Producing

In 2016, I began the crazy notion of directing and writing my feature films. In my first two years, I wrote a book that’s been published that I turned into a movie and I completed 6 feature films. All totally different genres. I met an incredible mentor who supports me in ways I never thought possible. I spoke on a director panel at the Cannes Film Festival and I have won various awards at various film festivals. The reason I’m telling you this is not to brag. It’s because I want to show that...

On behalf of the entire Stage 32 family, I'd like to wish you all a happy, healthy, and loving Christmas and the remainder of the holiday season. While the holidays are a time of celebration, I hope everyone will take a moment to reflect on the many blessings life has offered and afforded all of us. We personally feel blessed to have had so many of you enter and enrich our lives. The Stage 32 community has grown to over 1,000,000 members from around the globe, and we are beyond honored to prov...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? Or too busy enjoying the holidays? I have some content here for you that is sure to get the creative juices and nostalgia flowing, so grab your coffee, and let's dive in. First up, in this video from Audiorama, actor and filmmaker Peter Billingsley relives his time starring as 'Ralphie' in the seasonal favorite, A CHRISTMAS STORY. In this hour-long storytime session, the actor goes through what it was like making the film a...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! First, congratulations to all of you who have already participated in our monthly Introduce Yourself Weekend! Thousands of connections have been made between entertainment creatives and professionals from around the globe. Whether you are a long-time member or brand new to Stage 32, take a moment to pop over to the Introduce Yourself Lounge and say hello before the end of the weekend. First up, in this installment of "Directors On Directors" from Variety, Oscar-w...

As creatives, we can all probably remember the first person who took notice of the unique turn of our minds and chose to affirm it – whether that was a teacher, a parent, a friend, a sibling, or an early fan of our work. This person’s words might have given us exactly the encouragement we needed at exactly the right time. The truth is, it’s very easy for self-doubt, self-criticism, Imposter Syndrome, fear, and the inner forces of resistance to win the day. There’s a reason why there are about...

Buzz. Trailers. Cast Interviews. Behind the Scenes Featurettes. Seeing A-list talent answer random yet strangely personal questions while playing with puppies. Producers have gone to great lengths to convince audiences to watch their finished films. But, is it worth it? Putting aside for a moment the nitty-gritty details of what it takes to market a film, the process of planning and executing a marketing strategy for a film or series takes just as much teamwork, strategy, and creativity as fil...

So, you have sold your screenplay, and you have earned the right to do the first, second, and possibly third rewrite. You have received notes from producers, and directors and have revised the screenplay. The rewritten script has survived the task and has been green-lit into the pre-production stage! The information I will give you is an overview of a required process, not known by many writers. Below are 6 things you should know about script legal research. 1. What Are Script Legal Resea...

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...

Welcome to the next installment of The Filmmaker Files, where we break down the director’s relationship with various crew members to help first-time directors better understand how to communicate effectively. I’m James Kicklighter, a Stage 32 Thought Leader and multi-award-winning director and producer of The Sound of Identity, Angel of Anywhere, and the upcoming 2024 film, The American Question.   Today’s guest is my composer of over 10 years, Nicolás Repetto, an Argentinian-American televis...

During my filmmaking career, I've run the gambit on all different sides of production. Back in Baltimore, I worked with skeleton crews writing, directing, and doing sound on my own productions. Since moving to Los Angeles I've found a lot of work on set sound mixing, and I wanted to give some easy, actionable steps that can help all filmmakers, at every budget level, get the best sound possible. My sound kit from “Sexy Dex.” 1) Knowing The Tools Most sound mixers start with what we call a “...