Inspirational
Inspirational Stage 32 Blogs
Coffee and Content - All Your Filmmaking, Screenwriting, Acting, Industry Questions Answered (& More!)
Happy Sunday, everyone. This is going to have to be a quick one. As the official film networking and educational partner of the conference, it's been wall to wall for the Stage 32 team at the American Film Market (AFM), and this morning I am leading a talk on independent film financing with the CEO's of Hyde Park Entertainment, Bold Film, Cold Iron and the President of Millennium Entertainment. So, in short, time has been limited. But you know I wouldn't leave you hanging with just your coff...


Richard Botto Answers: How Do I Keep Momentum as a Screenwriter After a Contest Placement?
How does a screenwriter keep his or her momentum after they've completed a script? What do they do next as they wait to hear from potential investors or executives? RB answered this very question for Nicholas, a Stage 32 member and semifinalist in the Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship Contest. Nicholas garnered attention after his win, and wanted to know what he should do with the handful of inquiries and read requests he got as a result. RB gives it to him straight. And his response is true...


How to Establish Boundaries With Potential Clients
If you're reading this post, you're in business for yourself. Most indie creatives are. You are an entrepreneur and you work for you. Therefore, you are responsible for just about every aspect of your business. I am a screenwriter, actor, and ghostwriter (with a small job on the side at a bookstore). As an entrepreneur, I have to manage my books, track my mileage, invoice my clients, and market myself. Really, that's just a fraction of what I do. I also have to establish boundaries with my c...


How Blogging, Interviewing, and Online Networking Gets You Noticed
If I told you that I have interviewed award-winning screenwriters, producers, managers, and other industry professionals who have worked on projects like the Jurassic Park franchise and with studios such as BBC, Marvel, and Disney without leaving the comfort of my own home, would you believe me? And what would you say if I told you that you could do it too? In fact, let’s go a step further and say you don’t even need to get off the couch to do so. In this post, I'm going to share how I’ve be...


Psst. We Still Need You (For Real and For True)
A few months back I published a post looking for blog contributors. I'll be doing that from time to time because, quite frankly, the Stage 32 Blog wouldn’t exist without any of you. So many of you answered the call. You told us your stories. You shared your experiences. Your expertise.Your wins, your losses, and your even better wins that come after the losses. We want to hear from you again.Our posts from you educate and inspire. And with over 500,000 Stage 32 members (and growing), ther...


Coffee & Content - Jay Duplass on Screenwriting & 5 Cinematography Tips From Ed Lachman
Happy Sunday, Creative Army. Hope you're all enjoying the weekend and taking advantage of participating in Introduce Yourself Weekend here on Stage 32. Let's get to the content. First up, as we all know, there's no one tried and true approach to writing a screenplay. But, by hearing from those who have been successful and keeping an open mind, we might just pick up a tip or two that could lead to better habits. To that end, here's Jay Duplass speaking to his screenwriting process. Next...


4 Reasons I Never Gave Up As A Filmmaker
Nearly five years ago I started the journey to becoming a filmmaker. At the time I had a great job with benefits, three weeks of vacation, a decent salary, and great co-workers… ...but I was miserable. I wasn’t doing the one thing that burned with an unquenchable fire within me. All I wanted to do was make movies. Now mind you, I am a father of three awesome children and husband to an amazing wife. I have a mortgage, a car payment, and of course your standard American credit card debt. But...


Coffee & Content - Screenwriting Myths: 3 Act Structure & 5 Simple Filmmaking Tricks
Happy Sunday, Creative Army. Let's close out the weekend with another strong cup of java and an equally potent edition of Coffee & Content. First up this week, I've been noticing many threads in the Screenwriting Lounge lately regarding the basics and the merits of writing within a 3 act structure. One such thread reminded me of a video from Click Imagination I viewed a couple of years back. I decided to dig it up and present it hear for consumption and discussion. Next Up, another good...


Actors With Disabilities: One Writer Makes Room For Everyone
Katie O'Reilly is changing the way the world views people with disabilities. She's writing them onto the stage, leaving their disabled stories out and normalizing them with the same hopes, fears, dreams, and realities that any other human being would face. A hearing-impaired actor uses sign language during a stage performance. The playwright said, "Disabled characters are often metaphors or tropes, representing very negative aspects of what it is to be human. So you’re evil personified, or...


Does "Luck" Play a Role in Your Acting Career?
“Luck” Photo by Erwin More of More Medavoy Every now and again when I hear people talk about actors, it’s not unusual for them utter the word “luck” to reference the reason for the actor’s success. I pause for a moment and then tell those people what luck really is. “Luck is being prepared when opportunity arrives,” I say. “You may not create it exactly, but you sure as hell execute it.” There will always be things that fall outside of your control. But as an actor, it’s crucial that...

