Screenwriting

Hey, Stage 32 Community! We're just two weeks away from the start of the 2024 Austin Film Festival! And I'm THRILLED to announce that the bash is BACK! Stage 32 is back at the Austin Film Festival - and to celebrate - you're invited to the 11th Annual Austin Film Festival Rooftop Bash on Friday, October 25th, starting at 8:00 pm. This year's event will take place back on the exclusive rooftop bar of the Speakeasy, which overlooks the Warehouse District and beautiful Downtown Austin! And...

My short film, Rematch was finally released this year, and I’m excited to share it with the world. It’s a 20-minute domestic dramedy about two contentious brothers shot entirely in my home on an ultra-low budget. I’ve already outlined the hard lessons learned making that film in a recent Stage 32 blog, and I encourage you to give that a read if you haven’t already. However, while it’s important to shine a light on your mistakes, I also wanted to highlight a major success: How Stage 32 was ess...

You’ve spent hundreds of hours pouring into your book or your script. You’re finally finished, and in the midst of your celebration, you realize now it’s time for edits and rewrites. The confetti is short-lived and now you have a decision to make: who are you going to choose for your editor? If your thoughts drift to one of your friends, family members, or even yourself—you may want to reconsider and make sure you have a professional in your corner. Having a fresh set of eyes from a storytelli...

Hey, Stage 32 Community! The Biggest Family Friendly Screenplay Contest in the World is Back! Ever dreamt of seeing your feature film script come to life on the big screen or streaming on TVs in living rooms across the country? This is your chance to turn that dream into reality! Family friendly stories bring everyone together for fun, bonding, and entertainment. From the sheer delight of THE GARFIELD MOVIE to the relentless hi-jinx of KUNG FU PANDA and the emotional depth of IF, audiences c...

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, in this video from Film Courage, television writer Zimran Jacob talks about 5 entry-level jobs that are common for aspiring television writers to work their way up to a staff writing position within the industry. He shares advice about the art of networking and helps to clarify the expectations...

Writing a script is challenging in many ways. After you overcome the stress of facing the first draft review and all the reviews after that and then you see the job done it is, without a doubt, a very satisfying achievement. During the process, we can make mistakes (yes, even writers make mistakes) with the way we tell the story. This is why we must keep reading and or talking about script techniques. Today I want to talk specifically about three things we must not do when we are writing a horro...

Hello There, Stage 32 Community! Summer has turned to Fall, time for sweater weather, foliage and all things pumpkin spice! And of course it is also time for end of the month celebration of our phenomenal members here at Stage 32, in particular their recent successes! We love to take this opportunity to shine the spotlight on just some of the incredible writers and creatives in the Stage 32 family and share their stories of success with everyone! We know how much time, effort and dedication y...

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, in this video essay by Elliot Roberts, he’s comparing the approach of two different feature film biopics- 'Steve Jobs' by Aaron Sorkin and Danny Boyle, starring Michael Fassbender, and ‘Jobs’ by Joshua Michael Stern and Matt Whiteley, starring Ashton Kutcher. You can learn a lot by comparing tw...

I’ve talked about research before, offering some general tips on how to approach the process effectively. But when I asked in the Stage 32 lounges recently what writing problem you’d solve if you could wave a magic wand, one of the responses was “going down the rabbit hole” on research. I’d break this concern down into two parts: Letting research swallow up too much time in the creative process. Getting sidetracked into very interesting but potentially not very useful topics (which bring...

Happy Friday, Stage 32 Community! Our Stage 32 Team has been working diligently to bring in as many new resources and opportunities as possible to enrich your experience here in our community! At Stage 32 you have direct access to award-winning industry executives and professionals who’ve written, produced, developed, and represented acclaimed projects such as PLAYING WITH FIRE, BODYCAM, SPELL, LOVE & MONSTERS, AM I OKAY?, BORDERLANDS, DRAFT DAY, FLIGHT, AIR, THE INSTIGATORS, JOHN WICK, SI...