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

Liked by Amanda Toney and 10 others

Ben Trebilcook
Influences

Hey 32-ers, Sharing a glimpse of the screenwriters who’ve shaped me. I’m lucky enough to know a few now — a surreal, humbling, and deeply affirming feeling. These are my heroes, mentors, and in some cases, friends. They’ve lifted me, championed me, and helped me find my voice. Who’s influenced your...

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Ben Trebilcook

Wonderful! Thanks for sharing!

Meriem Bouziani

I don’t know them by name, but every screenwriter behind every sci-fi movie I’ve watched has shaped my sci-fi mind in some way, and I’m very grateful to all of them.

Jon Shallit

Love Lucas and his vision.

Amanda Toney

Ben Trebilcook - so great to see you!!! You have a hell of a list here. I’m a fan of Bong Joon Ho as a writer. What are you writing these days?...

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Ben Trebilcook

Pals from yesteryear!! Love Boon Joon Ho! I’ve got so many scripts, Amanda! I’ve a female cop UK cop show with Fox Ent. HBO liked it a lot. Two small Films next year; an actioner and a wilderness thriller. Am in the midst of a degree. Ugh. I’ll message you! Keep well, dear friend xx

Craig Farlinger
Perfect coverage - now what?

Austin Film Festival coverage just gave my screenplay, The Art of Suffering, a perfect score and a "Recommend" which they say is rare. I'm not sure exactly how to leverage this so more agents and producers read it?

Liked by Amanda Toney and 7 others

Maurice Vaughan
Stage 32 + DramaBox Join Forces to Launch World's First Vertical Drama Incubator

Stage 32 has partnered with the world's leading short drama platform DramaBox! The winner of the joint screenwriting competition gets a $5,000 option contract and goes into development with DramaBox!

The competition is open to feature screenplays, TV pilots, and short scripts.

Find out more in today...

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Elle Bolan

I have. I'm thinking of bumping him up to 6.

It's just an exercise for myself. Middle of the night, 4 year old, monster on the stairs thing.

I'm using it mostly to practice writing from a child's pers...

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Maurice Vaughan

I suggest watching YouTube videos of kids talking and doing things, Elle Bolan. And I suggest keeping the kid's height in mind when writing the script.

Elle Bolan

I feel like I should be able to write them. I have 6 grandkids. But it's a hard point of view for me. I don't know why. So, practice and listen. I'll try YouTube. See if I just need a wider example for variety.

Jack Binder

Amazing!!

Amanda Toney

I’m so excited for this! Huge shout out to Geoff for putting it together!

Liked by Amanda Toney and 4 others

Tony Sterago
Question and in search of

so as a lot of you have read already or seen some of my posts, I am finally in an opportunity to explore the road not taken 30 years ago. I'm taking a cheap course online for screenwriting and someone of my age with a GED I think my stuff is good, that said I'm sure I could benefit from more educati...

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Nataly Kiut

Tony, honestly, I also don’t have the ability to buy expensive courses.

If you have motivation, a well-structured self-study plan can replace almost everything.

Here’s what helped me the most:

One book I...

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Tony Sterago

thank you so much for the encouragement and thoughtful words. I have been using chat GBT To help me, Break down the scenes and also help with world building. It has been invaluable I agree with you It...

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Nataly Kiut

Tony, thank you for your message — and absolutely, feel free to add me to your network.

I’d be happy to stay in touch and discuss things as we both keep learning. I’m a beginner too, just sitting on a...

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Amanda Toney

Tony Sterago hi Tony, Stage 32 is the worldwide leader and entertainment industry education. You will not find better education online anywhere. Take the time to go through our education catalog, we h...

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Liked by Amanda Toney and 16 others

Pat Alexander
WGA Forcefully Opposes Netflix-Warner Bros. Deal: ‘This Merger Must Be Blocked’

The Writers Guild of America has joined other industry groups (SAG, theater owners, heck even the European film world) in coming out against Netflix‘s proposed blockbuster deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery‘s studios and streaming business.

The WGA warned that the $83 billion Netflix-WB deal woul...

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WGA Forcefully Opposes Netflix-Warner Bros. Deal: 'This Merger Must Be Blocked'
WGA Forcefully Opposes Netflix-Warner Bros. Deal: 'This Merger Must Be Blocked'
The Writers Guild of America has joined other industry guilds in opposing Netflix's proposed blockbuster deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery's studios and streaming business.
Philip David Lee

What does the WGA have to do with anything? Who gives a flying rodent's rump what they think? Prices on everything are already sky high. Do you think any faction of the film industry would ever lower...

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Kenneth George

Pat Alexander To block a merger or acquisition, there first needs to be a legitimate legal basis — often some form of antitrust or national security concern. WBD apparently mismanaged itself into fina...

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Mike Boas

I agree with the WGA that the merger would be harmful to the industry — just listen to recent episodes of The Town for specifics — but proving it illegal is a challenge. Plus, you would need the gover...

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Mike Boas

The Death of the TCM Wine Club

https://youtu.be/4Bq8aNRCwts?si=0aKCEL5uSycrvbq_

(It’s not just about wine.)

Amanda Toney

Roth Rind - I agree with you, I want to understand how this would eliminate jobs, etc. I appreciate where the WGA is coming from but it’s a blanket statement....

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Liked by Amanda Toney and 19 others

Pat Alexander
FINALISTS ANNOUNCED: 5th Annual Action/Thriller Screenwriting Contest

Congratulations to all the Finalists in this year's Action/Thriller Screenwriting Contest! Let's show them our support, and if you're placed, tell us more about your scripts!

Xiayang Li - A-MA

Sarah Ward - CHROME PLATED

Gabriella Walls - HEY GIRLIE!

Nico Burasco - KATANA CROCODILE

Chris Watt - MORGAN'S...

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Marie Hatten

Congrats to all the finalists!

Gabriella Walls

So honored to have my script Hey, Girlie! as a finalist! Good luck and congrats to the other finalists as well!

Hey, Girlie! is a female driven action thriller comedy centered within the world of multi-level marketing.

Chris Watt

Really delighted to have my screenplay MORGAN’S WAKE make it to finalist! My congratulations to all the other writers, I’m on a list with some very talented people.

And my congratulations to all the semi finalists & quarterfinalist too! Everyone who submitted!

Meriem Bouziani

Congratulations to all the finalists.

Amanda Toney

Congratulations everyone!

Liked by Lakiesha Michelle and 19 others

Debbie Seagle
How Valuable is a Screenwriter?

An experienced producer developed the $250,000 budget for my indie film. It includes a named actor (which is a big chunk of the budget), and is being shot in 21 days with 1 or 2 day break every 5 days.

The only person not paid upfront is the screenwriter (me). I was ok with that until I received fee...

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Rutger Oosterhoff 2

... I could go on and on why. But the simple answer is "Yes, it does look bad, and completally unacceptable." Somethimes I feel the movie industry lives in an alternate universe!

Benjamin Adeleke

congratulations

Jon Shallit

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

Debbie Seagle

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" c...

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Liked by Shiva Shekari and 13 others

Libby Wright
Wave Your Wand

Happy Monday! I have a hypothetical I was thinking about this morning, and thought I'd open it up to the group: If you could "wave your wand" and pitch a script/project to an ideal person who would it be? Why? Would you feel prepared, or would you be riding the struggle bus the whole way there? BONU...

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Marie Hatten

Thanks Maurice Vaughan , means a lot and so am I.

Doug Nelson

I don't know anything about contemporary pitch practices. I've been on both sides of the table (writer & producer) during the past half century but none recently. The only advice I offer is to relax,...

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Libby Wright

Wow everyone! Thanks for continuing the conversation. I was out of the loop for a few days with work pulling at me. I love ALL of these responses so much!

Libby Wright

Patrick Koepke ". It's education disguised as daydreaming." Exactly! I love to do this with my students to get them out of their own heads and gets them into creative mode :)...

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Liked by Maurice Vaughan

Gilad Riv
Screenplay for sale

If I have a very unique, high-concept sci-fi/fantasy script, how much will I get for it if it is sold directly to a producer and how long does this process take?

Gilad Riv

When a Karte kula instructor's life-threatening medical condition becomes untreatable, she and her father embark on a desperate leap in time to a magical 1985 planet. There, the only cure—an ultra-pow...

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Maurice Vaughan

Sounds interesting, Gilad Riv! Do you want some feedback on your logline?

Gilad Riv

sure do you mind the pitch as well?

Maurice Vaughan

I'm not sure what you mean, Gilad Riv.

Maurice Vaughan

I think your logline could be tightened up some, Gilad Riv. Here’s a logline template that might help: After/when ______ (the inciting incident/event that sets the plot in motion), a _______ (the main...

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Liked by Dwayne Williams 2 and 34 others

Maurice Vaughan
One Step You’re Taking

What's one step you’re taking right now? Outlining a script, writing a scene, rewriting a scene, preparing for a pitch, building your network, watching a webinar, etc.

Shirley Collier

Not sure if thus is the right form to respond. Vaughn I am looking at How to Navigate Stage32 webinar. Digging into the Writer's Room to find sample scripts and writer resources. Most interesting, the...

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Maurice Vaughan

That's great, Shirley Collier. I'll have to check out that webcast. Thanks. I need to check out some other webcasts in the Writers' Room too. And I'm a Stage 32 Lounge Moderator. If you ever have any...

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Priya Mistry

Thank you @Juliana Philippi. You are right.

Dwayne Williams 2

Hello Maurice Vaughan, hope you're enjoying the weekend. Finalizing a couple of series bibles, turning outlines into pitch decks, and exploring potential collaborations for upcoming projects, hoping t...

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Maurice Vaughan

Hey, Dwayne Williams 2. Hope you're enjoying the weekend too. Congratulations on getting close to finishing the series bibles! I'm rooting for you to finish everything before the year ends!...

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Liked by Barbara Lowe and one other

Optioning a Script

Hi all!

This post is specifically geared towards writers out there who have experience with optioning their work.

What should a writer keep in mind when considering an option?

What are the common pitfalls or red flags?

And what makes a "good" option actually worth taking vs. holding out?

Open to any...

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Maurice Vaughan

Hi, Nicholas J. Benson. Stage 32 has a webinar called "Your Definitive Legal Guide to Shopping, Option and Attachment Agreements - With an In Depth 32-Page Resource Sheet." www.stage32.com/education/p...

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Stephen Folker

Options are whatever you agree is fair. So it boils down to what you're comfortable with. I think most important is to have a term (1 year or less) and upfront money for you, with deferred amount to be paid out as soon the film is financed.

Jon Shallit

Stephen knows as he has done this.

Liked by Meriem Bouziani

Maurice Vaughan
7 Life Hacks For Creatives

Alexia Melocchi shares seven life hacks for creatives/some of her “go-to's” for the level-up process in today’s blog.

What's a life hack for creatives you use? Share it in the comments below or the blog comments.

www.stage32.com/blog/7-life-hacks-for-creatives-4307...

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