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You could try reading some East European SF like the books of Stanisław Lem (in case you haven't already), it may help you find some different framing if not an answer to that frustrating question. In the context of writing SF for movies I think every SF movie cannot go further than being anthropomorphic and that is the limit of the genre as a whole that we have to accept or come to accept and not question it. I think SF screenwriters, and directors tried various strategies to hide that fact or motivate it, but this limit is there once you are aware of it even in great movies like Kubrick's or John Carpenter's (not Avatar which is the worst in this area). As a simple exercise why not look at how cats behave, they don't need a civilization to live and flourish ...they just went for a symbiosis where we do all the work for them and them after 7000 years of known shared history and 'evolution' can't be bothered to do anything else because they don't have to. Someone mentioned dolphins too... clearly Disney would give us a speaking friendly one on the screen, because it pays off.

Radu Popp-vinteller i do agree. but villeneuve, based on the book by chiang, did a mind boring job of creating extremely unidentifiable aliens in arrival—the body design is quite stereotypical but their simultaneous logograms (described as non linear orthography) which reflects their block universe view of spacetime is gloriously alien

In creating any world, alien, human, or otherwise and as stupid as it sounds, first figure out your specie's evacuation habits (bodily wastes) and plumbing systems. I know it sounds stupid, but once you figure this out, (and mind you, you don't have to mention it anywhere in your story) you'll start to think about their day to day activities. Are they a day species or nocturnal. Are they a clean society or one that lives in debris. Are their waterways clean and life giving or polluted and bacteria ridden All of these factors will start to fall into place building up to, but not limited to, the motivations between the more advanced of the species to the lowest form of survivor behavior. Again, you don't have to mention any of this, but it literally sets the stage for the advancement of a civilization. Try it for a few days and if it's not working for you, try something else. It helps me create worlds.

Philip David Lee sh!t out ya worlds!

(i mean that as a compliment)

James LO Thanks James. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it actually takes you away from your world building to looking at it as not something mystical or extravagant, but puts the world in a more grounded focus.

Maurice Vaughan Thanks again, Maurice — sincerely.

Your insight really helps me refine the way I want to tell this story and gives me a clearer direction.

I truly appreciate the time and attention you gave my question.

You're welcome, Philippe Jeanneteau. Have a great rest of the week! Keep me posted on your series.

Thanks, Maurice — I’ll pay attention to that in my next posts!

You're welcome, Philippe Jeanneteau.

Philippe Jeanneteau have you read or, in this case, heard Warren Ellis? that’s a persistent theme of his—the closest comp would be the radio serial department of midnight. Check out how he tackles the slow burn reveals

First, congratulations on finishing your script, Savannah. Having a story you're passionate about is the most important asset of all. There are still powerful ways to move forward. Start by using the free resources here: polish your logline and synopsis in your profile, network genuinely in the lounges, and participate in discussions.

Savannah Cross The paid sessions here are not actual pitch sessions, they are practice sessions, as are stated in the product descriptions. If they were actual pitch sessions, they would be illegal. Real pitch sessions are never paid for. You have to reach out the producers directly.

You're right, Shadow Dragu-Mihai, Esq., Ipg. The main purpose of the Pitch Sessions is to get feedback to improve a pitch, but sometimes the executives, managers, etc. will request scripts, sign writers, etc. (www.stage32.com/scriptservices/success-stories).

Maurice Vaughan Which is fine to say for S32 as a social media platform, but the producers, if they receive compensation, can be tagged with pay-to-play and that ruins careers in this industry. So best to make it clear (which the advertising does),

How do I reach out to the producers directly?

Great job everyone…Congratulations!

Well done everyone what a great achievement!!

OKONKWO

A West African Epic of Betrayal, Strategy & the Birth of Colonial Doom

Genre: Historical Epic / War Drama / Political Tragedy

Tone: Braveheart × Kingdom of Heaven × Apocalypto × Igbo cosmology

Scale: Hundreds of thousands of soldiers, cavalry, villages, kingdoms, forests, and full pre-colonial Africa

Setting: 700 years ago – the old Igbo kingdoms, early Hausa states, Oyo/Ife, and the first whisper of European invasion

Tagline:

“A kingdom can survive its enemies.

But never a betrayal born from home.”

⸻

LOGLINE

When a young Igbo prince blessed with superhuman intelligence leads a tiny, outnumbered army to victory against a greedy rival empire, his triumph ignites a chain of betrayals, alliances, invasions, and tragedies that culminate in the rise of colonial conquest—and the fall of the last free kingdoms of West Africa.

HULA — LOG LINE (Very Simple)

A young Yoruba queen gives birth to a baby whose blood “cries,” meaning tradition says the child must be killed. She discovers the elders secretly have the real medicine to save the baby. Now she must choose between obeying tradition or saving her child and destroying a 400-year-old belief system.

⸻

HULA — SYNOPSIS

The film happens in a hidden Yoruba village.

For hundreds of years, whenever a royal baby is born with sickle-cell crisis, the elders kill the baby quietly and say “the blood is tainted.”

But secretly — they have a herbal cure that works.

They just don’t want a “sick” child to ever rule.

A new queen, Adunni, gives birth.

Her baby’s blood “cries,” meaning the baby might have SS.

Tradition says the baby must die before morning.

But the queen discovers the truth:

The herbalist has been hiding the REAL cure for years.

He gives fake herbs to the public and keeps the working one hidden.

He even used it secretly years ago to save Adunni’s own younger sister.

The queen is shocked and furious.

She realizes even her own grandmother-in-law has killed many royal babies “for tradition.”

So the queen has only one night to decide:

I write original African sci fi and thriller and horror stories

also have my own mythology for a film universe

Funny but interesting how the subject is moving into new territory. Actually, no one has said they have synopses or scripts stored on Stage 32. ;-)

Dolf Van Stijgeren it’s cool how the topic’s evolved. there are unique ideas. i like to think the top three of my works in progress have not been done before—at least in my combination or execution. they would i fear be stealable.

as for your earlier—much earlier—question: what did the other commenter mean, that putting up synopses here is both safe and unsafe: my own take is this—i wouldn’t steal your killer concept, and you wouldn’t steal mine. this goes, I’m sure, for every other commenter who’s taken time to sensibly post responses in this conversation. but S32 is public and there are a number of shady characters I’ve seen floating around. so perhaps the answer lies in direct swaps with connections that you click with. personally i believe we should do such swaps—if nothing else, to salve the loneliness of us long-distance writers

nod to Alan Sillitoe

You can't copyright an idea, but I would register all your work with the US Copyright office and/or the WGA. As I have learned, it's rare for ideas to be stolen because the cost of litigation is usually more than stealing the project is worth. Best of luck!

Yes, register it to show it's yours. As far as theft, I like what my friend, a writer, said, "No legit person is going to risk their reputation on stealing your script. If they do, you drop the lawsuit on them when the film releases so you can get their profits too. Second, do you really think you have this one of a kind idea, that's so good, that people will want to steal it?" Good words...

I'd just put up the first 10-20 pages. If something catches someone's eye to the point where they want to read the read of your story, they'll contact you. You won't be giving anything away and they'll see how you create your set up before they swoop in and change everything.

Congratulations on finishing your script, Antony Voronov! I think searching for a producer is a good next step. You can search for one in the Browse Members section (www.stage32.com/people?name=&location=&roles=Producer).

A) This sounds like an amazing story/script!

B) Make sure you have your pitch ready to go. Some writer/directors start the query process with just the script in hand, while others develop a full deck including casting possibilities, comps, a preliminary budget, schedule, research on cast/sales projections, etc. If you intend to direct, I recommend that you even look at producing a scene from the film or a proof of concept to include with the package. Doing this will give a producer a good picture of how you intend to approach this film.

C) I also recommend you do a pass of the script purely with the budget in mind. What can you cut that won't impact the story but will save you on days, locations, day players, meals, etc.

I hope this helps!

Hi! I think this story has potential if you make it psychological, philosophical. If you tell a story about a mother who finds out that she is responsible for the problems and death of her child. The second problem I see in the plot is why would a mother who hates her daughter investigate her death? It's not logical. Such a mother will bury and forget. She won't even return the body to her homeland. Moreover, the ending turns out to be a banal suicide, not a sophisticated crime.

Stephen Folker the decline of the theater is an unfortunate by product of progress I suppose. Most everyone is a product of the time they grew up in and I cannot imagine a more personally satisfying way to watch a feature film but like most things, expense and convenience are factors that most strongly influence entertainment (and other) spending decisions. For me. it is a bummer. But the Stranger Things approach is evidence that industry leaders are still seeing value in theatrical showings and if the audience clamors enough for something it will be provided.

I hear you, Stephen Folker. Mobile viewing and binge culture have definitely changed habits. But I think moves like Netflix’s finale experiment show that the communal big‑screen experience still has unique value. Times are different today, and when a show becomes a cultural moment, theaters can offer something life‑changing that home viewing can’t replicate.

Great insight, Jack Binder. The Stranger Things finale really does highlight how streamers are leaning into event-style promotion to cut through the noise. With so much content on their platforms, visibility is a real challenge, and this kind of theatrical push feels like both a spectacle and a strategy to drive subscriptions and ad-tier revenue. Times are different today, and moves like this could be life‑changing for distribution and audience engagement.

Darrell Pennington, likewise. The decline of theaters does feel like a loss, especially for those of us who value the big‑screen experience. Expense and convenience have reshaped habits, but I agree the Stranger Things approach shows that industry leaders still see real value in theatrical showings. Times are different today, yet when audiences clamor for a cultural moment, theaters can deliver something life‑changing that streaming alone can’t replicate.

My major concern is that the amount of money it takes to sustain a nationwide infrastructure is so much that we may, as an industry, be running out of time to re-establish monetary incentives that will allow theaters to rebound. I was fortunate, and maybe foolish, enough to have a home theater set up before we sold everything to travel. I remember a distinct 'this isn't the same' feeling after a few days of the set up. 100 inch TV, surround sound, reclining theater seats and yet it still didn't give me anywhere near the same sensation of being in an actual theater. Times changes and industries evolve and it may be that the theatrical experience will be one our grandkids equate with DVD's , landlines and french press coffee hahaha