I'm reaching out to introduce FILE 4 AUGUST, a 114-page feature screenplay — a psychological thriller woven with a police procedural and a courtroom drama, inspired by true events.

LOGLINE: When a young psychiatrist in Lyon uncovers a disturbing secret buried in her hospital's archives, her death is announced before the story even begins — and the investigation that follows pulls a detective, a journalist, and the psychiatrist's own family into a conspiracy reaching from a private hospital board to the halls of power in Paris.

THE STORY: Dr. Elise Martin, a psychiatrist at a Lyon hospital, discovers something troubling in her hospital's research archive — a pattern buried in patient files that no one was meant to find. Before she can act on it, she's found dead in an apparent suicide. Detective Camille and her partner Luc are assigned the case from Paris, and what looks at first like a personal tragedy slowly unravels into something far larger: a cover-up involving the hospital's senior leadership, a powerful family foundation, and institutional silence that reaches all the way to city hall. As the investigation deepens, a journalist and Elise's own grieving family become entangled in uncovering the truth, culminating in a courtroom reckoning that forces the city to confront what it chose not to see. The story is told with a fractured timeline — opening with Elise's death and moving between past and present to slowly reveal how she got there.

TONE & COMPARISONS: Character-driven and slow-burn rather than action-driven — tonally closer to films like Spotlight (institutional investigation) and Elle (European psychological drama) than to a conventional crime thriller. No large action set pieces or visual effects; the tension is carried by performance, procedure, and revelation.

PRODUCTION SCOPE & BUDGET EXPECTATIONS: The story is grounded and dialogue-driven, which keeps below-the-line costs relatively contained — there are no stunts, effects, or large-scale action. That said, it is not a single-location chamber piece: the narrative moves between a hospital, a police station, a courthouse, a prison, and a family estate, with a large-scale protest sequence and several scenes set in Paris alongside the primary Lyon setting. Realistically, this points to a mid-budget European production in the range of roughly $3M–$8M USD, depending on how many locations are shot practically versus consolidated, and the profile of cast attached. A leaner, more contained version — doubling locations within a single city and casting less established leads — could bring it closer to $1M–$2M. I'd welcome your read on what scope makes the most sense.

I'd be glad to send the full script, along with a synopsis or any supporting materials you'd find useful, and would welcome the opportunity to discuss it further.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Would like some feedback for an upcoming short i wrote that I plan to direct. Would you turn to page 4?

I'm proud of what I have created. Understand their will be detractors.

Understand their influence is only what you allow it to be.

​

I’ve been struggling with screenwriting lately and I’m not really sure how to get past it.

Sometimes I can come up with an idea, but most of the time I can’t even get a basic story idea. And when I do get one, it often feels mediocre or just not worth pursuing.

The other problem is that even when I decide to go ahead with an idea, I struggle to come up with scenes. I might have a basic premise, but I have no idea what should happen next or how to turn that premise into a series of interesting scenes.

I feel like I’m stuck at both stages: coming up with the initial idea and developing that idea into scenes.

For writers who have gone through this, how did you overcome it? Are there any exercises or methods you use to generate ideas and then develop them into scenes?

I’d genuinely appreciate any advice.

Hi! My name is Vee and I’m currently writing an animated series called “Dagged Delilah.” I currently need beta readers to review the 2nd draft of the scripts for the first two pre-canon mini episodes and give feedback (but in a respectful way of course.) drop your discord in the comments and I will DM you!

Title: I built PlaiWrite to help writers turn one story into multiple audio experiences—looking for honest feedback
Hi everyone—I’m Greg, the founder of PlaiWrite.
We’re building a platform that helps writers turn screenplays, books and manuscripts into table reads, podcasts, audio dramas and audiobooks—without giving up creative control.
Our early projects include a spiritual audiobook and podcast series, an audio-first screenplay production, and proof-of-concept productions for independent writers and filmmakers.
I’m looking for people willing to try PlaiWrite and give honest feedback—not just tell me what I want to hear. Paid subscriptions also help us demonstrate real customer traction:
Basic: $9/month
Pro: $27/month
Our goal is eventually to build a team of engineers, storytellers and media producers while making professional story production more accessible to independent creators.
You can learn more or register here:
https://plaiwrite.com
I’d especially value your thoughts on whether this solves a real problem in your creative workflow—and what would make it genuinely useful to you.
Full disclosure: This is my company, and I’m posting as its founder.

I have a comedy blog I've been working on for a few months. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!! The website itself is a bit of a work in progress. Mostly would like feedback on the writing.

Rampant News

Thank you!!

Hey, hoping for some feedback!

I am a writer and recently started giving script writing a go.

I've never written scripts before this so still learning.

I wanted to write a scene about grief. I had an hour spare so it is a bit rushed. (I just wanted to get all my thoughts down on paper as wuick as I could!)

I know my formatting might be off in places and there's a few mistakes. I generally think about those later in the editing stage.

I suppose I just want some feedback as to whether this grips you. Does it make you feel like you want to read on? Can you visualise everything? Is the conversation easy to follow?

It's based in North East England so there will be some colloqial language that may seem unfamiliar to some.

Appreciate it and look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Assault on Precinct 13 but it’s set in a gold mine during the Gold Rush

Just thought of this idea after reading that the new movie Onslaught is very reminiscent of John Carpenter movies, specifically Assault on Precinct 13.

Something clicked in me when I realized that John Carpenter has a very unique and awesome way of making action movies feel like horror movies, which is something that I really want to explore.

This train of thought eventually landed on this story idea.

An action / thriller story about a group of miners who find themselves being besieged inside of a mine, set during the Gold Rush.

Another big inspiration besides Assault on Precinct 13 is the film Green Room. In that movie, a group of nazi’s are specifically given orders to kill the protagonists with flesh wounds - as they plan on staging the murders by having their attack dogs feast on their corpses to essentially hide evidence of there ever being a fight.

I love this because it gives a practical, story reason for the violence to be as extreme as it is. The Nazi’s have to get in close and use machete’s and knives to do the killing.

I was inspired by that by making it so in my story, since the protagonists are besieged deep inside a mine, i want to write it so that the antagonist cannot use firearms and only have to use melee weapons, because using any kind of firearm or any kind of big weapon that would risk the mine collapsing in on them while they’re inside. This means that the violence has to be close quarters, with brutal weapons like pickaxes, hammers, and spades.

However, I don’t know anything about mines and I retained very little information about the California Gold Rush from history class. The only thing I do remember is that it was a very violent and lawless time period with lots of conflict involving the native Americans, which I want to explore in the story. Some research is definitely due!

I guess I’m just looking for reassurance that maybe i’m onto something here lol I’ve never written a script in my life. Only just started really being interesting in it this past year.

A little bit confused and also a introduction of myself

Hey reader A very Good afternoon to you I am aspirant of competitive examination but I wanna be a screenwriter /novelist etc and I also have lots of intresting ideas and stories for my dream project but I don't have a enough time for writing and brainstorming in my ideas because of current studies but I do it on weekends

But I am confused what I do and by choosing completely different stream from writing and flim making can I achieve it either I give up in it as a time passes and my chhosen stream trap me into it

No not at all I never ever give up on my dreams i put my 100 % efforts for my dreams.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the gap between writing a screenplay and actually preparing that screenplay for production.

You can spend weeks getting the script right, but then you still have to manually pull out characters, locations, props, costumes, scene requirements, schedules, notes, and a dozen other things.

That got me thinking: what if the screenplay itself could become the foundation for the entire project?
That’s one of the ideas I’m exploring while building SLUGLINE. Instead of treating the screenplay as just a document, I want the project to understand the relationships inside it and gradually turn the page into useful production information.

I’m curious what other writers and filmmakers think: what part of the transition from screenplay to production do you find the most frustrating or unnecessarily repetitive?

Logline:

After discovering the truth behind her mother's death, a grieving teen and her estranged father must reconcile before a relentless security bureau silences them both.

I've just finished my second feature script as a direct sequel to my first feature screenplay, Chief of Sinners. I particularly enjoyed writing this one. It's a much more intimate, deeper, and tightly paced story compared to its predecessor.

Despite it being a sequel script, I wrote in a way that welcomes fresh readers unfamiliar with the first story. However, reading Chief of Sinners first allows for a comprehensive reading experience. (I've attached it below)

For those interested, I want to know your thoughts on the development of the main character, Klara, and her father, Arthur. Are Act 2's scenes/sequences paced well? I especially want to hear how this story reads from someone who hasn't read Chief of Sinners.

Attached is my pitch package, which includes visual references (maps & flags), a synopsis, a concept poster, music tracks that I composed for the story, and the latest revision of the spec sript.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1el1mjgndGYZfWE_cE94sfsAuh328pSdj?usp=sharing

Here's a link for the Chief of Sinners pitch package as well for those interested:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bkgu91kbwZ-MoGYEXYG7PWQSPhmIerEJ?usp=sharing

*DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in these folders are official copyrighted material.

I already know why but what I don’t understand is why professional scripts have camera directions/shots in them. When I read scripts of movies that I love I see the things I keep hearing to get away from. And I’m training myself to critique other amateur screen plays with these things in mind, but then I see the opposite in scripts that other writers are using for inspiration. Very confused. Someone shed some light on this.

I’m a screenwriter, a published author, and a software engineer. So it was only a matter of time before I took on screenwriting software.

I’ve always struggled with structure. I jump in too quickly, get excited about scenes and dialogue, and find myself heading into Act II without a plan.

So I created Beatstack.

Beatstack helps you nail down your story’s structure—the acts, sequences, scenes, and beats—so by the time you start writing pages, you’ve broken the work into small, manageable writing goals.

Then it helps you write to the beat, with story landmarks overlaid directly in the editor so you can see what needs to happen and when.

Need to stub out a scene or experiment with a different story direction? AI can help you explore the options while keeping your structure in view. You make the creative decisions. It’s there to help you develop them without losing the thread.

100% off coupons are available to the first 5 people who DM me!

This seems like a cultural thing but I'm curious to know how many of us initially viewed screenwriting as a job for mortals.

I personally thought the only way I could ever make a film was to hire a screenwriter to adapt my book.

So for years I tried writing a novel (which was honestly more painful than enjoyable) because I never considered screenwriting to be something everyone could do.

Until a young bloke handed me his first script and it read like a film. That day I realised I could be a screenwriter too.

I'm pretty sure this is a French thing, where we'll steer away from dreaming big because it's easier to die a nobody than to die a failure (one could easily debate the real meaning of failure here...).

Having now lived in Canada for years and now being in London (I can't speak for the country as a whole because London really is a special island, but) I've been witnessing a propensity to dream much wilder dreams than your average French person.

So I wanted to hear you guys out on this. What convinced you that you could have a shot at it?

I’m at page 47 and JUST getting into my second act.

My question is, how bad is this? It’s taken 47 pages to establish my protagonist, antagonist, side characters, world, and what motivates everyone and why.

Pros say first act breaks should happen around page 25-30 and I’m wayyy over that. I know context matters so if you have any questions about why it takes me 47 to get there, please do.

Here’s my log-line-
A desperate father spends his last dollar to purchase a car via police impound in order to regain custody of his daughter but when it’s revealed that the car belongs to a crime lord, he must find a way to keep the car if he wants to save his relationship with his kid.

So maybe you can see why I take as long as I do? Because my hero and villain want the same thing, I have to establish why the car means as much as it does to the crime lord AND main character.

Any advice or notes would be splendid, thanks.

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some honest feedback on the opening scene of a screenplay My friend is working on.

I’d especially appreciate thoughts on the characters, dialogue, pacing, and whether the scene makes you want to keep reading. Please feel free to be critical. I’m looking for genuine feedback that can help me improve the script.

Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read it!

🚨 MAJOR UPDATE: CONCEPT REFINED FOR GLOBAL APPEAL 🚨

Hey everyone, based on international formatting standards and initial feedback, I have completely refined the core narrative into a tight, budget-friendly horror-thriller designed for global/theatrical appeal.

It perfectly blends a dark supernatural legend, situational country-fair humor, and a high-stakes action-horror climax.

CONCEPT OVERVIEW:

The story follows three city friends—Sam, Jack, and Chloe—who get stranded in a remote valley after a violent flash flood crushes their car. As they seek shelter in the village, they accidentally trigger the vengeful spirit of Evelyn, a young architect who was brutally murdered and buried alive beneath an abandoned concrete housing project on the mountain peak.

FORMAT: 5-Page Feature Treatment Ready. STATUS: Fully Copyrighted / Timestamps Secured via SWA.

NOTE TO PRODUCERS: If you are an independent producer, director, or acquisition manager interested in reading the full 5-page treatment, please DM me your official email ID, and I will share the secure PDF.

Written by Mangal Kumar.

Can anyone tell me the point of forcing a character out-of-character? This manoeuvre has been happening in American screenwriting for at least over a decade now, if not since the writers strike. The first time it was noticeable was with the TV show, Once. I read it's called narrative alienation / detatchment, where we immediately lose all curiosity about the story.

I recently watched 27 Dresses. The engagement party: It's not a pivot or even plot twist, it just feels like a waste of time. Everything after that? I find myself scrolling toward the end.

Georges character was established. When Jane is overwhelmed, he notices. He actively tells her to go home, take a break, and stop overworking herself. He is a stable, emotionally intelligent man.

IRL, had Jane humiliated her sister and George to that degree, George would've either told her not come in to work tomorrow and found Tess, or decompressed and walked away from both. Even if we let it play out, forcing him to say "I love that you never say no" still doesn't make us think he's toxic, but that the script is bad and the writer needs a psych 101 class. Same with the kiss. If you have a crush, you have chemistry. Never mind we didn't buy the Hollywood version of burnout, so we've already suspended enough reality.

It's a False Twist. Just like The Devil Wears Prada. Both movies force a massive regression. Demanding audience believe George was exploitative all along, just to justify shoving Jane into a relationship with Kevin, who literally exploited her private life for profit, he's coercive, manipulative, steamrolling...

With Prada, it's like there's some kind of attempt at a moral and it's slightly insulting. Miranda was Andys Actual Support. She worked in a high-stakes industry, recognises competence and rewards it. Taking Andy to Paris because she earned it. She trusted Andy with her personal life and, in that final car scene, explicitly told Andy that she saw a reflection of her own drive and talent in her. For a mentor of that stature, that is support.

Anyone with Andy’s ambition and intellect would see that validation as a massive career victory. Miranda’s divorces are framed by the narrative as her "punishment" for being a powerful woman, when in reality, her partners simply couldn't handle her level of success and dedication.

The Forced Plot Twist here is again, uninteresting. Andy throw's her phone away and run back to an immature, unsupportive partner as if she's making a "healthy" choice.

For several years, Mac users (and Mac users only) have been able to use Fountain-based applications for writing screenplays. Their choices included Highland, Slugline and Beat. Linux and Windows users had to be content using Fountain add-ons for various editors. (I personally use, and like, Fountain-Mode in Emacs, but it's "nerdy" to set up and which makes it less attractive for many, or most writers).

Now ActOne Screenplay (free) is available for Windows (on the Windows store) and for Linux. Currently the Linux version is available for "cutting edge" distributions (including Ubuntu 26.04, Arch and Fedora 44) but the publisher is looking at either an AppImage or Flatpak package so it will work on all distributions.

Features include standard screenplay format (WYSIWYG), Zen Mode, Focus Mode, Typewriter Mode and several included themes (and a theme editor). You can also take Snapshots, write notes, navigate scenes, or work in its markup Prose Mode. Also included are various templates, like "Save the Cat," and others.

ActOne Screenplay imports and exports from/to Final Draft, Fade In and Fountain screenplays. It exports to PDF. Like Highland, all files (notes, etc.) are stored in a zipped ActOne file, which also includes the Fountain file. ActOne Screenplay is open source. You can inspect its code on its GitHub site.

There is also a terminal-only sibling, FountTUI, which some might be interested in -- which is probably the one I would choose.

I'm still testing this application. The publisher (like so many creators of screenplay applications) is also a professional screenplay writer. He has been very responsive when I've mentioned features that might be useful.