Financing

In an effort to outwit, out-win, and outshine up and coming streaming competitors, Netflix announced last week that the entity is prepared to pay upwards of $12 billion dollars in licensing and producing content in 2019.   Even with this announcement, some studio partners holding licensing agreements with Netflix (like WarnerMedia sharing Friends) haven't pulled away from the media giant. This may go against WarnerMedia's strategy to bring owned content ‘in-house’ in an effort to make it...

Happy Sunday to all. Also. hope you're enjoying and participating in the first Introduce Yourself Weekend of 2019.  Lay the groundwork toward connections that matter! Let's get to the coffee and content... Storytelling, either on the page or in the room, is an art. What makes a good story? Can it be distilled down in a manageable and comprehensive way? Story Greenlight gave it a run and the result is our first video for today, 3 Easy Tips for GREAT Storytelling. Next, I had the pleasure of...

A lot of effort goes into making a film, so when you’re filming on a low to no budget, seeing your film through to completion is on you. This past year I learned the importance of compassion (for yourself) and the need for creating a realistic schedule. It is relatively easy to see film projects pile up on your hard drive. If you love writing scripts or being on set, the focus can end up being on shooting the film. When you don’t have a set deadline for the edit, it’s easy to get started on pr...

You know all those things that filmmakers, screenwriters, and actors bemoan about here on Stage 32? Can’t raise the finances to make a movie. Can’t get distribution. Can’t get a break. 'Getting Grace', a film starting Daniel Roebuck, on a film scroll in a movie theater. Well, I know a guy who would disagree with you and is proving anything is possible. And not just any guy, but the man who played the second lead of Cliff Lewis on Matlock, Dr. Leslie Arzt on LOST, movies like The Fugitive,...

"...filmmakers with dreams of Sundance should not view the network of festival programmers, nonprofit talent developers, producers, and yes, filmmakers (no recommendations mean more) as a hurdle. In reality, their tentacles spread far and deep searching for talent." It's hard to read the above excerpt and think that it can possibly be true. Of course getting into Sundance offers a series of hurdles. You have to have clout, right? Sure you do. But how do you measure it? And what does it all m...

“Don't ever let someone tell you, you can't do something. Not even me. You got a dream, you got to protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they want to tell you you can’t do it. You want something, go get it. Period.” --The Pursuit of Happyness   Will Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness   For many of us, the excitement surrounding the possibility of being in film, or making a film, ends up being tempered by the waiting, the repeated “traction” that falls through (and the ensuing...

You need greenbacks.Cash.Money. Just a bit more to help you get your production off the ground. Our friends at No Film School compiled a list of grants you just may qualify for. Most of them are for documentaries, but keep digging. You just might find what you need. For the Full List Click Here: A Massive List of Winter 2019 Grants All Filmmakers Should Know About   Like this blog post? Please share it on social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, email etc) by using social media...

Everyday we learn about new streaming platforms that offer viewers more options. Less than 48 hours ago, Variety published an article highlighting the WarnerMedia Streaming Platform as the next streaming service to rear it's head. If all goes well, the virtual doors will be open by the end of 2019. After AT&T acquired Time Warner, it took on the company's hefty debt as well. A large portion of that debt will need to paid down, first. We're sharing the full Variety article below. But for...

It seems like the movie business is open for just about any entity to hop on board and offer services for the filmmaker. Even Walmart is rumored to be boarding the movie streaming train. But when Apple signed a deal with A24 to amp up its intention to offer original content to viewers, lots of filmmakers stopped in their tracks to listen.   A24 is a distribution, financing, development and production company whose prestige credits include 2017’s Best Picture Oscar winner Moonlight. Per th...

Most filmmakers, creatives, and writers involved in the filmmaking industry don't take the time to sit down and write out a thorough business plan. It's a harsh truth that could cause issues. From creating an outline showing how money will be allocated to make the film, to building out what it takes to pay your team, distribution costs, marketing, and every other line item that needs to be considered, business plans are often overlooked for various reasons, including the fact that they can som...