Filmmaking

Happy Sunday, everyone.  Let's get after it. This week for Coffee & Content, another two videos designed to instruct, motivate and inspire. First up, it's How to Motivate Yourself to Write Every Day from Diane Callahan.  Whether you're writing screenplays, novels, short stories or even blogs, I think you'll find this one to be a kick in the ass. Next, from our friends at DSLRguide, it's 50 Tips for Filmmakers.  This one covers a ton of ground from the craft to the business.  Dig in and enj...

As creative artists one thing we often do is work tirelessly on our craft. One thing that sometimes get lost is the "business" of the business. Today, on our YouTube channel we released a video from Stage 32ers Sam Estes and Michael Hobe who are sound designers on films such as INCEPTION, THE DARK KNIGHT, INSIDE OUT and more. In this video Sam and Michael go over an important tip on how to get hired as a creative.  And, remember, if you haven't subscribed to our YouTube page, make sure you do...

  My husband (writer/director) and I (producer) recently read a post on Stage 32, that a US team shot their film in eight days (with an additional three days for rehearsals), with two main cast, few locations and the dramatic concept of topical storylines, that unfolded through video chat. This is a solid idea when shooting a feature on a micro budget, because it requires minimal angles and set-ups, which allows you to shoot more scenes of dialogue per day. Set ups take time, the more se...

Hello, creative army!  Miss me?  All apologies for the lack of Coffee & Content these past 2 Sundays.  Cannes was a wall to wall, all out affair - and a very productive one at that.  I'll be sharing some news from the fest and market soon.  We have some extremely exciting opportunities and initiatives in the works that will be of major interest to our incredibly talented members. Today, however, let's get back to consuming some quality content.  This past week, I had the pleasure - and I do me...

I first began putting short films online in 2002, very shortly after graduating high school. It was a simpler time, before YouTube existed and individual, low-quality mpg or wmv files had to be uploaded to your very own website for people to, get this, right click and save to their computers! It was also a time when, if you told someone your goal was to be a filmmaker and that you made movies of your own, they would give you a very impressed, “Wow, really?” reaction, and be amazed that you could...

Recently during the 2018 Film Con Hollywood at the LA Convention Center we spent time with Stage 32er and panelist Jennifer Winberg, who is a Digital Specialist from MXM, an entertainment industry marketing & advertising agency. Jennifer has had a storied career in digital and has worked with Lionsgate, SONY, FOX, Gravitas Ventures and more. Today we've posted a video from Jennifer on our YouTube page as she gives advice on how to break into entertainment. Click here to hear Jennifer's advice!...

Where does your career end and your personal life begin? Where does your digital world end and your real world begin?     As a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (EMMYS), I’m currently invited to a lot of For Your Consideration screenings and events around Hollywood. At a recent FYC screening for WESTWORLD, Jonathan Nolan, the co-creator of the show, had some very insightful words about the dangers of “people becoming brands” via social media. He cautioned that he see...

The odds and the realities of making a living at doing what we love, acting, put in perspective, isn't pretty. Actors really have two jobs; first the audition, in which you must be brilliant, and show that you are easy to get along with. And second, after you book the job, to do the job well. Making a living in the industry is not an easy task. Daily you race to auditions, sometimes with only a few hours notice to prepare, and often in an unforgiving environment, stressed by traffic or lack...

One of the most driven, nice and talented filmmakers in our community is director David Rountree, who was voted IMDB's top 30 under 30 directors. For those of you who don't know David, he has been a member of the Stage 32 community since the early years and we've watched him raise financing and shoot several feature films including CUT! and 108 STITCHES. He's even employed over 40 Stage 32 members! His mission is always to support, encourage and teach fellow creatives on how to live their dreams...

Hey guys!  Happy Sunday. The past week has been consumed by Cannes prep (see all the details here), so I have something a little different for Coffee & Content this week.  And it's something for everyone.  How about we cover ground on all the following topics: - Why you need to cut the negativity out of your life- Today! - Why you do not need to be micromanaged as a screenwriter or a filmmaker - How you can bring value to every meeting - What I'm hearing in my meetings regarding...