Accepting, absorbing, and utilizing feedback from producers is one of the most important skills a screenwriter can develop. My spec script, CHASING BIGFOOT, was a top-10 finalist in the 2025 Page Awards, but a consistent thread in the feedback was - "Great story, the plot is all there, but it could use more character development."
I knew in my soul that the problem centered on the main character's inner journey. It wasn't aligned correctly with the thematic argument. It also wasn't reflecting the metaphor of the outer journey as well as I wanted it to. 'Chasing Bigfoot' needed to really be about the protagonist discovering herself, as the hero does in all great adventure films.
So, I took that feedback from producers and embarked on one of the hardest screenwriting challenges of my life: rewiring the hero's inner journey, while keeping the spine of their outer journey largely intact.
The process was difficult, but the results were gratifying, because once my main character found her center, the other characters did too.
It remains to be seen whether the operation was a success, but the fact that the logline now reads like the high-concept story it was always meant to be gives me hope.
Logline: A skeptical mother and her idealistic daughter must team up to rescue Grandpa, a Bigfoot tour guide, after he's kidnapped by a ruthless hunter chasing the ultimate prize.
Time to get it out there and see what happens!
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Did you get any read or meeting requests from making the finals?
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I got one. Didn't hear back from them, unfortunately.
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This is exactly the kind of rewrite story the industry needs to hear more of. Keep going. And if you ever need support, we're here to help. Just email us at success@stage32.com for guidance.
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Geoffroy Faugerolas Thank you. I actually sent an email to that address yesterday asking for recommendations for executives. I look forward to the results. Cheers!
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Great! Will look into it!
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UPDATE: The first producer I pitched the new logline and synopsis to requested to read the script, so things are off to a good start! (This was via another platform. My S32 pitching will begin shortly.)
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Phil Parker, That’s a great example of using feedback the right way—especially focusing on aligning the inner journey with the theme. It’s not easy to rework that without breaking the whole story, but it sounds like it really strengthened the script.
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ANOTHER UPDATE: This new draft of CHASING BIGFOOT just received a DOUBLE RECOMMEND from a Stage 32 reader! Woohoo!