Filmmaking

A few years back, there was a lively debate right here on Stage 32 about whether short films could make money, then shifted to if there they were even worthwhile... Actually, it's not a matter of debate or opinion; it's an etched-in-stone fact that short films can make money. I've had three short films make money. There are countless other examples of shorts that made money, quite a bit of money actually, like the short by Peter Sollet 5 Feet High & Rising, which became Raising Victor Vargas....

I’ve always liked challenges while creating stories. In my children's book, TONY'S BUTTERFLIES, I was challenged to create a book about the sensitive subject of death while keeping it kid friendly. After that book, I wanted to tackle the subject of mental health since it’s a personal subject for me. The challenge of trying to tell a story about mental health in a three-and-a-half-minute short seemed like a difficult story that would be fun to create. So I chose the next project: THE HAPPY STATUE...

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. After looking at pre-production last week, it seemed fitting to take the opposite approach and go into post-production. The editing of a project can be a make or break. Editors are just as much creatives and writers as everyone else involved in your project, but you can't get to the creative part of post...

Every year, I do an end-of-the-year creative review while preparing to set my goals for the new year. It’s helpful for me to do a deep dive into my process, into my productivity, and into the areas where I am most excited to improve. I’ve talked about my year-end review process on the blog before (you can check out that post here if you’re interested in more detail). Today I want to talk about a topic connected to the year-end review that’s very near and dear to my heart: measuring success....

A high school visit with my mother to Spelman College, a Historically Black College (HBCU) and part of the Atlanta University Center (AUC), was what brought me to Atlanta, Georgia, for the first time. We flew in from my hometown of Philadelphia, aka the “City of Brotherly Love,” and immediately realized we had left the old world behind. Is that a SUBWAY… in the AIRPORT? Are you kidding me?? This is awesome! I felt like an extra on Battlestar Galactica or Logan’s Run (look it up.) The campus was...

There is no shortage of "success stories" here on Stage 32. And today, we've got a great one for our fearless leader and Stage 32 CEO, Richard "RB" Botto, who has been nominated for Shaker of the Year 2022, as part of the Movers & Shaker Awards at FOCUS in London, UK. RB is nominated for his contribution to the long-lasting impact on the global entertainment industry. RB joins fellow forward-thinking nominees Leo Anna Thomas (6ft from the Spotlight); Co. Production Team, Factor 42, EE, Supergl...

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. I know many of you just finished November Write Club and are asking yourself, "what's the next goal?" Should you move on to the next script? Get feedback and submit your project to contests? Sure! But have you thought about the possibility of producing your film yourself? To see if this is doable, you'll...

My love of wildlife and filmmaking began as a small child watching my father's homemade wildlife documentaries of Africa in the attic cinema of our London home. Neither of us could have imagined then that many decades later, indeed 17 years after my father left this mortal coil, my own wildlife documentaries would not only win awards all over the world, but they would be instrumental in helping to pass historic legislation in the United Kingdom that would mark the beginning of the end for the he...

Stage 32’s nearly million members are worldwide, so we couldn’t be more thrilled to announce that Stage 32 is now the Official Education Partner of the UK’s international trade event, FOCUS. FOCUS is the only UK trade event where nearly 3,000 attendees can meet with content makers and facilitators from over 100 countries, attracting thousands of production professionals from across the creative screen industries – including film, TV, advertising, animation, and gaming. FOCUS offers filming...

You may have heard Kipling’s refrain, “East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet!” but perhaps you are unaware of how he concludes his "Ballad of East and West"? In that conclusion, Kipling flips his opening thought on its head and leaves us with the idea of a borderless world of universal values, heroic acts, and emotions. I am often reminded of the entrenchment of the first two lines when I look at Bollywood cinema versus Western cinema, but I have reason to believe that a c...