Filmmaking

A look into the work method of Dutch independent director/producer Joshua van ’t Hoff, who has a knack for shooting award-winning films. Indie filmmakers are in my book, much like the cosplay superheroes at Comic Cons. They create magic for others on a shoestring budget by sheer determination. I talked to Joshua van ’t Hoff of Apostrof Cinema, who has sixteen wins and ten nominations under his belt so far, to learn how he achieved that. Funding This Indie filmmaker's everyday alter ego has...

Scriptwriting is a thrilling ‘Act Two’ for me, after years of writing fiction. Now, with help from Stage32, I am proud to be signed on by Tammy Hunt, Manager and Co-Founder of Sandstone Artists. On my zig-zag journey to this point, I’ve learned a few things that might be useful to fellow aspiring scriptwriters, especially those who also write fiction. First, some BACKSTORY While I’ve loved movies all my life (my Mom threw parties on Oscar nights) and while my first writings were scripts (a ‘s...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! First, congratulations to all of you who have already participated in our monthly Introduce Yourself Weekend! Thousands of connections have been made between entertainment creatives and professionals from around the globe. Whether you are a long-time member or brand new to Stage 32, take a moment to pop over to the Introduce Yourself Lounge and say hello before the end of the weekend. First up, in this installment of "Directors On Directors" from Variety, Oscar-w...

As creatives, we can all probably remember the first person who took notice of the unique turn of our minds and chose to affirm it – whether that was a teacher, a parent, a friend, a sibling, or an early fan of our work. This person’s words might have given us exactly the encouragement we needed at exactly the right time. The truth is, it’s very easy for self-doubt, self-criticism, Imposter Syndrome, fear, and the inner forces of resistance to win the day. There’s a reason why there are about...

Buzz. Trailers. Cast Interviews. Behind the Scenes Featurettes. Seeing A-list talent answer random yet strangely personal questions while playing with puppies. Producers have gone to great lengths to convince audiences to watch their finished films. But, is it worth it? Putting aside for a moment the nitty-gritty details of what it takes to market a film, the process of planning and executing a marketing strategy for a film or series takes just as much teamwork, strategy, and creativity as fil...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? I have some content here for you that is sure to get the creative juices flowing, so grab your coffee, and let's dive in. First up, in this interview with Tom Hiddleston and the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, the actor breaks down his experience working on the MCU series LOKI and nearly 15 years playing the titular character. Very few actors get the space to live in a character's evolution for this long, or to essentially be the cap...

It has been a whirlwind since winning the Stage 32 Short Film Contest with the project I wrote and directed, BIENVENIDOS A LOS ANGELES. We’ve been lucky enough to have connected with major industry players and have taken significant steps forward to become a contender for Best Live Action Short Film in the 96th Academy Awards. Most recently, we have signed with Ouat Media, the renowned Toronto-based short film sales company known for three Oscar winners and 12 nominees. This film is very close...

Welcome to the next installment of The Filmmaker Files, where we break down the director’s relationship with various crew members to help first-time directors better understand how to communicate effectively. I’m James Kicklighter, a Stage 32 Thought Leader and multi-award-winning director and producer of The Sound of Identity, Angel of Anywhere, and the upcoming 2024 film, The American Question.   Today’s guest is my composer of over 10 years, Nicolás Repetto, an Argentinian-American televis...

During my filmmaking career, I've run the gambit on all different sides of production. Back in Baltimore, I worked with skeleton crews writing, directing, and doing sound on my own productions. Since moving to Los Angeles I've found a lot of work on set sound mixing, and I wanted to give some easy, actionable steps that can help all filmmakers, at every budget level, get the best sound possible. My sound kit from “Sexy Dex.” 1) Knowing The Tools Most sound mixers start with what we call a “...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? I have some content here for you that is sure to get the creative juices flowing, so grab your coffee, and let's dive in. We're looking at two classic and well-known filmmaking styles this week. Spielberg and Lumet. First up, in this video from StudioBinder, you get a breakdown of what makes Spielberg's work so visually recognizable - which comes down to cinematographer, Janusz Kaminski. This video gets into the lighting, c...