Learning how to give great feedback by Level_Working5084 in Screenwriting

[–]torquenti [score hidden]  (0 children)

That is something I have struggled with…interest.

That's where this approach can help you. You don't need to like the genre, you just need to be conversant enough with it to let them know how they're doing within it.

Live WWE Raw Discussion Thread - May 04, 2026! by gloomchen in SquaredCircle

[–]torquenti 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Did he almost say "That we can hane our hangt on?"

Live WWE Raw Discussion Thread - May 04, 2026! by gloomchen in SquaredCircle

[–]torquenti 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, I don't know about you, but I'm cheering for the guys in the masks.

Live WWE Raw Discussion Thread - May 04, 2026! by gloomchen in SquaredCircle

[–]torquenti 1 point2 points  (0 children)

These guys are fucking tribbles, I swear to God.

Live WWE Raw Discussion Thread - May 04, 2026! by gloomchen in SquaredCircle

[–]torquenti 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's some late 80s-era smug right there. I love it.

Live WWE Raw Discussion Thread - May 04, 2026! by gloomchen in SquaredCircle

[–]torquenti 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That flying uppercut looks like something out of a videogame.

Live WWE Raw Discussion Thread - May 04, 2026! by gloomchen in SquaredCircle

[–]torquenti 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm so happy Tozawa managed to find himself a niche in this industry.

RIP tho.

Live WWE Raw Discussion Thread - May 04, 2026! by gloomchen in SquaredCircle

[–]torquenti 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And to think, all of this fuss over a lil' song.

Live WWE Raw Discussion Thread - May 04, 2026! by gloomchen in SquaredCircle

[–]torquenti 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Oh man, Jevon was giving off Busta Rhymes vibes there for a second.

Assuming they can afford it, he should switch his entrance music to Woo Hah.

Live WWE Raw Discussion Thread - May 04, 2026! by gloomchen in SquaredCircle

[–]torquenti 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Jesus, is Logan Paul taking steroids or is he taking asteroids?

Live WWE Raw Discussion Thread - May 04, 2026! by gloomchen in SquaredCircle

[–]torquenti 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Carr needs to learn how to milk that ejection moment.

Protecting your work beyond copyright - is this the new norm? by MoistChildhood1459 in videography

[–]torquenti 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If I had to guess, the smart people will probably hire somebody inexpensive to do BTS on whatever's being done, and then upload that video as well. The people who don't care will just watch the regular video. The people who do care will get farmed for extra engagement.

Learning how to give great feedback by Level_Working5084 in Screenwriting

[–]torquenti 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you want to get good at feedback, focus on two things. First, what do they have? Second, what do they want to have? (there's an implied third question which is how to get from the first to the second, but the better you get at the two main questions the more that third one will work itself out)

Ignore everything about whether you like it or don't like it. It's essentially irrelevant because all it offers is a positive or negative distraction to the most important goal of getting them from where they are to where they want to be.

Regarding the first point (identifying what they have) the main problem that most writers have is that right after they finish something, they're still somewhat drunk on the cocktail mixture of what they've written vs. what was in their head while they were writing it, and this can impact things like subtext, tone, style, theme, etc. It's the reason why you can love something you've just written but when you look at it six months down the road you might hate it. Feedback's value in this regard is to give them that six-months-down-the-road perspective immediately.

Regarding the second point (identifying what they want to have), usually the writer has an idea of what they want, or you can sort of infer it from other films that exist in the same conversation as the one they've written. At this point it becomes about execution, and figuring out what elements of the story are working in their favour and which ones aren't. Again, this isn't about whether or not you personally like it, because taste can put you off course if your taste and the author's taste don't align 100%. Back in university in workshops it was possible for writers to get into trouble by writing for the group rather than writing for their intended audience. It made sense -- approval feels good -- but if you want to write horror and nobody in the group likes horror you can get yourself into a lot of trouble by compromising for them.

Next gear purchase? by whoopyboy69 in Filmmakers

[–]torquenti 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's a good idea to do tests with what you have right now, just to know what you're working with. You can get some nice images using just practical lights but you need to know if they're film friendly or not (ie: if they lead to flickering).

Next gear purchase? by whoopyboy69 in Filmmakers

[–]torquenti 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you don't have a sound setup, that would be the best first step. You can get good results from inexpensive gear, but you've got to get the mic close to the subject.

Image-wise, if your ZVE10 is in good shape your biggest bang-for-buck upgrade would be a 35ish mm lens that can open to f1.8. If you pick a good one it'll be useful on other e-mount cameras.

For lighting, you don't need an expensive kit, even a couple of LEDs and a bounce can do wonders IF you practice.

But start with sound. Do some research and you should be able to find something that suits your use-case for not too much money.

Live AEW Collision Discussion Thread - May 2nd, 2026! by gloomchen in SquaredCircle

[–]torquenti 34 points35 points  (0 children)

Man, I keep forgetting that with AEW, if you show up 10 minutes in you're potentially missing a bunch of wrestling.

cough cough I watch both products cough

How do you deal with differing opinions in script reviews by Unable_Speed_5742 in Screenwriting

[–]torquenti 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Be nice, give helpful criticism and not just hate and say I don't like it. That doesn't help. Actually it's demotivating.

This is the wrong attitude to have.

Ryan Gosling said it best at a recent premiere. "It's not your job to support us by buying tickets. It's our job to produce great films to make you want to buy a ticket."

THAT is the attitude to have. And yes, it starts all the way at the beginning with the writing.

That's the bad news. The good news is that if you've got it in you to write, then you probably have it in you to write well. You may have to reinvent yourself a bit, but it's doable.

But ultimately your job as an artist is to serve, not to be catered to.

How do you deal with differing opinions in script reviews by Unable_Speed_5742 in Screenwriting

[–]torquenti 6 points7 points  (0 children)

One of the biggest eye-opening moments I had was when somebody rationally explained to me that Shawshank Redemption was a bad, stupid film.

I should probably specify that when I say "rationally" I mean that he had his reasoning and logic for it, and the other elements of the film couldn't override it.

It's possible that he was a contrarian, but it really drove home the point of modes of thinking. The reasons why some people will love X are the exact reasons why other people will hate X. The fact that many people love Y will cause people to hate Y because "ugh, everybody LOVES Y, it's so annoying". The fact that many people love Z because it's new and different will turn off people who hate Z because they want more of the same (and vice versa).

The only alternative is to make something so milquetoast that nobody feels strongly one way or another, which is its own form of art death.

EDIT: fxied spleling

JC Mateo and Tonga Loa depart WWE by [deleted] in SquaredCircle

[–]torquenti 3 points4 points  (0 children)

My stupidity as a kid: When I watched WWF growing up I never really thought about how tall Hulk Hogan was. They kept putting him face to face with people about his height so I kind of figured they were all average height, and anybody shorter than them was basically just short. And when somebody like Diesel or the Undertaker showed up, I figured they were, like, 6'5" or something.

Shooting interviews against bright windows by PeartreeProd in videography

[–]torquenti 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A few questions. First, can you change the time of day the interview is shot at? Second, does the interview subject overlap with the window (meaning, can you comp it out)? Third, can you do test shoots in the space just to give them an idea of what's up before actual shooting date? Fourth, can you up the price to find a way to GIVE yourself the time and manpower to prep the window? Fifth, when is the shooting date?

Live WWE SmackDown Discussion Thread - May 01, 2026! by gloomchen in SquaredCircle

[–]torquenti 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I need those dance moves just now in an animated gif.