Screenwriting

You’re ready to pitch your TV series idea. You’re there, in the room or on Zoom, you’re nervous as hell but you know your stuff, you’ve got this, you draw a deep breath, you say that much-practiced logline and end with “it’s X meets Y!” Someone somewhere told you to use “comps”, so you picked two shows or films that bear some resemblance to your show and put them together. They told you to pick comps that were profitable to show your project will be too, but what does “profitable” even mean in t...

Hey, Stage 32 Community! A great animated film or TV show combines adventurous storytelling, colorful character development, visually stunning animation, and a imaginative spirit to create an immersive and memorable experience. Classic animated shows like THE SIMPSONS or SOUTH PARK are some of the most watched series of all time, in the television and film spaces. Current animated franchises like DESPICABLE ME, INSIDE OUT, and MOANA have fans waiting on the edge of thei...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? I have some content here for you that is sure to get the creative juices flowing, so grab your coffee, and let's dive in. First up, in this video from Writer Brandon McNulty, he’s breaking down how to write strong and effective dialogue--with examples from The Dark Knight, Game of Thrones, The Godfather, and more! He highlights what he feels are the “3 Higher Purposes of Dialogue”, looking at how in success, dialogue presen...

The first season of True Detective stands out as one of the finest offerings in the realm of quality TV shows. All episodes were penned by a single writer: Nic Pizzolatto. But what exactly makes them so compelling? I took this question as an opportunity to closely analyze Pizzolatto's novel *Galveston* and the first three seasons of *True Detective*. From this exploration, I extracted dramaturgical similarities and devised a writing model. This process was enlightening, and I'd like to share the...

Hello, Stage 32 Community! We love celebrating our amazing members and all that you have worked hard for and achieved, and we know you do too! We wanted to shine a light on all of the successes you've garnered and make sure they are getting their proper due. So sit back and read on to learn all about signings, deals, meetings, script requests, and all of the fun happenings from the month of May... Success Stories Congrats to Stage 32 Community Members Jessica Calvello, Stephanie Harrison,...

NOTE: To bypass all potential arguments or misunderstandings, I have renamed the Hero’s Journey to the Heroic Journey to encompass both genders. When you decide to master storytelling, you step into a new environment known as the Heroic Journey. It is an eternal narrative structure that has shaped countless tales of triumph and self-actualization (on-screen). As you venture into the heart of this narrative archetype, you experience what is known as the Heroic Quest, which is composed of the ca...

Happy Friday, Stage 32 Community! Our Stage 32 Team has been working diligently to bring in as many new resources and opportunities as possible to enrich your experience here in our community! At Stage 32 you have direct access to award-winning industry executives and professionals who’ve written, directed, produced, filmed, developed, performed, and represented acclaimed projects such as DUNE: PART TWO, WONKA, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, THE BLACKLIST, UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT, PERSON OF INTERE...

Happy Thursday, Stage 32 Community! I hope that the last month has been joyful and productive for you all! Our Stage 32 Education Team has certainly been hard at work to bring incredible education opportunities and resources to this fantastic community. This June, you'll have the chance to learn from knowledgeable industry executives, award-winning screenwriters, producers, directors, showrunners, actors, consultants, VFX artists, authors, and representatives. Impressive creative professiona...

Connie Brean (Robert De Niro): Stanley, don't do this. You're playing with your life here. Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman): F*** my life. I want the credit. -David Mamet’s Wag the Dog A Game Worth Getting Into Let’s face it. Given a choice, most Creatives want to make their own art rather than spend valuable hours helping others perfect theirs. I’m always on some level aware that every minute I spend doing the things I talk about in this article I am not spending on my own stuff. But I...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? I have some content here for you that is sure to get the creative juices flowing, so grab your coffee, and let's dive in. First up, in this video from StudioBinder, they’re looking at one of storytelling’s most crucial elements, the antagonist, including breaking down the 7 types of antagonists, their characteristics, and their functions in a story. Unlike the protagonist, who is usually a character, an antagonist can be ma...