Latest Blogs

Good Morning, Creative Army!   I love this part of my Sunday morning. I often pour over the trades, sip my fresh brewed bean, and search to find different videos that educate and inspire our creative crew here on Stage 32. This morning, we're digging into the role of the producer and pitching.   First up, What Is a Line Producer? [The Key Role of Line Producers]. There are various producer roles on a film, and knowing who does what is mighty important. Line producers have a role that req...

Are you ready to walk “into the room” and pitch to a decision-maker such as an agent, financier, producer, distributor or studio executive? Here are the top ten pitching tips to help you in a high-stakes situation. There are 5 Do’s and 5 Don’ts:   1) Do prepare for the five stages of the meeting. In Stage 1, you build rapport and warm up the room. In Stage 2, you ask questions and listen to show respect. In Stage 3, you deliver the prepared component of your pitch. In Stage 4, you d...

 In the five years I have been on Stage 32, I have read many threads and conversed with at least a dozen playwrights making the transition to screenwriting, in whole or in part. This is not surprising given the growing opportunities in the filmmaking and television industries and the shrinking budgets and opportunities in the theatre. In the past 20 years, I have written over twenty produced plays and musicals (I’m currently revising my 21st), for a variety of ages and audiences. Although, by...

Building, engaging, and moving an audience. That’s what the Crowdsourcing video series these past few weeks has been teaching you. As far as the advantage you’ll gain by reading the book? There’s more than one. Far more. Stage 32 CEO Richard “RB” Botto is the best-selling author of Crowdsourcing For Filmmakers: Indie Film and the Power of the Crowd, the number #1 best-selling book on Amazon that covers how to find and move an audience to a point where they give back in ways that can only help...

This year at the Cannes Film Festival I had the opportunity to meet Heidi Philipsen, a dual-citizen filmmaker from the United States and Germany. With each country being different in the various ways they make films, Heidi realized that there is an opportunity for trans-Atlantic filmmakers to learn from one another and support each other creatively. So, she did something about it. Heidi put together a panel at the Hamburg Film Fest for Women in Film & Television International (WIFTI) and NYWIFT...

Hello, Creative Army! Is your coffee pipin' hot and ready to go? If not, I'll wait while you get it. Today we're talking about story. You've heard it said that every story told in film has been told before. In our first shared video, Every Story is the Same, we dig deep into where story structure was born, and how the mind of Joseph Campbell and the Hero's Journey expounded on it. Listen to what screenwriter Dan Harmon (Community and Rick and Morty) has to say about Campbell. Next up, we t...

The American Film Market is a great place to find partners and pitch projects and films – if you have a plan. Use these steps to increase your chances of success.     PROLOGUE If you have a project or script, the most effective use of your time and money is to purchase an AFM Industry Badge or Industry Badge Plus which allow access to all offices, booths and most screenings beginning on Saturday (Day 4). The Industry Badge Plus includes all conferences and the writers workshop. Buy y...

We will be making our final descent. Please put your tray tables up and stow your large electronics. Keep your seat belt fastened until the seat belt light turns off. Wilnona and I memorized these instructions since we spend about 26 weeks a year in the air. The flights and cities vary, but there remains one constant; the deadline for our next book. Recently we were asked how we finished writing thirteen books on time. We had to stop and think. Upon deep meditation we realized we found a spac...

For almost 10 years, I worked as a development executive for Unified Pictures and Exodus Film Group. One of my chief sources of income over the last year has been writing script coverage, writing development notes, and in general parsing screenplays for writers and producers. My friends, I have read a LOT of screenplays. If you’re an undiscovered screenwriter with more than three our four scripts out there on the market, there’s a fair chance I’ve covered you at some point. Over the last few w...

Should you create and control your own content as a screenwriter? With the industry turning the way it is (and has) for the last decade, it certainly doesn't hurt for a writer to create his or her own content Click the link below to hear what RB and Bradley have to say about writers turning into content creators.   See What RB & Bradley Have to Say!   Remember, if you haven't subscribed to our YouTube page, make sure you do so you don't miss any of our announcements.        ...