Advice

Music has always been a part of me. When I was kid, I used to get in trouble at school for banging beats on the desk, or playing rudiments with my pencil instead of taking notes. I recited every line from Nas' Illmatic and soaked in all the RPG scores/themes. My love for writing came from Soap Operas, oddly enough. I would sit in my 7th grade Literature class and writing write scripts to improve different storylines and scenes. However, despite my love for music and screenwriting, it wasn't unti...

FADE OUT Congratulations! You've finished your latest script. Weeks, months, even years scribbling away in a notebook and banging away on a keyboard have paid off. So what's next? Script coverage is a necessary and key element in the marketing process, but when searching for coverage, the volume of options available can overwhelm writers. Many services deliver a wide range of prices, capable of getting that script polished and ready for Hollywood. As well, several contests provide coverage a...

We have all done it. And we are all guilty of it. But we keep doing it. Most importantly, we hate it when it happens to us. So why do we say yes to it? Working for free is a hot topic in the industry, yet it has become almost a right of passage. And it is always what comes out of our mouths first: "I can get it for FREE. I can ask some friends to work on this for FREE. I can make this film for FREE." When we start out in this industry we are encouraged immediately to just go out and make som...

On set last week with Ben Stiller   You've got big dreams to be an actor. You do bit parts here and there until one day, an opportunity arises that could take you from EXTRA to EXTRAORDINARY. Unless, of course, you let your ego get in the way and pull crap that blows up in your face. Last week, I spent a few days on the set of 'Escape from Dannemora', an 8-part Showtime miniseries directed by Ben Stiller. It stars Patricia Arquette, Paul Dano, and Benecio del Toro. First of all,...

There are about 34,000 films made every year worldwide. And that number is growing. Why are so many films being made these days? Well, one reason is that since the dawn of the digital revolution (about 16 years ago) anyone with an idea and an HD camera or smartphone can now make a film for about $1.25. Did you know that 13,782 films were submitted to Sundance this year? Yep. That's not a typo.   Don't get me wrong. I think this digital revolution is a great turn of events. For so many yea...

Is it just me, or does it feel like Hollywood is set up to make you fail? Obstacle, after obstacle... Rejection, after rejection... It's *almost* not even worth trying. and I can say 'almost' because those of us who still believe in the magic of our dreams, have a passion so strong that we are going to go for it, despite all of the hardships we hear about. If you are one of those people, like me, I want you to really listen to what I'm about to tell you. Because you could be doi...

As a producer/director, I'm asked to read scripts all the time. What I mostly encounter are scripts that aren't ready for production. No even close. How do you know if your script is production ready? Here are nine questions to ask yourself about your script:     1: Does your screenplay use a Three-Act Structure? The Three-Act Structure is a classic hero's journey that divides your story into three parts (or Acts); Setup, Confrontation and the Resolution. I'm recommending this approach...

Actors are amazing. They willingly thrust themselves into the persona and life experiences of another character. Directors are constantly challenging them, provoking them and inspiring them to fully embody the emotional states of their characters. Yet, many directors are not aware that actors change as they go through three distinct stages in the filmmaking process: Audition, Rehearsal and Production. Each stage puts different stresses on the actors, to which they respond in different ways. So...

We are gearing up for an exciting week at the 2017 Hollyshorts Film Festival. One of our panels takes place tomorrow when Stage 32 and Indie Film Hustle get together to talk about indie film! At this year's Sundance Film Festival, RB and our friend Alex Ferrari from IFH and Sebastian Twardosz from Circus Road Films sat down to chat about how to break into the filmmaking business. This is one lively, fun and information packed webcast. But don't be fooled by the title - Whether you're just gett...

Two years ago, I became ranked in the Top 10 of Up-and-Coming Hollywood Directors Under 40 on IMDb (Internet Movie Database) and was featured on the front page of the Hollywood Reporter. I’ve been fortunate enough to direct many name actors including an Oscar-Nominated and Golden Globe winning actor and am attached to direct several multi-million dollar projects over the next few years. I also co-run LA Acting Studios, which is an intense on-camera, set-like scene study class in Los Angeles.  ...