Howdy, fellow writers and film enthusiasts! And a Happy Halloween to those who celebrate. On that topic, I have what I believe is a fun Halloween treat and future spooky staple in moviegoers' fall diets.

Title: Ghouls Night Out

Feature - 99 Pages

Genre: Horror/Comedy

Logline: A school librarian and her friends fight for survival as four groups of monsters slaughter their town in an “Olympics from Hell” style game to collect souls for the Devil.

Link to the script: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tMds-6_WMpZdJDDtPwya9Mc5Tvo6E41D/view?usp=sharing

Tonally, this is less straight up horror and more of nod to movies like Cabin in the Woods with a healthy love for old monster flicks. I am really shooting for this to be a fun time for people to watch with friends and be entertained by the absurd horror of Halloween ghouls slicing and dicing, while also reconning with the fact that their twenties are coming to an end.

I would greatly appreciate any feedback for what does and what does not work in this script.

I'm looking for the draft of Anchorman that has the news crew on an airplane that crashes, full of monkeys.

https://youtu.be/lW2-hVbX4l4?si=hKMUE5uurBJkNMM4

Far too many filmmakers have had a carrot dangled in front of them for years only to have their movie die a slow cruel death. There is too much exploitation by fake producer's who use your script and others to say they have a slate while your blood sweat and tears are spilled. Has anyone here been through this?

I am working to create a personal calendar of 2025 screenplay contests with deadlines for various genres and platforms (film AND TV) to have right next to my computer to have as motivation to write every day in 2025.

Other than PAGE, AFF, Nicholls, and Big Break, what are some other contests that should be included?

Are there movies you really like that you remember the moment you realized they were good? What were those moments? You know those moments where you went from casual viewing just to see if it's worth your time to "Oh, shit, I'd better pay attention."

I'm extremely curious how this film plays out on the page. Does anyone have a link to the final shooting script? I looked around the internet but I am uncertain if the copy I found is the script that was used.

Here it is

this is my first project!

Title: CODA

Logline: A rock star battles addiction, strained relationships, and a fading career in a desperate journey toward redemption, haunted by the persona she created and the love she lost.

I’m not sure if i should call the narrator NARRATOR or just the protags name with VO on it.

Any feedback you can provide would be appreciated!!!

As the title says, my spooky horror short EYE CANDY is available to watch TODAY ONLY (Halloween!), and will be taken down at midnight central time tonight. We shot over two days back in March, and I'm so excited to see my writing come to life as a fully realized project for the very first time.

Watch here!

Happy to answer any questions about the process of getting it made!

FAQ: How to post to a weekly thread?

Feedback Guide for New Writers

This is a thread for giving and receiving feedback on 5 of your screenplay pages.

• Post a link to five pages of your screenplay in a top comment. They can be any 5, but if they are not your first 5, give some context in the same comment you're linking in.
• As a courtesy, you can also include some of this info.

​

Title:
Format:
Page Length:
Genres:
Logline or Summary:
Feedback Concerns:

• Provide feedback in reply-comments. Please do not share full scripts and link only to your 5 pages. If someone wants to see your full script, they can let you know.

I'm pretty new to screen writing but lots of experience in related production fields. I bought Final Draft 13 because I figured the industry standard though not perfect was the safest way to go and I could write off the purchase against my loan out.

I've really liked it for the most part and really enjoyed writing a screen play but when I got to around 50 pages the software started stalling and showing the spinning wheel for a few seconds. I have a 2021 Mac Book and run final cut and photo shop on it it all the time so I know its not an issue with the computer. Its not the end of the world but annoying.

Anyone else run into this? Anything I could do to fix it?

im just starting out screenwriting and i really love this idea! if anyone could give me plot tweaks (or any help) to make it more fluid that would be helpful!

Link

Messed up today at my non writing job and I wanna think positive lol.

I received a comment on a script few years ago still makes me feel better whenever I think about it. Although the story wasn't doing it for the reader, they told me: "You know what you're doing on the page" and I dunno, it just made me feel like I was heading in the right direction.

This is a tough industry and hey, I ain't even in it, but let's just get positive, people! Feel free to share your favorite comments/critiques/notes you've received on your work :)

Do you think maybe it is a good thing having a script that's mainly psychological, relationships and dialogue based with not a lot of action [actually there is some action] and no special effects needed and most of it happening at night time and indoors. I was worrying about that regarding my script. And also it's set in New Zealand which would make people expect outdoor scenery, but I'd have to add something to make that happen because really it's a story about people who work at night time.

But I read that it could be a good thing because it would be cheaper to make. It's [in my opinion lol] an incredible story of psychological depth and humour. But part of me thinks because it is a film, maybe it needs more focus on the visual. I kind of wish it was a novel as I know how to sell a novel, but this story wants to be a film script.

So anyway my question is ...dialogue heavy script a good or bad thing?

I’ve seen so many mixed thoughts on this. For one thing, people sometimes not to use them, as its seen as “directing the actors”.

On the other hand, I see so many screenplays use them! What do I do? To use parentheticals or not?

Hey y’all, about a while ago I set out to finally write my first feature. I’ve been writing (inconsistently) for the past three years but only pumping out shorts. I never truly felt “ready” to write my first feature there has always been an idea cooking in my head and I just want to get it on paper.

I spent a long time trying to sort out the timeline of the story and I do have some really fun beats/set pieces in mind but I always had trouble figuring out the meat of the story. What’s happening in between?

I spent too much time trying to figure that out until I just decided to just write and figure it out as I go. That idea worked for a bit, just getting in the flow of things really helped but I inevitably hit that wall of “well what the hell happens next?” I know no one can answer this specific question for me but I just wanted to ask is this method of writing destructive? Writing from beat to beat aimlessly? Or is this honestly how writing a feature is, and would it be a dumb decision to come back to that moment later and skip ahead to essentially just write what I already know what happens?

Getting your film “set up” at a company vs having a company buy your pitch…is there any difference between the two other than you get paid if they buy your pitch, whereas if you’re just “set up” somewhere, you’re just writing for free on spec?

Is getting a pitch sold more of a formal pitching process, whereas getting “set up” can be as simple as they like your idea/concept/story and decide to start developing it with you?

I’m new to the industry, so please bear with me…trying to learn how all of this works. I appreciate any insight regarding the process of working with a company in the early stages of development. Thanks!

I’m writing a scene for my pilot that involves a store robbery that’s a major plot point. I really can use some suggestions on robbery scenes in shows and movies so that I can study how to build the tension. Thanks!

Edit: Nothinv elaborate like big time bank heists or anything just Little corner store robberies essentially.

Edit: thank you for all the suggestions! I’m sure I’ll find what I need now

Hi everyone! I’m a (about to be) high-school grad who IS (mark my words 😅) gonna be a writer/director and (since you all have way more experience than me!) I was wondering if you all could help me out.

I have asked a few people here and there some tips on becoming a better screenwriter and nearly all of them have said “read good film scripts” or something similar. And so, the other day I sat down to read the first 10 pages of “The Substance” screenplay as it’s currently my favorite movie of the year and I heard it was very unconventional. Needless to say, I read well over 10 pages and finished the script entirely!

So I was wondering if you guys/gals have ever read a screenplay that you were completely absorbed by, something that you just COULD NOT put down and also why you couldn’t stop reading it.

Thank you :)

Hello, sorry if this is the wrong place to ask. I am a gamedev, working on my second horror game. I have a couple story ideas but nothing very solid. And I can't really find an interesting ending for any of my ideas. I have been thinking about the ideas and honestly its making my head hurt at this point. I am a writing newbie, is there any writing methods you're following, or youtube tutorials you can share with me? any tips on how can I work more efficiently? thanks a lot!

It was about screenwriting structure, explaining tons of plot points and the 3/4 act structure. One thing I remember is that it had graphs that I think were made by the guy and he used Little Room by the White Stripes in his intro and also Kid A's instrumental by Radiohead throughout the video. Anyone knows what video that was? I've been searching for hours now, thanks

I'm a relative newbie screenwriter (albeit pushing 50 in human years). I hear this question a lot, I certainly don't know what mine is or at least I'm not able to articulate it.

I hear that you need a 'unique voice' to cut through the competition, 'really stand out' etc. But how is that possible, with so many people trying to break in or already in the industry? I can't wrap my noggin around such a holy grail.

Would love to hear what your unique voice is.

First, I can’t give the full scoop on what this job is. The details are still confidential at this stage. What I can say for now is: I got hired for my first paid screenwriting job, and it’s a feature screenplay for a really incredible and prolific producer. And I can vaguely tell the wild story of how it landed in my lap. Hopefully, in a few months, the details will be public. 

I wrote a substack post on how this happened, hoping that it would be informative and encouraging for others: https://rivercrabwriting.substack.com/p/how-i-got-my-first-for-hire-screenwriting

Questions and comments welcome!

I sent a bunch of cold query emails out a little over a month ago and am going to send a follow up email to the people who didn't respond. In sending my cold query I researched proper format, what info to include, time to schedule send the email, etc. In researching the etiquette on follow up emails...there is little beyond whether it is a good idea/how long after do you wait.

My question is what would be the proper format? Send a new email all together or as a response to create a chain with my first email to them? Besides simply saying 'I'm following up on the email I sent', should it just be a rehash of my first email? If responding to my first email do I repeat any of the info already in the chain? Do I send it at a different time than the previous email?

Just looking for general advice on this. I know it's a long shot, cold querying, but I see it as good practice regardless.

Say you write and publish a book that also has potential as a screenplay, and you think you’re the person to adapt it. I have the following questions:

• Where do you stand, rights-wise?
• Would you need to option it?
• How does your position change if your book is self-published vs. traditionally published?
• Can anyone cite any real-world examples where this has happened?

Looking for answers, but also advice and discussion around these questions from anyone in the know! I’m grateful for any and all input; thank you :)

For those who have read a lot of screenplays, how has that benefited your own writing?

Also, when you read these screenplays, do you actively analyse them? Or is simply reading them is just as effective?

I've made a goal to read a script a day (currently day 5) though I'm not sure if it would be more beneficial to read + breakdown these scripts before moving onto another one.

This is based off something that actually happened to me, where for a moment I had a bit of a paranoid delusion that my girlfriend wasn't who she said she was. Wanted to write a short a script as possible in order to increase its chances of getting made.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/uqgb7k0ze99br1r8sqtmx/Facing_the_Trees-7.pdf?rlkey=l791ffmpcmebe1vdul638ub12&st=vz981xeh&dl=0

All feedback welcome!

Log line: A 17 year old aspiring comedian must submit an important application whilst dealing with a mysterious being that resides under his bed from 3am to 5am.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d7l1zqntEKRPIB0GAJ3YVqZTrtZ4du0A/view?usp=drivesdk

Y'all. I just finished my first feature. Yeah, it's only a first draft, but I'm so f'ing elated right now. I am now a screenwriter. I want to hear all of your thoughts on it, good or bad. I will take this all into consideration while working on Draft II.

TITLE: Anya and the Misguided Martyr

FORMAT: Feature

GENRE: Historical drama/fairy tale

PAGE COUNT: 70

LOGLINE: In the waning days of the Soviet Union, a young revolutionary must escape East Berlin when she's ordered to be killed by her powerful stepmother.

Thank you all for your time and encouragement. I appreciate you and this group!

FAQ: How to post to a weekly thread?

This space is for:

• ideas
• premises
• pitches
• treatments
• outlines
• tools & resources
• script fragments 4 pages or less

Essentially anything that isn't a logline or full screenplay. Post here to get feedback on meta documents or concepts that fit these other categories.

Please also be aware of the advisability of sharing short-form ideas and premises if you are concerned about others using them, as none of them constitute copyrightable intellectual property.

This is a first draft, I wrote it up in about an hour, I’m sure it needs some work and the plot could be improved a lot but just let me know what I can improve on. I didn’t bother putting a title or any of that sort. It’s a little sloppy but just let me know.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1K63wdinE5P8Q1FpV_Y9wIhLuDIqy2shD/view?usp=drivesdk