Producing

Back in 2006, a buddy of mine had an idea. He loved horror movies, he knew someone with a camera, and he had been writing horror-themed stories since he was a teenager. He’d also been acting in theater productions around the region, and figured he could get a few people together for a weekend here and there. And that’s exactly what he did. He turned one of his stories into a script. He pulled a few folks together. He started filming. Many people do this sort of home-grown filming now, but a...

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, Apurture shares how to nail cinematic film lighting in your next project. They talking using key lights, shadows, camera placement, color contrast, and fill lights to make your subject beautifully cinematic. You will see examples from commercials and films like Atomic Blonde, The Social Network,...

Black Creek originated as a writing exercise during quarantine. Now, it’s an independent TV pilot with network actors, Sundance Fellows, and a cutting-edge health and safety solutions company attached. Michael Goitanich and Connor Pannell, the Canadian/American co-production duo behind Black Creek, discuss what they learned throughout production, virtual post-production, and their plans for distribution. This article focuses on what we learned during production, to learn how we handled pre-pro...

As you may recall back in February, long-time Stage 32 member, blog contributor, webinar teacher, and international film & distribution aficionado, David Zannoni began a series of blogs and vlogs to keep you up-to-date on the business of film across the globe. Today, David is sharing some amazing insights into the world of international co-productions in his exclusive Stage 32 vlog. David will answer the following questions:  What is an International Co-Production? What are the benefits...

One of the things I’ve noticed as I’ve created books and scripts is that no matter what the project is or what your role in the project is, you leave a piece of yourself in everything. We can’t help it. Any undertaking leaves a piece of us, a signature of sorts. With filmmaking, projects come and go and sometimes, you have to walk away. Sometimes, it’s before the project sees the light of day. And to be honest, that’s when it can be the hardest. Today, I’m going to share my experience and...

Good morning Stage 32 Creative Crew! I hope you had a fulfilling weekend and carved out some time to introduce yourself to the Stage 32 community during “Introduce Yourself Weekend” while enjoying the remaining days of summer. If you did not get a chance to say “Hello” yet, there is still time! Can you believe in this whirlwind year, we have blazed right through summer and it has been incredibly busy for members of our Stage 32 community, even while the industry is going through a disrupting per...

Happy Sunday Creative Army! First of all, congratulations to all of you who have already participated in our monthly Introduce Yourself Weekend! Thousands of connections have been made between entertainment creatives and professionals from every corner of the globe. Whether you are a long-time member, or brand new to Stage 32, take a moment to pop over to the Introduce Yourself Lounge and say hello before the end of the weekend. Now, grab some fresh coffee and let's dive in to this week's fres...

Happy Saturday Stage 32! Since March, we have all been adjusting to the "new normal" of social distancing, Zoom meetings, and finally learning how to bake bread. While production rules continue to come into focus around the world, the development side of entertainment has been nonstop. Hollywood has hunkered down in their home offices and producers, agents, actors, and development executives have been reading/optioning more projects than ever (so much free time not having to commute in LA traf...

Hello Stage 32 Creative Crew! I come before you today with some exciting news. The Stage 32 Writers’ Room has just surpassed a milestone achievement - 100 webcasts! For the last year and a half it has been my honor to act as the humble host, guiding webcasts that include script and screenwriting breakdowns, virtual pitch sessions to industry professionals, one-on-one conversations with some of the biggest names in the business, and writing exercises that challenge our imaginations and sharpen...

Hey, Stage 32-ers! It's been said that this business is a marathon, not a sprint. Nothing quite highlights the need to reserve your energy like a pandemic, but sometimes keeping occupied during downtime is the best way is to step back and absorb. You may not know this, but I first signed up for Stage 32's Writer's Room about a year ago because they hosted weekly webinars every Wednesday at 4pm PST. Jason Mirch has fostered a fantastic group of dedicated writers with these webinars, and we just...