Luis García's Lounge Discussions

Maurice Vaughan - Thanks! Its only a small, independent company but its a start.

Geoffroy Faugerolas - Draft after draft. Then lists of changes after lists of changes. The current version looks nothing like the original. I think the only thing we've kept is the name of the main character. LOL.

Ashley Renee Smith - There's not much to it. Discover your story, let your characters speak, guide the narrative, and throw in a few surprises along the way, especially at the end. Fall back on the basics whenever you can. The bigger the contest, the harder the win. And congratulate everybody!

Hi Anthony Moore great to meet you. I'm a screenwriter trying to find my feet in the big wide world of film and tv. Currently developing my pilot script so maybe I could pick your brain on a few things in the not too distant future?

You're welcome, Anthony Moore. Let me know when the movie comes out. I'm looking forward to watching it! I'll post about it on social media too.

Hi Rachel White, Great to meet to you too. I'm not exactly on my feet yet. I've had some success in contests but I'm not repped (no agent or manager), and I've only sold small stuff to independents.

I like to think that my writing is good, and I like sharing what I've learned about the craft. Feel free to ask me anything. I've read pages, reviewed ideas, even held zoom calls to discuss scriptwriting. I work nights so I'm not online often. So I may not get back to you for a couple of days.

Hey Maurice Vaughan, I'll let you know. There are issues with the story that changes almost daily. Every few days they send me changes and I have to fix things that someone else has changed. The title has changed several times, so I can't even say what the title will be yet. Filming was supposed to start in July. I don't see that happening. So things are up in the air. Once they solidify, I'll share what details I can.

This is what we at the IPG are all about. Check out our latest newsletter. We are launching FilmPods soon, to help indie creators get to a global audience.

Thanks for posting the link, Pat Alexander. The article says, "The Deloitte survey also examined the question of value, and found that consumers across the board are increasingly dissatisfied with the value provided by paid streaming services. Almost half say that they pay too much for the SVOD services they use, and 41 percent say that the content isn’t worth the price." I've been seeing people on social media complain about rising prices for a while, especially when they feel like a streaming service doesn't have a good enough selection of movies and shows.

China Widener said in the article "With Gen Z, they spend 54 percent more time — think of it as about 50 minutes a day, on average — more on their social platforms, and they spend about 43 minutes a day less in traditional TV and media. So when you just think about it in the context of where they’re spending their time, are they using both service types? Yes. But they are spending more time in the social media platforms than they are on the traditional platforms." What if a social media platform like Twitter/X became a movie studio? The audience is right there on social media. A social media platform could make short-form movies and shows as well as feature films and whole series.

Shit, what are we aspiring screenwriters going to eat?

This doesn't surprise me. We're in a shifting environment. 40 years ago, there was film, theatre, TV, and novels. Now there's 24-hours news, social media, short form video, video games, novels, audiobooks, podcasts, and all sorts of other stuff.

Inevitably, film and TV's share is going to get smaller and smaller.

Now take Gen Z, when you offer them easy-to-watch content for free in a feed that never ends, thoughtful storytelling has an uphill battle to fight!

I think things will continue to shift, and I think platforms like YouTube and Tubi will be crucial for independent filmmakers trying to survive. We need to meet Gen Z where they're at.

Also, I've been watching these old half-hour BBC ghost stories from the 1970's on Shudder. They're a half hour long, and they're super fun to watch. Is there a future in something like that? Shorter 30-50 minute stories monetized on platforms like YouTube and Tubi with ad revenue? Who knows!

Also, undercommented on is the User Interface of many of these streaming platforms not being designed very well at all to maximize meaningful usage. Most streamers "front pages" throw a lot of new, cheaply made reality crud at people, instead of suggesting actually good movies and shows that are just slightly a little bit older. Take Netflix for example, who put out an amazing miniseries Ripley last year - and it's nowhere to be found among most users front pages of suggestions. Sure, there's the algorithms in play for everyone in different ways, but speaking from personal experience, I watch mainly prestige shows, big genre movies, and a lot of foreign films on Netflix, and suggestions on my page right now include children's animation and cheap holiday movies. I don't have kids and we're 9 months from Christmas. Why is that anywhere near the stuff being suggested based on what I've watched? Streamers frankly haven't gotten their algorithms right, so the interfaces we're all receiving are far from optimized to give us content we want to engage with. Whereas Twitch and YouTube seem to have figured this out really easily. Every time I open up YouTube, the suggested videos are exactly in line with the kinds of stuff I watch (mainly Architectural Digest celeb house tours, stand up comedy clips, nature porn, and sports highlights)

Hi, Luis García. Welcome to the community. Here's a blog that'll help you navigate Stage 32 and connect with creatives and industry pros: www.stage32.com/blog/how-to-successfully-navigate-the-stage-32-platform-...

I suggest adding a profile picture. People will feel more comfortable networking and collaborating with you if they know what you look like. And if you have a picture, your profile will show up when someone searches for you.

I mainly write Horror and Action scripts, but I also write other genres. And I mix genres a lot. I'm also a ghostwriter, commercial writer, and pitch deck designer. I've written other things like short stories and skits. I have a lot of stories I've always dreamed of telling. I'm outlining one right now. It's a Fantasy Action feature script.

Hi Luis García! I’m Ashley, the Head of Community here at Stage 32 — Welcome! It’s great to have you here, and I love the heart behind your writing goals. Exploring the duality of human nature through both romance and raw, emotional storytelling is such a powerful combo.

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend reaching out to our incredible Success Team at Success@Stage32.com. Let them know more about your projects and creative goals, and they’ll help connect you with resources, executives, and opportunities that align with your path.

You might also want to check out our Writer’s Room, which is a fantastic place to dive deeper into the craft, network with other writers and producers, get access to pitch sessions, industry advice, live reads, and more. You can try your first month free here: https://www.stage32.com/writers-room/plans-vip

And as a quick tip, if you upload a photo of yourself to your profile, it helps fellow creatives connect with you more easily and personally!

In answer to your question, I've always wanted to write and publish a fantasy novel. It's been a dream of mine since I was a kid.

Excited to see more of your work and conversations here!

That's great to hear. For you I hope you can get your scripts to the screen. Fingers crossed! Petru Gradinariu

Hi everyone!

Writing wasn’t always the plan. For years, I worked in kitchens around the world after serving in the Army. Food was my art form, it’s where I poured all my creativity. But over time, my military-related injuries got worse, and I had to make the tough call to leave that career behind. That was a rough chapter, losing something you love like that. I didn’t know what came next.

Funny enough, it was my friends who lit the writing spark. For years, they’d joke, “You always figure out movie plots way too fast, you should be writing them.” I heard it a lot growing up, but never thought anything would come of it. Eventually, after enough of their (loving) badgering, I took the leap and enrolled in school for creative writing. And here we are.

Now, writing has become that new outlet I was missing, a way to take all that creative energy I used to put into food and channel it into stories that matter. I’ve always loved layered tales like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, where the real battle is internal, and the themes cut deeper than what’s on the surface. That’s the kind of storytelling I want to pursue.

Excited to be on this journey with all of you.

That's awesome Montana Clayton! I can relate to losing something you love and trying to find your new path. I share your talent in "figuring out movie plots way too fast." hahaha. Though I have written some fiction novels, I've never thought about moving into creating movies or TV. Honestly, I look at everything it takes to make something like that, and I'm in awe. Welcome, and thank you for your comment and best of luck to your storytelling career!

My main motivation for writing began with wanting to read my own science fiction stories. Then I transitioned to writing scripts for film and sketch projects I would film on Super 8 and VHS as a teen. I always looked at writing as part of my career along with acting and filmmaking.

I was inspired by everything that Stanley Kubrick's films conveyed to me, A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket, 2001, but my biggest idol in this profession is Vince Gilligan, with his masterpieces, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, my greatest motivation is to write a story that touches the hearts of the people who read it, that like Kubrick, explores the duality of human nature, that shows and transmits all the advice that I could give about love, and that explores the corruption of people and shows the reality of human beings.