Filmmaking

I don't consider myself a film festival expert, necessarily, compared to those who work or have worked for festivals, or those who write about them extensively or exclusively, or have written popular books about them, or teach courses on them, or whatever, but after attending countless film festivals for well over 20 years, often with films of my own, I've certainly accumulated a number of pointers with regard to developing a festival strategy for your independent film. The first rule is: develo...

I'm one of those people standing on the outside of the film industry circle wondering how to get in. One of my attempts was started on this very site, Stage 32. The concept seemed simple; connect with as many people as humanly possible. Collaborate with writers, collaborate with crew, make a solid film, and enter a film festival... and win. OK so maybe the last part is the tricky bit, but it is important to take something like this step by step. The film festival I had in mind was on...

I'd like to thank all of you who have written or left comments regarding my interview with Indie Source magazine. Many of you have expressed some technical issues using the viewer and have asked if we could post PDFs of the article. And to that we say, "Yes we can". "Mr. Stage 32 With Richard Botto" - Indie Source Magazine [PDF] To view a PDF copy of the entire Summer issue of Indie Source click here. My thanks to Executive Editor, Chris Parker, for making this possible. Enjoy......

Our CEO, Richard Botto, is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Indie Source Magazine. Our thanks to Indie Source Executive Editor and Stage 32 member Chris Parker for his generosity and for making this possible. To read the interview (starting on page 14) please click here. As always, RB is available for questions or remarks in the comments section below.

Unmotivated. Lazy. Creatively constipated. Is this you? It happens to all of us. We're all overworked, underpaid, overwhelmed, and under-appreciated. From time to time, this stew of exhaustion can cause us creative types to lose focus and drive, and our artistic engines can stall. BUT, there is good news. It is called a solution. I write this because I have been dealing with my own creative exhaustion. Let me back up. Three years ago, I had a low budget concept about a guy locked in...

When he's not enjoying a pint at his favorite local pub, Marc Savage runs a terrific site out of Ireland called Following The Nerd. He also hosts an equally brilliant podcast. Marc was gracious enough to have me as a guest on the show, and we discussed all things 32 including welcoming our 50,000th member to what the future has in store. My thanks goes out to him for his time and his generosity of spirit. Special thanks also to my friend, Scott Myers. Scott runs Go Into The Story, simply the...

Literary agent and Stage 32 member, Babz Bitela, hosts an outstanding podcast for screenwriters called Babz Buzz. As entertaining as it is informative, Babz's show is a must listen for screenwriters of all proficiencies. Whether it's tips on honing your craft, breaking down the beat points of successful scripts, or discussing what's selling and why, no one has their finger on the pulse of the screenwriting community like Babz. On her most recent podcast, Babz was kind enough to not only spea...

If you're a screenwriter, I highly recommend bookmarking the Selling Your Screenplay blog. Head honcho, Ashley Scott Meyers, has written over 20 screenplays, nearly all of them optioned or sold. I've been a reader for years and I can tell you firsthand, his opinions and insight are invaluable. Ashley was kind enough to ask me to guest blog for SYS. Check it out here: The Power of Networking. As always, I'm open to questions and remarks in the comments section below. Enjoy! -- RB...

I'm very grateful to have been asked by Marc Whitehead to be a guest on his terrific podcast, Web Of Intrigue. Marc, his co-host, Peter, and I discussed the origins of Stage 32, the benefits of membership, and what the future holds for the network. I hope you enjoy it. As always, feel free to ask questions or leave remarks in the comments section below! -- RB Marc and Peter welcome Richard Botto, CEO and co-founder of film, TV and theatre social network site stage32.com. Richard explains...

THE SILENT MAJORITY I was pleased that Hollywood chose to honor The Artist - a silent movie - in such grand fashion at the Oscars. Pleased and a little vindicated, I must say. Because it reminded me of a terrific project I worked on that never happened and of my favorite studio note ever. Here comes my war story: Fox Family Films had just discovered a wonderful new talent named David Shiner, an actor comedian entertainer who had come up as a street performer. He was at the time killing o...