Screenwriting

Hi, Shayla Booth. My main project is a Horror Action feature script I'm rewriting.

Currently working on what I think might just be my best story so far - "The Empress Project". After 20 years of writing, I finally put what I've learned into a streamlined yet epic story.

I've been adapting the first novel from my dark collection into scripts. The script for the first big chapter of the book is done. Two more to go to this book. After I plan to adapt the other books from my dark collection. They are extremely violent thrillers and I truly believe they could become great movies.

Hey Shayla! I think we briefly chatted about it, but currently:

• Getting my current, finished horror screenplay, 11 Elmridge, out there. Preparing it for contests, feedback, etc.

• Working on my next, a sci-fi/horror/romance called Takeover: A Love Story. It's early still, but the beats are all laid out, and now I'm just working through scenes in ACT 1!

Well, my main project right now, Rescue Team 7, is a YA Sci-fi/Horror series following a group of teens who rescue robots with human souls. I finished the pilot a while ago and now I'm just working to connect with people who'd be interested in developing it lol it's placed in 3 competitions so far, but I'm waiting on more results coming tomorrow and Friday lol

Elle Bolan Thanks for reminding us of this amazing concept Elle!!! I loves RB's post, and the insight: just be human. And connecting sales, "civilian work", "non writing-acting" people, lol, also has a lot of value here. Pitching, collaborating, meeting people, "searching" can become formulaic and "fake", but when you just tap in to your, to be a bit cliche here, heart, soul, joy of why we write, act, create, then instead of pushing and forcing relationships, we just be human, and attract/magnetize/call in those perfect people aligned with our vision. A bit...out there...but, so is being human : )

Wise words from RB always.

I've often said simply not being a complete weirdo in this game is a huge advantage. So many people act strangely. As ever, authenticity is a superpower well within every writer's reach.

@CJ oh I'm so screwed then. I am a complete weirdo. Haha. But in good ways, I swear!

Elle Bolan, yeah, there's certainly good types of weird and bad types of weird. There's a lot of creepy, passive-aggressive, pretentious, boastful, defensive, and neurotic behaviour out there that's best avoided. A lot of it seems to stem from the perception people have of industry members combined with personal insecurities. Realising that producers and execs are just people, and typically very kind people, changes everything.

I've seen more writers lead with ego than other industry folks for sure, limited as my experience is. @CJ Walley

And I've already had a dose or two of the creepy and inappropriate. Seems like those folks find their way into all spaces. I try to only give my energy to those I feel alignment with. Don't feed what doesn't serve me.

congratulations

You should be paid first day. It is your work that is being filmed. Without the writer there is nothing to film.

Thank you Screenwriters! Yes Mike Boas I'm getting back end points, and co-directing (with an experienced director). But not getting paid as a director. Maybe I should just remove the "Screenwriter" category from the budget ...or ... add in $5,000?

No screenwriter fee would look very amateurish to me, and I'd expect to see some sort of participation deal for the writer there - effectively making them a producer.

There should normally be an assignment downpayment or script purchase fee and then a schedule that sets the remaining payment due on the first day of shooting. Perhaps broken down further to another payment free on wrap up.

It's messy out there though. Lots of scrappy stuff.

With respect I say, if you are given co-director credits but without pay, you are an intern. You need to get paid both as a writer/creator and co-director. Back-end points are good if you get to that point, but pay yourself first.

Brilliant questions, I need to think on that one.

TOM SCHAEFER, Seinfeld’s point about the state of comedy really resonates. It feels rare these days to find teams willing to go all-in on outrageous humor without watering it down. McBride and Goggins definitely don’t hold back, and that’s what makes Vice Principals and Righteous Gemstones so memorable. That “rough and tumble” edge you mention is exactly what keeps their work sharp and fearless. It’s refreshing to see comedy that actually risks being bold instead of playing safe. Makes me wonder which other voices out there might be ready to push boundaries again.

Michael David, thank you; that means a lot! I really believe that finding the right producer or company is about more than logistics; it’s about aligning with the heartbeat of the story. When the vision and ethos match, the project has a chance to resonate on a deeper level. I’d love to hear how you approach that for your own work: do you start with the story’s themes or with the kind of audience you imagine?

Maria Restivo Glassner, thank you! Sometimes the best answers come after a little reflection! I’d love to hear what dream collaborators come to mind once you’ve had a chance to think it through :) You are welcome to share with us.

Sandra Isabel Correia My voice is ready, haha!!!

Really nice and interesting tips :) Grinch is absolutely awesome Christmas movie. :))

Thanks, Petra Jurasova. You're right. I want to see Jim Carrey play another Grinch type character.

i thought you were talking about hamlet for a minute but then i remembered that, no, the danish prince didn’t have a redemption arc, lol

Hamlet mixed with How the Grinch Stole Christmas. That's a unique script idea, James LO!

To better explain the theme of the story is about wealth and success. More specifically how in my society people tends to see it negatively and give value and merits to those who face hardship. The story is about a young athlete who become a professional and is drafted by his hometown team very high but fail to deliver for that team and retires a few years later.

So I’m trying as best as I can to introduce the theme in the script

Nicolas Lavoie You could show the theme through your characters (their personalities, habits, actions, and dialogue) and the scenes (like a scene where the athlete gets into a big argument with someone who sees being wealthy as negative).

Allow theme to derive from story, character and their words. As posted, there's difficulty writing to theme, and story suffers. Trust that theme will emerge.

My theme comes organically from the plot storyline itself. Sometimes the base theme isn't one I'm aware of until I finish writing. And the thing is-- it's OKAY to be like that. What I normally focus on is-- is the story I'm telling, does it make sense, does it move forward even when I'm at resting moments, and do the characters' actions move the plot forward through the end. Once you've got that-- you can sit back and decide what your theme is. CJ Walley is right in how Aaron Sorkin works his theme. Let me be honest- your logline should be reflecting your theme. If you've got your logline- you can see the trailer in your head for how your movie shows up for the first time on people's screens-- then you can see your theme in action.

Mind you, this is 23+ years of novel writing, comic book writing, editing coming into play here. I've only been scriptwriting for 6 months. But the core of how your theme comes through is the actions the characters take and sometimes-- what you THINK is the initial theme isn't when you're done. But your plot-- that's the key. Oftentimes my rewrites are based on keeping the theme I discovered active and moving in the direction it needs to go.

There's an article I read some time ago which helped me. Maybe it might give you a bit of support. https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/storys-theme/

Not sure what tone you are going for, but I like to use satire whenever I can to drop thematic clues into my stories. Doesn't work for some genres, but these "weird" little scenes or plot points will tie in to a greater idea that the audience might not realize at first, but hopefully figure out by the end. "Oh, that's what that scene was about!" Gets your message across without slapping the audience in the face with it.

Thank you again everyone! Very useful!

It's on of those things that's highly contextual to a whole bunch of variables.

Giving a first-time producer a $1 option when you are an industry nobody might be a wise move. Doing the same when there's some buzz around your scripts would be foolish.

Options are strange beasts in today's age too. Supply and demand isn't what it was in the 90s. There's small producers out there having to pitch a lot of projects to get anything moving, and a writer with a dozen credits in the indie scene can still be a complete unknown outside of their regular collaborators.

Be very careful the production company produces with decent production values and isn't just some idiot filming on his iPhone. Ask for reels of their previous work.

I've had 6 scripts optioned and one film produced as a result. I would strongly suggest vetting the production company thoroughly. It's probably wise to have an entertainment lawyer look the option over, but it's not necessary. In my case, I had worked as an actor on a film that the production was producing, so I got to know the principals very well. The language of the option is pretty simple, but I would look for hidden clauses. Make sure you have your script writing fee clearly laid out (mine was 2.5% of the total production budget) and the companies I am working with were nice enough to include a clause saying that if the movie was a huge financial success, I'd get a piece of the action. My first option was for 36 months. Way too long. That expired with nothing happening so during those 3 years I couldn't shop the script around. This last option is for 18 months. There is a clause in all my options where the production company can bring in a "script doctor" or another writer to help with re-writes. I balked at that a bit, but the writer they assigned was easy to work with and really entertained my ideas. Very important: register all your scripts with the US Copyright office and/or the WGA. Protect your work! All the best with your screenplays....

Yeah, certainly do your due diligence on the prodco/producer's capabilities and be aware that a couple of credits on IMDb as a co-producer, executive producer, associate producer, or assistant producer isn't proof they can put a film together. You're looking for people with "produced by" credits ideally. Same goes for prodco, they should be the main production company on a project, not someone's personal LLC they use to make their taxes more efficient.

Dolf Van Stijgeren I think producers and agents do stop by sometimes. They take a quick look, they scroll, they spot two or three interesting things. But let’s be honest: it’s not their main hunting ground. They don’t wake up in the morning thinking, “Alright, let me dig through Stage32 to find my next creator to sign.”

Most of the time, they show up only when someone is already on their radar, or after a recommendation.

Fares: Are you also going to tell me that I’m not the first one they think of in the morning? :-)))

lol Dolf Van Stijgeren : Here, it’s like any creative community:

if you want to get noticed, you need to show up, post, interact, leave a mark.

People are naturally curious, but they only become curious once they actually see you.

When you put something out there — an idea, a thought, a logline, a sincere question — you create a little movement.

And that movement attracts other movements.

You saw it yourself: you posted, and suddenly several people commented, discussed, engaged.

That’s not random.

It’s proof that visibility creates visibility.

On Stage32, the ones who end up getting noticed aren’t always the most brilliant at first…

they’re the ones who show up regularly in other people’s line of sight.

Posting, reacting, supporting others, sparking reflection, launching original topics —

all of that builds presence.

And presence eventually triggers curiosity.

Producers, script consultants, indie directors, other writers…

they don’t find you while you’re hiding in the dark.

They find you because, by being active, you become impossible to ignore.

Basically, Stage32 is like a crowded creative bar:

if you stay quietly in a corner, no one will ever know who you are.

But the moment you speak up, share, bring something real…

heads start to turn.

I don't know if agents check profiles for projects, but producers do, Dolf Van Stijgeren. That and networking are how I sold four short scripts to a producer. And producers, companies, etc. look for projects through Stage 32's Open Writing Assignments in the Writers' Room. Here's a post that explains what a Stage 32 OWA is: www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/What-is-an-OWA

Yeah, low budget producers will have a look and loglines and having good synopses are a must. Reps are inundated with material and tend to want to work with writers who are already established. Still might get some new startups looking.

As ever, a lot of it comes down to people's willingness to work the trenches. I started with giving away free short scripts to students. Not a lot of people are willing to entertain that.

In a world that has completely collapsed, an ancient legend tells of a hexagonal star that appears once every hundred years on a clear night. It is said that whoever follows this star will find their salvation. Adam decides to leave his safe shelter to chase the star, searching for another world—one less cruel and toxic than his suffocating own—risking his only safe haven to embark on a harsh and unknown journey.

I like your logline, Sandra Isabel Correia! What really hooked me is a global agency trying to weaponize a cosmic signal shaped like a heart.

Here's my logline: After a powerful alien drains Earth of love, a loner superhero arrives in her hexagon heartship to defeat the invader and restore love, facing the alien's advanced technology and billions of cold-hearted humans.

Thank you Ammon and our great host! A few more questions: What is the ideal length of a script to shoot in 10 days? Is 10 days the industry norm? How many pages is each episode? How did you get started in this space? Why & how did Mansa build their own app? Thank you again for a terrific webinar!

Sebastian Tudores Thank you for asking our questions. This was a great webinar. Onward and upward.

thank you Sheri Barbera !

Thanks much MB Stevens ! Onward and upward indeed!

Hi there, is a link to the recording of the webinar available yet? Manythanks.

You're welcome, Philippe Jeanneteau. Have a great rest of the week! Keep me posted on your series.

Thanks, Maurice — I’ll pay attention to that in my next posts!

You're welcome, Philippe Jeanneteau.

Philippe Jeanneteau have you read or, in this case, heard Warren Ellis? that’s a persistent theme of his—the closest comp would be the radio serial department of midnight. Check out how he tackles the slow burn reveals

James LO Thanks a lot, James — I really appreciate the recommendation.

I’ll definitely go listen to Department of Midnight and check out how Ellis handles slow-burn reveals.

Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction.