Screenwriting

Next week Stage 32 descends upon Austin, Texas for the Austin Film Festival. We are proud to be involved with the 2018 Austin Film Festival for the 6th year in a row! We invite our Stage 32ers to come join us!   Screenwriters Richard Botto & Shane Black (both managed by David Greenblatt) chat with fellow Stage 32ers at the 2017 Austin Film Festival   Screenwriter's Meetup @ Austin Film Festival We invite all our Stage 32 members for a fun night to celebrate the most creative community...

Writing a script is challenging in many ways. After you overcome the stress of facing the first draft review and all the reviews after that and then you see the job done it is, without a doubt, a very satisfying achievement. During the process we can make mistakes (yes, even writers make mistakes) with the way we tell the story. This is why we must keep reading and or talking about script techniques. Today I want to talk specifically about three things we must not do when we are writing a horror...

We are beyond excited to announce the talented scribes who's scripts advanced to the Finals of the 2nd Annual Stage 32 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Screenwriting Contest. And give a huge congratulations to our Grand Prize Winner John Dummer from Chicago, IL for his script FORGET-ME-NOTS, and to our 2nd place winner Terry Brody from New York for his script THE VR (VIRTUAL REALITY).  We were on the hunt for our most talented writers to bring us mystical, magical and intergalactic worlds and you certainly did...

For many of us here on the Stage 32 platform (myself included), sitting at the table with other writer's to flush out a season for TV is more than just an image glued to a vision board. It's a dream. It's why we get up in the morning and flush out storylines and story arcs and practice the art of bible writing until we're blue in the face. It's why we take the part-time job or work the night shift.It's why we sacrifice living large until our words are noticed. And all the while, as we dream...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army. Let's close out the weekend with another strong cup of java and an equally potent edition of Coffee & Content. First up this week, I've been noticing many threads in the Screenwriting Lounge lately regarding the basics and the merits of writing within a 3 act structure.  One such thread reminded me of a video from Click Imagination I viewed a couple of years back.  I decided to dig it up and present it hear for consumption and discussion.  Next Up, another good...

Katie O'Reilly is changing the way the world views people with disabilities. She's writing them onto the stage, leaving their disabled stories out and normalizing them with the same hopes, fears, dreams, and realities that any other human being would face. A hearing-impaired actor uses sign language during a stage performance. The playwright said, "Disabled characters are often metaphors or tropes, representing very negative aspects of what it is to be human. So you’re evil personified, or...

"Animation is so liberating. I can write whatever I imagine!" We've all heard this sentiment phrased one way or another. It's true that practically anything that can be dreamed up can be animated, but someone actually has to animate it. So, the question is, "Just because you can imagine it, should you write it?" As both a writer and an animation director, I've seen some scripts that make animators as crazy as Daffy Duck. I have actually been guilty of writing such scripts. Animated features are...

  Chris Moore is one of the most respected producers and sought after speakers in Hollywood today. From Good Will Hunting to American Pie to the Oscar winning Manchester by the Sea, Chris has carved out something rare in this business, a long lasting and lucrative career with huge projects spanning multiple decades. Additionally, as the founder of Project Greenlight and The Chair, Chris has been at the forefront of champion independent filmmakers all across the globe. It’s no wonder why...

Are your bad guys bad enough?Evil enough?Vile and slimy and downright power hungry?Do they make you cringe when you're writing them? They should. And according to our favorite writers at Bang2Write, the protagonist’s goodness is directly related to how powerful the villain is. That's why we see so many "bad guys" who want all the power while the "good guys" want peace on earth and good will to men. And yeah, yeah, we know the antagonist (hero) is supposed to be the foundation of the film....

What's up, Creative Army? Another Sunday, another edition of Coffee & Content.  Let's kick it off. First up, as you know, most industry readers give a screenplay about 5-10 pages before deciding whether they want to soldier on and spend the next 90-120 minutes of their lives with your story.  So how can you assure your screenplay sings from Page 1?  TOMKAT content provides some insights and some examples to back 'em up in their Writing the Perfect Movie Opening video. Next, I've featured m...