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In a recent review, the reviewer stated, “…transitions like “Fade in/Fade out” are generally discouraged in modern screenwriting.”
This got me to asking myself, should these transitions be removed out and left to directorial discretions? My current thinking now is to leave them out.
Would love to kno...
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I'd be ever so grateful for your feedback on the following Logline for a feature screenplay I'm developing.
Logline: In 1985, a daring ad executive bets his career on a groundbreaking campaign for Sony's compact disc player featuring four superstars, including Stevie Wonder—none is under contract. A...
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I'd watch this, Scott Westover! I think your logline is too long. It's 61 words. Long loglines can make producers, directors, etc. pass on a project.
What about this: After betting his career on a grou...
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I'd love to see this one! Here's my shot at it: To get the funds to save his daughter's eyesight, an ad exec gambles on a one-in-a-million chance at getting four superstars to appear in an ad campaign for Sony's groundbreaking compact disc player.
Jon Hersh is an independent literary manager working with writer and writer/director clients in film and TV. Jon created Night Drive Management (previously Housefire Management) in 2017 with the intent of finding bold voices with incendiary material. Since then, his clients have gone on to develop f...
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Hi, Jon Hersh. I hope you're having a great week! Thanks for having this AMA! What's one way to get noticed by reps?
Hi Jon, is it better to write low budget than high budget?
F.W.D.I.E.B LOL
Thanks for doing this, Jon. This really means a lot to many of us. My question is-- if you're a new screenwriter- what kind of scripts should you have in your portfolio? Is there anything in particula...
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Characters and stories that inspire, encourage, generate laughs--and hope. That's my vision for the creative work I do as an author and screenwriter. We live in a world that seems so divided, yet we humans are hard-wired to seek companionship and community. I love it when my creative work gets peopl...
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I love when my creative work gets people talking and connecting too, Michele Baker. I think writers can do both. Write to entertain and write to change/help people and things....
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That is what I want to do.
The fact that your voice is both affirming and unafraid is a powerful combination. The stories we tell need that exact balance of heart and courage. Wishing you great success.
Attention writers, We have some OWAs ready for your script! This diverse collection features urgent requests from top-tier producers, showrunners, and production companies for everything from pre-teen micro-dramas to heartwarming Christmas features.
This is your first major opportunity of 2026 to get...
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Hey everyone! I wanted to congratulate our fellow community members who had scripts requested through Stage 32 pitch sessions over the last 2 weeks. We are thrilled for the opportunities for the following writers to have their scripts requested by various producers,
87 North, Mission Control, Crossov...
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WOW! That's A LOT of requests!!! Congratulations, everyone! I hope the requests turn into sales and more!
I have an idea- a fun experiment we can do together! Let's Start with this picture and an inciting incident. After that, each person builds on the comment before them until we have a full story arc. Are you game to play? Let's GO! Got this free image from Stockcake.com.
Inciting Incedent 1st Person...
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I'll start us off: Holiday Break has begun for the Havel family, and every morning for a week now, a snowman has been peering into their window and the most delicious hot chocolate ever awaits them at...
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Happy to say I completed the pitching draft of my final screenplay (The Linebreakers) of the year. For the last 18 months I have dedicated one to two hours every night to screenwriting, including writing, editing, pitching, maintaining a website, entering contests, attending festivals, and networkin...
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Congratulations Patrick, sounds like you have your discipline down. Ideas can come from anywhere, for me it can be an extreme extrapolation from a personal event, from another unrelated event or from...
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Great stuff! My ideas are random. For my current manuscript, for example, I had an image of a little boy, alone, a suitcase by his side. Then I sat down, thought about the picture in my mind, and set to spinning a yarn.
Kevin La-Rose thank you! I find it very motivating when I key onto a specific project or character like you have and focus energy towards it like a laser. I'll look forward to seeing how it turns out...
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@Alex Hunter that is a great approach! And in my opinion the world can use more yarn spinning.
Patrick Koepke always! The world needs stories and people to write them.
Joining this whole write club adventure. The assignment was what thought-provoking question would I ask a Manager? Hmmm. I have come to find that my favorite meetings are the ones where I feel like I am having a meeting of the minds, where I can relax, share my crazy ideas, and come away with even b...
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Hey, Maria Restivo Glassner. Glad you joined November Write Club! I had a manager for two years (2009 and 2010). Anthony was a great manager. He taught me things about the industry, gave me guidance,...
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@ Maurice, What would an ideal manager be like now?
I think an ideal manager would be like Anthony, Maria Restivo Glassner. And he was supportive.
Historical shows are more popular than ever. From THE CROWN to BRIDGERTON, OUTLANDER to BABYLON BERLIN and WORLD OF FIRE, these stories from yesterday are winning raves today from fans and critics alike. It’s never been a better time to write your own historical television pilot, and this exclusive...
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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 cont...
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Hey Screenwriters crew!
We’re closing out Week 3 of November Write Club, and I’d love to hear from you:
• What did you achieve this past week?
• What are your goals as we head into Week 4?
My Update
I’m really happy to share that I achieved my major November Write Club goal one week early! Today I finish...
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You are doing very well, Maria Caeiro. I know that, so keep doing, even if takes more time, the quality will improve:))
Sandra Isabel Correia Thanks!
Banafsheh Esmailzadeh, thank you so much! Huge congratulations on finishing BoFS. Recalibrating after a big project is such an important step, and it’s inspiring to see how you’re already diving into...
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You’re welcome, Sandra Isabel Correia, and thank you as well :D my brain hasn’t been this energized since working on Petal (which incidentally is a heptalogy of novels, among other things) and getting...
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I wrote a "one sheet" ,more like five sheet, that I was really proud of. I think I finally realized how vital a one sheet is before going to draft. I used to treat it like a vague synopsis and figure...
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With Thanksgiving around the corner, I just want to say how grateful I am for this community.
November Write Club has reminded me why I love this work: watching hundreds of you show up for yourselves every single day, cheering each other on, and making real progress. The momentum has been incredible....
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Great work Geoffroy Faugerolas - Happy Thanksgiving!
Very much enjoy the way you host the webinars so the gratitude is two-way
I'm grateful for you Geoffroy Faugerolas. You've been a bright spot and an encouragement. Thank you so much for all you've done and all you're doing....
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Thank you for all the hard work you do. It really helps us grow and connect in this industry.
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Certainly not discouraged at all and a very concerning comment from anyone giving reviews. I say that as someone who doesn't personally use FADE IN and FADE OUT to bookend a script.
Transitions are gen...
Expand commentCertainly not discouraged at all and a very concerning comment from anyone giving reviews. I say that as someone who doesn't personally use FADE IN and FADE OUT to bookend a script.
Transitions are generally seen as clutter in a spec, but certainly can add impact when used well, so certainly shouldn't be treated dogmatically.
How a writer choses to open and close is really a taste issue and hurts nobody.
Not sure what any of this has to do with slugs.
2 people like this
Ilanna Mandel I don not.
2 people like this
good to know
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I hear so many conflicting views on whether you should use transitions if you're writing the script, I respect that they're up to the director primarily. I'm now of the mind that I'll use FADE IN/FADE...
Expand commentI hear so many conflicting views on whether you should use transitions if you're writing the script, I respect that they're up to the director primarily. I'm now of the mind that I'll use FADE IN/FADE OUT if it's traditional to do so even in a spec script, and other transitions I'll hold off on unless I feel it's important (for BoFS, for example, I couldn't not use SMASH CUT TO/BACK TO for certain scenes because I figured it might not be clear what my intentions were without them, since the scenes are connected and the juxtaposition is crucial).
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“Cut to” is not necessary because it is understood. For all other transitions, put in when you feel it is important for storytelling purposes. Don’t overthink it.
I believe CJ was indicating that slug lines and transitions are two different things.