Mark F. Martino: Screenwriter, producer and transmedia producer in Kirkland, Washington.

This is hilarious. Having been forced out of my job at AT&T in Bothell, Washington because I tried to get my screenplays considered there, I can only laugh. It's not that they read my scripts and turned them down. Like all screenwriters, I've had hundreds of rejections. No. They just didn't see fit to even read even the loglines. So, yeah...go for it, as long as you don't work for AT&T. In the meantime, watch "The Wallet" on Amazon Video Direct.

Hi Mark, to introduce myself I'd like to tell you that I offer Script Budgeting services to Indie writers/producers/directors and investors. I have over 25yrs experience as a Film & TV Line Producer & have prepared budgets for features, tv, shorts & docs as well as filmed in numerous U.S. States and many foreign locations from Paris to the Philippines. If I can be of service to you or any of your associates then please check out my website at indiefilmbudgeting.com. - Best, Gary

The research results and movie making approach suggested in this article fits pretty well with one of my own conclusions regarding screenwriting. It seems to me that, perhaps more than anything else, a screenwriter needs to manipulate our need for closure.

It's easier said than done because one of the most attractive parts of storytelling is being able to achieve closure in a story when real life won't provide it. But, a screenwriter must fight the urge to work toward closure too soon, too easily, or too obviously. You have to be willing to keep yourself on edge if you're going to keep the audience on edge.

For the past two months I've been trying to get going in Stage32. It seems like it's worth the trouble, but I had all kinds of trouble. For instance, It took about a dozen tries to get a picture that would fit into that tiny circle they give you without cutting off important parts of my anatomy. Now, I'm trying to figure out how to navigate through the site. The help is useful, but often outdated. Okay, I'm done complaining. Hello fellow 32-ers. I write, pitch, and produce screenplays for features and shorts.

Mr. Borowski, you've done a great service by providing this article. I'd like to add an 11th point. I'm a screenwriter who dove into producing a few years ago. Before screenwriting, I worked in tech and lived the life shown in Halt & Catch Fire and Silicon Valley. So, I was used to engineers who were awful at presenting themselves, especially in interviews. When I cast my first production, a comedy short, I was amazed at how many actors were bad at presenting themselves. Some were just as bad or even worse at it than the engineers I encountered. I hope that in your acting classes you dedicate some time to coaching your students on presenting themselves.

I am a student, going to be in college next year, and I have been writing for a while, though I don't tend to do much re-writing, which I know is very important. I've written a sitcom pilot, and I was wondering how I go about writing a second draft of this pilot. Where do I start? Are there certain things to look for?

Hello Mark -

Welcome to the community! I'm Amanda Toney, the Managing Director at Stage 32. Since 2013 I've been proud to oversee Stage 32's Next Level Education, which provides you the most up-to-date tools necessary to become a better creative.

Over the years Stage 32 has worked with over 500 industry executives and professionals to teach online webinars, classes and intensive labs exclusively for you - our Stage 32 community. We bring you instructors who have worked directly on some of your favorite films, TV shows or theater productions to teach you in-the-trenches information that you won't find anywhere else on producing, directing, financing, writing, packaging, acting and more.

Our Next Level Education has a 97% satisfaction rate and averages 4.5 out of 5 stars. Plus, we've had the honor to be called "LinkedIn meets Lynda.com for film, television and theater creatives" by Forbes Magazine.

I encourage you to take the next step to continue learning and expanding your career by clicking here, or clicking "education" on your top menu bar.

I'm grateful you've joined the Stage 32 community. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Amanda

Hi Mark. I'm RB, Founder and CEO of Stage 32. As a screenwriter, producer, actor and filmmaker, I know first-hand the challenges all creatives face finding work, landing representation, launching projects, securing funding and simply making the connections that will make a difference in their careers. That's why I created Stage 32. Since our launch in September of 2011, the community has grown to 400,000+ members representing every country on the planet making Stage 32 the social network uniquely populated with the most creative people on Earth.

This is a network for you, built by you. Like most things in life, the more you participate, the greater the rewards. We ask all new members to pay it forward by inviting 5 fellow creatives to the network and by spreading the word of Stage 32 through other social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The more creatives, the stronger the network. The stronger the network, the more opportunities.

Thanks for joining the movement and for being a part of this most talented and inspiring community. I very much look forward to your contributions.

Thanks, and have a creative day!

RB

Helpful information:

• To send invites to your fellow creatives, please click here.
• For any questions on how to utilize the site, please check our HELP and GETTING STARTED sections.
• Also, I host a FREE webinar every month where I go over site features and answer user questions. You can view them here.

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