205 Scripts Added to Script Database, Plus New Team of Indexers!
Catch Up on the Latest Hive News
Welcome to the Buzz, your monthly update on everything happening in our screenwriting community.
If you’re new here, the Script Hive is a collective of writers who believe the best way to master the craft is by reading and analyzing professional scripts. Our educational database features over 20,000 screenplays, including produced films, TV pilots, and rare industry gems, such as unproduced specs and hard-to-find drafts that reveal the evolution of a screenplay from page to screen.
The first edition of our newsletter includes:
Script Hive Database Updates - Behind the Scenes
A recap of our Writer’s Workshop with acclaimed screenwriter Arun Croll
What’s happening in the Discord server
An announcement of the Killer Shorts finalists
If you’re serious about screenwriting, Script Hive is a space where you can develop your skills, build industry connections and refine your craft.
What’s a Substack? Why Did We Make One?
Substack is a platform that allows us to publish in-depth newsletters directly to you, without the noise of social media algorithms. Kind of like a blog delivered to your inbox. Previously, we used Google Groups to communicate. Substack will replace that. To kick off our first edition with a bang, we are giving away a free month of Hive VIP Gold Membership to the first three people who click the button below.
Script Hive Database Update – Behind the Scenes
We’ve been hard at work expanding Script Hive’s growing screenplay database, and this month, we’re excited to announce some major improvements!
205 new scripts have been added, with VIP Members receiving an exclusive SCRIPT DROP announcement, detailing exactly which scripts were included. A few highlights:
Anora
A Complete Unknown
Flow
Thelma
Murder Mystery
Nosferatu
10 Episodes of Xena: Warrior Princess
If you haven’t checked out our scripts yet, now’s the time!
Maintaining this growing archive comes with real costs—cloud storage, software licenses, web hosting, domains and server tools like Discord bots. Your support keeps the Hive free and accessible to everyone.
A Faster, More Searchable Database
Maintaining a database of over 20,772 screenplays is no small task. Until recently, all indexing was done by one person (our amazing moderator Taylor), manually inputting script titles, writer names, draft dates, and other metadata so users could search by these details. Here’s a video that gives an idea of what’s involved:
To speed up this process, we’ve expanded our team of volunteer indexers, who are now working to:
Correct mistitled files
Fill in missing search parameters
Ensure newly added scripts are indexed faster
This means more accurate searches, faster access to scripts, and a smoother experience for everyone. If you would like us to keep adding to our database which now contains over 20,772 scripts, please consider becoming a Patron or upgrading your membership to a higher tier. Help us maintain one of the best free resources for screenwriters out there.
Inside the February Writer’s Workshop with Arun Croll: Bringing Personal Truths to the Page
If you weren’t at our February 22 session of the Workshop, you missed a memorable conversation with Arun Croll, long-time Hive member and a breakout screenwriter who has now been featured on The Black List twice. Between a Netflix development deal and consecutive Black List honors for THE LIGHT AT THE END (2023) and ROAD TO COLD VALLEY (2024), his scripts have been turning the heads of major producers and development execs.
Arun pulled back the curtain on his writing process, showing how great conflict comes naturally when you’re working through something real in your writing:
I took these different parts of my mind and parts of my family and externalized them in these characters. That’s where some of the differentiation [of the character voices] comes from. When I base a relationship or a character on something going on in my life—something I’m not totally at peace with—the conflict is already there and it’s authentic. You’re not manufacturing it because Save the Cat says to do it on page 30.
Another eye-opening takeaway was the idea that chasing commercial appeal can sometimes strip a script of the very emotional depth that makes it marketable. Road to Cold Valley was initially written as a straight thriller with the family history woven in through flashbacks. But readers weren’t connecting to the characters. The turning point came when Arun restructured the first act to play out this family drama before escalating into the thriller elements:
I definitely was writing under the pressure of trying to get to the action as quickly as possible. And, you know, it’s funny—the idea of writing something ‘commercial.’ Nobody really knows what that means. You want to write something commercial, so you get to the action fast, and now you've got a bunch of action with characters nobody cares about and nobody wants to buy it. Is that commercial?
A Look Ahead on Discord
Visited the server lately? Get help with your projects from fellow Hive members, read your script out loud at the Table Reads (March 15 & 29), join a writing challenge or get some killer script recs in the Script Roulette. Our March Writer’s Workshop will feature Reynaldo Leal, a Slamdance finalist, proud Marine Corps Veteran and the screenwriter behind A BAND OF WOLVES, a breakout prehistoric adventure script featured on the 2024 Black List. Join us for a conversation about the script, bring your pitches and loglines! And in the coming months, we will host a session about screenwriting competitions with industry guests.
Friendly Reminder – Stay Active to Keep Database Access
Heads up, we will be purging inactive members again this month. If you’ve been away for a while, now’s the time to log in and keep your access. If you’re removed and need to rejoin, visit #hive-help on Discord.
How to Keep Your Access:
Stay active – Log in to Discord at least once every 30 days: Join Here
Become a Patron – Patrons never lose access, even if inactive. Memberships start at just $3/month, helping us maintain and expand the archive.
Congratulations to the Killer Shorts Finalists!
The finalists were selected from over 1,200 submissions, representing the top 1% in the main, 1-page, & short story (prose) categories. These Top 10 scripts will be read by our panel of judges including literary managers, producers and horror icons - like John Zaozirny, Greg Nicotero & Barbara Crampton! Don't forget Script Hive VIP Members receive 1 Free Entry to Killer Shorts every year. For those who did not advance, don't let this discourage you. Share your work and keep writing!
Check Out More Screenwriting Substacks
If you’re still wondering about the whole substack thing, here are a few more with in-depth screenwriting articles and tips: Audrey's Weekly Email Newsletter, What the Hell is Michael Jamin Talking About?, Story and Plot Screenwriting - dive in or start writing your own!
What Do You Want to See Here?
Comment below to let us know what kind of content you’d like to see on our Substack.
Are you interested in deep dives into screenwriting techniques, industry news, contest tips, exclusive interviews? Your feedback helps shape the newsletter to better serve the community. To sweeten the deal, everyone who leaves a comment with your suggestions has a chance to win a free month of Script Hive VIP Gold Membership.
That’s a wrap for this month’s Buzz! Keep writing, keep hustling, and see you around the Hive!
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