Advice

Greetings from Sundance. It's cold up here! Time to keep warm and informed with a Sundance special version of Coffee & Content. Today, I have two videos from our friends at ScreenPrism. First up, a slew of screenwriters who have had their work screen at Sundance offer their advice on writing, festivals and navigating the business. Next, we turn our attention to directors who have had their films play at Sundance and their advice on techniques, tips and tricks when directing an indiefilm....

Fiona Faith Ross isn't afraid to tell it like it is. A screenwriter based in the UK, she's had her share of learning curves, all of which have lead to some pretty powerful realizations in her writing career. But this one, taken straight from her own site, gives many a writer good reason to consider format. Of her post, she says: "In my writer's life, I've about covered everything: corporate stuff, magazine articles, technical journals, copywriting, web content, and fiction. You name it; I've...

Attending a film market can be an intimidating exercise, even for those with experience. As you know, for the last few years Stage 32 has been the official networking and education platform of the two biggest markets in the world: Cannes and AFM. As a result, I've seen the chaos first hand and I can't begin to tell you how many times I've met Stage 32'ers along the way who have told me how overwhelmed and underprepared they are by the experience.   No one wants to have that experience. And,...

If you're an actor, you know what it's like to audition, audition, and audition again, only to sit and wait by the phone. During Richard Botto's "Ask Me Anything," a free webinar where he answers your most burning questions, one actor asked his thoughts on why she wasn't booking jobs, despite the fact that she goes on every audition possible. Without knowing her or knowing what kinds of auditions she was going after, Richard knew exactly what the issue was. Click the link below to learn why...

Who knew fine dining and the film industry were so similar? I’ve worked as a cook for just about three years now. Working in this capacity has taught me a lot of wonderful things about cooking, design, film, and music. So, what lessons did I learn as I prepped meals? Let’s take a look:   1) Prep - Do The Grunt Work if You Want to Move Up Prep work is such an important job to have. Some see it as grunt work, but I see it as the foundation of the kitchen.You have to make sure the food...

Happy Sunday to all. Also. hope you're enjoying and participating in the first Introduce Yourself Weekend of 2019.  Lay the groundwork toward connections that matter! Let's get to the coffee and content... Storytelling, either on the page or in the room, is an art. What makes a good story? Can it be distilled down in a manageable and comprehensive way? Story Greenlight gave it a run and the result is our first video for today, 3 Easy Tips for GREAT Storytelling. Next, I had the pleasure of...

Over and over again, we read, study, or watch videos of different perspectives on the craft of writing. We may hear the same thing as we watch a video or read a post, or we may glean something new.     In the following article, four Hollywood writers share a nugget of knowledge that helped improve their writing. And they go a little something like this:"The object and the craft of effective action is to create a scenario that must end well yet seemingly cannot. Use luck, so long as it's...

I just finished writing my 11th TV series and what I learned is that I love writing the thriller/drama genre the most. I love thrillers and dramas because of the endless depth and breadth of the characters and storylines. Obviously, conflict is what drives a TV series, so it's important to make sure your show has captivating, unique villains that prevent your protagonists from reaching their goals. Below, I outline 11 character traits and situations that will give your TV show villains “more t...

I’ve finally optioned a feature script. It’s taken six years to get to this point and it’s been tough. Really tough. How does it feel? It feels amazing. It’s a whole new level of validation. It feels like the start of something rather than living in purgatory. But I don’t want to make this about myself. I know many of you are finding it tough too, so I wanted to put something together explaining how I think I got here, and what really matters when it comes to screenwriting. I want to do this...

Spencer Robinson is a talent and literary manager at Art/Work Entertainment, as well as an educator on the Stage 32 social media platform. When we caught up with him at HollyShorts, he shared a crucial reason why other creatives should be a part of Stage 32 and Stage 32 Education.   Click Here For Spencer's Advice!       Remember, if you haven't subscribed to our YouTube page, make sure you do so you don't miss any of our announcements.   Like this blog post? Please share it on...