Filmmaking

As a writer, I wanted to improve my storytelling and gain more experience. When I reached out to one of Stage 32’s great leaders, K. Ross, asking, "What can I do to improve my writing?" her advice was simple and clear- make a film. Of course, like many writers, I didn’t have millions of dollars to make a blockbuster film. Heck, I didn’t even have hundreds! So, I had to get creative. I joined a 48-Hour Film Festival Group to kick-start my filmmaking journey. Step 1: Find a Crew The closes...

Sometimes, someone comes along who suddenly propels you into an inspirational state that you never felt before. I worked with someone called, Shibu Thomas, who wrote a screenplay and asked me if I would become script consultant and editor. I read the script and edited it for him, but the story was so intriguing and so clever, I was happy to continue to help him work on it. He then made pitches to producers and received great feedback, he had very good written critiques from professionals in...

My wife, Carolina, and I made a film, Expressway to Your Skull. It's not even close to the first film I've made, not even the first film my wife and I made together, but it ended up being the most challenging film to cross the finish line and the one we are most proud of. I want to share some of this story with you here and hope you can take something positive from our experience. THREE DAYS IN. I had accumulated seven days of vacation time at work, so I scheduled and budgeted a seven-day...

Happy Tuesday, Creative Army! As you know, Stage 32 Certification was a dream of mind for nearly a decade and is near and dear to my heart. Since launching just over a year ago, we’ve welcomed over 40 film commissions and other organizations who are now utilizing Stage 32 Certification to train below the line professionals in support of their film incentives and rebates. Many more will be announced soon. Today, we’re thrilled to announce some truly groundbreaking news that represents another...

Four Practical Habits to Help Creatives Stay Grounded and Achieve Consistent Results. "It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward." - Chinese proverb As actors, we all have huge dreams and aspirations: one day winning an Oscar, being on a Broadway stage, getting into Marvel-ready shape, or getting that top-tier agent. For better or worse, we think big and relentlessly pursue our goals. We sprint towards them, stum...

Happy Thursday, Creative Army! “This is a community for you, built by you.” When I was conceiving Stage 32 way back in 2009, those were some of the first words I wrote down on a legal pad I titled THE MISSION. The mission hasn’t changed. The song remains the same. Many of you know the story. During our soft launch in 2011, I reached out to 100 of my industry friends and showed them the first version of Stage 32. I asked them to join and tell me what they liked and didn’t like about the pla...

Hellooooo, Stage 32 Community! 2025 is off and running! Hope everyone is doing well and working towards achieving your goals for this new year! With that said, here we go with the first Success Story Roundup of 2025! This is our monthly salute to just some of the amazing and talented members of the Stage 32 community who have had some success to tout from this past month. This year really does feel like it’s kicking off with a bang, as we have some fantastic stories to share. We sincerely en...

There is no shortage of acting techniques for the actor in training. From Stanislavsky and Chekov to Demidov and Meisner and Adler to Strasberg and everything in between. There is a shortage however on methods for safely accessing and regulating emotion in the process of using these acting techniques when developing a Character. The Traditional Traditional acting techniques have their own philosophies on how to access emotion. From Demidov’s “passively surrendering” and being guided by their...

When I decided to tell my story through animation, I wasn’t starting completely from scratch—I had five years of experience learning about the business side of the entertainment industry. During those five years, I spent three focusing specifically on film and two on animation, immersing myself in the craft. Even with that background, stepping into the creative side of your own project feels nerve-wracking, like entering unfamiliar territory, despite the experience. I don’t draw, and I didn’t...

Happy Thursday, Stage 32 Community! February is here, and with it comes a fresh lineup of educational opportunities to help you elevate your creative skills and take your career to the next level! From screenwriting and acting to cinematography and production, these webinars, classes, and labs are led by top industry professionals who are here to guide you every step of the way. Below, you’ll find a breakdown of the incredible webinars, classes, and labs we have lined up this month. Each of...