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Screenwriting

From structure to content to representation to industry trends, this is the place to discuss, share content and offer tips and advice on the craft and business of screenwriting

Verticals 101
Find Your Footing on Stage 32: Join Our December Community Open House!

Find Your Footing on Stage 32: Join Our December Community Open House!

Monday, December 29th at 12:00 pm PT!

Every success story begins with a first step.

If you’re ready to take yours, join me, Ashley Smith, Head of Community at Stage 32, for our December Community Open House Webcast happening Monday, December 29th at 12:00 pm PT!

Free Registration: https://www.stage32.com/education/products/stage-32-s-december-community-open-house-webcast-with-ashley-smith

Whether you’re chasing representation, looking for collaborators, or simply tired of creating in isolation, this live event is your chance to show up, be seen, and start making real progress.

This isn’t just an overview — it’s your creative launchpad. You’ll walk away with practical tools, new connections, and a clear path forward, no matter your background or where you are in your career.

You’ll Learn How To:

  • Navigate Stage 32 like a pro and make the platform work for your goals
  • Build authentic connections through the Stage 32 Lounges
  • Access Education, Certification, and Script Services tailored to your next big move
  • Show up in ways that get you noticed by the right people at the right time
  • Participate in real-time Q&A and get guidance specific to your path

Whether you’re a writer, filmmaker, actor, producer, composer, editor, or wear multiple creative hats — this is where your Stage 32 journey truly begins.

If you can’t attend live, don’t worry — registering ensures you’ll receive the full recording to watch anytime from anywhere.

Who’s planning to join me live for the Open House?


Liked by Juliana Philippi and 13 others

Mark Deuce
Write A Sad Story Only Using 3 Words

Happy Holidays Writing & GRINDING!!

Lauren Hackney

Windows Blue Screen.

That's a sad story for me as a writer..... this is such a fun post to be part of!

Lauren Hackney

Juliana Philippi that's the stuff of nightmares!

Juliana Philippi

Lauren Hackney I know…knock on wood three times, none of that here!!!

Rob Lindsay

Not my fault.

Murat Ersahin

Then she left.

Liked by Srinivasa Peddi and 2 others

Murat Ersahin
Selling the feature film plot urgently

Hi all!,

Due to my strict financial situation I need to sell my feature film plot urgently. First of all, I want to learn that is it possible to sell a feature film plot without actual screenplay text. If that is possible, how can I sell my plot, in which channel or through which ways? My terrible fi...

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Göran Johansson

Selling is horribly difficult. I have created 3 no-budget TV-movies, which means that I am one of the most experienced persons here. I have even won a prize as best director. And I still find it difficult to sell a script.

Jon Shallit

Yes and yes Goran. Unless you have connections. Then they come to the well over and over again.

Murat Ersahin

Well, now everything is ready(plot, script, synopsis etc.). What should I do now to get a quick result?

Maurice Vaughan

Congratulations on getting everything ready, Murat Ersahin! It's really hard to get a quick result. My biggest tip is network on Stage 32, on other platforms, and in person. It could lead to you conne...

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E Langley

The chance are astronomically against it, Murat Ersahin . There are better odds someone will insert self-promotion in a response to your question.

Liked by Maurice Vaughan

Baron Rothschild
THE IP LIFECYCLE PIPELINE ( What Most Creators Never See )

Most creators only think about their script or project once it’s ready to pitch. But your IP actually has a lifecycle long before it reaches a producer’s desk — and understanding that lifecycle changes everything.

Here’s the full pipeline:

1. Creation Layer

This is where the IP is born — scripts, mu...

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Maurice Vaughan

Thanks for sharing the full pipeline, Baron Rothschild!

Rob Lindsay

Yes, I very much want to learn more, esp Layers 2 and 3.

Liked by Langley Coleman and 5 others

Juliana Philippi
Screenwriting in Anime: The beauty and relevance of 1995 Katsuhiro Otomo's "Memories"

Silent night...longest night...

Good evening screenwriters, and good tidings to you and yours : )

On this Winter's Solstice evening, my husband has shared with me his favorite genre of movie once more, anime, but this time... it truly affected me.

"Memories", a 1995 Japanese anime, made up of three mov...

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Leonardo Ramirez 2

What's interesting about this Juliana Philippi is that I started out writing live-action sci-fi and fantasy and later morphed into animation. But in getting coverage, more and more people are suggesti...

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Juliana Philippi

Leonardo Ramirez 2 Thank you! I feel I’m in the same wave, a tv series pilot and bible I’ve begun…I think it may be better served as anime-animation. Who’d have thunk that from miss Period Piece herse...

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Leonardo Ramirez 2

These pieces have a mind of their own Juliana Philippi. Some of them may need a chancla to stay in line. LOL.

Juliana Philippi

Leonardo Ramirez 2 La Chancla!!! OMG that’s the title for a comedy….claiming it!!!! Hahahaha. Y mira, a ver pa’ trabajar con Sebastian!

Leonardo Ramirez 2

Da’le Juliana Philippi! A magical chancla with powers to change the hardest of wills. All yours sister! LOL. Espero la llamada!

Rob Roberts
Since my last post was removed, I’ll ask warn again

I’m sharing my experience so others can make informed decisions about paid coverage on Stage 32.

I paid $149 for script notes on my feature School Daze. The coverage repeatedly referred to my script as a “typical teen romantic comedy,” even though it is written and intended as a coming-of-age drama...

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Liked by Maurice Vaughan

Sam Rivera
OWA Finalists Announcement - 12/22

Hey Writers' Room friends, we've got another set of OWA selections to announce from the last week!

(0557) Director of Development & Co-Producer Seeks TV Pilots, with Procedurals as The Top Priority. Seeking a "case Open, Case Closed" Structure with A Simple Premise, Serialized Elements Are Acceptable...

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Maurice Vaughan

Congratulations, Finalists!

Liked by Abram Christian and 4 others

Baron Rothschild
A Major Step for Creators: The First IP-Backed Security Entitlement (IPBSE) Has Been Filed

Most creators don’t realize this yet, but your intellectual property can do more than sit on a hard drive or wait for a deal — it can function as collateral, just like real estate or equipment.

On November 26, 2025, I filed and perfected the first IP‑Backed Security Entitlement (IPBSE) under UCC law...

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Baron Rothschild

David, great question — and you’re actually touching the core distinction that makes this filing meaningful.

In the creative world, IP often feels like a privilege because access, deals, and opportuni...

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Richard Buzzell

Do IPBSE's resemble NFT's in any way?

Baron Rothschild

Richard, great question — and the short answer is: only on the surface, not in substance.

Both IPBSEs and NFTs involve digitally‑described assets, but that’s where the similarity ends.

NFTs are digita...

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Baron Rothschild

If anyone else here is curious about how their own scripts, music, characters, or worlds could be structured the same way, feel free to jump in. This is a new lane for creators, and the more questions that get asked, the clearer the whole model becomes for everyone.

TOM SCHAEFER

~Question - so if you set an IP value - how does this affect final pitch about IP value and budget - are the IP values locked in or are you setting a bottom number of value - how does this appeal to content buyers / production companies wanting the IP - is it still negotiable?

Liked by Tania Cárdenas Paulsen and 3 others

Aleksandr Rozhnov
Who Is Your Dream Director?

Hey friends, just wanted to have a little conversation with you all. I feel like every screenwriter has that one director they dream of working with someday. Some dream of Bong Joon-ho, some of Ridley Scott, some of Spielberg, Cameron, Christopher Nolan—and so on. And that’s great, because it means...

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E Langley

Ed Wood Jr.

Joshua Viers

It would've been Robert Wise, but he's long gone now, God rest his soul. I haven't really thought of anyone else, but I guess it would be Mike Flanagan or James Wan. I love the cinematography in their films and would like to see their techniques used in my scripts.

Martin Graham

Paul Thomas Anderson, Mike Flanagan, Ari Aster, and Demian Rugna.

Tania Cárdenas Paulsen

Abbas Kiarostami, Laura Mora (Colombia), Victor Gaviria (Colombia), Lucrecia Martel (Argentina), y sobre todo Thomas Vinterberg.

Aleksandr Rozhnov

If anyone needs a high-quality poster, feel free to contact me — I can do it for a reasonable price.

Liked by Abram Christian

Matthew Thompson
Something for the horror writers!

I don't write horror, but I love horror films! I tend to write comedy best, some rom-com, and heart felt stories. But I worked up this little picture for the horror writers. Maybe this will give someone inspiration, maybe break their mental block, or even intrigue someone to step out of their comfor...

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Maurice Vaughan
Last Day of Introduce Yourself Weekend!

Monday’s included for anyone who didn’t get a chance to introduce/reintroduce themselves Friday-Sunday.

Network and talk about your projects, your hobbies, your wins from the year, and your goals for 2026.

www.stage32.com/lounge/introduce_yourself...

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Liked by Juliana Philippi and one other

Matthew Wach
Choosing the Path — An Interactive Question for Fellow Writers

Kyrathia has a fixed architectural spine - but each chapter explores a different mythic direction. The destination is set. The path is paved. The choice is yours: Path I: Vampires, werewolves, witches, and dragons Path II: Zeus, Hades, and the war of Olympus You may choose the path - though both end...

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Matthew Wach

A visual representation of the decisions we will make, together.

Matthew Wach

Path 1

Matthew Wach

Path 2

Juliana Philippi

Matthew Wach Path II...the Cosmos, the Universe seems to have more space to captivate more audience members across genres, and you can play with integrating the tone and tension of thriller, horror, s...

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Matthew Wach

Juliana Philippi Thanks for sharing your thoughts—I appreciate the insight.

I agree that Path II opens up a lot of room to expand tonally and thematically.

That said, I’m equally fascinated by ancestral...

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Liked by Marie Hatten and 2 others

Alyazin Alriyami
A method that helped me a lot in screenwriting / story structure

Hello,

there are some people who have great ideas or concept for stories they write them in scripts and some are having a hard time trying to break down the story structure they made , what I mean is that when you have the general concept or idea of your story and the characters ,sometimes its gonna...

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Maurice Vaughan

Hi, Alyazin Alriyami. I've heard of writers starting from the end. I've thought about doing it. Thanks for sharing your method. It'll help when I start from the end.

I use Microsoft Word to outline. I...

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Michael David

This is really good Alyazin Alriyami ! Thanks for sharing.

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