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Rashcell Mercer, congratulations. Sharing your first feature screenplay concept is a huge milestone, and COMPUTER LOV3 sounds like a bold, timely idea. A psychological AI thriller that explores emotional evolution inside artificial intelligence is exactly the kind of concept that sparks curiosity in this community.

If you’d like to have your script or synopsis read by the community, you’re more than welcome to join us in the Stage 32 Euro/UK Coverage Report, happening Thursdays 12:30pm PT / 20:30pm GMT. It’s a supportive space where writers exchange notes, learn from each other, and grow their projects with real feedback.

And since you’re new, don’t forget you can grab your free month in the Writers’ Room. It’s the perfect place to get your work read, receive notes, and join conversations that sharpen your craft. The only thing we ask is that you also give notes on other writers’ work — it keeps the ecosystem generous and balanced.

Excited to see where COMPUTER LOV3 goes next and happy you’re here.

Thank you so much for that I'll go check it out now

Hi Rashcell, welcome! Your concept for COMPUTER LOV3 sounds fascinating — a psychological AI thriller with an emotional twist is such a timely and compelling idea. I’d love to hear more about your main character and the world you’re building. Looking forward to seeing how your story develops!

I came up with a similar idea for a series in which a person's relationship with their personal AI begs us to ask, "What about the people in this person's life?" I'd like to hear more about your idea and how you developed it. Yours sounds less like a comedy and more like a love story.

I like when some aspects of story are open to interpretation. What’s in The Pulp Fiction briefcase? Is Deckard a replicant in Blade Runner? These questions are not meant to have firm answers.

I just rewatched Primer, and although I love the movie, there are at least three ambiguous elements, and at least one of them is a plot point I needed more clarity on.

The balance of mystery vs confusion is always one to consider. Too much confusion and the audience will check out.

Hi Mike, thanks for sharing your perspective.

For me, ambiguity isn’t just a resource to avoid explaining things. I see it as a fundamental element that can shape characters and the way they evolve. Ambiguity changes the characters themselves, because when something cannot be fully understood, each character reacts to it differently. In that sense, ambiguity affects both the audience and the characters within the story.

I also agree that ambiguity used poorly can lead to confusion and make the audience disconnect. Finding the balance between mystery and clarity is probably one of the most delicate parts of storytelling.

It’s this kind of ambiguity (handled with intention) that stays with me long after the credits roll.

Thanks again for adding your thoughts to the discussion.

-Alejandro

I do hope that all your dreams come true.

Thank you, do you know anyone who could help me?

This is one of my favorite Slasher franchises, so my disappointment on how it was conducted was huge. There was not excuses for that final unmask, but if they are smart enough they can still save by doing a subtle retcon in the following movie.

I totally understand your point and really appreciate the optimism. I just personally don’t see it working in this case. With all the ways they played with Stu Macher's return. It really feels like the magic is gone. For me, he is emotionally spent now. You can’t just bring him back in the next film and expect it to land the same way. After all that buildup and manipulation, the momentum has been saturated, and showing “he’s back” wouldn’t feel like a big surprise. It would feel hollow. I’m not sure even if they tried again in 10 or 20 years, with something like Scream 12 playing with him, it would recapture that feeling.

I still really want Stu Macher as a villain. But as of now, for me, the character can’t be “saved” or reintroduced in a satisfying way.

Steve Windels , I didn't say anything related to Stu. He's dead and gone and I'm okay with it. What can be retconned is the killer's motivation, which now is very flat and weak. However, there's a smart way to retcon it in the future. Stu being alive is not a good plot that would advance the franchise, it's poor writing disguised as nostalgia/fan service. And Scream can advance without it.

I was ok with him being dead. Now I think differently. For me it felt like a way to give it a substantial villain again. I am not sure if that is possible with a character that is freshly introduced in another part.

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Hard to say if they’re using the term distributor in the true sense of the word.

We have a non-exclusive deal with them, which we signed up with about a year ago. It was their standard contract.

Shadow, can you give me some examples of “independent streamers”?

Mike Boas If you open an account on FilmHub, you can see a page of the logos of many platforms they claim to deliver to. Most of them those are "independent" and most of actually DON'T take Filmhub content, not least for the reason I mentioned... They're just listed there because... FilmHub does that. However, here are several independent distributors, who are NOT owned or controlled directly or indirectly by MPA studios or affiliate distributors: MUBI, The Criterion Channel, OVID.tv, Kino Now, Kanopy, Film Movement Plus. Not to mention FilmPod which is coming operational this summer.

Mike Boas Also no, they're implying they are a distributor because that permits a greater take of revenues and implies a certain insider relationship. Their business model is that of an aggregator, like TAG or Distribber who went bankrupt when Netflix cut them off in 2017. Though in FilmHub's case they offload most of the deliverables prep to the filmmaker as part of their onboarding.

I’ve always viewed Filmhub as an aggregator, like Distribber before it. At least Filmhub doesn’t insist on upfront fees like Distribber did.

I’m not trying to defend Filmhub. Just stating the facts, that they got our film into Amazon and Tubi, which is what we wanted. So far no problems with getting paid.

I will say the process of ordering foreign language captions was confusing and not carried out well.

Thank you for sharing this, Langley Coleman I really appreciate it. I’m always interested in learning more about different acting techniques and approaches, so I’ll definitely check out the playlist.

what an awesome point you make Aaiza Maryam about "how powerful acting can be beyond dialogue." And that is because acting is action / behavior toward an objective, which COULD include dialogue, but not necessarily. A whole lot of crafting of the moments and meanings then allows the actor to be free to react and feel in the moment, and what we see is just truthful reaction. Love the way you're catching all those details!

Aaiza Maryam Awesome. Let me know if you found anything particularly interesting or helpful!

Wooo I remember that! In Italy this movie was dubbed, and our beloved Gigi Proietti gave his voice to De Niro. It was awesome!

Hey Aaiza Maryam, one thing that helps me is focusing on what the character is trying not to say.

Because I feel sometimes the most powerful moments come from the tension between what a character feels internally and what they allow themselves to express.

In my view, writing a screenplay is like building a house. Professionals know what sells and how to create success. As an amateur, my goal is to continue learning effective nuances of the craft, keep my production line of scripts evolving, with frequent in-process reviews. 2026: evals for rewrites on three finished screenplays, and complete first drafts on three new projects. Wishing you all success securing funding. Good karma will find you!

My big goal is probably not S.M.A.R.T. (it's to complete 21 unique projects by the end of October lol), but the important thing is getting started, especially since I'm just coming off of a major anemia spell.

>Can you believe 2026 is almost 1/4 complete?

Don't say that Libby Wright !

I know and I had meant to get the year off to a flying start. I'm behind schedule but my goal remains getting someone to see the potential in ARIGNI, my rom com mystery soap opera series concept.

That first one (porta-potty shake down) is really funny, and something that would also work great in a LucasArts style adventure game. I think that the last one (drive-thu) might not work so well though. How would the customers learn about the code in such a short time, and wouldn't the son want to keep his addiction a secret, and thus be willing to aid the group renting the apartment?

Thanks for that Patrik Gyltefors! I appreciate the feedback. One thing I may not have explained clearly in the post is that the friend selling through the drive-thru already works at that fast-food restaurant and has been secretly doing it for a while. He’s more of a side character connected to the group rather than one of the main guys in the montage. One of the friends from the main group goes there looking for help, meets him during his shift, and asks if he can assist for the day, and starts training at the low-paying job. While they’re working together, he ends up helping him sell through the drive-thru and keeps a small amount for himself.

The landlord ends up catching his son with the drugs and pressures him to tell where he got them. When the son explains it was through the drive-thru and describes who sold it to him, the landlord is able to identify the friend working there. That’s what ultimately exposes the whole situation and leads to the group getting kicked out, even though they finally managed to get the rent money together.

Curious what you think about that version of it, does it make the scene work better in your opinion, or do you think the final beat still needs tightening or maybe even replacing with something more original?

Dwayne Williams 2, yes, that makes it work better. Is this the final scene of the film, or will they eventually manage to get their apartment back, and get revenge on the landlord? Also, is this an animated or live action film? Depending on the "rules" of the world you are building, that final beat might disrupt the suspension of disbelief.

Glad to hear that, Patrik Gyltefors! This sequence is meant to serve as the intro to a live-action adventure comedy I’ve been thinking about, mainly to introduce the characters and show their personalities through the chaos of how they try to solve problems. Curious how you feel about it functioning as the opening to a feature?

Dwayne Williams 2, I think that works great as an opening.

thanks Libby - I've submitted a network request and we can then share email addresses so we can send one another attachments

Hi! I'd love to join the mutual exchange, too

I am also available to exchange feedback on your drafts. I have only five years screenwriting, three scripts in constant rewrites and three in first draft; nothing sold. My focus has been features and pilots, mostly adventure and dramedy. Happy to offer my insights.

Thanks so much Cole Potter - I'll send you a message with a link to the episode now - it's really just the opening scenes - first 12 pages - I'm keen to get feedback on but if you fancy reading on, please do - and do send me something of your own

and Cole Potter gave me _invaluable_ reader responses - all proves how helpful it is getting peer reviewers to look over screenplays in the course of making them ready for targeted exec pitches...

Give me a brief summary of the story, and I'll try to create a character for you.

The antagonist can be Nature, The System, or even the Protagonist is their Own Worst Enemy. A loner, couple or ensemble cast, V an economic/social/political situation, rather than one person. Or antagonist can be Unknown, with a mystery to solve in script. Mine the psyche of the character you’ve written. Their good qualities & flaws. What do they want, V they need? Obstacles that can get in their way? Worst that can happen to them? Choice of action, when they’re forced into a crucible of no return? Particular genre specifics, helps to mould antagonists. EG Is your script a Hybrid genre, RomCom, Thriller etc. I’ve flipped a horror, to comedy/horror, cos the tropes within, served protagonist/antagonist conflict more. (In that one particular script, the change served the story.)

Amateur view: Our antagonists are obviously the culprits who stand in the way of protagonists getting what they want. My Logline should succinctly identify 1) who my protagonist is, 2) what they want, and 3) what/who stands in their way to achieve their goal... That is when my antagonist materializes. Until I have some force energetically and diametrically opposed to the ambition of my protagonist, ... I don't have a compelling story.

Are you sure you need an antagonist? Sometimes the protagonist is the best antagonist.

I use my novels that are already published and reviewed to write my screenplays. That way, there is no figuring out. The map is already laid out.

Here is something that will never happen, to you or anyone else in the world, Jason Green :

PRODUCER: Jason! You're screenplay is better than Citizen Kane and will make us all multi-millionaires.

JASON: Great! Will you option it?

PRODUCER: Heck no!

JASON: Why not? Didn't you say it was great?

PRODUCER: Oh, it's the best script I've read in twenty years.... BUT it has directions on the page so... into the garbage it goes! And back to my one-bedroom apartment I go until I can find a script that doesn't direct from the page.

Did the Austin screenwriters use cues. Have they been produced.

It's only their opinion.

I’m a recording artist-turned-writer/director. I have two scripts that include original songs that move the narrative forward. In the scene descriptions, I quote a snippet of relevant lyrics to illustrate tone.

In other instances, I “suggest” popular songs as a guidepost, knowing that those tracks might be used in the edit, or might not. The production may be limited to sound-alikes.

I’m directing my most recent screenplay, and have written in one gotta-have and a few nice-to-haves. Who knows what my budget will allow? If the choice is a song or a wish-list actor, my choice is a no-brainer - I’ll fight tooth and nail to get both.

Michael David hahaha!!

E Langley Touche. It's the differences that make us who we are. Celebrate diversity of thought in all aspects of life. Thanks for weighing in. This was the scene I was thinking of:

ED SULLIVAN

(into microphone)

All right, let's see what you can

do. Take it away!

Mia and Vincent dance to Chuck Berry's "YOU NEVER CAN TELL".

They make hand movements as they dance.