Filmmaking

Happy Wednesday Stage 32 Community! Last week, our fearless leader Richard "RB" Botto hosted one of his signature "Ask Me Anything" webinars focusing on the "new normal" that is the entertainment industry during COVID-19. We were beyond jazzed to virtually host thousands of Stage 32 members tuning in from every corner of the world, culminating in an invigorating two hours of inspirational and no-bs shop talk from RB.   In this Ask Me Anything, RB answered questions from Stage 32 members, bot...

No one likes to be manipulated—except when they do. And this is always true with entertainment and art. “Make me feel something” is the universal mandate for all content, across every genre, through all mediums. Music is a universal language that touches our deepest feelings to bring up powerful emotions. As in the very life of our bodies, its most basic elements are tension and release, just like breathing and heartbeats. No wonder it’s so powerful!     More Than a Feeling In visua...

Happy Sunday Creative Army! First of all, thank you again for an absolutely amazing Ask Me Anything session this past Wednesday. I got to spend time with over 5,000 of you from all over the world, and it was a true honor to answer your questions on all things craft and business. In case you missed it live, worry not, you can watch for free on-demand here. Now, who is ready for some piping hot content with their Sunday morning cold brew? Let's jump right in.  First up, the folks over at Film...

Stage 32 hosts online forums, called Lounges to encourage like-minded professionals to communicate and collaborate. As I've become more familiar with these lounges as the new Stage32 Community Manager, the more I liken them to V.I.P. Filmmakers' Lounges hosted at film festivals. These are the exclusive rooms where creators can step away from the pomp and press to find other professionals… and a stiff drink. These are the "networking opportunities" that so many in the industry scramble to attain....

Happy Friday Creative Army! As you all know, Stage 32 Screenings has taken the entertainment industry by storm. Our initiative has been covered by Deadline, Variety, CNN, and dozens more. We are currently screening over 100 features, shorts, and episodic pilots from SXSW, Tribeca, BFI: Flare London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival, and Telluride Mountainfilm Documentary Festival to our network of over 6,000 invited sales agents, distributors, managers, agents, producers, development execs, financiers and...

1. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? As a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, theaters around the world were forced to close their doors. Independent and arthouse theaters, in particular, have been deeply affected by these closures. Working in concert with a handful of independent distributors and platforms, the “Virtual Theatrical” model was born as a way for these independent theaters to showcase new theatrical content, connect with their local patrons, and generate revenue.     2. WHAT IS I...

As I am in the midst of editing my proof-of-concept short, Orpheus Star, with my editor, I look back on the journey to get to this point. It took over a year to get to the point where I could shoot my proof-of-concept short based on my feature. I had started off the year before spending four months and almost three thousand dollars preparing for a crowdfunding campaign. That alone had given me my first important lesson: 1. Your Supporters & Champions Aren’t Necessarily Your Co-Producers I had...

Human beings are animals that tell stories. And like so many other things that come naturally to us -- running, for instance -- we can improve on our natural ability through the development of proper technique. Writing is both an art and a craft, so study and practice are the keys to mastery. And so, like Po in Kung Fu Panda or Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back, we are each on a quest to find the Master who will teach us how to become the writers we were born to be. Is it John Truby? I...

A few years ago, I joined Stage 32 as a member and I found it to be most suited to my experience in the film industry, with very informative content and great networking facilities. I must say though, I am one of those cynical kinda members, probably from a lifetime of being an independent minded individual who thinks, if you want something done, do it yourself. As I continued to write, I realised how relatively easy it was to adapt a novel into a basic screenplay. At the same time I was fol...

Happy Sunday Creative Army! How has your week been? Here's hoping you have had some time to get creative this week. I've got a nice lineup of content today that will give you a creative jolt to complement your Sunday morning dark roast.  First up, Director David F. Sandberg (aka "ponysmasher" on YouTube) has compiled a couple of lessons he has learned from filmmaking over the years. David uses examples from his own filmography including Shazam!, Annabelle: Creation, and Lights Out. David tal...