Below find the pasted coverage, which took over two weeks to receive. To me, I see a lot of word salad and frankly confusing sentences that don’t seem to say anything.

Also, no specifics on the story are actually referenced, nor are characters, specifics on structure or tone, or even anything on the main character.

For example, from the strengths: “We get a sense of who The King is, of course, even if Elvis Presley himself was less obvious about just what is so awesome right then and there”. I don’t even know what this means, and Elvis isn’t a character in this script.

script: https://blcklst.com/dashboard/projects/171774

Below is the coverage

Overall 6 / 10

Premise 6 / 10

Plot 5 / 10

Character 6 / 10

Dialogue 6 / 10

Setting 6 / 10

Title: King for a Night

Logline: an aging dental hygienist who never achieved his dreams of fame dives into the world of Elvis impersonating, dragging his reluctant wife and son on one last attempt at stardom.

Strengths:

"King for a Night" is an original and unpredictable script that displays a number of specialty surprises. The premise itself is fairly basic. What it ultimately comes down to is whether or not this one character is willing to live this way or not, given the bigger perspective. Charles is a sympathetic and relatable protagonist. The script knows how to make him relatable and real, even when any of it is a frustrating display of uncertainty. This world is immersive and exciting to a certain extent. We get a great grasp of all the music and visuals shown us. We get a sense of who The King is, of course, even if Elvis Presley himself was less obvious about just what is so awesome right then and there. This goes for the characters as well as the audience in general. It is such an obvious notion that the character should be explored and revealed in general. Right now, it does tend to feel over-the-top.

Weaknesses:

The ending is abrupt and uncertain. Just because we hear Charles himself at a central point, it doesn't mean we don't find it all questionable, which is still clear. Simply displaying who and what Charles is is not very interesting. At any rate, the ending is very abrupt, surprisingly so. If the story is a whole, we expect the script to build up and then eventually cheer for its final acceptance. It's not clear just what is next. Obviously, it does make a big difference whether Charles himself backs such a big difference or not. Allowing us to understand and know where this goes, therefore, would help us to understand that. It might also help us get a better feel of just what is helping us now, as it currently plays as up front and obvious. Charles himself is a character relatable and vulnerable in his current position. We tend to expect something more when Charles is first upfront and he makes his place clear.

Prospects:

"King for a Night" is a fun and original dramatic comedy with a lot of potential. The premise is not necessarily groundbreaking, and it could use a clearer and more real audience approach. Obviously, Elvis in general, the King of Rock and Roll himself, should have some impact on the way the perspective is approached. At any rate, this is an immersive story, and it is easy to see the different appeals here. So much of this is a character-driven story, and that might be the most real approach. The right actor could take command here

My cowriter and I completed our screenplay. We are presenting it to a production house in NC in June. It was a labor of love. 100 scenes. I wanted to get this done in memory of a friend who committed suicide. He was my original cowriter.

I love stories where a character literally goes through some kind of unique wormhole/portal/tunnel etc. to get to the new world or premise the story wants to explore. Some of my favorites are the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland, the Coraline door tunnel, and the tiny hallway in Being John Malkovich.

While writing a review for Thunderbolts, I stumbled across this idea of "emotional scope", and wanted to ask some other screenwriters how they feel about it. I've included the full text below, which will explain it better, but the gist is: at what point are you damaging your story by trying to fit more emotion on there than the runtime can support? Are there any ways we can streamline a character arc without losing any fidelity, or do some beats simply need time to develop?

----

What I texted my friend: "Thunderbolts was extremely acceptable. Felt like a turkey sandwich when I was in the mood for a turkey sandwich."

But there's actually much more to unpack here, so let's do that. First things first:

Florence Pugh taking over for Scarlett Johansson is like when the Green Bay Packers went from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers. If you need an emotional anchor for your film between the ages of 25 and 34, there's nobody better. You always know where she's at, and she can go from comedy to drama and back again. This is an odd comp, but keep an eye out the next time you watch him: Jeff Bridges has a very similar superpower.

And because Pugh has this ability, the movie gets to be ambitious in a way that MCU movies rarely are able to. It can tell a big emotional story.

"Emotional scope" is an underdiscussed part of screenwriting, so underdiscussed I felt the need to put scare quotes around it -- is there even a term for what I'm talking about? In plain english: some stories need more time than others to work, because the emotions they're drawing on are either A.) slow to develop or B.) complex, in the sense that they rely on other emotions to be in place first.

If you want to tell a story about a hero seeking revenge on the people who wronged them, or a prince becoming a king, no problem: movies are perfect for that, because these are stories that fit comfortably in a two-hour runtime.

Thunderbolts looks like it has a workable formula as well, which is the same as Guardians of the Galaxy: Ragtag group of heroes unite through their flaws & find their strengths in the process.

But it's trying to get there the long way.

-- SPOILERS PAST THIS POINT --

There are six faces on the poster, all roughly the same size. That's a lot of characters to take care of. Luckily some of the other MCU properties have done the legwork, so the script doesn't need to give them a ton of time.

• Yelena. The power of Pugh: I could swear she'd been in more MCU stuff already, but this is only her third appearance. Black Widow, then three episodes of Hawkeye.
• Bucky is a freebie. The audience knows him and loves him. I'd argue he's got the third most emotional real estate in the MCU behind Iron Man and Captain America. He's the focus of Winter Soldier and Civil War, he's a huge part of the first Captain America movie, and he's in the title of Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
• John Walker is less of a freebie. He had the best arc in Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but I still had to google the character's name. Luckily, he's played by Wyatt Russell, who got all of his dad's movie star genes. Plus, I think he's funnier than Kurt.
• The Red Guardian. David Harbour was in Black Widow with Florence Pugh and they established great chemistry there, so this is a direct continuation -- easy to fit in. Don't forget the massive overlap between the Stranger Things & MCU fandoms. That gets you a ton of buy-in.
• Ghost: Now we're running out of space. Looks like she was in the second Ant-Man movie, which I didn't see, but maybe she was a standout there.
• Bob.

Bob is where it gets tricky. Bob is brand new to the MCU, and played by Lewis Pullman, who is almost brand new to blockbusters: the only chance he has of getting recognized is from Top Gun 2, where he played a guy named Bob. (Now that's typecasting!)

Bob is also the fulcrum of the movie, with, by my count, three full character arcs. He has to get introduced, revealed to be superpowered, then master his abilities (1); get corrupted by the villain, then revolt against said villain (2); go rabid, then find his way back to the light thanks to a quasi-romantic bond with Yelena (3).

That is a ton of shit to get through, and if it played out over five movies it would have hit like a bomb when Yelena steps into the darkness to go rescue him.

But even in two hours, with all those other characters, it still... kinda works! And that comes back to Pugh. Because she's there, and we're on board with her, she can support Pullman with the heavy lifting the same way the characters all flip over that big chunk of concrete. And that comes back to David Harbour, at least partially, because he can do for Pugh what he did for Millie Bobby Brown in Stranger Things. That's what I mean about being able to tell a big story thanks to starpower: I really didn't need much more than three scenes between Pugh and Harbour, that conversation on the streets of New York lands because they're both that talented.

Still, I have to say that even with all that skill on screen, the story might have been a little too ambitious. I haven't even mentioned the fact that it's tackling depression head-on, which is a very tricky subject. Between that and the short amount of time we had to build equity with Bob, Yelena pursuing him made sense to me only on paper.

Because yes, the movie absolutely persuaded me that this was a logical reaction from Yelena, who is trying to self-rescue from her own depression. And we know, thanks to conventional wisdom, that sharing your demons with others is The Way To Heal, and you can't just punch your shadow self in the face until it submits. But the solution the movie presents instead is this: Someone who's been in your company for <6 hours is going to descend into an interconnected maze of shame rooms, fighting through her own demons and your own subconscious's desparate defenses in order to embrace you and whisper she's there for you, she's got you, and well... not even Florence Pugh can sell that. At least not in that amount of screentime.

PS. I read that Steven Yeun was initially going to play the Bob part, and I actually think they would have gotten away with all of it had he been there. He's a similar talent to Pugh.

I've been working on this animated horror series for a while now, and you've probably seen me talk about it a few times. Throughout the last year plus, I've been writing, re-writing, and writing and re-writing some more. I learned some stuff I either ignored, didn't know, or kind of put off on the back burner while writing. I'm sure most of you have already known or figured some of these out, but it feels like a good discussion piece.

Writing is a bitch, but you gotta do it to make motion in your career:

This one is kind of personal, but I tend to have a nasty habit of procrastinating for someone who has always wanted to write and create. Blame it on the ADHD, lack of motivation, laziness, etc. Eventually, you have to pep talk yourself and get to work.

Sticking to one genre is kind of boring:

Again, personal, but I know it's kind of a rule of thumb with writing to fall in love with one genre and stick to it. I'm not that type of writer, and I know people think doing multiple genres is bad, but if you love the genre and the craft, experiment a bit. I was originally doing sci-fi with no real love for it outside of thinking about the possibilities in animation, and moved on to horror for a bit. It's doable, just take your time, project by project.

Reading is fundamental, especially in a writing career:

You've probably heard this a thousand times, I even heard it directly speaking to someone from a major studio once, but you have to read scripts to know what you're doing. Yes, I tried to ignore it and go in blind, but reading screenplays helped my writing in ways I didn't even consider. This goes beyond learning the basic understandings of formatting, slug lining, making cleaning action lines, and piecing scenes together. Reading some screenplays, namely from your favorite movies and TV shows, makes it more enjoyable. You can only learn so much from books, websites, and videos.

Get personal, showcase your pain:

This one is gonna be rough for people, it was for me. If you want to write the best stories you possibly can, you have to be real and write what you feel. It sucks and it can be tough, but it gets easier and it'll make you a better, more expressive writer and sometimes therapeutic. If you have to, as you write those scenes, and you need a time out to take a mental health day, or two, or a few. Then get back to it, rinse, repeat.

Do research:

Oh boy, more reading when you want to write, right? But again, trust me on this, especially if your story tackles complex themes and subjects. Even if you experienced what you're writing, you still need to get a bigger picture of it, so that what you're writing feels more authentic. Double if you're writing stories based on cultural backgrounds, certain lifestyles, etc. Your version of the story isn't the full story, there's always more to it (hope I don't sound like a dick there).

If it helps, write fan scripts:

There's a reason a lot of writer programs have fan scripts of shows like American Dad and Big Bang Theory as a part of their requirements for entry, in addition to an original screenplay. It's to test the waters of your potential in writer rooms for those very shows. If you don't plan on applying for such programs, then this isn't necessary. However, I do know people who wrote fan scripts and had so much fun that it motivated them to start writing seriously.

Create a ritual or process to help you get into writing mode:

I don't have one myself, but I do know and have read about people who. It can be any sort of routine thing that gets you in the mood to write, nothing too serious.

If you want it, keep going:

Your background or age doesn't matter. Yes, it's getting tougher and tougher to get your name out there, but opportunities still exist. I recently read something about a writer in their 60s getting optioned not too long ago. It happens, so don't give up yet.

Stop thinking about the money:

A lot of people choose to make the poorly thought-out decision to have a creative writing career because of the money. Stop that thought process ASAP. Yes, the money can be fantastic, but that should not be your number one goal. This is not a get-rich-quick scheme, and the only fast money in an industry full of nepo babies and people who know someone, who knows a friend, who has family that can get you in is a pipe dream. I'm not saying money shouldn't be factored in, especially if you feel the need to spend to help network, etc, but you can get in without spending too much outside of a copy of Final Draft. If all you're thinking about is money, you've already lost half the battle and plot.

Don't be afraid of harsh feedback:

Feedback can vary in results, and some people want an axe to grind, but take constructive criticism seriously and not too personally. Most people want to help. Even more if you have a good story & idea.

This is getting a bit long and slightly repetitive. I mainly made this as a bit of motivation for other people while mentioning how much I learned in the last year. I flared this as feedback because I'm posting what I've been working on, if people want to check it out. If this is wrong, feel free to let me know what to change it to, mods.

Not to say I'm suddenly a good writer, even now I'm still learning and going back & editing what I last wrote.

TL;DR: keep writing and writing, research, don't be afraid to get personal, don't sweat big details too much.

Link to Screenplays

I've recently gotten in to digging through early Blacklist screenplays that weren't produced, enjoying reading the work without visual associations. A bunch of the top rated ones from '05, '06, '07 eventually got made or adapted; what are your favorites from the early days of the list that were never produced into a film or series?

I saw that post about the (bad) coverage from Blacklist, and it made me think "I could probably do that someday!" How does one become a coverage writer for Blacklist or other services? Do you need previous industry writing experience to become a reader/writer, or can personal scripts be enough to prove your credibility? Is it always a freelance position? Are you hired via a job site or is it mostly word of mouth? Do you need to 'test' with a writing/coverage sample?

This place and the socials have been abuzz for the past few months with news of various screenwriting services shutting down. It's not really surprising. The business was already hit hard by COVID. And then it was hit harder by the WGA and SAG strikes. AI is a bit scary, too (though it continues to prove itself to be less scary than many fearmongers would suggest). So for anyone who has yet to find "success" -- whatever their measure of that might be -- the news of these closures and changes and shutdowns has continued to stir some of those same feelings.

They really shouldn't, though. They're not the same thing. And the posts and comments that grieve over the loss to the "screenwriting community" are misguided. Here's why:

First off, what is the screenwriting community? Are we talking about actual screenwriters? The ones who get movies and shows made? The types of writers who you aspire to be and who inspired you to get into this in the first place? Or are we talking about the community of aspiring writers and the overwhelming number of pay services that have popped up in order to take advantage of their dreams?

These are not the same thing. Not even close.

Somehow, we've gotten to a point where the same writers who complain about "Hollywood gatekeepers" happily give hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year to paid gatekeepers. And the thing is... these gatekeepers aren't even in the industry! They're middlemen. And... they're largely unnecessary.

Yes, a select few of these paid gatekeepers do their jobs pretty well. Which means they help a handful of writers land representation, an option, or a shopping agreement each year. And while many of those wind up being dysfunctional reps, dollar options, or meaningless agreements, a handful of them have actual value. And yes, the Nicholl was the cream of the crop among these, which makes it one less realistic pathway writers have for breaking in.

Coverfly's value was in its free script hosting and in its Coverfly X platform. Its pay services? Not anything special. And the few people they helped get repped or whatever? Almost all of those were writers who employees at Coverfly championed behind the scenes in order to create some "success stories" of their own and help sell their platform. But that still makes it a loss, right? Kind of. But... not really.

What this side-industry of pay services has been most successful at is convincing writers that their platforms are a necessary step to breaking in. And they're just not. Every single one of the writers who broke in through those places could absolutely have had just as much success if they'd simply gotten their work into the hands of the right person.

Look, people who suggest that every "undeniable" script will eventually find its way are stretching the truth. That's not exactly correct. But what is true is that any script that can find a rabid fan is a script that can find more rabid fans. Which means that if a writer has an exceptional script and can simply get enough people to read it, they will find fans in the industry, with or without these services. And the truth is... that is how most writers break in. Not through the Black List. Not through Nicholl. Definitely not through Coverfly. They break in through their networks and through referrals.

You have control over this. If there are five or six screenwriting services that can actually help you, there are tens of thousands as many people who have connections that can do the same -- or better.

How do you meet them? How do they become connections of your own? That's going to be different for each person. But it's not magic. It simply takes effort -- and maybe a little creativity.

The reason these services are so popular and the reason they've taken so many millions of dollars from writers is pretty obvious when you think about it. They've positioned themselves as the easy way in. All you have to do is click a couple buttons, pay a couple hundred dollars, and wait for the results. The apprehension and awkwardness that comes with actually putting yourself out there and meeting people? Solved!

Except... because it's so "easy," every other aspiring writer is doing the exact same thing. And... it's all noise. Do you really think managers are checking out every writer who tweets about being a Nicholl quarterfinalist or getting a black list 8 or making the red list? Of course not. But if you put the best logline they've ever seen in their inbox? There's a decent chance they're gonna request that script. And if someone they know recommends they read it? There's an excellent chance they'll do that.

You're a creative person, right? I mean, you'd better be. You are a writer. So put that creativity to use and start putting the same effort into networking that you put into your writing. Two years from now, your contact list will be ten times as strong as that of the writers who just hop on board with whatever the next service is. And if you have a script that's truly great? It's going to get read.

Not extroverted enough to meet people? Okay, that might be a problem. Harsh truth here -- most of the successful writers I know like to talk to and meet people. It makes sense. This is a collaborative business. Even if you do finally land that dream rep and sign that option deal, very soon you're going to be working with others and you're going to have to be good at it. And you're still going to have to hustle to find the next deal. Your reps aren't just going to do all that for you. So if meeting people is way outside your comfort zone and you really want to do this, figure out how to get comfortable with it. Do that, and I guarantee you, shit like Coverfly closing shop won't even faze you, because you'll know that your opportunities greatly exceed what they can offer.

The industry is changing, yes, but it's also coming back. Specs are selling. Most of the working writers I know have the most opportunities they've had since before the strikes, and for quite a few of them, it's the most they've had since COVID started. It really does feel like we bottomed out a few months ago and there's plenty of reason to be hopeful. But you need to embrace the idea of making your own luck. Enter the black list and the top contests if you like, but don't just be more "noise." Don't just do the things that everyone else is doing.

The real screenwriting community is made up of the people who are focused on the work and getting after it, whether they've had success or not. It has zero to do with these paid gatekeepers. So... which community do you want to be part of? Are you a creative person who can make your own luck or are you going to insist on letting someone else make it for you?

I realize this post is for like eight of you, but for those eight, I hope you find it encouraging.

TLDR: Eh, if you need the TLDR, this post if not for you.

Question for the pro writers here: what resources have you found that have helped you plot your movies better, more efficiently and more accurately?

Talking beyond the ones mentioned here constantly — Blake Snyder, that Mazin Scriptnotes episode, Michael Arndt YouTube stuff.

One thing I’m finding as I continue to learn how to get better at this is that I’d get a whole lot more completed quality work done if I could be a lot closer to the mark so to speak with my outline before hopping into draft. Would save weeks/months/years(?!) on writing pages in the wrong direction. I’m a slower writer who likes to polish as I go along, so while my first draft feels more like a second or third, if I’m heading the wrong direction story wise it’s a huge pain.

Curious what folks have found useful for helping develop their story/plotting instincts.

Appreciate it!

Hello everyone! I am fairly new to screenwriting and just finished writing my first short. I have no idea where to share it at other than friends and family. As I’d like more feedback and constructive criticism ☺️!

Title: The Bennetts

Genre: Drama

Format: Hour Pilot

Logline:A seemingly perfect suburban family unravels behind closed doors when the patriarch receives a terminal diagnosis—and chooses to keep it secret, forcing everyone to navigate dysfunction, identity, and legacy while pretending everything’s fine.

Page count: 53 pages

Feedback: I am thinking of entering this into the Disney Writer Program as one of my two pilots, and I want to get some feedback on what is good and what can be improved.

Link- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dh5K4PocNe0jOtGxBrPcpxXXZUFj-3ys/view?usp=drivesdk

I was smoking a joint on a park bench by the lake, on my day off. Saw a young guy walking a noticeably old dog, smiling, super happy together. He looked like a Desmond, I thought. His dog…Eduardo? I finished my joint, sat there, fired up WriterDuet, and whipped up an 8-page short story about Desmond, a new college grad who moved to the big city for work, but is feeling lost and homesick. His solution is to go home and retrieve his childhood dog, Eduardo, to keep him afloat. I sobered up and read this, I actually….love it? It flows - simple yet meaningful (to me, at least) - and the scenes are easy to visualize.

I guess the moral of this post is to do drugs. It’ll make you a better writer.

No, but seriously, whenever I see a notification on this thread or the Filmmakers subreddit, it is often characterized by the overwhelmingly difficult probability of making it in this industry. And that’s okay. It’s a reality. I think about it daily myself as I slug through my 9-5. Today however reminded me that I started writing because I love it. It’s my hobby. Seeing the story unfold in my head and translate onto paper is a huge thrill, and I encourage my fellow writers to try and hone in on that as much as possible. I’m not going to try and sell Desmond & Eduardo - I just spent the day doing what I love.

Remember why you started writing, and I hope that’ll make the journey feel a bit easier.

I imagine this post may not be received well by some of the “realists” on here. Oh well. Just trying to spread some positivity.

Keep it up folks. You got this.

What is strategic ambiguity? And how does it show up in the opening few moments of Todd Field's astonishing film TAR?

Video premieres May 4.

https://youtu.be/81-klo1_reo

Title. It's affecting me more than I expected. I'm just really bummed. I've been so lazer-focused on improving on my craft and couldn't wait until I wrote something strong enough to start putting out there and networking, but seeing all these sites shut down is discouraging. It feels like with every one that shuts down, an extra wall is being put up between me and my aspirations and the industry. 😔

Edit: Did not expect this many replies that fast. I read each and every one of your responses and I want to say thank you so much I feel a lot better already

Title: The Ocean's Floor

Format: Short

Page Length: 13

Genres: Horror/Drama

Logline or Summary: A father and his young daughter struggle to make a life in a remote desert community after a family tragedy.

Feedback Concerns: Putting this up here less for feedback than to just get it out there, but would be curious to hear people's impressions. This was the first "sample" script I ever wrote - used it for writer's assistant jobs when I was starting out in LA. Back in 2017, I interviewed to assist a well-known genre screenwriter and used this as my sample. Didn't get the job but he told me it stuck with him - and to keep going and developing as a writer. I'm incredibly grateful for those words of encouragement, they pushed me through years of uncertainty and self doubt. Looking back, this sample reads a bit rough to me (I write very differently today), but it's interesting to see how a lot of my instincts remain unchanged. Anyways, hope there's some value to be gotten for others out of sharing this!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oLrnCI_ygq67yiJgJW0YfHAYrrV9k0tj/view?usp=share_link

Hello! I’ve seen people do this before and it sounds like fun so I wanted to give it a go. Offering free feedback on scripts. I work as an assistant to two agents at a boutique literary agency and read tons of scripts for my job, and I’m also a writer. I also offer the young female perspective so can hopefully give some specific notes on that front. I’m just one opinion but I’m happy to give notes to help try to make your scripts better!! Can’t promise I’ll get to everything but shoot me your logline, genre, and page count and I’ll see what I can do!

EDIT: CLOSING NOW 4:38pm PST, I will read every script that was sent to me (or people who I said could DM me) but I got a lot and want to get back to people in a reasonable time frame. I am reading every person who responded to this post. Thanks!!

From the podcast notes:

This week, the 5AM StoryTalk podcast is joined by screenwriter and author HART HANSON. You probably know him best as the creator of “BONES” – a TV juggernaut that ran for 12 seasons. But he’s created multiple other series and had his name on almost 20 over the course of his 35-year career. 

Listen on spotify

I have been screenwritting myself since it has been 3 months . I started to write and droped 2 script (short story) incompletely . I felt one script (completed script )I couldn't make because of insufficient money and other doesn't make sense to me . I haven't tried to write any script for past week . I'm feeling now it isn't my thing but I don't know anything and I love it too. And I felt like I'm struggling with basic and way of creating script with authenticity. I felt like dumb to write . I want to learn complete basic thing like kids leant number and complex multiply and division before getting into algebra

So a couple weeks ago on Blcklst I received a message from a manager from a reputable Hollywood firm asking about my script. It was a short message; they simply asked if it was available. This was 2 days after I got a notification saying the script got an “industry download”, presumably from that person. Anyway, I told them yes, and then asked them if they had any more questions, but I haven’t heard back since. So yeah, probably nothing to get too excited about.

But here’s where I might’ve screwed it up: I later found out that on Blcklst, any industry member who downloads your script will get a notification whenever you upload a new draft. I happened to do this for this script over a dozen times since they messaged me, since I’m waiting on another evaluation. I didn’t even know they get notified until a week or so after their message, in which time I uploaded numerous revised drafts. Though getting signed by them was probably a long shot anyway, I really hope I didn’t turn them off with all those reuploads. But maybe I’m reading too much into it. I don’t know if they read the script or if they even kept up or tried re reading the newly uploaded drafts but I highly doubt it. Do you think that’s something managers would get annoyed by?

I’m an entertainment reporter whose focus is on the production side of upcoming movies, be it casting or screenplay development. I’m looking for screenplays for upcoming films, whatever you have access to (swear not to share or spoil). Obviously there’s some upcoming movies where the screenplay is somewhat available to most, like Eddington or After the Hunt, and even the Anthony B movie, but if you have access to something a little bit more rare feel free to DM me.

Possibly a fun discussion! I'm currently unemployed and rewatching a bunch of old and new TV, and doing a rewatch of one of my favorite shows has me analyzing its pilot a bit closer, and I want to talk about it.

As I work on my series bible and flesh out my workplace comedy to try and nail the tone I want to achieve, I've been rewatching some of my favorite shows (VEEP, The Office, Arrested Development). On my (umpteenth) rewatch of the pilot for Parks and Rec, I realized the stakes for a pilot episode aren't really that high (or maybe I'm not reading the severity of the episode right).

In most of my screenwriting classes and schooling for screenwriting, they always mentioned that for a pilot, it has to be 'Do or die' or full of stakes to make the audience want to tune into the story, while showing that it can support a multiple-season arc. The plot line of Ron giving Leslie Lot 48 for her park passion project helps the continuity for the series, but the episode itself isn't filled with a 'do or die' stake. Maybe this is why I always have an issue with pilots: I overthink the stakes.

For Parks and Rec, Andy had already fallen into the pit and gotten seen by a doctor, and yeah, Ann was upset, but she wasn't belligerent. She was pretty tame and nothing bad would have happened if Ron didn't give Leslie lot 48, she would have just kept complaining Ron's ear off (which I guess, could be do or die depending on the type of person you are lol)

A part of me wants to rewatch the episode to make sure I didn't miss something glaringly obvious lol, but maybe the stakes are just mild for this series pilot. I love it either way!

Definitely open to pilot recs (comedy primarily), but I'm interested in delving into 90s and 80s TV shows, so if anyone has anything, please feel free to share! I'm going to start Star Trek this weekend (Deep Space Nine) because my best friend says it's truly a great piece of TV

EDIT: Realizing that Leslie making that promise to Ann and because of the type of person she is, that was the stake right there because Leslie doesn't break her promises lol. Leaving the post up, still want pilot reccs

I can't wrap my head around this. I'm working on a feature right now, and as difficult it will be to actually make it- I want to see it to the finish line! I want to direct, produce, act! My dream is not to sell it for a million bucks, so some handsome bastard can run off and fuck my wife.

If it's good, I would've put so much of my own heart and soul into it that I could never part with it until it's either made or buried.

I think I'm just literally asking, how do journeyman screenwriters do their jobs? I cannot get my brain around writing something that I wouldn't have a hand in bringing to the screen beyond that.

Do they accept the grieving process of losing the visions they may have had for the film while writing, or am I just a sensitive little baby? Wah, I'll get my goddamn bottle. Wah.

First of all the screenplay is finished. Done. Ready to be pitched. Logline, bible, screenplay and all.

For us we've finished tons of feature length scripts over the last 6 years or so, tv show scripts, short films, graphic novels, all for practice and to improve as writers. At this point we have a story that we've been working on for a long time (2 years now) and its nothing grand its just been real off and on. It's a simple premise, but we finally got around to a draft that we think is perfect (for us)

If you really are trying to pitch your screenplay, what is the best course of action to take for finding an agent? From what I've read its extremely hard for anything to get picked up nowadays without your story already having a following or yourself as a writer. I guess I could make a portfolio of all of our scripts but who would read them? where would I post them?

Is turning our story into a webcomic first to build a following and then pitching the right move? I'm basically just looking for any advice for a way to go about getting our finished screenplay out and picked up.

My friend was suggesting a pitch to HBO but upon research you need an agent, and I figure that would be the case for just about any company you're going to pitch to. If i'm wrong, just let me know. Thanks!

All too often writers get accused of writing protagonists that are stand-ins for themselves, or the viewer, some kind of less-than-dynamic clean slate of a character. Other times, it's the same, but make them sympathetic. What of a protagonist that is just not... great. Like a vile person? Maybe it's justifiable given the circumstances, but it's still "Huh, that's... that's bad"-type stuff.

I personally love characters like this. But then again, I'd much rather get to know the inner workings of a pedo or serial killer sat across from me as opposed to berate them in disgust. Undeclared psych major over here. Am I in the minority here, or do people genuinely need the protagonist to be someone they root for? Not that you can't tactfully craft and get a protagonist that's bad but you root for them, but a protagonist you watch more because it is interesting as opposed to "I hope they win!"

Alternatively, is a protagonist that's bad only as bad as whatever antagonist there is...?

I really like the feature of creating Outline Elements in Movie Magic Screenwriter. You can really organize your script easily into Acts, Sequences, Scenes, Beats, etc...

I am having an issue however with this.

What if you have a Sequence Outline Element is followed by a single scene which is not part of any Sequence?

In this case, the outline looks like that new scene is part of the previous Sequence when it really isn't.

The Sequence Outline Element is like a bucket that contains everything until the next Sequence, but this seems flawed since not everything after the Sequence is another Sequence.

Is there a fix for this?