Screenwriting

I think that approach could work, Matthew Gross. I suggest being open to writers who don't have managers/agents too though. There are talented writers who choose not to have reps.

Maybe have the writers submit short writing samples (a short script, pages from a feature, etc.).

Maurice Vaughan I'm quickly finding that some aspiring writers won't follow simple instructions and they are more interested in pushing their projects than addressing the assignment in front of them. I've gotten a few messages from my earlier post that says I need a possible third party to keep writers on task. The only other alternative for me is to contact literary managers or agents and see what non-union writers they have on their rosters.

I meant experienced talented writers without reps, Matthew Gross.

Hey all looking forward to the lab starting tomorrow!

We have 1 spot left in the lab, if you would like to learn more about the lab or have any questions... email edu@stage32.com anytime!

Just got off the phone with Anna, she is very excited to begin!

I am so excited to start this lab tomorrow! Psst don't tell anyone but it's my favorite one to do, because this is my favorite genre and one in which I work a lot as a producer as well. So I have a lot of real-world experience to share. If you're interested in this genre, I hope you will join me!

I'm really excited to start this. HIstorical fiction has become my favorite genre too!

Chicago 2134

The media around Chicago was tuned to a dead program...

Hey, Mark Deuce. Happy Writing New Year! Here’s what I came up with:

EXT. CHICAGO - DAY

Busy day in the Windy City. Residents and tourists. Clear sky…. The clouds turn dark.

Strong wind blows against the people, cars, and buildings.

A gigantic, monstrous DRAGON appears in the sky. People freak out and run.

Tourists sprint through traffic, causing an accident.

The dragon shoots lightning from its mouth, destroying buildings and vehicles.

Some people don’t freak out and run. They pull out phones and record the dragon and destruction.

A jolly HOT DOG VENDOR (30s) takes pixie dust out a small pouch on his waist and sprinkles it on the street.

The dust goes through the street into the sewer.

The dragon spots a group of people and charges a massive lightning ball in its mouth.

A sewer cover comes off, and four 2-feet tall PIXIES shoot out the sewer –

Rocket through the sky toward the dragon.

Each Pixie looks and dresses different. They’re like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mixed with the Powerpuff Girls.

The Pixies draw cool weapons and battle the dragon. The dragon draws its own cool weapons. Intense battle! Weapons and superpowers. They kick the dragon’s ass.

I use atmosphere to set up a scene or scare, Gabrielle Mahrez. I use mystery in scripts. I tie up the mysteries by the end of a script unless I'm leaving room for a sequel/working on a TV series. And even though it's a mystery, I don't confuse the reader.

Great idea, Till Olshausen! Congratulations on two studios requesting your script! I merged three unfinished feature scripts into one script before. I'm glad I did. I didn't have to abandon three projects, and the script is better than the three unfinished scripts.

Stage32 glitches gotta love them. Anyways. I just finished a 125 pages Disney crossover. I write because I love storytelling not because I’m chasing the money. Although getting paid for my work would be awesome

Hi, Rania Araibi. Welcome back. A Japanese-American series centered around a conflict between Japanese clans sounds interesting! I'd definitely watch it. I picture it being kind of like The Sopranos.

I could think of 2 animations that could be beneficial for the Japanese-American concepts:

The first concept is Kyoto based world-building, but it shows the bipedal anthropomorphic animals doing village work like rice farming, selling rice, fish, and coins. Protagonists are three misunderstood thieves who are former samurais for the imperial kingdom who are fighting to protect and taking back from the kingdom's crippled security system where they stole the sources the villages needed to gain prosperity.

The second concept is Tokyo-Chicago based world-building, but it also show the bipedal anthropomorphic animals are running the eco-friendly city and the city is huge on buildings, Shinkansen, Sushi shops, Ramen shops, and apartment buildings. Protagonists are basically robotic engineers who are trying to do their best to make amends with their families, including the chores until they discovered a rare gem that would incorporate the functions on themselves and became Mecha-Heroes and they travel across the Japan-American nation in search of dangers that would affect the ecosystem and corrupt scientists which greed and hatred are the sources of negativity.

It can be Comedy, Science Fiction, Superhero, or even Slice of Life. I'm more of a positive tone type of person where Satires, Dark Humors, Gore Violence, and Cynicism are not allowed. You can think about it.

P.S. Japanese Clans in my opinion can be solved by negotiating and protecting one from another from evil monsters or corrupt corporations to tear the clan villages to make a golf course or a luxury casino resort.

Thank you all so much for the warm welcome and the encouraging feedback. I truly appreciate your support and kind words—it really motivates me to develop this idea further. I’m grateful to be part of such a supportive community.

You're welcome, Rania Araibi. I'm looking forward to watching your series!

Patrick Hale and Lori Jones Perhaps an AI generated trailer is the ultimate pitch?

Produce it yourself Lori Jones

This was AI generated based on my original screenplay. It was very very very difficult to keep it looking like a cohesive piece and you almost certainly have to have skills as an editor (I Do) and be a graphic artist that is able to parse information quickly and discard the fat. I can see why people don't do this but I found it faster than doing the puppets or after effects heavy trailer... still using AI in the sentence preceding this means that even though it looks fine and gets the point across its dead on arrival in the current climate. This is about 50 hours of work and a month worth of credits.

Let me know what you think!

ROLL MODELS:

Childrens 4+/ Live Action with Puppets / Women in History

https://youtu.be/UO6Z7ipqatg

It's happened on 8 out of 11 pitch sessions. I rarely use Stage 32 anymore. It's gone down hill a lot.

what do you use if at all? where do your projects live?

Meet me agin

Attachment overlived truth

Union postponed again

Love them All!!

Oh, my bad: THEY ALL SUCK!! LOL, not really...HAPPY WRITING YEAR!!

Michael David I'm not producing a movie. I'm producing an animated series. I have funding in place. Considering your comment, I don't think I will be working with you. You seem a bit combative and I desire positive work environments.Thank you for your comment though.

I have produced 22 hours of no-budget projects, shorts, TV mini series and TV movies for public access television stations. Good screenplay and good acting are prime priorities for your audience. To avoid problems, choose a script which is easy to film, because disasters happen when you least expect it.

Hire good craft services and caterers. A well-fed crew is a happy crew.

Pick me! Pick me! I can write animation concepts for you know like, which non-pilot episode I can work on and hopefully it's a positive tone concept.

Chase Carmichael Right now, I'm only looking for insight into professional writing collaborations. If you have any insights based on the questions above, please share them here.

Thank you Maurice Vaughan!!

Bana! You're almost DONE?? That's great news! What an awesome birthday present! I knew you were pretty close, but not within a day close!

You're welcome, Banafsheh Esmailzadeh.

Thanks so much Elle Bolan! Yes, I thought I finished last week just before the new year but the ending wasn’t sitting with me (as well as a couple other plot holes) so I’m rewriting it and am hilariously close to finishing it. It’s definitely gonna be a great birthday present, even moreso if I can get my intended actor for John in the table read on board. Now I just gotta man up and commit to pitching it rofl

I recently created adult animation shows on bipedal anthropomorphic animals but without satire, dark humor, gore violence, and cynicism. I wan't to break those type of negative barriers and create a positive tone so that audiences who can't handle genre parodies or jokes about depression or seeing people getting excessively slaughtered or character's effort is teased in a mean way can be feeling relief about these concepts that has none of the factors that the adult animated shows have been produced for a long time. .

You're welcome, Robert Landau. Hope the producer loves your script and buys it!

Most established industry producers don't sign NDAs for script submissions - it's actually considered somewhat unusual for a writer to request them. Producers read hundreds of scripts a year, and NDAs would create an administrative burden that's impractical for their workflow. The industry operates largely on professional reputation and relationships rather than legal agreements for script reviews.

As an editor, it would make more sense that you would sign an NDA on high profile projects because they've already been filmed and the material is in the can, so a release of information at that stage could damage the marketing strategy and cause the film to lose potential money.

But as a writer, they are a barrier that will work against you in the early stages of script development.

Pat's 100% right. If anything, the producer will make you sign a release form to protect themselves.

Thank you all. I will pass this on to my associate who is a DP who has worked with the Producer I referred to.

Never heard of NDA's before. Is it bad?

Sounds like a nice story. I would lead with your inciting incident and then your protagonist goals or actions and then the stakes if he or she doesn't take those actions.

Where is the conflict? What is testing the couple? What is the goal? What is the restraint? Unfortunately, this logline doesn't grab the reader or give any sense of urgency or the plot of the story. You have to tell the audience why they should care about this couple.

Try this: "A famous American hiding from his failed career within a New York coalition, meets a French woman suffering from a debilitating disease, and must find the courage to perform one last time to pay for the treatment that may save her life."

Hi Deborah! This sounds like a beautiful, character-driven concept. The phrase 'quiet collision' is very evocative and sets a clear tone for the dramatic territory.

To make it even stronger, you might consider adding a hint of the 'external' stakes or the specific obstacle that is testing their restraint. Is it a professional conflict, or something else? I'm currently co-developing a high-concept pilot where we focus a lot on the balance between external world-building and these types of intimate, unspoken connections. Best of luck with the refining!

Hi Deborah Bete, the tone is lovely and atmospheric, and the connection between the two characters comes through. What I’m missing a bit are the stakes: what makes this “quiet collision” matter, and what either of them stands to lose or change if they give in to that desire. Even a hint of what’s at risk (emotionally, personally, or situationally) could deepen the engagement and sharpen the dramatic pull. You’re very close; it just needs that extra layer of tension to land fully.

Here's my thought. What if a woman who works as a luxury front desk, by she is lonely because many colleagues believe she is strict and rude. However, she accidentally bumped a nice guy who works as a hotel manager who is recently hired has a beautiful face and she gets blushed and not to embarrass herself. Since then, the duo been trying to know each other while handling the chaotic duties of working in a luxury hotel where guest satisfaction matters while making a connection and understanding each other. Very positive tone. No cynicism, no dark humor. Just a romantic comedy on a duo handling their mundane jobs while understanding each other's feelings.