Filmmaking

This year at the Cannes Film Festival I had the opportunity to meet Heidi Philipsen, a dual-citizen filmmaker from the United States and Germany. With each country being different in the various ways they make films, Heidi realized that there is an opportunity for trans-Atlantic filmmakers to learn from one another and support each other creatively. So, she did something about it. Heidi put together a panel at the Hamburg Film Fest for Women in Film & Television International (WIFTI) and NYWIFT...

Hello, Creative Army! Is your coffee pipin' hot and ready to go? If not, I'll wait while you get it. Today we're talking about story. You've heard it said that every story told in film has been told before. In our first shared video, Every Story is the Same, we dig deep into where story structure was born, and how the mind of Joseph Campbell and the Hero's Journey expounded on it. Listen to what screenwriter Dan Harmon (Community and Rick and Morty) has to say about Campbell. Next up, we t...

The American Film Market is a great place to find partners and pitch projects and films – if you have a plan. Use these steps to increase your chances of success.     PROLOGUE If you have a project or script, the most effective use of your time and money is to purchase an AFM Industry Badge or Industry Badge Plus which allow access to all offices, booths and most screenings beginning on Saturday (Day 4). The Industry Badge Plus includes all conferences and the writers workshop. Buy y...

For almost 10 years, I worked as a development executive for Unified Pictures and Exodus Film Group. One of my chief sources of income over the last year has been writing script coverage, writing development notes, and in general parsing screenplays for writers and producers. My friends, I have read a LOT of screenplays. If you’re an undiscovered screenwriter with more than three our four scripts out there on the market, there’s a fair chance I’ve covered you at some point. Over the last few w...

Should you create and control your own content as a screenwriter? With the industry turning the way it is (and has) for the last decade, it certainly doesn't hurt for a writer to create his or her own content Click the link below to hear what RB and Bradley have to say about writers turning into content creators.   See What RB & Bradley Have to Say!   Remember, if you haven't subscribed to our YouTube page, make sure you do so you don't miss any of our announcements.        ...

We’ve learned in the Crowdsourcing video series that in order to get ahead with any creative project, you need to have a competitive advantage. Stage 32 CEO Richard “RB” Botto is the best-selling author of Crowdsourcing For Filmmakers: Indie Film and the Power of the Crowd, an undeniably powerful book that delves into one of the film industry's best kept secrets: CrowdSOURCING. And the more you discover about crowdsourcing, the more you understand that it truly gives you a competitive advantage...

As a writer, your mind runs a million miles an hour fueled by high octane dreams, inspirations, and real-life memories. Your grey-matter cylinders are pumping away as your fingers bludgeon a keyboard, so much so to the point you probably should apologize to it afterwards. It’s because there’s always something missing. Some gaping hole within you that you need to fill, and you believe that creating some sort of literary art will help fill that, if only for the moment. That hunger just grows and g...

Good Morning, Stage 32 Family! I've got some interesting videos for you this morning. While so many of us work in the film industry, there are reasons we stay and reasons we're no longer a part of it. Take a listen to the Top 5 Reasons Why People Leave the Film Industry. For some, breaking up the amount of time in between gigs is a temporary leave and they come back. For others, not so much. Take a listen to the Top 5 Reasons Why People Leave the Film Industry. Next up, we'll showcase just t...

I'm proud to announce that for the 4th straight year, Stage 32 has been named as the official film networking and education platform of the American Film Market. This year, we've expanded our partnership to include even more events and education.       As you know, I am a big believer that to survive and thrive in this industry, you have to adapt to the times. That's one of the many reasons we love partnering with the AFM. By having his finger firmly on the pulse of what's happening in th...

Let's rock and roll, Creative Army. We've been well overdue to get together live. I've got just the solution. Let's hang AMA (Ask Me Anything) style.   Since the last AMA in May, I've been running all over the globe fulfilling Stage 32 partnership responsibilities, conducting business, exploring creative writing/filming/producing opportunities, and mentoring in such places as Cannes, Budapest, Majorca, Paris, Dordogne, Trinidad and Tobago, London, Munich, Hamburg and, of course, right here i...