Inspirational

Individualism. It’s the single most important element I have learned about life and the people I work with. No two people are the same. No two actors are the same. I believe directing actors entails: Knowing yourself Learning about each of your actors and what they need Training yourself to listen and assess everyone as an individual I began directing actors in 1974 when I made my first picture, INDEPENDENCE DAY. For the first ten years of my career I only directed independent films wh...

Preciously few screenwriters strike gold with their first scripts, such as those written by Sylvester Stallone (Rocky), Kevin Smith (Clerks), Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich), Kimberly Smith (Boys Don’t Cry), and Matt Damon and Ben Affleck (Good Will Hunting) among a dozen other gifted writers. Most screenwriters take a circuitous route to “getting their first feature film produced.” I thought it would be instructive to share the story of my journey in hopes of gathering diverse stories...

Happy Sunday Creative Army! I've got my coffee in hand and your weekly dose of content coming in hot - grab your coffee of choice and let's dive right in. First up, Outstanding Screenplays has compiled ten screenwriting tips from writer/director Jon Favreau (The Mandalorian, Iron Man, Chef). Jon's advice covers everything from struggling through your first draft to finding a relatable element to the hero that you are writing, and much more.  Next up, Indy Mogul has a great video about how...

“CINEMA IS A MATTER OF WHAT’S IN THE FRAME AND WHAT’S OUT.” - Martin Scorsese The point of view of our creations starts with our personal worldview. How do you approach new contacts? Old teammates? Scripts, projects, edits? Here at Stage 32, we welcome. We invite and encourage. We may even suggest or request, all to set the stage for positive, productive relationships. Opening up a frame into "you" or "your craft" is an invitation to start an authentic conversation. If you have a lengthy...

“I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you.” Paulo Coelho Before I dive into the making of my latest rom-com “Will You Be My Quarantine?”, we have to rewind a few months to… April 2020: The Idea My hair needed washing, I needed a shower and I had no idea what to wear! Lucky for me this wasn’t a date in person, it was a zoom date. So on went a cute hat to cover any visible grease. I positioned myself sitting strategically in the best light. And voila! I looked all...

A few months back, still on a pandemic and recently moved to Atlanta, I had the crazy idea of self-producing my first short film. I did not know which script I was actually going to use, or the team and budget I needed for it, but with a new profile on Stage 32, and some debatable resourceful skills, I went for it! These are some tools I used from Stage 32, to help me along the way during the pre-production and production process. The Diverse Lounges I love how Stage 32 offers so many differe...

Happy Sunday Creative Army! Have you had a creative 4th of July weekend so far? Before you head out on your holiday adventures, I have some content to help you get your creative juices flowing, so grab your coffee and let's dive in. First up, the folks over at Aputure have put together a great video about how to light a film studio. Now that things are opening back up, this is a great refresher to help you prep for getting back on set. Specifically, this video shows you how to do a commercia...

Happy Saturday Stage 32! I hope you all had a beautiful and creative week. I was catching up on the trades this week (following the very sage wisdom of our founder and CEO Richard "RB" Botto: Always read the trades and know what is going on in the business of entertainment!) and I came across an article from Deadline Hollywood about the Emmy-Nominated Comedy PEN15. In another installment of the Deadline series "It Starts on the Page", this article shares the script for episode 203 (Season 2,...

I remember making my first short film, I had just broken up with a girlfriend and was desperate for a promotion at work. How about that for a perfect storm of motivation? My boss dangled a carrot, saying if I made something and it got into a festival I’d get the position I wanted and inspiration was provided by a messy break up and a slew of nasty voicemail messages left on my phone, this was pure emotional and creative gold. At this point in my career, I didn’t know anything about festivals...

I've long since been on a writing hiatus. Call it treating myself, call it writer's block. Call it what you will. What's important is that I am taking a mental health break on my own terms. This is necessary every now and then. Yes, it can be seen as lazy. Yes, it can be seen as a lack of creative energy. What I call it is: essential. There was a time in which my output was off the charts. Quite possibly unhealthy levels of writing. Of course I write because I enjoy it. But, I had reached a cert...