J. Ralph Fisgus MD: Screenwriter in Lakewood, New Jersey.

Hi Ross - My pleasure! I gotta tell you - I really love Stage 32. So many nice people just here to help people out and inspire. I have been writing for a year and a half and its a lot of fun ( especially since I'm not starving !) But it's a serious hobby too - I want to some day succeed because I love this form of story telling. I'm here to help too. If you ever have a medical question for example for a story - please feel free to drop me a line. I love to help others! Good luck to you and all the best!

That's a really kind offer, thank you; if you need any help on geological questions, I'd be happy to try and shed some light on any problems - I'm no academic but I have spent almost a decade in the geosciences world. I love Stage 32 too, great community spirit and a fantastic forum for new and established people who's passion for story is second to none. Best of luck with your projects, both present and future. Ross

I think the WHIPLASH short was used as a way to find funding for the feature. The problem with short films in the USA is that there is no real market for them, so they go unseen by anyone who can help you. The exceptions seem to be CGI heavy shot films which get passed around online and lead to the writer/director/FX artist getting a job on some FX heavy project... where they hope they will also do some of the FX supercheap. My only suggestion regarding shorts is that screenwriters might want to consider making them to get a handle on what does and does not work on film.

I have two examples, personal ones, that have both come from shorts I've written 1) a producer has bought a short script from me because he wants to make it into a feature at a future date. I'll receive Story By credit in this example. 2) a different producer/director took one of my short scripts (free option), like the writing and has now hired me to write a low budget feature for them. So in these cases shorts are definitely adding to my Resume (and bank balance)... Apols if this comes across as a humble brag, but I'm an advocate of short scripts/films and think they do have value to screenwriters as learning opportunities and have the potential to lead to other things, as these hopefully show.

I really want to thank everyone for their comments! I appreciate all the input and people sharing their experiences! Stage 32 is just a great place! Thank you all!

I know the feeling. I was a quarter finalist. Congratulations! Well done.

Congrats. But lets hope you eventually sell it!

Congratulations!

I'm down to read for you brother. I'm trying to get as much acting work as I can. Paid or unpaid.

I meant either paid or unpaid, doesn't matter to me. Lol

Good luck and best regards, Ivan

To some extent, this depends on what the screenplay is for. Is it a spec or are you writing this for either yourself or someone who has commissioned you to write it? In other words, you're already on the team and it's now just a tool to lead toward production. A pure spec screenplay should, IMHO, have no camera, acting, or other directions. Why? If you want your reader to be "in the story" he shouldn't suddenly be catapulted into a sort of behind-the-scenes moment - as in, "This is where the camera is and we're going to point it over there." Camera movement, lens choices, angle, and acting directions stop the story and take a reader out of it. And many of the "directions" in screenplays that have them are really editing choices. As was mentioned before, it's pretty easy to "suggest" angles, lenses, movements, etc. in the way action is written. Spur-of-the-moment examples: WAY ACROSS THE STREET, A WOMAN WAVES HER HANDS = Wide Shot. A WOMAN WAVES HER HANDS IN FRONT OF HER FACE = Medium Shot. A WOMAN'S FINGERS FLUTTER AS SHE WAVES HER HANDS IN FRONT OF HER FACE = Close-Up. In each example, the extent to which the woman dominates the frame is suggested by what we're told first. Just some thoughts...

At the risk of repeating myself, at no time ever should you include camera angles. Even POVs are irrelevant. Unless you are funding, producing and directing the film, then your ONLY job is to tell the story. Tell a story that is engaging and captivating. One that is driven by well drawn characters that come to life on the page and drive the story forward through their conflicts and pursuit of their goals. The biggest problem that you should be looking at is how engaging is my story? Does it leap off the page or just dribble along? Why would someone invest millions of dollars and years of their life to make my story into a feature film? Focus on putting together a sequence of events that make an interesting story. There are over 2000 books on the market that can teach you all the techniques you need. Start with the most popular ones