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Happy Sunday, everyone.  Hope you're all having a cool, creative weekend. First up for Coffee & Content this week, an analysis of one of the greatest cat & mouse films ever made, Heat.  What makes Heat such an epic film?  Well, truthfully, there are many factors, but at the top of the list is the structure and pacing.  This is a meticulously crafted film and our first video takes a look at how writer/director, Michael Mann, got the job done in spades. Next up, a look at how legendary directo...

Networking is so important and as you know, we talk about it all the time on Stage 32. I was at a networking event and ran into a Stage 32er, Ben Merserve, who's a talented DP that shoots on RED. His girlfriend is a screenwriter and is very active on Stage 32 and introduced him to the community. He, admittedly, was apprehensive to jump into the community, but when he did, he had some great success! And, his biggest piece of advice, of course, is that you have to put in the work.  Today on our...

Conquering Our Craft2018 Stage 32 Writing Successes   You all are crushing it in 2018, setting a pace for an all-time record number of requests, meetings and more this year. Pitch sessions, script coverage, consultations, contests and more are leading to Stage 32 Writer successes every day. Here's to celebrating past successes and creating new opportunities as we work together to conquer the screenwriting craft!     Understanding Success "It's all about people. It's about networking...

As an actress coming from a tech-background, I have a natural interest for new media and technologies, so there’s no reason for virtual reality to be any exception. However, as an audience, there’s even more at stake and there’s no way I can shake off my excitement for the intense immersive experiences virtual reality can offer --- wink wink to my PTSD from watching David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ movie! Obviously, VR can theoretically – and probably will – cause many abuse problems as seen in that...

Happy Sunday, everyone.  Let's get after it. This week for Coffee & Content, another two videos designed to instruct, motivate and inspire. First up, it's How to Motivate Yourself to Write Every Day from Diane Callahan.  Whether you're writing screenplays, novels, short stories or even blogs, I think you'll find this one to be a kick in the ass. Next, from our friends at DSLRguide, it's 50 Tips for Filmmakers.  This one covers a ton of ground from the craft to the business.  Dig in and enj...

As creative artists one thing we often do is work tirelessly on our craft. One thing that sometimes get lost is the "business" of the business. Today, on our YouTube channel we released a video from Stage 32ers Sam Estes and Michael Hobe who are sound designers on films such as INCEPTION, THE DARK KNIGHT, INSIDE OUT and more. In this video Sam and Michael go over an important tip on how to get hired as a creative.  And, remember, if you haven't subscribed to our YouTube page, make sure you do...

I know you treat reading the trades as part of your job, so I'm sure you saw the news on Deadline this morning!   Read more here We're thrilled to be partnering and joining forces with National Lampoon to find the next great comedy writer.  National Lampoon is, of course, one of the most iconic names in comedy and the new ownership of Co-CEO's Raj Singh, and Kevin Frakes and award winning producer, Robert Barnum, are ready to take the brand to new heights.  The National Lampoon crew is com...

  My husband (writer/director) and I (producer) recently read a post on Stage 32, that a US team shot their film in eight days (with an additional three days for rehearsals), with two main cast, few locations and the dramatic concept of topical storylines, that unfolded through video chat. This is a solid idea when shooting a feature on a micro budget, because it requires minimal angles and set-ups, which allows you to shoot more scenes of dialogue per day. Set ups take time, the more se...

Hello, creative army!  Miss me?  All apologies for the lack of Coffee & Content these past 2 Sundays.  Cannes was a wall to wall, all out affair - and a very productive one at that.  I'll be sharing some news from the fest and market soon.  We have some extremely exciting opportunities and initiatives in the works that will be of major interest to our incredibly talented members. Today, however, let's get back to consuming some quality content.  This past week, I had the pleasure - and I do me...

I first began putting short films online in 2002, very shortly after graduating high school. It was a simpler time, before YouTube existed and individual, low-quality mpg or wmv files had to be uploaded to your very own website for people to, get this, right click and save to their computers! It was also a time when, if you told someone your goal was to be a filmmaker and that you made movies of your own, they would give you a very impressed, “Wow, really?” reaction, and be amazed that you could...