Advice

People from all works of life live with stress, which has sometimes led to other more serious health issues. This is a personal account of how writing helped me cope with and manage stress. Corporate Background I worked as an accountant for several years in a company with offices in multiple countries and clients in different time zones. This was challenging enough in the best of times because of the fast-paced environment and the inherent pressures of the profession. But also at the worst of...

Welcome to Part 2 of my series on Creative Process. Last month, we dove into the process of goal setting and talked about a few of the reasons why an emphasis on systems rather than goals might be the best way to structure your focus this year. This time, I promised we’d look at “creative synergy” – which is a fancy way of saying “juggling multiple projects in various stages of development without losing your ever-loving mind.” When I started thinking about this process last month, I was com...

The Script Supervisor’s job starts in pre-production. Also known as “prep,” the time during which all departments prepare for the shoot. Once you’re hired and sent the script, you’ll read it more than once, get to know it well, and then launch yourself into your prep work. One of the most valuable documents you will create as the Script Supervisor is the Continuity Breakdown or Script Breakdown. When creating your breakdown, you’ll pull out all production elements within the script an...

Happy 2023, Stage 32 community! It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly a year since we got an email from the lovely Molly Peck congratulating us for making it to the Quarter-finalist round of Stage 32’s 1st Annual Romantic Comedy Screenplay Competition. Several weeks later, we were thrilled by the announcement that our script, Following Brendan, was the Grand Prize winner! We’ve since signed with a manager and agent, who are moving our projects around, we’re in negotiations on one project with in...

So...many...pitches… That’s the God’s honest truth about what often runs through my mind when I check my inboxes. On social, on email, and anywhere I can be hunted down, I get your pitches. Lots...and lots...of pitches. And the reality is- that’s a big part of my JOB! And while I may not be coming across as super enthusiastic at the moment, I am always excited to discover a concept that resonates with me, that’s unique, that's pitched well. The problem is, lots of these pitches that I sift throu...

Many people have asked me what acting has to do with stunts. Well, everything. We are not just stunt people. We are not simply daredevils hungry for the next big thrill or buzz junkies craving our adrenalin fix. We are actors who perform stunts in character. It does not matter whether it's doubling or a role with no lines. It's still a performance, and it still needs a believable and three-dimensional character. That said, what is stunt acting? What is involved in the process? What is a stunt ac...

Negative thoughts are extremely addictive thing. Whether triggered by an actual event, situation, or anticipation of events, it’s very easy to fall prey to their bleakness. They kind of suck you into them, and it’s like a never-ending abyss that you keep falling into. There is something inside you that sees the darkness as a familiar territory and keeps pulling you there. It’s an indicator of the fact that you have resided in this space for far too long or your mind is conditioned to keep fal...

I’ve made a lot of movies. I started off as a Runner and worked my way up. I worked on 13 movies as a 1st AC & 2nd AC and Director of Photography before I became an award-winning Director & Writer in my own right. Having gone from runner to director, I have experienced the whole gauntlet of filmmaking, from the biggest shoots to tiny micro-budget one-man crew shoots. I have seen many ways to do things effectively and simply. There are 6 main areas of filmmaking for the indie filmmaker: Develop...

In 2003, I walked past a former monastery in a Dutch city several times a week, and there were the following words above the portal: 'I was sick and you visited me.' (Bible - free quoted from Matthew). I imagined that a house could be 'sick' and be visited by people who had just died and would find out there that they were dead. Whereby the house could 'cleanse' itself. I knew I had a story. Three years later, I published this suspense story in a collection with other horror authors in the Ne...

For many filmmakers, the film festival acceptance is one of their biggest dreams realized – even now, as more people share and stream content from their homes than ever before, the allure of the festival hasn’t dampened. Not for me, at least, and I imagine many of you too. The feeling of going up to the theatre, seeing your name and your film in the program, and most of all – seeing your work play in front of a real live audience. Not to mention networking with your fellow filmmakers and maybe e...