Trending Lounge Discussions

Aleksandr Rozhnov That’s an interesting concept, and I think the key question isn’t whether you can do it but how you do it.

Portraying God on screen has always been sensitive, but it can work if it comes from a place of honesty and respect rather than just satire. Tone will be everything here, especially if you’re balancing comedy with deeper themes.

I don’t think it’s possible to avoid offending everyone, but if the intention is clear and the storytelling is grounded in something meaningful, audiences are usually more open than we expect.

It sounds like a concept with strong potential especially if the emotional core comes through alongside the humor.

Aleksandr, all I can say is...go for it!

Wow - I had no idea this could be done. Amazing!

hmmmm ... will you like me to share you some ideas on how it will work

Paul Samson I used Google Gemini and just asked to create a promotional video. You'll have to subscribe to a paid plan.

I think both are too wordy. Find a way to condense.

Second one is better, but the “her” refers to the dancer, where I think you mean the alien. The alien is the one under the control of an implant, yes?

Is the bar important? Seems awkward to call it out. if the dancer works there, say so.

Mike Boas, First thanks for the thoughtful comments. In answer to them, yes, the bar is important as it has decayed over time. It used to be vibrant and filled with dance now everything has faded, DJ equipment and chairs sit unused in a corner. It is a place that time forgot but the barflies return night after night in shared misery. The dancer, Dylan, is one of the barflies, now suicidal and feeling like all hope is gone. In walks the alien, one who observes without interaction or feeling. The barflies don't know what to make of her as she sits in a corner taking notes on her pad. When the bar begins to transform and music returns, Dylan asks her to dance which she initially refuses, being punished by an implant at the base of her skull. He tries again and she relents. And it's beautiful! Two mirrored images moving as one.

The theme is the transformative nature of dance. Or in fact any creativity. It can help us to transcend our mundane lives. I know it does for me. You know that moment when you are one with the art and all time slips away?

Laurie Woodward I’d go with B.

It feels more specific and emotionally grounded the goal and stakes are clearer, especially with the idea of freeing her from the device. That gives the story a stronger sense of direction.

A has an interesting tone, but it’s a bit more abstract, so it doesn’t immediately give me a clear narrative to hold onto.

B makes me curious about both the relationship and the outcome.

You folks are amazing. Love what I see here...I wouldn't want to be a judge with all of these riches...honored to be among you and look back in wonder. I was invited to be a 'journalistic witness' to a conference on 'genocide and mining' for indigenous leaders around the world, at Damascus House, in London, in 1996, the week Ken Saro-wiwa and 8 of his compatriots were executed in Lagos, Nigeria, for their human rights campaign, in Europe. I had covered hundreds of stories as a journalist, but this, this, this was different. I never imagined a male protagonist...it was always Remmy Overbrook...but writing books got in the way until more pieces fell into place and I could return to this story, THE OVERBROOK DISPATCH. LOG: "Remmy Overbrook is a high-compression-take-no-prisoners journalist whose courageous investigations into global rare earth mineral markets, and extraction corporations, loops her into a endless vortex of lethal paradoxes: tell the story or run like hell? - real people, places, actual events." Wonderful to be among such shimmering colleagues...

I submitted Dixie Dynamite:

LOGLINE:

In a Midwestern town, a stressed COO and his wife, an emerging OnlyFans creator known as Dixie Dynamite, juggle grief, local politics, and volatile family crossroads when an unexpected surge of international subscribers triggers a life-changing, split-second decision to travel the world promoting a fledgling Dixie Dynamite Empire.

Jaz Lagrimas Good luck to all who have submitted!

My screenplay entry, titled ONCE AN EMPRESS, presents the happiest time of Napoleon’s life, which took place during the first four years of his marriage to his second wife, 19-year-old Marie Louise, Archduchess of Austria and Empress of the French. The high point of this union was the birth of their son, Napoleon II. Then came Napoleon’s disastrous retreat from Moscow, his subsequent abdication, and forced exile to the infamous Island of Elba. After that, he never sees his wife or son again.

Most everything written before about Napolian Bonaparte depicts a dour, sullen individual. Not so in this accurate account covering four years in his life, where he treats my protagonist, Empress Marie Louise, to the most illustrious life imaginable, far different from the stories we've grown up with.

My award-winning feature screenplay, available on Stage32, intersects the palaces of The Tulleries, Compiègne, and Saint Cloud...

I submitted THE INN - The Inn is a warm, character-driven dramedy inspired by true events, told through the eyes of a teenage girl whose Hollywood family trades movie sets for a country inn in rural New Hampshire.

What was meant to be a simpler life quickly becomes something else entirely, as she’s pulled into the chaos of guests, expectations, and the quiet realization that growing up doesn’t wait until you’re ready.

At its heart, it’s about a young woman finding her footing in a world she didn’t choose—learning how to navigate family, responsibility, and identity when there’s no clear roadmap.

Come for the pancakes… stay for the pig.

Have you ever made a big life change thinking it would be simpler—only to discover it was anything but?

They also work pretty well in Project Hail Mary, which is currently making a kajillion dollars.

Whoever "he" is, is full of...well, you know.

Citizen Kane. LOL

You know your story better than anyone, if the flashback are necessary and are the only way to tell your story, than maybe that reader wasn't the right fit for you. So much is about the right fit. I would pose a few questions to you, is it a Flashback or a parallel story line, is there a better way I can format this so the flashback's do not interupt the flow, and lastly have you tried putting your script in chronological order? If so does it still make sense, work. Killing darlings is tough but, if you as yourself "do I REALLY need this?".

Shane Copeland i couldn’t agree more. Readers have a plethora of reasons to justify binning scripts, some are perfectly justified reasons but some are clearly not. Then the writer gets feedback that something has to change. I’ve read some awful stuff and also fixed many scripts. There is a need for greater collaboration - not a need to find more reasons to bin great stories. In all of this we must celebrate the vast upturn in the script/movie/TV market and be positive but honest with writers AND Readers/Producers. Stage 32 helps do that.

On what I consume:

I have discovered that for me, a style is more important than a genre. I tend to like mid to low budget movies a lot better than high budget blockbusters. It feels to me like most high budget block busters use their money as a way to bypass creativity and craft (most, not all).

On what I write:

I have and will continue to try in write in a wide range of genres. I have fantasy, mystery, spy thriller, spaghetti western, and even some superhero comic books I am working on, but I still have a ways to go before I can write those. Right now I write comedy. and I'm sticking with that for a while.

I think it's actually good to work in a genre that maybe isn't your first instinct. If you're not into a lot of the tropes and things about a certain genre then maybe you can add a fresh perspective and feel less precious about the cherished beats or cliches you might find. A good example are those Zach Cregger horror movies. He comes from a comedy history but his horror movies are shaking things up and feel so different and fresh, presumably because he's coming at it from a different angle. I helped someone write a zombie short film a few years back and I'm not a big zombie guy but I had a ton of fun kind of immersing myself in that genre and figuring out the stuff I wanted to lean into or rework or use for various purposes etc.

I was never - with a few notable exceptions - a big fan of Romantic Comedy, until my brother told me I should write one because I didn't like them. Who knew? He did.

I love this question. For me, I'm always pushing myself to explore new things or try things that make me uncomfortable. It's the willingness to be uncomfortable that takes us to some magical places in our writing

Kat, I tend to begin with the genres that naturally resonate, but I’ve found real growth often happens slightly outside that space.

Sometimes a genre that isn’t instinctively “mine” reveals structural or tonal approaches that deepen my primary work — whether it’s rhythm, restraint, or a different way of revealing character.

Even when the surface aesthetics differ, the underlying human questions often connect across genres.

Exploring those differences can sharpen one’s own voice rather than dilute it.

Ashley Renée Smith What a timely post, I'm just getting ready to go thru that process. Working with a Producer who has guided me to take Dixie Dynamite from a 60 minute show to a 30 minute show. At first, it was a tough consideration but after giving it some thought I am super excited. I start the re-write imminently.....fingers crossed.

As Executive Producer for my latest movie, Frontier Crucible, I gave early guidance about how I wanted us to spend our limited budget to achieve the best Western possible.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34370951

I said I wanted the big money in casting spent on the villains. I find movies that lacks compelling villains forgettable. So we biggest names in our casting, outside of William H Macy's cameo, belong to the villain roles. Thomas Jane and Armie Hammer made wonderful, relatable bad guys that our hero got to oppose on film.

Darrell Pennington I really enjoyed reading your work and hope my notes helped.

Ashley Renée Smith hey there! For me it was having an agency in LA contact me telling me they've seen my 3 episodic versions of my series The Savage Roads and telling me they love it but want a 80+ minute version for streaming on Amazon Prime and Hulu as a full length feature! Excited!

Preston Poulter Absolutely. I have those along with the Producer I am working with and ready to start the process....Can't wait to see Frontier Crucible. Glad to see Armie Hammer in anything!

Thank you all so much!!

Good job!

AWESOME!!!!

Congrats!

Congrats!!