Filmmaking / Directing

Gabriel Salazar Here's how Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (A Quiet Place) did it:

Welcome to Stage 32. With writers, a lot of them also do other production work (production assistant, camera work, etc.) to learn more about the the filmmaking process and most importantly meet more people. I worked with a young writer (new post-grad) last year on an American Film Institute short film that was a PA, he gave me his business card. That's a good way to meet more people.

Thank you all guys for the tips! Much appreciated!

What genres do you primarily write?

email me! lrbartling@gmail.com

I’m married with 6 kids. I do as best as I can. Man why are you even on here if you feel the need to act this way?

I've had great convo with Jonathon Blankenship Doug Nelson stop being a wet blanket.

Okay.

its okay not to have a bio

um have any of you watched this interview: https://youtu.be/kgFxBlFHwuc

no, man. Not a legitimate showrunner. This is a pro league. Anyone good wants to be paid, partner with people with more than an idea.

My advice - find a middle person like an agent, filmmaker, associates who can vouch for you and your talent. Small projects first, baby steps. Good Luck

Thanks Dan....always valued advice.

Dan is spot on. Deeper research on IMDb will reveal the assistants and associates who might be open to a cold query email.

Thanks John...I'll be checking that out.

I would love to see it. I do understand some French. I am adding you into my network!

Hi @Bear COOL concept, it sounds like you already been your own director and need a film editor and actor or historian do monologue intro. Or do you need someone to direct more zoom room performances over phone? Or real time physical performance post covid? The history aspect really sounds interesting, could be a fiction and documentary merge.

Hello, I'm francophone (bilingual) and I love this concept. Olympe de Gouges was a fascinating and groundbreaking figure, a feminist icon. I'm not sure what kind of collaborator you would need, but I am available for anything, like consulting in terms of the French used, French names can be hard to pronounce... (I imagine the dialogue is in English but I think it's great that you include some French). Anyway, I'm free to help in anyway I can. Congratulations on this innovative work.

Wow, this sounds incredibly cool and timely! It does sound like a good PBS submission. Do you have any PBS contacts?

Hi Alec, I am also atypical. I agree with the others, that your immediate strength could be the writing and that could open doors for you. And as for your dream - It is doable, but it can take time. I managed to network a bit by attending writing groups - putting myself out there, and seeing if there were people I liked, that shared common interests. Through my work I was able to convince some of them that there was a benefit in partnering up for small low budget productions to see if we could work together etc. And through that collaboration, despite it's challenges, we pulled it off. And I've been able to meet other talented people - as well as via the internet, to help with some key roles that we couldn't fulfil locally - and repay the favours by helping on their projects in return. Essentially, it takes time. But it can be done. Obviously I've got a long way to go and more improvements to make etc, but now - for the moment - I'm not entirely alone on that journey. Stay strong, do the work and you'll get there.

Alec, I would start with finding small, local film productions and volunteering. This will not only introduce you to other people in the "biz" (connections), but also allow you to acclimate to the on-set experience. Because, for your long-term goal, you will eventually have to spend long hours on set, around people (perhaps lots of people!).

And, of course, write, write, write!

Stay healthy- mentally and physically. This is a blue-collar job. My college classmate is a DGA Director and we're the same age, but his hair is all grey from work stress, long hours and no sleep.

@Dan is right that we need keep mind and body well and in sync in order to keep going with good projects etc. I too am not a fan of social media purely because I am very shy and it was not until I met RB in person that I started using Stage 32. I think you should focus on your writing and you do not need to be a whizz kid at technology to get it out there. Keep writing. Get your log lines and script here Stage 32. Or post Script Revolution. Find people who know how to use the I phone film making tool until you can afford a small crew. Find a bunch of like minded artists who want to make a budget film. Good Luck.

Thank you! Solid advice all around; lots of stuff I needed to hear. Looks like I have a few avenues to try.

Hey @Joe "No words"

This.

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Hi another!

What are you looking for? Money? Crew?

How did this project go? I'm in Charlotte, but not really connected to the filmmaking community. I hope things are working out for you.

I'm curious too.

HI Gary, do you have financing in place to hire the director and crew? I am not a director myself, but I might be able to introduce you to some legit commercial directors who would work on a low budget short. Thanks and best of luck.

Hi Mark. Post content on your profile page, it will be seen on the home pages of those in your network. And/or post in “Your Stage”—that’s where members share work, solicit, ask for feedback and promote. If you wish to teach a S32 webinar or get further direction then reach out to management through “Contact Us” found in the bottom menu bar. If you are interested in doing a S32 blog then reach out to the content curator, Joleene Moody. Hope that helps!

Beth Fox Helsinger. Very helpful. Thanks. I have it posted on"Your Stage' and will check with management about a S32 webinar. And thanks for the tip abut Blogs.

You're directing videos on Film Courage and Indie Film Hustle are great. Especially for someone that wants to direct, and hasn't been to film school. Thanks.

Thanks, Jay. I know I'm a bit late in this response ... yet, THANK YOU.

Hi, Kay. Yeah... I watched the pilot and it was tone death and utterly insensitive to what is truly happening and what has happened to Indigenous women. It certainly felt "white" and ignorant. Extremely disappointing. You get a far better sense of the true horror and the true reality from documentaries. Sadly, this was a missed opportunity.

The quote from ABC's Entertainment President Karey Burke is self-serving, tone-death bullshit. She said Big Sky is ”a story that is realistic about the fact that violence against women exists in our country. It’s owning it and it’s telling a story of women that are victims of it that ultimately triumph over it."

I'm sorry... owning it? It exists? Where has she been? How can she be so oblivious? She considers this series to be realistic? She sounds completely clueless about the plight of this tragic issue that has affected so many over the decades.

Well, there’s nothing that "tells the story of women" in the pilot. It was hard to continue to watch past the first 10+ minutes which focused on a stupid love triangle between the sexy lead characters, two female friends fighting over a man. They get into a fist fight at the local bar. ”How could you sleep with my husband when he and I are separated?!” And these are the characters with this underlining, eye-rolling-catty-reality-tv-like-gimmicky “tension” between them who will be investigating two white teenage girls who have recently gone missing? Great...

In the pilot after the white teenage girls go missing, it is stated by a state trooper, "yeah, we've had a lot of young women go missing in Montana." And some characters are... Surprised? Taken aback? Huh? No mention of the disproportionate percentage of those missing women who are Indigenous. It was painful to watch.

There's a twist or rather a "shock" that happens at the end of the pilot episode, which to me, further shifts everything to the men in the series; what they do to each other, to victims, and the relationship they have with the women in their lives. That’s my take. What happens to a man is what will incite the two lead female characters. This series is really about some white male characters and what happens to them and what they do and, probably, how the women characters in the series react and act to right various wrongs.

Dunno? Maybe it will improve as the series goes along? I won't be watching it...

So, Indigenous groups writing a letter to ABC to express utter disappointment is a good start. I hope they press further. I hope ABC and the series producers get pressed on the issue by the media.

In my opinion, this series, if not based on the book Highway, but rather was a narrative built from true reality, and had Indigenous actors, writers, producers, etc, on the team as well, then that would bring an incredible depth and authenticity to the true tragedy and horror of highway abduction and murder, certainly to what's been happening in Montana.

Karen "Kay" Ross I just don't see this as a cultural appropriate issue (which, in my opinion is not a real thing outside of use as a tool of political polemic). On the contrary, I see this as part of the flatly racist attitude of Hollywood, which still exists in 2020 and which the word "diversity" is actually used to permit it's continued perpetuation. The Indigenous groups have a point here, insofar as the representing the truth is concerned. The show ostensibly is trying to raise awareness about a serious issue. But neglecting important demographic and cultural facts related to that issue (the concentration of abduction and murder of women from indigenous communities) it continues the structural marginalization of those communities from the rest of American society. I don't like terms like "structural racism" because they hide the fact that there are people behind those scripts, casting, marketing, etc, and those people are making decisions with (assumedly) actual brains and knowledge in their heads. Therefore, I do not mince words and I don't step back into the very, very polite kind of request sent by the Indigenous nations here - racism is racism, call it what it is.

To add, about the letter: Calling it "polite" is incorrect, a mislabeling, and, sorry, even a belittling of the letter writers' point of view and choices, no? The letter is not "polite" rather an effective straightforward tactic of truth and facts that may be better listened to by the recipients. It urges ABC to have a dialogue about the facts and Indigenous representation in Big Sky. When groups in the past have made "attacking" statements, the usual straw man argument then becomes more about the attackers and the attack on the creative choices made by productions. Then, the straw man argument typically turns to outrage over the supposedly imposed political correctness, deflecting away from the real substance and the valid reason for taking issue in the first place. The letter clearly states the Indigenous groups' disappointment and why they are disappointed, and that ABC missed an opportunity here to do a better portrayal of the facts. It is a known fact that the disproportionate majority of missing and murdered women in Montana are Indigenous, which has made this tragedy an existential threat to Native Americans. The letter states: "To ignore this fact, and to portray this devastation with a white female face, is the height of cultural insensitivity, made even more egregious given the national awakening to the need for racial justice." That's not "polite." That's straightforward truth given from the Indigenous perspective that ABC and this series ignores.

Beth Fox Heisinger Agree.

not yet give more info about it tony

The series was produced by Blumhouse.