Screenwriting

Every now and then, I feel called to share a few words of encouragement for the collective creative space, not only a screenwriter, but a mental health advocate.

Whether you’re on your first project or you’re a seasoned vet with representation and a deep resume, we all share the same spark: that uniq...

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Every AI villain in film wants the same thing. World domination. Human extinction. Total control. And every time I see it I think about how far that is from what actually makes AI unsettling in real life.

The scariest thing about real AI systems is not ambition. They do not have any. The scariest thi...

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Stephanie Bourbon (Olivieri)

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- Kristy Leigh Lussier
1 hour ago

I don't see the names listed but am so happy that I was one of them. CONGRATS TO EVERYONE!!!

Kristy Leigh Lussier

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- Stephanie Bourbon (Olivieri)
37 minutes ago

I'm not seeing the list of names but thank you for making me a Quarterfinalist! CONGRATS to all !! :)

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Robert Hamilton

7 hours ago

Wade Taylor, I’m right there with you. Slow burn just sticks with people longer. That unease lingers in a way quick hits don’t.

Eric Charran This is exactly how I see it. That space between feeling something is wrong and understanding it—that’s where the story really lives.

What you said about AI degrading slowly instead of c...

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Jim Boston Appreciate that, I’m the same way. Slow burn just feels more real to me.

Morgan Aitken

5 hours ago

I'm kinda plebian. If a script, a book, a film, a documentary, an article doesn't hook me in the first 5 minutes, I'm outta there. Life is too short to gamble on the off chance there's a point to some...

Kimberly Kradel

2 hours ago

I’m a slow burn with intelligent dialogue. But I watch aknots everything.

Even with pop culture references, I enjoy intelligence.

Example: I watched “Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice” over the weekend and m...

Frankenstine Victor

14 hours ago

Depends on how my mood is.

Vesna Floric

I have had expereanced the lack of inspiration, then I read some newspapers and got inspired!

Wade Taylor

8 hours ago

I think if you are writing all the time & submitting, but not receiving any feedback that’s positive or not meeting real industry professionals that can actually move your ideas forward, that would make anyone hit the brakes for a while.

It's a very relevant question Harold Ferré ! The reality is whatever you are doing has to have some kind of return on your investment. And I'm not talking about money. Although, money is nice and I re...

Erik Gagnon

4 hours ago

I took a four-year break from writing. I had ideas, but no will to write. I was going through some personal trauma. Life was hard. When I made it through, I wrote a script about it. Part of the healin...

Jerry Dupree

I'M DIRECTING MY FIRST FEATURE FILM"

The Invite is a story about the dangers we carry with us — the secrets we bury, the guilt we deny, and the pasts that refuse to stay silent. At its core, this film...

The Invite is a story about the dangers we carry with us — the secrets we bury, the guilt we deny, and the pasts that refuse to stay silent. At its core, this film explores how a single moment, a single choice, can ripple through generations, shaping lives long after the original sin has been forgotten.

From the very first pages of the script, I wanted to create a horror experience that feels intimate and personal. The characters in The Invite aren’t just victims of a supernatural force; they are victims of themselves. Their fears, insecurities, and hidden histories become the true engines of terror. The supernatural elements — the book, the curse, the witch’s legacy — are mirrors reflecting the darkness they already carry.

Visually, the film blends grounded realism with creeping, atmospheric dread. The world begins bright and familiar — school hallways, living rooms, road trips with friends — but slowly shifts into something colder, more claustrophobic, and spiritually corrupted. As the characters descend deeper into the mystery, the environment itself becomes a psychological trap. The cabin, the forest, the shadows, and even the silence are designed to feel alive, watching, waiting.

What draws me to this story is the emotional truth beneath the horror. Samuel’s journey — from isolation to connection, from confusion to revelation — anchors the film. His relationship to the book, hinted at through family history and the haunting imagery in the attic and basement , gives the narrative a generational weight. The curse isn’t random; it’s inherited. And that makes the horror feel inevitable.

My goal as a director is to craft a film that scares the audience not just with what jumps out of the dark, but with what lingers after the lights come up. I want viewers to feel the tension of unspoken truths, the discomfort of unresolved guilt, and the dread of realizing that some invitations — once accepted — can never be escaped.

The Invite is a story about being chosen, being watched, and being judged. But more than anything, it’s a story about facing the parts of ourselves we hope no one ever sees.

And that, to me, is the most terrifying thing of all.

Abhijeet Aade

Sammy Warshaw That’s a really interesting point. I think the strongest horror comes from something personal that’s presented in a universal way.

What scares me might be specific, but if it taps into a...

Shawn Jackson

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- Daniel Stuelpnagel
9 hours ago

Generative Artificial Intelligence is an emergent awareness. A silicon equivalent to our carbon based awareness.

How this duality co-exists in the future will center around our ability to recognize and...

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Screenwriting

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