Tips

Initially, the e-mail we received about writing a blog for the site was met with a slight sense of trepidation. We’re not usually the type of people to over-share or over-expose ourselves. Being on a website like Stage 32 for us is a victory in itself. We’re not the best at self-promotion, which is exactly the opposite of what you need to be if you want to work in this industry, we realize. So it’s in part about opening yourself up to the unknown, the dark abyss of having other people critique...

Back in college, my fellow actors and I were eligible for a competition at the Kennedy Center’s American College Theater Festival. A judge watched our production of “Beyond Therapy”, and then got to decide which two actors that would be entered in the competition, but not before sitting down the cast to give reviews of our individual performances. When I got my review she said something that struck me: she noticed that I was a “giving” actor.     As the lead role of Bruce in college pro...

Many writers dream that someday their story or script will garner interest from someone who wants to develop it into a film or TV project. Usually, the first step is when that someone, maybe a producer or a production company or even a studio, offers the writer a contract known as an option agreement. As with all such matters where art meets commerce, I always advise that if you are asked to sign anything – other than an autograph – you should have your lawyer review it first. Every writer shoul...

Given my particular challenges and handicaps, the only way I am going to make a contribution to our community and our culture that truly fulfills me is if I focus my labor with absolute precision and efficiency. (If you missed it, check out Part 1 here) My career has constantly nudged me to reduce the workings of our industry down to their most essential strengths and to make those strengths my own. Now that my tolerance for unnecessary risk is completely eradicated and I've broken my work down...

My name is Tennyson E. Stead and I'm an award-winning writer and director with over 20 years of experience in stage and screen production and an additional ten years spent working as an indie film development executive. While these credentials do hint at my value to the film community, they are not the main reason I've been asked by the excellent people at Stage 32 to write to you today. What makes my words click-worthy, at least right now, is the fact that they're being written by a survivor of...

In the film industry, you'll need a solid business plan for the projects you take on. A business plan is a document which clearly identifies your understanding of where your project fits into the film industry and the market it is targeted to. It should state the financial requirements of the venture; what is required from the investors; how they are to be repaid; what compensation they will receive and when and from where. Other areas within the document will include the experience of the manag...

Here are five pieces of advice I wish I'd known when I was starting out as a media composer. Firstly as my disclaimer; these are by no means hard and fast rules. Think of the following as food for thought and NOT a recipe for success, but it may help you avoid cooking up a few dodgy meals. 1. Be a 'Jack of All' or a 'Master of One'  I think there is a primary decision to be made that lays the foundation of any composer's career: to be a 'jack of all', or a 'master of one'. I think it's so...

This article focuses on the issues that can arise and the pitfalls to beware of with respect to collaborations between and among creators of books, screenplays, stories, theatrical plays and television show scripts. Under the US copyright law, although ideas alone are not protectable, an author or creator owns a copyright in his or her work the moment the author’s expression of the idea is 'fixed in a tangible medium.' (i.e., when the expression of an idea is written down or recorded in some m...

I remember being at work, in addition to being a filmmaker I'm a full-time bus driver for one of the largest transportation companies in the country. So I'm driving and out of nowhere a thought popped into my head. Why aren't there any award shows for indie filmmakers in Philadelphia? The talent is here, so why nothing to acknowledge that? Then a second thought popped in there, why don't you create one? And that started a year and a half long journey that culminated with the Philadelphia Indepen...

We’ve had some incredible success stories lately here on Stage 32. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be shining a light on those 32’ers who have found success either through networking on the platform, through our Jobs section or through pitching with the Stage 32 Happy Writers. Today, we congratulate screenwriter Joe Downey! Joe contacted Erik at the Stage 32 Happy Writers with information regarding a screenplay he was looking to pitch. Joe was looking for suggestions on an executive Erik felt m...