Screenwriting

Hi, Olga Burkova. The Diary and the Watch sounds interesting, and the title is catchy. Besides the movie Titanic, I haven't seen a movie or show about the Titanic. I'm looking forward to watching your limited series!

Stage 32 has feedback services (www.stage32.com/scriptservices).

"I would also be grateful for advice on where an author can share information about such a project for free, particularly on platforms aimed at a British audience or focused on historical drama." You could make a post about that in the Authoring & Playwriting Lounge (www.stage32.com/lounge/playwriting). You might get more advice there than the Screenwriting Lounge.

Thank you very much, Maurice Vaughan. I will do exactly that. I hope it works out.

Enormously interesting. A great period. Very popular. You'll need an episode breakdown/full synopsis. You'll be able to write a great pitch. I think it's a winner when you find the right person to pitch it at. There are good adverts around for historicals.

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.

I’ve been using it for two reasons: to guide me with the script structure and to correct my English. But there are a lot of copyright concerns with that, so I decided to start from scratch on my own. After that, I’ll look for a correction service.

I think it’s great if you have a detailed outline, scene by scene.

That’s what I was doing — I developed the outline with micro-scenes and sent each part to ChatGPT O3 to generate the section with dialogue and short description.

It’s truly a great tool; the problem is all about the copyright issues.

I think it’s absolutely worth trying. When I urgently need to know about a 1951 Sweden–New York ship, what Botswana smells like, or what a physicist could secretly do in a closed city, ChatGPT or Claude are indispensable. If your story has been around for a year, AI can help you polish it into the fifth draft in just a week—and then you’ll be ready to start a new one! Also, as Meriem Bouziani said, when English isn’t your first language, AI is invaluable. It can give you fresh ideas and unexpected angles you might not have thought of.

It seems to be unable to remember what it suggested earlier IMO. Maybe I am biased. It also seems to write the same script as seen in previous movies.

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.

Just keep grinding Philippe Jeanneteau

Here is CJ's truth- too many scripts in their slush pile already. They are pulling from reps and writers that come recommended to them.

It is a very small club.

Thx CJ....

They've all said it better than me but I have found the community at Stage 32 to be an incredibly important asset. Access is what we all work for and dream of, of course, but the community here is full of experience, wisdom, empathy and encouragement. Soak as much of that in as possible. People here that have reached out to encourage you on this post is just a small but perfect sample of the rounded support Stage 32 seems to offer.

Thanks for the advice, Anthony.

The market is opening up, increasing in volume demand and becoming more accessible. Pitch a lot; see adverts etc. Develop your way of written pitches. Make sure Loglines work, and synopsis are real synopsis, not marketing blurb which doesn't tell all the story with its ins and outs. I'm not a fan of competitions, others are.

Write, direct, produce one yourself. It can be zero budget but still be great.

Congratulations on getting a Double Recommend, Phua Wei En! For your first screenplay is really impressive!

Hole in one first time out!

Hi there,

Thanks for sharing your concept — Guilty Camera has a strong emotional foundation, and the combination of a war setting with an intimate, romantic storyline definitely has cinematic potential.

The core idea is intriguing, but you might consider sharpening the dramatic stakes. What specific conflict pulls the photographer and the woman together? What risk or moral dilemma defines their connection?

The blend of war and romance can be powerful, especially if the emotional arc mirrors the external chaos.

Overall, it sounds like the beginning of a compelling, character-driven story.

Although many features of this concept already exist across various industries, I would suggest keeping the main theme of the story intact while trying to make the screenplay truly out-of-the-box. The goal is for the audience to watch your story and feel that they’ve never seen anything like it before.

Hey, Kadir Demir. GUILTY CAMERA sounds interesting. The title caught my attention. It's a unique love story.

I think your logline needs some work. Here’s a logline template that might help: After/when ______ (the inciting incident/event that sets the plot in motion), a _______ (the main flaw the protagonist has to overcome in the script or an adjective that describes the protagonist’s personality) _______ (the protagonist’s job/career/role*) tries to/attempts to/fights to/struggles to/strives to/sets out to/fights/battles/engages in/competes/etc. _______ (goal of story and try to add the obstacles here) to/so/in order to ________ (stakes).

The inciting incident can also be at the end of the logline: A _______ (the main flaw the protagonist has to overcome in the script or an adjective that describes the protagonist’s personality) _______ (the protagonist’s job/career/role) tries to/attempts to/fights to/struggles to/strives to/sets out to/fights/battles/engages in/competes/etc. _______ (goal of story and try to add the obstacles here) to/so/in order to ________ (stakes) after/when ______ (the inciting incident/event that sets the plot in motion).

Loglines are one or two sentences. A one-sentence logline sounds better, and it takes less time for a producer, director, etc. to read it. Try to keep your logline to 35 words or less. Long loglines can make producers, directors, etc. pass on a project.

Avoid using “must” in loglines. “Must” usually means the protagonist is forced to do whatever they need to do in the story instead of doing it willingly. You might need to use “must” in a logline though, like when the protagonist is forced by another character to do something. Using “must” to choose between two options is fine.

Names in loglines are usually for biopics, well-known stories, and franchises (like Mission: Impossible).

Sometimes I put the location and date that the story takes place in instead of the inciting incident if it’s a Period Piece script.

All stories don’t follow this logline template. Biopics, documentaries, and Experimental scripts might not follow the template. The series logline for a TV show can follow this template, but the pilot logline and episode loglines for the show might not.

Good title!

Congrats to Tony! I got next…

Congrats!

Congratulations Tony. Onwards and upwards!

That is so awesome!

Congrats to Tony and everyone who made this big event a success.

That’s a good reminder for me.

I’ve had so many epiphanies across my different sci-fi worlds.

The last one, for my script The Silent PFC War, really shocked me and made me realize the idea touches the very foundations of how a civilization is built and developed.

Meriem I did some big fantasy as a kid, so I can relate to the worldbuilding epiphanies. They're so fun to get.

Great idea for a post, Spencer Magnusson. My most recent screenwriting epiphany is the Fantasy Action feature script I'm outlining needs ooze. :D

Yes Spencer Magnusson

fantasy can also have special moments of epiphany.

I was also hoping to find a writing partner, or someone to discuss story concepts with. Let me know if you'd be interested in sharing and discussing our thoughts on various stories

Nia Jones honestly, I feel the same way almost everyday.

That's why I come here. And oddly enough, I've connected with two local to me writers through stage 32. Both from cities with an hour drive from me. Stage 32 has helped me find others to talk writing with.

Hi, Nia Jones. I prefer to write alone, but having a writing partner is great! And I talk to a lot of writers on Stage 32, so being a writer doesn't feel so lonely. You could make a collaboration post on Stage 32's Job Board (www.stage32.com/find-jobs).

Hi, Nia Jones. Yes, loneliness is the part of journey in any field specially when you don't have friends from the similar background or you have left behind somewhere in your career. I have been in both of the situations. Here is what I do : I watch few interviews or podcasts of writers so that I can connect somewhere maybe personally or related to writing stuff. I scroll down stage 32 posts and read few to get the active community feeling. Now a days Gemini and Chat GPT is really helpful to get rid of this feeling for sometime.

At the end, I feel this feeling of loneliness, so that I can get used to of it day by day because this will happen somewhere and sometime throughout the life so I can get stronger and habitual. But here on stage 32, people are really nice. So you won't feel that loneliness with this connectivity.

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.

You're right, Ashok Varma. When stories move us, they win. I try to make my scenes moving when I outline and write them. I even try to put moving moments in scary scenes, action scenes, and suspenseful scenes sometimes.

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…

Hey, Aleksandr Rozhnov. Jordan Peele. He's a master of storytelling and symbolism.