Filmmaking

Before lockdown, it seemed easier to break into Film and TV. Once in, it seemed easier to get your next job. You just had to be a hard-working and dependable human pinball. But in this post-pandemic WFH world, how can you be a human pinball, creating and networking and getting your work in front of as many people as you can, when there are no other people around you, for you to bounce off? It was easy to be a pinball when I was starting out. My first job was as a production assistant on PBS...

I’m always amazed at who you can come across on Stage 32. Our global community is so vast that there’s no chance of knowing who’s who, unless you take the plunge and start connecting with people you meet whilst sharing comments in the various Lounges or the Blog. Phil Hardy and I had just published our latest article “How Can You Sell Your Screenplay To A Studio" and I noticed a comment from Michael A. Levine. Michael, by the way, is an award-winning composer. He has not only composed some gre...

There are multiple financial transactions on an independent film project, to finance, produce, and distribute the film. An example can be an investor that pays money to the production, to invest in a film, with the aim to earn the investment back and receive a return on investment and share in the film’s profits, if any. Another potential scenario is an international co-production. The co-producers from different countries jointly produce a film and each of the co-producers provides a financ...

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. It's Oscar weekend so there has been a pile of great content coming up online, and one of the best pieces came from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert's interview with Steven Spielberg and John Williams. They've been collaborating for decades and it shows in their interactions. Williams has created numer...

Last year, Stage 32 was kind enough to publish several blog posts, in which I described my career path, going from an unknown writer in a small country to now being able to have a career in filmmaking. And Stage 32 did what it does best - it sparked connections. A producer based in LA noticed a few of my blog posts, and then noticed my insight on a topic. He decided to get in touch via Stage 32, asking what I was working on. And then, magic happened. Within a month, I had a meeting with...

Indian Cinema, often loosely defined as ‘Bollywood,’ has much more to it than meets the eye. The films in India are produced in over 20 languages and an equal number of dialects. However, the mainstream cinema of Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu languages is generally considered financially viable and offers great opportunities. This millennium has seen Indian Feature Films and even web series reaching foreign shores. We began this experiment when we took Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Devdas and its st...

Now that you are deep into your journey in the tv and film business, you can find yourself in a web of the constant need to go, go, go, do, do, and prove, prove, prove. Take a pause. Big success is bound to follow if you never lose your passion and drive for which you started with. By doing so, it’s ok to pause and acknowledge the smaller accomplishments. The truth is the pursuit of the big picture can come with a load of stress. It’s important to find the balance in creating by celebrating. T...

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 talk a lot in the lounges about art versus the business of film and television, and there is a balance to it. If you caught my recent AMA, I talked about the importance of keeping up with the news in the trades, but also the importance of honing your craft. In the first video, Film Courage interviews...

Happy Wednesday, Stage 32 Community!   Since 2011, the Stage 32 team has been working tirelessly to help you stay connected, creative, motivated, and informed. As always, we are committed to bringing you networking opportunities, education and mentoring from top-level industry executives and professionals, and access to decision-makers around the globe all from the comfort of your own home. Recently, our fearless leader and CEO Richard "RB" Botto hosted an "Ask Me Anything": State of the Indus...

You've made a short film. You've put in your time, effort, blood, sweat, tears, and perhaps even some serious money into your project. Your goal isn't only to get your film seen but to get it seen around the world and by people who can make a difference in your career. Would being screened by an Oscar-qualifying film festival matter? How about having it screened for over 1,000 executives including managers, agents, producers, film financiers, and more? Look no further. The most prestigious sho...