Filmmaking

Welcome back to TALKING BUSINESS: Insights from the Independent Film Industry, hosted by Stage 32 Thought Leader and Business Consultant, David Zannoni, from Freeway Entertainment and Zannoni Media. In TALKING BUSINESS, David brings you in-depth conversations on the behind-the-scenes of the filmmaking business with industry veterans. In today’s second episode, David speaks with Viviana Zarragoitia. Viviana is the SVP of Film & TV Financing at Three Point Capital, as well as a Stage 32 Thought...

Hi, Stage 32ers! While you may have missed out on getting to attend Cannes in person, you certainly won’t miss out on the incredible insights that were shared there! At this year’s Cannes 2023, Stage 32 hosted an expert panel to gain insights into the current market trends, As the rise of streaming services continues to impact traditional theatrical distribution deals, the art of packaging films has undergone a significant transformation. Nowadays, what makes a package attractive has evolv...

Hey, Stage 32 Community! Over the years, Stage 32 has been a lot of different things to different people. It’s been a community, a network, a family, a mission, a call to action, an opportunity, a refuge, a school, a mentorship, a marketplace, and so much more. This week, in celebration of Stage 32’s recent 1 Million Member Milestone, we’d love for you all to share your answer to the question, “What does Stage 32 mean to you?” All you need to do is upload a short video to your external socia...

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, showing the power of a united force in this industry, SAG-AFTRA Presi...

It’s true that the writing sample is the most important part of any query letter. However, you need to spend some time making sure that the query letter is solid as well. First impressions matter, and you can rub agents the wrong way if your query letter isn’t up to snuff. Here are the 10 biggest mistakes screenwriters make when querying. 1. Using A Generic Greeting If you are submitting a query letter, address the agent properly by name in your greeting. It’s unprofessional to use a...

My name is James Kicklighter, and I am a Stage 32 Thought Leader and a multi-award-winning Film Director and Producer. I have been fortunate to direct documentaries (The Sound of Identity), narrative films (Angel of Anywhere), and advertising across the country and around the world.   For the first time in my career, I am now working with representation! I'm managed by RAIN through a connection that I made at a Stage 32 in-person meetup, and my latest film, The American Question, is represente...

Hi, Stage 32ers! While you may have missed out on getting to attend Cannes in person, you certainly won’t miss out on the incredible insights that were shared there! At this year’s Cannes 2023, Stage 32 hosted a fantastic expert panel exploring the importance of representation, equity, and inclusion in film and television production. As well as, the impact of diverse storytelling on audiences, industry trends, and the business of filmmaking. Moderated by Martin I. Petrov (Festival Direc...

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, we're looking at conversations on screen. These are some of the most challenging scenes to write, shoot, and edit in a way that's interesting. In this video from Cutting Concepts, they take a look at one of the best conversations in cinema with the opening scene of THE SOCIAL NETWORK, and how e...

I got my first internship in the animation business in 1998 and was hired full time as a production assistant for Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1999. I have worked relatively steadily in the animation industry ever since. One question I am often asked is, “How can I break into the animation industry?” Well, I’m not going to sugar coat it and say, “Just follow these simple steps, and you too can be living the dream in the magical world of animation!” The truth is, just like any endeavor, there...

Hi, Stage 32ers! While you may have missed out on getting to attend the Cannes Film Festival in person, you certainly won’t miss out on the incredible insights that were shared there! Stage 32 was proud to present 6 panels at the Cannes Marche du Film, which we will be sharing with you on the Stage 32 blog in the coming weeks. At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, I had the distinct honor of joining Sami Apra, CEO of Largo Film (Switzerland) and Christopher Morrison, Founder of Reality + fo...