The Stage 32 Videos: Screenwriting

Raising capital for a film project is one of the toughest challenges a filmmaker will ever face. Unlike traditional businesses, films are considered high-risk investments with unpredictable returns. Investors often hesitate because success depends on countless factors-market timing, distribution deals, and audience reception.

The PageCraft Rewrite Lab in Northern California

About the Author Vanessa M. Chattman was born on September 5th, 1970, in Newark, NJ. Her family moved to East Orange, NJ a few years later. She graduated from Clifford J. Scott High School in 1989. She joined the US Army in 1990 served on Active Duty for four years and ten months. She deployed to Desert Storm in 1990 and attended Vincennes University In 1993.She worked for the Department of Defense and Child Care Services from 1995 to 1998. In November 1997, she was accepted into the International Poetry Hall of Fame. Her membership with The Writer’s Digest Book Club has been active since 1997. Her poems have been published in three different anthologies. The poem “My House” has been published in “The Poetic Voices of America Anthology.” The second poem titled “The Celebration” has been published in the “Beginnings” anthology. The poem titled “People” has been published by The National Library of Poetry and has received The Editor’s Choice Award. The Play titled, “Street Gigs”, and the Screenplay titled, “ZEROX CODES” were written in 2008. She has been an active member of the Unites States Army Reserves for 10 years from 2008 to 2018. and has an associate’s degree in applied science. Her modeling experience started with the opportunity to attend The John Casablancas Modeling school in 2018, and years later she had the opportunity to have her first photo shoot with Studio-1 in 2023. Her First Horror Novel “The Black Sea of Roses: (Book 1) was published on October 17th, 2019, by Amnet Systems, A Book Publishing Company owned by Amazon.com. Her second Novel “The Black Sea of Roses: A Novel (The Antique shop, Book 2) was published on April 30th, 2021, by The Book Baby Publishing Company. Her poetry book titled “The Poetry Series” was published on July 4th, 2020, by The Dorrance Publishing Company. She is also a Mary Kay beauty consultant since November14th, 2023 and She currently resides in Texas with her family.

What if history remembered you only through the mask your oppressor gave you? Thrilled to share my latest completed and registered feature screenplay Marble Silence – The Crown of Pain and the Emperor’s Veil. A haunting historical drama inspired by the true story of Sporus, the boy crowned as “empress” by Emperor Nero. This is a unique perspective on an infamous chapter of Roman history not from the seat of power, but through the eyes of the ruled. Logline: In the opulence of Imperial Rome, a young boy is silenced, crowned, and erased. But beneath the marble mask of an empire, a soul refuses to die. This project offers a bold, human-centered approach to historical storytelling, blending emotional intimacy with epic scale, a vision unlike anything currently in the market. The screenplay is complete, registered, and ready for production. I am seeking representation and collaboration with producers or production companies passionate about prestige historical dramas with a fresh lens. Here’s a short visual teaser I’ve created and I’d love to hear your thoughts and connect with like-minded creatives.

WE ARE CURRENTLY FUNDRAISING! https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ben-gary-streaming/x/37920487#/ Attend our premiere by donating $25 or more through our Indiegogo link above! The premiere date is September 14th in Denver (details to come) Two entrepreneurs named Ben and Gary pitch their new streaming platform to an investor, but their streaming platform exclusively contains low-budget parodies of blockbuster movies...where they play every character.

Only a few more days and spots left to sign up for the Genre writing lab that I will be guiding writers through the next eight weeks. This will be an intimate experience filled with reflection, discussion, and exploration of genre films. Would love to see more join! Let's make some magic while summer still has us.

This morning, I read that only 1 to 5% of screenwriters turn a profit. Hint: That's not why we do it. We like telling stories that matter.

When the Immortal Realm Bleeds into the Mortal World, Chaos Awakens Epic Fantasy / Dark / Romance / Action-Adventure In a kingdom where time bends and the divine seeps into the human world, a tale unfolds — one of forbidden longing and a legacy not written in ink, but in fire. A legacy too powerful. A kingdom caught between hell and darkness. The sky will burn. The gods will bleed. Empires will bruise. And hearts will break in a realm once vibrant — now saturated with shadows. Copies available online and in bookstores: https://amzn.eu/d/5BP5roA

Get to the point of your scene.Then get OUT of the scene.