Screenwriting

Here's a post about Scrybe from a month ago, Jim Ramsay: www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/Scrybe

Thanks, Maurice. Got it.

You're welcome, Jim Ramsay.

Hadn't heard of this site before. I see it's got a limited number of comps listed. Unless there's a cost advantage, I'd be inclined to enter a comp directly or through filmfreeway which has a vast cornucopia of comps.

Congratulations(!!!); these are actually your results to live out now! (huge smile)

Awesome Job, Tony!!!

Congratulations

Congrats to Tony! I got next…

Congrats!

I'm so glad you shared this Ashley Renee Smith because yours is one of the most powerful examples I know, of the drive that is behind why we write. And it's those pieces that are coming together through the journey to heal that not only helps us process but inches others upwards in the healing journey they may be on - nuances that will resonate. It's when something we see or hear resonates, that we know we're not alone in the journey.

Coming to this creative pursuit later in life I find that I personally have a lot to say and specific viewpoints to articulate. Not (at least I hope) in a preachy or even persuasive way, but intentionally presenting a point of view that is meant to provoke thought. So at least to date I find that lots of me are in every story I write and in many of the characters I create.

Leonardo Ramirez 2 no need to be

Love that @Maurice

I agree Ashley Renee Smith. I believe it is also for the same reason writers have such a hard time accepting feedback without taking it personally, especially in the beginning. We leave so much of ourselves in our projects that feedback feels like a personal attack, and we find ourselves defending our choices for this or that in our work, instead of removing our attachment to it and listening/hearing the feedback with an unbiased ear.

Hi,

I submitted my screenplay, "Fancy":

Logline: In 19th Century New Orleans, a privileged Creole girl learns her lineage affords her advantages. But those come at the cost of providing "special" services.

Genre: Drama (Period Piece)

This script placed previously in two different contests and received positive feedback. My limited pitch deck can be found on LAL Scribes on YouTube.

I really appreciate the opportunity to showcase my talent to Color Farm Media. Thanks, as usual Stage 32!!!

Hello All!

Is love a chemical reaction we can control, or is it a variable we just have to survive? That is the central question in my new script, The Perfect Kisser (genre: Rom-Com).

We’ve all seen the "opposites attract" trope, but I wanted to dig deeper into why we build walls around our hearts. This isn't just a story about a boy meeting a girl; it's about a woman who tries to solve romance like a math problem, and the man who throws out her calculator.

Here is a closer look at the characters, the comedy, and the heart of the story.

The Premise: Can You Automate Chemistry?

The story follows Joey Baker, a 27-year-old cosmetic chemist known in her industry as the "Lip Gloss Goddess". Joey is brilliant, but she’s scared. After witnessing her mother’s heartbreak and growing up without her father, she decided she would never make the same mistakes.

Her solution? The Kiss Criteria.

Joey has developed a data-driven formula to quantify what makes a partner perfect. She believes that if she can control the variables—eye contact, breath sync, the approach—she can guarantee the outcome.

The Heart of the Story

At its core, The Perfect Kisser explores the relationship between Joey and her mother, Sharon. Their strained relationship comes to a head when Sharon admits that her own fear of vulnerability taught Joey to hide behind science.

Ultimately, Joey has to learn what Julian knew all along: You can’t automate chemistry. The "perfect kiss" isn't about scorekeeping or technique; it's about being brave enough to be vulnerable.

Hello,

I’m Artemis.

I am a screenwriter, author and poet.

I submitted my screenplay “The Value of Blood “ which is a Thriller about Simetra Thomas, an office manager at a hospital being accused of murdering her brother. While trying to clear her name she discovers that the hospital which should have been a place to go for help and feel safe, is the most unsafe place in the world.

Simetra’s task is to stay one step ahead of her brother’s killer as she is his next target.

The story is a marriage between “Erin Brockovich”meets “The Fugitive .” It was born from my experience with my brother being left in a coma after a terrible automobile accident. It was a way to let out my feelings about treatments patients receive in hospitals and in long term care facilities when they have no advocate to ensure their care. Also the story sheds light on how easily people accept what is done to them and never look at the bill to see what they are paying for. Only when the insurance company refuses to pay for a treatment do they have a problem.

What I like most about the story is that it’s a possible what if scenario

wrapped up in this fast paced murder mystery.

My strong female lead experiences betrayal and doesn’t know who to trust as she fights for justice and to stay alive.

I submitted a pilot entitled, Specter. Logline: Vincent Specter, the black sheep of a legendary family of private investigators, struggles to live up to his legacy—until he inherits four ghosts that help him become a "Guardian of Goodwill"

The screenplay/script that I submitted is for a series that I believe would fit on either a streaming service or network. ZON is a character-driven, politically charged prestige sci-fi drama built for today’s global audiences series that blends scale, emotion, and cultural depth. The series picks up in the year 2045, Twenty years after the mysterious abductions of 130,000 humans who have return aboard a fleet of alien starships carrying a dire warning: the Dvora, a ruthless and ancient enemy, are coming. Representing the powerful Ylatchee Imperium, Archduke Nathan Kilmer must navigate a fractured Earth splintered by nationalism, corporate dominance, and mistrust to unite humanity before it’s too late.

What begins as a moment of awe quickly becomes a geopolitical struggle for survival. Nations race to interpret the Imperium’s message, control advanced technologies, and claim power. Families are reunited with loved ones who have been changed physically, culturally, and spiritually. As Earth grapples with its own divisions, the abductees must prove they are humanity’s best chance at survival and not its greatest threat.

• Identity, belonging, and cultural hybridity

• The moral cost of power and political ambition

• What it means to be human in an age of transformation

• How we navigate truth in a world drowning in misinformation

It tackles these themes through the lens of spectacle, emotion, and character similar in spirit to The Expanse, Arrival, and House of Cards, but with a deeply personal core.

For me, as a Black LGBT creator who grew up loving science fiction but rarely seeing heroes who reflected my identity, ZON is not just a series it’s a reclamation. It’s a chance to build a universe where representation is not an afterthought, but a foundation.

The Ylatchee Imperium

A powerful interstellar alliance composed of multiple species each with unique cultures, technologies, and politics led by an emperor and a ducal council. This includes:

• Ylatchee – honor-bound reptilian humanoids with advanced tech

• Ukak – engineers who designed the hyper-gates

• Xolden – avian traders and negotiators

• Agi – energy-generating species once enslaved

• Micor – insectoid masters of biotech

• Olani – spiritual healers

• Dvora – breakaway, genocidal predators and the central threat

This lore is meticulously crafted and functions as the mythological and political backbone of the entire franchise.

• Pilot Script — A prestige, high-concept thriller with emotional stakes

Refined through extensive story development, character integration, and worldbuilding.

• Season Bible / Episode Breakdown

Featuring character arcs, cold opens, thematic evolution, and political structures.

• Proof-of-Concept Footage

Shot to capture tone, scale, visual identity, and emotional resonance.

• Concept Art & Pitch Deck

Featuring designs, ship concepts, planetary cultures, and dramatic key frames.

• Two Companion Comic Series

Exploring parallel perspectives within the ZON universe.

• Tabletop Strategy Game — “ZON: Cosmic Warfare”

A deck-building game that expands the lore and deepens audience engagement.

Every piece is designed to position ZON not simply as a TV show, but as a flagship sci-fi franchise with multi-year narrative potential.

With ZON, I’m building the kind of universe I wish I had growing up: inclusive, ambitious, and unapologetically rooted in representation. A universe where the future belongs to all of us.

Under my banner, Draconem Ignem Entertainment, I’ve spent over a decade creating content across TV, film, comics, and music videos. My career in production script to screen, cinematography to post has shaped my understanding of how to craft emotionally grounded, visually compelling stories. ZON is the culmination of that experience.

This isn’t just a pitch.

It’s a calling.

A belief that new worlds can help us better understand our own.

I’ve only used AI to sort out “mass content” of scripts already written for a specific remit for producers. EG Genre Sci Fi, circa 1990’s, minimum location/actors. In minutes, over days of reading we get instant results. Eg Five scripts match enquiry over thousands. Yet been search tools since 90’s data base, nothing magic there. However, regards writing actual script, nothing replaces unique human experience. Of course, scripts are made from AI but a generic pool is only one option. Unsure if you meant writing a script or sorting scripts. Re writing, with your own experience & history, I’d go with the flow. No robot met Hitch. If producers want to tweak a script, for a reason, artificial intelligence then offers options.

PS Just had to re charge battery. Did several days masterclasses on AI screenwriting assist. Results mixed. AI jumbled up answers on best selling film of all time.

I would say, don't do it. Whatever time you save in the draft you're going to use in editing. and in the end, it doesn't make a difference. You are still going to spend hundreds of hours editing. Not worth the short cut. It may lead you stray.

Personally, I find it a useful tool. You can't actually write with it because it' produces laughably bad results, but as a way of doing research, or searching for the occasional word, I think it can be quite helpful.

For instance, I was thinking about a scene where the criminals murder someone by staging his death to look like a fiery car crash, so I asked, what might a Medical Examiner find in an autopsy under those circumstances that could indicate the crash wasn't the cause of death? It actually gave me a bunch of actionable material to consider. So, for stuff like that, it's pretty cool

Hey Debbie - It's been a few years since I've written anything so this AI stuff is all new to me; a Masterclass on AI screenwriting assist would be welcome. I haven't directed or produced anything in years and have no intention of ever doing that again. But writing still flows through my veins. I'm going to try getting one more strong commercial script out before I become extinct. I had two years of research done before The Stolen Kingdom and another two before The Hooded Summer - AI seems to be much faster.

I understand it hallucinates a bit - most of us did in the '60s - that doesn't bother me. I'm looking for an assist; that's all.

My screenplay NEON was worthy of winning FIRST PLACE in three contests this year, (2025). I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the prize for winning one of the contests was a copy of a live recorded video consultation that I did with the legendary,

Writer/Producer/Director/"showrunner" of many prime time television dramatic series, Robert L. McCullough.

LOGLINE

Spanning decades from the 1950s to the turbulent streets of South Central Los Angeles, Neonfollows the life of Rodney “Neon” Robinson, a young boy raised in a military family whose life takes a dark turn after the loss of his father in the Korean War. As he grows, Neon struggles with identity, violence, and survival, ultimately rising as a leader within the Bloods gang. His journey is one of resilience, loss, and the relentless search for belonging in a world that seems determined to break him.

It’s Nemo from Mr. Nobody.

That movie changed a lot about how I see the world —

the meaning of choice, the butterfly effect, and the theory of parallel universes...

It’s truly a remarkable film and a remarkable character.

And the second reason I love it is because it inspired my best sci-fi idea:

The De-Evolution Game: Paradoxes Unleashed.

That is such a good question lol, mine would probably have to be Goro Majima from the Ryu ga Gotoku/Yakuza series. He's just so lovably crazy and fun.

Hi, Shirley Collier. It's cold and rainy here too. It's hard to pick a favorite, but one of my favorites is Batman. He has cool gadgets and tech, he cares about people/helps people, he's rich, he's a skilled fighter, and he deals with things that real people deal with.

For TV, I always come back to Buffy Summers. She’s the kind of character who evolves with you: every season asks more of her, emotionally and morally, and she keeps showing up anyway. Her strength isn’t just supernatural; it’s the way she carries responsibility even when it costs her.

For film, it’s Miles Morales. His story captures that blend of vulnerability, identity, culture, and rising to a moment you never thought you were ready for. His journey feels grounded and human, even with the multiverse exploding around him.

And for books, it has to be Aelin Galathynius from the Throne of Glass series. Watching her grow from a hardened survivor into someone capable of immense sacrifice and leadership is the kind of arc that stays with you. She’s flawed, fierce, loyal, and so deeply layered.

So impossible for me to stop at one so I hope you'll indulge me haha:

1. Archie Bunker - to me, the most well written sitcom lead ever.

2. Fraiser / Niles Crane - 2 sides of the same coin and some of the best-written characters in comedy TV.

3. Nathan Jessup - perhaps the villain I feel the most empathy for.

4. Marty Byrde - perfect combo of wit, pragmatism, sardonic, sarcastic and heroic traits all wound up in a character you're not entirely sure if you like or not.

5. Fletch - one of the best comedy characters ever written. Chevy Chase may not have been easy to get along with but few match his approach to comedic acting.

Sandra Isabel Correia I really enjoy coming up with twists that turn the story on its head. From what I’ve seen in recent films, a good practice is to have 2-3 twists in a script.

It’s much easier to write when you have an impactful twist — the story instantly gets a new momentum.

Imagine the audience, Excited/Deeply moved/Shocked/, shouting at the screen because of what you just did to them, then eager to see how it turns out: My brother reads my scripts and often uses our expression: "There won't be a dry pair of pants in the house" -- i e. the movie house and panties/shorts. We laugh a lot about this as we develop stories together sometimes.

A lot of Blogs are very informative - Contracts; Directing; Producing; Markets etc. Many blogs for newbies are essential, like structure or whatever. Some are unintentionally hilarious - usually the ones that explain their very own newly invented script enhancing terminology and cat-saving process in great detail. Comedy gold.

I prefer plot twists a “profound” game changer & totally unexpected, not just another bead along story string. A Holy Cow moment, over the story chain simply evolved.

I’m a very unique writer. I don’t really have a plan, but if I do it’s very loose. I just start winging it scene by scene working towards the end and whatever happens happens. So if I throw a plot twist in, it’s by spur of the moment decision. I’m just as excited to see what happens next as I write it because I don’t even know lol

100% feeling all of that Juliana Philippi :)

Juliana Philippi What a powerful reflection, and such a beautiful way to close out the year. There’s something really special about that shift from resisting the work to embracing it, and you captured that perfectly. Once you show up consistently, the creative momentum starts to feel like it’s meeting you halfway. I love how intentionally you’re approaching your slate, and I can’t wait to see all the projects you’re lining up come to life.

Ashley Renee Smith Thank you!!! I will always remember your email, or post, asking me what I was doing, and if I would join November Write Club.

Juliana Philippi so well said!

Darrell Pennington Thank you so much: )