Filmmaking / Directing

The place to discuss, share content and offer advice and tips on all things filmmaking and the craft of directing. From pre-production to on set practices to navigating the industry and beyond, this is your forum

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Hossam Hussien Alakwah
You are an entertainment content creator

Do you prefer Batman or Superman, with reasons given?

I like to share interests, industry, friends and colleagues.

Maurice Vaughan

Who's your favorite superhero, Geoff?

Hossam Hussien Alakwah

Niki Hayes

She sat at a table with the studio managers and began to write and left the pen and went out so that everyone could read what she had written to see that she had written the dramatic line. This is my girl. This is what one of the studio managers says.

Hossam Hussien Alakwah

Leonardo Ramirez

You are a talented maker. You define the elements of the main characters with their traits, desires, and events that have always been the opposite. This is how you defuse mines.

Hossam Hussien Alakwah

David Abrookin.

It's your choice . It is you or your friend, you are our hero. Studio managers draw their plans on your opinions. Well let us obliterate Superman as you see it

Hossam Hussien Alakwah

Geoff Hall You reply to Maurice Vaughan

Liked by Maurice Vaughan and 3 others

Ashley Renee Smith
What are the movies that sparked your interest in filmmaking?

I love learning about the movies that influenced filmmakers to pick up a camera for the first time or write their first script. My mom used to love to tell the story of when I was five years old watching the 1997 Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella and told her for the first time that I was going t...

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How Dennis Hopper's 'Out Of The Blue' & Robert Duvall's 'Angelo My Love' Sparked Catherine Hardwicke's Transition From Architect To Director - The Film That Lit My Fuse
How Dennis Hopper's 'Out Of The Blue' & Robert Duvall's 'Angelo My Love' Sparked Catherine Hardwicke's Transition From Architect To Director - The Film That Lit My Fuse
The Film That Lit My Fuse is a Deadline video series that aims to provide an antidote to headlines about industry uncertainty by swinging the conversation back to the creative ambitions, formative inf…
J.M. Gulmire

Everything Will Vinton

MB Stevens

Star Wars by George Lucas. My parents got tired of me using "the force" to crush their heads. Yeah, good times.

Fran Harris

Tootsie, Broadcast News, Cookie's Fortune

Mark Garbett

Wasn't allowed to see Carpenter's The Thing when it came out cause my parents erroneously claimed I was too young and couldn't handle it, but I was able to get into bookstores and read about it in Fan...

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Maurice Vaughan

The "Harriet the Spy" movie made me want to write stories as a kid, Ashley Renee Smith. The "Office Space" script made me want to write scripts in 12th grade.

Liked by Maurice Vaughan and one other

Josiah Bhola Hillaire
Directing

What do you think makes a director great? What qualities should he/she/they have?

Fran Harris

1) Ability to balance respecting and trusting talent - and the skill of bringing out the best in talent. 2) Ability to see multiple ways to tell a story, frame a shot for maximum storytelling. 3) Open to varying opinions with enough confidence to know which direction is best for the film.

Emily J

Clear vision, communication, and calm - it's such an interesting form of leadership, because you're 'in charge' but it's not the same as running a business and every knows the goal is to achieve your...

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Liked by Maurice Vaughan and one other

Amanda Ryan Knopp
Looking to Learn from Active Professional

Hey there, everyone!

I'm hoping that someone who is currently, actively working as an Assistant Director in television and someone who is actively working as a Showrunner would be willing to take a call with me to answer some questions.

I'm currently in film school and unfortunately don't get taught m...

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Dan MaxXx

Dont you live close to Los Angeles? Go join Union Writers picketing outside movie studios and talk to them.

Luca Mannea

Hello Amanda, nice to meet you!

Of course we could talk a lot about the two jobs, but in general terms here are the main differences:

1) AD in TV: there are usually more than one AD on set (1st, 2nd, 3r...

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Amanda Ryan Knopp

@Luca Mannea, thanks for your response! I know all the basics. I’m more so interested in the day-to-day, some of the responsibilities that might not be as known about, how they got to where they are, etc.

Amanda Ryan Knopp

@Dan Max, thanks for your response. I’ve been meaning to walk in solidarity, but it’s been difficult for me. 1. I’m disabled, 2. Scheduling with school. Plus, people aren’t necessarily openly displayi...

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Liked by Daniel Stuelpnagel and 7 others

Gina Roland
What I appriciate about Stage 32

Hi all!

As I continue to reach out to people and do that networking thing that is so important to us as entertainment creators, I realized that there is really no place like the focused efforts of Stage 32.

"What a silly thought," you might say. OK, I'll give you that. But if this were an app for onl...

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Ty Strange

Great observation, Gina Roland!

Maurice Vaughan

You're right, Gina Roland. Members have put together projects and table reads with actors and crews on here.

David Abrookin

It really is a collaborative community, Gina Roland! Love hearing that from community members

Emily J

Thanks @Gina! I couldn't agree more, love the community here!

Sam Mannetti

Truly an incredible and diverse community here!

Liked by Maurice Vaughan

Sydney Summers
How To Complete Your Movie On Time And On Budget While Achieving Your Creative Goals

Stage 32 is excited to welcome Clay back for this upcoming webinar! You will learn where to put the emphasis in your pre-production process and a specific method for planning shots and scenes (shot lists, top down lighting plots) optimized for making your day without turning you into a budgetary bea...

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Liked by Adeel Arshad and 3 others

Geoff Hall
Box Office Flops and Cult Classics

I've been pondering this for a while and would love to hear your thoughts about it:

Film (Budget/Box Office) Director

Shawshan...

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Debbie Croysdale

@Geoff Thanks for the share, interesting. You already gave answer I feel correct in that audiences care more about the art of story telling than ROL and until now didn't even know Citizen Kane was a f...

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Geoff Hall

Debbie Croysdale me too, Debbie. I always thought that Citizen Kane was a box office hit! It’s strange how an audience develops over time and remembers these films with great fondness and for a love o...

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Dan MaxXx

Box office receipts are short term results, studios/corporations play the long game and there was once a market for dvd, television broadcast, airplane screenings. One movie flops is just that- one of...

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Ashley Renee Smith

Some of my favs are Heathers, The Big Lebowski, Hocus Pocus, and Empire Records. Those are movies that I LOVE and watch at least once a year, but they were considered huge flops.

Geoff Hall

Dan MaxXx the exception to that thought would be Richard Kelly, who seemed to go from low budget to lower budget.

Liked by Adeel Arshad and 3 others

Geoff Hall
Unions in DGA solidarity pledge as contract talks near end

The article suggests that the strike may continue until September:

“…by which time s...

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Maurice Vaughan

"The Hollywood guilds and unions stand united." Great words to hear, Geoff Hall! I hope the AMPTP reaches a fair deal with the WGA, DGA, and SAG-AFTRA, but if not, all three will be on strike, and tha...

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Liked by Jahid Hasan and one other

Geoff Hall
DGA Negotiations

“Ahead of contract negotiations, DGA leadership put particular emphasis on global streaming residuals (the royalty payments a director receives when a film or television episode they worked on is streamed online around the world). Writing in Variety, DGA president and former Mad Men director Lesli L...

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Hollywood directors could soon go on strike - what it could mean for TV and film
Hollywood directors could soon go on strike - what it could mean for TV and film
As the Writers Strike continues and the Screen Actors Guild vote to authorise a strike, the Directors Guild prepare for its own contract negotiations with the AMPTP With the Writers Strike approaching…
Niki Hayes

I think it really is up in the air! This one is hard to judge especially based on history. They obviously usually stay out of strikes and other unions business, but this is a pretty unprecedented time...

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Liked by Fran Harris and 3 others

Short Film Success?

Has anyone had success using a well made short as a "calling card" to get a foot in the door of the industry? There are some really great (and not so great) shorts out there on some of the curated sites, in particular, but I'm wondering how often they actually help launch careers?

Sarah Kennedy

Amanda, thanks so much for that. Had no idea Christopher Nolan launched with a short! I really enjoy how a compelling short film can tell a story and pack an emotional punch without the big investment of time we sometimes just don't have. Surprising to me it's not a more profitable art form.

Fran Harris

Last Fall, I produced/directed a 22-min doc about my Dad, showed it to a PBS exec -- and now we're now developing a docu-style show together. So, yeah, I'd say it can be effective if the strategy is right.

Ty Strange

Awesome and inspiring thread, everyone! Looking forward to getting behind the camera and shooting a couple shorts later this summer.

Sarah Kennedy

Fran, that's awesome! Is your 22-minute documentary online?

Sarah Kennedy

Keep us posted, Ty! I'm, big gulp, looking at doing the same in September... well, I certainly won't be behind the camera, but I may serving up some street tacos or something essential like that, lol.

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Do you have an idea for a franchise-launching screenplay?

Are you ready to write your franchise-launching screenplay?

If so, then you'll want to grab one of the last remaining spots in Thunder Levin's screenwriting lab that starts on Saturday, June 3rd called "Stage 32 Screenwriting Lab: Write Your High Concept Feature Film In 8 Weeks With The Writer Of Th Expand post

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