Hello everybody,
My name is Manfred and I am a beginner filmmaker that has decided to join Stage32! Making films have turned from dream into reality as I began to make my own short films and am wishing to get bigger opportunities. Currently I still focus on short films but am hoping to start making feature films in the near future. I work in both animation and live-action. My most recent short film was The Paradoxical Prodigy.
My taste in film are quite broad: I have enjoyed classic films, silent, foreign, art-house, avant-garde, fantasy/sci-fi, and historical period films to name just a few. My interests lie in fantastical stories as well as in unconventional narrative structures and those that lean toward the more poetic and atmospheric. Joining Stage32 would definitely help me connect with producers, actors, music composers, and other creative people to become part of the filmmaking process.
I look forward to getting to know you all here at Stage32!
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Hi Manfred!
Welcome to the community. I think you'll find Stage 32 to be a valuable asset for you to make the connections you need and to thrive as a filmmaker!
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Thanks Michael. I work solo right now but would love to have other people on board in the exciting process that is filmmaking!
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Hey Manfred Mandrake what's your new short film about?
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Hey Manfred Mandrake
it was nice meeting you, i am an animator and a storyboard artist, I would love to connect with you as well
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Hi Manfred Mandrake, welcome to Stage 32! I’m Ashley, Head of Community here on the platform. It’s great to meet you, and I love hearing that filmmaking has already shifted from a dream into something you’re actively doing. That’s a huge step.
Your mix of animation and live-action, along with your interest in poetic, unconventional storytelling, is a really exciting creative space. As you look to grow and connect, I’d encourage you to stay consistently visible and active in the Filmmaking Lounge (https://www.stage32.com/lounge/directing) and the Animation Lounge (https://www.stage32.com/lounge/animation). Sharing your process, your short films, and the challenges you’re working through will help you build relationships with other creatives and open doors to collaborations.
You mentioned wanting to move toward features in the future. What kind of story or project do you see as your first step into that longer format?
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Welcome to the S32 Club, Manfred Mandrake!
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Thank you everyone for your comments. My latest short film is a pseudo-documentary mystery about an unknown filmmaker who thrived in the 1940s and 50s and who mysteriously disappeared. It is a search into his life and the clues left behind. I will post more about it in the lounge.
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For a longer format, I would like to do something visually striking and rich. I would love to have a rich style like The Fall (2006) or City of Lost Children. I would also love to embrace a story that includes dream logic and rich worldbuilding.
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Hi, Manfred!
This is the best place to be!
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Hi
I can compose Background Music for the film. Let’s connect if you wish to
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Hi AC, thanks for your offer. If you can, I can take a listen to anything you've made recently.
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Hey Manfred Mandrake! Welcome. Making films go from dream to reality is a big step. Working in both animation and live action gives you a lot of flexibility. What's The Paradoxical Prodigy about and what did you learn from making it?
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Manfred Mandrake , welcome! A filmmaker drawn to silent cinema, avant-garde storytelling, unconventional narrative structures, and the poetic and atmospheric is exactly the kind of voice this community needs more of. THE PARADOXICAL PRODIGY is a great title and the range of your influences tells us you are building something genuinely distinctive across both animation and live-action.
The Writers' Room is a wonderful place to find the producers, composers, and collaborators you are looking for. Come join us: https://www.stage32.com/writers-room/plans-vip
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Sam Rivera The Paradoxical Prodigy is about a filmmaker prolific in the 1940s who suddenly disappeared in 1961. Many decades later, a researcher goes back through all the clues he can gather and tries to put the pieces together of the mystery.
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I learned a lot about working with a tighter scripted format - my first two short films were also written but were much looser to give way to the more open process of editing which led to unforeseen creative choices. I will post more of it in the lounge!