Tips

Happy Sunday, everyone.  Trust you're all having a great weekend?We're still buzzing from what was a remarkable and inspiring day at the Stage 32/LA Acting Studio's 1st Film Con Hollywood.  We'll have more updates about and some cool video from the event coming soon.  Until then, let's get to this edition of Coffee & Content. First up, how about 2 dudes talking acting?  It's Film Acting Tips: How to Act on Camera, with Chris Mack.  I love the conversational and relaxed tone of this vid.  Almos...

Who, exactly, is a DreamWeaver? DreamWeavers pull together the threads of relationships, career, education and experience, then reach beyond their grasp and weave a unique life tapestry. That would be you, yes?     YOU are the Most Important Person you know… No one else can fulfill your dream, no matter what they may say. And Honey, you can’t fulfill the dream of anyone else, either. Dreams are individual. Unique. Others may support yours and vice versa; you may have guidance and men...

Hello, my fellow creatives.  Happy Sunday. Hope you are all enjoying and participating in what has been a very lively Introduce Yourself Weekend! Today for Coffee & Content, I'm bringing you some voices with years of experience talking directing and screenwriting. First up, legendary director, Ridley Scott waxes poetic on the craft of directing.  As usual, no pulled punches from Sir Ridley.  Nothing more for you to do with this one than pour yourself a full cuppa and kick back. Next, fro...

Greetings from rainy Los Angeles, and Happy Sunday.  Coffee is brewed, let's get to the content. One of the most inspiring dudes I've met over the last few months is filmmaker, Matt Alonzo.  Not only is Matt a ridiculously talented guy who handles just about everything - shooting, lighting, editing - but he also aims to educate and motivate wherever he goes.  The idea of giving back and paying it forward is part of his DNA.  An example of this?  This week, Matt will be teaching filmmaking to o...

Looking to develop your first pitch? Want to improve the pitch you already have? Join Stage 32's Nick & Allen and learn what turns a pitch into a request or meeting!     We see a lot of projects pitched on Stage 32 each week and review the feedback execs give on all of them. We see the good, the bad, and everything in between. We see what gets read and what gets the dreaded pass. What lands on the top of the pile and what gets buried under everything else. And we see the questions abou...

Good morning, 32'ers.  Happy Oscars Sunday. Don't forget, it's not too late to get your Oscars ballot in.  Prizes and bragging rights are at stake.  Fill out your ballot here. Leading up to the ceremony, I have two more videos for your enjoyment as part of this edition of Coffee and Content. First up, a classic and extremely celebrated video of Michael Caine discussing acting in film.  Next, from Actualized.org, comes a terrific video on overcoming writer's block.  Whether you're writing...

Crowdfunding for independent film has grown up quite a bit since the very first edition of Crowdfunding for Filmmakers came out in 2013, and as such, those who partake in the privilege of inviting a crowd in to fund your latest movie must adapt to the changing landscape. As Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder sings, “It’s evolution, baby!” and one such evolution has been the advent of the campaign manager.   Yes, crowdfunding’s a booming industry, one that has spawned an ecosystem all its own: peopl...

The way we communicate has changed more in the past two decades, than it has since Gutenburg invented his printing press in 1440. But now Gutenburg's been replaced by Zuckerburg, and we're no longer analogue creatures. We're carefully curated digital representations, information junkies – constantly in the loop, all wired up to The Matrix. You may regard our new digital reality a dystopian wasteland – a bleak place punctuated by selfies, pornography and neon virtue-signallers. A lonely dimensi...

I started acting a little later than most of my fellow thespians. I’d always been a creative person: writing, drawing and playing music, but acting was something I feared. “Who am I to act?” “Who would possibly be entertained by my performance?” So, out of fear, I never tried acting. That was, until my 30s. My career in the toy industry had stalled and I was feeling less connected to myself. I was getting sick a lot, and I was having trouble finding direction or inspiration. In other words, I wa...

Hey guys. Very often, I hear from members of the community who are having a difficult time navigating the business side of the industry.  Honing their craft, no problem.  Building relationships, winning champions and getting past the gatekeepers, a challenge that not only puts many through the wringer, but dampens their creative spirit as well. I'm here to tell ya, the fear, the resistance, the reluctance can all be overcome.  And it doesn't take much.  In fact, just a few changes in commitm...