Hi Stage 32 community,
I’m an aspiring writer working on a psychological thriller / crime drama, with both a short film (15–25 min) and feature (100–120 min) version.
Logline: A psychology intern investigates staged suicides and uncovers a reformed anti-hero whose vow of patience shatters after tragedy, forcing a deadly clash between healing minds and unleashed violence.
I’m looking for feedback on my logline and guidance on professional pitching strategies. Any advice or tips from fellow writers and industry members would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Welcome to the community, Harsha Devarasetti. Stage 32 has a blog that'll help you navigate the platform and connect with creatives and industry professionals all over the world. Producers, directors, executives, screenwriters, and more. www.stage32.com/blog/how-to-successfully-navigate-the-stage-32-platform-...
Stage 32's next Community Open House is Dec 29th (www.stage32.com/education/products/stage-32-s-december-community-open-ho...). It's free to attend. It'll also help you navigate Stage 32 and connect with creatives and industry pros. Even if you can’t make it to the Open House, sign up and you’ll get the recording in your Stage 32 Education Library when it’s available.
Your script sounds interesting. I suggest giving the psychology intern an adjective in your logline (the main flaw the protagonist has to overcome in the script or an adjective that describes the protagonist’s personality). It'll give the reader more insight into the character. I think "vow of patience shatters after tragedy" and "deadly clash between healing minds and unleashed violence" is vague.
Stage 32 has two written pitch examples (one for a movie and the other for a show). Stage 32 also has a verbal feature pitch beat sheet and verbal TV pitch beat sheet. You can get them by emailing success@stage32.com. Also reach out to the Success Team at success@stage32.com. Geoff and his team can help you connect with producers, executives, and more to pitch to.
Here's three Lounge posts with pitch advice:
www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/Pitch-Advice
www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/Pitching-44
www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/Why-Pitching-Matters-And-How-to-Mak...
The Pitch Practice in the Writers' Room is the best pitching resource in my opinion. Pitch Practice is every Thursday night at 5:30 P.M. PST/8:30 P.M. EST. You can sit in and listen to members practice their projects and give them feedback. You can pitch your project too, but you have to sign up. The hosts, Noel Thompson and John Mezes, take names during Pitch Practice for people to pitch the following week. You have to sit in and listen at the practice one or two times before you can pitch. You can sign up for your first month of the Writers' Room free here: www.stage32.com/writers-room/plans-vip
The Pitch Tank in the Writers’ Room is an incredible pitching resource too. The Pitch Tank is where you pitch your script to an executive and get feedback. The Pitch Tank is once a month.
Stage 32 has a free webinar called "How to Create a 2 Page Pitch For Your Feature Film" (www.stage32.com/education/products/how-to-create-a-2-page-pitch-for-your...).
Stage 32 has a free webinar called "How to Write a 2 Page Pitch for Your Television Series" (www.stage32.com/education/products/free-stage-32-webinar-how-to-write-at...).
Stage 32 also has a free pitch webinar: www.stage32.com/education/products/pitching-tips-from-the-pros-your-blue...
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Thank you so much for the detailed information and resources! I really appreciate the tips on refining my logline and giving the psychology intern an adjective to make the character more vivid. I’ll definitely look into Stage 32’s blog, webinars, and pitch resources, especially the Writers’ Room sessions and Pitch Tank.
I’m excited to explore the community and learn more about pitching to producers and executives. I’ll also check out the Open House on Dec 29th, and it’s great to know there will be a recording available if I can’t attend live.
Thanks again for all the guidance and links—it’s really helpful for navigating Stage 32 and improving my pitching skills!
You're welcome, Harsha Devarasetti. You could post your scripts on your profile. 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 scripts on your profile this way: www.stage32.com/loglines (near the top where it says “Add a Logline”)
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This is a great starting point Harsha Devarasetti! If you're interested, Stage 32 offers a logline polish service!