Trending Lounge Discussions

Maurice Vaughan This week 4 blog post is EVERYTHING, I cannot say it enough y'all. It is potent. POWERFUL! lol, lots of caps, but it has me fired up.

It has me fired up too, Juliana Philippi. I bookmarked the blog so I can come back to it again and again.

Hey, Laura Kaczur! Welcome to the community. Stage 32 has a blog that'll help you navigate the platform and connect with creatives and industry professionals all over the world. 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. Your parents or guardians can sign up for you here: www.stage32.com/education/products/stage-32-s-november-community-open-ho...

Since you’re a minor, make sure your parents or guardians are aware of your account and have access to it. And be especially careful about privately connecting with anyone on the platform.

Hi Laura Kaczur - great to e-meet you! I think your background as a dancer translates pretty well to some of the work in Theatre of the Oppressed, no? How is that going? What do you like about it? congrats on embarking on the acting journey! cheers

Keep up the great work Elle, my goal this week is to continue implementing what Evan and I discussed at our meeting and getting my script ready for him to look at again.

Heck yeah, @Pink Matzke. You're definitely going to handle those notes like a champ!

Elle Bolan Yes Elle!!! Go get those stories!!!! I love it, love the titles actually, super intriguing. I'm working on "doing and saying " less in pitch land, and feeling and really listening to the characters and maybe refresh myself with the scripts, before my next pitches. BE more, and Do less. Go get it Elle!

Elle Bolan I'm also editing, revising and updating my spec TV Pilot after getting feedback from both a table read and an award winning writer. Lots of great suggestions and advice from all of them. Good luck with your goals!

Congratulations to you for your progress.

I hope you achieve all your goals.

Happy NWC.

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

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.

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 asking Kat Spencer

Lauren Hackney hahahaha

All of my characters arrive fuly formed.They just show up in my mind as if I have always known them. Has to do with my creative synesthesia.

@Jon Shallit I understand that producers need to manage risk, and I respect that. At the same time, I do everything I can on my end, offering to sign a release or even have my lawyer submit material to remove that risk. Still, the barrier remains. In reality, much of it comes down to hesitation to read unsolicited material. They may assume the quality isn’t there because it’s not coming through a trusted agent or representative, rather than due to any actual risk.

You're trying to effectively buy/short-cut your way in. I don't mean that in a mean way. You've just mentioned the routes most people use and recommend - despite never getting anywhere.

Competition placements are next to meaningless within the industry. Even the "big" ones. The better comps, like Stage 32, push their winners hard to industry members. Most don't.

Querying is often effectively spamming. There's no reason for someone to give you the benefit of the doubt. They're getting hit by strangers every day. Believe me, now I have a few producing credits, I know all too well.

The answer is networking in a qualitative rather than quantitive sense. One deep connection you have with a producer on your wave-length is worth ten thousand cold-queries and a million social media impressions.

It's hard to get started, and those without any existing connections generally have to start in the trenches with shorts and indie film, but it's something that grows over the years if you're patient. In 2014, I knew next to nobody. In 2024, I was flying to upstate New York and staying at an Oscar nominee's home to workshop one of my specs. We tend to overestimate what we can do in one year and underestimate what we can do in three.

If you’re trying to protect your ideas, it’s going to be difficult; the best thing is to make a pitch deck with the minimum information that explains the story, idea, or project. As Krista Owens said, if the producer doesn’t know it, it could be hard to conceptualize the idea. like

@ CJ Walley Thank you for your perspective. I understand that contests alone carry limited weight in the industry and that building meaningful connections is ultimately what matters.

Referrals are not easy to come by, so I focus on what I can do within my circumstances. Querying is one of the tools available, and it is not spamming, especially when done thoughtfully and with the goal of offering value to a producer. While producers are understandably busy, querying has still led to opportunities for many screenwriters.

I do not pursue short films because I do not want to be a director, and my circumstances limit what I am able to do.

I recognize that success in the industry takes time and persistence, and I remain committed to developing my work and pursuing opportunities as they arise.

@ Jose Luis Madrigal I prefer to keep my projects confidential unless pitching directly to a specific producer. My focus is on the writing itself rather than creating a pitch deck, which is generally the producer’s responsibility.

Hi, Matthew Thompson. Welcome to the community. I’m a Stage 32 Lounge Moderator. I wanted to let you know that I moved your post from the Screenwriting Lounge to the Introduce Yourself Lounge since you're introducing yourself and promoting your script. Let me know if you have any questions.

Stage 32 has a blog that'll help you navigate the platform and connect with creatives and industry professionals all over the world. 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...

Reach out to the Success Team at success@stage32.com. Geoff and his team can help you connect with reps, producers, executives, and more.

Your script sounds hilarious. You could post it on your profile once it's done. Producers search profiles for projects. That and networking are how I sold four short scripts to a producer. Click the gear symbol in the top right-hand corner and select “Edit profile” in the drop-down menu. Scroll down to “Loglines” and click “Add/edit loglines” to the right of “Loglines.” You can also post your script on your profile this way: www.stage32.com/loglines (near the top where it says “Add a Logline”)

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.

hi Matthew Thompson ! welcome to Stage32 - I second my colleague's Maurice Vaughan advice above. Definitely share more in your profile and list this project with logline, synopsis, etc. Sounds like a fun ride! cheers

Hey @Matthew it's nice to meet you! Welcome to Stage 32!

Maurice mentioned NWC - it's week 4, but you can still participate in the wrap up and make some great connections. Week 4s blog post is: https://www.stage32.com/blog/november-write-club-week-4-the-art-of-the-p...

I'm so glad you're here!

You should definitely get compensated for your time making test samples. And for paid work, adapt to what the client wants in regards to art style. Ideally, the client would have contacted you because they like your art-style, but if you want to break new ground, I guess you need to adapt. But free samples do not do you any favour, especially if you have to put together something half baked, that doesn't put you in your best light.

It is a common (BAD) practice in the industry. Even though you have a portfolio, studios have been burned in the past hiring people that have talent but just cannot match up to their style of animation in the timing department, fluidity, aesthetic or deadline requirements. So, they give you tests to do to answer all these questions before they decide on using you. They essentially want to know, if they give you a load of work, that they can predict that you can finish it to their standards within a time frame they find acceptable. This mostly takes place with TV series and web series because they need to put out episodes in a regular frequency. Features are not as strict. While features still have deadlines, it's not an intense week to week output that places undue pressure on the team.

With that said, when it comes to freelance client, insist they look at my portfolio and make a decision or pay me to do the designs and storyboard as a sign of good faith that they will actually pay up before I embark on anything further. Why I stand my ground on this is because the tests take up very valuable time. Whether you are a solo animator or a team, that's time out of your week that you could have been working on something that actually pays. Suppose you get 4 clients this month who want you to do tests and each test takes a week, that's 4 weeks of working for no pay, with no guarantee you will get hired.

If your team has to work on that test, that's 4 weeks you are putting them through the ringer, with no pay. It will only be a matter of time before they leave you.

Cyrus Sales it's unfortunately a standard in the industry. I would say limit the test to one character and a 10 second test. Anything more than that is a lot of work.

The other option is to find the right clients that suit your standards. Easier said than done.

Patrik Gyltefors thank you for your insight. I do feel like the time to sample can be a waste.. most times. Our first animation client did secure us for their project based off the animation we sent however since then it does seem like a bit of a waste of time. Especially when we have an entire website showing we are capable of animating in different art styles.

Kevin Jackson beautifully said and maybe somewhere in there I was looking for some sort of glance that I'm headed in the right direct. I feel like at this point standing firm on, we can do a sample however that sample will need to be paid OR you can trust that I can accomplish what you are looking for. The amount of time it takes alone comes with a rollercoaster of emotions, add in it being a free sample and them not going with you... oof. Thank you so much for the feedback.

Hi, Adrienne Cronin. Welcome to the community. Stage 32 has a blog that'll help you navigate the platform and connect with creatives and industry professionals all over the world. www.stage32.com/blog/how-to-successfully-navigate-the-stage-32-platform-...

Stage 32 is having a free Community Open House tomorrow. 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 the last week of 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. There's three prizes this week and a grand prize drawing at the end of the month! Week 4's blog came out today. www.stage32.com/blog/november-write-club-week-4-the-art-of-the-pitch-wha...

Congratulations on your script placing as a Big Break top 10 finalist and AFF second rounder! I haven't had experiences with entertainment lawyers, but I've seen Brandon Blake making helpful posts in the Producing Lounge. He's a really experienced entertainment lawyer. www.stage32.com/profile/661591/about

Hi Adrienne! From your description of what you're looking for, it seems you are in the market for a manager or agent; entertainment attorneys are great at protecting your rights but are usually not involved with working with emerging writers on their projects or pitching to producer connections.

Thank you.

You're welcome, Adrienne Cronin. I'm a Stage 32 Lounge Moderator. If you ever have any questions about Stage 32, let me or another Lounge Moderator know. We have badges on our pictures. Or you could email support@stage32.com.

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.

Hey Marziyeh Gholampour , People with great experienced have commented in this, which are incredibly good. But view months ago I also have a vision about writing not quite spiritual movie but a journey of person who lost everything and went on spiritual journey after losing everything what he loved for. And filled with grieve the man choose to ask his all answers to God. As we already knew that this world has so many religions and every single one has their own kind of GOD. isn't it ironic that one single globe and many Gods have been demanding their control over this. But end of day what's important is that we are human, and we shouldn't forget the humanity.

You can hire someone to write the script. I can do that if you like. I did it for Peter Ford on here, as well as Ishanee Bawankar on here. And others.

Oh that's a great take away for sure Eddie Lawhorn - and what an cool experience the game show must have been! how long were you on the show?

Thanks, Sebastian Tudores. I came up with a new idea to pitch my feature script. Looking forward to sharing about the idea!

Thank you very much Sebastian Tudores

My writing process is slow — I’m only on page 21 — but I really appreciate these small steps because I’m genuinely enjoying the world of The Silent PFC War.

You're on. It's a pact. I'll have a pitch doc, in some form, by the end of the month. Deal? @Sebastian Tudores

Thanks, @SebastianTudores ! I have lots of stories of being on Who Wants to be a Millionaire in 2009. I appeared on two episodes then. (I was the carryover contestant on the second Friday taping, so I got a free weekend in New York City while waiting to finish taping on Monday.)

Hi, Kaye Sereneveil. Welcome back. It's great to see you again. Stage 32 is having a free Community Open House on November 25th. It'll also help you 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 3's blog came out Monday. There's three prizes you could win this week! www.stage32.com/blog/november-write-club-week-3-how-to-make-a-strong-fir...

Welcome back, Kaye Sereneveil

Welcome back Kaye!

Hi Kaye Sereneveil - welcome back! Your decision (and instinct) to come back to what you love is a sign that you can already be proud of your journey - even Michelangelo toward the end of his life said "Ancora imparo" ... "I am still learning." Enjoy the journey! :) cheers