Screenwriting : Writers' Challenge! by John Mezes

I love it! I am about to start my third screenplay and hoping I can start Sunday (finishing up a ghost writing project).

Two pages in 6 days? (Depending on when you actually posted this) You should have 10 pages done if you really wanted to give them a challenge. I like that you're giving them a challenge and sometimes baby steps is all we can ask for, but if all you can get is two pages by Sunday, maybe they haven't revisited this particular screenplay for reason. Now 10 pages of an old screenplay or three pages of a new one would add a little spice to your challenge.. In fact you inspired me to finish a screenplay I'm working on but got distracted by other peripheral sides of life. I'll let you know how it goes, John. Thank you.

Challenge taken. I've decided to dust off my musical melodrama and see if I can get the first act down on paper (I have the whole story arc in pages of notes). I keep thinking about this story and it makes me remember the passion in why I write, so I won't be happy if I leave it much longer.

Awesome, Patrick "PK" Koepke! Let me know how it goes!

Well, Philip David Lee, I'm glad my post helped deliver some inspiration. Also, by all means, build off of my challenge. I would love it! Keep me posted!

Now that sounds like a lot of fun, Drongo Bum, and a great accountability tool as well. Thank you for sharing it here.

Wonderful, Morgan Drasan! I'm glad you are returning to it. Please keep us posted!

John Mezes I have to kill off 36 henchmen and the main villain in a series of gun battles and hand to hand situations in an office building/evil headquarters (without an actual floor plan of any specific building) and make it seem original. It's a tough challenge. If you know 36 guys that can come over and try and kill me, I'll DM you my address. No pay.

Drongo Bum And yet, George Soros can hire as many protesters as he wants without batting anyone's eyes. Seriously, Drongo, don't you think I figured this out before I got to the final battle? Who said it was a lone protagonist? You're always out to try and make me look like a first class clown without ever having read a word of my work. You obviously have no interest in working with me so go take a hike. As you snicker at my scenarios, maybe you should ask yourself why you can't think of a scenario where this would work. I'm sure your 45 years of experience would help you think of something.otherwise I will, with your permission, snicker at your lack of imagination. In the future, please refrain from responding to anything I post unless you want to come out of hiding and have a real one to one discussion. You can DM me. I promise, my hand to God, I will not divulge your identity but if you don't care about credibility, go and troll someone else.

The script was originally written as a pilot. Then I rewrote it as a feature. Notes from a producer said "This has possibilities as a pilot." So, I rewrote it again, as a pilot (still working on it). I have the season one bible outlined, 6 episodes. Too expensive, too many locations.

Two pages? I wrote five. Stop me before I write again!

Bet.

Love this. Thanks John. All the best to everyone. About to continue the scifi podcast script I'm working on with my friends.

Alright, ya'll! It's Friday and the last two days are coming up fast. How's everyone progressing? I'm glad the challenge helped some of you return to a project of yours.

Hey, John Mezes. I finished my pages. Do we post our pages here in the comments?

No need, Maurice Vaughan! I trust you, LOL!

Haha Ok, John Mezes. I wrote two pages for my big-budget Sci-Fi Action feature called Megroid (working title). Picture Squid Game x Pacific Rim.

I like the premise, Maurice Vaughan! Plenty of action in that idea.

Ok fellow Stage 32 peeps! It's Sunday, check in time! How did everyone do with the challenge? I'd love to hear the progress made!

Thanks, John Mezes. It's going to be a writing sample since the budget is so big, but I'll pitch it as a spec too.

I rewrote an ending to three year old script. It is a "where are they now' end to a pilot used to foreshadow coming episodes. The pilot is a dramedy, and episodes are tilted to comedic hijinks. Each character (8 in total) gets a send-off that begs a back story of how they got where they are today.

Multiple seasons? Ideally as the character arcs would be less rushed.

Limited series? Feature two characters in each episode, tip-in the others to keep the story arc moving.

Final episode? They all cross paths in chance meetings at the coffee shop, produce aisle and waiting room of the hottest therapist in town.

Great challenge! Taika Waititi has said he'll often leave a script for a year, look at it again, throw it away and write it from scratch. The idea being that what sticks in his mind will be the good stuff!

Nicely mapped out, Robert Franklin Godwin III. I'm glad you were able to accomplish the rewrite. I love it, Ewan Dunbar! The good, workable ideas linger and should be used. I like the approach.

Picked up my dusty melodrama that had 10 pages written a year ago, I tightened those ten, added 14 more before Sunday. It's odd how you can feel an instant reconnection with the characters and world, like catching up with an old friend. This one won't be everyone's cup of tea, and I imagine it needing a very particular DP due to certain cinematic moments / scenes.