đ¨ INT. SERVER ROOM â NIGHT (DISASTER STRIKES)
Script Hive now includes Short Film Screenplaysâafter a near-catastrophic coding meltdown nearly wiped us out.
Hey everyone,
Smish here with your monthly update on the Script Hive screenplay database!
This was supposed to be an exciting month. We brought in a whole new group of volunteer indexers, which meant scripts would get filed faster. I was gearing up to drop a huge updateâmore scripts, better accuracy, fewer duplicates...
But, well, that didnât quite happen.
Still, thereâs good news! We added 110 new screenplays to the database this month, and theyâve all been indexed. So letâs celebrate that win! đ
So, what went wrong?
#1: Life happened.
Most of our new volunteers got busy (no shade, it happens!), and out of four or five indexers, only one was able to help. Which meant⌠we were right back where we startedâone person doing all the work.
#2: Our code broke.
And not just a little. Catastrophic failure.
Iâm no programmer, but hereâs the gist: A long time ago, a very smart college student wrote a script to help automate part of our database updates. It didnât do everythingâhumans still had to manually check writer names, draft dates, and industry listsâbut it made things a lot easier.
Then we hit 20,000+ screenplays, and the system just⌠stopped. The code couldnât handle the load anymore. And the original coder? They did it as a class project and arenât even on our Discord.
The Temporary Fix & Whatâs Next
Thankfully, one of our mods knows their way around code and managed to patch things up for now. But we know we need a permanent solution.
So thatâs our new mission:
đď¸ A new database.
đ§âđť A new system.
âď¸ A better way to bring you scriptsâone thatâs stable, searchable, and frequently updated.
Right now, Iâm staring at a folder of 400+ screenplays waiting to be indexed with no clear plan on how to get them in. Itâs stressful. But itâs also exciting. Because this is the turning point. The growing pains weâre experiencing now are pushing us toward something better.
A better process. A better Script Hive.
Smish
P.S. This project only exists because of the incredible support from our Patrons. In tough moments, itâs their belief in what weâre building that keeps us going.
Thousands of writers rely on this database. Hundreds have already stepped up to help keep it alive. If you find value in what we do, would you consider joining them with a small monthly donation?
Every bit truly makes a difference. đ
The April edition of our newsletter includes:
đž Database tips & updates - 110 new scripts added!
đŹ A spotlight on our new Short Film category
đą Avoid the PURGE! Visit the Discord or become a Patron
đŞ Join the new Killer Shorts Discord!
â A recap of our Writerâs Workshop with Reynaldo Leal
If youâre serious about screenwriting, Script Hive is a space where you can develop your skills, build industry connections and refine your craft.
Database Update â 110 Scripts Added!
As our screenplay database has now surpassed over 20,880 scripts, weâre thrilled to share some major new upgrades.
110 new scripts have been added, along with an entire new Short Film category! If youâve been working at this craft for a while, you have probably noticed it can be nigh on impossible to get your mitts on the best short film screenplays. Well, our team of volunteers is now hunting them down for you along with tons of new features and teleplays. VIP Members received an exclusive SCRIPT DROP announcement, detailing exactly which scripts are included in the latest update. A few highlights:
Paris Je T'Aime
Love and Basketball
Mildred Pierce
One Hour Photo
Black-ish - "Switch Hitting"
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - "How Mac Got Fat"
The Office - "The Dundies"
If you havenât checked out the largest online screenplay archive in the world yet, nowâs the time!
đ To request access to the Script Hive screenplay library, fill out this request form.
đ Once you have access, you can search the database by title, writer, draft date, and more.
Tips for Navigating the Hive Database
Remember, the databaseâs intuitive dropdown menus allow you to swiftly access TV pilot scripts, winning pitch decks, or notable scripts featured on the annual Black List. Struggling with a synopsis of your project? Browse treatments written by industry pros for inspiration. Tracking down and analyzing the right professional scripts can also help you crack the structure of your own project. For instance, say youâre developing a sci-fi police procedural pilot, or a western about a bounty hunter escorting her prisoner across harsh terrainâstudying similar police drama pilots, or scripts centered around escort missions could reveal a new approach to your own story problems.
Remember, maintaining this growing archive comes with real costsâcloud storage, software licenses, web hosting, domains and server tools like Discord bots. Your support keeps the Hive free and accessible to everyone.
Spotlight on Short Films!
Itâs often surprisingly difficult to find the screenplays for popular shorts, even those honored at major film festivals. Unlike feature scripts, short film screenplays rarely circulate publicly online, creating a real challenge for aspiring shorts writers looking to study top-quality examples. Script Hive is tackling this problem head-on by launching a dedicated Short Film category, with our volunteer team diligently tracking down scripts from some of the best shorts ever produced.
Even if you're primarily focused on features or TV, these acclaimed short films offer invaluable lessons in storytelling economy and precision. Every line of dialogue must earn its place. Studying these scripts shines a light on how to swiftly introduce compelling characters, establish powerful emotional stakes, and craft memorable endings.
Explore our new Short Film category today and discover scripts that showcase how to captivate readers and audiences in just a handful of pages. Here are a couple you might start with:
SHĂ (SNAKE) by Renee Zhan. Body horror. Screened at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. When pressures mount on a tightly wound violinist in a London youth orchestra, her internal monsters take external form. Zhanâs writing evokes a creeping sense of dread and alienation through increasingly grotesque, dreamlike imagery.
LIZARD by Akinola Davies Jr & Wale Davies. Drama. Winner, Short Film Grand Jury Prize, 2021 Sundance Film Festival. After she is kicked out of her mega churchâs Sunday school, an 8-year-old girl with a knack for sensing danger discovers the criminal underbelly of Lagos. The script deftly captures the world through a childâs eyes, making her emotions and choices feel immediate while allowing us to share in her sense of wonder.
(If you donât yet have access, be sure to sign up here.)
Friendly Reminder â Stay Active to Keep Database Access
Heads up, we will be purging inactive members again this month. If youâve been away for a while, nowâs the time to log in and keep your access. If youâre removed and need to rejoin, visit #hive-help on Discord.
How to Keep Your Access:
Stay active â Log in to Discord at least once every 30 days: Join Here
Become a Patron â Patrons never lose access, even if inactive. Memberships start at just $3/month, helping us maintain and expand the archive.
Join the new Killer Shorts Discord!
Calling all horror writers, filmmakers, and fans of the macabre! The Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition has just launched its very own Discord server, and youâre invited to join the frightful fun. Whether youâre a seasoned writer, an aspiring author, or simply someone who loves the horror genre, this community is the perfect place to connect and grow.
Road to the Black List: March Writerâs Workshop with Reynaldo Leal
This past month, the Workshop hosted an inspiring talk on the Discord server with Reynaldo Leal, a proud Marine Corps veteran and rising screenwriter whose riveting prehistoric adventure, A BAND OF WOLVES, earned a coveted spot on the 2024 Black List.
Reynaldo recounted his unique path to the industry, from growing up as the son of first-generation Mexican immigrant parents to serving in some of the fiercest combat of the Iraq War in Fallujah, to discovering a passion for visual storytelling through photojournalism.
The concept for A BAND OF WOLVES emerged one night as Rey relaxed at home with his familyâs English Mastiff:
âWhy doesn't this thing eat us? She's gigantic. She's bigger than my kid. She's bigger than my wife. But she loves us. And I started wondering where does that love come from? There have been other stories where this relationship was about eating and convenience and companionship. But I wanted to go deeper into what feeling is more powerful than fear and hunger, that could make two predatory species come together. And I settled in with a mother's love.â
Seeing the first act vividly in his mind, Reynaldo plunged into the draft, quickly banging out twenty-five pages with no outline at all. Several of those key scenes are still in the script to this day. Once he reached the critical birth scene, he paused to map out an outline, then powered through to the finish line.
The script sat untouched for a while, but when even his harshest critic, Reynaldoâs wife, passionately connected with the story, he knew he had something special. After professional script analysis and an intensive rewrite, he rolled the dice and paid to host it on the Black List website. The first evaluation scored an impressive eight out of ten, earning two free evaluations, each also scoring an eight, unlocking even more evaluations. Five consecutive âeightsâ later, Reynaldo received a polite email informing him he'd reached the limit on free evaluations, and A BAND OF WOLVES secured a permanent, free spot on the Black List website.
"I'm in the Writers Guild Foundation Veterans Writing Project, and I reach out to my mentor Clay [Frohman] (Defiance, Under Fire)âI'm like, what the heck does this mean? He says it means you need to start looking for a manager."
After querying 200 managers listed on IMDb Pro, only three replied. One passed immediately due to the genre, another requested the script but ghosted him, and then finally, he received an encouraging late-October reply from Derrick Eppich at Empirical Evidence.
Thrilled with the script, Derrick promptly signed Reynaldo and sent him on a whirlwind tour of his first ever general meetings. Barely a month later, Reynaldo was in the middle of one of these sessions when the Black List announcement dropped, his phone lighting up with congratulatory texts. In a blink, Reynaldo had rocketed from hopeful query emails to sitting in an industry meeting as a fully repped professional on the Black List with some serious heat!
Substack Shoutouts!
If youâre new to substacks, here are a few more you might want to check out, packed with screenwriting and storytelling articles and tips: ,, , , - dive in or start writing your own!
Best Hive Script Youâve Read This Year?
Have you been reading lots of pro scripts? This is the whole reason we created the Hive. Great screenwriters learn the craft by studying how the best scripts are built. Leave a comment below letting us know your favorite read from the Hive archives this year. One lucky winner will receive a free month of VIP Gold on our Discord server, which features great perks like access to private VIP Discord channels, access to post scripts for feedback, permanent access to screenplay database (no kick for inactivity), and more!
Thatâs a wrap for this monthâs Buzz! Keep writing, keep hustling, and see you around the Hive!
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Hard to choose my favorite script I've read recently! The Green Knight is up there, though. Really cool to see how Lowery sets the tone on the page.
Barbarian.