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Announcing the 10th Annual Short Film Contest
Happy Thanksgiving From Stage 32: We Are Thankful For YOU
Why Filmmakers Must Study Birdman: Lessons in Screenwriting, Dark Humor, and Storytelling
New Feature: Stage 32 Writers Are Now Spotlighted With Unique Badges!
Stage 32 Certification Welcomes El Paso, Texas!
A Stage 32 Success Story: Getting To The "Yes" For Your Screenplay!
Say, “Thank you”: Why Gratitude is Your Superpower
Celebrate the November 2024 Stage 32 Community’s Successes
6 Steps To A Successful Writing Partnership
5 Tips For Writing Your Life Story
4 Ways Video Games Shaped My Approach To Composing
When you think of great original soundtracks - the best of the best, you probably think of Final Fantasy, Zelda, Skyrim, and even Sonic. Video game music is a genre in itself. It went from 8-bit synthy beeps and bobs to orchestra epic arrangements. The genre has impacted and inspired so many, myself included. I will admit that growing up, I wasn’t into the greats like Final Fantasy or Zelda. I was more into obscure games such as Spyro, Twisted Metal, Crazy Taxi, and such. It is ga…
What To Do When You Think You’ve Missed Your Chance
Being a creator means being ready for rejection. The industry does away with those who can not handle it. Sometimes, we get so passionate about a project that we pursue the greatest of opportunities without a second thought. Or sometimes, we pass on experiences that turned out to be major successes. You will go through this at some point in your career. How do we move on from that? How do we do away with regret and hurt? What do we do when that amazing moment is gone and want to ensur…
I Composed Music for 30 Days Straight. This is What I Learned
Back in October, I sat in my chair and started a journey that really put a lot of things into perspective. It was an adventure I never really thought much about. I love music - it’s in my blood. So, when I stumbled on the 21 Days of VGM challenge a while ago, I thought “Oh, I got this.” Making music every day isn’t so bad. Easy. However, I got a rude awakening. It seems simple right? Sit down, get some notation paper, or open your DAW and make about 16 bars of mu…
I Composed Music for 30 Days Straight: This is What I Learned…
Film composer, screenwriter, playwright, and fellow Stage 32 community member, Shanika Freeman, shares knowledge gained from a 30-day composing challenge. I invite all of Stage 32 to join me in starting your own personal 30-day creative challenge to kick start 2022! Screenwriters: try to write for one hour every day! Actors: spend an hour practicing self-tapes and reading plays! Producers: practice your elevator pitches every day! No matter what your creative entertainment interests ar…
How Stage 32 Helped Me Find Shelter When I Lost My Home
Music has always been a part of me. When I was kid, I used to get in trouble at school for banging beats on the desk, or playing rudiments with my pencil instead of taking notes. I recited every line from Nas' Illmatic and soaked in all the RPG scores/themes. My love for writing came from Soap Operas, oddly enough. I would sit in my 7th-grade Literature class and writing write scripts to improve different storylines and scenes. However, despite my love for music and screenwriting, it was…
What To Do When You’ve Missed Your Opportunity
Being a creator means being ready for rejection. The industry does away with those who can not handle it. Sometimes, we get so passionate about a project, we pursue the greatest of opportunities without a second thought. Or sometimes, we pass on experiences that turned out to be major successes. You will go through this at some point in your career. How do we move on from that? How do we do away with regret and hurt? What do we do when that amazing moment is gone? S…
I Wrote a Screenplay in 24 Hours... Let's Talk About It
I wrote a feature screenplay in 24 hours. I know, it isn’t an amazing feat but it is something that has taught me a great deal of things. Now, I will warn you, this isn’t a post about the crafts of writing. There is a ton of great screenwriting content out there. This post will touch on lessons that will not only help you personally, but creatively. So, let’s talk about it. Lesson 1. Get It On The Page Writing a screenplay is hard. It's not just work…
4 Ways Video Games Shaped My Approach to Filmmaking & Music
When you think of great original soundtracks - the best of the best, you probably think of Final Fantasy, Zelda, Skyrim, and even Sonic. Video game music is a genre in itself. It went from 8-bit synthy beeps and bobs to orchestra epic arrangements. The genre has impacted and inspired so many, myself included. I will admit that growing up, I wasn’t into the greats like Final Fantasy or Zelda. I was more into really obscure games such as Spyro, Twisted Metal, Crazy Taxi and such. It…
I Composed Music for 30 Days Straight: This is What I Learned…
Film composer, screenwriter, playwright, and fellow Stage 32 community member, Shanika Freeman, shares knowledge gained from a 30-day composing challenge. I invite all of Stage 32 to join me in starting your own personal 30-day creative challenge! Screenwriters: try to write for one hour every day! Actors: spend an hour practicing self-tapes and reading plays! Producers: practice your elevator pitches every day! No matter what your creative entertainment interests are, I challenge…
How Working as a Cook Prepared Me For Meetings With Producers
Who knew fine dining and the film industry were so similar? I’ve worked as a cook for just about three years now. Working in this capacity has taught me a lot of wonderful things about cooking, design, film, and music. So, what lessons did I learn as I prepped meals? Let’s take a look: 1) Prep - Do The Grunt Work if You Want to Move Up Prep work is such an important job to have. Some see it as grunt work, but I see it as the foundation of the kitchen.You have to…
I Lost My Passion, Now What? (A Word of Encouragement and Realization)
It happened. You lost it. Your passion and motivation are gone. We've all been there. Whether you have writer's block or are in an acting slump, it seems hard to get through it. I've been there too and I want to share the lessons I've learned because of it. Creators create and when that fire withers away, it can be life changing and painful. For me, it was devastating and debilitating. I couldn't cope. It took me ten years to find my footing, after losing everything. I left a great Unive…
4 Networking Tips From an Introvert (and 2 More For Good Measure!)
Getting yourself out there can be hard to do, especially if you are new to the industry. When I first started creating and working in my field, I kept a lot of my work to myself and only showed it when asked. I unfortunately adopted the 'only speak when you are spoken to' mentality. I was very introverted. Networking, to me, was a monster I wasn't quite ready to face and that showed to my potential clients. I wasn't closing deals or getting placements. I knew I had skill and that my mus…
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