Filmmaking

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 Studio Binder have put together an amazing video exploring the unique and expressive works of Tim Burton. This video focuses on how Burton builds unique worlds through set design, art direction, and production design. You will see examples from Beetlejuice, Alice in Wonderland...

Merry Happy, Stage32-ers! Yes, you read that correctly. There is a way to wish someone well without wishing anything at all. As we slip away from Autumn (in the Northern Hemisphere at least), and into the "holiday season", I wish you all the very merriest! Happy, that is. Not Kate Nash's "Merry Happy", although it is a "Kate" inspiring this preamble. As I listen to Kate Winslet sharing her acting secrets (THANK YOU, RB for this Sunday's Coffee & Content Blog!), I am reminded of the intricate b...

Happy Thanksgiving, Creative Army! On behalf of the entire Stage 32 team, I'd like to wish everyone a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. This year, with many of us stuck at home, the activity and energy on Stage 32 has been palpable. We have welcomed over 100,000 new members since March, and we are beyond honored to provide each and every one of you with a safe place to connect and stay inspired online. We are all extremely grateful for the members of this community and for the incredible relatio...

You look down at the DELETE key, sensing its magnet power drawing you in. You sigh, asking why keep going? You hear the echoes in your brain - "This is crap, get rid of it, you’ve been at this for years, give it up…" You move towards the Delete key…asking yourself - "Why do you do this writing lark…?" I have been a member of Stage 32 since 2015. I’m not much for social media, and initially would tell my friends I’ve joined "Facebook for the Industry." I am in a quite unique situation as a sc...

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. Now, grab some fresh coffee and let's dive in to this week's fres...

Producers face many challenges during the creation and exploitation of an audiovisual project. Complying with contractual obligations towards multiple parties is one of such challenges. One of the contractual obligations is payment of a share of the revenues. This includes payment to investors, co-producers, talent, and others. In this article, we will focus on management of the revenues and how Collection Account Management can be beneficial to producers. What is Collection Account Manage...

Because I’ve been knee deep in projects of my own and tied up with more script doctor work than I’ve even had the chance to reflect on, it’s been longer than usual since my last blog for Stage 32… so before I start telling everybody how to do their jobs, let me say this: I hope you’re keeping yourself healthy. I hope you’re keeping yourself sane. No matter what happens with our nation’s politics, I want you to know that your stories matter. Telling rich, powerful stories - and telling them wel...

I honestly believe the path to success is driven simply by action. It doesn’t matter how amazing/terrible you might be at something, without action, you won't experience any growth and you won't progress towards your goals. Your dreams will never be realized and you’ll go through life always wondering what could’ve been. It’s not enough to want something in this life. Nobody is going to give you anything, you have to be willing to fight for it and you have to do so through action. Ideas are a...

Although I wear many hats (literally) as a Creative, I am first and foremost an actor. A performer and storyteller in the oldest of traditions, interacting with crowds and using a loose script and structure that allows ample room for improvisation and a broad emotional spectrum. Almost two years ago, in my article on audition prep, I told the story of auditioning for a producer in full pirate regalia in a kitchen in Ohio. Little did we know that performing in kitchens, living rooms, and thr...

As character creators we have to have an understanding of why our characters feel and think what they do. I am going to explain in simple terms why human beings behave the way they do so you can have strong understanding of how to create believable compelling characters that stay true to who they are in their words and actions. Hopefully you don’t get too scared at how predictable people are because you’ll undoubtedly begin to use this information to psychoanalyze yourself and others. Human be...