Filmmaking

As we head into the last two months of the year, you might feel the pressure of trying to complete those 2022 goals before the year runs out. Sometimes the pressure is good: in fact, I’d argue that this is at least part of the reason why NaNoWriMo and Stage 32's November Write Club are such popular challenges. It’s not unlike signing up for a 5K race to give yourself a deadline for starting those healthy habits you’ve committed to building. But sometimes, the pressure of a deadline can cause Res...

We had two buildings when I started working at Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1999. There was the Northside building up near the Burbank Airport and the Southside building across the street from the lot off the 134 Freeway. It's commonly referred to as the "Hat Building" because of the giant iconic wizard's hat from The Sorcerer's Apprentice on the west end. The original Disney Animation building still stands in the middle of the Disney lot, but now it's mainly production offices. It has a lon...

Some folks say making a movie is like a marmite; you either love it or hate it. The desire to get into filmmaking started a long time before I made my first short docu-drama HUSH in 2003, which got screened at Cannes Film Festival and picked up an award at the UK's BFM International Film Festival. As a child, I was a lover of films and stayed up till the early morning hours, staring at my dad's action movies, watching the works of Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, and Clint Eastwood on the VHS play...

“Sellout!” It may only be seven letters, but the criticism is arguably the worst a creative can receive. The fear of becoming one has haunted artists for some time. Defined as “a person who compromises his or her personal values, integrity, talent, or the like, for money or personal advancement,” some argue that it even plagued Shakespeare. What’s interesting is that it’s an egregious insult lobbed at the creative industries disproportionately more than any other. Few of us would accuse a...

I'm thrilled to announce today the World of Film International Festival in Glasgow, Scotland, has teamed up with Stage 32 as the Official Education Partner. The festival has just begun and goes through November 6th, featuring projects from all over the world. The creators featured in this festival truly embody the collaborative and global ideals that we live by here at Stage 32. Nowhere can you see this better than with NYC-based filmmaker, writer, and producer Stefano Da Frè, who will be at...

Hey Stage 32ers! We have a fantastic industry creative here, Ryan Little, to share with you just a few of the tips he wishes he'd known when he was first starting out as a director.  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 fe...

FOLLOW @STAGE32 & @STAGE32SCRIPTS ON INSTAGRAM TO WATCH SAM MANNETTI, GIGI RAINES, & KAY ROSS GIVE AWAY HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS OF PRIZES LIVE EVERY FRIDAY IN NOVEMBER AT 10AM PST / 1PM EST! All of the inspiration & support that you need to crush your creative goals this month! Stage 32 is rooting for you! Stage 32’s biggest and most feel-good challenge of the year is BACK! Our 8TH Annual November Write Club is here to help you find the power to finish this year stronger than you knew possibl...

When and where does one decide to make their first movie? In my case, it was a decision made two months ago, on September 2022. Clearly, the most obvious place to make the project (a short about a New Cinema) is the city of Los Angeles. After this decision, I told myself, So far, so good. I've got it made. I've got a lot going for me! You see, for one thing, there was Stage 32. Since joining the community four months ago, I had made productive and unique connections and written a blog abou...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! I've got my coffee in hand and your weekly dose of content coming in hot - grab your coffee of choice, and let's dive right in. I have been having a fantastic time here at the Austin Film Festival, especially this weekend at our 9th Annual Rooftop Bash, where I met with hundreds of our Stage 32 members (both new and long-time members). The conversations I've been having with executives on how high demand is for great material and the stories from creatives here a...

Here at Stage 32, we love celebrating every member of our community's "wins," both big and small. And today, we've got a very big win for our fearless leader and Stage 32 CEO, Richard "RB" Botto, who has been named a Film Industry Innovator at the American Film Market. RB joins fellow Innovators Jeff Annison (Co-Founder & President, Legion M), Lindsey Ramey (Head of Global Film, Wattpad WEBTOON Studios), and Alex Ferrari (Founder, Indie Film Hustle) for a panel at AFM on November 3rd. RB and A...