Screenwriting

I think vertical shorts are here to stay, Libby Wright. They've been becoming more and more popular, and I've been seeing more and more articles and posts about them. I'm looking forward to the webinar tomorrow!

Maurice Vaughan I think it sounds like it could be a really fun challenge to write a story that's compelling in such a different format!

It does sound like a really fun challenge, Libby Wright. I have some script ideas I might turn into vertical scripts. I might even turn some of my short scripts in verticals.

noob here, with my two cents’:

Vertical shorts - their limitations are hard to ignore. When episodes are constrained to just two or three minutes, very few scenes can be developed meaningfully. Most narratives—whether dramatic, comedic, or documentary—need breathing room, and slicing them into ultra-short segments rarely serves the content.

The forced narrowness of the vertical frame also works against how we naturally see the world. Our field of vision is inherently widescreen: we take in broad horizontal landscapes and wide contextual cues. A 16:9 frame captures this far better than the tall, cramped proportions of vertical video. Sweeping vistas, dynamic action, and multi-character scenes simply don’t translate well into a format designed around narrowness.

What’s more puzzling is that phones rotate. The hardware already supports horizontal viewing, yet vertical shorts persist. It’s a format better suited to a single talking head—like a news anchor or a vlog—than to any content that benefits from spatial depth or cinematic composition.

Your logline screams - TLDR (Too long, don't read). Try this:

"In a brutal world where animalistic vampires hunt at night, a group of college students, locked in a used book store, must survive the undead and each other until sun up."

Another very short Logline from Bill. It's kind of his trademark. It's almost there, Bill. At the moment it's more of a Tagline.

total noob here. as i understand it, an industry facing logline—meant to entice a producer—can contain some spoilers so that the entire concept is clear, correct? it’s not audience facing such that, for a movie with some twists, you’re basically only revealing what’s in the first act?

Yes James. That's also why I never post Loglines on a public forum; I put them in a pitch. Actually, I never post synopses or screenplays either.

thanks david! so for example if one of the kids locked in the shop in Bill’s post was secretly a vampire you definitely don’t want the audience to know but you probably want to spoiler that in a producer facing pitch?

THE SENTENCING.

Orange jumpsuit.

Handcuffs.

Bruised face.

Broken spirit.

“Zachary R. Jacobs…

sixteen years…

parole eligibility in nine.”

The gavel slams.

The sound echoes like a coffin lid closing.

A soft whisper from a guard:

“It’s gon’ be okay, baby… we got you.”

The cell door seals.

The buzzer shrieks.

Darkness.

Rook alone.

A leather-bound journal on his chest.

He closes his eyes.

Day 1 of 5,840.

Or maybe…

the day the King-Dom is born.

Hey, Matthew Wach. The story feels like a creepy, dark Psychological Thriller Crime story. There isn't a lot of worldbuilding.

Maurice Vaughan Appreciate the read, my friend — and you nailed the tone.

This teaser focuses intentionally on the psychological thriller/crime layer.

The worldbuilding is there, just in shadows for now — two of the three worlds actually fuse in this scene. That “comet” moment is the first hint.

The final third brings the full scope into view.

I’ll share that next. Thanks for the eyes — feel free to fire any questions my way.

You're welcome, Matthew Wach. "The worldbuilding is there, just in shadows for now." That works. Worldbuilding doesn't have to be big or happen all at once.

Maurice Vaughan Exactly — and that shadow gets deeper.

Two other worlds are brushing against this one… characters like Kyler and Rathe will make that impossible to ignore when the time comes.

I think it should be a balance for a movie that's based off IP, Holly Fouche. Fan service and making a movie for new viewers, which both could fall under "knowing your audience." I don't think fan service should get in the way of the writing and other parts of a movie.

I think maybe companies should listen to the fans and use fan interest or fandom as a way to do Market Research.

Kevin Hager Agreed! I mean, fandoms (typically) are the most loyal audiences to any IP-based project.

Anything that takes you out of the movie such as "Get away from her you bitch" in Alien Romulus - and he was my favorite character!

Congrats and good luck.

Great job by you!

Hi Shay. Great story with a lot going on. I like how you write as its very action packed and descriptive. I had one recommendation and that's with a show more than tell angle. For example: "Mina can feel the warmth of his body and the sincerity of his gesture." Since this is on screen how do we know Mina can feel the warmth of his body and his sincerity. I was thinking if Mina maybe looked at him in a certain way or showed the audience how she appreciates him or his gesture that would allow the audience to witness this feeling from Mina. I love the story. Definitely keeps your attention.

I'm looking for help with my script Dyslexia sucks . as for your story loved it had my PC read it to me . story Great .

Yesterday at BoFS’s table read I made connections with some wonderful actors and also got good constructive feedback. This week I’m hoping to write about 30 pages for Lunar Window and maybe also get started on the storyboards for Glass Waltz.

Maurice Vaughan Thank you, sir! Same to you! Super curious about the two horror scripts!

Banafsheh Esmailzadeh That's amazing! Rooting for all the wins!

You're welcome, Martin Graham. Thanks. The Horror Action script is kinda like The Purge with vampires.

Thank you Martin Graham :) I’m counting my wins because I’ve been pretty discouraged all week lol so I definitely appreciate your kind words :3

Pat, I turned in a comedy-drama-mystery called "Down to One."

Here's the logline: A single juror's painstaking caution forces her otherwise-preoccupied, totally-entrenched colleagues to carefully consider the evidence for a highly-informed decision in a murder trial in modern-day Charlotte, NC.

If you're an American and you've voted, chances are you've gone to a courthouse and sat on a jury. (My time came in the middle 1990s.)

Back in high school, the English Lit book our sophomore class read (1970-71) had Reginald Rose's "Twelve Angry Men" teleplay in it. Man, was I impressed!

Years later, I saw a rerun of the 1954 teleplay (originally on CBS' "Studio One") and the 1957 theatrical movie when TCM ran it. And when I first got into screenwriting and TV writing, I wanted to cook up a spoof.

And I wanted that spoof to feature an America that really looks like America.

A couple of years ago, I found out when North Carolina's Mecklenburg County decided to build a new courthouse, county officials turned to rank-and-file citizens for answers on how to get more people there fired up to serve on juries.

One major result: If you serve on a jury in the Charlotte area, they treat you to...free popcorn.

With all of that in mind, I set out to write something that can be described as "'Twelve Angry Men' meets 'Airplane!'"

I hope "Down to One" gets the job done...I had a ball writing it and submitting it. (Erika, I hope you enjoyed reading it!)

Hello!

My name is Shahara Marie Ruth.

I am a retired English Language Arts and Social Studies Educator. My work is a reflection of past and present experiences and observations regarding the complications of race and ethnicity in the United States Deep South and family connections.

I am excited to submit Redemption Song (A Town Explodes), a gripping and socially resonant drama that explores themes of love, identity, and the painful truths of a racially divided community. Based on true events and inspired by my family’s hidden history, this film weaves courtroom intensity with personal transformation to create a thought-provoking and emotionally charged narrative that exposes the hypocrisy of racism and the courage it takes to confront it.

Logline

In the racially divided town of Raidersville, Georgia, a shocking trial uncovers hidden truths about love, identity, and the tangled legacies of hate, forcing the community to confront its deepest prejudices. Amidst the chaos, a young interracial couple fights to protect their forbidden love and unborn child from a world determined to tear them apart.

Set in Raidersville, Georgia—a town where racial tensions are deeply rooted—Redemption Song follows Carter and Tiffany, an interracial teen couple whose love and unborn child become a flashpoint during a high-profile trial. When Bobby Lee Hall, an undercover member of the Ku Klux Klan, is charged with a violent crime, the proceedings unravel generations of hate, culminating in the revelation that the Klan’s leader, Colonel Whitaker, is descended from an African American slave. As secrets surface and the community fractures, Carter and Tiffany must fight to protect each other and the life they’re creating.

This emotionally charged story, reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird, A Time to Kill, and Just Mercy, is built around rich character development, layered storytelling, and shocking revelations. It is designed to resonate with audiences who are drawn to stories that challenge societal norms and uplift historically silenced voices. My own background as a Southerner, DNA researcher, and eyewitness to many of the real-life events depicted gives this story an authenticity and urgency that is both timely and necessary.

I believe Redemption Song (A Town Explodes) is an essential addition to the canon of socially conscious cinema—one that will spark meaningful conversations about race, legacy, and our shared humanity. I would be honored to explore how this project can be brought to the screen in collaboration with your team.

My previous work includes collaborations with the late Tommy Ford (Martin) and Charmin Lee (Girlfriends, The Chi) on my feature The Ancestors Live Here. You can view the sizzle reel for that project here:

https://youtu.be/2Pae_1VfL-A?si=HeSh1sirjnJf43j8

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to the opportunity to speak further about Redemption Song (A Town Explodes) and its potential to make a lasting impact.

Warm regards,

Shahara M. Ruth, M.Ed.

Hi. I'm Cecile George from Trinidad and Tobago, and I entered my feature script After 12.

After 12 is a female-driven psychological feature with magic realism and adult situations, sort of Promising Young Woman meets Pan’s Labyrinth. The title comes from a local saying by pedophiles that “after 12 is lunch”, meaning that a female is fair game for sexual advances once she turns 12.

A sexually abused teen summons an African protector deity to help stop her incestuous uncle who’s grooming her naive younger sister for prostitution.

14-year-old AYLANA REESE has been repeatedly raped for almost two years by her mother’s half-brother BLUES, whose bar Aylana reluctantly helps out at under her mother’s orders. Blues tries to reduce in his gambling debts by prostituting her to his creditor who also has an affinity for underage girls. But the MOKO JUMBIE, who is Aylana’s African ancestral spiritual protector, helps her to escape and she vows never to let Blues near her again.

Struggling to overcome her trauma, Aylana rejoins her late father’s indigenous martial arts troupe, now run by AMIT DAS, a concerned former student of her father. Amit turns out to be the only other person who can see Aylana’s Moko, but societal conventions and his own caution restrict what help he can fully offer. Aylana is also desperate to keep her needy pre-teen sister LISETTE away from Blues, afraid that he will start preying on her as well once she turns twelve in a couple of weeks. Like their mother, Lisette adores her Uncle Blues and won’t hear anything against him, even from Aylana.

But when their mother's impending migration requires her to leave the girls in Blues’ guardianship, Aylana has to make some hard decisions. And after a huge fight that drives Lisette into Blues’ clutches, Aylana is forced to again seek the Moko’s help to save her sister.

After 12 was a quarterfinalist in both the 2023 Nicholl Fellowship and the WeScreenplay Labs Competitions, a top 7% discoverable project on the now-defunct Coverfly.com, and has received a double-recommend from Stage32.

I personally know many people who were sexually abused as children. Since I work in Trinidad's heritage industry, I wanted to use local culture and folklore to illustrate the terrible things that can happen when people are consistently denied agency over their own bodies, and how folklore, properly purposed can help our youth battle against the darker aspects of society.

I'm excited about bringing After 12 to the screen because I think it's a film everyone needs to see, especially teenagers. Wishing everyone the best of luck!

Hey it's JVMWRITERS The Plot Twist Prince. I submitted two scripts

Undoc'D

Miguel... An aspiring screenwriter chasing his mother’s unfinished dream finds himself caught between a winning lottery ticket, deportation, a murder, and a September 11th deadline that forces him to question where he belongs, and who he truly is.

and

Sing For The Money

Truth... A gifted underground rapper in Oakland, pours her soul into her music while caring for her cancer-stricken mother, Nevaeh. Alongside her best friend and manager, Sage, she hustles to break into the industry.

Submitted my feature "Motherland".

A single transphobic mother, a major in the Russian police, travels to the Netherlands to investigate the death of her transgender refugee daughter and after that bury the remains in the motherland. Steeped in Russian state propaganda, she plunges into the complex and contradictory reality of Europe, only to discover that her daughter had taken her own life. Eventually, in order to go on living herself, she will have to acknowledge her responsibility for her daughter’s death, embark on the path of repentance, and accept her child after death as she was in life.

Thank you for sharing this. I’ve been working with a few actor/writer collaborators who are developing vertical dramas right now, and the note-giving process in this format is genuinely different. It’s been valuable to study how emotional beats land in shorter rhythm, how to maintain character POV in a compressed frame, and how the “hook engine” resets segment-to-segment. I’m spending a lot of time helping writers translate their voice into this structure without flattening what makes their storytelling unique. It’s a new muscle, but a very exciting one to build.

Interesting! Thank you for sharing!

Sebastian Tudores Appreciate the link. Is there any way I can send Ammon a few quick questions? We ran short on time during his lecture, and getting a few clarifications would really help me stay aligned with his direction.

MB Stevens hi! just catching up this week with my replies, so again - sorry I missed you appeals :( cheers

So excited for tomorrow :) Put all questions below for Ammon for the live Q + A!!

Holy crapy, this is how I feel.

What people don’t talk about enough is that in creation,

the real danger isn’t always the blatant plagiarism you can see coming.

No… the worst is the millimeter-perfect plagiarism.

That moment when someone doesn’t copy your words, but your breath.

They don’t take your sentence, they take your direction.

They don’t steal the text, they steal the dizziness that led you to write it.

You can have a pure idea, born in some quiet corner of the night,

and the following week you see someone show up with the same atmosphere,

the same intention, the same vibe…

not close enough to call it theft,

but far too similar to be a coincidence.

And there you are, powerless.

Because even if your work is protected,

its vibrations aren’t.

A vibe can’t be filed at a notary’s office.

The momentum, the color, the way you approach the world…

all of that can be taken without leaving a trace.

As CJ says, Dolf.

It’s the big fear, right? Put it out there and risk it, or don’t put it out there and risk it. I think as long as you’ve registered it with the copyright office (or the equivalent in your country), you’re good to go. I usually do WGA registration immediately after finishing a draft, then copyright once it’s in a full-on, ready-to-go state.

I’m always still hesitant, of course. That fear is natural. You pour so much work into something, and the thought of someone stealing it is horrible. But it doesn’t happen nearly as often as we fear. And if you plan on doing anything with it eventually, it has to leave your hard drive. Whether that’s here, a manager, an agent, or a production company, once you’ve got those protections in place and you’re smart about who you’re sending it to, you’ll be fine.

sharing my findings on what is the LIBRARY OF CONGRESS:

Foreign authors must register their work with the U.S. Copyright Office to gain the full spectrum of protections offered under U.S. law for:

- Unpublished works, regardless of the author's nationality.

- Works first published in the United States or in a country with which the U.S. has a copyright treaty.

- Works created by a citizen or domiciliary of a country that is a party to a U.S. copyright treaty.

While copyright protection for foreign authors is automatic in the U.S. due to treaties, formal registration is highly recommended. Registration provides significant benefits, such as establishing a public record of your ownership and being able to sue for statutory damages and attorney's fees in U.S. courts if infringement occurs.

Hi, Giacomo Knox. I see writers using the classic Warner Format and formatting scripts how they want to. I do both. I'm bigger on story than formatting.

Yes, congrats is it possible for you to attach it as a file? It's just me but I find it challenging to read this way.

Hii Paul Rivers Thanks for the kind words! It is a horror script :)

Ilanna Mandel Hii thanks! and I think it won't let me post the full pdf, not on here anyways :)

Shay Booth I have dyslexia too! I never liked reading or writing but in the past 5 years, I've written a couple of feature film screenplays and I don't know how many shorts. Now I actually really enjoy it, but I only got into it because I couldn't find someone to work with that would be able to write.

Well I still work with people who are awesome to take a look at my work and tell me where I've screwed up. But I would never call myself a screenwriter, I'm a writer director and the stuff I write is the stuff I want to make myself.

So don't let your dyslexia hold you back and believe that you've created something good.

Good luck going forward!

Good work - I really want to know what happens next!

There are a lot of things to do after receiving good feedback like this, but a good place to start may be to ask them. Who on their judging pannel read it? What potential did they see in it? How would they leverage it? If you have a group of people that have read and liked your script they'd be an excellent place to start.

Hi Craig Farlinger Congratulations! Like many others, I’d be interested in reading at least the logline and synopsis.

I still haven't found where on my profile I could upload the coverage pdf so that I can give a link to all of you. ​It would be very instructive for a lot of screenwriters. Very clear criteria.

Here is a google drive link to the coverage pdf: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P6cMwvH1e4B1vAzSGnSzrMh08jxwX75D/view?u...

Hi, Craig Farlinger. You can post your coverage pdf on your profile the same way you post a script. Click the gear symbol in the top right-hand corner and select “Edit profile” in the drop-down menu. Scroll down to “Loglines” and click “Add/edit loglines” to the right of “Loglines.” You can also post your coverage pdf on your profile this way: www.stage32.com/loglines (near the top where it says “Add a Logline”)