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I had a dream once. I had a dream, and oh! I dreamed it boldly and strongly, and I shouted it into the wind for everyone to hear! And proudly, I proclaimed it, told it to everyone who was willing to listen. With pride in my chest and a thrill in my voice, I called it out: I’m going to be a filmmaker! I’m going to work in the film industry! And so I worked, and I plotted, and I networked, and I wrote as much as I could, and I learned my trade and dipped my toes in, and then… then I took t...

Hi Stage 32ers! We're Sam Sokolow and Rosemond Perdue, and we're now running the Stage 32 education department. We both bring extensive backgrounds in many different aspects of the entertainment industry to the table and will turn over every stone to provide you with important and meaningful education to support your creative and career journeys. Our goal is simple but powerful, to democratize the entertainment industry so content creators, producers, financiers, and artists of all kinds all...

I have been an independent filmmaker for a few decades now and have always wanted to make films in Hollywood.  Living in Vancouver, BC, Canada (I have been here since my early twenties) was the place to come for those who wanted to pursue a career in film and television. It is no wonder they refer to it as “Hollywood North.” I started out as an actor but always felt that I needed to do more. Quickly, I realized that if I wanted to work as an actor, I needed to create work for myself. This is w...

Happy Sunday Creative Army! First of all, congratulations to all of you who have already participated in our monthly Introduce Yourself Weekend! Thousands of connections have been made between entertainment creatives and professionals from every corner of the globe. Whether you are a long-time member, or brand new to Stage 32, take a moment to pop over to the Introduce Yourself Lounge and say hello before the end of the weekend. First up, In Depth Cine shares a breakdown of how writer/direct...

Hi there, Stage 32! I’m Shellie Schmals, Stage 32 Director of Community and self-declared Cheerleader of Creativity! Previously, I was the Senior Program & Industry Relations Manager at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, where I played a lead role in selecting the nearly 800 films that are considered for each annual Festival. I currently sit on the national board of the Film Festival Alliance (FFA), state-wide Georgia Production Partnership (GPP) as Membership Chair. Locally, I am the Vice Pres...

You probably already know this, but there is no one way to succeed in Hollywood. Everybody has their own story, their own steps, their own specifics that got them to where they are. But that doesn’t mean we can’t learn anything from them. Dreams tend to feel out of reach until there are tangible steps to take, so we need something to grasp to help us move forward. While everyone’s stories are different, there are steps that most people take for every dream. I call this the Foundational Ladd...

The main purpose of most novels is to entertain the audience. They take their readers or viewers out of their day-to-day life and throw them into a new and more exotic or uncertain environment. Whether it is science fiction plunging the reader into a distant future world, a boy who discovers that he is a wizard, or the adventures of a police detective solving a gruesome murder, the main focal point of the novel is your main character. They are the foundation of any successful novel. Indeed, i...

Stand-Ins are an unsung part of a production crew. If you’ve ever been on set, they are usually seen and not heard, but they are an integral part of assisting the camera department (and other crew such as grips, electric, props, etc.) in prepping, blocking, and lighting a scene. They are also there to give actors a break between takes so they can change costumes, go to makeup, rehearse, or just rest. For an actor, stand-in roles are one of the best ways to learn about on-camera work and the r...

We all have characters we love. The ones that stay with us, that inspired us when we were children, made us laugh as adults, and share memories with family as we watched It is a truly rewarding experience when animation artists breathe life into their characters by creating movement as though they’re real humans. But how does this happen? How can you make your characters alive in animation? Here are 11 tips to successfully create characters that feel as grounded and realistic as they are "...

Near the beginning of my writing career, I attended a writing group in college. A friend encouraged me to go with them when I mentioned I like to write. Keep in mind, I was still very much in the “writing is a hobby stage” at this point while they seemed to want to make a career of it. I went, then continued going, and eventually ran the club myself (as equals with a few people I still talk to daily). We did more than work to make a community, we did our best to make sure everyone got the bes...