Screenwriting

Where does your career end and your personal life begin? Where does your digital world end and your real-world begin? As a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (EMMYS), I’ve been lucky to be invited to a lot of For Your Consideration screenings and events around Hollywood over the years. At an FYC screening for WESTWORLD a few years back, Jonathan Nolan, the co-creator of the show, had some very insightful words about the dangers of “people becoming brands” via social media. H...

For the last few years, I have been working on my screenplay, THE POSTCARD. It is based on the true story of my Great Grandparents, and all I wanted to do was write a little thing about their story that wouldn't take too long. I thought around a 20 to 30-minute short... Two years later, I'm still writing it. The postcard my Great Grandfather Harry sent to my Great Grandmother Rebecca from the Titanic in 1912. I was doing okay, but as I was writing it, I found that if I was going to say...

Hey, Creative Army! Stage 32's Logline Contest isn't just BACK, it's BIGGER and BETTER than ever with the 1st Annual Stage 32 Ultimate Logline Contest! Every major player in Hollywood routinely hears hundreds of ideas and makes quick decisions based on loglines. This single sentence dictates the uniqueness of the project, shows the bones of your story’s structure, and both your “vision” and “voice” as a writer. You need to boil down your entire narrative, your protagonist’s journey, the obstac...

Good Morning my Warriors of Writing, my Sultans of Storytelling, my Colossi of Creativity! A Preamble Before you dive in, I want to tell you why I wrote this blog post. I will break into this industry, become an acclaimed writer, and set a new standard. This is not a belief. This is a promise. I'm not the best writer, but I'm dedicated to my craft, so this article is for those who are just as dedicated. Those willing to make that same promise and set the path ablaze to create a new standar...

Hi, 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, composed, developed, performed, and represented acclaimed projects such as KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, BLACK WOMEN OWN THE CONVERSATION, RED TABLE TALK, WHAT/IF, UNDER THE SILVER LAKE,...

Happy Wednesday, Stage 32 Community! I hope the start of 2024 has been exhilarating 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 February, you'll have the chance to learn from knowledgeable industry executives, actors, award-winning screenwriters, producers, directors, and representatives. Impressive creative professionals who have worked on such projects as...

My fellow creatives, we’ve chosen a path that’s not for the faint-hearted. You have to believe, all the way down into the core of your being, that you can do this thing -- that you can create worlds, that you can bring imagination to life. And we ride the pendulum, sometimes on the daily, as it swings between godlike swagger and the abject fear of not being enough. And then there’s dealing with feedback. We are our own harshest critics in so many ways, but we all have our blind spots. Part o...

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, you'll dig into how scenes in cars or done. From the safety to production options to lighting and sound design... there's so much that goes into these scenes that makes them seem impossible to do cheaply. And yet, there are definitely ways to pull them off at ev...

Writing dialogue is more than just studying how other people speak. It helps to move your story forward and gives a voice to what you’ve put down on paper. Here are some tips to make this voice as strong as possible. 1) Do Your Research An upper-class woman in Victorian England is going to have a very different life than a teenage boy in 2010. Know who your character is and how they navigate life based on their occupation and social status. Find out as much as you can about the career th...

Still Happy New Year! I am that person who celebrates the new year all month long, embracing fresh dreams and aspirations. While we are motivated to make this year better than the last one, many of us feel hesitation, even paralyzed, unable to move forward. I, too, have been in this place, feeling stuck and overwhelmed by fear. What has helped me? Learning to take a leap of faith, to believe in myself and a power greater than me. Today’s message aims to inspire you to do the same, offering in...