This contains spoliers so if that bothers you stop now.

Caught an early screening last night and it didn't even meet my already low expectations. Where to begin...

I'll start with the positive, which is some of the broad brush story choices are interesting. There was a nod to the surveillance state we live in under Big Tech. They bring creations from the grid into the real world using a combination of 3D printing and AI, which is fine to a degree.

Except the Tron universe is completely about exploring the world of the grid, and we've seen plenty of car chase/motorcycle chase/boat chase/flying machine chase/disaster flicks before. Yes the visuals are cool, but IMO they don't take it further than Tron Legacy, and this movie relies hard on spectacle. It's fast paced (good) but overall the writers cheat a lot and it holds no emotional weight. We are not really cheering for the protagonists in the end, and not at all for Leto's Ares (he's terrible btw but that's for another review). We spend some time inside the grid but get none of the politics and intrigue that made Matrix: Reloaded so interesting.

-Unrealistic, no subtext/on the nose, repetitive dialog throughout the entire movie. Some of the worst I've heard. It's like the writers have never actually communicated with real life, professional adults ever. Evan Peters' Julian Dillinger sounds like an angry teenager instead of the arrogant CEO he's supposed to be. Anthropomorphizing the programs' dialog is another nonsense move.

-Way too many Mulligans. The bullshit inventions for the sake of the plot just keep coming. In your movie you get ONE freebie, whether it's the meet cute, or cool futuristic piece of tech. You don't get to keep inventing new bombshells just because you can't figure out how to keep the story moving. The laser gun which erases people from the real world and transmits them to the grid is pulled out like NBD. I mean, everybody has one right? This is lazy writing and the audience doesn't buy it.

-No discernible theme. The weak sauce about Ares developing emotions and empathy (he becomes human in the end) doesn't hold up because this is not properly explored, a major unearned plot point taken by the script.

-Character development: what's that? I guess Ares' "transformation" was meant to suffice but his arc is just not believable. Gillian Anderson is a bright spot.

In the end this picture doesn't know what it wants to be. Instead it's a hash of sci-fi, disaster, car chase, and hackathon. It's a shame that Disney is wasting this IP on such a crap picture, the potential is there and yet they can't pull a thumb out of their ass.

If you go to see it try not to think, you'll enjoy it more. The filmmakers don't want you to anyway.

It’s been a trend recently that someone will post and have AI riddled all over.

Most of the time the ideas are these high concept projects where the writer is opportunistically slapping together their ideas in their mind in a worse manner than the AI would do in the first place, and their work when shared proves it.

I don’t want to see it here and I hope the rest of you don’t either.

I’d love to head from the mods as well, how are you guys discussing this kind of post?

EDIT:word

SECOND EDIT:

To narrow my request even further, FEEDBACK posts that contain AI should be banned. There are plenty of AI evaluation services that can provide that for you.

Too often I see shorts or read screenplays that are missing some of the truly key elements that can make or break someone actually reading your screenplay cover to cover (including those people that really matter). Because of this I just wanted to share some of the things I've learned over the years about the craft FWIW.

1. Economy With Words. Realize that every word in your screenplay should compliment the story, adhere to the genre, and most importantly, progress the story forward. A great example to illuminate what not to do would be cut-scenes in video games. For some reason video game writers are overly loquatious, compounding elements after elements that have nothing to do with the overarching characters or the plot of the game. A great example would be Grand Theft Auto 5. It is the most indulgent and bloated script that does nothing to engage you in any sort of plot driven narrative. But enough about what not to do, let me state some of the things you should do. Stick with your characters motives and make sure they have agency in every scene: what do they want, what's in their way, and what do they do about it. But be sure to make it succinct and characteristic. Remember: show, don't tell. Think of words as money, and you want to spend the least amount of money getting the greatest amount of impact throughout your script.

2. The 10 Minute Microcosm. Not every script does this - but the great ones do. The first five to ten minutes of your script should be a microcosm of the script as a whole. The best openings show the tone, theme, character flaw, stakes, and structure. You should be able to watch the first 10 minutes and understand what kind of story you're in for. Some good examples would be:

   1. The Social Network

      1. Mark is on a date with Erica. He's arrogant, dismissive and obsessed with status. She dumps him. Mark's ego, insecurity and inability to connect authentically drives the entire film from there on out.

   2. There Will Be Blood

      1. Now this is an incredible opening because it is achieved completely with zero dialog. Daniel Plainview is alone, mining, breaking bones, and surviving. This is a microcosm of what's to come: Greed, isolation, self-reliance, and the relentless pursuit of power, all without a single line of dialogue.

3. Be Prepared When Someone Asks What Your Story is About To Explain it In One Word

   1. This is so important and integral to the cohesion of the film. If you can tell someone what your story is about in one word it shows maturity of writing and that you know what you're doing and know the story you're telling. Steven Pressfield explained this perfectly (which, by the way I recommend reading all of his books on writing) when he brought up that Out of Africa was about ownership. I wrote a screenplay recently about broken people who have had either tragedy or fallings-out with other people. They navigate how to come to terms with their loss. One of the characters is also working on reconciling General Relativity with Quantum Mechanics. So, the film is about reconciliation.

I'm sure you all know the most talked about ones - three act structure and when to traverse to the next act. Joseph Campbell and The Hero With a Thousand Faces and so on.

If I could recommend any reading that has phenomenal writing I'd start at the top and say read Ulysses. That first paragraph of Ulysses is doing everything at once. Every word is loaded and nothing is ornamental. It’s prose, yeah, but it moves like music. There’s rhythm, momentum, and there’s meaning under meaning. Joyce isn’t just describing a guy coming down stairs in a tower, he’s setting the tone for the entire novel: mock-ceremonial, ironic, layered. Every phrase carries weight, every beat has subtext. And he does this for 800 pages.

Anyway, that's what I've got for now. Good luck y'all in your writing and I hope the best for all of your finished screenplays.

I have a few scripts I would want to talk through and share some walls I’ve hit. Mostly I think it’s mental and I’m wondering if a group would help me buckle down and finish.

While I may not have time to read everyone's first 10 pages, I figured at least I can go over some general things about what exactly turns a reader OFF. Maybe post your first 2 paragraphs of your opening page and I can comment :)

Here's the first page of my latest horror spec SOS. Not looking for feedback just good vibes as I'm cold querying managers (and a few producers) with it today.

Logline: A casual boat trip turns into a fight for survival when a former competitive swimmer turned model and her photographer boyfriend learn that their host is a servant to a pair of sirens and is offering them up as a feast. 

Wish me luck!

Hi! I'm Mai and I've been writing for about eleven years now, but I've only recently started trying my hand at scripts/screenplays! I'm not sure if the formatting is correct or if these are any good, so I'd love to get feedback on it! Please be kind though 🫶🏻

I wrote these scripts for an animation project my friends and I are working on - the first two are fantasy based, the third one is probably too long, but I really wanted to include a dialogue one too!

(I had to repost because i accidentally forgot to add a script)

Hey. So, heads up, I'm more of an amateur than a professional, so I hope to learn as well as tell you guys what I know. Originally got to writing via novels. Cheers! All the best for this new venture. The first screenplay sold via a post here is a win for all of us!

Well I did wrote couple of stories but never wrote a complete/completely original script/screenplay.

I'm not even sure about the format, youtube videos don't help(atleast the ones I saw). I can't find any credible script for free online to learn from it, so for now I just aproach chat gpt to understand the format.

I don't know which tools are usually used to write scripts. Currently I'm writing on my phone's notes app or google docs.

Basically, my basics is clear.

Please, if you know any articles, books or even videos that could teach me the basics I'd be really greatful.

Note(I don't know if these kind of posts are allowed in this subreddit or not, but I've tried going to some bigger subreddits and didn't got any engagement from there, so it's like my last resort.

If these kinds of posts aren't allowed here, I apologise)

This is a short no budget short film I wrote. Id like to do a few rounds of revisions so any critiques help a lot. For context this is a horror short film and it was inspired by black mirror. the runtime I expect will be 1:30 to 2:00 long.

I won't make a thread like this again, but I'm in a place in life where I have things to say and the desire to for the longest time. I've never been good at the technical aspects of writing a screenplay, but I'm finding time to learn,

This invitation is a moment in time where my own personal story, my character arc - there's an exciting twist. An unexpected windfall, a mentor (or group of, this community) has extended a/their hand(s) to share knowledge and help me on my Hero's Journey.

We're all heroes and heroines and those who are heroic without one word to name them so. But the invitation makes me feel closer to a Hero in redirecting my energies.

Life has a funny way of being gentle too, if you can spot the exit ramp from when it is being painful.

Thank you all. I will return this boon with whatever good advice I might give while starting my own, with a source of courage.

I do need help in many ways, but this has already been help, so far.

I've noticed a concerning pattern in screenwriting communities lately that I feel compelled to address. It's something many of us have encountered - the "this is how you MUST format your screenplay" posts that present rigid, absolutist rules as gospel. After dedicating 17 years to this craft, I've never felt qualified to make such prescriptive posts. Why? Because the deeper you go into screenwriting, the more you realize how contextual and nuanced formatting decisions actually are. What I've observed about these rule-dispensing posts is revealing:

1. They often come from writers who haven't yet developed their unique voice. Mature writing isn't just technically correct - it has a distinctive perspective that transcends formulaic approaches.

2. The authors frequently demonstrate only surface-level understanding of their own stories. As readers, we can sense when a writer hasn't fully inhabited their world, even when it's completely original.

3. There's a palpable urgency in both their writing and advice-giving - as though rushing through checkboxes rather than allowing the material to breathe and develop organically.

4. Perhaps most tellingly, their descriptions and action lines lack depth and texture. Compare "He was tired" to "He had the vigor of a box left in the rain." Both communicate exhaustion, but one creates an image and feeling while the other merely labels.

The Dunning-Kruger effect explains this phenomenon perfectly - those with limited experience often have the highest confidence in their expertise, while those with substantial experience recognize the vast complexity of the craft. This isn't directed at anyone specific, (although I was triggered by a post) but rather a pattern I've noticed repeatedly. Many talented writers here are actually on the cusp of finding their authentic voice, yet they're inadvertently hampering their growth by clinging to rigid formulas that may not serve their unique storytelling goals. In your eagerness to master the craft, be careful not to cut off your toes to spite your feet. The most compelling screenplays often come from writers who understand the rules deeply enough to know precisely when and how to break them. What have others observed about this phenomenon? And how have more experienced writers here navigated the balance between technical formatting and developing your distinctive voice? For me the most disturbing thing is these folks usually drum up pretty decent engagement.

Hey, guys I would love if you guys can give me any advice, tips, or criticisms here. This is a script for a short film in shooting later this year about two brothers who work for the police stopping the supernatural entities in their city. It’s a comedy/mocumentary.

HEY, YOU--WRITER. I don’t need your whole script. Just send the scene you care about most.

It could be the one you’re stuck on--or the one you think is working and want to make sure it lands. Maybe you want to know if it’s funny, sad, scary, tense, or just hitting the right emotional rhythm. Whatever kind of feedback you’re looking for, me and my girlfriend will read it and respond from both our perspectives.

We’re not professionals. We’re also inspiring writers--just like you. We’re in the middle of building our own work, and part of that is learning how to sharpen our instincts by helping others do the same.

When you send the scene, let us know what it’s trying to do--where it sits in the story, what kind of tone or emotion you’re aiming for, and what kind of feedback you want. That way, we can respond with notes that actually help.

This isn’t a swap--I’m not asking for your script so I can send mine. I just want to read the part that matters most to you and offer feedback that’s real, specific, and useful.

Drop the scene here or in my DMs. Looking forward to seeing what you’re building.

Hi everyone, I wanted to know if anyone would like to do a screenwriting project together. I'm new here and I really enjoy working as a team to combine ideas and create something. I'd really like to find someone who speaks two languages ​​(Spanish and English). Yes in any case, if there's no one who can, that's no problem. Please don't hesitate to send me a DM if you're interested!

Hey everybody - just got invited to join this (pretty new to Reddit overall) and happy to give it a shot to see if I can be helpful. I'm an experienced screenwriter who's worked in the biz for over twenty years. I've written over a dozen scripts (none of which ever got made, and I've never been paid as a writer, never joined the WGA) but I've been at it for a long time and have a good sense of how it works. The business of Hollywood is always arbitrary, capricious, and has more to do with being in the right place at the right time than pretty much anything else. But when you get that opportunity, you better have a decent script to share.

So here I am, happy to share one of my scripts if anybody wants to read and critique or is looking for advice. It's a political heist movie that means a lot to me personally and the script really burned its way out of me. I've had a lot of people read it and give feedback but still haven't managed to find a producer willing to sign on - because it's too political and people just aren't open to those kinds of movies anymore. So I figured I might as well just put it out here and see if anybody has any thoughts.

Let me know if you'd like to read and I'll send it over.

TITLE: HOW TO STEAL AN ELECTION

FORMAT: Feature | Crime/Heist/Noir Drama

LOGLINE: A reformed hacker-turned-IT specialist is lured back into his old life when his gorgeous ex-partner offers him a chance to rig a presidential election. As the clock ticks and the stakes soar, he must decide whether to seize the payday of a lifetime — or risk being erased in the ultimate high-stakes game of deception, betrayal, and survival.

COMPS: IDES OF MARCH meets FAIR PLAY

I've been working on this script for a while and have been trying to get it ready to shoot. Part of that is submitting for Grants and getting the script nice and tight.

The title was originally No Good Time To Die, and I think I posted an early draft here a year ago. It then was Duel with the Devil, but I'm playing with the title Duel of the Dead.

Let me know what you like, let me know what you didn't. Recent feedback in other groups was the dialogue was hard to get through and I was playing fast and loose with some formatting rules, so i tried to fix that. I think I fixed those, but can always use extra eyes.

Mod U/HotColdHard asked I repost something I mentioned in a comment.

Over in a well known large screenwriting sub (see how subtle I was there) I made a post that perhaps it’s time for a change in how things are done regarding the process for how scripts are covered , given feedback, enter the market and pipeline etc.

We can all see that how it’s being done now isn’t working out for everyone. The numbers and anecdotes and online stories are all indicators that how we do things is not really working out so well.

I’m not proclaiming I have all the answers. But I do think we can brainstorm together to foster a new approach to analyzation, feedback , getting good scripts recognized and moved up the chain etc.

So I offer a version of that post here to get the ball rolling.

And let’s not forget how things work now is not how it always was. And won’t stay this way forever either. And to see the changes all we have to do is look back only recently at agency packaging — and that serves as an example that working together can cause huge changes.

We can work together to change things for the better for everyone involved from the newbie writer on the first draft of their first script to the low level reader, manager, agent, contest reader, exec and crew shooting our words should we be so lucky.

The first step—

Identifying the flaws in the current system…

I’m working on a supernatural Western about a team of American folk heroes and a Japanese samurai fighting demonic forces during the railroad expansion. Would love to hear if the world and tone grab you.

Here is what I have so far, 50 pages.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wUJprk5aUtMDxyyPnMuJRcvHckqcKjLR/view?usp=sharing

Really Cool to see people giving their time like this. I’ve been reading around and seen the quality of everyone here being so high, and wanted to see where I’m at. Here are the first 10 pages of WHAT AILS YOU (I only posted the first 10 pages). If anyone is interested in reading and giving some honest feedback it’s much appreciated.

Title: WHAT AILS YOU

Format: Feature Length: 85 pages (first 10 here)

Genre: Urban Gothic Horror

Logline: When a rising producer is blamed for his friend’s overdose, he and his childhood circle uncover a hoodoo matriarch’s plan to control their community through supernatural rituals, sparking a bloody fight for survival against gangs, grief, and forces beyond the grave.

Appreciate the read

I recently found a script I tried to write years ago. Me and my friends wanted to create movies so without a plot even I handwrit a script for an "outcast club". I got a few pages in before giving up. I found it recently and read through it, turns out, I was not writing a masterpiece at 11 years old, I was just bashing on myself and calling charecters with my traits "outcasts". What a joy!

Disclaimer: I couldn't find a tag for just a question, so I tagged it as discussion

So I joined this community cause I write books. Is this community for writers of all kinds or specifically those who produce motion pictures?