Advice

What happens when drop two New Yorker's in the middle of Hollywood?? A little bit of laughter and a heckofa lot of filmmaking insight. You've seen Richard RB Botto's free webinar, "Ask Me Anything." Sometimes he handles questions on his own and we love that. Sometimes he handles questions with Jason Mirch, Stage 32's Director or Script Services, and we love that, too. In this round, he's throwing the questions at fellow New Yorker, Bradley Gallo. (Bradley is a renowned film producer and do...

Not everyone who lives in Hollywood is from Hollywood. The industry is mixed with folks from all over the world who want nothing more than to fulfill a dream. Making the move is a massive decision, and can ignite a number of mixed feelings, including (but not limited to) excitement and absolute fear. These feelings fester from the moment you cross the city limits. Once in, you look around and you ask yourself, "Now what?"What was once a place that seemed so far away and out of reach is now a rea...

Good Morning, Creative Army! This morning as I brew with a french press, creating videos while flying solo comes to mind. Most of us have done it, want to do it, or could use some tips on how to improve our self-tapes or tutorials. Even shooting a short film starring ourselves can be tricky. So while we brew, let's dig into the first video today from Peter McKinnon, How to Film Yourself. Even with zero budget, you can create a great video with just a few tools. The short video below shows...

When we settle in to watch a television show, we're looking to get pulled into the story. The last thing we want is a series of facts or other information to drive the story engine. Yet it happens. It makes for a bland episode. And it could be detrimental if not addressed. After David Mamet's show The Unit was cancelled, Mamet sent a memo to his writing staff. Here's how it started: "Almost a decade ago, celebrated playwright, film director, screenwriter, author and producer David Mamet —...

Welcome back! When we last parted, my friend Brian gave up two hours into the day. I made sure not to tell my mother that he ditched me for fear she would not let me go back to the set alone. I am not sure I actually lied about it. Well,l I guess there are lies of omission, so maybe I did lie. But I did tell her I saw people using things I considered to be toys as equipment on the set, and I was obsessed with these man-children and their toy box. Boys and Their Toys How many of you rea...

For the past few years we've been doing a mid-year check in to see where all of you are at. What kind of projects are you working on?Have you been killing it with auditions?Where are you with writing? Networking? Pitching? Let's take a minute to do a mid-year check-in and see how - and what - you’re all doing thus far. Are you on track? Do you need a push? Did you change direction entirely?   Let's talk about it in the comments section below. And, of course, if there is the opportunity...

Movies and TV habits are changing with the advent of streaming video services, including Netflix. So what does that mean for writer's looking to pitch to executives? Does streaming now create two different avenues for pitching? Or are the markets the same? Stage 32 CEO Richard "RB" Botto & Director of Script Services Jason Mirch address this question in the FREE webinar "Ask Me Anything." Listen as the duo discuss how writer's should approach these markets.   Click Here For RB & Jason's...

Though filmmaking and production are an art and a craft, they’re also a business, especially if the project is a commercial or industrial. So being as professional as possible in your written communications to talent is important and will further your working relationships. Your goals should be to make it as easy as possible for actors (and crew) to work with you and show them you know what you’re doing. 1) Ensure All Communications are Well-Written and Clear What you write and send into the...

Hello, Stage 32 Family!From filming on set in Chicago with Rain Beau's End this past spring to mentoring other screenwriters at a writing retreat in Dordogne, France (and everything prior and yet to come), I've seen and will continue to see my share of continuity mistakes in filmmaking. And as I pour myself a hearty 'cupajoe this Sunday morning, I bring to you another edition of Coffee & Content that covers this very problem. We've all watched films where we've been able to pick up mistakes in...

I have spent all of my life (and I mean all of it), striving for success. Even as I write this, I just wrapped a 5-day shoot of an original pilot I wrote, and am wading through the throes of post production, including a crowdfunding campaign to raise the cash I exhausted shooting it. So basically, I'm broke. Yet I feel so damn successful. High level executives don't know about the project yet.Yet I feel so damn successful.My name isn't on the screen yet boasting - Written and Created by: Jol...