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When I first set out to tell Penelope’s Story, a deeply personal film about the re-birth of a victim of human and sex trafficking, I had a powerful idea, but little understanding of what it would take to bring it to life. This story is so close to my heart, as the spiritual journey of my main protagonist, Penelope, reflects how I was able to overcome mental abuse. What started as a vision slowly transformed into a finished film that has been licensed for Amazon Prime Video and Fawesome TV, an...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? Whether you’ve been writing, filming, editing, or simply dreaming up your next big idea, I’ve got some inspiring content to fuel your passion and keep you moving forward. So grab your coffee, and let’s dive in. First up, I want to share a video essay from Vanity Fair: When the Long Shot Is Actually Clever. You’ve been there, you’re deep into a movie or a series, and suddenly it hits you… the camera hasn’t cut in ages. That’...

So you want to create your own content for social media, what do you need? Your phone. The end. Now that’s probably the shortest blog ever, so I’ll elaborate. Your smartphone is an incredibly powerful tool, and if you have nothing else in your arsenal, your phone can do just about anything. There are three important aspects needed to create good content. You need to be clearly seen, clearly heard, and clearly understood. 1- Be Clearly Seen (Video, Lighting) If you’re an actor, you’ve...

She sat at her large, dark pine desk, wrapped in her brown knit cardigan. Her shoulders were hunched, as usual. Her jaw was tight. “I’m running out of time. I need to maximise my time and do as much as I can. I need to hurry up and write,” she thought. But everything from the neck down felt like a ton of bricks. She felt beyond tired. Beyond depleted. And filled with nothing but dread about the day ahead. A day where she would likely produce nothing at all, or at least nothing she felt remotel...

Welcome back to TALKING BUSINESS: Insights from the Independent Film Industry, hosted by Stage 32 Thought Leader and Business Consultant, David Zannoni, from Freeway Entertainment and Zannoni Media. In TALKING BUSINESS, David brings you in-depth conversations on the behind-the-scenes of the filmmaking business with industry veterans. In today’s seventh episode, David is having a chat with his Freeway colleague Daniel Simonyi, who is Head of Legal for Collection Account Management. Freeway is t...

Hi, Stage 32 Creatives! This month, I want to talk about the impact that Netflix's TV Series “Adolescence” is having all over the entertainment industry, especially on the audiences. The first time I heard about “Adolescence” was because my social media in Portugal was blowing up with people sharing about the series and the pressures of social media on teenagers. Also, people were sharing about the incel emoji culture, and I didn’t understand anything. That made me want to watch the show,...

It’s been a little over one year since the Stage 32 Certification program launched, and it is rapidly transforming the global landscape of film and television training, bridging gaps in education and workforce development for the entertainment industry in ways never seen before. The benefits are being felt by the people being certified and by the production communities that we are working with. As the world’s leading online platform for film and TV professionals, Stage 32 launched this dynami...

The Cannes Film Festival in France is coming up in a few weeks! As you all know, Stage 32 has worked directly with and has had an official presence at the Cannes Film Festival Marche du Film for over a decade. From education initiatives, partnerships, and parties, Stage 32 always has its finger on the pulse of the world's biggest film festival and market. Also, for the last 11 years, Stage 32 has been an official education partner of the Cannes Marché du Film. In addition to our official part...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Let’s kick things off with a huge shoutout to everyone who has already jumped into this month’s Introduce Yourself Weekend. Thousands of creatives from around the world are connecting, sharing their stories, and building relationships that will lead to collaborations, opportunities, and lifelong friendships. If you haven’t yet made your introduction, you’ve still got time! Head over to the Introduce Yourself Lounge and say hello before the weekend wraps. Be bold....

At some point, most filmmakers come across a great idea for a documentary film. It might be an interesting topic or personality, and you just know there is a story that must be told. But similarly to narrative filmmaking, there’s a huge difference between having an idea and being able to carry it into a finished motion picture. We talk about “packaging” in scripted films, attachments, pre-sales, and budgets, but oftentimes overlook the importance of doing the same thing in documentary films....