Trending Lounge Discussions

It's great to meet you Andrew Pacleb - so glad you're with us! Totally get where you're coming from in wanting to share what fuels your storytelling. As a husband and dad, I can totally relate. Here’s a great blog post for navigating Stage 32: www.stage32.com/blog/navigating-stage-32-for-your-best-experience-3095

Be sure to stop by the screenwriting lounge and get to know some of your fellow scribes: https://www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting

Thank you i will be checking these links out

You're very welcome Andrew Pacleb Welcome to Stage 32!

Welcome @Andrew. How exciting! You're in a great community to share your ideas and get feedback. I've learned that overtime you'll start to hash out your own process based on what works for you.

great question Suzanne Bronson - for me, I look at my job as having to find a way to justify every word in the script as if ...well, as if someone WOULD say that lol sometimes I've worked with directors that gave me some flexibility but, frankly, I always try to make the script work.

But, as you pointed out, sometimes the writer does leave justification gaps and then it's a journey. I once worked on a scene from a play I absolutely loved but had major trouble finding the character. When we presented it, the teacher basically said our scene 'didn't work' (nice for 'it sucked') but he did add "It's not totally your fault - it is a very badly written play." I still don't know how to feel about that haha

I have done some bad plays myself Sebastian Tudores We, the cast, just embraced the suck. We had fun even though there was hardly anyone in the audience and just enjoyed being on stage. Had to believe in the imaginary circumstances, and stay present or it wouldn't have worked.

Thank you Laura Hammer so much for sharing this incredible resource.

Great share Laura. We actually have a really great webinar on how to get noticed by Casting Directors that complements this perfectly! https://www.stage32.com/education/products/actors-how-to-get-noticed-by-...

Thank you Amanda Toney That's a great webinar! Lots of advice on ways to set yourself up for success in the audition.

Hi Sammy, my idea for my novels was borne when a huge turning point in my life, meant that I was suddenly living alone over 20 years ago - and had plenty of time to write the passion and frustration I felt, with just a ballpoint and some foolscap. My stories were based on erotic passion - and it wasn’t easy to bring them back into the daylight, all these years later, and adapt them as part of my first published novel, Forgetting Lorna Rose. I have applied for a TV drama and am busy writing a script, but have a series of four novels, so far. My days are spent bringing my characters to life - my study has become the favourite room in the house!

Brock’s Zesty Secret Sauce: Play close attention to Life and the human experience. LISTEN……EAVESDROP on conversations, mentally jot down dialogue that REALLY POPS! Transport them directly into appropriate scenes. I’m currently writing my 9th and final feature screenplay.

I worked hard to develop a unique story that has strong coverage as a prestige thriller. The characters are reflections of people who I encountered over a lifetime. Some didn’t make it as far as I have, so their appearance in the action is an homage to integrity and strength of character. Now it’s time to run the gauntlet, and see if a strong first draft can attract a creative team and attached talent to bring Lexi Balestra to life.

sometimes the story, maybe the inciting incident, is secondary to the journey.

I think it comes down to the story. I read a lot of produced scripts and some are written poorly but the story is really good. When I'm writing, I try to lock the story down first and then find the perfect protagonist to fit the story. Might be a mailman or an executive at a bank but it all hinges on the story.

Best film I think will go to ONE BATTLE and all the SINNERS fans will have a social-media heavy hissy fit about it. I think SINNERS would have won if they didn't bring in the vampires. Like WTF, they had a perfect historical drama going on and then they ruined it by bringing in a contrary genre that didn't add to theme or message. What a waste!

- Which film do you think will ultimately take Best Picture?

"One Battle ..."

- Which director feels most likely to win right now?

Coogler

- Are there any films in this list you think are underrated or flying under the radar?

Underrated, "Hamnet" and "Bugonia." Both fantastic. Jessie Buckley the favorite for Best Actress and rightfully. Amazing performance.

- And are there any surprises or potential upsets you could see happening?

No. Paint-by-numbers year.

- Curious to hear everyone’s predictions, favorites, fears, and uncertainties as the awards season conversation continues to take shape.

Lackluster year, probably a boring show. Hope O'Brien kills it. Most awards will go to "Sinners" or "One Battle ..." one of which was bailed out of after 20 minutes, one I didn't like much at all.

See ya at the Oscars!

Couldn't agree more @E Langley. Lackluster year. But haven't they all been lackluster for a long time? Very few classics are made anymore. RIP twentieth century (the century, not the studio)

Last year was better: Oscar Noms — Oppenheimer, American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, Barbie, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, Past Lives, Poor Things, The Zone of Interest.

Saw all, enjoyed all/thought some were great, for different reasons. Also saw way too many films last year that were bailed on within 20 minutes, or painfully endured to the end.

Love that they are creating new tools to help workflows.

I just posted about this too! It’s interesting to see how Ben Affleck has been ahead of the curve, keeping this in “stealth” mode for four years. I’m a bit confused, though, how does this not take away from creatives? The article says: “The InterPositive system builds an AI model based on an existing production’s dailies, then lets a filmmaker introduce that model into the postproduction process to provide the ability to do things like mix and color, relight shots, and add visual effects,” Affleck explained.

If the model can handle tasks like mixing, coloring, and adding VFX, isn’t that potentially displacing people who’ve spent countless hours and years mastering those skills? I’m trying to get on board or at least wrap my head around AI but I haven’t quite found the “bright side” yet, aside from automating mundane tasks.

Cyrus Sales In fact, it doesn't help creatives at all, IMO. It gives Netflix a way to get their fingers into the post for films that want to go to them. Given their history, where they do such things as reject people because their film wasn't shot on specific ultra-expensive cameras (a rule they only applied to indie filmmakers they weren't funding themselves), I would expect that they require your production use their tools to get onto their platforms. In the context of the trajectory from legal cartel to legal monopoly the MPA has traveled in the last decade, it makes sense. The only thing that independent filmmakers can do is go to alternative platforms. This is the logic behind our FilmPod platform launching this summer.

Shadow Dragu-Mihai Thanks for sharing your perspective. It’s a really interesting take on how these systems affect indie filmmakers. For me, it does seem to “ease the workload,” but I feel like that’s the whole point of the workload, to take time mastering your craft, creating art, and refining it. I feel like we’re losing sight of what it really means to create a film and instead focusing on the consumer dollar and how fast we can get there. I don’t know, maybe I’m just not so bent on change.

That said, I’d love to hear more about what you’re launching with FilmPod this summer. What kinds of features or support will it offer to help independent creators navigate these challenges?

Cyrus Sales I am going to say that IMO the only people losing site of what it really means to make a film are the host of wannabes making mediocre fight scenes with Tom Cruise images, etc. The rest of us know that gen AI is an animation tool and it still takes a dozen or a hundred collaborative creators to output a watchable film, even though some animation might be easier to do along the way. As for FlmPod, we'll be dropping some information and interface samples soon.

Rashcell Mercer, congratulations. Sharing your first feature screenplay concept is a huge milestone, and COMPUTER LOV3 sounds like a bold, timely idea. A psychological AI thriller that explores emotional evolution inside artificial intelligence is exactly the kind of concept that sparks curiosity in this community.

If you’d like to have your script or synopsis read by the community, you’re more than welcome to join us in the Stage 32 Euro/UK Coverage Report, happening Thursdays 12:30pm PT / 20:30pm GMT. It’s a supportive space where writers exchange notes, learn from each other, and grow their projects with real feedback.

And since you’re new, don’t forget you can grab your free month in the Writers’ Room. It’s the perfect place to get your work read, receive notes, and join conversations that sharpen your craft. The only thing we ask is that you also give notes on other writers’ work — it keeps the ecosystem generous and balanced.

Excited to see where COMPUTER LOV3 goes next and happy you’re here.

Thank you so much for that I'll go check it out now

Hi Rashcell, welcome! Your concept for COMPUTER LOV3 sounds fascinating — a psychological AI thriller with an emotional twist is such a timely and compelling idea. I’d love to hear more about your main character and the world you’re building. Looking forward to seeing how your story develops!

I came up with a similar idea for a series in which a person's relationship with their personal AI begs us to ask, "What about the people in this person's life?" I'd like to hear more about your idea and how you developed it. Yours sounds less like a comedy and more like a love story.

Two challenges— how to make it visual (not just a person talking to a computer screen), and how to make your story different from Her.

hello, i am interested in you film script. would love feedback on mine as well

Hey Leonard! I’d be interested in a read for read.

I’m currently working on a mystery TV pilot called Blackwood (about 30 pages). I’d be happy to read your feature and give feedback as well.

Let me know if you'd like to exchange scripts!

Congratulations, everyone!

Congratulations to all the writers mentioned! It's always inspiring to see scripts getting requested and moving forward. Wishing you all continued success and many more opportunities ahead.

Congratulations everyone!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU. THIS IS AMAZING !

CAN’T WAIT TO CATCH UP

Congratulations! A great milestone.

Dedicated to 101st Airborne Division and my father.

Thank him for his service

le financement :)

Ugo Balluet Great question. For me, the biggest challenge right now isn’t writing the script it’s finding the right producer or financing partner who truly believes in the project and wants to move it toward production.

I’ve completed a feature screenplay and have the logline, synopsis, and pitch materials ready, but getting the script in front of the right people and building those industry connections is definitely the toughest part at the moment.

I think many independent filmmakers face the same challenge: not just creating the work, but finding the pathway to actually get it made.