Cinematography

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, our friends over at StudioBinder have a great video covering the three types of satire every storyteller should know. In this video, they break down the three types of satire: Juvenalian, Horatian, and Menippean. You will see examples from Jojo Rabbit, Borat, The Dictator, American Beauty, Tropic...

Begin with the end in mind. Know your audience. Work with what you’ve got. We all know the adages, and swat them away to return to the creative deep dive in order to produce compelling characters, unique worlds, and relevant themes. Focusing on our role in order to complete our tasks is part of the creative process, but what if we’re missing part of the collaborative equation? What if the end isn’t just film or television? What if the audience you are trying to reach would enjoy your characters...

Have you ever worked on a stage play? One of the first things you do in rehearsal is figure out where everyone is supposed to stand. Nobody remembers their lines as everyone is holding scripts. They walk from this mark to another mark, trying to make the actions interesting and motivated. That’s called blocking. According to Wikipedia, "blocking is the precise staging of actors to facilitate the performance of a play, ballet, film or opera".     In filmmaking, that can be done in th...

Howdy, Stage 32ers! My name is Keith Strausbaugh and my partner and sometimes-friend is Anthony Guidubaldi. Together, we write, produce, direct, and edit under the banner of Hot Tub Mimosas, a loveless marriage of comedy filmmaking. But we began as writers. In 2017, we won Stage 32’s 2nd Annual Comedy Screenplay Contest with a script called, Shore Break. It’s basically Caddyshack with Jet Skis. Or Dodgeball with Jet Skis. Or Out Cold with Jet Skis. Growing up, I worked at my uncle’s ramsha...

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, Film Independent has a quick video full of great tips on how to rewrite your feature screenplay. As you know, writing is rewriting - and rewrites can be brutal. They cover everything from why you should step away before diving into your second draft to why focusing on the "macro" in your first draft is wise so you can dial in on...

I remember seeing the van speeding toward my vehicle. When it struck, the impact sent a shudder through my nerves. Fortunately, I had enough sense to lean away from the window, so my head didn’t smash through the glass but only slammed into it with a mild “thud”. I was left with a bump on my head instead of a concussion, or worse. The car, sadly, did not fare as well: it was a write-off. Later, I learned that a piece of the engine had been propelled through the bodywork and had missed me by i...

I’ve made a lot of movies. I started off as a Runner and worked my way up. I worked on 13 movies as a 1st AC & 2nd AC and Director of Photography before I became an award-winning Director & Writer in my own right. Having gone from Runner to director I have experienced the whole gauntlet of film making from the biggest shoots (Harry Potter and James Bond) to tiny micro-budget one-man crew shoots. I have seen many ways to do things effectively and simply. There are 6 main areas of filmmaking for...

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, our friends over at StudioBinder have put together a great video talking about the directing choices that brought iconic ending of The Graduate to life. Specifically, this video breaks down director Mike Nichols' choices regarding cinematography, sound design, and contrast and how these elements...

Hello! ¡Hola! Bonjour, hallo, namaste, olá, kon’nichiwa, and annyeonghaseyo! With a global film, television, and digital media community, sometimes you have to cast your net wide to get your message across. What about receiving messages? Casting a net isn’t the only step in panning for gold. It takes movement, attention, and above all, patience. No matter where you are in the world, though, you can find what you are looking for on Stage 32! Earlier this year, our fearless leader, Stage 32’s Fo...

Happy Sunday Creative Army! First of all, congratulations to all of you who have already participated in our monthly Introduce Your Fail Weekend! This is an exciting spin on our monthly Introduce Yourself Weekend that takes place the third weekend of every month in the Introduce Yourself Lounge. Thousands of people from all over the world have shared their entertainment industry fails/rejections/fears and it has been wildly inspiring.  Stage 32 is a safe and supportive space built to help ou...