Trending Lounge Discussions

Hi Lisa: where are your titles / loglines / genres posted? If you wish for assistance they need to get an idea of what your scripts are about. You've mentioned "period stories" and that actually will make many shy away. Also, if you do not have professionally completed shooting schedules and budgets, you do not know what your budget is. While it is true your cast can impact the budget, your BTL and post-production will not be impacted. A producer that takes on your projects will still have to have schedules/budgets done since you haven't done this. Your attitude is wonderful about constantly reaching out, pursuing producers for opportunities. So do keep at it!

@Maurice Vaughan Thanks for the tips. I usually keep my loglines private and only share them when pitching directly to producers. I have not been active on social media or Stage 32’s Your Stage Lounge. I mainly focus on submitting to producers who have experience with projects like mine.

You're welcome, Lisa Weiss. Hope the tips help!

@Lindbergh E Hollingsworth Thank you for your advice. I understand what you are saying regarding budgets and schedules. My estimates are based on similar films to mine, and I know a producer will finalize schedules and budgets once attached. I also realize period pieces can be challenging, but that is what I love to write. I do have scripts in different genres and at lower budgets as well, so there is some range in my projects. Regarding my loglines, I keep them private unless I am pitching them directly to a producer.

@ Lndbergh E Hollingsworth

A top-level producer told me my story is necessary and vital and hasn’t been told before. Other producers have also called it a powerful and beautiful idea that deserves to be made.

I asked another him what he was looking for, mentioning my other feature projects, and he said his small boutique company isn’t taking new projects right now, which I suspect is partly due to risk management around unsolicited material. I continue to seek producers interested in bringing these projects to production.

Here is one of the tracks https://open.spotify.com/track/1dMa7rWCi393u6fMq6wMBJ?si=2d0b070ca22c41b5

I just listened to The Book of Love, Andy Alston. It's incredible! I really like it!

I have an album of these. I have an album of classical music, one of jazz music, several by famous singers. It is what to do with all this creation

I subscribed to your Spotify, Andy Alston. Looking forward to listening to more of your music!

Spotify is where to put stuff, but it is nearly criminal as there is no money from it

Thank you very much. I will definitely take your advice.

You're welcome, Madina Abramova. Stage 32 also has a blog for up-and-coming screenwriters: www.stage32.com/blog/the-questions-up-and-coming-screenwriters-need-to-a...

That sounds intriguing Madina Abramova I would love to hear more about it.

I will be happy to tell you and answer any questions.

ijodizga omad opa

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

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.

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/screenwriting-treatment-synopsis-outline/ or access via the main page: www.FilmBudget.com

Best of luck in your endeavors! Jack

My latest script includes some Christian ingredients. The young rich woman is deeply Christian. So in one scene she tells the scientist "Help me to spread the word of Jesus in the whole universe and I will give you the deepest French kiss you have ever had". The ironical thing is that at the end of the script, the reformed criminal gives the scientist a French kiss, and says "Hallelujah". So make your characters complex, and include some irony.

@Marziyeh Aside from all said above, I add some points. The “Meat of The Story” in the novel is key. Is there enough going on, to fill the feature film time on screen? Cut out thoughts, feelings & the usual longer exposition, then think of what will be seen in moving visual action. Often many pages in a novel, allows for little visual pace. If a novel is very light on “Plot” then even several large chapters might only be 1 - 2 minutes of screen time. Some production companies have readers to see if novels can be “adapted” for screen. Logistics count too, a well written book might cost too much to make and for that reason alone, it will not be green lit. Locations, actors & specific scenes can add millions, so it’s wise to have options available if writing for a low budget script. Emotional beats, each sequences climax, & changes in status quo count, even in fantasy with little/no conflict. Your story sounds an exciting concept, & I like the idea of the seen and unseen. Who the characters are & how the viewers relate to them is important. Also consider target audiences.

MY screenplay, HANCOCK PARK, is a semifinalist.

Congratulations and good luck to all who made the list!

Congratulations Dale Janda. May the best scribe win !

Congratulations to the semi-finalists! Bravo!!

Stoked to be a semifinalist! Congrats to everyone on the list <3

congrats to everyone that made the list. I made it myself so I'm happy to be riding the wave.

@PatAlexander Thank you for the question, fellow Patrick. Balancing artistic vision with commercial viability is usually the producer’s responsibility. Creatives are often focused on the emotional and artistic truth of the story, which is exactly what you want, but they are not always thinking about market position, cast value, or the financial realities. The producer’s job is to take the tools you actually have and make the strongest possible version of the film within those limits.

You might have an incredible script, but you may not be able to send a fully financed offer to the star you want. You may love a creative idea that becomes impossible once you look at the schedule or the budget. This is where communication becomes essential. Everyone has to be on the same page, and expectations have to be aligned early.

There is no formula that works every time, but gut instinct plays a real part in this. It helps if you understand your audience before you begin packaging. Who is the film for, and how do we serve that audience while still giving the creative team the freedom to execute their vision? If you can hold both of those priorities at the same time, you usually end up with the best version of the movie.

@RowanTaylorLaska Thank you for the question. I recently hired a director for an indie erotic thriller I am putting together. In this case, it is a first-time feature director, but she has directed many episodes of television. TV and film are different, but the experience still matters. It showed us she could handle performance, workflow, and the pressure of a real set.

When I hire a director, I look for qualities that fit the specific needs of the project. My producing partner and I knew exactly what this film required in terms of tone, style, and leadership, and we found those qualities in this filmmaker. Once we are confident in someone, it becomes much easier to present them to financiers, cast, and all the stakeholders involved.

I also look for directors who are naturally collaborative and entrepreneurial. The good ones understand that the journey is difficult and that there will be moments of give and take. That mindset is incredibly important on an independent film. And yes, professionals absolutely consider indie directors and directors who have only made shorts. Shorts, proofs of concept, commercial work, and episodic work can all demonstrate voice and capability.

What matters most is a clear vision for the material and the ability to bring that vision to life within the real limits of production. If that is there, the door is wide open.

Thank you very much for your response. It’s truly appreciated Patrick Raymond

Thank you Patrick Raymond ! I copied your replies into my knowledge file. My feature has some high-dollar scenes (airshows, etc.) but I have connections for free performances & locations. I think those (high-value/free) scenes cause doubt about my low budget.

Thank you so much, Patrick Raymond. I really appreciate you taking the time to share this perspective. That’s excellent advice, and I’ll definitely look into Whiplash as an example of how a short can serve as a proof of concept for a feature.

I’ve been treating The Misstep in that spirit: it’s already on the festival circuit, and I recently finished writing the screenplay, staying faithful to the concept I established with the short. I’m now moving into packaging, and your point about articulating the audience really resonates with me as I refine the plan, building a clear strategy that balances vision with realistic production goals feels essential.

I’m grateful for your encouragement. It means a lot to know that the path I’m on with The Misstep aligns with what producers look for in a first feature. Thank you and I am looking forward to watch LOVE LOVE :))

Thanks for making this post, Peter D. Marshall. It's a must-read post for filmmakers, writers, and more! I study human nature and human behavior for my scripts, but I need to do it more. Thanks. And I always try to pick universal themes for my scripts. I also add sub-themes in my scripts.

I love those points about character depth and emotional authenticity and performances that resonate with viewers. Sometimes I'll write characters that are odd, quirky, eccentric or dysfunctional. I love writing short stories about dysfunctional families because I feel they are more relatable. I prefer movies and stories about people who have little idiosyncrasies or quirks because they feel more real and authentic. Characters who are perfect and don't have problems feel boring to me.

Thank you very much for this thoughtful article.

This is truly a great map for dissecting our stories and seeing what works, what needs more development, and how to make everything more believable — instead of creating characters who simply follow what the plot demands from scene to scene.

Peter D. Marshall You're hitting around the reason that, with very rare exception, directing is not a young person's game. It requires life experience, the broader and deeper the better.

Welcome to the community, DJ Gautam. Hope you're doing great! Stage 32 has a blog that'll help you navigate the platform and connect with creatives and industry professionals all over the world. Producers, directors, writers, actors, casting directors, and more. www.stage32.com/blog/how-to-successfully-navigate-the-stage-32-platform-...

Stage 32 is having a free Community Open House on November 25th. It'll also help you navigate Stage 32 and connect with creatives and industry pros. It's a fully interactive event where the community gets to guide the discussion. You can sign up here: www.stage32.com/education/products/stage-32-s-november-community-open-ho...

And it's Stage 32's November Write Club. It can help you reach a goal(s), it's a chance to connect with writers, directors, producers, etc., and you can get support for your goal and projects. Week 4's blog comes out tomorrow.

thank you, Maurice Vaughan.

Same for me — it’s my first script, but as you said, it’s a beautiful and enjoyable adventure.

It’s worth it, so we try, we learn, we keep going, and we make it happen.

Thanks Maurice Vaughan . Have a good sunday.

Hi Meriem Bouziani Let´s go make it happen:) Thanks.

You’re welcome — have a great day Maria Caeiro

You're welcome, Maria Caeiro. Thanks. Have a good Sunday too. Hope you have a great Week 4!

Hi, Kevin Hager. Week 4's blog for November Write Club comes out tomorrow. I don't know about sites that claim they can help you meet an actor, producer, director, etc.

Maybe that could be something to do research on.

AI is a tool that, like the automobile, the steam engine, the airplane, TV (which didn't replace movies until they merged into streamers) amd a host of other gadgets in our homes we take for granted, will be an inevitable tool in writing. But it cannot replace people unless people want to be forcefed formulaic watered-down, unimaginative stories, which they usually succumb to, succeeding generations so used to it as the only thing that they don't even care.

I use AI to market my work because I don't have a clue, but AI hasn't gotten me a contract so it's clearly not shown itself to be better than me.

I never use it to write scripts even though ChatGPT like a whining boy keeps saying, "Would you like me to write a better version of that for you now?" and they answer always is no.

But--I've shared this before here in astage 32--one day, I overwrote or oversaveda later version with an earlier version cause I write on both my phone and computer I was so scatter by it that I refused to rewrite it. But one morning after the dust had settled on my self-hatred, I asked either it or--I think it was Copilot-- to resurrect it from the dead because I had heard that deleted files still exist in the ether zone somewhere.

Unfortunately, what I got back was a totally new script. AI ain't that good, at least for espionage work.

But I gave the rewrite a chance. Most of it wouldn't work anyway because Amanda and Samantha are not girlfriends. Amanda is Josh’s girlfriend, Samantha’s brother. But she and Samantha have moments because Amanda is supersexual and loves Samantha as a friend (they already "did it" once, at least that's what the loose blouses are meant to suggest when I wrote that.) But I did learn something that enhanced my script: If you go to a show, there's "slightline" where you see the singer from a balcony (I wouldn't suggest it at MSG unless you have a good pair of binoculars and perfect eyesight) and mosh pitthe floor, where you go crazy with all the other moshers. In my hands, the girls want sightline but since Josh’s is the one hacking up the tickets for his sister and his girlfriend, he insists on mosh pit . Fun story, eh? because he's hiding from the police.

Use AI but find where that line is, as we do with children and pets. Use it as the tool to enhance but never replace your work. and keep writing better scripts than the industry can churn out one after the other like an assembly line of fast food. there'll always be a market for art But just look around you at the art out there. Can you afford to live on the money your art will net?

This is a minefield topic right now, so I'll be direct: mentioning AI skills in writers' room contexts is currently more likely to hurt than help you.

The WGA strike partially centered on AI protections, and most working writers view AI tools with deep suspicion or outright hostility. Showrunners hiring for rooms want writers who bring human creativity, unique voice, and collaborative energy. Not efficiency through automation. Much like how Michelin chefs don't use microwaves. Sure it's faster and gives a modicum of heat, but there's no craftsmanship, care, or soul. There's nothing that makes it special or standout.

Where AI might be acceptable:

- Personal pre-writing research or organization (privately, not discussed)

- Production-side tasks (VFX, editing workflows) where you mentioned your course focuses

- Post-production audio/video work. For DIY filmmakers, there are thankfully some AI tools that can clean up audio somewhat

Where it's a red flag:

- Outlining, dialogue, character development, or any creative writing tasks

- Anything that suggests replacing human writers' contributions

- Positioning yourself as "the AI guy" in creative contexts

Honest advice for breaking into rooms:

Focus entirely on demonstrating exceptional spec writing, understanding of story structure, ability to collaborate, and knowledge of how rooms function. Your FTII course might be valuable for production roles, but lead with traditional writing skills when pursuing writers' room positions.

Well said.

What Pat Alexander said is spot on! If you want to be in a writers room, you must demonstrate your ability with a body of work! That will help open doors. Having no scripts will not open the door.

Thank you so much to everyone for sharing your valuable insights and opinions! Your perspectives and advice are incredibly helpful and much appreciated. It's wonderful to learn from all of you!