On Demand Webinar - Available for immediate viewing and unlimited access.
On Demand Webinar - Available for immediate viewing and unlimited access.
As a literary manager Nicholas Bogner has run the literary branch of Affirmative Entertainment for the last fifteen years. Under his stewardship, he has had numerous movies made including Wedding Season for Netflix announced in Deadline, Infinite Storm for Sony, announced in Variety, Come Play for Amblin and Focus Features and has sold television pilots to just about all of the majors from network to streamers. In addition, many of his writers have been staffed at various levels of successful shows over the years including a supernatural thriller sold to Paramount, announced on Deadline. Previously, Bogner served as Vice President of Original Programming for TNT. In this capacity, he was responsible for the development of all long form – including two-hour movies, backdoor pilots, mini-series - for the network’s TNT Originals franchise. Bogner worked on several high-profile projects including Steven Spielberg’s twelve-hour mini Into The West as well as Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot. Beyond these projects, Bogner shepherded over 15 movies into production. Prior to assuming his position at TNT, Bogner spent four years at Cruise-Wagner Productions (Tom Cruise and Paul Wagner), where he spearheaded the acquisition of material, supervised writers and collaborated with directors and talent on such films as Mission Impossible: 2, Without Limits, Vanilla Sky, and The Others, which he’s credited with finding and supervising. Bogner began his career at the Agency for Performing Arts (APA) before becoming a story editor for Michael Douglas at 20th Century Fox. Bogner has two produced credits as a screenwriter, The Little Death and No Strings Attached. He also produced Soccer Mom starring Emily Osment and Missi Pyle for Starz and Anchor Bay. Most recently, he produced A Nice Girl Like You (based on a non-fiction book by Ayn Carrillo- Gailey) which stars Lucy Hale. Full Bio »
Learn how to turn your short film into intellectual property (IP) that you can then develop and make as a feature film from esteemed literary manager Nicholas Bogner of Affirmative Entertainment, whose client's short films have gotten feature films deals with major companies like Steven Spielberg's AMBLIN PARTNERS!
PLUS! You'll receive the scripts for the short film LARRY and the feature film based off the short, COME PLAY, that was produced by Amblin.
Intellectual Property (IP), such as books, toys, comic books, graphic novels, short stories, etc., are a bedrock of film and television development. This year's biggest films, including BARBIE and OPPENHEIMER, are based on pre-existing IP. The reality of the current film and television marketplace is that it is increasingly difficult to sell your project if it is not based on any IP. And that's why making a short film that can then be used as IP that you develop into a feature film has become a proven avenue to success.
There is an absolute obsession in the marketplace to have material based on pre-existing IP as a way to mitigate the risk of the investment in the project. If there’s already been an audience for the book, short film, article, etc., then film and television buyers feel at ease that there will be a built in audience for their large investment into the film. While original films and series do get made, it is particularly challenging for new and emerging writers and filmmakers to get their project sold if it is not based on IP. However, there is a way for you to create your own IP without having to spend big bucks to buy the rights to a book or a person’s life, and that is to make your own short film! One notable example of a short film leading to a feature film is Damien Chazelle's WHIPLASH, which became the Academy Award winning feature film of the same name and launched Damien Chazelle's career (he went on to write and direct LA LA LAND, FIRST MAN, and BABYLON).
In this exclusive Stage 32 Webinar, you will learn how you can use your short film as IP to help sell your feature film or television project. You could be sitting on a gold mine with your short film, and we’re going to help you figure out how to leverage it to make your larger project. Teaching you everything you need to know about how to use your short film as IP for a feature film or television project is literary manager Nicholas Bogner of Affirmative Entertainment. Former VP of Original Programming at TNT and head of development at CRUISE/WAGNER, Nicholas’ clients have had immense success making shorts and creating their own IP.
In an information packed 90 minutes, Nicholas will share how he guided his client Jacob Chase to success through his short film. Jacob made the short LARRY, which was then sold in a bidding war to Steven Spielberg’s company, AMBLIN PARTNERS. Jacob’s concept was subsequently made into a feature film for Amblin and Focus Films with the new title of COME PLAY. Subsequently, Jacob made a short film titled MR. BLUR, which sold to BLUMHOUSE, and is currently being adapted into a feature film. Many of Nicholas’ other clients have also made shorts which has led to representation and future projects.
You will walk away from this webinar with the skills and industry insight you need to use your short film as IP to leverage a feature film or television series deal.
PLUS! You’ll receive exclusive handouts to help you create IP out of your short film. Downloads include:
Nicholas Bogner
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Sorry, this lab is filled. Keep checking back Stage 32 Education for upcoming labs. Develop An Outline and Pitch Document for Your Animated Television Series in 5 Weeks Netflix Animation Director Will Be Your Mentor via Virtual Classes & One-on-One Meetings! Animated television is currently experiencing a boom like we’ve never seen before. Since it’s possible for the bulk of the work to be completed from home or while socially distanced, animation has been flourishing as more players are turning to this format. New shows like SOLAR OPPOSITES on Hulu, CLOSE ENOUGH on HBO Max , and KIPO AND THE AGE OF WONDERBEASTS on Netflix are hugely popular, and this is just the beginning. Scores of upcoming animated shows are in the pipeline and just around the corner. Considering this appetite, it doesn’t look like this trend is fading any time soon. And more interest in animation means there are more opportunities for your own project to get noticed and get picked up. The opportunities may be extra plentiful right now, but you still need to have a dynamite show to present if you want to be noticed. This means a great concept, a fantastic pitch deck, and a knockout pilot script. And all of these elements don’t need to just be good; they all need to lend themselves to the format and industry that is animated TV. But if you can ace all of these elements, you may have just found your way in and the piece of material that will fire you off the launch pad. Let us give you the guidance to make your animated pilot as good as it can be and help you springboard your writing career. Mike Disa is an accomplished director, producer, writer, and artist who directed on shows like the hit Netflix series PARADISE PD and has been in the animation industry for over twenty-five years. Mike found success working with studios such as Dreamworks, Disney, Warner Bros., Paramount, and many others. Over a fascinating career, Mike has worked with some of the greatest and most infamous people in Hollywood including Steven Spielberg, Eric Goldberg, Ralph Bakshi, Glenn Close, Steve Oedekerk, David Tennant, Amy Poehler, Adam Sandler, Jeffery Katzenberg and Roy Disney. A favorite and fixture among the Stage 32 community, Mike is deeply entrenched in the world of animated TV and knows better than most what it takes to get an animated show off the ground. In this lab, you will be working directly with Mike in a virtual class setting and also during one-on-one online sessions to hone your concept and build your pilot outline and pitch deck for a fantastic, market-ready animated pilot. Whether you are interested in creating a “prime time” adult comedy series, action, dramedy, or children’s animation, Mike is here to help you. He will guide you through creating engaging characters, building your world, perfecting your structure, constructing an outline and building your bible or pitch deck to sell your show. If you already have a concept, or even a completed pilot, Mike will use the same tools to help you hone and sharpen your material. Throughout the course of this exclusive online lab, you will have direct access to Mike as a mentor by email and via video conferencing as you develop your animated series. Students who sign up for this lab with Mike will be eligible to participate in a Level 2 Lab where Mike will continue to mentor you in writing your pilot! WHAT TO EXPECT By the end of this 5-week writing lab, you will have a polished pilot outline and pitch deck for your animated television series. Sessions will vary between 2-hour group settings and personal one-on-one Zoom meetings with Mike. You will be held accountable to take the lessons from each week and move your work forward. Plus, to keep you motivated and inspired, you will have access to a private, dedicated Stage 32 Lounge where you can communicate with your fellow classmates throughout the writing process. To see the full writing lab schedule, see below under "What You Will Learn". PLEASE NOTE: This exclusive Stage 32 lab is limited to 10 writers and will be booked on a first come, first served basis. The opportunity to work this closely and for this long with a manager and an expert in the field is an incredibly unique and valuable opportunity. If you are interested, please do book quickly. Once the spots are gone, they’re gone for good. Payment plans are available - please contact Amanda at edu@stage32.com for more information This lab is limited to 15 people - Sorry this lab is sold out This lab is designed for beginner and intermediate screenwriters looking to build a pilot from scratch or expand on an existing idea or polish an existing pilot.
Learn directly from Anne Marie Gillen, who has over 20 years of experience with independent film financing and has raised over $100M worldwide! Joining Anne Marie are 2 special guests: Gene Massey, CEO of MediaShares and an expert in marketing crowdfunded online stock offerings. Lou Bevilacqua who is the founding member of Bevilacqua PLLC, a boutique transactional corporate and securities law firm. He is also co-founder, President and General Counsel of Digital Offering LLC, a FINRA registered investment bank. There are approximately 9 million officially accredited investors in the United States alone - you can now legally solicit all of them to finance your project. This exclusive Stage 32 Next Level Webinar, How to Finance Your Project with Equity Investors Using the Internet will explain how. Recent legislation has created an opportunity for equity-based crowdfunding as a financing model for indie producers of film, documentaries, series, games, and other creative endeavors. Get INVESTMENTS in your film instead of just DONATIONS. This is NOT another Kickstarter / IndieGoGo webinar! Whether you are a veteran producer or a film student - you need financing! This is a webinar for all level filmmakers, given by experts in the new methods of online film finance, who will show how you can create a powerful online presentation and legally market your project to investors on the Internet. You will walk away with a clear understanding of the new SEC rules and regulations that allow you to raise equity funding online. You will learn from 3 of the industry's top financing and legal experts how to raise equity funding for your own project. PRAISE FOR ANNE'S TEACHINGS: "… Anne Marie's all-encompassing knowledge of the business is remarkable." ~ Jody M. "… In an industry known for hype and flash over substance, Anne Marie provides real-world, actionable steps to help the filmmaker with what is usually most elusive." ~ Anthony C. “In show business, everyone is in love with the show, but it’s the business of making significant money that turns on the big boys and girls inside the tent. Learn what they already know…” ~ Steve E.
Any filmmaker who has worked with animals on set even once knows things can get complicated fast. Even actions as simple as walking a dog or petting a cat get tough when the animal is uncooperative or overwhelmed by crew, equipment, and multiple takes. No matter how small or independent your production is, it’s often worth it to bring on an animal trainer or handler when dealing with your furry (or scaly or feathery) castmates. And whether you have a trainer or not, it’s critical that you understand some key protocols and strategies to get the performance you’re looking for and keep the animal, cast and crew safe, comfortable and happy. Getting a great animal performance for your project can be a huge boon, but there’s a lot that goes into this and a number of considerations you need to make ahead of time. Yet this side of filmmaking can feel fairly niche—it’s not something a lot of people in the industry are adept at, and it’s certainly not usually taught in film school. So where do you even start? Do you hire an existing animal actor or can you bring on your own pet? How do you find a good animal trainer or handler that doesn’t use adverse training methods? And what do you need to do to keep everyone safe and comfortable but still get the animal performance you’re hoping for? There’s a lot to consider, but knowing general safety preparation, protocols and strategies can make all the difference. Theresa Carroll is an accomplished animal trainer and coordinator with over 15 years of experience and credits on projects like THE GREATEST SHOWMAN, ANNIE and SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. Starting her career by providing pet therapy at children’s hospitals, Theresa has since provided animal acquisition, training and set coordination for countless films, TV shows, theater productions and commercials. Her other recent credits include MR. ROBOT, HIGH MAINTENANCE, THE LEFTOVERS, BILLIONS, POWER, LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MYERS, and commercials for AMERICAN EXPRESS, BLUE BUFFALO and NICKELODEON, among many others. Theresa’s deep experience working with animals on many different projects of varying budgets and requirements has made her an expert in this field and given her a passion in ensuring animals and the cast and crew around them are safe and have positive experiences. Theresa will teach you how to safely and effectively work with animal actors for your independent production and bring in animal trainers or handlers to get the performance you’re looking for and keep everyone safe and happy. She will first explain how you should find and bring on an animal trainer, including when you need one, where you should look, what aspects you should focus on, and how much you should expect to pay. She’ll also outline what you need to do ahead of production to prepare for shooting with animals, including setting safely guidelines, insurance, and proper documentation and paperwork. Theresa will then dive into how to actually navigate the shoot day with animal actors and will show you how cast and crew should interact with animals, where to hold them, how to acclimate animals, and much more.
Creating a realistic budget can make or break a film before it ever makes it into production. Where should you spend? Where can you cut? How do you stretch your dollar? In short, how can you assure you're creating the highest quality film for the lowest price? Listen, not everyone can afford a line producer. And even if you can, you want to make sure he or she is protecting your vision and your money! Understanding this aspect of the business and how a film can be put together is everything! Let's make this complex aspect of filmmaking easier, shall we? Michael Madaville (Taken, Taken 2, Taken 3 to name a very few) is one of the most respected line producers in the business. Michael has created budgets from some of the most successful indie darlings, mid-majors and studio films in the business. And now, exclusively for Stage 32, he will take you by the hand, help you problem solve just about every issue that may arise, and help you toward financial success no matter what your budget may be. Using examples from his decades in the business, Michael will walk you through examples of micro to major budget films and discuss how to reduce costs for crew, locations, materials and more and how to apply that information to get your schedule tight and your budget to where it needs to be. No more chasing funds or getting caught short during filming! Michael will show you how to get on the path to a smooth shoot well before yelling "Action!"
Learn directly from Marty Lang, award winning producer of over 20 films! Making an independent film is hard, no matter where you're doing it. But there's great news – no matter where you film, there are treasure troves of resources available to you, if you know where to look. In any community, there are people, government agencies, and organizations that are looking to help people just like you. The smart filmmaker will find them, engage them, and work with them to create a much better film than they had, at first, imagined. This type of filmmaking is called place-based filmmaking, and it can be done in any big city, small town, county or state. If you think about how to engage your local community from the moment you start thinking about your film, you will be able to better capture the authenticity of where you are in your work, as well as open yourself up to resources you may not have had before. Marty Lang is a an award winning producer of over 20 films, best known for his feature romantic dramedy, Rising Star, in which he implemented place-based filmmaking and engaged his community’s resources from production to distribution. This film went on to win awards at various film festivals and was featured in Filmmaker Magazine, Film Threat and Film Courage. In this Stage 32 Next Level Webinar, Marty will teach you how to create a successful place-based film. Using examples of place-based filmmaking from his own resume, Marty will show you how place-based filmmaking will help you develop your story more organically, and how it will help you solve many problems before you even get into production.
Once you finish your screenplay and decide it’s time to reach out to producers and representatives, one of the most common responses you may receive is that your idea is not ‘high concept’ enough or your logline doesn’t have a ‘high concept hook’. This term is thrown around a lot in the movie business, but what does it actually mean? ‘High concept’ might be a buzz word, but it’s also a term that carries with it significant meaning as well as some lessons and perspective you can bring back to your own project if you know how best to approach it. Readers, producers and buyers see so many spec scripts that have no chance of becoming films not because the writing isn’t great, but because the writer did not spend enough time on concept. It is one thing to fall in love with a story idea. It is another to stick with it during the uncomfortable phase of working on that idea to make it more enticing to the world. So how can you ensure you consistently develop ideas that excite readers and push your script toward a sale? How do you know if your idea is “high concept” enough? What exactly does “high concept” even mean? Andrew Kersey is a literary manager and the head of Kersey Management whose clients are working on projects at all the major studios and streaming outlets including Netflix and Amazon, and the networks and cable channels ABC, Fox, NBC, CW, Disney Channel, and Nickelodeon. Andrew recently just sold his client's sci-fi spec script to Universal with THE SOCIAL NETWORK and FIFTY SHADES OF GREY Oscar-nominated producer Mike De Luca, and his client’s comedy VACATION FRIENDS is in production at Broken Road for Hulu starring John Cena and Lil Rel. Andrew has helped his clients pitch countless projects and knows better than most what buyers are looking for and how a high concept approach can make all the difference in getting that script sold. Andrew will break down what makes a script ‘high concept’ and how you can write and sell your own high-concept screenplay. He’ll nail down exactly what a high concept story is and offer examples of high concept movies in different genres, explaining what makes them successful. He’ll then break down why high concept stories are so appealing, from the perspective of producers, studios, and audiences. Next Andrew will delve into how to actually write a high concept story and whether you can adjust your existing screenplay or write one from scratch. He will go through breaking down genre walls and other writing tips you can take with you. Andrew will then teach you how to sell your high concept story. He’ll talk about the importance of your logline and title and give you tips to pitch your high concept story to execs and buyers, including how to explain your world and use comps. Finally he will go over common mistakes writers make when creating high concept stories and will reveal where not to begin and whether size and budget matter. Expect to leave this webinar with a much clearer idea of what makes something “high concept” and a series of tips and ideas you can bring back to your own project to better sell it. "Throughout my time as a literary manager, the term "high concept" has come up more times than I can count. The writers that I work with that are most successful are the ones that understand what this term really means, what buyers are looking for, and how they can adjust to fit this idea. I'm excited to share these secrets with the Stage 32 community." -Andrew Kersey