Screenwriting

Awesome Job, Tony!!!

Congratulations

Congrats to Tony! I got next…

Congrats!

Congratulations Tony. Onwards and upwards!

You're welcome, Philippe Jeanneteau. Great. Hope you make connections, get script requests, sell your projects, and more on here!

Maurice Vaughan Thanks again for your help, Maurice — I really appreciate it.

You're welcome, Philippe Jeanneteau.

I've been here nearly fifteen years and execs aren't looking at loglines. They are overwhelmed by the pile of scripts in their slush pile already. They are pulling from reps and writers that come recommended to them.

On places like here, you're more likely to get noticed by an actor or director in the early stages of their career, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

The pitching is different. With that, you're getting in industry member's faces.

CJ Walley Thanks a lot, CJ. Really appreciate you taking the time to explain this so clearly — it helps a lot.

For anyone just landing here —

this post is two worlds colliding:

continuation:

I’m a world-builder, a mythology-bender, and a creator who finally watched YEARS of ideas snap into place like destiny clicking its seatbelt.

If imagination had a fuse,

I lit it.

If emotion had an amplifier,

I cranked it.

And if story universes could evolve…

mine just started M.E.W-tating.

If you’re into:

• cosmic-level character work

• mythology with modern teeth

• world-building that feels like a pulse

• stories that punch and hug at the same time

…pull up a chair.

This journey’s only getting louder.

last continuation:

The VS my theory

My interpretation: buckle up. No edits, nothing. Pure adrenaline!!

Title: Boom-Wacha-Lacka! A thud to the door.

Body:

I admit, this will feel crazy at first, but quickly, eloquently, it will turn into understanding. A few speed bumps along the way, that’s not normal in my neighborhood.

Everything is paved, perfectly. Emplaned beautifully. All roads labeled exactly where they bring you. Nothing is hidden, except in plain sight. Watch..(not wach!) my imagination guide yours.

Existence is questioned, but never broken, laws are corrected when crossed, no payment for pleasure, in the sense of simple communication.

Mythology and psychology combined.

Words and realities are formed, and never forgotten!

Best of all! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder !

Imagine galaxies never ending, but ever expanding, in purity! In Harmony.

How long ya got hahah

Actors - Florence Pugh, Rebecca Hall, Hamish Linklater, Colin Farrell, Justin Theroux, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tom Hardy, Rebecca Ferguson, Idris Elba

Filmmakers - Mike Flanagan, Paul Thomas Anderson, Ari Aster, Demian Rugna, the Philippou Brothers

Yes - and I sometimes unashamedly hide subtle clues as to who they are in my scripts. Actually, I hide lots of things in my scripts.

Martin Scorsese would be top of the list, his enthusiasm for cinema of all kinds is infectous and I would like to talk film with him. He's dead now but Robert Altman would be one as would the also deceased David Lynch. Would love to hang out with Jim Jarmusch as well. These are all directors but I could add more actors, writers etc.

That sounds crazy, but I’ll say it anyway:

I want to work with Christopher Nolan. Lol

God no. I don't do this to meet celebrities. There are artists I respect tremendously, and I'd love to chat with them and learn more about their process and thinking, but working with them brings a complicated dynamic, especially if you're coming at it as a sycophant.

I see it on set a lot and it causes me to lose respect for people.

PS Just had to re charge battery. Did several days masterclasses on AI screenwriting assist. Results mixed. AI jumbled up answers on best selling film of all time.

I would say, don't do it. Whatever time you save in the draft you're going to use in editing. and in the end, it doesn't make a difference. You are still going to spend hundreds of hours editing. Not worth the short cut. It may lead you stray.

Personally, I find it a useful tool. You can't actually write with it because it' produces laughably bad results, but as a way of doing research, or searching for the occasional word, I think it can be quite helpful.

For instance, I was thinking about a scene where the criminals murder someone by staging his death to look like a fiery car crash, so I asked, what might a Medical Examiner find in an autopsy under those circumstances that could indicate the crash wasn't the cause of death? It actually gave me a bunch of actionable material to consider. So, for stuff like that, it's pretty cool

Hey Debbie - It's been a few years since I've written anything so this AI stuff is all new to me; a Masterclass on AI screenwriting assist would be welcome. I haven't directed or produced anything in years and have no intention of ever doing that again. But writing still flows through my veins. I'm going to try getting one more strong commercial script out before I become extinct. I had two years of research done before The Stolen Kingdom and another two before The Hooded Summer - AI seems to be much faster.

I understand it hallucinates a bit - most of us did in the '60s - that doesn't bother me. I'm looking for an assist; that's all.

People have tried to put together courses on using AI for screenwriting and they've been met with pitchforks. It's still a very contentious topic.

You made a valid point. If the final scene or ending of a film can bring tears to the audience’s eyes, that film tends to stay in their hearts for a long time.

There's an industry saying, "there's films that need to make money and films that need to cost money".

Sometimes, people know that a film needs to be produced because it provokes something in people. That's when you're creating art for the sake of art rather than the bottom line. Ironically, some of the most financially successful films of all time were made by putting the art first.

My favorite director has always been S. S. Rajamouli. If I ever had the chance, I would love to collaborate with him someday—even though, as a small writer like me, I know it’s almost impossible.

Still, his work inspires me endlessly, and I’m truly excited for his upcoming film Vaanaraashi.

First of all, in this life, nothing is impossible.

Second, what does it even mean to be a “small” writer? There’s no such thing as a small screenwriter. Every screenwriter is a huge, unique personality.

If you want to work with your favorite director, you just need to take action. Understand that, start creating, and the opportunity will come. You will meet the people you admire—just keep moving forward.

Who did the artwork for the poster you used? I need an artist to collaborate on a graphic novel?

You won’t believe it, GPT-Chat…

Here's a post about Scrybe from a month ago, Jim Ramsay: www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/Scrybe

Thanks, Maurice. Got it.

You're welcome, Jim Ramsay.

Hadn't heard of this site before. I see it's got a limited number of comps listed. Unless there's a cost advantage, I'd be inclined to enter a comp directly or through filmfreeway which has a vast cornucopia of comps.

I'm so glad you shared this Ashley Renee Smith because yours is one of the most powerful examples I know, of the drive that is behind why we write. And it's those pieces that are coming together through the journey to heal that not only helps us process but inches others upwards in the healing journey they may be on - nuances that will resonate. It's when something we see or hear resonates, that we know we're not alone in the journey.

Coming to this creative pursuit later in life I find that I personally have a lot to say and specific viewpoints to articulate. Not (at least I hope) in a preachy or even persuasive way, but intentionally presenting a point of view that is meant to provoke thought. So at least to date I find that lots of me are in every story I write and in many of the characters I create.

Leonardo Ramirez 2 no need to be

Love that @Maurice

I agree Ashley Renee Smith. I believe it is also for the same reason writers have such a hard time accepting feedback without taking it personally, especially in the beginning. We leave so much of ourselves in our projects that feedback feels like a personal attack, and we find ourselves defending our choices for this or that in our work, instead of removing our attachment to it and listening/hearing the feedback with an unbiased ear.

Hi,

I submitted my screenplay, "Fancy":

Logline: In 19th Century New Orleans, a privileged Creole girl learns her lineage affords her advantages. But those come at the cost of providing "special" services.

Genre: Drama (Period Piece)

This script placed previously in two different contests and received positive feedback. My limited pitch deck can be found on LAL Scribes on YouTube.

I really appreciate the opportunity to showcase my talent to Color Farm Media. Thanks, as usual Stage 32!!!

Hello All!

Is love a chemical reaction we can control, or is it a variable we just have to survive? That is the central question in my new script, The Perfect Kisser (genre: Rom-Com).

We’ve all seen the "opposites attract" trope, but I wanted to dig deeper into why we build walls around our hearts. This isn't just a story about a boy meeting a girl; it's about a woman who tries to solve romance like a math problem, and the man who throws out her calculator.

Here is a closer look at the characters, the comedy, and the heart of the story.

The Premise: Can You Automate Chemistry?

The story follows Joey Baker, a 27-year-old cosmetic chemist known in her industry as the "Lip Gloss Goddess". Joey is brilliant, but she’s scared. After witnessing her mother’s heartbreak and growing up without her father, she decided she would never make the same mistakes.

Her solution? The Kiss Criteria.

Joey has developed a data-driven formula to quantify what makes a partner perfect. She believes that if she can control the variables—eye contact, breath sync, the approach—she can guarantee the outcome.

The Heart of the Story

At its core, The Perfect Kisser explores the relationship between Joey and her mother, Sharon. Their strained relationship comes to a head when Sharon admits that her own fear of vulnerability taught Joey to hide behind science.

Ultimately, Joey has to learn what Julian knew all along: You can’t automate chemistry. The "perfect kiss" isn't about scorekeeping or technique; it's about being brave enough to be vulnerable.

Hello,

I’m Artemis.

I am a screenwriter, author and poet.

I submitted my screenplay “The Value of Blood “ which is a Thriller about Simetra Thomas, an office manager at a hospital being accused of murdering her brother. While trying to clear her name she discovers that the hospital which should have been a place to go for help and feel safe, is the most unsafe place in the world.

Simetra’s task is to stay one step ahead of her brother’s killer as she is his next target.

The story is a marriage between “Erin Brockovich”meets “The Fugitive .” It was born from my experience with my brother being left in a coma after a terrible automobile accident. It was a way to let out my feelings about treatments patients receive in hospitals and in long term care facilities when they have no advocate to ensure their care. Also the story sheds light on how easily people accept what is done to them and never look at the bill to see what they are paying for. Only when the insurance company refuses to pay for a treatment do they have a problem.

What I like most about the story is that it’s a possible what if scenario

wrapped up in this fast paced murder mystery.

My strong female lead experiences betrayal and doesn’t know who to trust as she fights for justice and to stay alive.

I submitted a pilot entitled, Specter. Logline: Vincent Specter, the black sheep of a legendary family of private investigators, struggles to live up to his legacy—until he inherits four ghosts that help him become a "Guardian of Goodwill"

The screenplay/script that I submitted is for a series that I believe would fit on either a streaming service or network. ZON is a character-driven, politically charged prestige sci-fi drama built for today’s global audiences series that blends scale, emotion, and cultural depth. The series picks up in the year 2045, Twenty years after the mysterious abductions of 130,000 humans who have return aboard a fleet of alien starships carrying a dire warning: the Dvora, a ruthless and ancient enemy, are coming. Representing the powerful Ylatchee Imperium, Archduke Nathan Kilmer must navigate a fractured Earth splintered by nationalism, corporate dominance, and mistrust to unite humanity before it’s too late.

What begins as a moment of awe quickly becomes a geopolitical struggle for survival. Nations race to interpret the Imperium’s message, control advanced technologies, and claim power. Families are reunited with loved ones who have been changed physically, culturally, and spiritually. As Earth grapples with its own divisions, the abductees must prove they are humanity’s best chance at survival and not its greatest threat.

• Identity, belonging, and cultural hybridity

• The moral cost of power and political ambition

• What it means to be human in an age of transformation

• How we navigate truth in a world drowning in misinformation

It tackles these themes through the lens of spectacle, emotion, and character similar in spirit to The Expanse, Arrival, and House of Cards, but with a deeply personal core.

For me, as a Black LGBT creator who grew up loving science fiction but rarely seeing heroes who reflected my identity, ZON is not just a series it’s a reclamation. It’s a chance to build a universe where representation is not an afterthought, but a foundation.

The Ylatchee Imperium

A powerful interstellar alliance composed of multiple species each with unique cultures, technologies, and politics led by an emperor and a ducal council. This includes:

• Ylatchee – honor-bound reptilian humanoids with advanced tech

• Ukak – engineers who designed the hyper-gates

• Xolden – avian traders and negotiators

• Agi – energy-generating species once enslaved

• Micor – insectoid masters of biotech

• Olani – spiritual healers

• Dvora – breakaway, genocidal predators and the central threat

This lore is meticulously crafted and functions as the mythological and political backbone of the entire franchise.

• Pilot Script — A prestige, high-concept thriller with emotional stakes

Refined through extensive story development, character integration, and worldbuilding.

• Season Bible / Episode Breakdown

Featuring character arcs, cold opens, thematic evolution, and political structures.

• Proof-of-Concept Footage

Shot to capture tone, scale, visual identity, and emotional resonance.

• Concept Art & Pitch Deck

Featuring designs, ship concepts, planetary cultures, and dramatic key frames.

• Two Companion Comic Series

Exploring parallel perspectives within the ZON universe.

• Tabletop Strategy Game — “ZON: Cosmic Warfare”

A deck-building game that expands the lore and deepens audience engagement.

Every piece is designed to position ZON not simply as a TV show, but as a flagship sci-fi franchise with multi-year narrative potential.

With ZON, I’m building the kind of universe I wish I had growing up: inclusive, ambitious, and unapologetically rooted in representation. A universe where the future belongs to all of us.

Under my banner, Draconem Ignem Entertainment, I’ve spent over a decade creating content across TV, film, comics, and music videos. My career in production script to screen, cinematography to post has shaped my understanding of how to craft emotionally grounded, visually compelling stories. ZON is the culmination of that experience.

This isn’t just a pitch.

It’s a calling.

A belief that new worlds can help us better understand our own.