Screenwriting

Fantastic work—you've accomplished so many things. Keep the momentum and have a great 2026.

Nicely done!

You rock Maurice! That is amazing!

You're always leading the pack Maurice Vaughan !

WOW! That's super industrious! Yeah! :D

Congratulations on the sales, Libby Wright! Being at the Pitch Practices and the Lounge posts helped me get better at pitching. I plan on pitching at the Practices and Pitch Tanks.

Libby, there's a movie production company right under my and 485,000 other noses here in Omaha...Fallen Giant Films.

And I'd like to pitch the company a full-length comedy called "Really Old School," one of two scripts I've written that are set in Warren Buffett's home town.

In this one, a modern-day teenager in Nebraska's largest city gets inspiration from a piece of 1910s sheet music to honor and emulate the tune's author...her newly-deceased great-grandmother, a ragtime-era composer-musician-bandleader-arranger.

I'd probably ride the struggle bus along the way...despite going to pitch practice sessions in 2023 when I was still in Stage 32's Writers' Room (before a rent increase threw me out of TWR) and learning a lot earlier this year from watching Sara Elizabeth Timmins' webinar on how to craft a two-page movie pitch that actually works.

Touting a story whose lead character's a teen who loves Scott Joplin's music in an age where her cohorts are into Taylor Swift, Megan Thee Stallion, and Bad Bunny would, just by itself, put me on the struggle bus.

Punch my ticket, anyway!

I'd love to pitch my feature to anyone- I'd love to see it through Lionsgate or A24. (I'm a huge A24 fan). How to get it done- I'd have to be brave and not just sell them on the script, but my 2 leads for the movie.

Bonus 1-- Christmas on Standby, romcom, logline- When a blizzard shuts down a tiny Midwestern airport, a ruthless crisis strategist and a widowed father become accidental leaders of stranded passengers. Forced into triage, compromise, and unexpected intimacy, they discover that some promises—especially the ones we run from—don’t begin until life goes on standby.

Bonus 2- Learning how to approach the production team, even A-listers for the project. When you realise a GOOD solid actor can make the world of difference on a film- it makes you work harder to make the script work.

Tagline- Some arrivals don’t happen until everything stops.

I’d like to pitch my feature The Silent PFC War to a producer who thrives on large-scale, multi-location crises. The narrative unfolds simultaneously on Earth, aboard the ISS, and on the fictional planet Oziross, so I’m looking for someone confident in building complex worlds—especially an entirely imagined one. They should also enjoy non-linear, puzzle-box storytelling.

Logline

When an alien-engineered gas reduces humanity to the mental age of six, a faction of rebel aliens joins forces with imprisoned ISS astronauts to restore global intelligence before a covert genocide plan is set in motion.

I picture an energised development session and I’m eager to refine the project to present it at its absolute best.

A love these kinds of discussions. It's education disguised as daydreaming.

For me, I'd want to pitch Michael Schur my workplace sitcom Load Toads, which is a military workplace comedy about the irreverent zaniness of enlisted life. Not because it's a clone of one of his shows like Parks & Rec or The Office, but because if anyone would get what I was trying to do with that project, it would be him.

Or if I can answer again, I'd love to pitch Jason Blum my contained horror feature The Linebreakers. Low budget, simple premise, it's essentially a character reconciliation bottle episode as a horror feature film.

Mike's spot on. Don't overthink it.

If you go on the likes of Reddit and Facebook, you'll see people saying you should never use a single transition - that it looks amateurish, that it makes you look like you're trying to be the director, and that you'll anger and offend the director. It's amateurs coming out with this nonsense. They'll be upvoted by other amateurs who want to believe the same.

SMASH CUT is a great example of a transition that screenwriters can use to convey impact, pace, and comic effect. FADE TO BLACK can be another.

Using transitions for every scene does look amateurish, but that's an extreme.

Absolutely nobody in the world that matters cares if you do or don't use FADE IN and FADE OUT.

No director worth their salt is getting their fee fees hurt by one too many transitions. That goes for formatting in general. If there's a good story there, they are going to take it and do what they feel is right with it.

Same goes for producers. They are digging for content.

A lot of this paranoia and subsequent dogma comes from obsessing over readers, and the lowest tier readers (competition readers, low-rent consultants, assistants, etc) are the ones that will come into communities and give away just how judgemental and superficial they are. They have got nothing better to obsess over. The crap they come out with is unbelievable and there's good reason why their entire careers are getting paid $5ph off Craigslist gigs (if they're lucky). They are the ones telling people your bold slug lines matter, that using "we see" is a criminal offence, and that more than four lines of dialogue makes your script unproduceable. They have nothing to do with the industry and next to zero insight.

I use transitions like "FADE TO BLACK" or "DISSOLVE TO" to signal a larger than expected time skip which is pretty much standard from what I've seen and read. Other than that "CUT TO" is understood to before each new slugline.

For TV spec pilots: I don't really care if you use FADE IN / FADE OUT, though it does take up precious page space. CUT TO between scenes is not needed as it's obvious, and also takes up tons of unnecessary space, making your script artificially longer. Act break indicators with page breaks are only needed for a pilot indended for broadcast. But when I'm working with a writer on any pilot we put it in (without the page break) as an internal way to keep track of where we are in the script and be sure we're hitting proper structure, which you need for streaming as well. If you do this as a tool just for yourself, remember to take them out before sending out the script! Some elegant transitions between scenes such as match cut, prelap, smash cut, or just dialogue or action transitions that make scenes flow into each other or juxtapose key scenes are the sign of a sophisticated writer, provided they're done with story intention and not too frequently. But this is a tone thing - some writers have a staccato tone with short scenes and fast pacing that doesn't lend itself to transitions, some writers prefer lingering reactions or button lines to end scenes, some prefer some sort of visual device to transition between storylines / locations / timelines - as long as all this is intentional to give the "reader" the same specific emotional experience your viewer will have. TV is a writer's medium, if you're leaving choices up to a "director," such a person does not exist, or at least often not till long after your pilot is sold.

Also, to CJ Walley 's point, I think pretty much all pros don't care about formatting so long as it's not so bad that we don't understand what you want us to see & feel. When I comment on formatting, it's because it's so bad that the script becomes difficult to read and in some places I literally don't get what the writer is trying to communicate.

From hieroglyphics to modern screenwriting, the purpose of symbols is to convey information. Excess written symbols slow information processing. Not enough symbols, leads to confusion. Are slug lines necessary, or an unnecessary clutter? The answer is a firm "sometimes", and sometimes it takes a friend reading your script to know the answer.

So excited to teach this lab again and dive into different worlds in time and space! Death by Lightning debuted on Netflix as the #1 show globally and top 10 most binged in the US. The Gilded Age continues to be one of HBO's most successful series, getting 5 million US views for the season 3 finale. Boots, set in the recent but not-too-recent past is hugely popular with a young audience. The industry is turning around, but you need to start working on your series NOW if you want to be ready when the pendulum swings!

Anna, we’re so lucky to have you host us! Thank you as always for your insight. Email me at edu@stage32.com to sign up or learn more. The lab is 20% off today for our Black Friday sale, discount already applied!

Learn more about the lab here: https://www.stage32.com/education/products/stage-32-8-part-screenwriting...

Bravo!

Hope you can join us Jack!

I'm enrolled in the class, but my MAC OS won't let me fill out the questionaire that came with the confirmation. I can give some info here: My name is Lynn Garthwaite, from Bloomington, MN. I've taken many Stage 32 classes, mostly on specifics of writing scenes, and some on the business of being a screenwriter.

I have one project, a mystery/thriller, that is currently being shopped by a producer, but I have several other completed screenplays, plus an idea for adapting a series of children's mystery books I wrote into an animated series.

I'm hoping to learn how to pitch that series, and what materials (i.e. a pilot script) would be expected from me. I am the published author of 11 books, but several years ago turned to screenwriting as my passion.

Favorite film/tv show? I'm a big fan of any of the Nora Ephron rom-coms, and, in fact, just re-read the screenplay for "When Harry Met Sally" and am always amazed at her genius. But having also written children's books, I would love to see my mystery series (written at the 1st/2nd grade reading level) become a tv series.

Hi,

I've had a problem with my computer. Also, for some reason I cannot access the questionnaire to send in.

My name is veronica taylor small, everyone calls me v. (spelled in lower case on purpose)

I want to learn how to pitch my projects, because I have written several features, shorts and a couple of children/YA books.

I love action movies across different genres from "The Polar Express" and marvel to Tom Cruise action and all the Bourne movies.

I am so excited and looking forward to this class and absorb all the knowledge humanly possible.

Hey Veronica and Lynn!

Excited to have you in class today! Email edu@stage32.com

and I’ll send you the questionnaire (with Sivert included in the email chain).

Hey, Lynn, I emailed it back to you from edu@stage32.com

Hope class is going well :) Lovely to meet everyone and any issues like I mentioned please email edu@stage32.com

Here are some of my top education recommendations for screenwriters:

How to Write and Pitch Your TV Animation Script: https://www.stage32.com/education/products/stage-32-2-part-class-how-to-...

The Secrets to Becoming a Pitching Ace: https://www.stage32.com/education/products/the-secrets-to-becoming-a-pit...

How To Write A Query Letter That Gets You Past The Gatekeepers: https://www.stage32.com/education/products/how-to-write-a-query-letter-t...

How to Write the Perfect Plot Twist: Thriller Screenwriting Essentials:

https://www.stage32.com/education/products/how-to-write-the-perfect-plot...

Learn How to Develop Your "Brand" As a Screenwriter: https://www.stage32.com/education/products/4-part-class-how-to-develop-y...

How To Break Story Using A.I.: https://www.stage32.com/education/products/how-to-break-story-using-a-i

How to Write Subtext in Your Screenplay + 3 Writing Exercises: https://www.stage32.com/education/products/stage-32-4-part-screenwriting...

Screenwriting Class: How to Rewrite Your 30 Minute TV Pilot:

https://www.stage32.com/education/products/stage-32-4-part-screenwriting...

The Cyber Monday sale is still going strong - save 20% on all webinars, labs and classes until midnight tonight! Don’t miss out!

There are some on your list I've got either saved or just got. They've made a huge difference in my writing

How to Write the Perfect Plot Twist: Thriller Screenwriting Essentials:

https://www.stage32.com/education/products/how-to-write-the-perfect-plot...

How To Break Story Using A.I.: https://www.stage32.com/education/products/how-to-break-story-using-a-i

The Secrets to Becoming a Pitching Ace: https://www.stage32.com/education/products/the-secrets-to-becoming-a-pit...

Thank you Cynna for sharing your list :) This makes my day to hear they've made a huge difference !

Thanks Leonardo Ramirez 2, it could've been xD of course a few years later I got caught in a love rectangle that was just as epic but mostly cringe lol (it was a cheap adulthood copy of teenage drama so vastly more cringe). In fact that one might well have even been a twofold rectangle at one point (as in, when one corner left, it was soon replaced). It was an absolute mess and made me miss the high school one because it was so much simpler and infinitely more real rofl

Too funny Banafsheh Esmailzadeh!

Yes, my former "professional nerd" (now Private Eye) character has lots in common with me, other than the PI and mystery stuff. His story of getting fired when he rewrote a program that ran too slowly - and making it run in about 1/10 of 1% of the original version? Something quite similar happened to me. (Except I didn't get fired right away. When I asked if there might be a bonus I was told I made them look bad, and I was transferred to another project that was going away.) It's sort of like therapy to get those stories out of my system.

It truly is like therapy because that's how I process everything is through writing

Leonardo Ramirez 2 you are an artist and you know the truth "replacing it with hope" that is so accurate.

Yes the one I've been shooting and bringing out to festivals this year in miniature format,

#superturbojetboats

it's a vicarious schizo-affective expression of my creative containment during quarantine voiced and fictionalized into a joyful ensemble cast adventure/comedy,

so I found a channel to express each of my mental and emotional "5 people I spend the most time with" from inside my head to the page to the screen,

and yes it is the journey from conquest to hope, folded, spindled and mutilated and reassembled into a far-flung fictional Golden Fleece that is unrecognizable and sharp in its eventual realization. I am so thankful to have created an outlet for these ideas!

That's fantastic! This really shows the power of combining storytelling with compelling imagery.

Awesome news! Congrats

Happy holidays!

Thanks for all of the nice comments. The weird thing about it is that I met this guy after responding to a post he put on a neighborhood site called Nextdoor. He'd just graduated from AFI and was looking to meet people interested in film. I replied, we met, and it turned out he was interested in scripts about the Mexican immigrant experience in CA. The story shown in the poster was one from a collection of stories he had an option on that kind of dealt with the topic.

I told him I had a script about that exact issue, so I agreed to read the collection of stories, and he agreed to read the script. He liked the script more than I liked the stories and he got all hot on the idea of doing it and he asked if I would be interested in adapting this collection of stories while he tried to get his finance guy interested in my script. I said, sure.

He and another writer had put together a treatment that tried to combine elements of all the stories into one feature length script. I thought it was a really admirable effort, but didn't feel like it really added up to anything in the end, so I suggested taking three stories you could tie together in some way and doing it as a kind of Ballad of Buster Scruggs thing,

The problem was, I couldn't find three stories I liked enough to do that with, so he suggested adapting just the one. He was listed on IMDB and had made some shorts that had gotten some festival recognition as well as a found footage type horror film that has some nice reviews on YouTube, so I thought it would be worth the effort.

Once I found the hook I wanted to the story, it only took about a week to write and when I showed it to him, he got all excited about doing that, So I guess we'll see where it all goes. Hopefully, I'll have a better understanding of things if this meeting with the finance guy actually happens at which point I'll have a chance to figure out how legit any of it is.

Tim, way to GO! Here's wishing you tremendous success with "Igloo among Palms!"

I like how the visual and the concept reinforce each other here. It creates instant clarity for the reader. Thanks for putting this out there.

Yeah, I wasn't unhappy with the way it came out for an AI thing, but with a little refinement it could be quite interesting. For instance, I don't like the font, and I would have liked to see the car's grille facing to right of the image, so that the word Imperial on its grille could be seen as the word has a broader connotation in the script beyond just being the name of the car.

Hey, Anthony McBride. I got a lot done this year. Wrote scripts, rewrote scripts, networked, pitched projects, etc. I gave feedback to other creatives on their projects and helped out creatives this year. Congratulations on writing a record number of screenplays and everything you accomplished this year!

Maurice Vaughan Thanks a bunch for the reply. Great job on all that you've done this year too.

You're welcome, Anthony McBride. Thanks. Hope we all have an incredible December and 2026!

Hi, Juliana Philippi. Congratulations on finishing A Texas Carol and everything you accomplished during November Write Club!

I write, network, pitch, and keep learning during December, but I try to take extra days off. I build upon the momentum by maintaining relationships, keep writing, etc. I like to make a list of goals for my projects.

Maurice Vaughan Thanks for that : ) And thanks for also reminding me to take days off…time isn't linear, and sometimes projects need time to be inside our imaginations and hearts, sometimes they pour out fast, it's all the process.

December is for hot coffee and hot content. I'm gonna be writing away and networking more! I am looking forward to watching you keep going through 2026!

Elle Bolan Same! Hot chocolate, hot coffee, hot tea, long wintry nights of inspiration, and same same same to you, success and growth in 2026!

You're welcome, Juliana Philippi. I need to get better at taking days off. You're right. Sometimes projects need time to be inside our imaginations and hearts. I have script ideas from years ago I haven't started yet. I get ideas (scenes, characters, etc.) for them from time to time.

Thanks, Maurice Vaughan! Indeed the obstacles are many, but I believe that if you have a gift, you have to share it with the world, so I'm gonna fight like hell to get Finding Elpis made (I'm not being at all pessimistic when I say I don't think I can write anything better than this series--even if I can, it won't be for a long time, and I daresay nobody has that kind of patience). Reading all the blogs and comments that epic space sagas are hard sells, it is hard not to be discouraged, but at the same time I've said that stubbornness runs in my family so I'm leaning into that with all I have :D I know my audience is anxiously waiting for me so I need a brave team to help me meet them~

Thanks Elle Bolan, indeed it will be, but I'm ready for it. Got so much I both can and want to do, so hopefully it all gets my time and attention~

You're welcome, Banafsheh Esmailzadeh. "Indeed the obstacles are many, but I believe that if you have a gift, you have to share it with the world." You're right! Epic space sagas are hard sells, but you just need one "Yes," and it could lead to a sale. I'm rooting for you!

Thanks Maurice Vaughan, hopefully soon I'll get that fateful "yes" from a manager/producer who'll let me cook (that's the most important part honestly lol, since it's a series and I've routinely gone back to account for lots of little details, you can imagine how protective I am of it creatively) and give my work the attention and investment it deserves. I've been very fortunate to come across some great actors via Wildsound and I honestly want some of them involved in the final product should I be so lucky (I respect that as the writer the most I can do is recommend someone). Maybe alongside writing out the sequels I can learn about putting together a pitch deck and drawing up some storyboards in the new year (or even this month).

You're welcome, Banafsheh Esmailzadeh. Learning how to make a pitch deck can be helpful. I learned using Canva or Canva Pro (I can't remember which).

Congratulations to you!

I hope you create much more in 2026.

Oh yeah it's a blast Cynna Ael. I did one character as Robert Downey Jr and it changed the tone entirely. It wasn't too close to Tony Stark but close enough LOL.

Maurice Vaughan Let me tell you, I've been using the "Break the Story with AI" and it's helped me to really focus on the storyline more and it's streamlined my writing because it's helping me from going into the tangent land. (I do like tangents. They are not supposed to like me, but they call me all the time.) I've learned I really enjoy doing at least 2-5 pages a day. I used to think it would be so hard, but with white space and actually SEEING how it comes about, things flow. I've also been rearranging my writing folder for research, scripts to do, possible ideas, and more. It's given me a bunch of hope in the best ways.

Leonardo Ramirez 2 I'm with you on the voices being so much different in tone. It's like one of my stories has Pedro Pascal as the male voice and it's amazing how different it sounds from the story with Paul Mescal as the male lead. The tone shifts dramatically- yet, it is truly a great way to "hear" them and you can just let the characters talk.

Yeah that's when the character really takes on a life of its own Cynna Ael. It's fun to watch.