Filmmaking

Cannes is next week! As you all know Stage 32 has has worked directly with and have had an official presence at the Cannes Film Festival Marche du Film for the last 5 years. Also, for the 3rd straight year, Stage 32 is the official education workshop partner of Cannes and the Marche. This year, our role has expanded even further as we'll be helping to bring more of our executives and educators to the festival and conference. In addition every Cannes attendee will be receiving a free Stage 32 w...

Happy Sunday to all. Let's dive in for another edition of Coffee & Content. Much is always made (and tons of content produced) about the director/actor relationship. But what about cinematographers? How do they interact and work with actors. Our first video from CookeOpticsTV breaks it down. Next up, from wolfcrow, a tight, no fat video on how to find the best camera angles when shooting your film. So watch, drink your coffee, repeat, but then remember to share where you can! And, as alw...

An Either–Or World. (Cue the sad face.) In the twenty-first century, debate is all the rage. I’ve been saying (lamenting, really) for nearly a decade that Confrontation is the new Communication.Wherever you look, even in Arts and Entertainment, it’s all about “Them and Us.” Otherness, and Alienation. And right along with this dysfunctional approach to life is the inclination to look at techniques, structural models, and other tools for your creative toolbox as “Versus” rather than “And.”When I...

"Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” - 1997 Apple Ad Can Hollywood think differently? Or will remakes, reboots, sequels, and series still top the box office in 2030? How long will Sci-Fi and Superhero franchises dominate the industry? Call me "a crazy one," but I believe movi...

So you're looking to have someone give you feedback on your reel, get that script read, get that film project off the ground, raise funds for your project, or simply land that job.  Let's face it, we all have goals and will do just about anything to reach them. But that doesn't mean our game plan is sound.  In fact, more often than not, our approach couldn't be more wrong.  And with so much noise out there and attention spans shorter than ever, you only have an instant to burst through that cr...

What's going on, Creative Army?   It's been a moment since we last had the time to interact in a live setting. Let's remedy that with another AMA (Ask Me Anything), pre-Cannes style.   What do you say we get together on May 8th at 1pm for another inspiring, motivating and energy-packed question and answer session? All you have to do is register, show up and bring your craft and industry questions. I'll cover as much time as possible and try to leave you with tips, tricks and actionable infor...

Good Morning, Stage 32! It's time for another Monday Success Blog. This one is, dare we say, quite thrilling. And yes, that pun was intended.Here's the story:Karen Blaney is a script editor. Tim Williams is a filmmaker and the founder of Popcorn Trailer, an entertainment production company launched as a way to green light his movie productions. Both are proud Stage 32 members who are excited about the world premiere of William's film, Marked for Trade. The Red Carpet release of the film was Ap...

Happy Sunday to all. Hope you're all enjoying the weekend and drinking some good coffee.  Because, you know, life is too short to drink shitty java (or wine, for that matter). Let's roll with another edition of Coffee & Content. We get many questions here on Stage 32 about how to go about breaking down a script. Here's a great vid by the guys at Rocket Jump Film School to get you going. Next up, Richard Linklater has been called "The most European American filmmaker working today." Whether...

I use contracts with everything. The books I ghostwrite, the blog posts I create, and the scripts I work so hard on for others. But I messed up recently. I had the contract in hand and shared it with the other party. He dragged his feet. And it's not his fault. It's mine. Because I let him. I was pissed at myself for weeks. I was pissed for so many reasons. I wanted to write a scathing blog post and share it with the world so I would feel better. Me. Several times over a period of weeks. Sev...

For as long as I can remember, the relationship I had with my father Mike was complicated. For starters, he was legendary in Hollywood. And because he was a well-known agent, executive, and producer, the father-son bond I waited for was often put on the back burner. Things at home weren’t stable.
 I changed schools in my teen years a handful of times.
 When I started working, my father took the Bill Gates approach to parenting; make your own way without favors from one of the most powerful peopl...