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Making Your Own Super Micro Budget Feature

As an independent producer, I'm always planning my next project. With a stack of screenplays (many of which are my own), and no Mr. Moneytree waiting to spread his love, it can be challenging. This is why I've taken the Robert Rodriguez approach when it comes to filmmaking. For those of you unfamiliar, Robert Rodriguez's first feature film, El Mariachi, had no crew. And almost no budget. At a meager 7k, he was the writer, director, cinematographer, location scout, sound, and editor. With…

Coffee & Content: Strategies Artists Can Use To Increase Their Success

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? I have some content here for you that is sure to get the creative juices flowing, so grab your coffee, and let's dive in. First up, whether you're a filmmaker, screenwriter, graphic designer, or another creative, you know how important it is to have a strategy for you career. Sure, you could just make whatever you're in the mood to create, but without knowing where you want to go and having a plan together, there's a …

How To Produce Your Own No-Budget TV Pilot

I am the director and a producer for a proof of concept short called Innocent Love that we developed for a tv series that we called Forgotten Wisdom. It’s set in historic times but also very relatable to current-day problems. It is also meant to be educational in showing how problems were once dealt with. We were able to shoot during the summer of 2020 with the intention of pitching to a local streaming service in Slovenia and maybe even internationally. 1. How It All Started In…

Kick The Tires Of Your Comedy

Check it before you wreck it? Naw, we kind of love things to be a wreck in comedy. In fact, to amp up the tension, we have to dive head-first into the wreck! And believe me - last year as my drama/thriller team and I pulled “mockumentary” as our genre for the 2022 L.A. 48-Hour Film Project, we were a WRECK. Seriously, we had even lined up a Steadicam operator to attempt an “epic oner” which felt like an epic fail when we had to figure out - how the hell are we goi…

Coffee & Content: How A Low-Budget Sci-Fi Movie Revolutionized Visual Effects

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? I have some content here for you that is sure to get the creative juices flowing, so grab your coffee, and let's dive in. First up, we're looking at A.I., but not to lament or debate its future impact on screenwriters or the rest of the industry. Instead, we're looking behind the scenes at EX-MACHINA, a 2014 film centered on a programmer tasked by his reclusive boss with testing the believability of a humanoid robot.&…

10 Skills Every Beginner Filmmaker Needs

Do want to shoot award-winning films and gather millions of views yearly? As a filmmaker, having some technical understanding on your resume will guarantee your prospective thriving future. I have picked up the 10 most valuable skills you should acquire to land a perfect job in the filmmaking industry. Read on to find everything out in-depth. 1. Learning Technology No matter how banal it sounds, coming to grips with the filmmaking cornerstones is vital for your prosperous career and su…

Red Carpet Roll-Out: June's New Educators & Execs at Stage 32!

Hi, Stage 32ers! This past month was a busy and exciting time as our Stage 32 Team worked to bring in as many new resources and opportunities as possible to enrich your experience here at Stage 32! Moving forward, we want to share these exciting updates with you as we engage with new Industry Leaders, Executives, and Educators to provide you all with diverse experiences, perspectives, and wisdom. At Stage 32 you have direct access to pros who helped develop, produce, distribute, di…

5 Tips For Making a VR Movie

You’re the writer-director of a new movie. It’s 6:05 pm. You put on your Oculus headset and watch the actors on the set act out the final scene. You say, “That’s a wrap”. The actors and crew look into the camera, smile and say goodnight. You take off your headset and slip under the covers. Is VR film production truly that easy? In a word, yes. But in another word, no. I virtually attended the NVIDIA GTC conference in April 2021 and discovered an impressi…

How to Shoot Music Festivals & Concerts

Howdy, my film familia! In today's blog, I offer you a DP survival guide where I will be sharing my experience and things to remember when shooting music festivals or concerts. Once upon a time, as a young strapping lad, I was taking various shooting assignments to further my operating skills. Shooting music events or music videos has its own rewards. It is fun and will challenge you in every way. I learned a helluva lot for sure. Shooting music events and music videos are totally diff…

Your 4 Guideposts for Spiraling Upward

Following up on my previous blogs, “Finding Your Creative Tribe” and “Building Safe Spaces”, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the very individual process a professional creative must go through in order to be present for their “tribe” or be strong enough to lead a team. Especially since doing the work for yourself, BY yourself is essential. It is the foundation of everything else we create. Consider for a moment when you visit a doctor. It is c…

The Official Stage 32 Cannes 2023 Events Schedule

The 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival is running from May 16th- 27th, 2023 in Cannes, France, who's ready?  Stage 32 is thrilled to host an incredible lineup of panels this year taking place at the FilmUSA Pavilion (if you missed our blog announcing the panels, click here). During the day we'll bringing the most innovate panels talking about the shifts in the entertainment industry, and by night, we have some great events in store. If you're planning on attending Cannes…

What I Learned While Making My Epic Sci-Fi Feature

I remember seeing the van speeding toward my vehicle. When it struck, the impact sent a shudder through my nerves. Fortunately, I had enough sense to lean away from the window, so my head didn’t smash through the glass but only slammed into it with a mild “thud”. I was left with a bump on my head instead of a concussion, or worse. The car, sadly, did not fare as well: it was a write-off. Later, I learned that a piece of the engine had been propelled through the bodywo…

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