Financing

An average independent film project deals with a multitude of contracts. Agreements are entered into by the production during all the stages of film’s “life cycle”. In this article we will mention a couple of the most important agreements that the producer should take into consideration during development, production, and distribution. Also, we will look at financing, residual obligations, and agreements which are fundamental to make sure that the film is completed successfully and that rev...

Happy Wednesday Creative Army! As you know, Stage 32's continued mission is to democratize the entertainment business and the industry is taking notice in a big way. We are incredibly proud and honored that Stage 32 has been featured recently in Forbes Magazine, Business Insider, Inc. Magazine, and now we are thrilled to be featured in Benzinga.  Money, money, money, money. Raising financing for films and other creative projects is always a challenge. That’s why we were thrilled that over 26...

I wrote my first book at the age of nine, a pastiche inspired by Ben and Me, a favorite book about Ben Franklin and his sentient mouse companion. I can still recall the joy I had in simply putting words to paper, words that would conjure images in my mind as I wrote them. And that is the way I continue to write today, as if the story were a movie in my head, scenes rewound and replayed as I re-read and tweak them. I once read somewhere that not everyone visualizes what they read, that for some p...

Independent filmmakers: the most important rules of marketing are to start early and keep focused on your target audience and how to monetize those consumers. What is the point of making a movie and no one knowing about it? – Marketing is the key. Marketing is a very important element in the world of film. In fact, studios are marketing machines and focus a great deal of time on marketing. Independent filmmakers should learn from the majors as they truly understand marketing. Although the wo...

Happy Thanksgiving, Creative Army! On behalf of the entire Stage 32 team, I'd like to wish everyone a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. This year, we have welcomed hundreds of thousands of new members to our growing, creative community, and we are beyond honored to provide each and every one of you a safe haven  to connect, be inspired, and come together to make art. We are all extremely grateful for the members of this community and for the incredible relationships and friendships that have blo...

I've worked with a lot of big-name talent, developed movies from best selling books from Stephen King to Ann Rule, and optioned and developed a few Opera Book Club picks including Songs In Ordinary Time, Jewel (won the Humanitas Award), and Midwives. I have worked with and developed projects for Warner Brothers, Sony/Tri-Star/Columbia, Mark Harmon's Wings Productions, and more over the past 30 years of my career. Over the years, I have worked with hundreds of screenwriters in all stages of the...

Happy Wednesday Creative Army! 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 efforts have been noticed by the media in a big way. We are incredibly proud and honored that Sta...

As writers, we sometimes tell ourselves that we will, “get back to writing later “, or “there will be plenty of time to write later". My later lasted twenty-seven years. I love reading and writing, and during my teenage years and into my early twenties, I spent many a day doing both. I wrote short stories about superheroes, medieval duels, animals with telepathy, and treasure hunts in my own neighborhood. My need to write burns like a fire that can’t be extinguished, but it was. Responsibilit...

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, Film Independent recently hosting an Q&A with Jessica Chastain and producer Kelly Carmichael about their new film The Eyes of Tammy Fay. In this exclusive interview, Jessica talks about how she first got the rights to the projects back in 2012, the process of preparing for the role, and more. The...

This is my second blog in a series concerning blockchain and the film industry, if you missed part one you can check it out here.  TRANSPARENCY/SECURITY/DECENTRALIZATION Blockchain is a decentralized ledger in which all the transactions are verified and recorded within an encrypted and fully secure platform. Transparency, security and decentralization are a number of its most important elements.     DECENTRALIZATION The major component of blockchain is through its ability to provide...