Filmmaking / Directing

I remember reading Jurassic Park (which I couldn't put down!) and thinking this would make for an excellent movie. Lo and behold, not more than a few years later, I'm in the theater watching those very dinosaurs onscreen. I remember having the same feeling for Interview With The Vampire (though that movie was not as enjoyable, but I digress).

Countless books have been optioned for the screen, with no sign of slowing down. You already have a built-in audience for your movie, after all (see Harry Potter, Twilight, etc.)

Probably my all-time favorite book is Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. I've read it a few times now, and will most likely revisit it again soon. I would love to adapt it for the screen (although it probably would need to be a mini-series, as opposed to a movie). Another of his I'd love to adapt is his first book, Practical Demonkeeping. Years ago, I did get a chance to ask him about whether his books were available for adaptation, to which he told me that all of his books have been optioned, but "none are in danger of ever being made" (his words, not mine).

I still hold out hope that one day I'll be able to adapt either of those books, however unlikely it may be.

Do any of you have any books you would want to adapt?

While writing Yohana's World, I came to one conclusion :

This genre called Psychological Thriller is not really built on fear. Its actual foundation is uncertainty.

Mysteries create curiosity through withheld information.

But psychological thrillers create interpretive instability.

The audience begins questioning:

- what is real

- what is imagined

- what perception can be trusted

- whether the protagonist’s mind is reliable

And that uncertainty creates tension far more effectively than constant danger.

Because once perception destabilizes, every frame becomes psychologically active.

This idea in real, became central while writing my screenplay.

I became fascinated with how psychological thrillers can construct ambiguity without disconnecting the audience.

And I think that distinction matters enormously.

Confusion weakens immersion. Ambiguity strengthens it.

A confused audience stops participating emotionally.

An uncertain audience actively interprets every moment.

That participation creates psychological engagement.

In Yohana’s World, Yohana is introduced as capable and highly composed.

- She investigates crimes methodically.

- Questions suspects confidently.

- Moves through danger with control.

But gradually, subtle distortions begin surfacing.

- A puppy suddenly speaks to her in a human voice.

- Words form on walls: “SAY NO.” and “DENY.”

And the screenplay deliberately avoids explaining these moments immediately.

Because uncertainty must remain active.

I became especially interested in what I think of as the “Two Realities Technique.”

A strong psychological thriller often presents:

- objective reality

- subjective perception

At the same time.

The audience witnesses both layers simultaneously, but cannot fully determine which one is trustworthy.

That gap creates tension.

Which ultimately creates immersion.

And the immersion makes a psychological thriller, worthy of a re-watch.

Read the full article complementing this post: http://blog.yohanasworld.com/psychological-thriller-tension/

Learn more about Yohana’s World and register your interest on: https://yohanasworld.com/

Read the first 21 pages of the screenplay here : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l1P1dKHB_XoqHUJ55vh-m-2F4PE9oHcL/view

Why most content dies on arrival — and why disciplined storytellers still win

Core Takeaway

We are drowning in content but starving for story.

The supply of books, scripts, films, and shows has exploded — but the demand for emotionally coherent, audience‑aligned storytelling has never been higher. The market is saturated with output, not with value.

1. Supply Has Exploded

Across every medium:

Books: ~4 million new titles per year (traditional + self‑pub).

Streaming: Every major platform producing originals simultaneously.

Film: Thousands of indie features annually, most never distributed.

Television: “Peak TV” peaked around 2022 with ~600 scripted shows.

This is industrial-level overproduction.

Anyone can generate content.

Very few can create a narrative that actually moves an audience.

2. Demand Has Not Kept Pace

Audience attention is finite.

Viewing hours per week haven’t meaningfully increased.

Streaming subscriptions have plateaued.

Theatrical attendance is down except for rare event films.

Readers are not multiplying at the rate writers are.

Yes, supply massively outstrips demand — but that’s not the real problem.

3. The Real Shortage: High‑Quality, Audience‑Aligned Stories

Executives, publishers, and producers say the same thing:

“We get thousands of submissions. Almost none are viable.”

Most projects fail because they are:

self‑indulgent

structurally incoherent

emotionally flat

written for the creator, not the audience

lacking a clear hook or market position

This is the fatal gap:

the story the artist wants to tell vs. the story the audience wants to experience.

That gap kills 99% of projects.

4. Audiences Are Starving for the Right Stories

Look at what breaks out:

Barbie

Top Gun: Maverick

Everything Everywhere All at Once

The Queen’s Gambit

The Last of Us

Oppenheimer

These succeed not because the world needs “more content,” but because they deliver:

clarity of theme

emotional resonance

strong character arcs

cultural relevance

a compelling hook

disciplined craft

There is always demand for that.

5. Yes, There’s a Surplus — But Not of What Matters

There is a surplus of:

manuscripts

amateur screenplays

low‑budget films

streaming filler

derivative genre work

AI‑generated sludge

There is a shortage of:

disciplined storytelling

emotionally intelligent character work

stories with a clear audience

market‑aware creative strategy

authentic human insight

narrative restraint

This is why a single well‑crafted story can still cut through the noise

6. The Danger of Self‑Indulgence

Creators often forget:

the audience’s perspective

the need for emotional clarity

the difference between “content” and “story”

the scarcity of genuine craft

The question is simple:

Are you positioning yourself on the scarcity side of the equation — the side that has value?

7. The Strategic Advantage for You

If you create a story that is:

emotionally coherent

audience‑aligned

thematically resonant

structurally disciplined

commercially positioned

…then you are not competing with millions of surplus projects.

You are competing with the very small number of stories that actually work.

That is a winnable game.

If you want, I can break down the exact traits that separate surplus stories from high‑demand stories — the ones that get bought, produced, or read.

One thing I have realized while writing Yohana’s World:

Psychological thrillers are not built only through plot.

And perception is visual.

That is why I believe Psychological Thriller Visual Language is one of the most important and most misunderstood elements of the genre.

In many thrillers, visuals are treated as atmosphere layered onto the story later.

But in psychological thrillers, visual language is the storytelling system.

Because the genre deals with:

- memory distortion

- paranoia

- repression

- broken identity

- unstable perception

None of which can be explained effectively through exposition alone.

The audience must experience those internal states cinematically.

Which means:

- framing becomes psychology

- lighting becomes emotion

- space becomes cognition

This approach shaped how I wrote Yohana’s World.

The screenplay was designed around the idea that the world itself subtly responds to Yohana’s emotional instability.

- Words form on walls.

- Shadows stretch unnaturally.

- Chalk outlines move.

- Objects behave slightly outside physical logic.

I intentionally avoided excessive visual chaos because I wanted the audience to discover the instability rather than be forcefully pushed into it.

That restraint creates a very specific psychological effect : the frame feels composed and reality does not.

Which mirrors Yohana herself.

- Externally controlled.

- Internally destabilized.

From an industry perspective, I think strong visual philosophy matters now more than ever.

A screenplay that already contains this demonstrates:

- cinematic maturity

- tonal coherence

- stronger branding potential

- directorial clarity

And for producers and filmmakers, that becomes strategically valuable.

Read the full article complementing this post: https://blog.yohanasworld.com/psychological-thriller-visual-language/

Learn more about Yohana’s World and register your interest on: https://yohanasworld.com/

Read the first 21 pages of the screenplay here : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l1P1dKHB_XoqHUJ55vh-m-2F4PE9oHcL/view

In the context of character development in a film, "internal" and "external" character traits refer to different facets of the character that contribute to their overall portrayal and development.

NOTE: The difference between character "features" and "qualities" lies in their focus: Character Features refer to physical appearance or external traits that can be observed. Character Qualities refer to the internal, personality traits that define a character's behavior, mindset, and values.

1. EXTERNAL FEATURES of a character REVEAL Character

The external features of a character, such as their appearance, behavior, actions, and interactions with others, are crucial for creating a visually compelling and dynamic character that can effectively convey the story and engage the audience. These observable traits and actions, including clothing, hairstyle, body language, and facial expressions, provide visual cues that help to convey the character's personality, mood, and intentions.

Understanding the exterior features of a character is important for creating a well-rounded and believable character that the audience can connect with and empathize with. These external traits can also evolve throughout the story, reflecting the character's internal changes and growth, adding another layer of depth and realism to their portrayal.

2. INTERNAL QUALITIES of a character FORM character

The internal qualities of a character, such as their thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and motivations, are crucial for creating a well-rounded and believable character that the audience can connect with and empathize with. These internal components shape the character's personality and drive their actions and decisions.

Understanding the internal components of a character provides depth and complexity, making them more relatable and engaging to the audience. Internal conflicts, fears, and desires further enrich the character, allowing for growth and development throughout the story. By examining these qualities, writers and actors can create authentic and compelling characters that connect with viewers on a profound level.

3. Internal and External traits create believable characters.

Internal qualities, such as thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and motivations, provide depth and complexity, making characters more relatable and engaging for the audience. External features, such as appearance, behavior, actions, and interactions, provide visual cues that convey the character's personality and emotions, helping to establish their role in the story and their relationships with other characters.

Together, these “Character Traits” create a fully realized and engaging character that can drive the story forward and connect with the audience. This holistic approach ensures that characters are multidimensional, allowing for growth and development that work on both an emotional and visual level.

By integrating both internal and external traits, writers and directors can create characters that are not only compelling and realistic but also integral to the story’s progression and thematic depth.

NEXT ARTICLE: Character Personality Traits (Internal and External) (pt1)

I have always wanted to ask this question. do film directors and the rest of the crew really like it when the script has camera directions? or the script feels controlled? It has been in my mind whenever I'm scripting that i try to visualize how a scene could like, and that really made me to include camera directions. but i would really love to know how it affects the directors, negatively or positively.

or should i leave it for the directors to show their creativity?

I'm developing an action-thriller script so i would really love to hear from Stage 32 members, any advice is highly appreciated.

This week, I’ve been challenging myself with Cannes prep.

Preparing for a major festival and market like Cannes is its own undertaking for anyone attending, but even more so when I’m there representing Stage 32 as an official education partner of the Marché du Film.

Just like anyone else attending should be doing, I’ve been deep in research, looking into companies, executives, and creatives who will be attending, setting meetings in advance, and thinking strategically about how to make the most of every in-person interaction. These are connections that are often impossible to replicate outside of a space like Cannes, so preparation matters.

At the same time, I’m also getting ready for everything Stage 32 has planned, events, panels, and meetups around the Palais. We’ll be sharing all the details on the Stage 32 blog over the next few weeks, so definitely keep an eye out for that!

And then there’s the practical side of it all, travel prep.

Cannes is a tricky beast, especially when you’re there for just over a week and constantly on the move. Here are a few essentials I’ve learned to prioritize:

- Comfortable shoes, truly non-negotiable. Closed-toe, sandals, and something formal, all with as much arch support as possible. Your feet will thank you. When you're at Cannes, you're on your feet for days. The shoes you're wearing have the power to make or break you within a matter of hours!

- Business casual and professional layers. The weather can shift quickly, and you rarely have time to go back and change during the day. Looking professional and put together is so important, but being able to remove or add layers depending on the temperature changes is key.

- Sunblock, sunglasses, and hand sanitizer.

- Power banks. Your phone will be working overtime. Make sure you have extra power banks charged each night and at the ready with you every day.

- Compression socks. I’m serious, they make a difference. Again, your feet will thank you.

- At least one formal outfit for premieres or black-tie events. Cannes has strict dress codes, and you want to be ready if the opportunity comes up.

- Business cards, digital or physical, to stay connected.

- Good headphones for travel days.

There’s a lot that goes into it, but the goal is to set yourself up so you can be fully present once you’re there.

If you’re attending Cannes this year, I would love to know! Jump into the comments below and share your Cannes goals with us. And be sure to RSVP for the Stage 32 Meetup here:

https://www.stage32.com/meetups/2070/Cannes-Film-Festival-2026-Stage-32-...

Now I want to hear from you. What are you doing this week to challenge yourself to learn and grow?

One of the biggest problems I see in modern thrillers:

Too many antagonists exist only to generate plot.

They kill.

Manipulate.

Threaten.

Disappear.

But they rarely feel psychologically alive.

And without psychological coherence, suspense becomes mechanical.

What makes a powerful psychological thriller antagonist is not violence. It is emotional logic.

The audience does not need to agree with the antagonist.

But they must understand:

- why he thinks this way

- what emotional wound shaped him

- what fear drives him underneath the control

Because understanding destabilizes moral certainty.

And psychological thrillers thrive on destabilization.

While writing Yohana’s World, I became deeply interested in the psychology of invisibility.

What happens when someone grows up emotionally unchosen?

Not physically abandoned necessarily, but psychologically side-lined.

That emotional break became the core engine behind the antagonist.

His greatest fear is not death.

It is irrelevance. Being forgotten. Unseen. Emotionally erased.

And that fear transforms into a need for:

- recognition

- control

- dominance

- emotional leverage

What fascinated me most was this:

He is not pursuing power because he enjoys cruelty. He is pursuing power because it makes him feel emotionally real.

That distinction changes how audiences experience him.

A psychologically layered antagonist is rarely chaotic externally.

Usually the opposite.

They are:

- composed

- strategic

- intelligent

- emotionally restrained

Which makes the moments where the mask slips incredibly powerful.

Another thing I explored heavily was the idea that antagonists often function as shadow selves of the protagonist.

Yohana and the antagonist share the same emotional wound: abandonment.

But they evolve differently.

Yohana internalizes pain.

He externalizes it.

Yohana withdraws emotionally.

He demands recognition.

Yohana protects imagination.

He protects ego.

That divergence becomes the philosophical core of the story.

The conflict stops being:

“Who wins?”

And becomes:

“What emotional philosophy survives?”

Read the full article complementing this post: https://blog.yohanasworld.com/psychological-thriller-antagonist/

Learn more about Yohana’s World and register your interest on: https://yohanasworld.com/

Read the first 21 pages of the screenplay here : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l1P1dKHB_XoqHUJ55vh-m-2F4PE9oHcL/view