Filmmaking

In the Summer of 2005, I was a freelance Associate Producer working in New York, just getting my start in the business. In many ways it’s tempting to look back upon those days now and say that I didn’t know anything. We do that to our younger selves and the nostalgic stories we tell. But the truth is, although I had very little experience and very little understanding of how to actually create content, I knew what I liked. I knew what I thought was good storytelling, and I had a lot of confidenc...

Hello! My name is Jon Kohan and I’m a screenwriter from Johnstown, Pennsylvania. When you think of Pennsylvania you don’t really think Hollywood. In the history of my hometown, there have only been two major Hollywood movies filmed in the city; Slap Shot (1977) and All the Right Moves (1983). A lot of us have dreams that in order for us to see them to fruition, we must make a literal move. In the case of filmmaking, if you want to make movies you have to go where movies are made. The obvio...

Happy Wednesday Stage 32! We hope this blog finds you healthy, happy, safe, and creative. Over the last two months in quarantine, we have been working tirelessly to make Stage 32 your online home to stay connected with over 650,000 film, tv, and new media creatives from across the globe - no hand sanitizer or face masks required. Stage 32 is committed to bringing you entertainment, education, and community from the comfort and safety of your own home.  Now, we are excited to host another f...

Welcome To The Family. How to cast a winning team for your film. Casting isn't just about finding great actors, it's about recruiting a team who will deliver your vision. Here are some key ideas to help you recruit your ensemble.   Actress Sian Youngerman as ‘Amelia’ in a still from my 2017 experimental indie feature ‘The Madness of Tellaralette Seville’.   Read Between the Lines Ensemble casting is a magical part of filmmaking. No other medium seals the chemistry of a group of p...

I have been a member of Stage 32 for some time. I didn’t do anything at first. I read all the emails Stage 32 sent me and enjoyed reading the blogs and videos. And looking across at the slate of producers and agents Stage 32 had in partnership for project development. I was also busy finalizing a series of 25 individual stories with a common theme under the canopy of TRAVELERS TALES.  TRAVELERS TALES is a total of 25 feature film scripts all with a common theme. This is a journey against the o...

Happy Sunday Creative Army! Here's hoping you had a happy, healthy, and creative week. With everything going on right now, it is important to focus on things you can control - like soaking up new information and learning a new facet of the entertainment industry. So, are you ready for your weekly dose of content? I've got my coffee in hand and some piping hot content coming your way.  First up, the folks over at Indy Mogul sat down with cinematographer/director Justin Jones to talk about the...

Over the years, film production has been attributed to creativity and this is something that has been identified by film producers, historians, and even critics. For instance, Jean-Paul Furstenberg who was a director at the American Film Institute about 2 decades ago noted that it was the producers and the creative people that really founded the industry. As a matter of fact, if people like Adolph Zukor, Louis B.Mayer, Carl Laemmle, Ole Olsen, Leon Gaumont, Charles Pathe, or the Warner brothers...

Very early in my career as a storyteller, I adapted a few practices that relate back to lessons I learned from my yoga practice. This came about because I had a break-down/break-through moment during my second year in art school. The result of creating several projects with less than desirable results was devastating. I felt miserable. I put my whole self into every aspect of the work, and when it failed, I felt internally as if I had failed. Hence, began my search for something that would not f...

CHYRON: 18 MONTHS EARLIER We’re focused on a computer screen. An email is opened. It’s Stage 32. It says, BLOG UPDATE: 5 Lessons Learned From an Aspiring Screenwriter. By Keith Hannigan. INT. LIVING ROOM – DAY The one reading it is KEITH HANNIGAN. His face red, his mouth agape. He looks like what would happen if the Sun were turned on by a Full Moon. In this case, the Full Moon is his blog. He instantly shares it anywhere it can be shared. When he’s done, he pauses. Closes his computer...

This article’s a little different than my previous ones. And, in some ways, it’s the most important. It’s less structured and more conversational. I’m not using headings, because it’s all of a piece. It’s an open letter, fully from the heart, to an amazing community with so much to give. I appreciate the opportunity given to me by Taylor and the amazing leaders at Stage 32 to share my thoughts in this way during these Times of Crisis. These Unprecedented Times. Times that don’t exist in a...