Film Crew Essentials - Learn to Become An Unforgettable Crew Member
Other education that may be of interest to you:
How To Find Distribution For Your Indie Film
When making an independent film, finishing the film is only half the battle. You need people to actually see the film you’ve worked so hard on. When it comes to distribution, it’s important to know how to get your film into the worldwide marketplace. Once it’s there, you need to know how to generate interest toward it so the film can make its money back for the investors and back-end participants. Distribution comes in all shapes and sizes, but what kind of distribution is right for your indie film? Sometimes it means getting your film distributed by a studio; sometimes it’s creating a self-distribution path. Sometimes —- most typically — the distribution lands somewhere in between. Every film is different and therefore requires a different marketing plan, release strategy, and team behind it that have the passion and drive to get the most out of its release amongst the myriad other movies available. In this on-demand Stage 32 Next Level Webinar, host Tiffany Boyle will get into the details of what the independent distribution process looks like. She will go over how to get the right representative, foreign sales agent, and domestic distribution, and the different options for each based upon the size, genre and execution of a film. She will also discuss what the key points are to look at when reviewing a foreign sales agent and/or domestic distribution deal. Filmmakers should be making an informed decision when choosing who will be handling the licensing of their film for the next 3-25 years, and Tiffany is here exclusively for Stage 32 to help you navigate the ever-evolving world of indie distribution. Tiffany Boyle is the President at Ramo Law and works with producers, financiers and writer clients to bring their new material to life. Having been a Director of Sales at Crystal Sky Pictures, Tiffany has an extensive background in foreign sales. She now works with the attorneys to review, collaborate, develop, submit and supervise creative materials on behalf of clients within the firm. Tiffany has worked on over 100 features including, Stuck In Love, Pawn, Gimme Shelter, Maladies, and I-Lived. She has been to AFM, Berlin, Tribeca, TIFF, Sundance, and Cannes and is constantly expanding her knowledge of how to match films with production and distribution companies.
Finding Agency Representation as a Foreign Actor in the US
Learn directly from Mark Allan, who currently works in TV Talent development at one of the "Big Six" Hollywood agencies! He'll give you specific insider knowledge of the how to find agency representation if you're a foreign actor. In this Stage 32 Next Level Webinar, you will learn how you can increase your chances of finding an agent as a foreign actor new to the U.S. market. Using his experience working in the talent department at one of the "Big Six" Hollywood agencies, Mark Allan will guide you through what it takes to secure representation if you're hoping to make the jump. First, he'll cover what you should currently be focused on before arriving in the U.S. and building your career. He'll examine why agents prefer talent that is already established elsewhere over new foreign unknown actors and how you can use your old representation to get U.S. agency attention. Mark also plans to give an overview of the visa process, including the challenges of doing it alone, getting a sponsor or hiring an attorney. Mark will then give you an overview of what to your agency will expect from you. He'll tackle the issue of working on improving your accent to appeal to wider audiences and why this is so important to your chances of securing representation. As well as how you can use your accent to your advantage and how the growing need for diversity can improve your chances as a foreign actor. You will walk away knowing how to approach building your career as a foreign actor seeking to establish yourself in the U.S. marketplace.
Fix the Script: Rewrite Your Half Hour TV Pilot
Payment plans available - contact edu@stage32.com for details Limited Class Size - Only 4 Spots Remain Get Guidance in Rewriting and Improving Your Half-Hour Pilot Script with Experienced TV Writer Meghan Pleticha of SILICON VALLEY Rewrites can make or break a pilot. It’s the time when you can take your script to be a cut above the rest, or overwork it and undermine its potential. Nowhere is this truer than in the half-hour comedy pilot, where jokes can halt the story's momentum and the plot can overwhelm the characters. But with the guidance of a professional half-hour writer, you can take your script to the next level and kickstart your career with a ground-breaking comedy. In this exclusive Stage 32 lab, you’ll work directly with SILICON VALLEY writer Meghan Pleticha as she mentors you through rewriting your half-hour comedy pilot. In addition to writing for the Emmy-nominated HBO series, Meghan has also worked on Cartoon Network’s POWER PLAYERS, FX’s MARRIED, ABC’s CHARITY CASE, and VH1’s HIT THE FLOOR. You’ll also read successful half-hour comedy pilots to see what made them stand out in the booming television marketplace and will be able to ask Meghan questions directly as you work in a limited setting. With only 12 spots available, you’re guaranteed quality time with Meghan and your new network of fellow comedy writers. Using her own unique and tested rewrite process and a series of assignments and exercises, Meghan helps you tackle your script the best way possible so that you leave with a stronger pilot you can be proud of. Don’t miss out on this incredible chance to be mentored by a professional staff writer on a critically acclaimed show. These spots are filling fast. "Writing pilots is hard! You have to come up with characters, a world, AND a story?! In script after script, I've seen writers spend so much time on the first two, the story gets lost. Even worse, without a strong pilot story, your world and characters won't reach their full potential. I love helping writers find the best structure for their show so their script can most accurately represent them and their idea. And I'm looking forward to doing that with Stage 32. See you in class!" -Meghan Pleticha
Feature Writers: How to Transition to Writing Television
It makes sense why more creatives than ever before want to make the jump from film to television, ESPECIALLY writers. As a TV writer you can dive into longer form storytelling and explore characters more fully. And with the massive popularity of streamers like Netflix and Hulu, your work can likely reach more people in the TV space. And that’s not to mention the fact that TV writing usually provides a much more stable and long-running form of income. All this to say: the pilgrimage from movie writing to TV writing is no longer uncommon and can be an exciting or lucrative development for any working writer. This a switch that is more than possible to undertake, but you need to know how best to accomplish it first. The path from film writing to TV writing is absolutely doable, but that doesn’t mean the door is wide open. No matter who you are, breaking into television is no easy feat and your background in film can serve as an advantage OR disadvantage, depending on how you approach it. Instead of waiting for HBO or Netflix to roll out the red carpet for you, it’s important you tackle this transition with realistic expectations and an understanding of how best you can fit in. Tripper Clancy is a working writer that has found success in both film and, more recently, television. Earlier in his career, Tripper wrote the screenplay for the Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista action comedy STUBER before deciding to make the switch to television. Since then, Tripper served as staff writer for the Netflix hit I AM NOT OKAY WITH THIS and VARSITY BLUES, a modern day reimagining of the original movie. Tripper also created and wrote the action-comedy series DIE HART, starring Kevin Hart and John Travolta. Tripper has found longevity and deeper success for his writing career by making the jump from film to television and will share exclusively with Stage 32 what goes into this transition. Tripper will teach you how you can expand your writing career by making the switch from film to television. He’ll go over his own journey from film to TV and then break down what writing for both features and TV actually looks like, including the advantages and disadvantages of each. He’ll discuss using your reps to make the jump and whether you can do so without a manager or agent and will give you advice on how you can sell your film experience to stand out when pursuing TV opportunities. Tripper will give you a sense of what expectations are realistic when making this shift and where you can expect to start out. He’ll discuss how you can find currency from your film background and what sort of unique challenges film writers might face in television. Expect to leave with a hopeful but realistic idea of what you need to do to find your next opportunity on a TV show. Praise for Tripper's Stage 32 Webinar "Tripper Clancy was an awesome presenter who cut to the chase in a clear, understandable webinar." -Mark D. "Tripper's webinar was terrific - he's a great conversationalist and his open, candid, honest, accessible and very knowledgeable presentation & Q&A were very empowering." -Fran B. "Tripper was really engaging. The conversational tone was enjoyable. Sometimes a seminar can feel like a stranger reading me their powerpoint, just slower than I would read it myself. That wasn't the case here." -Nicholas G. "Tripper was phenomenal. Within 1 hour he gave us a whole course in something I knew nothing about before. Another Stage 32 phenomenal webinar." -Ricki L.
How to Design and Build a Professional Pitch Deck Without Any Technical Skills
More and more, storytellers are being asked to present more than just a script when going out to investors or production companies. Whether you’re pitching a limited series, a feature, or even a doc, executives and investors want to have a sense of what your project will be, beyond just words on a page. What will it look like? What will it feel like? Execs want a visual representation of what the project is—even if you aren’t the director. For this reason, understanding how to put together an attractive pitch deck will give you a distinct advantage as a director, as a writer, as a producer, or as any creative in TV and film. There are people out there who are incredibly skilled with programs like Photoshop or Lightroom and, for those people, creating a pitch deck that will help sell their show can be a snap. But for the average person, these apps are daunting at best and, at worst, completely confusing and overwhelming. However you don’t need to spend hours learning how to use high-end software, and you certainly don’t have to put down a bunch of money for a designer. You can create an amazing pitch deck with basic software and one or two simple apps on your phone and we're going to show you how. ABOUT YOUR STAGE 32 EDUCATOR Shaun O'Banion is the founder of production company Ravenwood and works as a post production project coordinator on some of the industry's leading films in recent years including JOJO RABBIT, TERMINATOR: DARK FATE, THE AFTERMATH and OPHELIA. O’Banion produced DAKOTA SKYE which became a cult hit and remained in the Top 100 Most Viewed on Netflix. He produced GIRLFRIEND, the first film in North America to star an actor with Down Syndrome in the lead role. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, sold to Strand Releasing and won O’Banion an IFP Gotham Award. He joined the Producers Guild of America and co-produced THE AUTOMATIC HATE which made its World Premiere at the SXSW Film Festival. The film was released theatrically by Film Movement. Through his career, Shaun has become well versed in positioning his projects for success and understanding the best ways to pitch and sell them, including creating knock-out pitch decks. He’s ready to share what he’s learned and empower even the most tech-illiterate members of the Stage 32 community. Shaun will teach you how to use basic software and apps to craft an attractive pitch deck on your own without having to hire a graphic designer. After teaching you what you need to know about designing a great pitch deck, Shaun will demonstrate it all by working with the registrants in creating a brand new pitch deck in real time, live and on-screen. He will specifically focus on creating with you a general image for the overall background, graphics for the title page, setting page, main character page, supporting character page, and episode page. Shaun will also provide registrants with a resource sheet outlining the tools and software he uses for his own pitch decks. After going through this exercise with Shaun, you’ll never need to hire a graphic designer again. Like what you heard from Shaun during this webcast? Send your script and speak to Shaun for an hour by clicking here. "Shaun O’Banion made creating a pitch deck seem downright easy and fun. Before today, I was absolutely dreading it as my skills with graphic design and editing are next to zero. Shaun was so generous with his time and stayed on for an entire extra hour to go over more and have the Q&A which was incredibly kind." -Margaret M. Please note that this webinar will focus on the graphic visual elements of an effective pitch deck. To learn more about the content and storytelling that goes into a pitch deck, we recommend checking out Ewan Dunbar’s TV Series Pitch Deck Webinar.
Stage 32 Screenwriting Lab: Write a Drama TV Pilot in 8 Weeks - From Concept to Completed Script
Only 10 spots available You’ve heard the phrase “the content gold rush” get bandied about these days, but as it relates to TV, it’s never been more true. Drama television is at its peak with such iconic shows like OZARK, KILLING EVE, BETTER CALL SAUL, THIS IS US, THE HANDMAID'S TALE, THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT, STRANGER THINGS, BLACK MIRROR, THE UNDOING and so much more. With the influx of networks and streaming platforms either moving into or expanding their original content libraries, the demand for dramatic TV ideas and pilots has never been greater. Thanks to streamers such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max and others, over 600 shows were greenlit last year and some industry experts are predicting we may see as many as 1,000 television shows greenlit per year by 2025. But not only is the quantity increasing, so is the quality, as companies are funneling an unprecedented amount of money, resources, marketing and talent into their shows. And the impact of COVID-19 is even having an impact that could benefit writers all over the world as many shows are planning to implement virtual writer’s rooms. In short, there has never been a better time to write for TV. Now it’s just a matter of breaking in. The opportunities are plentiful and the prospects have never been more exciting, but if you want to write dramatic television you need to prove that you have the chops, and to do that, you better come armed with a great pilot script sample. Something that shows that you have what it takes; something that shows that you understand the structure and craft that goes into a good teleplay; and something that shows off your own unique voice and sensibility. This is your calling card, your way in, the piece of material that will fire you off the launch pad. The intention of this lab is to help you create that piece of material that stands out, gets you the right meetings, and, ultimately, gets you representation, meetings with decision-makers, and/or a coveted seat in a writer’s room. Spencer Robinson is a literary and talent manager at Art/Work Entertainment who's been in the industry for over twenty years. His clients have been in films with directors Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderbergh, Clint Eastwood, Gore Verbinski and more. In the TV world, his clients have been regular cast members on shows for Netflix, The CW, Cinemax, CBS, NBC, FX, Starz, Nickelodeon, EPIX, and TBS, to name a few. His writing clients work in both features and television on broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms. He currently has a client writing on two Netflix series, and another client who just sold a show to Amazon. He also reps a writer who currently has a project at Aggregate Films, which has a deal at Netflix. Spencer has taught numerous webinars, classes and writing labs for Stage 32 and remains one of our most popular and in demand educators. In this lab, he will be working directly with you in a class setting and also during one-on-one sessions with the goal of helping you write a fantastic, market-ready pilot. To do so, Spencer will guide you through picking a concept, creating engaging characters, perfecting your structure, constructing an outline and, finally, writing your pilot. If you already have a concept or even a completed pilot, Spencer will use the same tools to help you hone and sharpen your material. WHAT TO EXPECT By the end of this 8-week writing lab, you will have a completed drama television pilot script ready to be shown to reps, development execs and other executives and professionals. Sessions will vary between 2-hour group settings and personal one-on-one Skype meetings with Spencer. You will be held accountable to take the lessons from each week and move your work forward. Plus, to keep you motivated and inspired, you will have access to a private, dedicated Stage 32 Lounge where you can communicate with your fellow classmates throughout the writing process. To see the full writing lab schedule, see below under "What You Will Learn". PLEASE NOTE: This exclusive Stage 32 lab is limited to 10 writers and will be booked on a first come, first served basis. The opportunity to work this closely and for this long with an executive and an expert in the field is an incredibly unique and valuable opportunity. If you are interested, please do book quickly. Once the spots are gone, they’re gone for good. Payment plans are available - please contact Amanda at edu@stage32.com for more information ***This lab is limited to 15 people*** This lab is designed for beginner and intermediate screenwriters looking to build a pilot from scratch or expand on an existing idea or polish an existing pilot.
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