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RB's Stage 32 News, Notes, Discussions and Other Fun Stuff (July 24, 2015)

Posted by Richard "RB" Botto

Welcome to the weekend, everyone. Hope you all had a killer week.

In this edition of the Weekend Blog, under ENTERTAINMENT NEWS, we have yet another “Best of” list to debate. This time around it’s the BBC Culture’s 100 Greatest American Films of All Time. Plenty of the usual suspects on the list, but, no surprise, a few stunners as well. Yeah, it’s fluffy fun, but I welcome your thoughts in the Comments section below.

Also under ENTERTAINMENT NEWS, the story behind the hellish shoot of Alejandro Inarritu’s follow up to Birdman, The Reverent; a look at the disappointing showing of Sundance darling Me & Earl and the Dying Girl; a new breed of musical documentaries continue to take theaters by storm; how big time directors fake it til they make it; a comprehensive look at the costs of shooting on film vs. digital; what legendary Looney Tunes animator, Chuck Jones, can teach us about filmmaking; a plea to stop comparing serialized TV shows to novels; SAG-AFTRA candidates still fighting the merger battle; CAA is still quite unhappy with UTA; a look at some tax incentive happenings, The King of Comedy is headed to Broadway and much, much more.

Some really cool stuff under VIDEOS this week as well including 10 TED talks for filmmakers, Francis Ford Coppola waxing poetic on his career and the trailers for the aforementioned The Reverent and the new James Bond film, Spectre.

Under TIPS this week, a crash course in cinematography thanks to Citizen Kane plus screenwriting, filmmaking, low budget filmmaking and acting information.

It was one hell of a busy week around these parts. I’ve recapped all the site happenings from the past week under STAGE 32 NEWS.

Under STAGE 32 NEXT LEVEL EDUCATION, our Director of Education, Shannon Stegall has listed all the webinars and classes on the schedule for the upcoming weeks.

Since the launch of Stage 32 3.0, the Lounge has been busier than ever. I’ve highlighted some of the coolest discussions and content shares under POPULAR AND INTERESTING LOUNGE DISCUSSIONS.

We’ve had some amazing meetups happening all over the world this past month. See if there is one in your area (or start one yourself in the Meetup section) under STAGE 32 MEETUPS.

And finally, we love to shine the light on our members who have found work, landed representation or have had some other tremendous accomplishment through connections made on the site. Read all about ‘em (and leave a comment or two!) under STAGE 32 SUCCESS STORIES.

As always, I welcome thoughts, remarks and healthy debate in the Comments section below! Have your voice be heard!

Wishing you all a fantastic and creative weekend.

Cheers!

RB

 STAGE 32 NEWS

It’s that time again! Time for the July 2015 edition of On Stage with RB. Every month our Founder & CEO, RB, in a webinar setting brings on special guests who work in the industry, such as literary managers and development executives to offer advice to our community, and he goes over the best way to use Stage 32 to help your career. Afterwards, he opens up the floor to you for a live Q&A session about anything and everything in the industry. Best of all, this is FREE, exclusively for Stage 32 members. To read more about the July edition of On Stage with RB and to register, click here: July edition of On Stage with RB

 

 

The deadline is approaching for the Stage 32 Short Film Contest! We will be accepting short film submissions until August 14. The top 8-10 films will be screened in a special Stage 32 theatrical Shorts Program Showcase at the Raindance Film Festival in London this September, and the the Grand Prize winning director will be flown to London to attend the screening and host a Q&A. We will also be inviting all of the executives (managers, agents, producers, directors of development, etc) we work with to view the films and will facilitate meetings between interested parties and the filmmakers. To read more about the Stage 32 Short Film Contest and to submit your film, click here: Stage 32 Short Film Contest

 

Stage 32 and the Stage 32 Happy Writers are thrilled to bring back our (now 2nd annual) Search for New Blood Contest! We are looking for the darkest, scary, creepy, suspenseful, mind-boggling, most twisted scripts from undiscovered writers from all over the world. We are searching for NEW blood. We are looking for the top 3 unrepresented horror/suspense/thriller writers that come from Stage 32. In addition to our prizes (including direct access to the judges and other industry executives), this year, we're creating even more opportunity. The loglines of all finalists will be posted in a special section of Stage 32 where any of the 300 industry executives will be able to view them. If there is interest beyond the logline, we will facilitate the communication between the exec and the writer. The deadline for this contest is fast approaching! To read more about this contest and to submit your script, click here: Stage 32 Happy Writers Search For New Blood Screenwriting Contest

 

As part of continuing roll out of Stage 32 3.0, last week we introduced our new Stage 32 Profile page. We've made it easier than ever to showcase your biographical information, credits, awards, resumes, headshots, reels, audio clips and so much more. Now there's literally no excuse not to get your best face out there for the world to see. To read more about the new Stage 32 3.0 Profile page and watch a video from RB on the importance of having a completed bio, click here: Stage 32 3.0 Profile Page

 

This week we brought you another clip in the 3-hour installment of our Founder & CEO RB's Film Courage interview, which discusses how to best network with people of influence. In this 5 minute clip, RB goes over the keys to networking with people of influence in a creative market such as Hollywood. He touches on the key points of looking at networking from the other person's perspective in order to increase your chance for success and he gives tips on helpful networking options when you may not have the time to dedicate to a new connection. To watch this clip, as well as all of the other released clips from the interview, click here: Hollywood Networking Advice

 

Our good friend Ashley Scott Meyers from the popular podcast "Selling Your Screenplay" is offering a free webinar on August 12: How To Effectively Market Your Screenplay And Sell It! He'll be going over all screenwriting services, query letters, production companies, networking and more. To find out more details and to register, click here.

 

STAGE 32 NEXT LEVEL EDUCATION - UPCOMING WEBINARS AND CLASSES

Due to popular demand, we've re-opened registration for our 2-week Stage 32 Next Level Class Budgets, Cash Flows & Cost Reports: Navigating A Film’s Financials, taught by award-winning Line Producer Maura Anderson (Winter's Bone, Would You Rather, Bad Samaritans, Suit Up)! In this 2-week interactive course, Maura will take you in depth on the financial side of a film. You’ll learn how to create a budget and cash flow, navigate cost reports and discuss important pieces like accounting and tax incentives! Week 1 is over, but with purchase you will have immediate access to the on-demand recording of week 1 so you are prepared for class on Tuesday July 28th at 6pm PDT.
You will leave this class knowing:

  • How much money do you actually need?
  • How to put together a proper film budget.
  • How to create a cash flow and cost report.
  • How to set up an LLC for your film.
  • How to navigate tax incentives.

To read more about this class, watch a video from Maura and to register, click here: Budgets, Cash Flows & Cost Reports: Navigating A Film’s Financials

 

Tuesday July 28th at 1pm PDT Stage 32 Next Level Webinars presents Developing & Financing Faith and Family Based Projects hosted by Nikki Hevesy and Anne Marie Gillen, Producers with over 20 years of experience each in developing and financing media projects. In this 90-minute online webinar, Nikki and Anne Marie will teach you how faith and family based projects get funded and who the financiers, studios and distributors are that specialize in this genre so you know who to target. They will also teach you how to easily find and reach your desired audience and what type of marketing is successful for this genre. Whether you’re a producer, filmmaker or writer, knowing what goes into a faith and family project in the development stage, team building stage and financing and distribution stage is key to your project’s success in the marketplace!
You will leave this webinar knowing:

  • What makes a faith and family based film successful in the marketplace.
  • How to create authentic content for this market.
  • How these projects are getting funded.
  • Who are the financiers and studios targeting this market and what are they looking for?
  • Who are the distributors and marketers targeting this audience?

To read more about this webinar, see a video from Nikki and Anne Marie and to register, click here: Developing & Financing Faith and Family Based Projects

 

Monday 8/3 at 1pm PDT Stage 32 Next Level Webinars presents Home Voice Over Studios 101: How To Set Up Your Personal Voice Over Studio hosted by Dan Lenard, a 30+ year veteran of professional voice work and a recognized industry expert, known as “The Home Studio Master”, who specializes in home voice over studio set–up and problem solving! In this 90-minute online webinar, Dan will guide you through the steps of creating your own simple, but professional personal studio. You will learn everything you need to know – from how to choose the right space to convert into a studio to what kind of equipment you need – and will leave this webinar confident in successfully creating and using your personal voice recording space.
You will leave this webinar knowing:

  • Why you need a home voice over studio if you want to stay competitive in the market.
  • How to choose the right space for your home studio.
  • What the best microphones are for your desired results.
  • The different recording software available and which one is right for you.
  • How to record and edit in your home studio.

To read more about this webinar, see a video from Dan and to register, click here:Home Voice Over Studios 101: How To Set Up Your Personal Voice Over Studio

 

Starting Thursday 8/6, Stage 32 Happy Writers is thrilled to present How To Hook Your Reader In Only 5 Pages, a 3-week online class taught by producer and former studio executive Regina Lee!Regina is a Producer and Former Studio Executive who’s developed and/or supervised movies and TV shows set up at Universal Pictures, 20th Century Fox, New Regency Productions, New Line Cinema, Summit Entertainment, MRC Film, HBO Series, Starz, CBS, The CW, Sony TV, and Paramount TV. With interactive lectures and homework assignments directly geared toward strengthening your pages, plus personalized notes on your first 5 pages from Regina, you will leave this class with a solid understanding of how to get your reader hooked in only 5 pages or less!
You will leave this class knowing:

  • What readers are looking for when they read your material
  • What their considerations/criteria are as they evaluate the market viability of your project.
  • Effective paradigms typically used to open scripts, including teaser openings, openings which set up the protagonist, openings which convey the backstory and mythology of a new world, and openings which are set-pieces unto themselves.
  • Genre expectations.
  • How to use the opening to fully set-up the protagonist.
  • How to use the opening to establish tone.

To read more about this class, see a video from Regina and to register, click here: How To Hook Your Reader In Only 5 Pages

 

 STAGE 32 SUCCESS STORIES

 

 POPULAR AND INTERESTING LOUNGE DISCUSSIONS

 

STAGE 32 PLANNED AND PROPOSED MEETUPS

 

 ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

 

 VIDEOS

 

 

 TIPS

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As always, we welcome thoughts and remarks on ANY of the content above in the Comments section below...

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On Stage With RB (July 2015) Announced
 
 

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