Networking

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...

I love technology. Without it, I'd be unemployable. I'm a software developer, more precisely a back end developer. I write code that ties a front end or what we call the presentation layer to some form of business logic or middle tier, which then in turn saves its data to a data store - also known as a database - though it could be a flat file, xml document, or what not. What does any of this have to do with film making? One of the things that attracted me to screenwriting was the syntax...

I'm one of those people standing on the outside of the film industry circle wondering how to get in. One of my attempts was started on this very site, Stage 32. The concept seemed simple; connect with as many people as humanly possible. Collaborate with writers, collaborate with crew, make a solid film, and enter a film festival... and win. OK so maybe the last part is the tricky bit, but it is important to take something like this step by step. The film festival I had in mind was on...

I'm very grateful to have been asked by Marc Whitehead to be a guest on his terrific podcast, Web Of Intrigue. Marc, his co-host, Peter, and I discussed the origins of Stage 32, the benefits of membership, and what the future holds for the network. I hope you enjoy it. As always, feel free to ask questions or leave remarks in the comments section below! -- RB Marc and Peter welcome Richard Botto, CEO and co-founder of film, TV and theatre social network site stage32.com. Richard explains...

The Key to Genuine Networking: Introductions Networking. This can be the bane of most actors’ existence. I know it used to be for me. But building relationships is really what this business is all about. I spent a lot of time wanting people to “like” me, but too afraid to let my guard down and be myself … just in case they didn’t. Rather than actually building relationships, I was succumbing to my own ego and fears. What I wasn’t doing was placing my focus on the other person and creating a...