THE STAGE 32 BLOG
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Coffee & Content - How Should Characters Talk? & 10 Favorite Rule Breaking Films
Avoid These Crowdfunding Mistakes on Social Media!
How to Break Into the Film Biz with Stage 32's Richard Botto
Coffee & Content - How 3-Act Screenplays Work (and why it matters) & Making Your Editing Better
Indiefilm & the Power of the Crowd - Here's the Cover!
Why Career Pivots Are More Interesting (To Me) Than Having Singular Focus
I have resented the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” from as early as I can remember, which lands me in my sixth grade play wearing a tennis outfit, surrounded by classmates dressed up as doctors, lawyers, teachers and other professions that were sure to evoke prideful smiles from their parents, beaming at them from the audience. How the hell was I supposed to know? I was twelve. I liked tennis. I was good at it. And, having just returned to California afte…
5 Rules For Writing Horror
So you’ve finally caught on that the easiest script to get made is horror. It’s global, it’s cheap and it’s the most made genre with independent investors. So what do you need to know? 1) Low Budget If You Are Not Established There are so many genius horror movies that take place in a house or a hotel or in the woods. Why? Because you only need one location. Monsters are tricky, but ghosts that you never really have to see (Paranormal Activity) are cheap…
Paralyzed No More - How Music Saved My Life
My name is Louis Edlinger and I’m in my 20's. Although I’m still young I experienced things in my life which a lot of people will never experience. A lot of bad things, but I don't like referring to those things as bad experiences because without them I wouldn't be the man I am today. While growing up in a tiny village in the German Alps, I was a freestyle skier, but when I was 14 years old, my life changed dramatically in the blink of an eye. My home was my mountains, and t…
Advice On How To Break Into Entertainment
Recently during the 2018 Film Con Hollywood at the LA Convention Center we spent time with Stage 32er and panelist Jennifer Winberg, who is a Digital Specialist from MXM, an entertainment industry marketing & advertising agency. Jennifer has had a storied career in digital and has worked with Lionsgate, SONY, FOX, Gravitas Ventures and more. Today we've posted a video from Jennifer on our YouTube page as she gives advice on how to break into entertainment. Click here to hear Jennife…
Social Media: 3 Tips to Build a Personal Brand the Healthy Way
Where does your career end and your personal life begin? Where does your digital world end and your real world begin? As a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (EMMYS), I’m currently invited to a lot of For Your Consideration screenings and events around Hollywood. At a recent FYC screening for WESTWORLD, Jonathan Nolan, the co-creator of the show, had some very insightful words about the dangers of “people becoming brands” via social…
The Actor's Challenge to Make a Living
The odds and the realities of making a living at doing what we love, acting, put in perspective, isn't pretty. Actors really have two jobs; first the audition, in which you must be brilliant, and show that you are easy to get along with. And second, after you book the job, to do the job well. Making a living in the industry is not an easy task. Daily you race to auditions, sometimes with only a few hours notice to prepare, and often in an unforgiving environment, stressed by traffic or…
5 Rules For Getting Notes On Your Project
1) Consider the Source If I hear one more person tell me that a friend of theirs who “works as a coordinator at XYZ and said...” I’m going to lose my mind. I’m not even sure what a coordinator does, but I’ve never seen one at a creative meeting. Years ago, my dad knew a producer named Arnold Kopelson who produced The Fugitive and Eraser. I’d written a script about a boy trying to get to Fenway Park for Opening Day. He didn’t like my scri…
Join us at Warner Bros. Studios for AT&T SHAPE
We are excited to be working with AT&T this year on AT&T SHAPE being held at Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles on June 2-3, 2018. SHAPE is an immersive event that explores the convergence of technology and entertainment. You can discover how the future of content creation and distribution will usher in new audience experiences. Get inspired by visionary speakers, and experience interactive exhibits from promising start-ups and industry leaders at Warner Bros. Studios backlots. …
2 Key Pieces of Advice For First Time Directors
One of the most driven, nice and talented filmmakers in our community is director David Rountree, who was voted IMDB's top 30 under 30 directors. For those of you who don't know David, he has been a member of the Stage 32 community since the early years and we've watched him raise financing and shoot several feature films including CUT! and 108 STITCHES. He's even employed over 40 Stage 32 members! His mission is always to support, encourage and teach fellow creatives on how to live thei…
You Will Hate This Blog
You will hate this blog.Not the most inspiring of beginnings, but bear with me…I struggled as a voice talent for almost 15 years. Before that, I went to college and graduate school for acting. It turns out that while I was pretty good at acting, I hated the lifestyle. I hated the competition and how it brought out the worst in people. I hated, well, other actors. Their insecurity, their need to act as a form of therapy, their love of Ramen Noodles. I hated actors because I saw too…
Coffee & Content - Screenwriting, Filmmaking, Acting, Financing, Distribution & More!
Hey guys! Happy Sunday. The past week has been consumed by Cannes prep (see all the details here), so I have something a little different for Coffee & Content this week. And it's something for everyone. How about we cover ground on all the following topics: - Why you need to cut the negativity out of your life- Today! - Why you do not need to be micromanaged as a screenwriter or a filmmaker - How you can bring value to every meeting - What I'm hearing …
How About Some FREE Content?
Hey guys, On the AMA last week, many of you asked a number of questions that I have answered on various podcasts over the last few months. Additionally, some of you asked where you could find certain podcast appearances. Allow me to be of service! All of my recent podcasts as well as numerous other webcasts and video content can be found by clicking on Education on the top menu bar and then choosing podcast. You'll find dozens of hours of FREE content you can lis…
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