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Talking Business: Key Agreements in Film Financing Part 2
Stage 32 Is My Magic Key To International Networking And Education
Coffee & Content: Low Stakes Stories, High Stakes Decisions
Happy New Year! Let's Talk Goals!
Coffee & Content: The Genius of Weapons and How to Know When Your Script Is Ready
Stage 32 Now Certifying the Dallas Film Commission!
From Beats to Boards: A Systematic Way to Plan Your Screenplay
The Author + Screenwriter Collaboration: Adapting A Novel Into A Screenplay
A Practical Guide for Actors: Tips & Advice Every Performer Should Know
Coffee & Content: Why Your Pitch Needs to Be Human
Coffee & Content: Podcasts & Webcasts
To all celebrating, a very happy Easter to you. (And a very happy Sunday to everyone else!) I always believe the holidays are for sharing, so I wanted to take a minute to post some podcats, webcasts and interviews that I hope will provide some inspiration today and as you move along in your creative pursuits. There's something here for creatives of all disciplines and all those multi-hyphenates out there! National Screenwriters Day with Spencer Robinson, Caytha Jentis, Rich…
Industry Spotlight: Lit. Manager Spencer Robinson on TV Comedy Writing
We were honored to have literary manager Spencer Robinson from Art/Work Entertainment join Stage 32 for a 60 minute webcast to talk about the current state of the comedy writing industry! Spencer represents writers who work for Will and Grace, Eastbound and Down, Mick, Workaholics, and more, as well as comedians and late night TV writers. It was a fun and informative hour! If you missed it we are excited to share it with you, enjoy! Want to learn more from …
7 Things I Learned on How to Build an Audience as Indie Filmmaker in the Midwest
After 10 years in Hollywood, writing and producing sitcom pilots and full length features, my friend Ted Trent asked me to fly to his hometown of Belleville, IL to write a fictional movie in which he could star. I didn’t know a Belleville from a Bellevue, but I did welcome the chance to write and direct a film in the Midwest, since I had grown up in Michigan. I remembered my people to be kind and helpful, and whenever you met another Midwesterner in Los Angeles (which is daily) you…
Should I Take a Dollar Option on a Screenplay?
You get the phone call and it goes something like this: Friend: Hey, are you sitting down? (Smile in his voice).You: Yeah, what’s up?Friend: I have a producer who wants to option your script!You: (heart flutters) Oh my god …Friend: Yeah, he’s an indie producer I know—really talented, really connected.You: How much for the option?Friend: (long beat) Well, he wants a dollar option because you haven’t been produced yet. But he’s really connected, and he…
Avoid These Crowdfunding Mistakes on Social Media!
One of the more popular requests we get here at Stage 32 is information on best practices for promoting a crowdfunding campaign on social media. Recently, spurred on by the sheer amount of crowdfunding spam he was receiving on his Twitter and Instagram accounts, our CEO, RB, republished his popular Medium article: 5 Ways You Are Incorrectly Using Twitter to Promote Your Crowdfunding Campaign. Although the article singles out Twitter, these mistakes and ill advised practices are common …
Filmmaking - Follow Your Heart
For some time now I thought it would be great to do a series of blogs, which follows my journey as a filmmaker. The experiences I have encountered have been so varied, some good, some bad, some tragic! I thought it would be nice to start with how I got into filmmaking. I call this first blog ‘Follow Your Heart’. I’ve been passionate about filmmaking since I was nine years old, that’s almost 29 years ago now. I grew up on a rural apple orchard in the countryside. …
4 Lucky Winners Chosen for Jason Roberts' Assistant Director Class This Weekend
A note from 30 year veteran of over 80 film and television shows, Jason Roberts. Jason will be teaching a 2-part class, The Mechanics and Art of Being an Assistant Director, beginning this weekend & has given away 4 FREE spots to some lucky Stage 32 members (more below!) Thank you so much Stage32 community for the overwhelming survey responses to join my class this weekend. Everyone picked such varied, interesting movies and stories to back up their choices. In fact, I have a new li…
Quarter-Finalists Announced: 2nd Annual Comedy Writing Contest
The 2nd Annual Stage 32 Happy Writers Comedy Writing Contest was filled with some of the best comedy writing we've ever seen. Our judges consistently said how tough the competition was!Our feature writers had us laughing for (literally) hours! Our TV writers poured out some really creative and clever original pilots and wrote hilariously great specs for hit shows such as MODERN FAMILY, IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, FAMILY GUY and more. Needless to say, the judges have been smiling f…
13 Pearls of Wisdom From Writer/Director Alexander Payne
Yesterday, I was speaking with a producer friend of mine and he mentioned that the buzz around Alexander Payne’s upcoming film Downsizing was quite strong. (A huge shout out to our teacher Jason Roberts who AD'd the film.) That got us talking about our favorite Payne movies and his estimable skills as not only a writer, but as an actor’s director. At one point, I recalled an article I read in MovieMaker where Payne laid down some knowledge. Through the power of Google, I fou…
Stage 32 Happy Writers Progress Report: 100 Scripts Requested, 24 Meetings, 11 Companies
Hello friends and fellow creatives! Allen here with Stage 32 Happy Writers. We haven’t delivered you all a progress report in a hot minute, but I couldn’t wait any longer to share the amazing successes you all have had since February! For anyone who doesn’t know, Stage 32 Happy Writers offers script consulting and coverage, pitch sessions, and mentorships with some of the top managers, agents, producers and development executives around the world. ALL of our premium s…
9 Tips for Surviving an Independent Film Shoot
Through my experience of working on low budget and independent films for the past 15 years, I have learned a few crucial and important rules that can help you survive the jungle of what is the independent film world, or better known as Guerrilla Film making. Working on independent films where the budgets are small, the sets are grueling and sometimes in extreme conditions, it’s important to take control where you can. When you find yourself on a challenging set, remind yourself t…
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Artists
Prepared to be inspired. To get you motivated and keep your creativity flowing this weekend, I'm sharing a terrific video from the good people at the Blender Foundation (Blender Guru). Entitled The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Artists, this well designed talk will inspire thought and introspection. Here are the 7 habits discussed: 1 - Daily Work 2 - Volume Not Perfection 3 - Steal 4 - Conscious Learning 5 - Rest 6 - Get Feedback 7 - Create What You Love Chances are you're alread…
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