Filmmaking

None of us live in a bubble. Neither does the creative process. In movies, the development of the story is usually the longest part of the process. It makes sense. Getting the plot and characters developed must happen before a single word is typed into your favorite script writing software. Index cards may litter your floor or maybe you are one of the lucky ones who can see the entire story in your head – you are rare.  At this stage, there is the fewest number of people involved as well and...

A few months back, still on a pandemic and recently moved to Atlanta, I had the crazy idea of self-producing my first short film. I did not know which script I was actually going to use, or the team and budget I needed for it, but with a new profile on Stage 32, and some debatable resourceful skills, I went for it! These are some tools I used from Stage 32, to help me along the way during the pre-production and production process. The Diverse Lounges I love how Stage 32 offers so many differe...

Happy Sunday Creative Army! Have you had a creative 4th of July weekend so far? Before you head out on your holiday adventures, I have some content to help you get your creative juices flowing, so grab your coffee and let's dive in. First up, the folks over at Aputure have put together a great video about how to light a film studio. Now that things are opening back up, this is a great refresher to help you prep for getting back on set. Specifically, this video shows you how to do a commercia...

Happy Saturday Stage 32! I hope you all had a beautiful and creative week. I was catching up on the trades this week (following the very sage wisdom of our founder and CEO Richard "RB" Botto: Always read the trades and know what is going on in the business of entertainment!) and I came across an article from Deadline Hollywood about the Emmy-Nominated Comedy PEN15. In another installment of the Deadline series "It Starts on the Page", this article shares the script for episode 203 (Season 2,...

I remember making my first short film, I had just broken up with a girlfriend and was desperate for a promotion at work. How about that for a perfect storm of motivation? My boss dangled a carrot, saying if I made something and it got into a festival I’d get the position I wanted and inspiration was provided by a messy break up and a slew of nasty voicemail messages left on my phone, this was pure emotional and creative gold. At this point in my career, I didn’t know anything about festivals...

I've long since been on a writing hiatus. Call it treating myself, call it writer's block. Call it what you will. What's important is that I am taking a mental health break on my own terms. This is necessary every now and then. Yes, it can be seen as lazy. Yes, it can be seen as a lack of creative energy. What I call it is: essential. There was a time in which my output was off the charts. Quite possibly unhealthy levels of writing. Of course I write because I enjoy it. But, I had reached a cert...

Fun. The main reason most of us got into (or are trying to get into) the film and TV industry is because it sounds so much fun! And it is - some of the best times of my life have been on set. I have been lucky enough to have filmed all over the world, from Pinewood to Bollywood and from Montana to the Sahara. I’ve worked on some really wonderful productions and I’ve been on some really awful productions that if I could get in my TARDIS, travel back in time, and change that timeline - then I woul...

Action and Thriller feature films continue to dominate the Global Box Office. In fact, THE HITMAN'S WIFE'S BODYGUARD just hit #1 at the Box Office last week! The highly anticipated THE TOMORROW WAR with Chris Pratt is coming out this week.  Thanks to classic franchises such as the TERMINATOR franchise, the JAMES BOND franchise, and the BOURNE franchise, as well as new hits like DEADPOOL, TAKEN, JOHN WICK, and most recently THE HITMAN’S WIFE’S BODYGUARD, the world is looking forward to more Act...

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, our friends over at StudioBinder have put together a great video highlighting the art of the opening scene. This video highlights how screenwriters & directors hook the audience in the first 10 minutes - whether through introducing characters, establishing relationships, and oftentimes, some good...

The film and television industry is global, yet, to many who live outside of the major production hubs (e.g., Los Angeles, Vancouver, Atlanta, New York City, London, etc.) it can feel out of reach. Stage 32 is the best community to keep us all connected, but what makes us the best? We help each other! But what are you doing to help yourself? RB often recommends on his “Ask Me Anything” series to read the trades. Which ones are you reading? Deadline, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, IndieWire?...