Trending Lounge Discussions

this is why I am writing TV shows instead. Easy access for the viewer, mostly.

My perspective. If Hollywood disappears, more room for people like me who do no-budget filming.

I don't live in USA. Here in Sweden, the film industry is subsidized by the taxpayers. Just as in many other countries. Every year, The Swedish Film Institute tell what prizes Swedish films have won abroad. Hardly bothering about the uneconomic production.

A few weeks ago, I asked the Swedish Film Institute how they would react if production companies use AI. They don't bother, as long as the result is artistic.

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Sharing so many of my colleagues and friends sentiments Bill Brock - I haven't been in quite a while but it's not the end. It's simply morphing into a different animal. And I couldn't stop creating even if I wanted to. And yes, there was a season where I did.

Michael Thorn Swing over to YouTube and type the title into the search box. It’s there.

I agree with Shadow, though on low budget films I’ve worked on as AD, that job fell to me.

Generally, it’s not that hard for a good writer to construct their script correctly the first time so very little needs changing.

Things I looked for were mostly consistency in naming locations. If you export a location list and find MARY’S HOUSE and SUBURBAN HOUSE are the same place, just fix it yourself. Don’t leave it to the next person to do.

Thats Hard Stuff. Great Insight. I can come up with a story line like no problem.. got like 600 of them.. but turning it to script is so much harder. Any of you want an idea to work on, just ask.. You guys work Magic.

So a story script can be thought of easily but the script writing is the hardest part, script writers work hard alot

So, basically a story script differs from a shooting script?

Thank you all for the different comments regarding the difference between the story script and a shooting script. Like most things in this business, there is no "fast and hard rule" about how, or when, to create a shooting script from a story script. However, a proper shooting script is essentially how the director "sees each scene visually," including scene transitions where needed. Keep in mind that the development of a shooting script takes place "over the entire pre-production period" as it is primarily based on the director's creative and logistical decisions that come from location scouts, the DOP's suggestions, and the 1st AD's input about the schedule.

Contact support on here. They're good at contacting the executive to see if there was a technical problem and re-schedule.

If that happens, I would definitely recommend reaching out to the Stage32 team and letting them know. They’re usually very helpful in situations like this and can often help reschedule the pitch session.

Interesting. Sounds like a real-time contained thriller. I'd read it.

That’s right up my alley!

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

Hi Yolanda, welcome. You’re definitely in the right place to learn, grow, and meet like-minded people. Wishing you all the best on your journey.

Hey Yolanda Perez welcome to the community. What inspires you to act?

Yolanda, have a great time. I'm a music publicist and writer in a wonderful New York City borough.

Abhijeet Aade Welcome! One way to navigate and get the best out of Stage 32 is to sift through the Lounge section and check out the conversations that resonate. The Blog section has lots of tips and tricks to both help you navigate the platform and the industry.

Debbie Elicksen Thank you for the advice, I appreciate it. I’ll definitely explore the Lounge and Blog sections more. It’s great to be part of the community and learn from the conversations here.

Hi, I love the title and I'm with you on the character-driven storytelling and simple yet meaningful moments, I like to think I've also written a few of those. Best of Luck with connections and getting your script read.

Georgina Bedford Hi Georgina, thank you so much for the kind words. I’m really glad you connect with character-driven storytelling as well. Those simple, meaningful moments between characters are often what stay with audiences the longest. Wishing you the best with your writing too, and I’d love to hear more about the projects you’re working on.

Great to meet you Eva Mathews - what an incredible service to offer for medical accuracy. Glad you're with us on Stage 32. Here’s a great blog post for navigating Stage 32: www.stage32.com/blog/navigating-stage-32-for-your-best-experience-3095

Hi Eva, what a coincidence. I just watched the movie "Not As A Stranger" yesterday from 1955 with Robert Mitchum and Olivia de Havilland. They spit out medical terms that flew over my head. Although the terminology may be outdated from that time period, medical jargon is a language unto itself. A bit of trivia-according to IMDB, Not As A Stranger is one of the first films showing a beating heart undergoing open-heart surgery.

Hi David Ramey Gordon Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Yes, social media can become very damaging for us, and we really need to be careful because not everything is what it seems.

Thanks forsharing your frustation John Fife. Are you editing without having a coverage report or after? It´s good to have other people opinion before editing in order to know exactly what to edit. I´ve been attending the Coverage Report sessions that Kay Ross presents here. Some are for USA residents and other for Europena residents because of Time Zone. I assure you it´s a very helpul decisin to make. You can email her teliing to want to participate. K.Ross@stage 32.com

Maria Caeiro Hi, thank you for sharing that. I completely agree in this industry there are many factors beyond the script itself that affect whether a project gets optioned or produced. The important thing is to keep improving the craft while also staying confident in our voice as writers.

Every script teaches us something new, and sometimes the right project just needs the right moment and the right people. Wishing you the best with your writing!

Maria Caeiro , you are correct. As with many aspects of my life the last 5 years, I am re-learning much about my place in the world and how to best optimize that.

Maria, I learned that not every gatekeeper likes the same written (or verbal) pitch.

Last year, I turned in my written pitch for "Got Any More Bullets, Sister?" to two different creatives on Stage 32. Nikki Bohm raved about the story I came up with...but questions about the cost of making this spoof of 1930s gangster films kept her from requesting the script.

On the other hand...Luke Kelly-Clyne went on to read the same written pitch and came away with that "meh" feeling. (And Luke's handled more big-budget productions than Nikki.)

Quite a thin line to tightrope when you're writing your own pitches.

I'm going to keep trying, though!

It looks like AI

SYED HAMMAD If you want to impress producers, don't use obvious AI generated images. Many of us don't want that in our pitch materials.

that sounds like a cool project. What inspired you to create it?

It started with a sense of geographical vertigo—that feeling when you wake up and for a split second, you don’t know where you are. I wanted to explore what happens to a human soul when the one thing we all rely on—our fixed place in space—becomes a variable. It’s about the brutal search for identity in a world that’s far more scripted than we dare to believe. Thanks for asking, Amanda. Would love to share more if it resonates.

projeto muito legal

This sounds very thought provoking. Are you giving any more away?;)

I try not to spill all the ink in the comments, Georgina, but I’ll give you this: imagine waking up every day in a place you’ve never been, with a life you didn’t lead, and a clock that’s ticking toward a truth that might destroy you. If you want to see how deep the paradox really goes, I’m happy to DM you the synopsis.

Great insights on crafting an unreliable protagonist. I like how the article explores the balance between psychology and controlled information—revealing just enough to keep the audience engaged while still maintaining mystery. Techniques like selective disclosure and contradictions can really deepen character complexity and keep viewers questioning what’s real.

https://wackyflip2.org/

Thank you Claudia Leonard.

Hi, my good friend Geoff Hall. We learn so much from it. As a filmmaker, could you share a moment that made you agree with this article?

Sandra Correia Hi Sandra, yes of course.

I have always gravitated toward big world stories, so Kubrick’s 2001 stood out for me as a kid, watching it at the local cinema with my dad. I think what settled in my soul was that the world’s we create don’t have to be small world parochial stories.

Spielberg - Close Encounters. It again has that grand vision, and has a great sense of wonderment, mythos and mystery, as well as scientific and technological aspects. It seems like an everyday family story, but then explodes into a universal tale.

Gatekeepers - In my mind, in the UK there’s an old boy’s network who are the gatekeepers and if your face or social standing doesn’t live up to theirs, then you are excluded from the industry. It doesn’t depend on talent and that’s why the UK film industry is in a bad way. In the end, elitism destroys the quality of films as well as people’s potential careers.

The only qualification should be the script. If it’s good make it or get out of my way. (Sorry, sounding off there!)

Sandra Correia That's why the PUNC program at stagescreen.org is hands-on, on actual productions.

Shadow Dragu-Mihai Hi Shadow, I’ve checked out the PUNC programme, but alas the age limit is capped at 40 years of age. I’m way beyond this, so don’t qualify for it. Which at my time of life appears ageist.

Geoff Hall The PUNC program actually is not capped at any age, those are just guidelines. Our oldest program member right now is in mid-50s and has three seasons of an unscripted series behind him. Also, the curriculum itself (ie the non-hands on set work) will be shortly available for anyone, and the IPG and SSI will provide a Producer's Certification as well. That's been a long time coming, and will be the only coursework overseen by a professional guild for producers.