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The hottest discussions in the Stage 32 Lounge.

Liked by Arthur Charpentier and 9 others

Kenneth Tisdale
Let’s Have Some Fun:

I’m a superhero. You’re a supervillain and we’re engaged in battle. In the midst of this battle, you turn your attention to a nearby neighborhood, riddled with families watching our bout from a distance…and vaporize it.

Me: “You monster! How could you?! All of those innocent people! Why??”

Respond as the villain:

Mone't Weeks

"Somebody's got to lead, might as well be me"

Meriem Bouziani

Challenge accepted. I’ll respond with the mindset of one of my sci-fi worlds.

“Innocent? You misunderstand, hero. They are offerings. The god I have awakened demands a worthy sacrifice for immortality — and I intend to live forever.”

Doug Kayne

I turn to you, offering a knowing smirk.

“I see you are not only self-righteous, but foolish and blind as well,” I state, pointing my finger at you in an authoritative manner. “Those ‘innocents’ you ar...

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Meriem Bouziani

I got a new one from another sci-fi world.

I didn’t respond — I just left with a monologue:

“I survived them. You’re the real villain.”

Thank you very much for asking — you’re actually guiding me toward new twists in my story.

Debbie Croysdale

You pass the buck, was your own pious vengeful justice, that turned a society into marked witnesses.

Liked by Arthur Charpentier and 16 others

Peter D. Marshall
Creative Critical Thinking for Filmmakers

Critical thinking is a vital skill that empowers us to analyze and evaluate information with clarity and logic. It goes beyond just accepting what we're told; it's about questioning, interpreting, and making informed judgments about the world around us.

When we engage in critical thinking, we're not...

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Xochi Blymyer

Great breakdown of what's needed beyond the surface to create a film.

Mohit Kumar Singh

very insightful. thanks Peter D. Marshall

Meriem Bouziani

Thank you very much for this excellent article — it’s truly inspiring and informative.

Amélie Sowilo

This is very good Peter, Thank you so much

Sam Rivera

This is an exceptionally well-structured and vital breakdown. Framing critical thinking as the "thinking about thinking" that underpins every creative and logistical decision is spot on.

Liked by Eon C. Rambally and 5 others

Need Advice on Developing a Spiritual Film Idea

Hi everyone,

I have a spiritual/metaphysical feature film idea that means a lot to me. I’m a writer but not a screenwriter, and I’ve written about 20 pages describing the concept.

I’d really appreciate guidance on the best next step:

Any advice would be truly appreciated. Thank you.

Marziyeh Gholampour

Thank you all so much for your helpful guidance — I really appreciate the time you took to respond.

Without going into story details, the project explores the connection between the inner world and the...

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Maurice Vaughan

You're welcome, Marziyeh Gholampour. I suggest refining the outline. It's easier to write a script if I do the heavy lifting in the outline. If you want to collaborate with a writer, you could make a...

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Mike Boas

Faith based films tend to follow certain formulas. Here’s a webinar I found useful.

https://www.stage32.com/education/products/how-to-write-and-direct-your-faith-based-feature-film...

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Philip Sedgwick

Next step is difficult to discern without more information... as in, intuitively pick someone to consult with, execute an NDA, and see what gets recommended with what you have.

Jack Binder

Hello Marziyeh Gholampour Congratulations on developing your film idea. Next step: create a treatment and outline. I detailed these types of documents in a recent post: https://filmbudget.com/screenwr...

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Liked by Lauren Hackney and 4 others

Sam Rivera
New OWAs Launch Today! Seeking Micro-dramas, Fantasy, Faith-Based & More - Closing in 2 Weeks!

Calling all writers! A dynamic new batch of Open Writing Assignments (OWAs) is now live, featuring a diverse range of requests from a top-tier producer and showrunner, a London-based production company, and more.

These opportunities are highly specific and represent a direct line to industry leaders...

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Debra Holland

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?

Lee Matthias

Debra Holland I have learned that it is acceptable to submit a novel manuscript that fits the description. Good luck!

Michael Elliott 2

I submitted a pdf copy of my novel "American Jihad Rising" published in 2011. I've often thought of turning it into a screenplay....but....I got so much blowback from the novel, a lot of bookstores wouldn't stock it. It did pretty online thankfully.

Lee Matthias

Michael Elliott 2 I can still remember when bookstores were everywhere and stocked everything (Walden, B. Dalton, Borders, Barnes & Noble). Now, you walk into a Barnes store and they stock mere sample...

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Lauren Hackney

Good luck everyone - let's see more success stories and set the bench mark for 2026!

Liked by Arthur Charpentier and 2 others

Zarya Rowland Bintz
The Witcher

Anyone else notice how bad the writing for the newest season of The Witcher is?

Elle Bolan

I think the newest season suffered for a lot of reasons. Particularly I felt the actor chemistry felt lacking. Which is understandable considering the transition the show made.

Zarya Rowland Bintz

I think the biggest problem is the writing. I'm wondering if it was written during the writer's guild strike by a scab or it's AI. It's truly dreadful, like I didn't even want to finish watching it. T...

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Arthur Charpentier

Hi! I can't say anything about the script. I haven't watched the third season of the series yet. I'll just note that TV series are created for the sake of making money, not for the sake of art.

Shazz K

i just couldn't go past the fact that Henry cavil is not playing the lead. so didn't watch it

Liked by Priya Mistry and 12 others

Phoenix Black
Week #3 - preparing and staying focused

It’s time consuming but I’ve created a master list of companies and managers I’d like to reach, which script/s they’d resonate with and why, notable films, 2 line personalised email hook, contacts - that last part is the grind. If I contact/meet them I add it there to keep on track. Anyone I come ac...

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Priya Mistry

Hey , Phoenix Black . Great job. Sorting out what will work for you will provide more clarity and possibility. Good luck !!!!!!

Elle Bolan

I'm incredibly jealous of how organized this is. I mean that to be complimentary.

I'm about to start this kind of research and would love to know how you use chat gpt to help with your research, what...

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Göran Johansson

I wish you good luck. Last year I went through various lists on the internet, lists with production companies. Most refuse to accept scripts from us who have no agent. Or the companies have no email address on their web site. But I found about 100 to write to.

Phoenix Black

Goran, I'm in exactly the same spot. Can't find contacts to email them. The vast majority won't read queries if not from a manager. The few I do find (IMDb Pro used to be better with contact) I get no reply. But still, we trudge on!

Göran Johansson

Nice that you liked what I wrote, The first list I used was wikipedia's list with production companies in USA. In many cases Wikipedia included links to the individual companies. In other cases wikipe...

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Liked by Douglas Esper and 5 others

Music and pics

Hello everyone! Delighted to join this community. I’m a Glasgow-based songwriter, producer and musician, best known as the keyboard player with Del Amitri. Alongside touring and recording six Top 40 albums, I write and produce music for a wide range of artists — from jazz singers to chart veterans —...

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Amélie Sowilo

Hello Andy, it’s very nice to meet you!

Maurice Vaughan

Hi, Andy Alston! Welcome to the community. I’m a Stage 32 Lounge Moderator. I wanted to let you know that I moved your post from the Composing Lounge to the Introduce Yourself Lounge since you're intr...

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Elle Bolan

Hey @Andy, it's nice to meet you! Welcome to Stage 32! I love that you're working on a project involved with those in the prison system. That's incredible. Inspiration comes from everywhere. I can't w...

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Liked by Maurice Vaughan and 2 others

Meriem Bouziani
Weird advice

Hello everyone,

I hope you’re having a productive week.

I remembered something and wanted to share it.

Years ago, when I finished the Arabic version of my book The Disabled Puzzle, someone gave me a strange piece of advice. He said:

“It’s good, but try starting with easy topics.”

It felt odd, because...

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Banafsheh Esmailzadeh

That is weird advice for sure. The weirdest one I got was to write less Japanese characters and stories influenced by Japan, because I'm not Japanese. Because I'm Iranian, I ought to write characters...

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Lauren Hackney

Firstly, I am curious who gave you that advice? And how many publishing professionals did you secure time with? I am sorry those words of 'advice' tainted you slightly. I work in publishing and I'm he...

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Meriem Bouziani

Well, those weren’t really “advice” — they were attempts to silence curiosity and creativity.

You don’t have to be Japanese to write about Japan. You can write because you love their culture, values,...

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Meriem Bouziani

He was my high school teacher.

I’ve moved on many negative comments about my work, and I’ve learned that I need to share my ideas only wi...

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Liked by Bill Albert and 16 others

Justin Groats
I made quarter finalist in a contest

I’m not sure if this means anything, because I was at the very bottom of the quarter finalists mark, and I’m not sure if many other people participated and didn’t even make the quarter finalists-

but, I made it there, still not sure if it means a lot other than it didn’t make it to semi finals

Michael Dzurak

Nice, Justin Groats. It's always a great feeling. Congrats and best going forward!

Dwayne Williams 2

Congratulations Justin Groats! Winning or placing in any competition is a great achievement and worth celebrating!

Jim Boston

DAMN RIGHT it means a lot, Justin! Great job...and here's to more and more success!

Banafsheh Esmailzadeh

Congratulations! That’s still a major achievement!

Liked by Kenneth Ellis 2 and 6 others

Kat Spencer
Do Your Characters Arrive Fully Formed — or Unfold Slowly?

Quick question for fellow writers:

When you start a new story, do your characters show up fully formed,

or do they reveal themselves scene by scene?

Some of mine walk in clear as day,

others stay half-hidden until a single moment brings them into focus.

How do your characters show up for you?

Maurice Vaughan

Hi, Kat Spencer. I develop my characters in my outline, so they're fully formed when I start writing the script, but sometimes they change as I write and rewrite the script....

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Banafsheh Esmailzadeh

They come to me fully formed and the story makes them evolve and reveal bits of themselves that only come out in special situations.

Meriem Bouziani

Some of them come fully developed, and some don’t.

I usually struggle with finding strong, focused characters in the story, which makes it harder to follow.

Lauren Hackney

Well one is based on my mother-in-law. Enough said. hahaha Then there's one based on my husband.... then I've made stories up with my kids and we have created those characters together... thanks for a...

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