Filmmaking

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far and are ready to celebrate the new year? 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 video from Nerdwriter1, you'll compare and contrast two classic films from the holiday season: SHOP AROUND THE CORNER and YOU'VE GOT MAIL. By looking a these films side by side, we can see how filming techniques have evolved over decades. But just...

When it comes to building a voiceover business, there are so many different tools out in the world (and on the Internet). But you really only need about five of them to get started. Everyone everywhere has an opinion on what you need to begin your career as a Voice Actor and how much money you need to spend to be considered a professional in this industry, but I’ve come to learn that most of that information is outdated and not helpful. So here’s my list of the five essential tools you need...

I can see the first sunshine after days of rain so I’ll put off writing this blog. I want to go outside for a walk. But I’m also using a technique that harnesses the power of procrastination to get the blog in my head so I can ruminate on it while walking. The terms ‘rumination’ and ‘procrastination’ come with a lot of baggage. Procrastination is defined as: ‘the action of delaying or postponing something knowing full well the negative outcomes of doing so’. That can cause a lot of anxiety m...

My travels as an author, screenwriter, and feature magazine article writer have allowed me to visit some very exotic places all over the world, and it all started in The Bronx. I attended a Hollywood film school and graduated with honors. I also have a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and I am a Six Sigma Master Black Belt. I guess you could say it was a unique education. But I learned a lot of things that they don’t teach in film school. And I’m still learning. Screenwriting can be a lonely...

Beginning a new relationship can be both exciting and challenging. In the world of filmmaking, we directors initiate many relationships, the most vital and crucial being the ones we have with actors. Director/actor relationships are like none other in life. Their goal is to create believable characters that exist in a fictional world. These relationships are, by design, temporary and short-lived, lasting only for the span of the production. The curious thing is that these director/actor re...

In 2016, I began the crazy notion of directing and writing my feature films. In my first two years, I wrote a book that’s been published that I turned into a movie and I completed 6 feature films. All totally different genres. I met an incredible mentor who supports me in ways I never thought possible. I spoke on a director panel at the Cannes Film Festival and I have won various awards at various film festivals. The reason I’m telling you this is not to brag. It’s because I want to show that...

On behalf of the entire Stage 32 family, I'd like to wish you all a happy, healthy, and loving Christmas and the remainder of the holiday season. While the holidays are a time of celebration, I hope everyone will take a moment to reflect on the many blessings life has offered and afforded all of us. We personally feel blessed to have had so many of you enter and enrich our lives. The Stage 32 community has grown to over 1,000,000 members from around the globe, and we are beyond honored to prov...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? Or too busy enjoying the holidays? I have some content here for you that is sure to get the creative juices and nostalgia flowing, so grab your coffee, and let's dive in. First up, in this video from Audiorama, actor and filmmaker Peter Billingsley relives his time starring as 'Ralphie' in the seasonal favorite, A CHRISTMAS STORY. In this hour-long storytime session, the actor goes through what it was like making the film a...

First of all, let me introduce you to the existence of Independent Film Predators. They are less-than-legitimate indie film distributors that want to distribute your film and unfortunately, there's a bunch of 'em. In fact, I can vouch for their existence personally. 3 OF A KIND, my completed psychological thriller, premiered at the WorldFest Houston International Film Festival. It's a film we literally scraped and clawed financially to get done. We ultimately had to take out personal loans to...

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...