Screenwriting

Hi, Ianna R Miolan-Cruz! It depends for me. If I'm writing a script with roles that can be played by anyone, I don't mention race. If race is important to the story, I put it in the character description(s).

It helps unless there is a special phrase you can use to distinguish the characters. But for those who are not familiar with that country's people.

You need to be careful with this. If you specify a characters race for no apparent reason, it can create the perception you see all other characters as white by default. It's best to keep things open ended.

Concur with CJ, above. I'd also double-down on the specifyying for no apparent reason -- there really shouldn't be any detail in your script that's specified without any reason. This leads to loose, random, aimless writing. Obviously, if a character's race is fundamentally significant to your story (egs. Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave; Mollie Burkhart in Killers of the Flower Moon; Chris Washington in Get Out) then you should state as it's essential.

(drop parentheses) and any camera/direction.

if the crowd woohoos does it have to be in unison?

Never knew bonus was a verb….

Thanks for your honest feedbacks.

James Fleming, they could woohoo one at a time, but it sure would take up an awful lot of screen time.

Jay Gladwell Well, if we're going to be picking the ant shit out of the peppercorns...

Your assertion: "Crowds, 99% of the time, do things in unison." is comically imprecise.

Although a well trained chorus might vocalize in unison, a crowd never could.

An author should strive to know the precise meanings of words, or at least know the URL for https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unison

Unison means "identical in musical pitch" or "the interval of a perfect prime". The exclusion of the word unison does not infer they would be speaking consecutively.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

Congratulations, Adam Reiver! Voice is hard for me to describe, but I know my voice and recognize voice in other people's scripts.

Wow- I feel that. Clever to Honest cuts to the bone. Usually the things I think are most "clever" have to go!

Congratulations

Good for you, brother. I think I know what you mean about the noise. Focusing on authenticity and the path of least resistance certainly brings clarity and allows what matters to flourish.

Well put, Adam. And well done.

Nancy Wilkinson oh I agree. But I do also recognize the fact that both my partner and I are creatives and as a result we're always working on something and never get to rest. Because when we have some spare time we get working on something else.

Start one. Finish one. Rinse and repeat.

I'm only doing one at a time as my "day job" is demanding... but boy do I have a list of fun ideas I want to work on!

This is a tough one to answer as terms like work and project are ambiguous.

Generally speaking, I'm working on whatever my brain wants to dwell on. Sometimes I'm day dreaming and making notes on dozens of ideas. Sometimes I'm hyper-focused on one that I'm actively developing/drafting/polishing.

The important thing is not to compare with others and to lean into where the passion lies. It's too easy to beat ourselves up and turn this into work.

CJ Walley I agree with you, the best way is to find whatever works for you. Like I said while on vacation I wanted to develop something but got so focused that I wrote the 1st draft. On the other hand I've been working on a simple commercial video script for three hours today.

Can you send me your email in a private message, Aleksandr Rozhnov?

What I've found is that I tend to pitch the entire project not just the script and that allows for these questions to be addressed. I know it may not be "official protocol" but it's worked well for me. Often my passion for the project is a big selling point for the script itself.

I mentioned this in a topic about feedback last week. Someone appreciating your vision is essential to collaboration. If you are passionately trying to create meatiest, spiciest burger in the world and meet a vegan with IBS, you're going to struggle to collaborate, unless one person can put their difference in needs and taste aside.

This is the problem most newer (and some long-time) screenwriters are running into. They see a lack of alignment as meaning there's something wrong with their work and it needs to be addressed for them to succeed. Those who have studied the craft and honed their voice see through that, and know to move on until they align with someone on the same wavelength.

Sometimes, it can actually be helpful when a producer tells you to change something here and there. Let me share a little story from my own experience. Right now, I’m working on finishing my screenplay Fast as a Fly. I once sent it to a producer in Europe. He ultimately declined to work with me because I didn’t have a LinkedIn profile, but he did give me one important note: he said the ending was too sad and suggested a happy ending instead.

So, I gave my story a happy ending — a second chance for the main character. And now, I’m rewriting the script with that in mind, because I actually think it makes the film stronger. The protagonist’s second chance adds emotional depth and hope.

That’s why, even when your opinions don’t fully align, sometimes those differences can bring something truly valuable to your script.

CJ Walley said, "Those who have studied the craft and honed their voice see through that, and know to move on until they align with someone on the same wavelength."

All I can add to that is: "Amen, amen, and amen!"

Abram Christian, now I understand. Thank you for providing that example. Like you, I see such occurrences more often than I should. This is the kind of thing I chalk up to lazy writers. Hardly a day passes that my wife doesn't ask, "Why didn't he or she [fill in the blank]"? Then I explain to her that if he or she did that, the movie or the TV show would be extraordinarily short. Again, lazy writing. That's how I see it, anyway.

Maurice Vaughan 5, I understand your point and do not deny it. But when it's all said and done, it's still a script/story issue. If you, Abram, or I did that, we'd be called "amateurs." But the big boys and girls who get paid to write get away with it and are referred to as "professionals." No one ever said life is fair.

It's a script/story issue a lot of times, Jay Gladwell, but a lot of times it's a production/budget/post-production issue.

As mentioned by Maurice Vaughan 5, a lot of it comes back to production constraints and keeping runtime down.

The other common factor is sheer entertainment. Most films leverage implausibility to keep things fun. Christopher Nolan films tend to be good examples of this. Some of the stuff that happens is so contrived and ridiculous, yet people love his films and see past those issues.

It's very easy to nitpick, and a lot harder to come up with an equally entertaining solution that works for production and doesn't add time.

Maurice Vaughan 5, allow me to make sure I understand you. If some exec decides to "fix the script," for whatever reason, thus requiring a "rewrite" that weakens the story-telling, whether it's in pre, intra, or post production, it's not a "writing" issue? This, to me, shows the disconnect between the execs and the writers. And this is how good scripts are turned into bad movies. It all boils down to "bad story- telling," regardless of the excuse, insofar as the audience (the final arbiter) is concerned.

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks, Ron Reid! I learned about waterfall from Stage 32's vlogs, but it's always great to learn more.

Very good blog. Certainly worth learning about, especially for those looking at producing.

Really great post, Samuel Moses Osigwe.

Thanks, Samuel Moses Osigwe. I like the reasons that you write stories!

My main focus is entertaining when I write scripts, but all of my scripts have themes/messages.

You're absolutely right. I know I tell stories because I love it, and admittedly wanting to do it for money is a bit of an adjustment lol but nonetheless I hope my stuff makes even one person feel a little less alone in the world. Then I'll know I succeeded and it was all worth it.

That’s such a beautiful and grounded perspective. I completely agree — when things get tough, reconnecting with why we do this can be the strongest source of motivation. For me, writing is a way to explore the human experience through emotion, conflict, and resilience. I want to tell stories that reach people on a deeper level — that make them feel something, whether it’s hope, fear, or empathy.

It’s definitely a process, as you said, and every challenge along the way shapes not just the story, but also who we become as creators. Making a difference through storytelling — that’s the real reward.

Well said, Samuel Moses Osigwe. It's all about passion. I spent most of my life assuming everyone else had a vivid imagination. I then came to learn someone very close to me didn't imagine anything. They struggled to picture anything in their mind. That made me realise what a gift it is that we have, and how valuable it is to others when we use it to entertain.

correction.

I meant The Dark Knight Rises

Mann's "Collateral" is very interesting. Uses very strange words to describe color: things like "shimmers of blue" and "ribbons of red." Don't know if that made it to the final version of the script.

[1 CREDIT SEQUENCE: 1

Images wipe across the screen, kinetic and abstract, floating

and dreamlike in SLO-MO:

Shades of yellow. Ribbons of silver. Shimmers of chrome.]

I'll do you one better... here's my top 5 screenplays I've ever read:

1) A KILLING ON CARNIVAL ROW by Travis Beachman (when it was meant to be a feature, long before it got turned into a TV series)

2) DEEPER by Max Landis

3) NIGHTCRAWLER by Dan Gilroy

4) BRING ME BACK by Crosby Selander

5) THE WAY WAY BACK by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash (this is probably the only comedy script that's ever made me authentically LOL while reading... oddly, I thought the actual movie - which I watched a few months after reading the script - was kinda lame)

Oppenheimer's use of first person for stage directions makes it a great read. Oh and Millers Crossing.

Not necessarily my most favorite screenplay - but definitely the coolest, most fun one I've ever read - DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE!

Hi Maurice, yes but no! It does not write for you; you have to do the work. What it does in its simplest terms is what film schools and others have done for decades. It analyses structure and shows you what to put where for maximum impact based on your idea. So if you wanted to write a new thriller called 'Bite' but use the structure, pacing, feel of Jaws it would show you 'how' Jaws worked and where to put what for maximum impact so that when you write 'Bite' the pacing, structure, setups and payoffs, minor characters and world building are all there for you to follow the map to write a completely original piece called 'Bite'. I can message you a free test link if your curious. Once you see how it works and what it does, you'll realise it is AI for writers, to help writers, it is absolutely not an AI write my script for me tool, i hate that!!

Thanks, Simon M James, but I don't use AI for outlining scripts.

I hear you but that's a bit like saying I refuse to read books like Save The Cat BUT no worries Maurice. You aren't alone, I have had a lot of people say the same thing but the ones who tested it loved it, I will say no more about it on here. All good :-)

To prep for a script is also getting the actors for script readings to test our the script in a table reading. And another is pitching it to executives on the script tank in Wednesdays (once a month) or Thursday pitch practice with John and Nicole on stage 32.

Those are great ideas, Ron Reid! I plan on pitching during a Pitch Tank and Pitch Practice.

Hi, Sherry Daley. Welcome to the community. Stage 32 has a blog that'll help you navigate the platform and connect with creatives and industry professionals all over the world. www.stage32.com/blog/how-to-successfully-navigate-the-stage-32-platform-...

And Stage 32’s free Community Open House will help you navigate Stage 32 and connect with creatives and industry pros (www.stage32.com/education/products/stage-32-s-august-community-open-house).

Interesting concept. I think the last part of your logline is crude. I also think your logline could be tightened up some.

Here’s a logline template that might help: After/when ______ (the inciting incident/event that sets the plot in motion), a _______ (the main flaw the protagonist has to overcome in the script or an adjective that describes the protagonist’s personality) _______ (the protagonist’s job/career/role) tries to/attempts to/fights to/struggles to/strives to/sets out to/fights/battles/engages in/competes/etc. _______ (goal of story and try to add the obstacles here) to/so/in order to ________ (stakes).

The inciting incident can also be at the end of the logline: A _______ (the main flaw the protagonist has to overcome in the script or an adjective that describes the protagonist’s personality) _______ (the protagonist’s job/career/role) tries to/attempts to/fights to/struggles to/strives to/sets out to/fights/battles/engages in/competes/etc. _______ (goal of story and try to add the obstacles here) to/so/in order to ________ (stakes) after/when ______ (the inciting incident/event that sets the plot in motion).

Loglines are one or two sentences. A one-sentence logline sounds better, and it takes less time for a producer, director, etc. to read it. Try to keep your logline to 35 words or less. Long loglines can make producers, directors, etc. pass on a project.

Avoid using “must” in loglines. “Must” usually means the protagonist is forced to do whatever they need to do in the story instead of doing it willingly. You might need to use “must” in a logline though, like when the protagonist is forced by another character to do something. Using “must” to choose between two options is fine.

Names in loglines are usually for biopics, well-known stories, and franchises (like Mission: Impossible).

Sometimes I put the location and date that the story takes place in instead of the inciting incident if it’s a Period Piece script.

All stories don’t follow this logline template. Biopics, documentaries, and Experimental scripts might not follow the template. The series logline for a TV show can follow this template, but the pilot logline and episode loglines for the show might not.