Advice

Happy Saturday Stage 32! As many of you may know, I host an Instagram LIVE every week on @stage32 highlighting some amazing Stage 32 members from all over the world. We cover everything from how to shoot a short film 100% remotely to how to how to master the art of a director/composer relationship and more. Recently, I had the supreme pleasure of chatting with two powerhouse Stage 32 members that have been working hard to make magic happen in their entertainment careers in 2021 - and they have...

I recently had the privilege of cutting a horror/thriller film titled The Boy Behind the Door. It was the directorial debut of David Charbonier & Justin Powell, and it was also my first feature-length project as an editor. The film was part of the Official Selection at Fantastic Fest in 2020 and received some genuine critical acclaim during its run. It recently sold to Shudder and will be available for streaming later this year. The whole post-production process took over 2 years of diligent w...

In 2017, I had a weird epiphany about an opportunity realized I had. Long story as short as possible, I had a 77-page Horror/Thriller script that I realized I could actually shoot, and thus, have my first feature film as a Writer/Director. By 2018 the script was totally finished. I submitted it to a few Stage 32 written pitch sessions and I got some really supportive feedback. Notably one exec requested to see other loglines I had and even requested one script, but the important part was that...

It’s safe to say that 2020 was one hell of a year! From an apocalyptic type pandemic, to a hot and heavy political climate, to our economy nearly crashing, it really had it all. Unfortunately for me, I was one of the unlucky ones that found myself out of work. This turned out to be a huge blessing in disguise though, because it gave me more free time. During my down time, a friend of mine asked me to read the first draft of his feature script, and I happily obliged. Reading his script and giv...

I've often heard people say "I couldn't get into that show/movie." Why? "None of the characters were likeable." While this might be a fair criticism, people still love the shows or movies that have unlikeable characters. Of course, this is also something that's subjective to the person. Who is unlikeable to some, might be lovable to others! That could be a preference thing, but what about the shows with objectively unlikeable protagonists/characters? For the sake of the argument, let's say...

From Alex Montilla   Kheireddine El-Helou and I met while working as assistants in the editing room of 'The Muppets' in 2011 and immediately formed a bond based on a love of genre films and filmmaking, often discussing ideas for films we wanted to make. Through his award-winning short horror film, 'Drudge', Kheireddine got representation and some industry attention and was ready to make the move into features. So, in 2015, he told me his loose idea for a super low-budget movie he wanted to ma...

Happy Sunday Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? I have some content here for you that is sure to get the creative juices flowing, so grab your coffee and let's dive in. First up, our friends over at StudioBinder did a deep dive into the art of the "POV" shot. The use of a POV shot, or "Point of View" shot, is a way for the audience to view the world through the character's eyes. This camera tool is used in a variety of genres, from romance to horror, to give the audience...

Making a film is a 'Big idea" that tends to overwhelm and can be an endless challenge to try and set sail. Where does one begin? This is your dream, after all, and here are a few methods that will help inspire your creative life. Understand that Writing is Everything For as long as I can remember, if I wanted to create something, it would not be discovered without reading about it. In fact, reading is a prerequisite to writing. I think that what you read changes your thoughts and then your so...

The financier has a prominent position in independently produced and distributed films. It may be safe to say that the majority of independent films would not get made, if there was no involved of an external film financier investing equity or providing a production loan. However, despite of its essential role, generally the film financier’s control on the film’s production, distribution and receipt and disbursement of revenues is limited. The producer controls the production. Typically,...

I’d been a “Schrödinger’s cat” member of Stage 32 for the better part of the last four years. “What does that even mean, Athina?” I hear you ask. Lucky for you, dear reader, I am here to elaborate. Get yourself a cup of tea (and one for me as well - black, with a dash of milk - please and thank you!) and let’s get crackin’. What I mean is, that “member” is a generous term. I’d been more of a passive, background, lurking in the dark Cat Woman sort of member. I had signed up for the newsl...