Screenwriting

I'll have to check those out, Banafsheh Esmailzadeh. My favorite is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

comedy Sci-fi

Maurice Vaughan For me, broccoli represents the conflict in a script since I can’t stand it and don’t eat it at all.

I love watching Comedy Sci-Fi, Neal Jamison. What's your favorite Comedy Sci-Fi movie or show?

Haha You could make broccoli a villain in a script, Abram Christian. Maybe an Animation script.

It's not just you, sometimes I find it irritating as well. The trick is to keep doing what makes you happy and don't concern yourself with the details, and then you can edit later. Ignore the noise until then.

Hi, @Njabulo. You could write the first draft how you want, then format it correctly when you rewrite the script. And formatting is important, but telling an entertaining story is more important in my opinion. You can use special formatting if it's important to the story/it helps make the script entertaining, like this:

I agree with Maurice. The fact that people get hung up on formatting baffles me. If the story is strong, that's all that matters. As long as the script is easy to follow, in terms of format, who cares. I think it gives producers a reason not to pay attention to a script that doesn't follow the accepted format of the day because, in their minds, this shows that they maybe a rookie writer.

Hey, Jim Boston. Thanks for always being supportive and active on here! I'm rooting for you to get Rose Show finished by the end of the year and find a manager! Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Maurice Vaughan & everyone at Stage32!

Happy Thanksgiving, William Joseph Hill! Glad you're part of the community! Your posts are inspiring. I hope you and your family have an incredible holiday!

Happy Thanksgiving to the great entire stage 32 team!

Happy Thanksgiving, Evelyn Von Warnitz!

I'd toss Beef, Landman, Andor, and Mare of Easttown into the hat as well!

Yay, a whole bunch of shows to get started on! Thanks! I also love Red Dwarf Stefano Pavone and Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul Maurice Vaughan I'm looking forward to the next season of Fallout. Hoping it stays solid.

I favor films over series but Adolescence, Baby Reindeer, All of us are dead, Nobody wants this .

Some more of my favorites for the writing/story, in no particular order, are Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Doctor Who(I'm a longtime Whovian:), Hunter X Hunter, Death Note, Hannibal, Avatar:The Last Air Bender, Mr Robot, Ozark, Supernatural, Dark, Money Heist, and Watchmen.

Adam, this is how to make a pitch resonate. Clearly you know your subject and can expound on its entertainment value. With such an engaging opener, "What Stories Owe Us," I can't imagine why it would not capture the attention of creative management (especially in your genre), as well as creative minds open to entertainment’s changing landscape. Seems I’m right, your enlightening views sparked lots of feedback.

That’s a great idea, John Fife! Pausing randomly and writing what you see on the screen. I started dissecting movies after I became a screenwriter. I check when the inciting incident started, think about how I would’ve done a scene differently, etc. And sometimes I figure out things early, like who the masked person is.

A small price to pay John Fife ! haha happy to hear you're enjoying the course!

I'm probably lucky to still be somewhat ignorant and therefore not affected by the curse [too much] lol. That being said, watching as many film critiques as I have on YouTube (particularly by The Critical Drinker) I have been watching more actively and paying attention to the writing and noticing when transitions are used, and also how much work is put in the first ten pages in particular. Very pedestrian stuff, but nonetheless I'm starting to see :)

It's a unique idea, DJ Gautam. I haven't read a script or watched a movie/show like it. It deals with important topics. I can see a producer buying and making your script.

Sounds like it would be an intriguing story/movie.

It absolutely has the makings of an important, brave story that's sadly still relevant today. I say go for it.

The idea is excellent and would make a great movie. Your idea is different and touches a topic no one would talk about

I always write active protagonists, Ehsan Rahimpour. I have some script ideas that might work better with inactive protagonists though. You gave me something to think about. Thanks.

Maurice Vaughan You’re welcome.

Maybe a mixture of both. Start the story with a passive protagonist and as the story develops the protagonist becomes more active. Like the wake up moment in the story.

Passive honestly comes more naturally to me, mainly because that’s how I tend to be in real life. That being said though I try to make them more active, at least as much as I’m comfortable with (too active wouldn’t be relatable to me).

John Fife I think McKee’s sharp insight names the conflict’s general vector — in a passive protagonist, that conflict is fundamentally turned inward, a pattern more common in modern characters, with the inner conflict running from beginning to end.

I’ve submitted Painted Face- an American Dad got possessed by a Chinese opera ghost when he purchased a colonial house in San Francisco.

Painted Face is a supernatural horror thriller about the Dubliner family, who move into a remote colonial house where pregnant mother Shannon feels an unsettling sense of déjà vu. Soon, eerie visions and ghostly encounters reveal the presence of Fong Zhi Yun, a depressed and disillusioned Chinese mistress and her ex lover, Chan Mong Sang, a vengeful Chinese opera singer. Shannon uncovers a chilling link between herself and Zhi Yun, who once murdered her lover, the bi-sexual opera star Chan Mong Sang. Mong Sang’s tormented spirit possesses Shannon’s husband, John, turning him violent—he begins to abuse their children and slip into frightening trances that mirror the ghost’s past.

Desperate to protect her family, Shannon seeks help from priests and spiritual healers, but conventional exorcism fails. Guided by a Chinese spiritual expert, she learns that the only way to end the haunting is to relive Zhi Yun’s final act. In a haunting ritual performance, Shannon confronts Mong Sang’s spirit, freeing John from possession. Though the family survives, they are left deeply scarred, haunted by the knowledge that the past can return in terrifying ways.

I submitted my dark comedy-horror script The Bridges to the Stage 32 + Mammoth Pictures “Search for New Blood” Screenwriting Contest!

Logline: A sarcastic suburban couple must figure out what’s turning their teenage daughter into a cold-blooded killer before her rebellion wipes out the whole neighborhood.

Tagline: Parenting is purgatory. Teenage rebellion is hell.

Fingers crossed—and good luck to everyone who submitted!

Submitted!

I entered the competition with my supernatural horror feature THE SHADOW VERSE, inspired by true events drawn from childhood experiences and generational folklore.

Recent highlights:

• Winner – Best Foreign Screenplay, New York Script Awards

• Finalist – 13Horror Screenplay Competition

• Official Selection, Best Hollywood Day Short Film Festival

Logline:

When a woman haunted by childhood possession reads her family’s cursed grimoire backwards to rebuild her life, she awakens an inherited evil determined to claim her daughter’s soul.

It’s a dark, emotional, and deeply spiritual horror about faith, loss, and the danger of temptation.

This project means a lot to me, and I’m so happy to share it here.

Wishing the best of luck to everyone who submitted!

Congratulations Anna!

good luck to everyone!

Hey, Dwayne Williams 2. I'm grateful for you too. Looking forward to working together on a project! Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi, Sandra Isabel Correia. Yeah, Ashley is a rockstar. She's the lead singer in the Stage 32 Moderator band. :D I'm grateful for you and all your support. Thanks!

Maurice, I'm so very glad you're here on Stage 32!

And I'm so very glad RB Botto, Ashley Renee, CJ Walley, Leonardo Ramirez, Sandra Isabel Correia, Noel Thompson, Aimee Link, John Mezes, Geoff Hall, and Geoffroy (to name a few) are here, too. (Heck, RB stepped up to create Stage 32!)

Thanks, Jim Boston. I'm glad you're on Stage 32 too! Shout-out to everyone you named! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone who celebrates it!

Thanks Dwayne

Thank you very much.

I genuinely never realized how uniquely layered—or full of potential—my ideas were until I arrived here in the community Maurice Vaughan

You're welcome, Meriem Bouziani. I've had the same experience. I pitch my ideas to a few trusted people on here sometimes, and it helps me realize things about the ideas and develop them into scripts.

Thank you very much Jon Shallit

I’m still writing it. I’ll share it when it’s ready for script review.

that's great Maurice Vaughan

No one can truly gauge the reality of their work without reviews and insights from others.

I took some time before I started talking to people about my idea and found once I started telling people about the concept/idea, it was received better than I thought which is a lightning bolt to the soul when it comes to creative writing. The community here makes it even better with the support which I'm always thankful for..

Your script sounds intriguing, Marie Hatten! That's a fantastic "why me, why now"! We need more stories that shine a light on those things!

>a parallel narrative, two couples both in 1840's and present day Sydney -

coupled with your theme, I can see this working really well - good luck with pitching Marie

Kudos for taking up a very difficult subject, Marie Hatten . It sounds intriguing. wishing you well in the pitching game.

Hey, your subject is very hard hitting,in India crime against women by intimate partners/husbands is on a rise and contributes approx 32% of total crimes reported , the narrative style of parallel stories (1840 & present day) may make it an interesting watch.... best of luck for your pitching, hope you make it.

I like the idea, Michael Thorn! I've seen screenwriters do that.

Sure Michael Thorn!. If I might suggest, you might consider getting a credible marketing team that can help with promotion, SEO, cover, etc. Selling books takes a lot of effort, too.