Wardaan T's Lounge Discussions

Hi Aubrey Grace Tomlinson! Just looked up your email sent today and we'll get back to you as soon as we reach out to this executive to find out what's going on. Thanks for your patience!

I had a so-called "executive" request a script in August 2022. Still "waiting" to hear (not really). Requested a follow-up from Stage 32 a year ago. Still "waiting" to hear (not really). Can hardly wait to hear back from the three "professionals" who, post pitch, requested the same script in 2023 (not really).

Michael Elliot: Stage 32 boasts over a million members. I'm sure personal individual customer service is absolutely impossible for that many people without a staff/sub-contractors in the hundreds of thousands: numbers count. But, if each member pays somebody $35.00 US for a service, the company has made a tidy profit. Some will drop out, some will be satisfied and pay again and again, making up for those drop outs. We're here (what? give up show business?!), and even if we aren't delighted, we like the folks here and want to participate. I've learned a lot just from the posts and reactions. Thank heavens, it's a website, and not a weighing station for my soul.

I agree it's probably too unwieldy. But, if you're going to grow to that size, you should have the infrastructure in place to support the membership. I believe they do an above average job of handling customer issues. And it's not their fault if the professionals don't act like professionals. It's like the old gambling phrase, "you pay your money and you take your chances".

My experience has been that these times vary in terms of how long before you get feedback etc. Some have taken a month or so others two weeks

Vincent Turner for VFX. YES, pre-graded plates also work.

This is really cool and interesting. Will share with some folks I know who have been trying to figure out how to produce animated features. Thanks, Kumar Sambhav!

Many thanks Sam Sokolow really appreciate it.

Wonderfully written article, Kumar, I liked that you mentioned the examples of Chhota Bheem and Arjun. Green Gold Animation has been using this technique since its inception; they are efficiently producing animation at a low cost. You could have elaborated on it. It's nice to read such insights from you. Well done.

Wardaan T Thank you

Congrats, Rachel!

Hi Steven!! Thank You so much!! :-) Have a wonderful evening!!

Fantastic to have you here, Rachel!

Thank You so much Richard!! It's great to be here!! Have a beautiful day Richard!! Rachel:-)!!

You too, Rachel!

Thanks for posting. I am working with a Ukranian director at the moment, and she is also separately working on a doc about the war, which is also arts-related.

How did you get involved with the subject?

What a beautiful, moving film. Congratulations Nick Waters

Happy to watch it. Thanks Nick.

Congratulations, Nick Waters!

This is awesome, congrats Nick Waters!!

You're welcome, Yulia Buzhinskaya.

Congrats and Welcome, Yulia! :)

Hello Yulia Buzhinskaya Welcome to Stage 32 and so nice of you to offer to help others. Thank you for being here.

Hi Yulia, nice to meet you here.

Nice to meet you Yulia Buzhinskaya! Feel free to reach out to our education team directly at edu@stage32.com for help navigating our education on Stage 32!

Godspeed to everyone! Blessings!

Congratulations on the requests, everyone!

A Big Hello to all my fellow Screen Writers.

Many congratulations! Stage 32 rocks!!!

Wow! That's so awesome and exciting!! Congratulations everyone! :)

We will have to find out a key.

Craig, gatekeepers are everywhere....just we, common people refer to them as "job interviews"...

Finding a gatekeeper who resonates with ones screenplay/story and passes it on is like finding a needle in a haystack. What keeps most of us going is the idea that there is a needle out there, somewhere, waiting for our submission.

Thanks everyone.

Dan G, as you know. That is my wheel house. I am writing something with a larger budget at the moment, feels strange.

Dan MaXx, the point is he put a mechanism in place to stop the flow of screenplays coming to him. When someone is in demand, like McQueen was for a studio or producers are for us, they need to protect their time. It was a good example I thought.

The one thing which lets us find needles and unlock gates is quality. Or something more importantly represents value to the buyer. Now that is a big conversation to be had.

There are a few crucial elements that can break you past the gatekeepers in Hollywood. The first is a skill for negotiation – the ability to navigate not only financial aspects but also tricky situations. Skillful negotiation can open doors and help you find your footing in the industry. Secondly, networking is a cornerstone of success. Asking a simple yet powerful question, "Is there anyone important you think I should meet in the industry?" has proven to me to be remarkably effective. This inquiry has the potential to connect you with influential figures who can further your career. I also like linking up with actors you encounter and involving them in your project can be a fantastic way to gain momentum. Lastly, consistent questioning is key. To uncover and overcome objections and rejections, inquire, adapt, and persist. Hollywood rewards those who keep asking, keep learning, and keep pushing forward. When you connect to her Actor, you never know they could start in low budget movies, and wind up getting the big role. Relationships are superior to everything else. Relationships speak volumes. Rutger Oosterhoff Alexa Bisrat Geoff Hall Mike Boas Jack Binder

Congrats, Nora! I've used Stage 32's Script Coverage Services on two separate projects, and the feedback I received both times was absolutely invaluable. Highly Recommend.

Send it my way :) jclemens415@gmail.com

I'll read for you.

Doh! I assumed we could DM scripts on S32 Nora O'Dea, oops!

mark_inglese@hotmail.com

Congrats for finishing your script. I can review it.

Hold your horses guys, I have produced 8 films till date ,show runner of two series and have two credits of writing too

Maria Restivo Glassner Already done with log line

Dan MaxXx Five page story is ready, as it's based on real events in history

Main track is there , issue is creating sub tracks and first scene / episode

If we talk about GOT , one needed to watch at least 6 episodes to get hooked to it , introducing new characters is also a tricky issue , I want things to be lean

Key is to start with single track and open other later or simultaneously?

Man from Earth, it is a lovely film!

Para que direção é essa pergunta ?

I apologize, Mukesh Radha Krishna Tak. I didn't see your credits on your profile, so I didn't know you had experience as a producer, showrunner, and writer. Maybe start the series with the A Story, B Story, and one or two subplots, then as the series goes along, you can add more subplots. What could help is outlining the series and figuring out when each subplot starts and ends.

I usually get hooked on the stimulation of multiple plots coming together by the end of a pilot in epic/historic worlds, but from what you describe i say go for the single track. Since you want to jump in time and location and anchor on the object and allegory, which seems what is compelling and unique in this space - it opens up a lot more to where you can take us if you really slow burn let us really get it in the pilot. Thing is you have to then make the world and whatever first character you introduce and the power of that object absolutely mezmorizing so we are dying to follow it wherever it goes next. You need to give us a whole film in a world dripping with originality in the pilot. Give us that in depth and then end with the tease for where the object goes next. Now we know more than they do and we want to see/read more, and we are fully educated on the stakes/norms/intent from the start.

Great info Kumar Sambhav

Any recommendations for beginner tutorials on using grease pencil for 2D in Blender? The first few tuts I found were assuming the audience already knew how to use Blender for 3D.

Mike Boas its pretty much youtube and blender community that helped us a lot , The show we worked on is not via grease pencil , its just toon shading, but grease pencil has its own charm here i found one -https://youtu.be/nZyB30-xZFs?si=s06Jl_LL7P5M5X9m ,please join belnder communities on discord they are literally very helpful.

Looks good! Kumar Sambhav

Looks nice

Welcome to the community, Kalyan Sura. Impressive resume! Congratulations on all your success!!! What was your favorite project to work on?

Very cool Kalyan Sura ! Glad you're with us. What are you working on now?

Great work Keylan! AND LOVE INDIA... had an amazing past life there!

HI Maurice!! Miss seeing all your likes!! Had problems logging in... I had 2 different log ins... apparently I created? Not sure, if that was the real issue. SO MUCH for creating... it gets confusing after a while! LOL -

Welcome back, Sherri ZImmerman! Glad you were able to log in again.

Bravo !!

Congratulations, Kevin J. Howard! :D

Thank you so much, Stephanie Munch!! I'm so sorry it took me so long to respond.

Wow, congrats !!

Thank you so much, Jay Owens!!

Thanks! Yeah, it's a bit of an homage to the classic hero storylines with a bit of a generational conflict between younger agents reforming the Corps. with the changing times. Both generations build a rapport in trying to coexist, understand each other's values, and carry out their duties. It's a very relevant story for today's social and political climate. But also, there's a ton of action, fight scenes, space battles, witty dialogue, emotional moments, and even (hopefully) laugh out loud jokes.

This is Superb !!!

Thank you! It's a lot of work, but it's worth it.

I love the art work

what a fun project!

Hey Leotien. I messaged you on stage 32. I think I have it figured out. Turns out we can zoom and have someone join via Skype. So we good to go!!!

Leotien could this help? discord.gg/discord-linux

Also, I posted a link for Marvin and sent you a test invite to pumble to see if that is a viable alternative for you guys.

Hey Robert, thanks of course I can try but Marvin had already found out that Linux does not support Discord. Besides, I didn see that test invite.

Hey Robert, is it the idea that I sign in to pumble to find your test invite? I haven´t heard form Marvin yet. As for the discord-linux link, this one is for basic use only for free, So, I´ve my doubts to subscribe to that alternative..

Netflix generally licenses content for a fixed fee unless another deal is negotiated. The copyright laws of some EU countries also require further compensation for creators and others on productions in those countries based on viewers who complete watching of a series.

Royalties would be collected on behalf of all profit participants by a collection agency such as Fintage House based on the film’s contractual recoupment schedule.

I see a danger in dealing with such OTTs who pays a fixed amount and takes all rights for perpetuity.

Definitely not my brother, I don’t associate with such type of people. He’s really hurt the sentiments of the refugee and Muslim communities that I work with.

You may also want to check out ForFreedoms - it's a non-profit that works with artists to create change: https://forfreedoms.org/ I think you'll dig them and their work - and maybe vice versa? Best of luck!

Hi! Your friendly Stage 32 Community Manager here to remind you that Stage 32 does not tolerate any personal attacks, bigotry, or hate speech. If you cannot disagree with civil discourse, then please find another social media site to write out all of your thoughts.

We are all here to grow and learn, neither of which can happen when we use language that shuts others down. Rohit Kumar - did you consider asking Gayatri to further explain what she meant by "Democratic Filmmaking" before you launched into your defense against it? That would be my suggestion to you for future comments - approach with curiosity before you jump to defend.

Furthermore, I have to ask you, Rohit - if you do not approve of the "democratizing of the industry", then what is your opinion of Stage 32, where it has been repeatedly stated that that is exactly what we're doing here? Here is a recent blog and RB speaking on the topic in several articles about how the industry is not accessible to everyone equally (which is the point of "democratic" - one person, one vote; so it stands to reason that "democratic filmmaking" would mean "every person has a chance to make films"): https://www.stage32.com/blog/Voyage-LA-Exploring-Life-and-Business-with-...

Thank you all for continuing to discuss with civility the very important subject of how we make films, as it is just as much a reflection of who we are as the films we make.

Karen "Kay" Ross Thanks so much for sharing that site with me! Seems super interesting.

Katyayani Kumar I encourage you to change the world with the passion you clearly have. Create your democratic film initiative. That's what film is about, and that fact that you are driven to express yourself through this medium means that you can and should use it to make the positive change you want to see. However, understand that this is your path, no one else's. I frankly don't know who the video is aimed at, as independent filmmakers don't make much money and struggle to get their message out, and mainstream is simply entertainment. But I do see your passion for change. The assumption that filmmaking isn't already a democratic exercise is, IMO erroneous and I mean no disrespect at all in saying this. Filmmaking is human expression, pure and simple, and that is a democratic function already. The idea that fimmakers should engage in CSR is specious - they are by definition already engaging in CSR by the very act of expressing their views to the world. I understand railing against corporate interests, but that has nothing to do with filmmaking, it has to do with the same structure of abuse you are hoping to address. Film is merely a medium for your important message and since it is, in fact, a democratic process already, the only one who can stop you, is you.

This is a fantastic find, thank you for sharing! How did you find this? Or rather - are you seeking advice on financing, or did you just chance upon it?

I kind of happened across it. I've been doing some self-homework about filmmaking because I realized that my vision for the stories I'm coming up with are larger than just being a screenwriter. What I mean is that if I keep giving my ideas to someone else to do, then it'll be their idea instead. So, I've been learning about camera shots and editing and financing in my off time just to have a better idea of what I need to know. And I figure if it helps me, it might help someone else too.

Thanks for sharing Tony, the panel looks great. Good one!

Thank you so much for sharing Tony, I'm following the same path so it's very helpful

Hi Jodi I use Final Draft, and I have to say its amazing. It really puts things in order, its sets up Beats, and allows you to create character backgrounds. Its is a great investment in my opinion.

Thank you for posting the question, Jodi. I'm getting ready to take the FD plunge as well. As I was about to hit the button of no return, I decided to first tap into the collected wisdom on Stage 32, where I'm never disappointed. I didn't even have to type out the question.

These days I am using MS Word for my script writing. It is easy to format your MS Word into a Script Writing program using this link: https://www.awn.com/blog/how-turn-microsoft-word-terrific-screenwriting-...

In MS Word, I can use Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, etc whatever fonts you like, using Google Input tools, and you can easily save it as a PDF.

Marli J Monroe you're welcome--if you are a student or educator you can get an educator discount on FD--just FYI!

I use Fade In. Very easy to use and collaborate.

This is a great discussion. My last two scripts have been 103 and 105. Now I think it might be wise for me to go back into them and make some more cuts. Now that I have become desensitized to murdering "my darlings" it's so much easier to cut the length. In one of my scripts that I wound up cutting 12 pages from the original.

Some of the contests I've entered believe a 100-page script is light. I try to stay above 100 pages if at all possible.

To quote Hitchcock: "The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder."

Oh, and I was unnecessarily worried about my script 'Dilemma in the Dundakaranya'; it is just 65 pages long!

I think back to the days of VHS. There were 3 films that come to mind that had to be split up onto 2 tapes because of their length: Titanic, Braveheart, and The Green Mile. All three of them had major star power, but they also had great stories to them as well. I think that would possibly the flip side to the showings-per-day argument: if you have a 3-hour film showing 4-5 times a day, and those theaters are all sold out, then you'll make more money than if you show several other features with theaters only half-full or worse.

Streaming is potentially changing that game, but you have to have a great story to begin with either way.