Screenwriting

If you want to write for the screen, study the rules and the craft. If you want a collaborating screenwriter, you've come to the right place. Message me privately if you'd like to discuss the concept and pitch your idea with a galvanizing synopsis or at least logline.

Thank you all so much for your helpful guidance — I really appreciate the time you took to respond.

Without going into story details, the project explores the connection between the inner world and the outer world, and how inner awakening and intuition can shape a person’s life. It’s universal, not tied to any specific religion, and some elements are inspired by my own intuitive experiences, which is why the project is very meaningful to me.

I do have a logline and the main characters already developed, as well as about 20 pages describing the concept. What I need now is guidance on the next practical step — whether that’s finding a screenwriter to collaborate with, refining the outline, or preparing the material for pitching.

Any advice on which direction to take from here would be truly appreciated. Thank you again for your support.

You're welcome, Marziyeh Gholampour. I suggest refining the outline. It's easier to write a script if I do the heavy lifting in the outline. If you want to collaborate with a writer, you could make a post on the Job Board (www.stage32.com/find-jobs).

Faith based films tend to follow certain formulas. Here’s a webinar I found useful.

https://www.stage32.com/education/products/how-to-write-and-direct-your-faith-based-feature-film

Next step is difficult to discern without more information... as in, intuitively pick someone to consult with, execute an NDA, and see what gets recommended with what you have.

Great news to wake up to.

My feature film screenplay, MORGAN’S WAKE, is a semifinalist in the Action/Thriller Competition.

Congratulations to all the other semi finalists!

Logline: A retiring hitman is tasked with breaking in his young replacement, only to find that the target of this final job is more than they seem, leading to a violent double cross in which the hitman himself becomes the target.

You could have blown me down with a feather when I got the news!

Vicarage Road - "He swapped the SAS for Sunday Service - now his redemption is ravaged by Revelation"

A former SAS soldier turned priest is dragged back into the world he escaped when a high-tech identity breach exposes far darker forces at play. Vicarage Road blends smart action, modern geopolitics, and deeply human stakes as an unlikely team is pulled into a fight that hits closer to home than any of them expect.

congratulations to all of them.

MY screenplay, HANCOCK PARK, is a semifinalist.

Congratulations and good luck to all who made the list!

Nice, Justin Groats. It's always a great feeling. Congrats and best going forward!

Yay Justin Groats !

Congratulations Justin Groats! Winning or placing in any competition is a great achievement and worth celebrating!

DAMN RIGHT it means a lot, Justin! Great job...and here's to more and more success!

Congratulations! That’s still a major achievement!

Thank you Juliana Philippi, I think so, too. Lol and I really do wonder about potentially expanding the series into a heptalogy after all… but of course I’ll have to see how SiR at least turns out. Truth be told BoFS was such an emotional experience that the thought of the series ending at six entries seems a bit too soon xD

Banafsheh Esmailzadeh you need to take a deep breath and get your writing out there - you'll enjoy it!

Yes. Three days ago, was the last time, a cry/laugh at the same time. It's a good tool.

Thanks Alex Hunter, it’ll be a while until any of it is ready, but I’ll try :)

That’s awesome David Taylor, and very true.

Hey , Phoenix Black . Great job. Sorting out what will work for you will provide more clarity and possibility. Good luck !!!!!!

I'm incredibly jealous of how organized this is. I mean that to be complimentary.

I'm about to start this kind of research and would love to know how you use chat gpt to help with your research, what prompts you use etc. I mostly use it like an organization tool because that's not my strong suit.

I wish you good luck. Last year I went through various lists on the internet, lists with production companies. Most refuse to accept scripts from us who have no agent. Or the companies have no email address on their web site. But I found about 100 to write to.

Goran, I'm in exactly the same spot. Can't find contacts to email them. The vast majority won't read queries if not from a manager. The few I do find (IMDb Pro used to be better with contact) I get no reply. But still, we trudge on!

Nice that you liked what I wrote, The first list I used was wikipedia's list with production companies in USA. In many cases Wikipedia included links to the individual companies. In other cases wikipedia doesn't include any link, so I googled, and found the same company on some other list. In this way I found more lists to go through. In this way I went through a few thousand companies, to find 100 I could actually write to,

Pat Alexander Maurice Vaughan Thanks a lot for the thoughtful breakdown, honestly one of the clearest explanations I have seen on this topic. Really appreciate you taking the time.

My situation: I am developing projects in thriller, action, dark comedy - but they all share the same DNA: grounded near-future tone, a sci-fi edge, and social satire. That is the through-line, regardless of genre.

For example, rom-com is definitely not my lane, and I doubt I will ever write one.

The dilemma came from an animation concept for kids I recently came up with. The emotional core (kind and nice adventure) and the theme feel very “mine,” but stylistically it is far from the grounded, intense tone I usually write in. So I am deciding whether to write it myself or pass it to a relative who is also a screenwriter and is much closer to that genre.

Part of me wants to protect the idea because I see it, but another part wonders if pursuing it myself would pull my branding in too many directions.

Your point about leading with a primary genre while quietly developing others actually helps a lot. Thanks again guys, you are the best!

You're welcome, Alex Gutenberg. Ok, you're a through-line writer (not sure if that's the official term). I've heard of writers and filmmakers doing that.

I say go with your gut for your animation concept. I mainly write Horror scripts and Action scripts, but I still write and pitch Animation, Comedy, etc. My presence online is Horror and Action, so I'm not worried about a Rom-Com script, Musical script, etc. messing up my brand.

I speak as someone who writes scripts, but is primarily a songwriter. I have written more than 450 songs across genres. I follow where the muse takes me. It would be so limiting if I said I was only going to write country or jazz or blues or whatever.

Thanks, Maurice Vaughan . I really appreciate the clarity and honesty - this kind of straight feedback helps a lot.

You're welcome, Alex Gutenberg. Glad it helps! And it's Stage 32's November Write Club. It can help you reach a goal(s), it's a chance to connect with writers, directors, producers, etc., and you can get support for your goal and projects. Week 4's blog comes out Monday.

Elle Bolan Heart emoji : ) Thank you!!!

Ahoy, Juliana Philippi! Congratulations on being a Spotlight Member, finishing your goal way sooner than expected, and submitting A Texas Carol to its first OWA! I like title and twist on A Christmas Carol!

Maurice Vaughan Thank you Maurice!

You're welcome, Juliana Philippi. Hope your script moves forward in the OWA! Have a great weekend!

That’s awesome, congratulations to you,

and good luck with your pitch sessions.

I think the newest season suffered for a lot of reasons. Particularly I felt the actor chemistry felt lacking. Which is understandable considering the transition the show made.

I think the biggest problem is the writing. I'm wondering if it was written during the writer's guild strike by a scab or it's AI. It's truly dreadful, like I didn't even want to finish watching it. The replacement of Geralt was fine and the addition of Lawrence Fishburn was a nice surprise. Everyone that signed off on the scripts should be banned from tv production forever...

Hi! I can't say anything about the script. I haven't watched the third season of the series yet. I'll just note that TV series are created for the sake of making money, not for the sake of art.

i just couldn't go past the fact that Henry cavil is not playing the lead. so didn't watch it

Michael T Gregory so very sorry to hear this. I can see why it feels even more bitter because your work is worthy of an agent. I can see also then how that could have made you more open to this fraudster. I know there was a post a few months ago about an actor who almost got ripped off by an agent.

Thanks for the feedback. Hindsight being 20-20, I would’ve done lots different. Do you notice there aren’t any agents on this platform?! Hmmm

Hey Michael, this is Suzanne from the Stage 32 team. I just wanted to let you know I moved your post from Acting to Screenwriting, as it fits much better there. Let me know if you have any questions, and all the best to you!

Hi Michael, a few times with financers

Hello Michael T Gregory, a bit of advice that I've heard in shortlisting potential contacts: "There's no humility in showbiz." If they're being shady about their credits, they don't have them. So if you don't see it beyond an email mention, it ain't real.

a ***widowed***

I’ve submitted Painted Face- an American Dad got possessed by a Chinese opera ghost when he purchased a colonial house in San Francisco.

Painted Face is a supernatural horror thriller about the Dubliner family, who move into a remote colonial house where pregnant mother Shannon feels an unsettling sense of déjà vu. Soon, eerie visions and ghostly encounters reveal the presence of Fong Zhi Yun, a depressed and disillusioned Chinese mistress and her ex lover, Chan Mong Sang, a vengeful Chinese opera singer. Shannon uncovers a chilling link between herself and Zhi Yun, who once murdered her lover, the bi-sexual opera star Chan Mong Sang. Mong Sang’s tormented spirit possesses Shannon’s husband, John, turning him violent—he begins to abuse their children and slip into frightening trances that mirror the ghost’s past.

Desperate to protect her family, Shannon seeks help from priests and spiritual healers, but conventional exorcism fails. Guided by a Chinese spiritual expert, she learns that the only way to end the haunting is to relive Zhi Yun’s final act. In a haunting ritual performance, Shannon confronts Mong Sang’s spirit, freeing John from possession. Though the family survives, they are left deeply scarred, haunted by the knowledge that the past can return in terrifying ways.

I submitted my dark comedy-horror script The Bridges to the Stage 32 + Mammoth Pictures “Search for New Blood” Screenwriting Contest!

Logline: A sarcastic suburban couple must figure out what’s turning their teenage daughter into a cold-blooded killer before her rebellion wipes out the whole neighborhood.

Tagline: Parenting is purgatory. Teenage rebellion is hell.

Fingers crossed—and good luck to everyone who submitted!

Submitted!

I entered the competition with my supernatural horror feature THE SHADOW VERSE, inspired by true events drawn from childhood experiences and generational folklore.

Recent highlights:

• Winner – Best Foreign Screenplay, New York Script Awards

• Finalist – 13Horror Screenplay Competition

• Official Selection, Best Hollywood Day Short Film Festival

Logline:

When a woman haunted by childhood possession reads her family’s cursed grimoire backwards to rebuild her life, she awakens an inherited evil determined to claim her daughter’s soul.

It’s a dark, emotional, and deeply spiritual horror about faith, loss, and the danger of temptation.

This project means a lot to me, and I’m so happy to share it here.

Wishing the best of luck to everyone who submitted!

Congratulations Anna!

How can I find this video? There is no search feature under the Webcasts portal (I do have a Writer's Room membership)