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RB's Stage 32 News, Notes, Discussions and Other Fun Stuff (September 30, 2016)

NETFLIX ANNOUNCEMENT
Posted by Richard "RB" Botto

Welcome to the weekend, everyone. I have a very full slate of news, tips, tricks and videos this week along with all the happenings around and within the Stage 32 community.

As always, I invite thoughts, musings and healthy debate on any of the content below in the Comments section.

And, of course, if you enjoy the content, please take the time to share this blog with your fellow creatives via email or through your other social media channels.

Wishing you all a creative and relaxing weekend!

Cheers!

RB

 STAGE 32 NEWS

Love For Our Stage 32 Animators!  Stage 32 is honored to acknowledge our talented animation community as a partner for the first ever "Best of Fest" by Animation Nights New York, put together by Stage 32 animator Yvonne Grzenkowicz. If you live in or around the New York area, this week there is an action-packed 2 days of animation screenings, VR animation experiences and art installations at the Seaport District.  Animation Nights New York began as a screening and networking event in September of last year, set up in the Stage 32 Meetup section. Since that time they have had 2500 short animated films submitted internationally and have well over 500 attendees at their monthly screening events. People of all ages, nationalities, and backgrounds are coming together at 180 Maiden Lane in the Seaport District for the love of ANIMATION. Click here to read about this amazing event!

"30 Minutes with..." Fall Series Continues  - Hello friends and fellow creatives! Erik here from the Stage 32 Happy Writers. We are very excited to be continuing our fall series of "30 Minutes with...", an online web-series where we bring in executives across the industry for a live interview and Q&A session with writers like you! As a writer myself, I have an undoubted advantage that most new writers never get: I get to look behind the curtain, I get to hear first hand what executives are really looking for, what they're tired of hearing, and what's currently hot in the ever-changing development world. With our "30 Minutes with..." series, I can finally share that information with you all, and give you the opportunity to ask whatever questions you have! Click here for a 30 minute discussion of Dan Ingram from Dino De Laurentiis Company

 From Cradle To Grave: Advice On Marketing Your Film -  What is the point of making a movie and no one knowing about it? – Marketing is the key. Marketing is a very important element in the world of film. In fact, studios are marketing machines and focus a great deal of time on marketing. Independent filmmakers should learn from the majors as they truly understand marketing. Although the world of internet and social networking has them a bit stumped, they will learn fast enough. The majors ensure that the marketing personnel are involved in each film from project inception. “From cradle to grave” - was used at 20th Century Fox to state the involvement of marketing in the film process. After all, what is the point of making a film if no one wants to see it or should I say, pays to see it? What a novel concept that I often see totally ignored by many independent filmmakers. Why spend all that time and effort without doing research into the potential audience that will want to see your film? How big is that audience? How do you target that audience and how do you get your message to that audience in a cost-efficient and effective way? These are fundamental marketing questions that rarely get asked upfront by independent filmmakers. It truly is…“IT’S MARKETING STUPID!” Click here to get the full article on Advice on marketing your film now! 

STAGE 32 EDUCATION

Developing Material That Production Companies Want - (Oct 1) In Stage 32 Next Level Webinar, Rachel Crouch will show you how to develop your idea from a good concept to a strong story that will grab the attention of financiers and production companies. Rachel is a producer's assistant at the film financing and production company Cold Iron Pictures. Now as a Creative Executive at Cold Iron, she has worked on such films as the Spirit Award-winning The Diary of a Teenage Girl,this summer's Swiss Army Man starring Daniel Radcliffe and Paul Dano, Time out of Mind starring Richard Gere, and Mike Birbiglia's latest Don't Think Twice. Rachel breaks down your story to figure out your project's main audience and lead you through the tropes you'll want to exploit in order to leave that audience satisfied. You'll find out how to determine your story's budget range and see how letting go of those HBO dreams might help you find a better home for your project (and improve your pitch)! Whether you're just starting out as a writer or have produced multiple projects, this webinar will help you more effectively develop your ideas to make for a better script and a better pitch. Click here to register now!

Planning Your Film's Festival Strategy (Oct 4) - There are thousands of film festivals around the world – and tens of thousands of filmmakers trying to get into them. So what to do with your film? Jon Reiss wrote Think Outside the Box Office and has advised hundreds of filmmakers on their festival and distribution strategy. In this webinar you will learn how to create a film festival strategy for your specific film, how to use festivals to benefit the release of your film, how to be smart once you have been accepted into a festival and make each festival work for your film and career. This webinar will cover the essentials that all filmmakers need to consider in order to create a festival strategy for your film.

What You'll Learn:

Creating a Film Festival Strategy:

  • Why do you need to know what your goals are and who the audience is for your film.
  • What festivals should you be applying to and why.
  • Different tiers of film festivals.
  • Different niche festivals.
  • Dos and Don’ts off applying.
  • Should you apply to all kinds of festivals at the same time?
  • When to apply to film festivals.
  • The cycle of the film festival circuit.

Film Festivals and The Distribution of Your Film

  • What types of films do film festivals help in release?
  • What types of films do film festivals not help in release?
  • Outside of top festivals can I make sales at film festivals?
  • How do film festivals work within the structure of the release of your film?
  • Will festivals pay me to play my film?

If You Are Accepted Now What?

  • Do you need a publicist?
  • Do you need a sales agent?
  • What kind of materials to prepare?
  • What to ask for of the festival.

How can you best take advantage of a film festival?

  • Sales and publicity.
  • Collecting assets.
  • What kind of assets.?
  • Should you go to every festival?

What if I didn’t get into any film festivals – what do I do?

Plus, a live and interactive Q&A session with Jon!

To register for this opportunity click here!  

HAPPY WRITERS

Pitch Opportunities

Raghav Tandon - Creative Executive, Blumhouse Productions Saturday, October 1st · Specializes in character-driven TV pilots.  

Kerry Saxena - Content Development, FOX Digital Studios Saturday, October 1st · Specializes in comedy and drama features & TV. 

Charlie Reeves – Producer - Saturday, October 1st · Specializes in all genres except comedy. 

Jairo Alvarado - Literary Manager, Circle of Confusion - Sunday, October 2nd · Specializes in 1 HR TV pilots and true story features.  

Samantha Perelman Creative Executive, Head of Casting, The Weinstein Company Sunday, October 2nd · Specializes in all genres of TV pilots. 

SUCCESS STORIES

Production Assistant hired through Stage 32 Jobs

Actor hired through Stage 32 Jobs

S32ers On LONGMIRE

Security Specialist hired through Stage 32 Jobs

Crew hired through Stage 32 Jobs

Reached the Quarterfinals

First Assistant Camera hired through Stage 32 Jobs

Production Assistant hired through Stage 32 Jobs

Storyboard Artist hired through Stage 32 Jobs

STAGE 32 MEETUPS

 POPULAR AND INTERESTING LOUNGE DISCUSSIONS

ENTERTAINMENT AND INDUSTRY NEWS

Femme-Centered Hits Haven't Closed Hollywood's Gender Gap 

California Enacts Law Requiring IMDb to Remove Actor Ages on Request 

Casting Workshop Compares Pay-To-Play Probe to Salem Witch Hunt 

Netflix’s Big Narrative Play: Why the Company Is Loading Up on Small Movies This Fall 

Netflix’s Ted Sarandos Says Company’s Creative Involvement Is “Always Invited” 

Ken Burns: Netflix is Skywriting, Making a Doc is Like Making Maple Syrup, Human History Will Repeat Itself 

Inside Laura Poitras’ Plan to Shake Up Documentary Storytelling 

Michael Sugar Proves You Don’t Have to Live in L.A. to Succeed in Entertainment 

Filmmaking: L.A. OKs 17% Fee Hike For On-Location Fire Safety Officers 

My First Film Shoot: A Lesson in Documentary Filmmaking and Flexibility 

NYC Film Office Launches Effort To Boost Women Filmmakers 

GoPro’s Drone and New Cameras 

Malaysia Offers Filmmakers Diversity, Beauty and 30% Rebate 

How Will Wanda & Other Chinese Backers Change Movie Content? 

UTA Vs. CAA Agent-Poaching Lawsuit: Judge Officially Hits Pause Button 

In Wake of Fortissimo, Metrodome Closures, Movie Lovers Need to Get Creative to Support Indie Films

 VIDEOS

Watch: Robert Rodriguez’ 1991 Short ‘Bedhead’ Displays Director’s Early Genius 

Frank Darabont Reveals When He Learned to Enjoy Filmmaking In ‘The Director’s Chair’

 TIPS

3 Productivity Tricks to Save You From Procrastination 

Jeff Nichols’ Screenwriting Process 

The Radical Sound Design of Driftwood, Shot Without a Sound Crew 

'Search for Revelations': Invaluable Cinematography Advice from DP Kirsten Johnson

5 Factors to Consider for Your Next Audition Monologue

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As always, we welcome thoughts and remarks on ANY of the content above in the Comments section below...

 

20 Things I've Learned In 20 Years As A Professional Writer
From Cradle To Grave: Advice On Marketing Your Film
 
 

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