Advice

You may recall we experimented with this riff on a classic Stage 32 event a few months ago. The impact of the “Introduce Your FRIEND Weekend” has been astounding! I even received this very lovely “thank you” message from one of my new friends and previous networking buddy:     Thank you, Kimberly! Now that summer is here, productions are up and running, forward momentum is paramount! Pun intended. There is no better way to get energized than to grab a friend to help you meet new friends...

The total global output about screenwriting, whether from books, websites, podcasts, mentors, teachers, universities, workshops, or conferences, should be enough to guarantee that every film experience is a profound, transformative, numinous event of great entertainment value, or at least one of profound psychological significance. However, that is not the case. Interestingly, the greatest correlation is to the Western prejudice for methods and processes. If you only do something in a certain...

Happy Wednesday Stage 32 Community! Last week, we officially announced the winners of our 6th Annual Stage 32 Short Film Contest! Throughout the course of the contest, we welcome thousands of entries from filmmakers all over the world. We had films submitted from over 40 countries, and our 8 winning films hail from 5 different countries! Over the last 5 years, winners from our Short Film Contest have gone on to be signed (UTA, Echo Lake, Verve, and more), financed, and produced. One of our w...

Allow me to clarify, right upfront, that I did not go to film school. My education was in classical theater. I’m writing this article because there have been countless moments in my career where I’ve identified a problem that my film colleagues assured me was of no concern, only to discover I was right when the production fell apart in precisely the manner I had predicted. When this happens, I think it’s polite practice to let my colleagues simply chalk the problem up to bad luck… before I hau...

Good morning Stage 32 Creative Crew! We’re kicking off another week in a big way, with updates across the board on the successes Stage 32 members are enjoying with producers, managers, and development executives throughout the industry. We have updates on record shattering meeting requests as a result of Stage 32 Script Services and we have updates on more than two-dozen script requests from industry professionals as a result of the latest, exclusive Stage 32 Double Recommend Lookbook. If you...

The sun is shining, a cool breeze is whistling, and the chatter of social gatherings is buzzing in the distance. Even outside of Los Angeles, beyond restaurants and open-air malls, we are seeing life slowly crawl back to normal (if we can even call it that now), both in our personal lives and in production. You’ll note RB’s recent Coffee & Content was all about being on set. The man knows what’s up! With good weather and good health comes a rush to get back to work. What are you working on? What...

If you are starting to consider a film-festival run for your project, here’s some tips on submitting your film. I have a bit of experience with FilmFreeway. I produced and scored a film, “As the Earth Turns” a 1938 never-released silent sci-fi film in 2018-19 (I own the film-estate). It was had an epic festival run with 122 festivals and won 136 awards/nominations. That film taught me quite a bit about the ins outs of FilmFreeway, a platform that allows you to submit to many festivals. Curren...

With no filmmaking experience and lot of extra time on my hands, thanks to COVID, I decided to make my first feature film. For the second time. Quick back story. My first attempt at making a movie was in 2017. A friend of mine, who also plays a role in this movie, asked me to take a look at his short film. After watching he said he wanted me to help make it “better”. I gave it some thought and decided I would do it under one condition. It needed to be a feature. We made it as far as me fin...

Murphy’s Law: "Whatever can happen, will happen." This quote may never cross your mind when your production is underway. Because for this project, you have planned for everything. You checked the almanac to determine the best days to shoot outside scenes, you have hired a reputable crew to bring your vision to life, and you and your trusted casting director ensured your mains fit the characters that were carefully developed. You thought of everything, but if you have been on this planet over the...

No Experience? No Problem! So you have a great movie idea and want to write a screenplay. Awesome! But you know nothing about screenwriting, or where to even start. What do you do when you have no experience and don’t know what to do? Well here’s the good news: anyone can be a screenwriter! All you need is a story to write, and the patience to learn the craft of screenwriting. Don’t believe me? Take a quick look at James Cameron. He was a truck driver, and read books about writing screenplay...