Filmmaking

Happy Three Day Weekend Stage 32! As many of you may know, I host an Instagram LIVE every week on @stage32online highlighting some amazing Stage 32 members from all over the world. This week, I had the supreme pleasure of chatting with Australia-based actor, producer, and screenwriter Annisa Belonogoff. Annisa recently wrote an article for the Stage 32 community called "Producer/Director/Writer/Actor - You Can Do it All... But Should You? At one point or another, you are going to be the bear...

It was lunchtime on a Wednesday afternoon. Finished eating at my desk, I sat in my car, in a nearby parking lot, about to crack open a book that would help change the direction of my life. A book so powerful that it would open my eyes, helping make things clear that I once couldn’t see. A book on screenwriting. Reading Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting by Syd Field was the first time I had been introduced to three act structure and specifically the hero’s journey. I had made two sho...

You’ve heard the saying “Jack of all trades, master of none”? I’m going to start with something controversial, I hate that quote. This quote has been preached to me on many occasions throughout my career and I can imagine it will continue for the rest of my years. Why this quote? Because my creativity is hard to grasp, I do many things, and can do many things well, does this sound like you?. Your creativity doesn’t fit in the societal norms of occupation, the idea that we decide to be or do o...

How To Wake Up on the Right Side of the Writer’s Desk: Ideas on how to get re-motivated to work on that script you’ve been ignoring this entire pandemic. If your quarantine has been anything like mine, then all the grand plans you had for finishing that script, taking that online class, and working on your yoga game have turned into finishing that pint of ice cream, taking that random personality quiz, and working on your watching everything in your Netflix queue game. It’s sucked. You want t...

CONGRATULATIONS!   HERE ARE THE WEEK 5 WINNERS!   FORCES OF DECADENCE by Phillip Hollins "A military cop chronicles a series of incredible events as a lawyer preps a high-profile international smuggling court-martial involving an attempted assassination case against one of the most decorated Green Berets in U.S. history."   THE NIGHT WITCHES by Steven Prowse "With wood and canvas biplanes, no radio, no lights, no defenses and no parachutes, just bombs, these WW2 pilots terrori...

Back in 2006, a buddy of mine had an idea. He loved horror movies, he knew someone with a camera, and he had been writing horror-themed stories since he was a teenager. He’d also been acting in theater productions around the region, and figured he could get a few people together for a weekend here and there. And that’s exactly what he did. He turned one of his stories into a script. He pulled a few folks together. He started filming. Many people do this sort of home-grown filming now, but a...

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, Apurture shares how to nail cinematic film lighting in your next project. They talking using key lights, shadows, camera placement, color contrast, and fill lights to make your subject beautifully cinematic. You will see examples from commercials and films like Atomic Blonde, The Social Network,...

Cats vs. Dogs: Choose Wisely Whether or not you have pets, we all tend to understand the differences in temperament and behavior between cats and dogs. Well, it dawned on me recently that the way these two species approach life can be analogous to the way different types of actors approach their careers. Let’s explore that analogy, and hopefully shed some light on how you should be approaching your career. The Differences Between Cats and Dogs For this discussion, we’re addressing the genera...

Black Creek originated as a writing exercise during quarantine. Now, it’s an independent TV pilot with network actors, Sundance Fellows, and a cutting-edge health and safety solutions company attached. Michael Goitanich and Connor Pannell, the Canadian/American co-production duo behind Black Creek, discuss what they learned throughout production, virtual post-production, and their plans for distribution. This article focuses on what we learned during production, to learn how we handled pre-pro...

As you may recall back in February, long-time Stage 32 member, blog contributor, webinar teacher, and international film & distribution aficionado, David Zannoni began a series of blogs and vlogs to keep you up-to-date on the business of film across the globe. Today, David is sharing some amazing insights into the world of international co-productions in his exclusive Stage 32 vlog. David will answer the following questions:  What is an International Co-Production? What are the benefits...