Advice

Many screenplays and teleplays start as the work of one person. A writer gets inspiration for a great script and develops and rewrites it via multiple drafts until it is ready to read. They work out the details in grueling months’ worth of thought and writing. The initial draft gets rewritten countless times until the last version of the script is “finished” and ready to submit to a producer or a screenplay competition. If the writer is lucky, the script may be optioned or bought by a producer....

The Talking Draft Method is the fastest way for playwrights or screenwriters to create scenes. A writer records audio of themselves improvising all the dialogue and action, the audio is transcribed, then the text is reformatted into a script. This is not new, it is actually one of old Hollywood’s best-kept secrets. How is started The story goes that in 1934, novelist William Faulkner’s Hollywood career was circling the drain. His friend, film director Howard Hawks came to the rescue. Hawks bo...

I have been an independent filmmaker for a few decades now and have always wanted to make films in Hollywood.  Living in Vancouver, BC, Canada (I have been here since my early twenties) was the place to come for those who wanted to pursue a career in film and television. It is no wonder they refer to it as “Hollywood North.” I started out as an actor but always felt that I needed to do more. Quickly, I realized that if I wanted to work as an actor, I needed to create work for myself. This is w...

Happy Sunday Creative Army! First of all, congratulations to all of you who have already participated in our monthly Introduce Yourself Weekend! Thousands of connections have been made between entertainment creatives and professionals from every corner of the globe. Whether you are a long-time member, or brand new to Stage 32, take a moment to pop over to the Introduce Yourself Lounge and say hello before the end of the weekend. First up, In Depth Cine shares a breakdown of how writer/direct...

Since joining Stage 32, I have connected with many great people. This amazing site can lead to great opportunities in the industry.  I left school at 16 and went straight into the workplace. I didn't want to go further into education because I had been relentlessly bullied my whole school life and couldn't face studying any longer. At school, I had been made to feel worthless. I felt like a nobody, but once I found myself in the workplace, I realized it was a world where people were kind...

After hosting a fantastic webinar on CAM agreements for Stage 32, Fintage House rep David Zannoni wanted to share the basics of this essential agreement with our entire community. Keep reading to find out how the CAM Agreement can help your production. The collection account management agreement, also called CAMA or CAM Agreement, is one of the few multi-party agreements in the entertainment industry. It deals with only one, but rather essential element of independently produced film and TV...

The notion of a “New Cinema” is a notion based on re-defining the traditional cinema screen. Before we can talk about it, we will need to review and look at the traditional cinema screen to see how it’s being re-defined. In writing this piece for the Stage 32 community, my intention was that the result would be a debate where the creative community and business side ask if this re-defined screen makes possible A New Cinema or if this re-defined screen merely makes possible a new and special a...

You probably already know this, but there is no one way to succeed in Hollywood. Everybody has their own story, their own steps, their own specifics that got them to where they are. But that doesn’t mean we can’t learn anything from them. Dreams tend to feel out of reach until there are tangible steps to take, so we need something to grasp to help us move forward. While everyone’s stories are different, there are steps that most people take for every dream. I call this the Foundational Ladd...

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, the folks over at StudioBinder share a fascinating look inside the cinematography of Stranger Things. Specifically, this video looks at how the series primary director of photography, Tim Ives, used color, lighting, lenses, and aspect ratios to create the iconic 80's-style cinematic look of the s...

The main purpose of most novels is to entertain the audience. They take their readers or viewers out of their day-to-day life and throw them into a new and more exotic or uncertain environment. Whether it is science fiction plunging the reader into a distant future world, a boy who discovers that he is a wizard, or the adventures of a police detective solving a gruesome murder, the main focal point of the novel is your main character. They are the foundation of any successful novel. Indeed, i...