I have a fantasy script and I can't seem to find a producer. Where else besides the Blacklist and IMDB can I find the light at the end of the tunnel?
Screenwriting
From structure to content to representation to industry trends, this is the place to discuss, share content and offer tips and advice on the craft and business of screenwriting
Greetings
Hello everyone,
My name is Menya Paul, an emerging screenwriter from Uganda. I’m passionate about telling powerful African stories that connect with global audiences.
I’ve recently completed my first screenplay titled "The Great Lie (Jackie Chan in Uganda)", an action-drama inspired by real-life strug...
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Join your local group with no-budget filmmakers. That is how I learned. If there is no such group near you, join instead your local amateur theatre.
Now On Demand in the Wrtters' Room: The Executive Hour: How To Sell Your Spec Script
If you missed yesterday’s session with Kraig Wenman and Donn Kennedy, you missed a great session with 2 produced screenwriters with #1 hits on Netflix with films like BANDIT diving in and sharing what it really takes to sell a spec script.
They spoke about the importance of having producers and execu...
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How do you cultivate your screenwriting mind?
Hi everyone.
Something's been bothering me. I'd really like to share it with you, the Stage 32 community.
It's a question about the development of a screenwriter from beginner to professional.
Should you watch more movies than you write, or should you write more than you watch?
This is a very relevant question!
Wade Taylor
- 3 days ago
Always take notes when watching movies you love. What works & why? What holds your attention? What questions does the plot raise in your mind? Are the characters and dialogue believable? Then transfer the qualities that work into your own stories. Learn from others. Adapt and grow .
I think to become a professional screenwriter, you need to have a portfolio of works. And to get a portfolio, you need to learn how to write scripts for other people. If you want to make films based o...
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Abhijeet Aade
- 3 days ago
Harold Ferré I think it’s less about choosing one over the other and more about how intentionally you do both.
Watching films helps you absorb rhythm, tone, and structure but writing is where you actua...
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Christina Pickworth
- 3 days ago
I think the best way to learn the craft is by reading screenplays. The more you read the better your own screenwriting will become. And to write brilliant movies I think you also have to love films - so it would be weird to not be watching them too!
I learned by doing no-budget filming. I hardly watch movies. Because I prefer to learn by watching the result in front of me.
Writing unlikable protagonists — where’s the line?
I’ve been working on a script where the main character is a father who can’t accept the life he ended up with.
Specifically, he’s raising a son with severe developmental challenges, and instead of rising to it, he spirals—resentment, guilt, denial, the whole 9 yards.
It made me wonder:
Where do you dra...
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Turn the unlikable protagonist into a comples character. Someone with both good and bad properties. In some of my no-budget films, the protagonist has been a nutty psychiatrics doctor who likes alcoho...
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Based On:
Can you write a screenplay based on a charcter created by someone else? Or do you need permission?
For example, what if I have a story based on Jason and his mom or Michael Myers during his prepubescient years? I figure I write the screenplay, enter it in contests, and perhaps get someone's attention for a new addition to a franchise.
Göran Johansson
- 2 days ago
Here in Europe the rule is that if the copyright holder has been dead for at least 70 years, then you may use. So if you find something which you want to use, but it is not ald enough, one alternative is that you try to find something very similar which is older and use that instead.
What’s the hard truth you learned the hard way? (Humorous or serious , take your pick)
Hi Writers, I´m sitting here trying to polish my script, you know, that magical stage where you fix one line and somehow break three others. And while I was doing that, a question popped into my head:
What’s a hard truth about screenwriting you wish someone had told you earlier?
Mine is: You can spe...
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Ewan Dunbar
- 1 week ago
Even if it interests you deeply, it won't get anywhere if it and you can't convince someone else why they should care.
Dwayne Williams 2
- 1 week ago
Thanks for sharing this, Maria Caeiro. I’ve learned that staying open to audience feedback and different perspectives throughout the storytelling process is essential, because it often reshapes how th...
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Christina Pickworth
- 3 days ago
I think remembering that screenwriting isn't just screenwriting. Yes you have to have a brilliant script(s), but you also need to spend time learning about the industry, networking, connecting with pe...
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Bobby Cinema
- 2 days ago
It is true.
Harold Ferré
- 2 days ago
The harsh truth is that a script or a scene needs to be rewritten even if you don't like what you're writing. It's a privilege. And beginners need to be made much more aware of this.
Loglines for 2 projects
Hi everyone — looking for feedback on two prestige‑drama loglines (pilot + feature)
I’m Aaron, a NYC‑based writer working in psychological drama and character‑driven thrillers. I’m currently refining two samples — a pilot (ARSONIST) and a feature (PENNY) — and would love thoughts on the loglines as I...
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the Giant Killer Script Ch 7 Pg 5 & 6 review
Does anything need fixing?
Ch7 Pg 5INT, CASTLE HALLWAY - DAY
Garerit dashes down a hallway, determined. His breath is heavy, but his eyes show focus. He grips a small pouch at his belt- his secret weapon.
Garerit (thinking): "I knew this moment would come... Time to put my plan into action."
Flashbac...
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Write your one-hour pilot and work one-on-one with the Director of Development behind Netflix's RUSSIAN DOLL and the Star Wars series THE ACOLYTE
Are you a writer with a great idea for a female-driven television series?
Then it's time to wrote the pilot and bring your unique voice to the industry. Executives, agents, and managers are hungry for pilots that center on complicated and diverse women. But for your script to stand out, you need to k...
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Will we have a sign-up sheet for our one on one consultations again for next week?
Caitlin Dick
- 1 week ago
We are supposed to get a sign up sheet, yes. But so far no one has gotten it. I emailed stage 32 so we’ll see if we hear anything
Thank you Caitlin!
Hi Sydney, we’re waiting for our sign ups for Colleen’s one on ones which we haven’t received a link to yet. Several of us have contacted edu and have heard nothing.
https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C0E48ABAF2AA3F5CE9-63305664-colleens
Distilling the Core: "The Frost Protocol"
The Post (English)
Subject: Distilling the Core: "The Frost Protocol"
I’ve spent the last few weeks grinding through the world-building phase of my new project—a point where the line between the script and reality starts to blur.
I’ve finally carved out the logline for "The Frost Protocol," a gritty, h...
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"I'd love to hear your thoughts on the concept. Does the 'suicide mission' angle feel earned?"Wael Magdi
Robert Franklin Godwin III
- 3 days ago
Try this rewrite of your logline: After learning his life is a six-month-old simulation, a factory worker joins a band of glitched rebels to breach the Admin Core and destroy the archive imprisoning r...
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Wael Magdi
- 3 days ago
Thanks for the sharp rewrite, Robert. To answer your question: In Blade Runner, they fought for more time. In The Frost Protocol, they fight for the truth of the time they've already lived. For these...
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Preston Poulter
- 3 days ago
Neat
Where can I post my script for everyone to read?
I guarantee it's the most interesting read you'll have this week.
Darrell Pennington
- 3 days ago
You can post it on your Profile in the logline section Salustiano Berrios
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Contact your local group with no-budget filmmakers. They can advice you how to change details until it becomes so cheap that you can film it yourself.
if you find it unrealistic to direct yourself, ple...
Expand commentContact your local group with no-budget filmmakers. They can advice you how to change details until it becomes so cheap that you can film it yourself.
if you find it unrealistic to direct yourself, please consider creating a doll movie. Move one doll at a time with sticks and strings in front of a greenscreen.
With AI, you have one more option. But AI will give you a movie which is in the uncanny valley. So if you choose this, it means that you realize that such a movie is made to show those you want to sell to how you expect it to look like after it has been filmed with actors in the normal way.