Networking

Part of what makes our Stage 32 network so inspiring is the overwhelming sense of community.  There are any number of metrics that we can point at to support this claim - a record number of threads and posts almost daily, for example - but one that truly stands out is the increase in Stage 32 Meetups occurring across the globe.   Below are some pictures of recent Stage 32 Meetups where members of this terrific community took their networking to the streets.  We're happy and proud to report...

When I was asked to write a blog for Stage 32 I was extremely honored, but worried that I, as a writer/actor, would have NOTHING to say. Nothing that hasn’t been said before. Nothing unique, fresh or original, but I remembered that so much of what I teach to actors is: WALK THROUGH THE DOOR! My entire career has been based on the “YES” principle. Yes, I’ll take that role, yes, I’ll commit to the path, yes, I’ll write the blog. Yes, Yes, YES. Actress Ruth Gordon got booted out of The Acad...

INT. ANDY’S HOUSE – MORNING. CAPTION: Saturday 19th April 7:00am. I picked up the final item - the camera bag and drove down to the cricket club field. The sky was part cloudy. It looked like it might be a good day. Once at the pavilion I unpacked the essentials. The batteries in the biscuit tin were replaced with biscuits. By 8:30am all the crew were there and things were looking busy. The first scene’s details were written onto the clapperboard. The actors appeared around 9:00a...

FADE IN: INT. ANDY’S HOUSE – MORNING. CAPTION: Saturday 19th April 6:30am. It’s all a bit messy… I’ve never had quite so much stuff in such an assortment of bags as when Saturday the 19th of April 2014 rolled around. The GoPro, Nikon D610 and lenses were in there somewhere, along with their various memory cards.  I was putting spare batteries into a biscuit tin when I realized… things were getting out of hand. All this because I was about to cut my teeth directing a short fil...

Before getting into some new feature adds and tips to improve your networking here on Stage 32, my heartfelt congratulations to screenwriter PJ McIlvaine and literary agent Babz Bitela.  After connecting here on Stage 32, Babz signed Pj over the weekend off the strength of her script, Heaven Sent.  You can read more about how the connection was made here. I’ve known Babz for a couple of years now.  She’s a tireless worker, a lover of good writing, and simply one of the kindest, most...

When the first draft of my first screenplay was complete, I contacted a screenwriting teacher to read it and give me notes (let's call him "Joe"). At our first meeting, he gave me some advice..."Don't give it to family or friends to read." Oh crap! I had already sent it to my mom, aunt, cousin, and every friend who agreed to read it. I smiled politely at Joe; I sure as hell wasn't going to tell him I already screwed up on the first rule. Apparently my smile wasn't hiding the puzzled look in my e...

BEIJING Living in Beijing for over five years now has opened my eyes to the possibilities available for foreigners like me who are trying to make their mark in the Chinese film and television industry, and believe me, it's big and boiling hot. When I first arrived here I was approached by a leading film and TV production company, Taihu Media, about becoming involved in making a movie from a creative aspect that would suit a foreign audience. Unfortunately, I was a rookie in the way of do...

The hardest part of being an actor other than learning the lines of King Lear, outside of, you know, landing the part of King Lear, is working. Actually working. You know, the type of work where you get paid to do a funny voice whilst wearing a silly hat, not forgetting to be truthful and grounded all at the same time. Now don't you dare cheat the term "Acting Work". Serving 8.5 soy lattes an hour at Starbucks or serving super sized Pizza/Dog/Burgers at Pizza/Dog/Burgers Hut does not count as ac...

As an actor for the last 50 years, I've decided to talk to my Stage 32 family about deciding. Today I decided to open a blank Word document and write some stuff for this article. Next to me is the cup of coffee I decided to brew and sip. Yum. In show business, and particularly the movie business, I see the decisions people make all day long. Today I begin shooting a new film, because the writer/director decided to help out his DP friend with a small script in order to test a new camera from a ma...

On my social media rounds this morning, I read a quote by Alfred Hitchcock: "In feature films the director is God; in documentary films God is the director." Certainly I don't fancy myself as a god -- if I were I would be using a RED camera instead of a Canon 60D -- however I do feel responsible for the worlds I decide to build and the characters I create. A little background before I return to Hitchcock and the divine attributes of filmmakers. Since I was but a wee lad, I have been a movie addi...