We all need a little help, every now and then. One of the greatest things about being a writer is that there are so many tools out there designed to help us. The problem is, people don’t know they exist. When you’re a writer, you have to be a Jack (or Jill) of many trades and learn not just about writing, but about editing, and the business itself. It’s all part of honing our craft. And while, at times, the task may seem daunting, I’ve discovered a lot of online resources that I’ve found to...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! First, 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 around 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. First up, in this video from Letterboxd, Oscar winners Martin Scorsese and Leon...

Humans are creatures of story. We have that innate desire to tell stories. Animation is one of the most useful means to tell stories. In what way? Take a look at beautiful, story-driven animated movies that you've probably seen on screen past and present. I'm sure a number of them have come to mind by now. Many of these animated movies, some we've treasured since we were kids. For some of us, we may have curated a list of the best animated movies and series we've watched. What makes us...

It’s the tedious but oh-so-necessary maintenance of being in this industry: online presentation. Just as we once toiled over the formatting and tone of a resume and cover letter, so now must we polish our profiles. Selling ourselves can be exhausting, but look at it this way - your Stage 32 profile is your invitation to play! We all love what we do, and we love meeting people that make the experience magical. Here’s your chance to set the tone for your ideal-project-made-real! So, pour your favo...

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...

Independent audiovisual projects generally have a so-called recoupment schedule. The recoupment schedule, often referred to as the waterfall, is the project’s payment schedule. It essentially describes how the revenues generated from international distribution are allocated and disbursed. Sometimes other revenue streams, like festival receipts, merchandising income, or surplus of tax credit proceeds are also included. Any audiovisual project, whether it is a feature film, a TV series, a web...

I have fulfilled a dream and it is something so wonderful, that I just had to share this with you all. For those who don’t know me, I’m a literary editor with my own business, but in my other life, I write poetry and song lyrics. Quick background, I’ve been writing for around 43 years. I’ve enjoyed lots of lovely achievements, including winning awards, writing lyrics for solo artists, school plays and musical theater projects. In 2019, after five years in the making, I published a poetry...

In a classic romantic comedy, two unlikely individuals find themselves entangled in a series of humorous and endearing mishaps as they navigate the unpredictable journey of love, ultimately discovering that true happiness lies in each other's company. All-time classics like SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE and NOTTING HILL remind us of the lengths to which we'll go for true love, while saccharine love stories like WHEN HARRY MET SALLY and YOU'VE GOT MAIL remind us that love is sometimes just around the corn...

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, in this video from Variety, MAESTRO cinematographer Matty Libatique looks at the emotional Thanksgiving fight scene in the film, done in a single shot. The original plan was not for the scene to be done in a single shot, but Libatique gives an interesting look at how his conversations with dire...

As writers, we often hear the phrase, “Kill your darlings.” But, that phrase is often in the context of cutting out writing or scenes that don’t work, slow down a piece, or are utterly unnecessary. Recently though, I’ve found myself taking it another way. I’m one of those people who work on multiple projects at once, and two of the things I’m working on had a similar thing happen. I cut an entire character from both. This can be more painful than cutting scenes or entire plot points. In bo...