The Stage 32 Lounge

The first one has a cheesy zombie/horror charm to it for those who like that kind of thing. The second one lacks that same charm and without it has trouble convincing viewers to overlook the mess of a plot. It does though offer Rose Byrne as consolation.

Hi Geoff, cool another one

Zombies, worldwide pandemic…..didn’t we just live that? Oops, no zombies….

First film was amazing. Fantastic pacing and storytelling. I think some of that charm was lost in the second one. Either way, I'll watch the third.

The original is a great film, Xochi Blymyer! You should definitely give it a watch. The sequel is good as well and I have positive hopes for this new one.

Terrific job on the music, Alessandro Sicardi! It fits the scene really well!

Many thanks Linwood Bell and Maurice Vaughan !

Indeed it was fun, and the original music put there was Wagner, so quite challenging

You're welcome, Alessandro Sicardi.

This is awesome, Alessandro Sicardi! Great job! It’s a great scene and your version works really well.

Alessandro Sicardi The winning entry was a crack up wasn't it? The 8 bit stuff. People really went nuts on it. Caught us all off guard. So nice that Spitfire will give us footage like this to play around with and use.

Amanda Toney I think it's great for filmmakers, screenwriters, actors, etc. who want to make/work on vertical short form projects. I want to write them. Maybe other countries will start familiar platforms.

another tik Tok just what the world needed

A friend of mine was hired to direct some of these Vertical Shows. Interesting.

And boy are they showing up on Actor's Access recently!! Sometimes that's all there is in the (public) breakdowns! I submit if they pay well, which a few do, but the ones I've read for so far are just not very good writing and appear to be heavy soap opera–based material. Also "interesting." Does anyone here have experience in working on these projects??

It’s not my favorite format for scripted story content. But I get that it’s interesting to some people. I hope that they’re successful and that the creators who put in their time and work, are happy with the final product and response to it. I just know that it’s harder for me to personally engage in a vertical format for narrative short-form.

Great story, Ashley Renee Smith! I was writing before I saw Harriet the Spy the movie, but that movie made me want to be a writer even more. Back then it was short stories. Now, it's scripts, commercials, etc.

Hi, Shahriar Vaghfrahmani. The music fits the video up until 0:56. The music after that point doesn't fit the video, and the music after that point has too much going on. My favorite part about the music is the opera singing. I just don't think it's right for this video.

You're in what I’d call the 'figuring it out' phase. You’re creating good music, but it feels a bit scattered and doesn’t quite have a unique identity yet. My advice? Take a step back, choose a more cinematic video to pair with your work, and simplify your approach. Sometimes less really is more.

Great advice, Stephen Folker!

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I have seen movies where I was interested in the side character more than the protagonist to be honest!

I also like to make profiles/ character breakdowns for side characters, Maurice Vaughan. I find that it helps me discover and distinguish their voices from the main characters. I’ve also discovered elements of my story and world-building through getting to know my side characters better.

I completely agree, Jonathan Jordan! Side characters can often change my perspective on main characters. They make me like or even dislike characters based on their reactions and experiences with them. So if they feel like plot devices or NPCs, it’s really annoying to me.

I do the same, Bobby G! I love to people watch in public places and when I pick up on a conversation or interaction, it can spark something for me. I carry a small notebook with me, it’s almost always in my bag or back pocket and I’ll write down notes to remember while I’m out and observing things. It helps me with certain characteristics that I wouldn’t naturally think of or consider myself.

Motivations are absolutely the key, Giovanna Silvestre!

If I feel I'm 'blocked', I look back to find where I turned left instead of right, taking my story into the wrong direction, or if I like the direction I'm heading in when blocked, there's usually a simple tweak earlier on that releases the tension and away we go.

I try to identify exactly what is "blocking" me. Then I tackle it by brainstorming all the ways I can think of to get out of the problem. Systematic. So if I don't know where a plot should go, I try to brainstorm every possibility I can think of for where the plot should go. Maybe I need to introduce a twist, a new character, or re-examine another character's motivations... something like that. I find this approach eliminates writer's block for me.

"Writer's Block" is self-induced. I wouldn't go so far as to say it is a mental condition, but your brain really does play an important role. Self-doubt, depression, stress, anxiety, fear - they all play a part in stopping the flow of creativity.

For me, taking a step back, getting out in nature, going for a walk, being in solitude, just taking a breath and taking in your surroundings and realizing it's not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things helps a lot.

Almost everything all are saying in this thread (especially Tom Schaefer's and probably RB's though I haven't listened to that yet) is similar to something I was told recently that works in my language and makes such clean sense -- "there's no such thing as writer's block (as with soooo much in our life); just get out of your own way. Get out of the way -- listen to your breath, get real basic. And then start listening." Easy enough, hahahahaha. :)

I often feel that when I get Writer’s Block, it’s either because I didn’t properly prepare enough to be secure in the full arc of the story or I’m so overwhelmed by outside stressors that it’s affecting my focus while writing. I have to step back, do something that gets my mind off of things whether that’s cleaning, reading, going for a walk, blasting music and dancing around my apartment, even taking a shower to clear my head. When I come back, if I’m still having a hard time, then I go back to my notes and outline to identify the potential problem and put the work in to find a solution. That may require changing the outline, reworking the previous scene, or rewriting the scene that I got stuck on from a different perspective.

Ashley Renee Smith Thank you for sharing your opinion on Arcade. I’m going to watch it definetly

I’ve heard only great things about Transformers One, Maurice Vaughan. I’m excited to watch it when I have a chance!

Geoff Hall, they’re continuing the show, just not the Vi and Jinx storyline. They feel that there are so many other stories to explore within the world that they want to shift the focus. I think they do a good job of setting up other storylines in season 2 that they can explore more, while bringing the Jinx and Vi storyline to a strong conclusion. My current theory is that Mel and her mother are setting up the next big arc, but that’s not confirmed yet that I’ve seen.

Let me know what you think when you do, Maria Caeiro!

I think you're going to really like Transformers One, Ashley Renee Smith. I'm on episode 7 of Arcane. You're right. It gets better! And you're right about the characters being complex! Glad they're going to continue the show!

Animated movies are some of the best movies, Laurie Ashbourne, and some of them deserve nominations for Best Picture. I just watched Transformers One tonight. Wow! It's phenomenal! It deserves a nomination for Best Picture. Even though it's silly at times and a lot of its action is geared toward kids/teens, the characters and story are incredible and moving! There's something else that happens in Transformers One that makes me say it deserves a Best Picture nomination, but it's a spoiler, so I won't say what it is. I'm looking forward to seeing Flow, The Wild Robot, and Inside Out 2!

I enjoy watching the Oscars, although less and less each year. The films nominated are all great, but they’re rarely my favorites of the year. On the other hand, I don’t necessarily want to see them changed. So much drama over a popularity contest!

If the Academy wants to nominate some animated films for best picture, that’s fine with me. They’ve done the same with foreign language films.

Incidentally, my top movie experience this year was Hundreds of Beavers. Best film to see with an audience since RRR! When a movie makes a whole theater shout with joy… that’s award worthy.

Flow looks amazing! I need to see this!

I would love to see an animated film nominated for Best Picture this year. It’s been the year of Animation, so it would be well-deserved recognition for the animation industry basically holding it all up through 2024.

Might this make a nice animated web series?

I think it'd make a nice animated educational show, Tom Stohlgren. Web or TV.