyed the article, and tend to agree with the author. Thanks Pat Alexander A sliver of optimism remains every season for me, and I also echo Maurice's comment. This season, Tokyo Vice keeps me confident its not all mid (i will have to watch Shogun!). Yet the only TV I've watched for 2 weeks is another binge of The Larry Sanders Show. That says something to me.

It is just something I do to kill time so I'm not really dedicated to writing anymore.

Same time, Same place, Same warm up. Like a daily run, the stretching exercises get your brain in the zone, and the repetition of the mental and physical actions puts you in the "zone" to succeed. After about a month, you don't even realize you are doing it.

You know for me, I don't carve out a time every day for writing. I carve out a time for me that's in "creation" mode versus "consumption" mode.

Most of the time it's writing.

But sometimes, it playing the guitar. Other times, it's meditation.

But the time is for me to create something.

In the tough patches I hold myself accountable by the simple facts -- if I don't do the work, it won't get done. Otherwise, Pat Alexander nailed it precisely You truly have to love the hunt over the reward.

I keep daily/weekly goals (scene count/page count/etc.). The key is that they be attainable to increase the likely hood of hitting them and encourage momentum.

LOVE AND THE DANCE began as a posting on FB to ole High School classmates. My dream was to plan a dance on a terrace in Italy where the blue skies meet the sea and I was determined to make it happen. LOVE AND THE DANCE is dedicated to the 12 classmates that shared my vision for without them, this screenplay would have never been written. Even though the characters, the scenarios, and the settings are different from what we all experienced, the feeling of comradery that longtime friends share, is priceless. That we will always remember.

Hello:

Fun and enjoyable competition to help more get their creative delights to more eyes.

What I submitted:

Title: Love Sarcastically

Logline: "Two lovable people meet on an obstacle course where their sarcastic love quickly blossoms, but fades just as fast, as their own inner obstacles become the greatest obstacle they must face to overcome.".

Good luck to all those who entered.

Thankful for your pathways.

God Bless,

John German

Hi Pat Alexander and everyone in the lounge!

I submitted my metaphysical queer romcom:

What Is Meant For You Will Always Find You

which aims to increase awareness of humanity, especially to women.

Logline:

Two spirits attempt to rekindle their cosmic romance on Earth by reincarnating as a pair of women, but find their newfound terrestrial fears and beliefs are an obstacle to their relationship.

Tone: It’s a feature film that aims to explore love beyond the physical realm and the courage

it takes to embrace one’s true self.

Why Me:

I am the only person who could write this feature since the plot reflects who I am, who I was, and who I became. It's my DNA.

The plot is based on a journal I started writing two years ago, detailing a series of metaphysical experiences I've had to face and conquer. The characters' obstacles are based on my own life experiences as well.

Why Now:

Because I want to raise humanity’s awareness with a love story that begins in the

spiritual realms and manifests in the physical world. We need to evolve as human beings and now it’s the perfect time :))

Good luck to all of us and Thank you Stage 32 for this opportunity:))

Best of luck to everyone. These were all cool to see :)

Wihsing everyone in the contest luck. I agree with Sydney Summers - these are great!

Best of luck to you Justin! If you need any recommendations after you hear back for where to go, email me directly at edu@stage32.com :) I hope you have a nice day!

Sydney Summers am I able to email that email with any questions with anything related to the website?

Way to go, Justin Groats - hopefully you get good feedback but you've already won the game by submitting and believing in your work..

Don't overwhelm yourself, Greg. I'm not on Stage 32 much, but when I logged in your comment was right up in the feed :D

I saw a hip hop version of 'Othello' by the Q Brothers (they are based in Chicago) at Shakespeare's Globe many years ago. While that may not necessarily help with your question, it was brilliant, possibly music genre choice.

The creatives behind 'Anna and the Apocalypse' might have some content kicking about on the internet.

I'd tend to go with waiting until there is a need to introduce them. 'Everyone is there' is probably sufficient and the most succinct.

I agree with Jessica Niemi, J. Franklin Evans. If you decided to introduce a large group of characters individually, I suggest introducing and describing each character on separate lines so the reader wouldn't get confused. I also suggest making their intros interesting so the reader would remember the characters later on in the script.

Best way to learn is watch movies & read stack of pro scripts similar your ideas and study how writers did it on the page with an ensemble intro.

Reservior Dogs, Saving Private Ryan (beach invasion), The Warriors..

also watch & read scripts of ensemble intro movies that you think sucked, and ask yourself why they failed. GL

I would say there are a dozen people in the room and introduce them as they speak or move around. Anyway, that is how I do it. As far as character descriptions go I only briefly describe them and I never describe extras,

Dan, Max and Jessica hit solid points there. And totally agree with Maurice's thoughts. Make them memorable. And keep each one as tight and punchy as hell.

Always handy, to keep the flow, knitting their intro descripts into the scene's actions/reactions, pacing, reveals etc. -- even if they have no dialogue yet. Guiding the eye.

Page real estate is precious ;-)

I am looking forward to working with all the writers in the class. Let me know if you have any questions.

Great topic to discuss! Especially looking into subtext. Using dialogue with this kind of purpose can really give a script added depth without over complicating things.

Excellent points, Ewan.

I've yet to hear of any great success from OWAs. "And just like that... Brock stopped talking."

As long as your spec is tight-tight-tight before sending to OWAs, it's a good route for a possible in. More eyes, yadda yadda... but it's also a chance to burn a bridge if the spec isn't quite there yet. Just be sure :-)

You have to see script marketing like dating with the intent to fall in love; that magic alignment can happen in a million different ways, and the route it finally happens through will always seem a bargain in retrospect. Due to that dynamic, it's impossible for people to say what works and what doesn't.

There are many threads about the “OWAs”

They are mini contests and judged as such, so go into them with the expectation of a contest.

It is about as cost-effective as buying lottery tickets. I don't waste my time doing either one.

If they can be identified by the description of events, conduct, appearance, etc... you really need that release. If you fictionalize them beyond recognition, then you don't need the release.

If they can be identified they can sue you and the court will probably hear the case. If I wrote your life and just called the character Mick Vine, would you be pissed off? Perhaps.

At a minimum you have caused them a financial loss because you have made selling their life story less valuable. They could ask to be made whole. So they could just take your work, or ask for payment for what the rights may be worth.

At a minimum you are going to pay legal fees.

If they won't give you legal release they'd probably sue you.