Feature Film Investor Deck Lab: Create Your Deck in 8 Sessions Over 4 Weeks
Other education that may be of interest to you:
The Key Materials You Need To Gain An Investor's Trust
Learn directly from Sara Elizabeth Timmins, who was on the producing team of HBO's McMillions with Mark Wahlberg Do you ever feel worried that you don’t have the experience or credits to close on financing with an investor for your projects? Do you stop yourself from reaching out to dream partners because you don’t think they would want to work with you? The truth is Hollywood is filled with people who started without contacts or credits but managed to sell themselves and their projects as worthwhile, and you can too. The key to hooking an investor and making them comfortable working with you is establishing trust and credibility in a meeting or pitch. In this exclusive Stage 32 webinar, producer Sara Elizabeth Timmins will show you how she uses her ability to exude confidence and establish strong relationships to attract millions of dollars from investors to make her projects go. You will learn how to build credibility in meetings, you will learn the seven things you can do to stand out and impress investors, and be given proven tips and tricks to gain trust, even if this is your first film. Sara Elizabeth will also give you her favorite hack to establish clout and confidence and show you the value of being honest without losing investors. Sara Elizabeth is a top producer and founder of Live Life Out Loud Films, where she creates quality, inspiring films that champion women. Her films have been seen theatrically, internationally, and on HBO, Hallmark Channel, Starz, and Showtime. She has worked with talented actors, including Academy Award winners Ellen Burstyn and Chris Cooper, Jane Seymour, Josh Lucas, and Mackenzie Foy, among others. She recently produced MCMILLIONS, an HBO docu-series, for Mark Wahlberg’s company which premiered at Sundance in 2020 and is currently in development on several feature films and series. By the end of this webinar, you’ll have the know-how to establish an environment that makes your investor feel like your project is the one they can’t pass up. From mindset to preparation to knowing what to say and how to behave, you will have proven techniques to gain investors trust and attention to set your films up for success.
How to Start a Career in Line Producing
Learn the essential skills to enter the lucrative career of line producing from an accomplished line producer with over 25 years experience producing blockbuster films. The job of a line producer certainly involves its fair share of number crunching and pre-planning, but it doesn’t end there. A large part of the job is to understand the ‘path of compromise’, which is especially necessary in the independent film and indie streaming worlds. The director will often have may have a vision or demands that exceed the resources and funding available, and it’s up to the line producer to find the middle line and retain the artistic vision without going outside of the project’s financial means. This is no easy task, and excelling in this area is what separates the great line producers from the rest. But how do you develop this skill? And how can you break into the field of line producing in the first place? For over 25 years, Michael Mandaville has worked as a line producer on countless projects, ranging from shorts and independent features to large blockbusters like the TAKEN, TAKEN 2 and TAKEN 3 starring Liam Neeson. His other producing credits include HAVOC with Anne Hathaway, THE KISS with Terence Stamp and Billy Zane and AMERICAN HISTORY X with Edward Norton. In addition to producing, Michael has directed commercials, shorts, a documentary and industrial films. He has also worked on MANAHI, an Arabic language comedy which was the first film shown in Saudi Arabia in 35 years. Michael’s long history in the world of line production makes him the perfect person to speak to this industry, and he’s keen to share what he knows with the Stage 32 community. Michael will walk you through the role of line producer, how to find opportunities and how to best to succeed in this position. He will begin by explaining the reason for the line producer position and how it differs from the role of unit production manager. He’ll go through common challenges of the line producer and how best to overcome, including mastering the “Line Producer Mindset”. Next Michael will explain what the career pathway looks like for aspiring producers and how you can find opportunities in the microbudget, independent and studio worlds. Michael will dive deep into the line producing process, going into scheduling, budgeting, and dealing with rates. Finally he’ll provide tips on how to find work as a line producer. Through Michael’s rundown, you’ll leave with a much clearer idea not only to how to find work as a line producer, but how to succeed and build a career for yourself once you do.
Masters of Craft: Michael Polish - The Indie Filmmaker's Toolkit: Maximize Your Resources, Creativity and Profits
To kick off your directing career with Roger Ebert calling your film "One of the best films of the year" you can pretty much be assured you're on a path to success. We are proud to present to you the director who has done just that - Michael Polish. After his Sundance darling Twin Falls Idaho garnered Roger Ebert's critical acclaim he has gone on to direct over 10 feature films including: The Astronaut Farmer, starring Billy Bob Thornton and Virginia Madsen Northfork, starring Nick Nolte and James Woods The Smell of Success, starring Billy Bob Thornton, Tea Leoni & Ed Helms Hot Bot, starring Zack Pearlman and Danny Masterson Stay Cool, starring Winona Ryder and Sean Astin (Nominated for best feature at Tribeca Film Festival) Big Sur, an adaptation of the Jack Kerouac novel starring Kate Bosworth For Lover’s Only starring Stana Katic (CBS’s hit show Castle) 90 Minutes in Heaven, starring Hayden Christensen Amnesiac, starring Wes Bentley The upcoming Sharon Tate biopic adapted from Greg King’s book Sharon Tate and the Manson Murders Michael will be teaching the 2nd installment of our Stage 32 Masters of Craft series - The Indie Filmmaker's Toolkit: Maximize Your Resources, Creativity and Profits. In this online event Michael will share with you how a professional director approaches a film from inception and carries it through to post-production including a discussion of available distribution options. The goal is to give you the agency to make your films without the necessity of the Hollywood studio system (though this information will be handy if that's your path as well). He will go in-depth about the director’s process from finding superior scripts and setting your priorities in pre-production to the challenges of running your set, leading your crew and balancing the demands of your producers. He’ll explain how to interact with everyone vital to your film’s success from producers and film executives to actors, cinematographers, and editors to get the best version of your film. Finally, Michael will share insider knowledge on effective methods to market and distribute your film that will give you the power to maximize your profits. From his experience writing and directing 10 feature films, he’ll share his war stories (like losing vital funding in the middle of a shoot) and his strategies for dealing with any obstacle that arises. You’ll be better equipped to deal with mishaps and avoid filmmaking pain points. If you want to make your film and you want to know where to start, how to proceed and how to ensure you walkaway with a masterpiece, this is the webinar for you! You’ll leave with a comprehensive understanding of what is necessary to succeed as an indie director and gain control over the direction of your career.
Actors: 10 Tips To Booking More Work That No One Is Telling You
It’s no secret that being an actor is one of the hardest jobs there is. Facing frequent rejection, navigating high levels of competition, constantly looking for new opportunities, all while honing your craft and remaining open and vulnerable in what can be a difficult and cold industry—pursuing this career is not for the weak of heart. There are countless challenges to building an acting career, but when we put undue pressure on ourselves we may not even realize that the biggest obstacle to overcome may just be our own psyches and self-destructive strategies. It's time to change course. There’s so much information out there for actors about improving your craft, changing your auditioning chops, working with your agent, staying on top of trends, making connections, and more. It’s easy to forget that a big part of the craft simply comes down to mindset and confidence. Taking away the doubt that so often comes with performing and replacing it with swagger and confidence will help you not only win over every room, but also make smart, strategic decisions that will lead to a long and prosperous acting career. This, of course, is easier said than done, but a good first step is to learn the best tips, tricks, and traits of the most successful working actors. Jack Plotnick has been a working actor for over 20 years and has amassed over 100 IMDB acting credits in the process including SILICON VALLEY, MEET THE FOCKERS, THE MENTALIST, RENO 911 and BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. He's also parlayed this success into a directing career with SPACE STATION 76 for Sony Pictures Worldwide. He has used his experience to serve as the go-to teacher for many successful film, television and voice actors including Zachary Quinto, Liv Tyler, Alyson Hannigan, and Ryan Potter to name a few. Jack has built a successful acting career for himself by adopting a mindset that has allowed him to win over the room and consistently get parts. In 10 simple and applicable steps you can return to again and again, Jack will show you how to eliminate fear, doubt, negativity and how to cut out all those detrimental voices so damaging to an actor's psyche. He will give you the tools that will provide a persistent positive mindset that will have you brimming with confidence. He will teach you how to crush every audition and put yourself in position to win every room. He will show you how to be a better actor and why you are versatile enough to handle comedy and drama roles. He will teach you how to keep your mind and spirit healthy and book more work. Expect to leave this webinar with a newfound confidence, enthusiasm, and a set of tools to take with you to start landing more roles and improving your craft. What Some of the Most Successful Actors are Saying About Jack: "Jack has an innate ability to communicate a sense of freedom. Our work together has allowed me to more reliably get out of my own way and connect to the material and situation at hand." - Zachary Quinto (Star Trek, Heroes, American Horror Story) "(Jack) taught me things that were so fucking brilliant. They are things that have stuck with me and helped me as a human being in this world." - Liv Tyler (The Leftovers, The Strangers, The Lord of the Rings) "I seriously couldn’t have done it without him. His words of wisdom are always with me." - Alyson Hannigan (How I Met Your Mother, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, American Pie) "I've printed out every page of Jack Plotnick's website and made an "acting Bible" for myself." - Wendi McLendon-Covey (The Goldbergs, Bridesmaids) "Right now I'm working mainly with Jack Plotnick, who's just the best acting coach ever." - Ryan Potter (voice of Hiro in Big Hero 6)
Film Contracts: What You Need To Know (5 Downloadable Templates)
"Very informative and complex concepts were broken down so folks without a law degree could understand them." - Elisha B. When you are putting together a deal as a writer, producer or filmmaker there are many things to think about when it comes to your contracts - between option agreements, purchase agreements and negative pickups it's important you understand what deal you're getting yourself into before you start development. Your Stage 32 Educator is entertainment attorney Jordan Barel, who's a California attorney that has worked with AMC, New Line Cinema, Generate and Alloy. He is also a producer who develops projects based off IP and started out as the television coordinator at Verve Talent & Literary Agency. You will cover three different types of contracts: purchase agreement, option agreement, and negative pickup. Jordan will discuss terms in both a legal and practical matter so that you get the information needed to be prepared to negotiate your next agreement. Such things will include material and boilerplate terms, what can or can't be negotiated, and how lawyers themselves will be reading and reviewing your agreement. This will be an in-depth, but accessible, legal discussion walking you through each part of a standard purchase and option agreement. Plus! You'll get 5 contract templates to download! Whether you're a producer, filmmaker or writer learn the overview of contracts to give you a competitive advantage in your next negotiation! **All materials have been prepared for general information purposes only to permit you to learn more about certain types of contracts within the entertainment industry. The information presented is not legal advice and is not to be acted on as such, please consult your lawyer for issues specific to your contract.
The 5 Secrets to Financing Your Next Indie Film
Learn directly from Anne Marie Gillen, who has over 20 years of experience with independent film financing and has raised over $100M worldwide! There is no getting around it. If you want to make your own project, if you want to control your own career, you will need financing. In order to secure that financing you will need the necessary tools, language and know-how. Equity is King – and finding and closing it is the key component to funding every project no matter what the budget! This webinar will address 5 key strategies regarding financing that most filmmakers do not know. Are you stressed & overwhelmed with the thought of finding money for your film? Do you know how to talk the language of an equity investor? Entertainment is a high risk investment. Do you know how to mitigate that risk to get investors to a "Yes!"
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