You’ll also receive a reducing page count checklist take home!

Learn from a season producer and development executive whose worked with Amazon Prime, Starz, HBO, and more!

Writing a sharp, engaging TV pilot is your key to success in today’s fast-paced entertainment industry. If you can capture your audience with a compelling story while keeping your script lean, you’re setting yourself up for greater opportunities. By mastering the art of reducing your page count without losing the heart of your story, you’ll ensure your script shines and grabs attention in a competitive market.

You're not alone if you've struggled with trimming down your scripts. It can be challenging to cut scenes or dialogue you’ve worked hard to perfect, but mastering this skill is crucial. A script that’s too long can signal a lack of understanding or cause your story to lose its momentum. When you learn to trim the fat and keep your writing tight, you'll not only grab attention—you’ll ensure your script becomes a page-turner that demands to be read to the very end.

In this exclusive Stage 32 webinar, your Stage 32 Educator, Anna Henry, will guide you through proven techniques to reduce your page count and keep your script dynamic. Anna is a seasoned producer and development executive who has set up projects with top companies like AMC, Amazon Prime, Starz, HBO, and more. She’s worked at major networks including CBS, ABC, and Nickelodeon, and has helped countless writers while in management at Andrea Simon Entertainment. Anna also brings her experience as an instructor for Netflix & Stage 32’s Creating Content for a Global Marketplace Program, making her the ideal guide for refining your pilot.

In this information-packed webinar, you’ll dive into key strategies like building your act structure, pacing your scenes, making every word and shot count, and even thinking like a line producer to combine locations and trim excess scenes. By the end, you’ll have practical tools to ensure every moment in your script drives your story forward and leaves a lasting impact!

PLUS! You'll receive:

• A reducing page count checklist take home!

Praise for Anna:

"This was my first Stage 32 webinar, and it exceeded my expectations, both in terms of quality (and quantity) of information and overall value. Anna was personable, knowledgeable, and organized. The slide deck was helpful, and her overall presentation hit all the key topics. Anna and Stage32 delivered the goods."
- John R.

"What a thoughtful, thorough and inspiring webinar. It's clear that Anna Henry put an enormous amount of work into this presentation. Not only was the content there, but the structure was also superb. I feel educated and inspired to go back to my own work and do better than what I thought was my best. What could possibly be better than that! Thank you Anna for your genius and your generosity."
- Crispin L.

"Comprehensive, insightful. Combined a lot of material I had heard snippets of on character, world dev, etc. but artfully stitched together in one presentation."
-James F.

"It was amazing, enlightening - completely. I learned soooo much - especially as a feature writer who's been asked to turn a feature script into a pilot!! Thank you soooooo much."
-Kristin G.

The Big Picture

• An overview of Act structure & page count

• The process of building story through conflict – decision – consequence

• Understanding pacing and scene lengths

Writing Dense Scenes

• One small goal, one key piece of information

• Multi-purpose scenes

• The art of planning, execution, recapping, celebration

• Be aware of dead scenes and repeat beats

• Heads, tails and scene transitions

• Dealling with “Cursed” scenes

• Playing writer’s “Jenga” – does the tower collapse

Making Every Word Count

• The danger zone of exposition and speeches

• Conveying character and attitude

• Small-talk and jokes aka- do you really need that line 

Making Every Shot Count

• The power of editing and intercutting

• Thinking in screen time

• Show don’t tell – business, thoughts & feelings, parentheticals

• Descriptions – world building

• Making a script “cinematic”

Every Word You Write Costs Money (aka Pretending to be Your Line Producer)

• Consolidating characters

• Combining locations and scenes

• Flashbacks, montages, driving scenes, and other things on the chopping block

What Is This Really About Again?

• Logline = real estate

• Reading passes – would you want to watch this?

Q & A with Anna

Writers looking to refine their TV pilot scripts and make them more market-ready

Screenwriters who struggle with trimming their scripts without losing the essence of their story

Creatives aiming to improve their script’s pacing, structure, and flow

Anyone preparing to pitch and wanting to ensure their script stands out with a tight, engaging story

This was my first Stage 32 webinar, and it exceeded my expectations, both in terms of quality (and quantity) of information and overall value. Anna was personable, knowledgeable, and organized. The slide deck was helpful, and her overall presentation hit all the key topics. Anna and Stage32 delivered the goods.
- John R.

What a thoughtful, thorough and inspiring webinar. It's clear that Anna Henry put an enormous amount of work into this presentation. Not only was the content there, but the structure was also superb. I feel educated and inspired to go back to my own work and do better than what I thought was my best. What could possibly be better than that! Thank you Anna for your genius and your generosity.
- Crispin L.

"Comprehensive, insightful. Combined a lot of material I had heard snippets of on character, world dev, etc. but artfully stitched together in one presentation."
-James F.

"It was amazing, enlightening - completely. I learned soooo much - especially as a feature writer who's been asked to turn a feature script into a pilot!! Thank you soooooo much."
-Kristin G.