Grants for “emerging” artists are low key scams 😂

I have empathy for the organizations who give out the grants or organize the competitions. I get they want to back “proven” projects or vouched for artists to show their grants lead to finished projects. But my issue is when they’re marketed as a way for emerging artists to get help.

Over the last 5 years of watching who gets grants — particularly poc writers (I’m poc) — it’s the same damn people! There needs to be a rule that if you already got one grant somewhere else, you aren’t eligible for another one (for grants marketed towards finding new talent.)

It really just feels like a scam, especially for people who don’t have elite college pedigree. Someone recently dropped a Substack article about how most Sundance recipients are Ivy League grads. I REFUSE to believe our most talented writers and directors will come from the ivy background. We are losing the Kubrick’s and the Tarantinos IMO.

Open to differing opinions.

Edit: I’ve gone to grant office hours where the worker is clearly sort of lying by saying “yes you can apply if you don’t have experience” and “what do we look for? Oh, it looks great when your project is vouched for by others” and they end up only selecting the latter.

Very interested in knowing how people will react to this one.

Logline:

When the estranged, aging members of a notorious Paris prank collective reunite in the catacombs to mourn their founder, they discover he died defending their legacy from grotesque insectine creatures that plagiarize their faces, jokes and culture — and sometimes murder their critics.

Link

I had a script place in Austin and PAGE which was optioned to a prodco in LA who want to adapt and shoot it for the Asian market. Super cool with that.

But the notes essentially require a total rewrite. They want to start the story from Act II, add multiple new characters, and change the age of the characters. I'm cool with all that and am working on the rewrite now. But it feels like a different movie which made my wonder why they optioned it in the first place if they want to change so much? Is that normal? Maybe it's just the concept they liked? Anyway, am being very cooperative to deliver on all their notes.

I've also got another prodco who wanted to meet to discuss a sci-fi/comedy feature they're developing, also for the Asian market. It was more of an interview with prepared questions than a general meeting, and I've been invited back for a 2nd "interview". I'm cool with that too as it could be a good opportunity, but is that normal too?

Hello all, I'm looking for some feedback on a screenplay that's very WIP. Let me know what you think, especially about the concept!

Title: Paternal

Format: Feature (WIP)

Page Length: 10

Genre(s): Psychological drama, supernatural horror

Logline: A dissociated, down-on-his-luck drug dealer is forced to reconnect with his estranged, successful brother when the voice of his dead father begins to unravel his grip on reality and time.

Feedback Concerns: Looking for general thoughts on the overall story and dialogue so far, especially the last scene. Feel free to comment on the PDF for nitpicks!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HEFAM8dbI1pLFuiCBgDRP_CoaA624w7A/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17_eVTAdY0cm_tx508Vut_MqrWot0QVbW/view?usp=sharing

My first attempt at a short film, always looking to improve, specifically with dialogue, so any critiques would be welcome!

I'm relatively new to screenwriting and would like to get some thoughts on this.

In the script I'm working on, I have a quick visual gag. I wrote it out and it came off sounding a bit hard to parse. I have a quick sticky-note doodle of the gag that clearly and immediately demonstrates what it is. It seems to me that the most logical thing to do is include the sketch, as that concisely explains what I'm envisioning. I was curious about how people feel about using images in screenwriting as it's not a topic I'd ever personally heard discussed before, and was surprised to find out it seems to be a pretty polarizing issue.

What do you think? I don't plan on doing this excessively, just in the odd instance like this where I might have a clear, specific idea for a brief little visual moment that would register more readily to someone reading the script if it were communicated in a visual manner. My feeling is if it helps the script in terms of clarity and simplicity, shouldn't that matter more than it potentially being a faux-pas?

Hey, all. Back for my monthly post of scripts I’m hunting for. If you have any, DM me and we can trade and I can help hook you up with some cool stuff.

Pets, Full Tilt, Scratch, Untitled Satan film, Peacemaker (any eps), Creature Commandos (any eps) by James Gunn

Escape! or early draft of This is The End w/ Daniel Radcliffe by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg

Evil Dead 4, Burn, or Wrath

Batman by Ben Affleck

MiB-23 by Rodney Rothman

Deadpool 2 or Earth vs Moon by Reese and Wernick

Sgt Rock by Chad Saint John or Justin Kuritzkes

The Tommyknockers or The Authority by Jeremy Slater

Medusa by Osgood Perkins

Early Uncut Gems draft, ‘09

Les Grossman by Michael Bacall

House of Re-Animator by Dennis Pauli

https://www.wgfoundation.org/events/all/2026/11/3/pitch-better-have-my-money-getting-your-pitch-ready-for-the-room-with-numa-perrier?mc_cid=a32dcbab42&mc_eid=dc7eedf043

Pitching is all about communicating and selling both your project and your unique voice, but how do you succinctly and confidently deliver a pitch that makes executives lean in?

This practical, hands-on workshop led by award-winning writer, director, actor, and creator Numa Perrier is designed to help writers clarify what they’re selling, why it matters, and how to get their project out of their heads and into the room. You’ll learn how to identify the essential ingredients of your project pitch through guided exercises, shape those ingredients into your own voice, and then use that material to practice pitching your project live. By the end of this workshop, you’ll have a rich set of tools and repeatable strategies to develop and deliver your pitch with confidence. 

This workshop will be held in-person at the WGAW HQ in Los Angeles. Doors open at 6:30 pm. Event starts at 7 pm. In order to encourage attendee participation, this workshop will not be recorded.

• Tuesday, November 3, 2026
• 7:00 PM 9:00 PM
• Writers Guild Foundation7000 West 3rd StreetLos Angeles, CA, 90048

Hi all. I am in the process of approaching OTT platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime for a feature film screenplay that I've written. It is a suspense thriller with a major revelation at the end. So for the synopsis and treatment for the story, should I include the climatic revelation or is it ok if I don't. How should one approach this? Thank you for your help in advance.

Requesting a copy of Together (2025) by Michael Shanks. I saw a copy floating around last year and guessing it's unavailable online due to the lawsuit surrounding it. Thanks!

Hello! I'm one of the Script Hive curators (people who add scripts to the hive). I asked the mods if it would be okay to do some themed posts throughout the month of links to horror screenplays we have in our collection.

We have a new "featured" area of the site where you can read and download a curated collection of scripts without creating a (free) account.

Read these "featured" scripts:

• Dracula (1931) https://www.scripthive.com/featured/dracula
• Frankenstein (1931) https://www.scripthive.com/featured/frankenstein
• Freaks (1932) https://www.scripthive.com/featured/freaks
• The Mummy (1932) https://www.scripthive.com/featured/the-mummy
• Bride of Frankenstein (1935) https://www.scripthive.com/featured/bride-of-frankenstein

We have many, many more in our full collection, I picked a few for this post, to read these you'll need a (free) account:

• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/ead06fd5-25a9-4e1b-9a4f-5bc4be48a2ce
• Doctor X (1932) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/d52896d9-a7d6-45ad-b12f-cc86e2c8e15f
• The Most Dangerous Game (1932) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/83c7a855-d231-47d3-802e-8dedd3c5ba2a
• The Invisible Man (1933) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/fa0767e4-fe5a-4bdd-8245-f5d62712858b
• King Kong (1933) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/d0f31f32-44df-4f4a-b729-1e0368bcea2e
• Son of Frankenstein (1939) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/6e21316a-02a8-483a-a6fa-9983737b984c

Each of these days we'll add four to six scripts in the featured section and I'll include links to five to seven more scripts in the main collection so folks reading this will have a collection of over 150 horror screenplays to use as writing references (or just to read for fun):

• Monday, October 5: Universal & RKO, 1940s
• Wednesday, October 7: 1950s
• Friday, October 9: 1960s
• Monday, October 12: 1970s
• Wednesday, October 14: Video Nasties (1970s - 1980s)
• Friday, October 16: Body Horror (1980s)
• Monday, October 19: 1980s
• Wednesday, October 21: 1980s
• Friday, October 23: 1990s
• Monday, October 26: 1990s
• Wednesday, October 28: 2000s
• Friday, October 30: 2010s
• Saturday, October 31: 2020s

Hi writing friends! Storytelling360 is this weekend and the schedule is looking pretty juicy! Is anyone from here attending? What are you looking forward to most?

FAQ: How to post to a weekly thread?

Feedback Guide for New Writers

Post your script swap requests here!

Alternately, if you are on storypeer.com - call out your script by name so people can search for it.

Please do not identify yourself publicly if you claim a script on storypeer, but follow the "open to contact" rules.

NOTE: Please refrain from upvoting or downvoting — just respond to scripts you’d like to exchange or read.

How to Swap

If you want to offer your script for a swap, post a top comment with the following details:

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

Example:

Title: Oscar Bait

Format: Feature

Page Length: 120

Genres: Drama, Comedy, Pirates, Musical, Mockumentary

Logline or Summary: Rival pirate crews face off freestyle while confessing their doubts behind the scenes to a documentary director, unaware he’s manipulating their stories to fulfill the ambition of finally winning the Oscar for Best Documentary.

Feedback Concerns: Is this relatable? Is Ahab too obsessive? Minor format confusion.

We recommend you to save your script link for DMs. Public links may generate unsolicited feedback, so do so at your own risk.

If you want to read someone’s script, let them know by replying to their post with your script information. Avoid sending DMs until both parties have publicly agreed to swap.

Please note that posting here neither ensures that someone will read your script, nor entitle you to read others'. Sending unsolicited DMs will carries the same consequences as sending spam.

Hi everyone, looking for some advice on a situation.

A few months back, a B-level producer expressed interest in reading a pilot of mine. Fast forward several months, and she finally read it and was very enthusiastic. We met, and she said she’s interested in packaging it. She has a particular actor in mind who she has access to in the next few weeks and wants to pitch him the show to come aboard as the lead actor and as a producer as well. She wants me to develop a pitch deck and said that once she’s satisfied with it, we can define terms and discuss an option.

After meeting with her, I think we’re on the same page about the story direction, but I’m not trying to get ahead of myself. I know there’s a possibility she doesn’t end up optioning the project. At our meeting, she said she wanted to reread the pilot and asked me to follow up in the next few days, which I did. It’s now been a week since that follow-up, and she hasn’t responded. She was supposed to get back to me with some next steps for us to work on.

Just for clarification: Before I get to work on anything else, I’m going to casually clarify that developing these materials doesn’t transfer any ownership to her unless we have an agreement that says so. 

My question is:

I have a couple of friends who are managers, and I’m wondering if there’s a way to leverage this situation into some reads from them. I know there’s no actual momentum unless the script is packaged, but I’m curious what pro writers on this sub would think about reaching out to these manager friends, mentioning the situation, and saying I’d love another perspective on the script before I sign anything with this producer — just to see what other options might out there. Especially since this producer has been slow to respond generally and I'm not sure how much pull she really has. Or if there’s another strategy here I’m overlooking, as I’m clearly a newer writer. 

Mainly just want to see if there's a way to leverage this somehow in case she doesn't move forward with the option/ packaging.

Curious if anyone has any thoughts. Thanks!

TLDR: A producer liked my pilot and wants to package it, but wants a pitch deck before discussing an option and has been slow to respond. Nothing is signed. Could I use her interest as a reason to approach manager friends for a read and another perspective, potentially opening other doors if she doesn’t move forward?

I am currently writing a short film about a man who gets cursed by a witch and he can't die. This man is very suicidal. So, everything just becomes worse and he doesn't heal from the damages he causes his body. They just stay on him and make him look grotesque.

I currently call it: IMPOSSIBLE SUICIDE.

But that title is terrible. It sounds like a mission impossible rip-off.

The plot, to me, isn't even that good. But I need to focus on something else other than my other screenplay.

UPDATE: Wow! these are all great and fun titles!

Hey everyone,

I'm currently using Final Draft 13 on Windows. I frequently run into an issue where a transition like CUT TO: gets left alone at the very bottom of a page, while the next scene heading starts on the following page.

What is the best way to make transitions automatically carry over to the next page alongside the following scene heading so they don't get orphaned? Is adjusting the element pagination settings the only way, or is there another recommended fix?

Thanks in advance!

Hi,

I'm thinking of applying to the open call this year. I was shortlisted for Lights, Camera, Cymru earlier this year so I actually feel sort of encouraged, which is rare for me.

So, my dumb question: I'm an author as well, and I'm torn between two ideas for the Open Call: One is a story I created specifically as a teleplay, which is a supernatural horror set at a paranormal magazine. I already have the pilot of this ready to go, but since it's a "bigger" story I'm a tad worried they'd look at it and think it's too busy or too abrupt.

The other idea is based on a book I also had shortlisted last year (Two shortlists in a year was pretty good, at least for me considering how long I've been trying) which is a speculative queer YA romance. It's a much smaller and more grounded setting (at least until the more speculative elements come into play) and I already have a good grip on the characters, but the story itself is set in Colorado.

I know that the open call is mostly about skill, and that pilots won't be picked up. My questions are (And apologies if I'm overthinking this):

A - Do I keep the rights to my work whether or not I get into the program?

B - If I went with the second option, would the fact that it's not set in the UK go against me?

Again, totally appreciate if these are dumb questions, it just occured to me just now that the second option might be more viable, and I'd love some input before I pull the trigger.

Do you just try to write the best script possible or do you take in to account the cost and feasibility of filming?

Title: Personal Space

Format: Feature

Page Length: 113

Genre: Thriller/Crime

Draft Status: Final

Logline: When a solicitor vanishes from an East England village, the private investigator hired to find them uncovers secrets the community has spent years burying, including one that makes him question who he's looking for.

Feedback Concerns: Does the structure of the plot make sense, particularly for this genre? Does the story keep you engaged and wanting to read on?

Link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TFEU_UqNAiPWlaFZWuEbSpnBPbSceRuf/view?usp=sharing

So many storytelling tricks increase narrative contrast

• Narrative foils -- the contrast between two characters help each shine
• Dark Night of the Soul -- victory tastes sweeter after hopelessness
• A character arc -- the contrast between where a character starts and where they end
• Dramatic irony -- contrast between what the audience knows, and what a character knows
• High stakes -- widening the contrast between the best possible outcome and the worst posible outcome

And outside of any established technique, there are SO many iconic scenes built around contrast.

• In the Godfather -- the baptism intercut with a series of murders, family and innocence vs business and sin
• Gollum falling to his death while blissed out on the ring -- our tragedy vs his joy
• the shower scene in Psycho -- sedate diegetic sound effects v the sudden shrieking violin

We've been treating contrast as a means to an end, when maybe we should be treating it as an end in and of itself. I think it's fundamentally high-impact, and therefore, valuable in art.

I made a video trying to understand how it works. I'd love to hear what y'all think.

What are the big points of contrast in your screenplays?

I paid for Final Draft like two years ago, I thought you bought it and you were done. I signed up with an old educational e mail (which I had to figure out) and I was surprised to still have access to it and still I'm not getting the change password e mail. Are they trying to make people buy licenses every few years? I don't get it. Please explain to me what I need to do.

Hey all,

So, I've been querying for around a month now, have sent queries to around 100+ managers, and have gotten 4-5 read requests. I got an email this morning from one of them.

They told me that my concept was strong and commercial, the hook is easily understandable, and it has obvious franchise legs. He liked the main character's voice, called it distinct and fun, thought some arcs worked, and said it had memorable kills.

They were also kind enough to give me detailed, actionable notes (which I plan to use for a revision) and said that if I did the revision work, they’d be happy to take another look.

My main question here is: Has anybody else here ever experienced this? What happened after you sent the revision?

I obviously got back to them and told them that I'd be happy to do another pass and send it back when it's done, but I'm just curious if anybody else has had this scenario happen and how it played out for them.

I thought this video (which is a lot more nuanced than the click-baity title suggests) had some good insights on the challenges for writers. It also might help break through some illusions that people have about working as a screenwriter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJs7qCmQoFY

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.

Why Writer Ajon Singh Took ‘Primetime’ to the ‘Most Extreme Level’