Screenwriting : Frustration by Michael Lee Burris

yep, right with you. It hurts my heart. Im sure you've seen the video of director Hayao Miyazaki calling it 'an insult to life itself.' We're just in the middle of change, and how we want to find the middle and adjust is up to everyone individually, I just hope beyond hope it doesn't become the standard. I agree that AI can help some people craft better emails, or help them with mundane tasks...totally OK about that. But not ART. That hurts my heart.

Stage 32 is only interest is in making money.

APPLAUSE I think that the lion's share of artists know Pandora's Box has already opened, and advanced AI isn't going anywhere. The creative masses also know it should be relegated to the dull tasks like combing through copious amounts of data in say medical research (albeit with human overseers). Or aiding humans in wildfire prevention via smoke detection. Will generative AI one day be able to flawlessly emulate the human neural networks that make each of us unique? I am skeptical, but it remains to be seen... At least for now it's apparent the stuff AI cranks out appears to be from some Bizarro Superman universe so it's still somewhat easy to detect (like Cylons before they donned human form)...

AI may be able to put together a script, but it can't come up with funny, heartfelt, unbelievable slice of life moments/situtaions that writers witness and weave into their story to make them memorable. There are already too many 'fluff' movies being made that don't peak my interest, inspire me, make me laugh or cry, or take me out of my head and into another time and place where I root for the characters on their journey.

Dan Guardino as it should be lol !! were all grown adults here what else would we be doing on here playing bingo ahaha

Michael Lee Burris i also i feel your pain , my only rebuttal is , why don't you just keep doing things your way (: theres so many people in multiple industries not using ai and still crushing it ...just have to be more valuable my brother (:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDKY-sCauRg

Lori Jones A lot of "fluff" is right... At least the fluffy stuff is crafted by actual humans! Finding something to watch nowadays is like drinking from a firehose whereas it used to be like combing through a barren desert in The Ancient Times before On-Demand and web-based services. I feel like the streaming service recommendation algorithms (definitely NOT advanced AI) need a bit of tweaking in general.

Chase Cysco I agree they should make money. I don’t spend any money here so what they promote really doesn’t affect me. I was just saying why I think they probably promote it.

Dan Guardino same with me dan , i take this platform as an opportunity .. its free to join... get to connect & meet great people , and also when my scripts are ready i can pay 30 40 bucks and pitch it to somebody of value in the industry , really cant beat that (:

Chase Cysco That is 30-40 more than I spend. I am just here because I like communicating with my fellow screenwriters. I understand why some people aren't happy about Stage 32 promoting AI. I am not against it myself because I don't consider what I write is art. For me "Art" is just another name for Arthur.

You're certainly taking a stand and calling it as it is. Five Starts for Dan Guardino

Wait until writers make money, work for corporations. What we doing now- writing spec screenplays is easy- there is no expectations. Just you and maybe your circle of peers.

Unless you have skin in this game, AI or whatever new invention to save money & time, this wont matter.

I can understand why people employed might be worried about AI because they have something to lose. People on spec don’t have anything to lose because nobody is paying them.

Spec script writers shouldn't be worried about the use of AI in screenwriting? If staff writers are concerned about the employ of AI I would imagine spec RONIN would/should be thrice fold as verklempt... You still have something to lose because AI usage, whether by producers/studios, or other spec writers, potentially increases the number of Spec Ronin you are competing against, e.g. an onslaught of AI-written/enabled scripts in competitions, pitches, query letter submissions, etc.

As a former studio exec turned independent producer, I have been in this business for a long time and I am of course aware of AI's fast growing presence and utilization in many facets of the industry, especially for the studios and streamers. They're naturally going to explore and implement it when/if possible, and I'm not saying that in a way that is supportive, it's just a fact. In the context of what I do, and in relation to what i can and cannot control in this industry, I can tell you that there is no replacement to the human element of the creative process and I will always feel that way. Are there applications for AI in some areas of the process? Sure, and they are still revealing themselves every day, for better or worse. But like I said, for me it can't and won't replace writers, real human being writers.

Mike Childress There are probably more than 150,000 spec screenplays floating around Hollywood on any given day. Out of those maybe 100 t0 150 will sell in a good year. So, the failure percentage for spec screenplays in Hollywood is approximately 99.9%. I seriously doubt more screenwriters will make the odds worse.

Completely with you. AI was created for the sole purpose of helping writers and other people in their careers, not taking them over. AI can never write what we authors can with our hearts and souls. There's a reason movies and shows nowadays aren't so well, compared to back in the 90's.

Dan Guardino I subscribe to the same maths. Except, I tend to insert a zero after the decimal point, but keep the digit "9." ... Does this mean that if I were to invest $100.00 in purchasing books and material to continue learning and improving, the chances of getting 1 cent back is 99.9%. At least possible?

Dan Guardino This may be chalked up to rookie heathen ignorance, but when I use the term "spec script writer" I am referring to someone who writes unsolicited scripts in the hope that they will craft stories good enough to eventually secure themselves a staff writer, script consultant, etc. job, and once in that position potentially find themselves in a better situation to hawk their own wares to their employers/co-workers... As a competition enterer myself I would prefer my works be judged against others crafted by other humans, in their entirety, as I am sure those fortunate 100-150 successful salespeople did before they hit the screenwriting jackpot... At this juncture what we do know is people have already been caught using advanced/generative AI to do things like draft legal briefs, write academic papers, compose corporate documents, etc. so it's pretty safe to presume that screenwriting has been penetrated by AI usage to some degree. So maybe people utilizing SkyNet to write doesn't worry me per se, but it's difficult not to wonder how many of the 4091 entries received in the last contest I entered had some HAL 9000 help when all I used was my brain... "Rage...RAGE against the dying of the [creative] light."

Mike Childress probably so many 9000's lol

Charles V Abela It isn't how much someone spends it is if the imporove and use their screenplays to make connections in the business.

Dan Guardino Very true. In my case, it's just a hobby. Sure, I would love to have a hit. Absolutely. However, for a younger person, who aspires to make screenwriting a career, the maths still say that most of the connections in business they make will fall within that 99.9%. Which is not encouraging, but for many it's a challenge showing that perseverance could pay or lead them to other paths. Also it helps them make a good living without getting to the dizzy heights. I hope my thoughts expressed here are well-balanced.

Mike Childress The reason I tell people how bad the odds are so they know what they are up against. If they now how bad the odds are and still want to give it a try they might actually be a screenwriter.

Finding a first screenplay that is really marketable would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

After a screenwriter has two or three under their belt the odds are very slim.

After they have four or five more people are willing to read their screenplays. That is when they can make more contacts in the business.

By the time they have six or seven people will take them more seriously.

By the time they have eight or nine they usually have enough contacts in the business that they have a decent chance of selling one or getting an assignment.

Most people quit long before that and that is why the odds seem so bad. When I learned that I set my goal to write twelve screenplays and if I didn’t have any luck by then I was going to quit. I have written over twenty features and one pilot so I did reach that goal.

Mike Childress You are absolutly write. Many aspiring screenwriters think selling a spec is the ultimate goal. However, a spec screenplay is really your calling card, a tool to forge connections in the industry. Just today, I received an email from an agent wanting to sign me, and a producer I know is eager to co-produce a documentary with me. These opportunities arose because I used my spec screenplays to build relationships within the business. That's when the odds start to turn in your favor. Keep pushing forward, and remember that every connection counts!

Dan Guardino That's really good news. Great week. Your reasoning is very true.

Dan Guardino YESSSSSSS. I am currently trying to build my script war chest. I like to think of my screenplays as long. drawn-out sections of my CV... The two I am writing now, including my first Short, are two of the most enjoyable bits of writing I have EVER DONE.

Dan Guardino cmon dan, that dont sell webinars or pitches, "Specs are your calling cards." Nope. Script services gotta make this business sexy; everyone is just one script away from fame & fortune :)

Dan MaxXx I love that!

Nope, AI will be soon be as expensive as Caviar. The AI masters will see it's failure to be creative and they will up sell it "as you want the best writing you pay for it". The major equity companies of the world will buy up AI and make it work as an Algorithm bye bye.

# KEEPFUCKINGWRITING!

Paul Rivers If it will soon be expensive I would rather spend mine on something that has four wheels and will get me somewhere.

I just had a long converstation with an Agent that wants to sign me up and I didn't have to use AI to write that screenplay that she loves.

because you got skilzzzzz Dan Guardino ( ;

Chase Cysco Maybe for a self-taugh hack:)