Trending Lounge Discussions

Elara Wright Really intriguing concept. The idea of receiving messages from a future version of yourself is a great psychological hook, and the twist that the warnings might actually be guiding the disaster is very compelling. It builds a lot of tension just from the premise alone. I’d definitely be curious to see how the final voicemail plays into the climax. Great setup for a psychological thriller!

Reminiscent of "The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg."

wow

if you want some same timeframe feedback I'm always up for mutual sharing - the more 'other eyes' get to see a script before it's formally queried the better - I've only had 2 or 3 sets of feedback so far, mostly limited to opening scenes, but each one has resulted in an actionable note

Cold-queries don't work. I only got "lucky" twice, with the same agency, requesting to read two of my scripts. After I sent, however, never heard back or anything. Same with producers, a few of them requested my material, pitch decks, etc. After that, even after many follow-ups, no response. I think an introduction is what works in this industry.

Johnie Blaze Congratulations on your project. Great things take time. ;) Very cool also on the car dealership. I used to collect Oldsmobiles. I encourage you to check out some of the Lounges and Blogs to find your tribe. :)

Hi Johnie Blaze, welcome to Stage 32! I’m Ashley, Head of Community here on the platform, and it’s great to see a fellow Texan jumping into the community.

Spending 20+ years developing a franchise concept like Shadow of the Light shows a serious level of dedication. I’d definitely encourage you to spend time participating in the Screenwriting Lounge (https://www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting). It’s a great place to join conversations about structure, development, pitching, and the business side of screenwriting while connecting with other writers and filmmakers who are building projects.

If you’re thinking about next steps for the project, whether that’s positioning the franchise, pitching, or connecting with the right professionals, our Success Team can also help guide you toward curated opportunities and resources aligned with your goals. You can reach them anytime at Success@Stage32.com.

I’m also hosting our March Community Open House webcast where I walk through how to navigate Stage 32 strategically, build meaningful industry relationships, and make the most of the platform’s tools and resources:

https://www.stage32.com/education/products/stage-32s-march-2026-communit...

Glad you’re here, Johnie. Looking forward to seeing you around the Lounges and hearing more about the world you’ve been building.

Love that you're asking before posting — it's a small gesture but it says a lot about how you're approaching this space. The best resources always land better when they meet people where they actually are in their work. Personally, the intersection of story and visual language feels endlessly rich, but what would be most useful probably depends on where people are in their process — so what stage is everyone at, and what's the specific wall you keep running into?

Sam Rivera Thank you! I really appreciate your perspective, this is exactly how I try to approach sharing resources. To answer your question, right now, we’re juggling multiple stages across projects: some teams are deep in storyboarding, others refining visual style, and a few tackling timing and animation physics. The challenges vary, sometimes it’s nailing expressive character movement, other times maintaining design consistency while pushing exaggeration.

For me, I am always interested in 3 things when it comes to animation.

1. Seeing how others accomplish their animated projects, especially indie creators.

2. Indie success stories.

3. What's happening in other animation industries.

Superb

Welcome here!

Hi Jim Greer, welcome! I’m Ashley, Head of Community here at Stage 32. It’s great to see you finally jumping in and introducing yourself, especially as a fellow Texan. I’m just down the road in Austin as well.

I also see that you’ve been a Writer’s Room member for over a year, which is fantastic. One thing I did notice, though, is that this looks like your first post in the community, and I really can’t stress enough how important regular participation is if your goal is to build the kinds of relationships that lead to real opportunities.

The Lounges are where a lot of those connections begin. Asking questions, sharing what you’re learning, posting about resources, discussing your filmmaking experiments, or even talking about lessons learned from your YouTube projects all help make you more visible. Over time, people start recognizing your name, engaging in conversation with you, and that’s often where collaborations and job opportunities grow from.

Since you’re exploring filmmaking, writing, and voice acting, I’d recommend staying active in the Screenwriting Lounge (https://www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting), the Filmmaking Lounge (https://www.stage32.com/lounge/directing), and the Producing Lounge (https://www.stage32.com/lounge/producing). They’re great spaces to meet creatives who are developing projects and looking for collaborators.

Also, if you’d like a deeper look at how to navigate the platform strategically and get the most out of the community, I’m hosting our March Community Open House webcast. It’s a free event where I walk through how to build meaningful industry relationships and position your projects for real traction here:

https://www.stage32.com/education/products/stage-32s-march-2026-communit...

Glad you spoke up, Jim. Your sense of humor and willingness to experiment creatively will fit right in around here. Looking forward to seeing you around the Lounges.

I apologize for causing a misunderstandment. I wanted to know if it is easier to sell if one has already created something related to the idea one wants to sell. In my case I have an idea for a TV series and I have created several hours of videos with the characters who are part of my idea. So I know the characters work fine.

Göran Johansson Just having created that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be easier to sell.

Dear Spencer, perhaps you mean that some people continue to create even though their idea is not the best one. And yes, I have seen such examples.

Please tell what more I should do to make my idea attractive for production companies. The idea is such that it is extremely cheap and easy to produce. It is also such that it is easy to attract actors. It can be broadcast when children are around, I mean at prime time. I am experienced. There are characters whih function well. The audience like my sense of humor, because it is easy to understand. I have plenty of ideas and plenty of background data, so creating new episodes is easy.

Spencer, from a manager’s perspective, when a writer has strong original IP but no attachments, is that sometimes more attractive than a project that already has multiple producers attached? I’m curious how that affects packaging conversations.

Charmane Wedderburn If the attachments mean something, that’s great. If not, nope.

Excited!

Banafsheh Esmailzadeh Thanks for sharing!

Congratulations, Favour! Wishing you a great experience. : )

Congratulations favour

Congratulations!

congrats favourdrey Love to see this for any writer but sending you double the love because you’ve made it from Nigeria to Hollywood!

Congratulations!

Awesome to meet you Kevin Patel! The Long Way Back sounds right up my alley.

Hi Kevin Patel , great to meet you here. Both projects sound really interesting, especially STAN—the psychological horror concept with the teddy bear is a very intriguing idea. I also appreciate stories that focus on emotional depth and character-driven moments.

I'm Abhijeet, a filmmaker and director based in Mumbai. I enjoy working on grounded, intimate stories as well, and it's always great to connect with creatives who value strong storytelling and visual tone.

Wishing you the best with the development and crowdfunding. Looking forward to seeing how the projects evolve.

hello kevin.. welcome

Hi Kevin Patel I'm Prosper Okenyi (P. J Oken). I focus mainly on action thrillers and psychological drama with a blend of sci-fi. I'm based in Nigeria.

Hi Kevin Patel, welcome to Stage 32! I’m Ashley, Head of Community here on the platform. Glad you took the time to introduce yourself.

One quick suggestion that can really help with networking here, you may want to consider using a real profile photo instead of a company logo. Stage 32 is a very relationship-driven community, and people tend to connect more easily when they can see the person they’re talking with. It helps make conversations feel more personal and approachable.

Since you’re working in storytelling and development, I recommend spending some time in the Screenwriting Lounge (https://www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting) and the Filmmaking Lounge (https://www.stage32.com/lounge/directing). Those are great places to join conversations about craft, collaboration, and project development while getting to know other creatives.

We also have a great upcoming free webcast you might enjoy called Heated Rivalry: Breaking Down the Script, where we’ll be diving into the storytelling, structure, and craft behind the script. You can check it out here:

https://www.stage32.com/education/products/heated-rivalry-breaking-down-...

Really glad you’re here, Kevin. Looking forward to seeing you around the Lounges and learning more about what you’re working on.

Now we know who the best picture winner is - it's the one that lost one hundred million at the box office. What does that tell us?

Sam Sokolow Always fun trying to predict the Oscars! I feel like Best Picture could still be a surprise this year. Cinematography is always one of my favorite categories to watch because the visual storytelling can really elevate a film. Production Design too—those details make the world feel real. Curious to see how it all plays out tonight!

Richard Buzzell what does it tell us? Maybe that art has won over business? Imagine selling this to investors. Yes, we have a great script. It has A List talent attached, but a marketing plan that relies solely on this talent? Maybe?

The first I really heard of it was the reports of the bad box office!

if you don't want to click the link it's all on here.

Laurie Ashbourne Thanks for sharing!