From structure to content to representation to industry trends, this is the place to discuss, share content and offer tips and advice on the craft and business of screenwriting

Meet the Stage 32 Success Team! We're here to help you with your craft & career!

Email us at success@stage32.com

For over 12 years Stage 32 has been committed to helping screenwriters at every stage of the process and have helped launched thousands of careers! Our Stage 32 Team is made up of members who actively are working in the entertainment industry! All you have to do is shoot us an email at success@stage32.com and we can help you navigate your career no matter what stage you are at!

Whether you are brand new to writing and trying to hone your craft, to a mid-point where you're starting to get some traction and recognition in contests but wanting to take the next step, or if you are a paid professional in screenwriting, we are here to help you. We talk all day every day with executives in the business and help matchmake creators with film & TV makers and we absolutely love it!

Our Stage 32 team is the best in the industry. Our CEO produced the creator of EUPHORIA Sam Levinson's Sundance winning film and has sold feature film screenplays and an original TV series to a mini major studio which has an Apple Showrunner attached. Our Executive Liaison Nick Phillips is a producer and started his career as a studio executive at SONY and Miramax. He just had BARRON'S COVE come out from Mandalay and REVERSE THE CURSE with David Duchovney. Our Managing Director is a producer who just sold a TV show to USA. I ran development for ImageNation and developed FLIGHT, BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL and THE HELP. Our Marketing Coordinator was the production coordinator for all of White Labels' unscripted slate (Savage X Fenty with Rihanna, Can't Cancel Pride for iHeart & Hulu, Masked Singer: Japan, etc.), our Certification Director is a 2-time Emmy nominated producer on NatGeo/Disney's GENIUS, our international certification producer has worked on over 200 international films and is the President of Canacine Quintana Roo in Latin America for all filming in that region. Our Executive Assistant produces Stage 32 education programming for the Cannes Film Festival and FOCUS London. The rest of our team started their careers at places like Circle of Confusion, Buchwald, Pierce Law Group, Marsh Entertainment, Third Hill Entertainment.

Between our collective experience on our team, over 12 years of running Stage 32 and our current partnerships with companies like Netflix, Canon, the Cannes Film Festival, American Film Market and dozens of film commissions around the world we really pride ourselves on having our finger on the pulse of the business! 


Shoot us an email at success@stage32.com and let us know what you're working on!
Andrew Eugene Schultz
Struggling with the third act of a criminal justice story

I am trying to structure the third Act of my story which is essentially a conspiracy murder feature. In the third act new information comes to light during a trial and proves the innocent of some characters. Thinking about how much I should include to make.it real, but with crisp, sharp writing.

Michael Bret Hood

May I inquire as to how the evidence is discovered? If the prosecution is withholding the evidence, then the judge could rule a mistrial which would end the proceeding there. If it is an accidental di...

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Bill Jordan

I would agree with Michael. I’ve had to re- structure information disclosures multiple times. Figure out what role you want the info to play and Go with your first best idea and see if it works. If not move on. But you gotta start somewhere.

Liked by Maurice Vaughan

Mark Deuce
Statham’s 'A Working Man’ upsets ‘Snow White’ to take No. 1 at the box office

Now this is a great movie everyone can fall in love with!! Could you write a film similar to this one? What would you call it and the premise?

NEW YORK (AP) — In an unexpected upset, the Jason Statham thriller “A Working Man” took No. 1 at the box office, besting the rapidly declining “Snow White,” a...

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Maurice Vaughan

Hey, Mark Deuce. I'm excited to see A Working Man! I could write a film that's similar to it. Action is one of the main genres I write. My script would be about a group of blue-collar workers who beco...

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Mark Deuce

Same here Maurice Vaughan I cannot wiat to see this one and it looks similar to Strathams Bee Hive flick. Action is one of my fav genres too.

Liked by Eon C. Rambally and 2 others

Mark Deuce
Bill Gates says only 3 jobs will be safe from AI (and it's bad news for creatives)

Bill Gates has made an unsettling premonition about the future of AI – and his words don't hold much joy for most working in the creative sector. Gates hypothesised that in the future all but three job roles could be replaced by machines – and only one of those could be considered creative, coding (...

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Mark Deuce

That is why we have to make our own films and with Ai as a tool many are creating their films and ideas right now Lori Jones putting them up on Youtube, Rumble, Bitchute, FilmHub, Vimeo, and others....

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Mark Deuce

That is a great point Geoff Hall and no matter what, it is here to stay, it will and is replacing jobs as we speak. Will it replace us as Writers is the big question.

Mark Deuce

It sure is Eon C. Rambally and what are your thoughts?

Geoff Hall

Mark Deuce will it replace our jobs as writers. I think this may split between studio and independent productions. Studios are all about profit margins and reducing costs through technology. Indies ha...

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Mark Deuce

I totally agree Geoff Hall that Indies will keep the human element in film, but the big box Studios will not as you said.

Liked by Mark Deuce and 3 others

William Holmgren
Screenwriter Representation

Hello!

I’m William Holmgren,

I have three scripts and one book to my name.

My most recent solo script has placed in national contests, scored well on the Blacklist, and led to a few meetings with producers.

I’m currently managing my own promo and communications with producers.

I have four additional s...

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Mark Deuce

You are at the right place William Holmgren and I wish you the best of luck with your projects here!

Ewan Dunbar

A good approach which will be appreciated is to see it as a two way street. Think about how you might be a valuable client and how your approach can be proactive once you have representation. It’s not a case of getting a rep and expecting your phone to start ringing off the hook.

William Holmgren

All true. A strong body of work is a must, but it only goes so far without a good network.

Liked by Angela Miller Lawrence and 14 others

Maurice Vaughan
Outlining/Writing Scenes

Writers have different approaches to outlining/writing scenes. I said "outlining/writing scenes" because some writers outline their scenes, and some writers jump right into the scenes, figuring things out on the page.

Here’s a list of things I figure out when I outline a scene:

– What POV the scene i...

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Billy Kwack

Hi Maurice, really, if I come across it I'll check it out

Sandra Isabel Correia

We are on the same length Maurice Vaughan :)) It’s my first short script, but I am happy that I am doing well. So, like that, you write not only one short, but two shorts, because of the B Story or Su...

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Maurice Vaughan

Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean, Sandra Isabel Correia.

Sandra Isabel Correia

Maurice Vaughan sorry about my English :)) Both of us use one page and a half to do a short script outline. I was asking about your B Story or Subplot. you said “ If I can figure out a way to wrap up...

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Maurice Vaughan

Oh ok, Sandra Isabel Correia. I would add the B Story or Subplot to the short script. I like the idea of writing a separate short about the B Story or Subplot though....

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Liked by Maurice Vaughan and one other

D A Stenard
Thank you STAGE 32 for making CHRIS MESS a Semi-Finalist

I want to congrtatulate all the other writers who are also SEMI-FINALISTS in the Stage 32 9th Annual Comedy Feature Screenwriting Competition! I am very happy and I wish all the other writers the best of luck. This script- CHRIS MESS - is also under consideration for Best Screenplay in the upcoming...

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Mark Deuce

Congratulations!! I love the Title and best of Luck.

Maurice Vaughan

Congratulations on your script making it to the semi-finals and being under consideration for Best Screenplay, D A Stenard!

Liked by Eon C. Rambally and 16 others

Maurice Vaughan
Theme List

Here are some of the themes I use in my scripts/I plan on using in scripts. You might find a theme for the script you're working on or the next one from this list.

– Ask for help and accept help when you need it

– Think before you act

– Don’t give up on those you love

– Put aside your differences

– Don't...

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Maurice Vaughan

You're welcome, Robin Gregory. How's your projects coming along?

Robin Gregory

Maurice Vaughan Just buttoning up the last revision of my fantasy feature script with my fabulous mentor. I hope to send it out soon to my rep. Then, I want to get back to a draft of my next novel. Ho...

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Maurice Vaughan

I hope you sell your script and novel, Robin Gregory! I'm rewriting two feature scripts and writing a short script. They're taking more work than I thought, but that's ok. I'm also working on projects...

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Gloria Salazar

Maurice Vaughan That second prompt was an old story idea I played around with a few years back. It’s about a homeless man named Greg Goplins who ends up rescuing a woman named Vanessa Finch from a gan...

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Maurice Vaughan

I like that story idea, Gloria Salazar! Thanks, but I have a ton of ideas to write, and I wouldn't want to take yours. And I think you should turn the idea into a script. I think it'd be a great movie...

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Liked by Toua Her and 6 others

Leonardo Ramirez
Underrated Screenplays?

What’s one film whose screenplay you think is underrated and worth studying? For me, it's "The Dark Knight". I love the one-liner dialogue that's punchy and quick.

Leonardo Ramirez

Oh great idea Ewan Dunbar! Will definitely need to read that one! Thanks!

Mark Deuce

I agree Ewan Dunbar Die Hard is a Great Read and film. Here is the Script:

https://www.scriptslug.com/script/die-hard-1988...

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Leonardo Ramirez

Thank you Mark Deuce! You rock my friend!

Mark Deuce

Thanks bro!! Have a wonderful week Leonardo Ramirez

Leonardo Ramirez

Mark Deuce You too bud!

Liked by Mista Martel and 4 others

Ayesha Khan
Discussion

Hi! Everyone hope you are doing well? It's been long time. Well just now I upload Logline on my Profile so Please let me know if I have to make changes in it or is it good or not ? ( Thank you in advance)

Mark Deuce

I will check it out Ayesha Khan and welcome back!

Ayesha Khan

Thank you

Mark Deuce

My pleasure and have a great week!

Liked by Mark Deuce and 3 others

Robert Franklin Godwin III
Does the cost to produce your Screenplay make it untenable?

As screenwriters, we have all been advised not write a story requiring a "cast of thousands" or numerous exotic, difficult-to-get-to locations. They are signaling the screenplay is too expensive. My experience has been with shoestring 'industrial' and marketing short films and videos. Budget was sac...

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Tucker Teague

Robert Franklin Godwin III I usually don't think a lot about it, but I do try for more modest stories with limited characters and locations anyway. I generally don't have much interest in big-budget f...

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Robert Franklin Godwin III

Tucker Teague I have hired a line producer and an production accountant for exactly two screenplays I wrote and three that other's wrote. I will only cite the costs for my screenplays.

Line Producer:...

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Tucker Teague

Thanks Robert Franklin Godwin III , that really helps. And the costs are kinda what I thought they would be.

Mark Deuce

I worked with a producer who created films for 10k and he has over 100 under his belt Robert Franklin Godwin III and he did the specila effects himself and they were not bad....

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Mark Deuce

Thanks for sharing that Robert Franklin Godwin III it was very insightful.

Liked by Michael David and 13 others

Mark Deuce
Comedian and sitcom creator sends a message to Hollywood as Americans look elsewhere for laughs

De Niro and Rachel Zegler have ultimately destroyed their brand by attacking half of the American Population and now it is showing in the pockets of Hollywood. Therefore, this is the result, failures at the box office and their brand.

This is a major shift away from Hollywood like we have never seen...

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Mark Deuce

1+ Billion per Feature Robert Franklin Godwin III

Topher Neville

the thing is, movie making is not all about business. It's an art first and foremost. If I just wanted to get rich in some business, I certainly wouldn't choose the movie industry for it.

Artists do w...

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Robert Franklin Godwin III

Topher Neville Yes, movies are art. Some more so than others. The value is in that art, and is the reason why studios work so diligently to create a movie that will appeal to a targeted audience and f...

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Mark Deuce

I totally agree Topher Neville for instance The Copenhagen Cowboy was the most beautiful show of art I have ever seen, I am mesemerized by it and it was cancled after one episode because they said it...

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Mark Deuce

Liked by Maurice Vaughan

Jedida Oneko
Writer's Block

I have been away for so long from this site! I'm not sure calling it writer's block is a cop out but I now feel ready, I have thrown everything i had out and started afresh. Maybe just needed to go through some tough times to find my way back to a blank page, without fear. I've decided to follow my...

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Maurice Vaughan

Welcome back, Jedida Oneko. I've dealt with writer's block. Putting a project aside and working on a different one helps me sometimes.

Ewan Dunbar

I think it was David Lynch that said “when you’re inspired, write. When you’re uninspired, read”. Biographies and true life stuff can sometimes spark great ideas to explore.

Mark Deuce

Welcome back and you can use Ai as a tool to rid yourself of writers block. Promopt: Write me a Fantasy story with title. Or Write me a paragraph for your titled story.

Mark Deuce

I love that Ewan Dunbar

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