Filmmaking

Through the struggle on the way towards the goal. Why some plans could end broken but “the Dream” must keep pulsating. I’m happy to be asked by Stage 32 to write another article, trying to share something good and offering the opportunity to recognize, together, our common humanity and vulnerability as filmmakers. And maybe as human beings. Rather than pretending to be an expert in anything, or introducing myself in a way that doesn’t interest anybody in here, it’s important for me to let yo...

Have you ever felt stuck? Or wondered why you can't progress in certain areas of your life? Why do things you want desperately elude you? The answers to these questions might be hidden in your writing. Manifesting Manifesting is all about sending out and receiving. But...as I have, you might have wondered why some things aren't coming to you. Things you want so dearly. How You Affirm Matters One reason for it not working, might be down to how you are transmitting. If you send out: I W...

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...

I’m always eager to find helpful insights for navigating life. Stoicism has been experiencing a resurgence of late, thanks in part to books like A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy and to Ryan Holiday, whose books and Daily Stoic emails have made the ancient precepts relevant for contemporary thinkers. Stoicism is a philosophy about finding happiness in the “now” moment. It’s about controlling your emotions and the thoughts you think to maximize your life experience. It’s a...

At Stage 32, we’re always trying to find new ways to help our writers grow, learn and find success. That’s why we decided to create the Stage 32 Feature Screenwriting Fellowship Contest. This is a completely different type of contest than the ones we’ve hosted in the past, and we’re so excited to bring you this amazing opportunity. Stage 32 is proud to present our Feature Screenwriting Fellowship Competition 2022/2023! Click here to learn more This competition won’t have only one winner -...

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. First up, In Depth Cine has an informative video about how to shoot a scene using only one camera. This video covers the different benefits of shooting single cam vs multi-cam, how to shoot a scene with only one camera, and much more.  Next up, Aputure shares an awesome video where cinematographer Valentina Vee re-makes one of her short...

Don't ever give up... That's it... Blog done. Okay, so you want to know where that comes from... Well, I started writing my screenplay a few years ago. It's called The Postcard and it is based on the true story of my Great Grandparents. I have wanted to tell this story since my Father told me all about it when I was 11 years old. I've written poems and songs about it, I've tried writing it as a novel over the years, but for some reason, I just could not keep it going and totally gave up....

I had contributed articles for TVWriter.com for several years from 2015-2017. I had written a television script called Turbulence project in 2013. I entered it into Larry Brody’s People’s Pilot. It did well the first time winding up somewhere in the middle of the scripts submissions. The second time, it received Semi-Finalist status based on the very readers favorable ratings. At one point, Larry suggested that I turn it into a novel. I discounted the idea at first. After all, I was a screenwri...

So you made a movie. You even have an offer from a sales agent to sell it worldwide. You are excited.Your film is selling in Cannes!It’s selling at the American Film Market!It’s screening at Berlinale!You're having viewing parties with friends and family, showing off the brochure or the listing of your movie in the Trades. You dream about the new movie you will make or the house you'll buy with the profits from the first one, and you're sure there will be so many dollars coming your way from the...

What started it all was the 2016 election. I was at the Napa Valley Film Festival showing my documentary The Lost City of Cecil B DeMille and I remember sitting in my hotel room watching the results come in and being devastated. While in Napa, it dawned on me that I had worked on many other people’s films and it was almost two decades since I had made a film of my own. I’d spent much of this time trying to get one particular project made and was not successful. It felt like I was running out...