Hi, everyone! I'm new to Stage 32 -- this is my first Lounge post -- and I'd love to connect with other established and emerging writers, script consultants and storytellers. I'm a NJ native and transplanted New Yorker now living in Florida with my husband and 5-year-old son. (I sometimes miss the seasons, but not being numb in my toes and trekking through slush.) After a decade covering crime stories as a reporter, I've turned my focus to film and pop culture. I love exploring the stories around film, whether I'm writing about a filmography, our favorite "guilty pleasure" movies ("Sahara," "Blue Crush"), or delving into how film robots push our buttons with cuteness (Baymax of “Big Hero 6”) versus creepiness (“Metropolis” or "Ex Machina”). I've also made a short film, "The Guardian," about a three-inch-tall protective ninja, and wrote an in-depth ebook about one of my favorite series, TNT's "The Closer." Being a journalist for so long gives me a great sense of story -- I find a lot of parallels between a lede and a logline -- and I've enjoyed sharing that as an emerging script consultant and story analyst with the Florida Film Network and the Tampa-area group Screenwriters of Tomorrow. (Three of our writers who asked me to review their work before pitch fests have secured representation.) I get a kick out of telling my own stories and being part of that behind-the-scenes magic and drive that helps other stories come to life. If you have an opportunity or story to share, let me know. Cheers, Valerie
Hello, Miss Valerie, Nice to meet you. Forgive my ignorance, But what is a lede and a logline?
Welcome to Stage 32, Valerie!
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Hi, Bruce. A lede (pronounced "lead") is the paragraph in a news story that answers what readers immediately want to know: who, what, where, when, why and how. (Like this one out of Broward County: "Wildlife officials have captured a 7-foot alligator found roaming the soccer field at a South Florida elementary school.") It's often the first paragraph, but it can fall later. A logline is one sentence that describes the story in your screenplay, like this for "Silence of the Lambs": A young F.B.I. cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims. (That's the description from Internet Movie Database, or IMDB.com. Good resource if you're not familiar with it.)
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Thanks, Jake!
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You're welcome, Valerie!