Trending Lounge Discussions

The hottest discussions in the Stage 32 Lounge.

Liked by Pat Alexander and 4 others

Abhijeet Aade
Do Intimate, Dialogue-Driven Romantic Dramas Still Work in Today’s Indie Market?

Question for filmmakers and producers here:

Do you think intimate, dialogue-driven romantic dramas still have a strong place in today's indie film market?

Some of my favorite films focus on simple conversations and emotional depth rather than big spectacle, and as a director–writer from Mumbai, India,...

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Kelvin Bernards

I think dialogue-driven is still important this day, and I'm not denying it's true. However, I think it's better not to provide too much exposition for audience to sit back, and hear the whole yapping...

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Lindbergh Hollingsworth

The answer is best provided by research v. asking us. Take some time, dive into a little research and see what's out there. A better answer will be had.

Abhijeet Aade

Kelvin Bernards Great point, Kelvin. I completely agree that “show, don’t tell” is one of the most powerful tools in filmmaking. Even in dialogue-driven stories, the subtext, body language, and visual...

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Abhijeet Aade

Lindbergh Hollingsworth That’s a fair pointresearch is definitely important. At the same time, I think conversations like this can also be useful because filmmakers and producers bring real industry p...

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Pat Alexander

Blue Moon on Netflix is a great example of how it still works. That movie is nothing but dialogue. Of course it came from Richard Linklater who is famous for these sorts of films, but they still get made for sure! Rye Lane is another great example from a couple years ago.

Liked by Linda Bradshaw-Rogers and 36 others

Thunder Levin
Ask Me Anything (AMA) 3/11 to 3/12- Writing Genre Across All Styles From the Grounded to the Absurd

Hello Stage32verse! If you've heard of me at all, it's probably as the creator of Syfy's SHARKNADO franchise of off-the-wall movies. But I've written over a dozen feature films and TV movies, and have directed a handful of them. Most of them have been far more grounded than flying sharks! In fact, d...

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Linda Bradshaw-Rogers

Thunder, thanks so much for taking the time; your tremendous amount of encouragement and support are priceless.

Thunder Levin

Sanna Peth Before the pandemic, I would have said it was important to live in Los Angeles. But everyone's so used to doing meetings over Zoom these days that even when you ARE in L.A., your meetings t...

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Thunder Levin

Michelle L. De La Garza Honestly I love it all. (Well, except for having to wake up before dawn to be on set. That part sucks! But I suppose we must all sacrifice for our art...)...

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Thunder Levin

THANKS FOR ALL THE GREAT, THOUGHTFUL QUESTIONS EVERYONE! IT WAS A BLAST!

If you'd like to see me teaching another lab, let Stage 32 know! And I'm available for script reads, consultations, first tens, etc. Good luck with your writing!

Sanna Peth

Thunder Levin One of the producers was Australian, and for him it was a tax issue that I don’t live there. In the other case, I’m not sure what happened, because after I replied to him, he never respo...

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Liked by Pat Alexander and 3 others

Alejandro García
Ambiguity in storytelling: when it works and when it doesn’t

While developing my current screenplay, I’ve been thinking a lot about the role of ambiguity in storytelling.

In many scripts, everything is explained very clearly, but I’m increasingly interested in stories where some elements remain uncertain. Not because the screenwriter doesn’t know the answer, b...

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Mike Boas

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 r...

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Alejandro García

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. Am...

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Mike Boas

When I talk with writers about their work, I often need to ask “what is actually happening?” followed by “what do you want the audience to know and when?”

The writer needs to know everything, then decide how big a window to use to show it.

Alejandro García

Hi Mike, thanks again for the insight.

What you said about the writer needing to know exactly what is happening and then deciding how much of it to reveal really resonates with me. While revisiting par...

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Liked by Oleg Mullayanov and 13 others

Jerry Robbins
Beverly Hills Film Festival

I'm super excited that BILLY THE KID - Blood And Legend, is an Official Selection at the Beverly Hills Film Festival. One of those surreal moments... I never thought something I wrote would be shown at the legendary Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Congratulations to the cast and crew!  

Philip Sedgwick

Fun festival! The panels are absolutely worth attending. Love the banquet.

Abhijeet Aade

Jerry Robbins Congratulations! That’s an amazing achievement. Wishing The Kid – Blood and Legend great success at the festival. It must be a surreal feeling to see your work screening at the TCL Chine...

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Jack Binder

Bravo!!

Geoffroy Faugerolas

Well done, Jerry. Congrats! You'll have to let us know how the premiere goes and if you have any tips, do's or don'ts to share with the community!

Jose Harmon

congrats!!!

Liked by Kelvin Bernards and 11 others

Gerald Paul Barrett
Ai Generated Artwork

Greetings all. My question is, Are people using Ai generated images in their pitch decks, (i.e. poster mockup)? Me? Like an idiot I paid 100.00 to have one visual photoshopped to represent a haunted hotel. Are folks using Ai generated characters for the same pitch decks? Thanks.

Geoffroy Faugerolas

Decks are only useful if you're a director. As a writer, no one is 'expecting' you to come up with visual material. More often than not, the lower quality images scream amateur. A strong, well-crafted...

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Dwayne Williams 2

Also, if you’re interested, there are ways to generate AI images so they’re much harder to detect as AI and even my methods that make them difficult for others to regenerate or impossible to recreate...

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Darrell Pennington

Geoffroy Faugerolas I am wanting to make sure I understand your response. So if we are writers only, is there no expectation that we have a pitch deck to go along with the pilot? That would be somethi...

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Kelvin Bernards

I use A.I 3% for grammar, spelling, word searching, and Google searches, which is way easier for me as a writer since not everybody has the time to help me improve my writing through storytelling and word choices. 97% I put my own thought into work.

Geoffroy Faugerolas

Darrell Pennington To pitch a TV series, you really need a pilot script and a pitch bible/deck. What the pitch bible/deck looks like is up to you (it's salesmanship), but a 3-5 page treatment or a 10-...

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Liked by Aleia Sublime and 12 others

Justin Groats
Met someone who’s going to help me

hello Stage 32, I had the pleasure of meeting someone through stage 32 who’s going to help me with getting my work in front of the right people, and making sure it’s top notch!

High hopes for the future!

Autumn Carpenter

hope it all works out! have a great day

Israel Samuel

me neither man!

Michael David

Amazing Justin Groats things are going great for you! Good for you!

Banafsheh Esmailzadeh

Good stuff Justin Groats, congrats!

Liked by Oleg Mullayanov and one other

Aleia Sublime
Atmosphere Creator

hi, i’m Aleia, i create atmosphere through sounds and visuals, i specialize in soundtracks using my own vocals and instrumentals

I lean more independent/arthouse but i also love TV thriller/drama— my sound is dark, hypnotic and slightly eerie

Kelvin Bernards

Hey Aleia. it's nice to meet you

Kevin Jackson

This is good to know. Nice to meet you.

Liked by Oleg Mullayanov

Jose Harmon
Looking for LA Talent Agency

Hi everyone, I’m a model based in Los Angeles who’s been getting more callbacks recently for commercials and TV. I was previously signed with an agency in New York and I’m now looking to transfer that experience over to the LA market and find new representation here. If anyone local has recommendati...

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Suzanne Bronson

SAG AFTRA has a list of franchised agencies on their site. You will need to do your homework and look up the agencies to see if they accept NU. Since you already have a NY agent, I would ask them. The...

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Mohammad Jahanzaib

From what I’ve seen, actors often stay close to their marks during long dialogue scenes so the camera and focus stay accurate. But even then, subtle movements, reactions, and timing still play a huge role in making the scene feel real

Liked by Lori George and one other

Tugume Benon (Benie)
The incisive: a coincidence

Hi everyone,

I’d really appreciate some feedback on the logline for my crime-thriller TV series set in Kampala, Uganda. If you could rate it (1–10) and share any quick thoughts on clarity, intrigue, or improvements, that would be extremely helpful.

Logline:

In Kampala’s shadowed underworld, a street hu...

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Michael David

This is truly incredible! 10/10

Joe Flesch

In my opinion, it is very cliche and vague. "web of betrayal" "forbidden love" "buried secrets" are all terms used a thousand times before. "coincidence is no accident" "survival demands blood" is very vague and means nothing-be more specific. 2/10

Marc Ginsburg

Hello Tugume, it's nice to meet you. I hate loglines. They are like first impressions in dating. I'm terrible at both but I'm a kickass partner and writer. I deliver the goods. But don't ask me to sel...

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Liked by Oleg Mullayanov and one other

Jason Green
Developing LINE OF DEPARTURE — Cracking Act IV

Quick update on my feature LINE OF DEPARTURE, a supernatural survival film about an ODA team trapped in a jungle that doesn’t behave the way time should.

I’ve had the full concept in my head for a long time — the recursion, the emotional spine, the final image — but Act IV has always been the hardest...

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João Pimentel

Interessante, Parabéns!

Lindbergh Hollingsworth

Jason, it's called the scene weave (that's what I was told it was) because you're cross cutting. If you want the best example: Star Wars Return Of The Jedi. The final act is cross cutting between thre...

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Liked by Oleg Mullayanov and one other

Rowan Taylor-Laska
How to color 2K short film for a DCP output on Adobe Premiere Pro?

Does anyone have advice for coloring digital 2K footage on Adobe Premiere? I have done a lot of adjustment layers and color correction/grading previous to finding out the outcome will be a (likely 4K) DCP. How do I know what the final color will turn out like before screening? We are also experiment...

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Lindbergh Hollingsworth

Good question, Rowan! Do you have any post-prod facilities near you? Color correct with an DCP output is good, but you'll need a facility to check it for you. Even if it's 60 seconds as a test sample....

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Mike Boas

First thing I would recommend is exporting an XML of your film and color correcting in Davinci Resolve! it’s worth learning because, while I prefer to edit in premiere, resolve has better tools for co...

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