Tips

Keep pushing and trust the process. Hi, my name is Eric Jeske and my screenplay AVALANCHE won Stage 32’s Feature Contest. These two “mantras” are what shape my screenwriting journey. I came out to Los Angeles after college, like many, pursuing all that Hollywood has to offer - Improv, comedy, movies, glitz and glamor. But this town can be a tough-ass nut to crack. Keep pushing. So, you figure some things out, make some connections, pour your focus into screenwriting. The one thing you fe...

Happy Sunday Creative Army! First of all, 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 every corner of 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. Now, who is ready for some piping hot content with their Sunday m...

Hello Stage 32 Fam! I have some hot tips for all my fellow actors out there on how to rock your next self-tape audition. Even before stay-at-home orders and social distancing became the daily norm, self-tape auditions accounted for over 85% of all auditions, according to SAG-AFTRA. Trust me, I love bringing the in-person charisma as much as the next person, but now more than ever, it is essential to learn how to bring that same charm and energy to your digital auditions.  Fortunately, SAG-AF...

Happy Friday Creative Army! As you know, back in March, we announced and launched Stage 32 Screenings to help filmmakers who were impacted by the cancellation of their live screenings at film festivals all over the world. Stage 32 Screenings is a unique platform that allows filmmakers to get their films seen to a concentrated audience including thousands of distributors, sales agents, producers, financiers, development execs, and more decision-makers here on Stage 32. We are currently screenin...

These days there’s a pretty interesting battle raging between composers scoring films, and filmmakers using prerecorded tracks in their projects. Both can work, and either one can be cheaper, or easier to use. As a composer who makes tracks for music libraries, and scores films, I can give you some ideas about when and why you might use one versus the other.     1. Hiring a Composer Hiring a composer can be cheap or expensive, depending on their experience, business and artistic skil...

Producing a video for Father’s Day that would be both special and memorable was something I had set out to do…in just two weeks! Here’s how I managed to accomplish it and how it all came about.     The Challenges Yes, there were some challenges straight out of the gate. These included: So many things beyond my control because of Shelter in Place Casting Quality of videos submitted Remote directing Tight timeline The Idea I had produced a video for Mother's Day, and another...

Friends, family, project collaborators, social media connections—I’m sure your network is abundant. But in all likelihood, you’re missing out on a mastermind group—a creative support network of individuals who guide each other through professional challenges. Mastermind groups are well known in the business community, yet rarely used by filmmakers, writers, actors, and other artists. Personally, I think it’s time creatives start leveraging this idea for themselves.     What is a Mast...

I’ve been a freelance writer for about eight years now. I got my start with a series of historical novels – Agent of Rome – first published in 2011. I was teaching at the time but determined to make writing my career, even when the cheques from the publishers began to dry up! It was quite difficult to begin with but I’ve stuck at it and it’s gradually got easier over time. I work with a wide variety of clients, mainly from the States, usually writing novels, screenplays and content for computer...

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.  First up, Cinecom.net has a great way for you to stay creative between gigs - shooting a library epic B-roll. In this video, they give you 10 simple steps to shoot really extraordinary B-roll footage of literally anything you have lying around your house. Cinematic footage of a coffee cup is sure to come...

Artificial intelligence is radically changing the world and it will RADICALLY change screenwriting. Elon Musk predicts that over half the cars sold in 2030 will be autonomous. This requires artificial intelligence capable of observing and reacting like a driver does today— only better. Musk says that by 2040 cars with steering wheels will be like people riding horses today. It will be for those who enjoy something historical. As a screenwriter, you need to realize your world is being transfo...