Filmmaking

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, we have a great video from Film Courage on making a short film, and h...

I am a Distributor turned Filmmaker. I have a finance degree and a law degree and I spent the first 22 years of my film career in Distribution. Then I got the bug to become creative. I have since made and successfully self-distributed 7 feature films, 3 of which are presently airing on Netflix worldwide. I help hundreds of indie filmmakers and the initial conversation usually goes like this: Jeff to Filmmaker: “You need to think about distribution BEFORE you make your movie because it could...

About twenty years ago, the Zoie Films Festival launched one of the first online film festivals to showcase films, animations, and documentaries from around the world. The films were streamed online and soon after, Zoie Films was streaming films and animations via cell phones. Pssst.. this was before smartphones and flip phones were the choice of most consumers. Naturally, the streaming was wonky. The future is here and it’s all about VOICE, as in “hands-free, voice-activated, and data-driven”...

Hey Stage 32ers! We have a fantastic industry creative here, Ryan Little, to share with you the top three things you need to land financing for your film. As always, we want to make sure that our ever-growing Stage 32 community has access to as many valuable resources as possible through the blog, and that's just what Ryan has brought us today! Ryan Little is a director, producer, and cinematographer with over 20 years of experience in the industry. His first feature, SAINTS AND SOLDIERS,...

Romantic Comedies are officially back! Rom Coms are quickly becoming the hottest genre on streaming, and bouncing back in the theaters. Netflix and Hulu have been capitalizing on the rom com fever with hit projects like TO ALL THE BOYS I'VE LOVE BEFORE, YOUR PLACE OR MINE and WEDDING SEASON. TICKET TO PARADISE hit theaters earlier this year to resounding success. Television has quickly followed suit with shows like EMILY IN PARIS and SEX EDUCATION blowing up on social media. Stage 32 won't let y...

Documentaries have been produced since 1922. They were always considered the educational part of moviemaking; not entertainment. That has all changed. We are in the Golden Age of Documentaries. Prominent directors are using the documentary format to tell their stories. My documentary Homecoming: Veterans, Wives, Mothers was up for a Daytime Emmy in 2021. I need to say this format is one I use when I think a topic merits the documentary style. Most of my work is producing and directing Emmy-nom...

Hello Creative Army! Read any of the trades right now and our industry is in a rapid state of change. The entire Stage 32 team is on the phone every day to keep their fingers on the pulse of what's happening. It's an exciting time for you as a content creator - whether you work in film, television, or digital - and it's equally exciting for content makers because the world has opened wide to international voices traveling beyond borders. We are seeing more and more diverse and international...

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 getting inspired with this video from British Vogue, interviewing tons of household name actors on how they view the industry and their careers. I think one of the most important questions asked was when the person felt they had "made it." For many of them, they never feel like they have,...

I honestly believe the path to success is driven simply by action. It doesn’t matter how amazing/terrible you might be at something, without action, you won't experience any growth and you won't progress toward your goals. Your dreams will never be realized and you’ll go through life always wondering what could’ve been. It’s not enough to want something in this life. Nobody is going to give you anything, you have to be willing to fight for it and you have to do so through action. Ideas are a d...

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 one of the most challenging elements of storytelling that screenwriters and filmmakers face: theme. This intangible piece is the heart of any story, bleeding into the plot, the character's emotional arc, and the visual choices creatives make. In this video from StudioBinder, th...