Screenwriting

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, the director of SHAZAM! and its recently released sequel, David F. Sandberg digs into one of the biggest challenges every filmmaker faces: communicating their vision. You might see what you want on screen clear as day in your mind, but if you can't clearly communicate it to your actors and crew...

"When you’re writing, you’re conjuring. It’s a ritual, and you need to be brave and respectful and sometimes get out of the way of whatever it is that you’re inviting into the room.”-Tom Waits As is often the case with major life changes, my pursuit of screenwriting came quite suddenly. On July 14, 2018, I sat in a Starbucks and considered my career. You see, I had worked in higher education for eight years, and while there was certainly a joy to be found there, I wanted more. It was in this m...

Hey, Stage 32ers! Hope you had a productive and connective Introduce Yourself Weekend and, for those in Los Angeles, you were able to join the in-person meet-up! This week the WGA overwhelmingly voted in support of a strike if necessary (just a reminder that this was not an announcement that they would strike). I've been asked a lot if fears of a strike would cause buyers to rush to grab projects that maybe aren't 100% in tip-top shape, giving up-and-coming writers a chance to break in. The tr...

A couple of steps are preached within the screenwriting sector that newbies need to follow before finding their feet in the industry. Many screenwriters have been frustrated out of their passion because they’ve done everything they are asked to do to no avail. They’ve followed the process verbatim and are yet to land anywhere or anything meaningful. This can be frustrating, mainly because it forces the screenwriter to think that their success and breakthrough in Hollywood aren’t in their hand...

TV comedies have never been more smart, diverse and laugh-out-loud funny. Managers, producers and development executives are on the hunt for the next ABBOTT ELEMENTARY, BARRY, or HACKS. Audiences love a good TV comedy - TED LASSO and ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING are successful for a reason! We’re here to give your TV comedy project that kind of success. If you have a TV comedy story that needs to be told, now is the time to show us what you've got, because our goal is to amplify your voice, gi...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! First, congratulations to all of you who have already participated in our monthly Introduce Yourself Weekend! Thousands of connections have been made between entertainment creatives and professionals from around the globe. Whether you are a long-time member or brand new to Stage 32, take a moment to pop over to the Introduce Yourself Lounge and say hello before the end of the weekend. First up this week, we have a video from StudioBinder on writing subtext. I see...

Hey, Stage 32ers! I hope you're all making great progress on your creative projects this week! We always want you to be up-to-date on what's happening in the industry so that you can set yourself up for success. Now that the WGA has asked for strike authorization (a totally expected move), there's a lot of talk about what this means for content and spending when there are so many reports of fear and contraction. Here to break down for you what's happening with content in the midst of all this...

Trying to rigidly adopt a writing process and methodology can be a heartless exercise. I beat myself up for years because my execution of the story did not match the guidance of the best teachers. Not that I am criticizing anyone for working that way. In fact, I say more power to you, but it isn’t always a method that has worked for me. I finally had to surrender to my own instincts, my Voice regarding my methods and process. Some writing teachers advise you to determine your theme before you...

Last year, my co-creator friend Stephani Prescott and I had just entered a development agreement with Cindy Villareal (Majestic Productions), and it’s safe to say a lot has happened since! Cindy is one of the kindest, down-to-earth people you will ever meet, and it has been an absolute pleasure working with her. The development phase was critical as there is so much up-front work necessary to package everything up. We relied on Cindy’s guidance and expertise to get the pitch deck and lookbook...

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, Vox is breaking down the art of making trailers with help from editor Bill Neil who works with Buddha Jones. Neil works on some of the biggest movies of recent years, including Jordan Peele's NOPE, and breaks down why he makes the choices he does, how to make a bigger impact by combining different...