Cinematography

I recently gave some thought to what actions and strategies had made the most significant impacts in my success over the years.   I was surprised to realize how it really was not the things most of us expect. Not agents. Not union membership. Not publicity. Not awards or accolades. Not proactive networking.   The reality is far more subtle, nuanced and more powerful than any of those things. It took decades of perspective for me to recognize the indisputable patterns. When...

Happy Wednesday Creative Army! Since 2011, the Stage 32 team has been working tirelessly to help you stay connected, creative, motivated, and informed. As always, we are committed to bringing you networking opportunities, education and mentoring from top-level industry executives and professionals, and access to decision-makers around the globe all from the comfort of your own home. Recently our efforts have been noticed by the media in a big way. We are incredibly proud and honored that Sta...

As an artist, you’re called to show up in the world. Whether it’s on stage, making a pitch, submitting your screenplay, putting on an art show, you make yourself vulnerable to others over and over again. Making art is a unique process. The initial stages of creating are deeply personal, but, eventually, you need the attention of your audience to bring your creative work to life. Though it began as something private, your art only achieves its purpose and full potential when it impacts someone...

Happy Sunday Creative Army! I've got my coffee in hand and your weekly dose of content coming in hot - grab your coffee of choice and let's dive right in. First up, the Acting Career Center has an amazing video about how to start an acting career with zero experience. This video features Atlanta-based actor Kurt Yue, who started his acting career with no agent & no experience - he now has over 62 credits including major titles like Marvel's Black Widow, Netflix's Cobra Kai, CW's Dynasty, and...

Steven Bernstein is the cinematographer of White Chicks and Oscar-winning Monster, writer/director of Last Call with Rhys Ifans and John Malkovich is also a screenwriter, an actor, teacher, the author of the best-selling book “Film Production”, a writer for various film magazines, a lecturer and a motivational speaker. With over thirty years of experience in the biz, he is creating Instagram posts that are a “film school” goldmine to any Stage 32 member. I know a lot of people have an Inst...

Welcome back, filmmakers of Stage 32! Most of you know me by now, either for my achievements or for my infamy, so I’ll spare you the branding prologue. If anyone needs a little reassurance that I actually do know what I’m talking about, I can tell you I’ve written two screenplays since my last blog and that I was paid to my satisfaction for both of them. If you’d like to check my receipts a little more thoroughly, I’ve got a brief bio and a list of all the articles I’ve written for Stage 32 at t...

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, Film Independent recently hosting an Q&A with Jessica Chastain and producer Kelly Carmichael about their new film The Eyes of Tammy Fay. In this exclusive interview, Jessica talks about how she first got the rights to the projects back in 2012, the process of preparing for the role, and more. The...

Happy Autumn Creatives! Growing up, I was known for my tiny stature and enormous personality, pretty much what I’m known for now. I loved making friends, family, and old people smile. I spent most of my time with my grandmother, the best storyteller, seamstress and soul fool chef on the planet. I enjoyed the sweet smells of sweet potato custard and homemade biscuits baking in the oven while she taught me how to sew lace on a doll dress. When we were finished, I’d follow her to the front porch...

Every day in this crazy LA film world I learn something new. I have been here for over 7 years now and have been able to go from a position of not knowing anyone to being able to produce a film that is doing the festival circuit all for a budget of $1,000. I also made 6 feature films in just two years.    Being British has also made things harder.   How do you even start when you need to get a social security number a home address and a cell?   It can seem daunting. If I can do it, though,...

In February of 2011, we went live with the first iteration of Stage 32. For me personally, this was the culmination of 3 years of plotting, planning, executing, and, ultimately, fully forming and realizing an embryonic idea that had been living in my head and keeping me awake at night. As you might imagine, it was an exciting moment. Still, I didn’t know how people would take to the idea. From a business standpoint, I had done it backwards. Normally, you take (what you believe to be) your fab...