Trending Lounge Discussions

The hottest discussions in the Stage 32 Lounge.

Liked by Oleg Mullayanov

David Veal
What Makes A Good Short Film

I'm in a local screenwriting group. Sometimes we begin our bi-monthly meetings with topics of interest. A topic coming up is titled, "Making a Good Short." (It's a meetup.com and we meet at a cafe. There's no charge, it is a free group, open to all local writers.)

Since the group are screenwriters of...

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Bill Albert

I think the first goal of short film scripts is to stay focused as much as possible. Don't get carried away on the story or characters.

David Veal

Bill Albert I agree. It seems like some of the 5 minute shorts focus, but longer ones may pack in one too many added ideas, and that takes the audience a moment to digest....

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Liked by Oleg Mullayanov and 2 others

Peter D. Marshall
14 Examples of Context in Movies (pt1)

1. Cultural Assimilation: The challenges of navigating between two cultures can offer a rich context for character development and storytelling. In "The Joy Luck Club", the experiences of Chinese-American women and their immigrant mothers are shaped by the cultural tension between traditional Chines...

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Abhijeet Aade

Peter D. Marshall Great breakdown—this really highlights how context isn’t just background, it’s active storytelling.

What I like most here is how each example shows context shaping character decisions...

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Sandra Michelle

Great breakdown—this really highlights how context isn’t just background, it’s active storytelling.

What I like most here is how each example shows context shaping character decisions, not just atmos...

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Liked by Jim Boston and 19 others

Jaz Lagrimas
QUARTERFINALISTS ANNOUNCED: Stage 32's 3rd Annual Period Piece Screenwriting Contest

Congratulations to all the Quarterfinalists in this year's Period Piece Screenwriting Contest!

Let's show them our support, and if you're placed, tell us more about your scripts!

See the Quarterfinalists here: https://www.stage32.com/happy-writers/contests/3rd-Annual-Period-Piece-S......

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Robby Schwartz

Exciting day. Pumped that "Yankee" made the cut. Congrats to all who made the quarterfinals! These next two weeks are gonna feel like forever. Keep pushing.

Paulo Henrique Pessoa

“Quarterfinalist – Stage 32 Period Piece Contest

THE HUB

How cool is that?

Jonathan Fear

Congrats to all the quarter finalists. Somehow managed to sneak 2 in. First Spear - A hardened Roman centurion races to seize a hidden treasury while a corrupt general, an enemy spy, and his past turn...

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Jonathan Fear

Congrats to all quarter finalists. Somehow managed to sneak two in. First Spear - A Roman centurion hunts a hidden treasury as betrayal, espionage, and guilt close in, and Selection - In WWI Belgium,...

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Abhijeet Aade

Jaz Lagrimas Big congratulations to all the Quarterfinalists! Period pieces are never easy they demand such depth in world-building, authenticity, and storytelling, so this is a huge achievement.

Would...

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Liked by Chidera Emmanuel and 3 others

Chidera Emmanuel
My goal

Please support"Chasing Light" project which follows three inseparable friends whose lives intertwine in unexpected ways as they create "New Light", an innovative app offering second chances to those haunted by past mistakes. As they navigate love, family secrets, and personal demons, they're forced...

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Crowdfunding Campaigns
Crowdfunding Campaigns
Naijafund Crowdfunding Campaigns by fundraisers raising money for causes. Nigerians and Africans raise money to fund their dreams.
Jores Philippe, Jr.

Hi Chidera, this is a very interesting project. Good luck with your campaign. I'm a writer-director based in New York. I'm in pre-production on a bilingual narrative short called The Hands That Beat T...

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Chidera Emmanuel

Sure , thanks for reaching out am also working on chasing Light it tough because it's a series about 10 Episode

Liked by Faraj Jaballa and 3 others

Ana Cristina Rodrigues
Emotional Truth in Performance

I believe the most powerful performances come from emotional truth. When an actor fully understands the character’s inner world, every reaction feels natural and authentic on screen.

Timothy Miller

that is very true, having the understanding of the characters emotions and acting on those emotions can bring to light a better acting performance.

making things more natural and having a better flow with the performance.

Monette Bebow-Reinhard

I've always thought the best way to act was to make sense of what the character is feeling in a given situation. Understand motives to understand reactions.

Liked by Ayesha Simra and 5 others

Leander D'Silva
I'm Leander D'Silva - 28 M, aspiring filmmaker here who needs a lil' guidance and clarity.

Hey Stage 32 FAM, my name is Leander D'Silva. I am a content writer and creative strategist based in Mumbai who is also developing his first feature film screenplay, and I am in the middle of a career transition into film production and creative development.

So my career has been somewhat of a journe...

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Amanda Toney

What and awesome background Leander D'Silva ! I totally understand that you are trying different things to figure out what your path is creatively. That’s totally normal. As far as your creativity, no...

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Lauren Hackney

Welcome! I hope you get everything you need out of this platform. The blogs are great and Geoff F. gives a serious amount of weekly insider intel to keep us all informed as to what is happening in the industry. Also, the Open Houses are good to attend so keep an eye out for those. Cheers!

Ayesha Simra

Hey Leander, welcome! That sounds like quite a journey, especially the shift toward script development and production.

Also really interesting that you’re focusing on horror within Indian subcultures and folklore.

All the best with your screenplay and the transition!

Liked by Joshua Young and 12 others

Alicia Charette
New Here! - Reality TV Pitch

Hey everyone,

I’m new here and really excited to be in a community where we all get what makes a story truly shine.

I stumbled upon something I truly believe is made for TV—a family that feels completely authentic, without the polished, scripted feel. It’s the kind of dynamic that just can’t be create...

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Joshua Young

Welcome in, Alicia. The energy is great, but here's the thing that trips up a lot of first-time unscripted pitchers: in this space, the idea is almost never enough on its own. Producers hear "amazing...

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Alicia Charette

Hi Joshua Young ! Thank you soo much for the advice and recommendations! Everything you said makes perfect sense! That’s currently my main goal right now, providing the ‘evidence’ to show how much thi...

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Alicia Charette

This is the link to the sizzle reel!

I would love any feedback, thoughts, etc!...

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Laura Notarianni

I'm going to echo some of the folks above, Alicia! Welcome!! I'm mostly focused on scripted but spent several years in reality. Such a fun, chaotic medium! Great instinct on leaning into authenticity....

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Whitney Davis

Alicia Charette thank you for sharing your project. Alternative/ Reality is such a different beast but the characters and storytelling is still incredibly important. Echoing Geoff you def need a sizzl...

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Liked by Vladimir Romantsev and 10 others

Ananya Maity
Finally stepping out of the shadows

Hi everyone!

After lurking here for a few days, I’ve finally worked up the courage to post in 'Introduce Yourself'. So… here goes nothing!

I’m an ex-corporate girl, early 30s. After nearly seven years in the corporate world, I finally quit last year to focus on writing. I’ve always been deeply curiou...

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Whitney Davis

Oh now this is the post! Congratulations on prioritizing your stories! You’re my favorite type of storyteller. You know all about risks and chased down your purpose. Find me on the exec services side if you ever need support in your journey! I’m here for you.

Darrell Pennington

Welcome Ananya Maity what an exciting transition. I did the same in 2024 and have been travelling the world since, writing my projects. I can't imagine not having done it now even though I wondered if...

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Paul Sokal

Welcome Ananya.. Wish I had your courage.

Abhijeet Aade

Ananya Maity Welcome and honestly, that’s a big step stepping away from something stable to follow writing seriously.

I like what you said about writing becoming your comfort zone that usually means yo...

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Liked by Oleg Mullayanov and one other

Jack Teague
A win, Quarterfinalist in Stage 32's Period Piece Screenwriting Contest

Hi all,

In the email announcing the Quarterfinalist selection for my female-driven, drama feature adaptation of Mary Welsh Hemingway's autobiography, we are encouraged to post the news here. Hope everyone is having a fantastic, productive, weekend. Set those keyboards on fire! :)

Paul Sokal

Congrats, Jack!

Sandra Michelle

I’m an independent book editor and translator . I work closely with authors who want their manuscripts to feel polished, professional, and truly ready for readers, not just “edited" but refined with c...

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Liked by Terence Barnes and 10 others

Kat Spencer
Do You Write Better Calm… or Chaotic?

Do you write better when you feel:

A) Calm, clear, and grounded

B) Emotional, messy, and in the middle of it

Both create very different kinds of writing.

Which one produces your best work?

Linda Bjork Gudrunardottir

Calm, clear and grounded, definitely. If chaotic, I cannot focus... :/

Abhijeet Aade

Kat Spencer For me, it’s a mix but if I had to choose, I’d say B: emotional and in the middle of it. That chaos brings out raw, honest ideas that feel real.

But the calm phase is where I shape it, refi...

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Kris Foye

Abhijeet Aade That's a fantastic way of putting it.

Darrell Pennington

Kris Foye I love bluegrass, I'm from the area where it originated so it's probably part of nurture rather than nature but if you love Celtic or Americana music I think you will like it. If I might sug...

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Kris Foye

Darrell Pennington Ok thanks so much for this, I do like Celtic music. In fact I used to listen to some during my creative process. I'm going to make my way through these name and educate myself prope...

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Liked by Lauren Hackney and 4 others

Candace Cunningham
Prequel script idea for my book adaptation (All rights reserved)

 In the whirlwind world of local celebrity, love can often feel like a double-edged sword. I found myself married to rapper" Omaha Street$", an underground rapper whose life seemed like a constant parade of fame, fortune, and chaos. Behind the glitz and glamour, however, lay a darker narrative that...

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Jeff Gregory

Have you registered any copyrights?

Candace Cunningham

yes

Liked by Robert Gill and 7 others

Nicholas Burton
Got my first placement in a film festival

Hi all,

I entered my first TV comedy pilot into Lit Laughs International Comedy Film Festival, in Yorkshire, UK, a few months ago. I just received email notification that I placed as a Semi-Finalist.

I am so excited about this because it's my first placement of any kind in a competition or festival.

I'...

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Carolyn Wright

well done! The world needs more laughter! Thanks for making that happen!

Michael Dzurak

Congrats on the milestone!

Paul Sokal

That's awesome. Congrats!

Whitney Davis

Go head with your bad self!

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