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Hans Zimmer is an incredible composer in my opinion, Amanda Toney! I talked with him way back about composing a feature film I was making. He was busy though, and I probably wouldn't have had the budget to hire him. He's a nice guy.

I prefer the old-school melodists like Nino Rota, Ennio Morricone…oh and John Barry!

Boy is this a tough question. His success is completely undeniable so I would say he, like many famous composers found his sound or niche, does that make him over rated probably not. I would say, it makes him different that attracted many director / producers to his sound, which I think is a bit more synth based in a lot of cases, not all though. He comes from a synth back ground which he carried in to the film score world. That all being said I agree with Ville Hilden I prefer the amazing melodies of, John Barry, Ennis Marricone, John Williams (the theme master in my option), Dimitri Tiomkin, Eric Korngold...

So I would say, he's not over rated just different, and different in some ways that make him unpopular with a traditionalist composer for sure.

I can happily say that I have not lost the spark yet. I am only slowing down with writing songs now simply because I have written more than 450 of them. I am now busy uploading them to sites like Fresh Tunes where people can actually discover them. It takes time when there are hundreds of songs to list.

Wyman Brent This is true! Best of luck with all of the uploads!

Two years ago I walked away completely from composing, from playing the guitar, all of it. I was burned out from working so hard and Covid wrecking some good things I had going after school, I had just had it, completely. But that only lasted for about 6 or so months... a friend of mine called me one evening and asked me if I wanted to be in a.good local rock band that the founder was leaving, who was also a friend, so I said I would think about it. I have to admit I was happy where I was, the pressure was gone, the long hours all of it, I could do things I wanted to but didn't have time, which was great. But something was also missing so I said yes, I would join. At first all I wanted to do was play the guitar live and enjoy that, not go back to the composing gig but all it took as a little Rock and Roll guitar to light that fire again and here I am back at it. The wife said it was meant to be.... :-)

Sounds interesting, Michael Dzurak. What's this?

A meme version of one of my previous comments:

https://www.stage32.com/post/3936061331865610482

And so meme-level proof that Stage32 is a better run organization than Bond-universe supervillains.

How does that help?

Have a great IYW Maurice :)

Aww thank you Michael!! Makes my whole day to hear you can see us improving daily :) Always here for suggestions and improvements!!

Thanks, Sydney S. Have a great IYW too!

Hey , Sydney s. Yes . First few check list for rewriting in general suitable for any structure. (eg. scene description structure, specific verbs , grammer and spelling etc.) Then structure specific elements.(eg. character development arc for different structure , other important elements etc.) . So that while rewriting, the process can go list wise and result as less drafts and save the time.

I would love a couple of rewrite labs. Especially if you're building on a script that's gotten looked at or been asked for- it would be great to have labs where you can then bring it to the next level.

Fantastic! Maurice Vaughan

I'm loving the global reach Stage32 is establishing with real value for those involved Maurice Vaughan - thanks for posting this :)

You're welcome, Sebastian Tudores. I'm loving it too. Which Certification course did you take?

Thank you all so much for your opinions and advice. They are truly valuable, and many of your points can definitely be used.

However, I want to say two things. First, yes — this is not an easy project, because it requires a very thorough understanding of the legal system, how attorneys work, and finding (or inventing) a single loophole that could make this idea possible.

Second, I personally feel it wouldn’t be quite right to place the story in a fictional world where such a rule already exists. If we do that, the audience will simply think, “Okay, in that world this is possible,” and the intrigue is gone. But setting the story in the real world — where this is impossible, and watching attorneys fight to make it happen — that is something truly interesting to watch.

Thank you all again. Your insights mean a lot.

By the way, I would make this film truly satirical. And to add a little twist, if I ever do this project, I would probably do two things. First, make the lawyer a dwarf. Second, the main character would actually be the lawyer, while the one who “starts” the story — the person who supposedly dies, but in reality does not — is a very clever older man who’s tired of his nagging wife and his enemies. He decides to get revenge on everyone. He fakes his death, leaves some inheritance to his wife in the will, so she thinks he’s gone, and for his enemies, he leaves debts.

A good idea is to do it through businesses: he bequeaths companies with huge debts to his enemies, almost pushing the owners to the brink of seizure. And his lawyer, the dwarf, wins the case. Then… the older man lives somewhere, for example, on an island, drinking cocktails. At the end of the film, the lawyer comes to him, and they relax together, celebrating the success of their operation.

I think this is a fantastic idea and it could be absolutely hilarious!

From a real legal perspective, I doubt something like this would actually be possible — if transferring debts in a will were allowed, a lot of people would take advantage of it. :D

But if the film manages to creatively bend or reinterpret the legal rules, this could turn into a really entertaining and clever story. :)

As I’m saying, if this were actually possible, the film wouldn’t really work — unless it were a documentary showing how it all happens. But here’s the thing: in reality, this is impossible. Yet if it’s played out in a way that the lawyer manages to make the debts transferable through inheritance, I think it would be very engaging. The audience would be genuinely curious to see how he achieves it and what decision the court will make.

I think this sounds Hilarious!! Damn wouldn't that be great to be able to that?

Michele Dario Cecchi great to meet you. Where in Mexico are you? I'm living in Rosarito at the moment.

Pat Alexander Nice to meet you too Pat!

Maureen Mahon Hi Maureen, nice to meet you, I'm living in Cancun

Hi! I grew up in Hollywood, mostly doing sound work, but also stage craft, indy films and work in recording studios from the late 1960's on up. Two great films, made by Indy producers, one "HEAD" from 1968, Created by Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson, the film has a huge amount of trick photography, set designs, music, and more. Also, The Trip" is another early film directed by Roger Corman and written by Jack Nicholson.with great everything and a solid strong message at the end. The photographic effects in both films are really fantastic, and very low cost to do. What era, 1970s, 80s etc. of art, music film do you like?

George Ray Rigney Nice to meet you, For me, the 70s and 80s were a time of great innovation and creativity. And without computers, without so much technology... If you wanted a special effect, you often had to do it yourself, by hand... I love watching behind-the-scenes footage of these films; it's very inspiring.

That's how it is when I write a script, Koushik Acharya, but I rewrite as I go, so my first draft is really like a 3rd or 4st draft.

This is really interesting analysis and I had not considered it in that way before but it might really help me going forward. I HATE re-writes, I mean just hate them. Not tweaks, additions to improve, deletions to streamline but true and actual re-writes. Although I have not been writing long, I can't tell you how in love with my first draft of Dixie Dynamite I was. So convinced I had managed to get such a good script in my first swipe.

I re-read it for the first time a few weeks ago after completing my current draft and I had forgotten HOW MCUH had changes. Aside from fragments of my cold open there was ZERO resemblance to the first draft and it was SOOOOO BORING haha.

So I have motivation to do re-writes but have still hates them haha, but after reading this I think it will help alter my mind going forward.

There's plenty of writers nailing their first draft. It's all down to individual process.

One of the OWAs (0589) is seeking "book IPs" for adaptation, with listed "comps" being Wuthering Heights, Frankenstein, and The Running Man.

So, this sounded to me like book manuscripts were possible, not necessarily screenplays. As it happens, I have a published novel, a Sherlock Holmes adventure with Houdini as a character. And I have a PDF of the published manuscript, including front and back covers of the book as sold.

So I submitted it. Normally, only scripts are requested with OWAs, right? Maybe I'm wrong. My novel is 311 pages. Can anyone clarify this?

I came to ask a similar question to Lee. Do we submit our actual books? Is it possible to submit two, each in completely different genre's?

Congratulations on finishing Act One, Ilanna Mandel!

Maybe you could help me out.

I just started writing a holiday screenplay myself, and would love to swap and give each other feedback if you're willing

If you're writing in acts, you already have an idea of where you want to go. If your deadline is late December, then it's not for this year so don't wait for other's opinions. Just write it out. With all the titles you have listed in your credits, you are more likely far more qualified to judge your own work. As a writer, you should know that you write for yourself and hope that you can build a fan base off of your inspired creative thoughts. Just go for it. On other sites for producers looking for screenplays, I only submit the first 10-30 pages for them to judge if they want to read the rest, but the work is finished. I think you're already on the right track, just remember that what you finish with should be something that audiences will want to revisit every year. A one and done viewing of a film is a failure. Make it memorable and make it part of a family tradition and you'll be fine.

I'll read it and let you know what I think. I do a good amount of this and the people whose works I read usually compliment my comments. Let me know if you want me to read it and I'll send my e-mail address where you can send it.