Film Crew Essentials - Learn to Become An Unforgettable Crew Member
Other education that may be of interest to you:
Mastering "Setiquette" - How to Stand Out on a Film or Television Set
Walking onto a film set for the first time can be intimidating and overwhelming. Wires, lights, cameras. People everywhere. Places you should be. Places you shouldn’t. Times you need to be quiet, times you need to speak up. The film set is a place where everyone needs to know what they’re doing and where they’re going, and it’s a place where everyone will expect the same of you. Yet if you’ve never worked on a set like this before, that can be a tall order. Whether you’re a PA on your first film, the director helming the production yourself, or anything in between, having a firm understanding of the expected etiquette on set—or “setiquette”—is crucial and lends itself to how much trust others will put on you. A film set might look like chaos from the outside, but it is often just the opposite—a well-oiled machine where everyone has a role and everyone knows where they should be and what they should be doing. If you are unsure of your own role on set, you can very well stick out like a sore thumb and contribute to slowdowns and frustrations. On the other hand, if you are confident, competent, and helpful on set, people will notice, which will lead to new opportunities and a team who will want to work with you time and time again. This is why it’s so important to walk onto your first set with a good idea of how everything works. Jonathan Kesselman is an award-winning writer and director who has worked on projects for companies like Fox, Paramount, Nickelodeon, Disney, Sony, Blue Sky Animation, MTV, Comedy Central studios, Funny or Die, WWE, Nintendo, and many more. His first feature film THE HEBREW HAMMER, starring Adam Goldberg, Judy Greer and Andy Dick, premiered at Sundance Film Festival before getting picked up by Comedy Central. THE HEBREW HAMMER has since become a holiday cult classic, voted among the top holiday movies by the New York Times, Vanity Fair, Boston Globe and Time Magazine. His next film JIMMY VESTVOOD: AMERIKAN HERO, starring Maz Jobrani, won both the Comedy Vanguard and Audience Award at the Austin Film Festival before being released on Showtime and Netflix. Jonathan also wrote and directed second Unit for Oscar-winning director Ang Lee on the film BILLY LYNN'S LONG HALFTIME WALK. He recently co-created the short form comedy series GANDER, streaming exclusively on Tubi. Through his long and varied history in film and television, Jonathan is no stranger to film sets and how to best work within them. Jonathan will break down how a professional film or television set works and everything you should know before stepping on set for the very first time. He will give a snapshot of how a film set generally looks and run before going through all of the different departments on set and their relationship to the director. Jonathan will spend time delving into the role of the assistant director, the beating heart of the set and will then explain what a day on set generally looks like, including a schedule breakdown and how the workflow normally looks. Next he will go through the importance of blocking rehearsals, the art of slating, and how to read a call sheet and shooting schedule. Jonathan will teach you how to find success on your first set, including how to hold yourself so you’re called back again. He will also go over how to find success as a director, how to delegate, motivate, and empower, in addition to staying on schedule. Jonathan will then show you five common mistakes to avoid making on set. Finally he will give you tips on how to break in and get experience on set, including where to find opportunities and what roles you should be looking for. Praise for Jonathan's Stage 32 Webinar "I enjoyed the thoroughness and detailed explanation, have no complains or negative comments, it was fantastic!" -Arlen G. "It was so broad, yet very detailed - perfect for a newbie like myself" -Kiri M. "Great information for me. Helps me to understand "Setiqutte" as I work towards getting my first TV show into the hands of a production company." -Gregory M.
PowerNetworking for Film and TV Crew
Learn directly from Heather Hale, an Independent Film and Television Producer, Director and Screenwriter! The entertainment industry is changing dramatically all over the globe. Now, more than ever, there are major opportunities for people who work behind the scenes on set on all types of crew positions. Below-the-line positions are crucial to the success of any film or television. This includes everything from camera operators to gaffers, craft services to costume designers, composers to editors, production assistants to script supervisors – and everything in between! No matter where you live or where you are at in your career, this webinar will help you strategize how to find the best opportunities and points of entry for you to break into the crew business; shift horizontally into new locales or formats; or move up laterally into the higher echelons of professional caliber, marquis value and budgets. Discover an empowered approach to networking to help you get on the right people’s radars, get noticed, gain momentum - and get hired. Learn time-proven techniques and new resources to proactively brainstorm where the opportunities of the moment – and future - might be, who’s doing the hiring – and trace any connections you might have to the decision makers or key players. Learn how to identify, research and prioritize a finely honed hit list of Producers Line Producers, Department Heads, Directors and Below-the-Line Agents who might be accessible to you. Figure out how to track them down, strategize the best approaches to communicate with them and how to develop the kind of track record, resume and interview skills they would most likely respond to. Learn the key words you should be using in your profiles in the online communities that might be worth your time. Below-the-line team members are the lifeblood of any production and an exciting way to work in film and television. Heather uses in-the-trenches humor, candor and real world examples to illuminate the many paths to getting hired - again and again!
Yes! You Can Use VFX for Your Short Film, Feature or Digital Project No Matter the Budget - Learn How!
Learn directly from an Oscar & BAFTA winner exclusively on Stage 32. Think VFX is only for films or digital projects with high budgets? Think again. In fact, understanding how VFX can be worked into your project can help you save costs before you ever step on set. Understanding (and removing your fear of) VFX ahead of time can actually help you trim some shooting days, save money and give you more opportunity to make your film shine and stand out from the crowd. Independent filmmaking and the creation of quality digital content calls for being creative with your budget. But for most producers and filmmakers, the idea of adding VFX to their projects seems like a budget breaker. The reality is quite the opposite. Not only can VFX be quite affordable, but also be a game changer for your project. Accounting for VFX in pre-production may also allow for less "fix it in post" issues which, in turn, will actually help you save money and stay on schedule! Christopher M. Anthony is an Oscar and BAFTA winner and the Senior Director of Kayfabe Films. He is also one of the most sought after VFX masters in the business. Just some of the films Christopher has worked on include Guardians of the Galaxy, the X-Men franchise, Harry Potter, and The Jungle Book. But don't let those big budget films fool you. Christopher cut his teeth on smaller independent shorts, features and digital projects. He gets hired because he knows how to save money and bring projects in under budget. And now, exclusively for Stage 32, Christopher is going to teach you all his tricks of the trade. Chris is going to lead you through the entire VFX process in an easy to understand format. Using 19 carefully chosen VFX clips and examples, Chris will distill VFX down to the nuts and bolts. You will easily see how VFX can work for you no matter what format or budget you're working with. "Chris is quite the gent and a caring one at that. You can see how much time and effort he put into this webinar. The examples were priceless and opened my mind to an entirely new world that, to be honest, I thought was unattainable for me as a filmmaker." - Antonio C.
The Actor's Toolkit with Alysia Reiner: Acting Techniques + Live Monologue Workshop
Exclusive to Stage 32! Workshop a monologue from an Emmy-winning show (BARRY) with an award-winning actor from the Emmy-winning ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK! It takes a lot to find success as an actor. It is, after all, one of the emotionally hardest jobs out there and involves facing constant rejection, putting yourself out there, being vulnerable for strangers. And with overwhelming competition, roles can be scarce, which makes it even harder to sustain a career. Yet being an actor can also be one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences, especially for those with the passion. Experienced actors know that finding success involves looking past the obstacles and built-in challenges and instead looking inward. Even with difficulties standing in your way, there are always ways to improve yourself and your craft to not only find more work, but to enjoy it more as well. It’s easy for actors to get so wrapped up in the industry and the system, in who they know and the projects they’re being turned down for that they forget to instead work on themselves and their craft. Yet it’s never too late to start. Investing this type of energy in self-improvement over more negative or cynical practices will unquestionably help you and your career. There are a number of techniques and strategies you can apply to your own life and your own craft to improve as an actor and lead to opportunities you wouldn’t have otherwise found. Practices like line memorization, calming your nerves, and moving forward with the right mindset can truly make all the difference. There’s no time like the present to explore these techniques. Alysia Reiner is an award-winning actress best known as the villainous warden Natalie "Fig" Figueroa on Netflix’s ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK for all 7 seasons, and won a SAG Award as part of the cast. She also stars as Sunny on the critically acclaimed, Peabody Award-winning BETTER THINGS on FX and Hulu and Kiki Rains on HBO’s THE DEUCE. She both starred in and produced the Sundance Film Festival hit EQUITY and Tribeca Film Festival favorite EGG. A few other recent adventures include getting naked in an Emmy Award winning episode of Comedy Central’s BROAD CITY and going head to head against Viola Davis’ Annalise on the ABC/Shonda Rhimes series HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER. Alysia has been invited to speak at The White House, The United Nations, Google, Cannes Lion, Women's Media Summit, Collision, and countless film festivals and other events about breaking barriers for women in all fields, specifically the entertainment industry. Alysia has led a long, successful career as an in-demand actress largely by working on her craft, her mindset, and other strategies for success, and she's excited to share her lessons learned with the Stage 32 community. Alysia will share her secrets tips and tools that she has learned from booking her first commercial to being on 7 seasons of award-winning must watch television. She will cover everything from acting techniques (learning lines, calming nerves, follow up) to mindset tips to business tools. Plus, Alysia will run an exclusive monologue workshop, something she usually only offers in private coaching environments. She will choose volunteers to workshop a monologue from the Emmy-winning show BARRY! Once you sign up you will be sent the monologue we'll be workshopping in class so you can practice. Let Alysia help you reset as an actor and leave eager and ready to get to the next level in your career!
How to Network Online and in Virtual Settings as an Introvert
The key to succeeding in Hollywood, or really any industry, is to put yourself out there. We all know this is a business of relationships and that building relationships takes time and effort. But even if you've built a solid base of meaningful relationships, you still have to take action. Make inquiries, take meetings, get on people’s radars, show up. For introverts, however, putting yourself out there has always been easier said than done. And that’s in a normal world. Now, in this new quarantined era, and with seemingly everything - networking, pitch meetings, general meetings and more going virtual - putting yourself out there online can feel positively impossible. With extended isolation, reduced in-person connections, restricted travel, and working from home, how can you stay connected and relevant? And how can you do those things while being naturally shy? How can you overcome your self-imposed barriers. Believe it or not, it's easier than you think. The world might feel like it’s in standstill right now, but it’s more important than ever that you keep moving, not only for your career, but also for your passion and your well-being. It may be easy to curl up on your couch, order that delivery deep dish pizza, start a 7 season series on Netflix and fade away from the outside world, but it’s not going to move you or your desired career forward. Staying connected remains key, and to do that, it’s necessary to be versatile and continue to adjust as the world changes. But what does that look like? How do people successfully network from home? How do you use powerful tools such as Stage 32, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and Zoom to help get yourself out there? And where do you even start the conversation as a naturally introverted person? The good news is you already have all of the tools to do it—you just have to power up and commit. Jennifer Winberg has over 10 years of branding and entertainment experience in digital strategy and social media working with Lionsgate, Disney, Fox, Sony, Lionsgate, and Gravitas Ventures. Along the way she has mastered the art of digital and has helped thousands of creatives overcome their fear of networking online. Jennifer has developed a passion and expertise in the art of networking and will share her experience exclusively with the Stage 32 community. Jennifer will discuss the importance and benefits of staying connected and the larger positive implications of being involved. She’ll then delve into the tools we all have to stay connected in our own homes and the best ways to go about using them. Next, Jennifer will go over how to find your tribe in the current landscape and how to use your community not only to advance in your own goals but also to give back. She will give you the rundown of how best to approach new people virtually, including where to start, and right and wrong approaches she’s seen. She’ll then give you tips on how to make a good impression from your own home and how to define your brand despite being quarantined. Jennifer will discuss ways to be agile as the world continues to change, and how to stay on track while still being able to adjust. Finally, Jennifer will go over the best ways to set goals and then actually stick to them so that you can overcome your fears and reservations about getting yourself out there and get the results you desire! Praise for Jennifer’s Stage 32 Webinars " Fantastic, optimistic and informative, I feel I have a lot to work with and was a pleasure to be a part of" - Christie S. "Great webinar - lots of interesting and useful information. Great speaker! Thanks!" - Ron H. "Lots of good advice. Took 9 pgs of notes!" - Martha C.
How To Be a Power Producer In Today's Market
The director and actors may get the lion’s share of the credit, and the writer might be the one who thought up the story in the first place, but it’s the producer who actually puts a film together and who turns ideas into reality, all the way from conception through distribution and beyond. The role of a producer can be enigmatic, though. It’s not as straightforward of a job as, say, an actor or a DP, and with so many different types of producers (Line producer? Associate producer? Executive producer? Co-Executive Producer?) it’s a hard concept for people to wrap their heads around. But if you’re interested in being a producer yourself and in leading the charge in creating great content that people want to watch, it’s important you better understand the role and find ways you can separate yourself from the pack and excel. There are a lot of producers out there, a lot of people working to create content. However there are a lot fewer who are prolific, who have multiple projects under their belt and have the know-how to make any project they have their sights set on a success. So what makes these power producers stand out? How do they choose what to produce and how do they operate within the industry to make things happen? And how can you join their ranks? A good step might be to learn directly from a power producer herself. Luckly, successful producer Aimee Schoof will lend her experience exclusively to the Stage 32 community. Aimee Schoof is the co-founder of Intrinsic Value Films and has produced more than 35 feature films. Of those, nine have premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, four at the Tribeca Film Festival, three at SXSW, and one each at LA Film Festival, Toronto, Venice, New York FF, New Directors/New Films, and Berlinale, to name a few. Aimee’s company develops, produces and sells independent films that have been distributed worldwide, have won many awards and been honored with numerous nominations. Accolades include winning a Sloan Sundance Award and a Sundance Special Grand Jury Prize. Aimee’s work has led her to be nominated five times by Film Independent as a producer. She is currently both a Sundance and Film Independent Fellow and has worked in international sales attending all major markets, and regularly lecturing on film finance and production. Aimee has had more than 25 years’ experience working as a hands-on producer on projects of all shapes and sizes and knows what I takes to thrive in this role. She’s excited to share that with you. Aimee will give you a soup-to-nuts overview of what it takes to produce a film of any level and how to position yourself for success not only on your current project, but for your career moving forward. She will begin by teaching you the different types of producers on a film and what each person’s responsibility is. She’ll then give you strategies of how to choose your own path as a producer, including what it means to be an independent producer. She’ll walk you through how to find partners, collaborators, and mentors in this industry and will discuss the crucial but tricky task of finding and selecting material to produce. She’ll also break down whether a producer should focus on just one project at a time or multi-task. Aimee will illustrate what exactly a day in the life of a producer actually looks like. Aimee will then focus on relationship building, one of the biggest parts of a producer’s job. She’ll break down how to form and maintain relationships with agents and managers, actors, casting directors, and fellow producers, among others. She’ll then discuss the best practices for networking to build your connections, including how to work film festivals and markets to meet new and exciting potential partners or friends. Next, Aimee will delve into how best to source IP as opposed to working with original stories. She’ll go over the balance between holding your relationships close and expanding your network and how a good producer budgets their time when working on multiple projects. Aimee will also give you tips on how you can produce a science fiction film, even on a budget. Then, Aimee will give an honest and realistic breakdown of what a film’s timeline actually looks like—how long it actually takes to make a film and how you can stay motivated along the way. Aimee will use examples and case studies from her own past films, including projects made from existing IP, to further break down the role of a producer. Like what you heard from Aimee during this webinar? Send your script to Aimee and speak with her for an hour by clicking here. Praise for Aimee’s Webinar “I loved this! Aimee knows so much about the subject. I really learned a lot” -Cheryl B. “Aimee was able to take these big ideas and make them feel totally accessible and easy to understand. I really enjoyed hearing from her” -Howard F. “This was great! Thank you!” -Joanne D. “I feel ready and inspired to set out on my own and make some great movies after listening to Aimee!” -Hannah W.
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