My short film, Rematch was finally released this year, and I’m excited to share it with the world. It’s a 20-minute domestic dramedy about two contentious brothers shot entirely in my home on an ultra-low budget. I’ve already outlined the hard lessons learned making that film in a recent Stage 32 blog, and I encourage you to give that a read if you haven’t already. However, while it’s important to shine a light on your mistakes, I also wanted to highlight a major success:

How Stage 32 was essential to making it all happen.

A Lounge Discussion Lead Me to The Script

In late 2020, like many people, I was feeling stir-crazy. I wanted to make something, but I didn’t have a script for anything imminently shootable. So, I needed to find a script if I wasn’t going to write one myself. It sucks feeling this kind of creative frustration, which I’m sure many of you can relate to. The fact that filmmaking is a largely collaborative medium is both a blessing and a curse. While I might be chomping at the bit to make something, I can’t do it all by myself. I have to rally other creatives behind me. So, the search was on, not just for a script, but for a team.

I thought it was a Hail Mary, but I went ahead and posted in the Stage 32 Screenwriting Lounge. I laid out my circumstances and conditions: I needed a short film; a small cast; preferably something domestic; something I could shoot easily in a single location or very few locations. I asked, “Does anyone have any unproduced scripts they’d like to share?”

I didn’t expect such an overwhelming response. Not only did I receive a number of replies, I received many more private messages. Obviously, there are a lot of writers out there who want to see their work realized. In the end, I got to read a lot of screenplays. In return, I would try to give honest feedback as to why I liked or didn’t like them, and why it ultimately wasn’t the right project for me. It made the whole process mutually beneficial. I wanted to be respectful of any writer allowing me to review their work. I didn’t think a simple rejection was appropriate. After all, I’m just some nobody. The fact that anyone let me read anything was a privilege.

As a side note, jumping from screenwriter shoes to producer shoes can help put things in perspective. If you’re getting frustrated with rejection, hear me out. Wearing producer shoes, I was looking for a specific peg to fit a specific hole. I read many interesting short scripts, but it didn’t matter how great the script was; if it didn’t fit my criteria, then it wasn’t the right script for me. And here’s the thing, if you have to read 100 scripts to find the winner, that means you rejected 99. And that doesn’t mean you read 99 bad scripts and one great script. As a creator (whether you’re a screenwriter or even an actor), you want decision-makers to see the inherent quality of your work, but you have to remind yourself that producers are coming to the table with significant baggage and specific criteria. If they reject work, it may just mean they want something different, and that’s it. But I digress…

Eventually, I was led to ScriptRevolution.com created by long-time Stage 32 member CJ Walley, which was a game-changer. CJ responded to my thread here on Stage 32 and I signed up instantly. Not only does ScriptRevolution have a huge database of scripts, but it also boasts a robust search tool with comprehensive filtering and refining. CJ has made it incredibly easy to narrow in on exactly the scripts you want. It was through ScriptRevolution that I found the script for ‘Cycles,’ eventually renamed to Rematch. None of this would have happened if I hadn’t engaged with the Stage32 community in the Screenwriting Lounge and networked with CJ.

We Hired Our Sound Mixer Through Stage32 Jobs

Audiences can forgive subpar visuals, but they’ll never forgive subpar sound. I’ve taken this motto to heart on everything I’ve worked on because I believe it’s true. In Rematch we were so rushed on set that we did very little with production sound other than capturing dialogue. By that, I mean that we made no effort to capture clean plates of supplemental sounds (if I’m using the term “clean plate” correctly). Often filmmakers (if they have the luxury to do so) will make some effort during production to capture footsteps, prop handling, room tone, or various other sounds that will be useful to the sound mix. We didn’t do that because we didn’t have time. And, since the set was my house, I also felt confident I would be able to capture any sounds I needed later.

So, after we locked the edit, Co-Director Nick and I turned to the grueling process of foley, which we did ourselves. For what felt like an eternity, one day a week Nick would come over after I put the kids to bed, and we’d tinker around the house, recording footsteps, clinking plates, ping pong balls, door slams — whatever elements each scene required to bring the moments to life. In Rematch, every sound you hear outside of dialogue was foley, so it took a while. We intentionally recorded more than we needed; we wanted to have play in the edit. In the end, we had a full and complex soundscape with many layers, but no knowledge on how to mix it. It sounded like we had all the pieces, but it didn’t sound like a movie.

After a few referrals for re-recording mixers that didn’t pan out, I wasn’t sure what to do. So, another Hail Mary, I posted a Job on Stage32. I wasn’t expecting much, but we received a good number of responses. The candidates ranged in price, with more experienced candidates asking for more, while inexperienced candidates were willing to give us a great deal if we gave them the opportunity to prove themselves. In the end, we decided on Luca de Sensi, a very talented and experienced re-recording mixer who hails from Milan, Italy (and believe me, I took every opportunity possible to brag about our “international” cast and crew).

We couldn’t have been happier with our decision. Not only did Luca deliver an awesome mix (even sprinkling in some of his own sound design), but he also delivered a 5.1 mix. Every scene we sent to Luca came back sounding like a real movie. The dialogue was crisp and balanced, the sound effects were punchy, and the score was perfectly integrated. While Nick & I did a lot of work on the film ourselves, sound mixing is not our expertise. Even with months of teaching ourselves, I doubt we’d have been able to touch Luca’s mastery of the subject. You have to pick your battles, and for us, the sound mixing wasn’t one of them. Thankfully, Stage 32's Job Board came through, or we never would have met Luca.

Bookends To An Unforgettable Experience

Producing a short film is quite the undertaking, especially on your own dime. Rematch was no exception. You need all the help you can get when you’re taking on such a heavy burden. Don’t be afraid to leverage this community, as I learned to. The free resources provided by Stage 32 proved essential in getting our film made. The genesis of the movie started right here in the lounge, and the finishing touches came from a collaboration that Stage 32 made possible.

How will you use Stage32 on your next project?

Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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