RB's Stage 32 News, Notes, Discussions and Other Fun Stuff (November 6, 2015)

 STAGE 32 NEWS

In a continued effort to make Stage 32 as useful a resource as possible, we've vastly improved the interface for posting and uploading your loglines and screenplays! Also, we've added the ability to assort your loglines in any manner you see fit. For an easy-to-follow tutorial on how to update your loglines and screenplays, click here: Post and Sort Your Loglines and Screenplays

This week we brought you another installment of RB's Film Courage interview series. In this 7 minute clip, RB goes over why you shouldn't do anything online that you wouldn't do in the real world. Plus, he discusses the ever-present "big balls syndrome." You'll have to watch it to find out what that means! To watch this clip, and see the full list of RB's Film Courage interview clips, click here: Creatives Need To Know Producers Are Looking At Their Social Media

Stage 32 November 30-Day Write Club: It’s on! We’re here to support and motivate each other to “get it done” –– whatever “it” is for you –– in a wholly directed and intentional way. In the weeks ahead we’ll have Stage 32 Write Club Check-in blogs every Sunday, starting on November 8, to monitor everyone’s progress in the comment sections. Share how you are doing, share the highs and lows, offer help to fellow writers, and share motivational quotes and tips. Plus, at the end of the month Stage 32 will give away well-earned “kudos,” including swag, free or major discounts on various services and offerings, to those who reach their goals –– an extended push forward with whatever may be next for you. For more information on our Stage 32 30-Day Write Club, click here: Stage 32 November 30-Day Write Club: It’s On!

The October 2015 edition of On Stage With RB is now available to watch on-demand! This broadcast was almost 3 hours jam-packed with incredible tips and advice and a fantastic interview from screenwriting expert Jeff Kitchen! To learn more about what was covered in this broadcast and to watch it free on-demand, click here: The October 2015 Edition of On Stage With RB

We are thrilled to announce our newest feature: IMDb importing to your Stage 32 profile! Many of you have asked for the ability to simply import your IMDB credits to your Stage 32 profile. We listened, and today we're proud to deliver this feature to our talented members. To read more about this new feature and learn how to import your credits directly to your profile, click here: Introducing IMDb Importing

Many of you have asked where you could get Stage 32 gear, and, by popular demand, we are excited to bring you the new Stage 32 store! We have over a dozen items for you to chose from including shirts, hats, totes, notebooks, coffee cups, water bottles and shot glasses (inspired by our fearless leader)! Whether you're heading to class, to the set, to the gym, or simply just lounging around, we have something for all! To see the range of products available, click here: Stage 32 Store

STAGE 32 EDUCATION - UPCOMING CLASSES AND WEBINARS

Thursday 11/12 Stage 32 Next Level Webinars presents How To Finance Your Independent Film & Break Even Before Its Release: Utilizing The Risk Mitigation Model hosted by Jason Mirch, a 10-year film and TV producer and former Head of Feature and Television Development and Production at Image Nation Abu Dhabi (The Help, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Contagion and 100 Foot Journey)! In this webinar, Jason will navigate you through the Risk Mitigation Model of independent film financing, which utilizes foreign pre-sales, soft money, and equity to finance feature film projects. Drawing from his 10 years of experience financing both independent and studio films, Jason will teach you some traditional and non-traditional financing models so you can choose the right model for your specific project and will cover what international sales companies look for when evaluating potential projects and give advice on how to position your projects when pitching to these companies.
You will leave this webinar knowing:

• How to utilize pre-sales, soft money and equity financing.
• How to secure financing from a bank (presales, bond, etc)?
• How to set up an LLC, step-by-step.
• The elements, attachments, and the supplementary material to include when approaching foreign sales agents
• The difference between International vs domestic sales (limitations & opportunities).
• How to limit your P&A exposure while maximizing your reach.
• Development vs. Production Financing.

To read more about this webinar, see a video from Jason and to register, click here: How To Finance Your Independent Film & Break Even Before Its Release: Utilizing The Risk Mitigation Model

Saturday 11/14 Stage 32 Next Level Webinars presents The Anatomy Of Iconic TV Characters: 7 Ways To Make Your Television Characters Leap Off The Page hosted by Tawnya Bhattacharya, a Writer/Co-Producer on NBC’s The Night Shift who has also written for TNT’s Perception, Lifetime’s The Client List and USA’s Fairly Legal. Tawnya is also the founder of Script Anatomy and has been a writing instructor for nearly 10 years! In this webinar she will teach you how to create memorable characters with drive, characters that provoke emotion and characters that stay with the audience long after they’ve disappeared from the screen. She will show you how to craft compelling and multi-dimensional characters by crafting their backstory, stage of life, flaw, core wound, dilemma and goal as well as how to design dynamic catalyst relationships and polarities, how to a unique world helps you create an interesting character, and how to design meaningful and emotional journeys and character arcs.
You will leave the webinar knowing:

• What Showrunners look for when hiring a writing staff in regard to character work in sample material.
• Tips on how to create unforgettable characters like Tony Soprano, Selina Meyer, Sterling Archer, Omar Little and Carrie Mathison – and why these characters are so effective.
• How to create a relatable stage of life for your character at the beginning of your story.
• Techniques for creating a compelling backstory including where your character came from and how that affects their worldview.
• How to create an active flaw that will get your character into situations/trouble and affect others negatively and hence create conflict.
• Tips on balancing out your character’s flaw with redeemable traits.
• Common mistakes writes make with setting character goals.
• Tips to create supporting characters that drive your character further toward their goal.

To read more about this webinar, see a video from Tawnya and to register, click here: The Anatomy Of Iconic TV Characters: 7 Ways To Make Your Television Characters Leap Off The Page

Tuesday 11/17 Stage 32 Next Level Webinars presents How To Attach Top Talent To Your Independent Film hosted by Tatiana Kelly & Jim Young, award-winning independent producers who have worked with actors such as Bradley Cooper, Zoë Saldana, JK Simmons, Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde, Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, Sharon Stone, James Franco, Lily Tomilin, Cuba Gooding JR, Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons! In this webinar, Tatiana and Jim will teach you how to break through an actor’s fortress and get them interested in your project. You will learn how to determine what to offer talent based on your budget, how to be strategic about what agencies you’re making offers to, what to keep in mind at the script stage and early in the casting process and how to get past the dilemma of getting talent without money and getting money without talent.
You will leave this webinar knowing:

• Why talent is the key to unlocking your green light.
• What level of talent you need depending on your project.
• Ways to break through an actor’s “fortress”.
• How to build a team that has some clout.
• What to keep in mind during the script stage and early in the casting process to help you attach talent.
• How to determine what to offer an actor.
• Why you should be strategic about what agencies you’re making offers to.

 To read more about this webinar, see a video from Tatiana and Jim and to register, click here: How To Attach Top Talent To Your Independent Film

Thursday 11/19 Stage 32 Next Level Webinars presents How To Sell Your TV Series hosted by Conrad Sun, TV Lit Manager and Development Executive at Meridian Artists who represents TV writers in all genres for shows such as Blindspot, Two Broke Girls and Bojack Horseman! Knowing how to pitch is only half the battle – in this webinar Conrad will explore exactly how the TV space works for both broadcast and cable networks. You will learn who all of the important players are, such as agents, producers, writers and executives, so you can know who to target and how to approach them. Lastly, Conrad will examine previous shows in order to gain an understanding of what it takes to create a successful TV series in the current marketplace, allowing you to make sure you're setting yourself up for success.
You will leave this webinar knowing:

• The general TV landscape.
• The Players in TV landscape.
• The three season of Broadcast Network television.
• Four Approaches to setting up a TV show.
• The concept of a TV package.
• How individuals get paid once a TV show is set up.
• The current marketplace and odds of having a hit TV show.

To read more about this webinar, see a video from Conrad and to register, click here: How To Sell Your TV Series

STAGE 32 SUCCESS STORIES

 ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

• How a 68-Year Old Novice Filmmaker Made One of the Best Movies of the Year
• Home is Where the Art Is: How Do Indie Moviemakers Balance Personal and Professional Lives?
• Why Sandra Bullock, Bradley Cooper Couldn’t Save Our Brand is in Crisis and Burnt
• Studio Chiefs Unleashed: 6 Box Office Execs Spar Over Gender Pay, Sony Hack, and Star Wars Box Office
• 10 Crazy Things We Learned from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu About Shooting The Revenant
• Meet the World’s First Android Actress
• Film Tax Credits, New Media Outlets Help Revive L.A.’s Entertainment Economy
• China’s Bona Film Invests $235 Million in Fox Movie Slate
• China Drafts New Film Industry Law
• Entertainment Industry in China Valued at $62 Billion
• AFM Staying Put, Opening Amid Cautious Optimism
• AFM Preview: Buyers Lament Slim Pickings at Santa Monica Indie Film Market
• Sundance Institute, Jaunt Launch Virtual Reality Residency Program
• The 50 Best Opening Credit Sequences of All Time

 VIDEOS

• Steven Spielberg, Aaron Sorkin, Brie Larson and More Give Screenwriting Advice
• Alfred Hitchcock’s Close-Ups
• Steve Jobs Editor on the “Rush” of Working With Aaron Sorkin Dialogue
• William Goldman & Will Frears on Broadway’s Misery

 TIPS

• Spectre’s Sam Mendes Offers 10 Tips to Young Directors
• 5 Reasons Why Every Actor Should Make a Webseries
• 3 Rules and 13 Tips to Kill It at a Big Festival
• 7 Things to Do Before You Submit Your Screenplay Anywhere
• How to Deal With Post-Creation Depression

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