Screenwriting

While most emerging writers who do their research and keep a level head come to screenwriting with a clear understanding of how the industry works, it does happen that a new writer will arrive on the scene, with his or her mistrust put broadly - if not proudly - on display. After all, there have been stories (rare but memorable) of screenplays being stolen (as well as story credit and payment being withheld and consequently and successfully sued for), screenwriters seeing their original idea sud...

The June 2016 On Stage With RB was one for the record books! RB spent 3 hours with the Stage 32 community and had on 2 special guests, first up was Development Executive Tiegen Kosiak (formerly of Zoe Saldana's production company, CineStar Pictures). The second special guest was Zahida Kazar, an Operations Coordinator with independent film distributor, Gravitas Ventures. Click Here to Watch It Now! Then RB launched into an epic Q&A session covering the topics below: Is it smarter to...

I recently had the opportunity to find out exactly what producers and executives are looking for during a Pitch. Erik over at Stage 32 was kind enough to shed light on the do’s and don’ts and what you can do to better your chances of getting a yes over a no. If you haven’t heard of Stage 32 (click here) then be sure to check out their amazing pitching opportunities they offer writers all over the world. Stage 32 is an incredibly helpful and supportive community that many of our Bang2Write m...

Hey guys. One of the things I love most about overseeing Stage 32's Next Level Education is getting to find some really great instructors for you.  This week is no exception. I've brought in: Holly Brown, a producer's who's film THE FOUNDER starring Michael Keaton which will be released by The Weinstein Company this year to teach you How To Make Your Film Slate Work For You. Steve Desmond, a prolific filmmaker and writers who's worked with Disney, Dreamworks, Level 1 Entertainment (and...

We've gotten a lot of questions about our successes and there have been plenty of discussions in the screenwriting lounge about what they mean and where the requested writers eventually end up. Maybe you've been checking out our pitch sessions and made your way over to our success stories page. You'll see listing after listing of one person getting a meeting here, another there... what does this mean? What are they getting out of the meetings? What qualifies as a success? What Is Success? A...

Making films wasn’t my first thought on what I wanted to do with my life. An artist, sure, but what kind I had no idea. I floundered around up in Santa Barbara for a decade trying to figure this out. After surviving Isla Vista I found myself downtown taking every art course offered at City College. I took about 12 pages worth when I found myself getting a DJ job at a local radio station. One day it clicked, I love sound, all sounds, pictures also, drawn or photographed. I should think about goin...

Many mediamakers know they need a lawyer out the gate and yet initially they are often fearful of employing a lawyer as they fear they can't afford it. That is why I am frequently asked: "When should a mediamaker engage an entertainment attorney?" As a general rule, this should be done when the client is entering into a contractual relationship with another person or entity, such as two co-producers, two writing collaborators, a producer and a writer, a producer and a director, etc. It is a so...

I can’t believe I graduated college two years ago, it feels like it’s been forever. I’ve spent the bulk of my two years applying to different gigs, sending out pitches, entering competitions, and trying to make some money in the film industry (not retail). When I was applying to gigs, I began wondering what’s the right rate to charge with my experience on set. How much should I sell a script for? What should I charge a client to write a script? I had so many questions that I wished my colleagu...

Recently I had the great pleasure to interview writer and director Leena Yadav by phone. In our no holds barred conversation, we covered not only the challenging themes of this film, including conditioning and gender roles, patriarchy, and abuse, but also the challenges of raising money (just over 2.5 million) for this -- as Yadav stated, -- “absolutely independent” film. Thought-provoking and honest, ‘Parched’ tackles these tough and timely topics unapologetically. The cinematography (shot b...

Hey Everyone! Today we have a GREAT interview with our CEO, RB, with Forest Day Jr, from the video podcast, Rolling Tape. Whether you are new to the site or if you've been with us forever, you will really enjoy watching RB talk about Stage 32, what the site means to him and how it can benefit members. You can view the podcast below... RB explains what Stage 32 is all about and how he came up with the idea, as well as the importance of regular connecting and networking. RB gives examples...