Welcome to the weekend, everyone.
No long opening this week due to time constraints, but rest assured this edition of the Weekend Blog is loaded with all the usual news, videos, tips, discussions, meetups, success stories, educational offerings, Stage 32 news and more that you’ve come to expect.
And, as always, I welcome remarks and conversation on any of the content below in the Comments section!
Enjoy, and have a terrific and creative weekend!
RB
How a Stage32 Webinar Brought Me Unexpected Success – A few weeks ago Nick Savides enrolled in a Stage32 webinar entitled, “Is There A Market For Your Short Film? Distribution, Recognition & Monetization.” It was led by David Paterson, the screenwriter and producer of Bridge to Terabithia. He took the webinar because he had worked on a short film about a soldier battling PTSD, and he was looking for ideas about where to go from there. Click here to read the unexpected success as a result!
A Summation of Successful Successes - 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? Click here to find out!
SOUND ADVICE - Tips on How to Get Good Sound On Set! Victoria Rose Sampson started making up her own stories when she was about three. Her mind was inventing, creating and doing stories all the time and while using her story telling skills in the sound editing arena. Victoria really wanted to write and direct her own stories. Victoria was in the Directing Workshop for Women from AFI, where she made her first short. She then went on to write/direct two other shorts and about a dozen commercials, PSAs and spec ads. Click here to see what she has learned how to save money and time from being both a sound editor and a director.
STAGE 32 EDUCATION
Branding and Selling Yourself as a Writer In Hollywood (July 9) Branding yourself as a writer is integral to your success in the entertainment industry. Your brand is equal parts preferred medium, chosen genre(s), and personal voice/style. Once this is developed, it becomes easier to for you, your representation team, and/or your production company to sell and produce your material. In this Stage 32 webinar, development executive Tiegen Kosiak will teach you the importance of branding yourself as a screenwriter and how that brand is helpful in procuring representation, building relationships in the entertainment industry, and ultimately selling and producing your projects in the ever-changing Hollywood marketplace. To see what you will learn, click here!
Indie Producers: Making Your Production Slate Work For You (July 12 ) Building a production slate as an independent producer is a challenging task. It requires a combination of material that speaks to your own personal brand but also is well rounded and has all the elements needed to ultimately get made. In this Stage 32 Webinar, experienced independent producer Holly Brown will cover how to build your own production slate and make it work for you. The class will be broken down into two parts, the first of which is defining who you are as a producer and what you want your brand (or your company's brand) to be. And this doesn't just include genre -- it may also include style, types of stories or characters and working style. Doing so will not only help you to target great material but also let other creatives what they should be bringing to you. To watch a preview of this webinar, click here!
Deconstructing Spotlight, Network & All The President's Men: Award-Winning Narratives (July 14) Over the past few decades as the media landscape has changed, so have methods for reporting and information gathering. Your Stage 32 Next Level educator, award-winning director, James Kicklighter, has personally learned this while directing his new documentary film, Digital Edition, profiling the digital tools changing media as we know it. In “Deconstructing Spotlight, Network & All The President’s Men: Oscar-Winning Narratives,” we will evaluate and deconstruct common methods deployed in these three groundbreaking films to tell stories about journalism and media. Through this process, we will identify the successful techniques from these masterpieces for directing and writing movies about the media we consume. To review and register, click here!
HAPPY WRITERS PITCH SESSIONS
2nd Annual Stage 32 Short Film Contest We are proud to open up our call for entries for the 2nd Annual Stage 32 Short Film Contest! Last year's inaugural contest produced entries from Stage 32 members in 29 countries and resulted in a curated program of 6 incredible and well received short films (made by filmmakers from 4 countries). The Stage 32 Short Film Program screened theatrically at the 2015 Raindance Film Festival to critical acclaim from Variety and Indiewire. The program also screened to the Stage 32 community and was exposed to over 500 working industry executives who had the opportunity to connect with any of the winning filmmakers. To read about this contest and register before the Wednesday, Jul 20 Deadline Click here!
1st ever monthly Stage 32 Happy Writer's Meet Up! We are excited to announce the first monthly Stage 32 Happy Writer's meetup! Swing by and meet Stage 32 team members Erik and Matt, as well as your fellow writers!! Come have fun, be social and meet some great people! Bring your business card to enter into our raffle for a chance to win a FREE set of Development Notes or a script read + 30 minute call with the executive of your choice! Click here to register and get more information!
STAGE 32 MEETUPS
POPULAR AND INTERESTING LOUNGE DISCUSSIONS
INDUSTRY AND ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
‘How I Sold My Web Series to Netflix’: The Director of ‘EastSiders’ Explains His Secret
How Diversity Initiatives Are Changing the Film Industry
Academy Directors Branch Was Most Aggressive on Diversity: Here’s How
Oscars: New Members Highlight Advances Women Are Making in Traditionally Male-Oriented Crafts
Michael Cimino’s Final Interview
Michael Cimino, a Comet that Blazed Brightly, Briefly
How Michael Cimino’s The Deer Hunter Pioneered The Modern Day Oscar Campaign – And Won
Alchemy Files for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Protection
WGA West Earnings Top $1B In 2015 Thanks To TV
WGA West Annual Report Shows “Golden Age of TV” Continues for Writers
DGA Expands the Role of Its Diversity Chief Frank Bennett Gonzalez
The Social Network (and more) - Designing Dialogue
5 Signs Your Daily Routine is Killing Your Productivity
4 Universal Tips to Polish Your Screenplay
Micro-Budget Filmmaking: Stretch Every Dollar
Acting – Why the First Read of a Script is Crucial
Top 10 Tips for Film Sound Recording
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As always, we welcome thoughts and remarks on ANY of the content above in the Comments section below...
What Do Weinstein, Disney & 'Spotlight' Have in Common? |
SOUND ADVICE - Tips on How to Get Good Sound On Set! |
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