Inspirational

It has been a whirlwind since winning the Stage 32 Short Film Contest with the project I wrote and directed, BIENVENIDOS A LOS ANGELES. We’ve been lucky enough to have connected with major industry players and have taken significant steps forward to become a contender for Best Live Action Short Film in the 96th Academy Awards. Most recently, we have signed with Ouat Media, the renowned Toronto-based short film sales company known for three Oscar winners and 12 nominees. This film is very close...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? I have some content here for you that is sure to get the creative juices flowing, so grab your coffee, and let's dive in. We're looking at two classic and well-known filmmaking styles this week. Spielberg and Lumet. First up, in this video from StudioBinder, you get a breakdown of what makes Spielberg's work so visually recognizable - which comes down to cinematographer, Janusz Kaminski. This video gets into the lighting, c...

As our 2023 November Write Club comes to an end, I can’t help but feel impressed and inspired. As a newer team member here at Stage 32, I didn’t know what to expect from the November Write Club event. As a writer myself, I often crave structure at the same time that I grit my teeth and push back against others telling me how I should be structuring myself. It’s an age-old conundrum that I’m sure many of you can relate to. For that reason, I always struggled with other creative-focused goal-setti...

Hey, Stage 32ers! I hope if you're not recovering from a Thanksgiving feast that, no matter where you are in the world, you're ready to relax and enjoy the weekend! The holidays are always a great time to look back and applaud the "wins" from the past year, and this community has had some pretty big ones. From booking gigs to signings to projects that are getting made, your passion for your craft and love for this community are what make every success on Stage 32 so incredibly special. Today...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? Hope those who celebrate had a great feast this past week with loved ones and that everyone has a fantastic start to the holiday season! I have some content here for you that is sure to get the creative juices flowing, so grab your coffee, and let's dive in. First up, award-winning director and writer Taika Waititi sits down for an interview to discuss his recently released film, NEXT GOAL WINS. Waititi is a master at balan...

As Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season in the United States, there is a collective sigh of relief that the strikes are over, and the creative industry is returning to doing what it does best: entertaining, educating, and informing. Yet, it is not a celebratory time for many, who feel a sense of despair, a sense of lack somewhere in their lives. Maybe you are not returning to work as quickly as you had wanted, and finances are tight. Perhaps you are so busy that you cannot get...

Happy Thanksgiving, Creative Army! On behalf of the entire Stage 32 team, I'd like to wish everyone a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. This year, we hit a milestone of over one million members in our growing, creative community, and we are beyond honored to provide each and every one of you a safe haven to connect, be inspired, and come together to make art. We are all extremely grateful for the members of this community and for the incredible relationships and friendships that have bloomed thi...

There is a Japanese proverb that speaks simply of the heart of Perseverance. Nana korobi ya obi or “fall seven times and get up eight”. Perhaps if this were a corporate inspirational poster, we could end this blog with a simple image of someone climbing a mountain. But this isn’t the ‘90s and we’re creatives. We need to paint a picture, compose the music, and write the metaphor. First, let’s be clear: according to dictionary.com, the definition of perseverance is “steady persistence in a cours...

WARNING: Objects in mirror are closer than they appear, or is it that they may not be as close as they appear? I suppose it all depends on how they appear and how blind we’ve become to a message that’s under our noses every day; I’ll come back to this. The mission you have chosen to accept in this industry is one of delivering a perspective. Whether you are a writer, actor, director, producer, costumer, or gaffer. The projects you work on will all set out to deliver a perspective through the s...

Welcome back to TALKING BUSINESS: Insights from the Independent Film Industry, hosted by Stage 32 Thought Leader and Business Consultant, David Zannoni, from Freeway Entertainment and Zannoni Media. In TALKING BUSINESS, David brings you in-depth conversations on the behind-the-scenes of the filmmaking business with industry veterans. In today’s fourth episode, David speaks with Octavio Marin, VP of Production & Operations for Santa Fe Studios and SF Film Services, LLC. Octavio oversees Santa F...