Filmmaking

I practically jumped out of my seat when I read "I'd like to produce and direct this," beneath the synopsis in the logline section of my profile! It was awesome to learn that, FINALLY, someone wanted to produce my original 40 page paranormal horror short film titled, Angered.    It was Robert James Atton, a fellow Chicagoan, who wanted to read the entire script, so I emailed it to him post-haste. He "loved" it, and we decided to meet in person at a local coffee shop. We told each other m...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army. Let's jump right in to another edition of Coffee & Content. First up, How to Get Your Short Screened at Film Festivals. Many of us here on Stage 32 are looking for ways to get noticed. Networking at film festivals is a great way. And if you're know ahead of time which festivals to submit to and what to expect, you're ahead of the curve. Piggy backing that from our Friends at Indie Hustle, What Film Festivals Should You Submit to First? Some of us have our favorit...

I have a secret to tell you. About two weeks after my pilot shoot, I wanted to give up. And not just for that day. For about 45 days after that. And then forever, really. I was tired, burned out, frustrated with a crew member, and suddenly completely unsure of why I had just invested thousands of dollars to do what I did. I wanted to give up. My other half told me what I was experiencing was natural and that before long, I would be back in the saddle. Turns out what he said is true. Becaus...

I remember the first time I was impressed by the size of a movie theatre audience like it was yesterday. It was when I went with my family to see Home Alone when I was 9-years-old. Little did I know that seeing that movie would change the trajectory of my life.   The Power of Movies on the Big Screen I had known from an early age that I wanted to be an artist. I just didn’t know what kind—I really couldn’t draw, and I felt like I didn’t have anything to add to the fashion industry. But w...

Fresh off the heels of our expanding partnerships with Cannes, Raindance, Hollyshorts, and AFM (more on that shortly) and our new partnerships with the Trinidad and Tobago Film Commission and the Hamburg Film Festival, we're proud to announce that we have now joined forces with the prestigious Austin Film Festival. For starters, we'll be screening our 4th Annual Short Film Program during the festival.  So far this program has screened at Hollyshorts, Raindance and now we're excited to bring it...

Greetings from London where we just finished our sold-out screening of our 4th Annual Film Program at the Raindance Film Festival.  It was fantastic to see so many of our educators and executives in attendance, at our afterparty, and during our meetings throughout the week.  We'll be sharing more here on the blog soon. Those of you who know me have heard me stress that too many creatives focus nearly exclusively on their craft.  They don't take the time to keep on top of what's happening in th...

Welcome back to one of the more powerful video series we’ve offered here on Stage 32. For the past several weeks we’ve featured videos from Stage 32 CEO, Richard “RB” Botto, the best-selling author of Crowdsourcing For Filmmakers: Indie Film and the Power of the Crowd. Each video is powerful in it’s own right. But this one speaks to how crowdSOURCING can work for any creative venture. Whether you plan on launching your film, a book, a newsletter or magazine, a website, or enhancing your social p...

Good Morning, All - The coffee is hot, the company is good, and the content only compliments it. So lets get started with this week's edition of Coffee & Content, which focuses on producers and those of us who want to become producers. First up, answering the question: What does a Producer ACTUALLY do? There are many people that go on set either as an actor or crew member, and they really have no idea of the producer hierarchy on set. In this first video created by Crimson Engine, filmmaker...

When businesses are born, especially those birthed in a creative environment filled with film, television, and artists, it all starts with a dream. And on the journey to realize those dreams, it is almost inevitable that you will meet and talk to many people. From these people, you will hear one of these things:The truth.The half-truth.Bullshit. As the saying goes, “Money talks, bullshit walks.” But it goes even further than this. Developing strong fact-checking skills will save you...

Ready for advice from 2 New Yorker's in Hollywood? For writers and actors all over the world, making the decision to move to LA isn't taken lightly. For some, the move isn't possible. For others, it's been in the cards for a long time. And for even more, it's something they would love to do, but the timing isn't quite right. In this clip from the FREE webinar "Ask Me Anything," hosted by Stage 32 CEO and screenwriter Richard "RB" Botto, RB teams up with film producer Bradley Gallo to discuss...