Hello! My name is Icon Hakari. I’m a writer and director focused on building stories with weight, tension, and intention.
I’ve been on and off here, but during that time I’ve been fully focused on developing my craft. I’ve been working on a psychological thriller while also exploring different genres, pushing myself to understand story on a deeper level.
A lot of my focus has been on tension, character, and how a scene feels visually, not just how it reads. Learning how pacing, framing, and structure all work together to create something that actually stays with people.
I take my time with what I build. Always looking to improve, refine, and approach things with more intention each time.
Hope everyone’s doing well.
(Side note: I'm also a graphic designer.)
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Good to have you back, Icon -- the focus on tension, pacing, and how a scene feels visually rather than just reads is exactly the kind of thinking that separates writers who direct from directors who write, and the graphic design background probably sharpens that instinct even further. Psychological thrillers live and die by those exact qualities so it sounds like you're in the right headspace. Don't miss the FREE Community Open House on Wednesday, March 25 at https://www.stage32.com/education/products/stage-32s-march-2026-communit... -- great way to reconnect with the community. What's the tension-building technique you've been most focused on lately?
Sam Rivera I appreciate that, Sam.
A lot of what I’ve been focusing on lately comes from what I learned while developing a psychological thriller I’ve been working on.
One of the biggest takeaways was restraint. Not needing to show everything, but letting tension come from what’s withheld. Allowing the frame to carry partial information, or placing the camera in a position where it feels like it’s observing something it shouldn’t fully understand yet.
I also started paying more attention to internal pacing within scenes. Not just how the story moves, but how long a moment is held, when to cut, and when to stay just a little longer than what feels comfortable. That delay can build a kind of pressure that dialogue alone can’t.
Another thing that stood out was contrast. Letting a scene feel controlled or even calm on the surface, while something underneath feels off. That imbalance tends to create tension without needing anything overt to happen.
It’s been less about adding more, and more about being intentional with what’s there and what isn’t.
Still refining it, but that’s been a big shift in how I approach scenes.
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Icon Hakari Nice to see you back here! Don’t miss our special event today!Writer’s Room Q&A with Showrunner Jacob Tierney: https://www.stage32.com/writers-room/portal#webcasts
Sign up for a Free month of the Writer’s Room: https://www.stage32.com/writers-room/plans-vip
1 person likes this
Welcome, Icon. The focus on how a scene feels visually rather than just how it reads on the page is exactly the right instinct for a writer-director. That gap between the two is where a lot of projects lose something -- and closing it early in the process makes everything downstream easier.
Psychological thrillers live or die on pacing and framing, so the fact that you are studying those elements deliberately while developing one speaks well of where this project is headed.
The graphic design background is more useful than people might expect in this space. Visual communication, composition, negative space -- those instincts transfer directly to how you think about a frame.
Take your time with it. The work will show that.
Lindsay Thompson I appreciate that, Lindsay.
A lot of how I’ve been thinking about psychological thrillers comes down to how much you choose to reveal versus what you let sit underneath the surface.
Even with the cover I posted, it’s less about something being clearly understood and more about creating a feeling through imagery and symbolism, letting it be interpreted rather than fully explained.
That same approach carries into how I build scenes. Keeping things grounded, but allowing certain elements to hold weight without drawing too much attention to them.
Just taking the time to develop that balance more intentionally.