I made this video specifically for actors in the Southeast, but honestly it applies to anyone who self-tapes their auditions. It's gotten great feedback from actors, agents, and casting directors: http://youtu.be/GZoG3mFGIrc

Hopefully everyone here gets email notifications when new blogs are released. This one on Comedy Audition Advice has got some GREAT PEARLS!

https://www.stage32.com/blog/Comedy-Audition-Advice-from-Casting-Directo...

The good news is summer box office hit $4 billion, which is on track to come close to the pre-pandemic levels. This is actually great news as an indicator audiences have returned to cinemas.

The bad news is the strike continues and is devastating film and tv workers lives, albeit in support of negotiations, for which the entire industry is sacrificing. This deeply affects people, film and tv development, film financing, casting, writing, etc.

On the positive side, now is a great time to refine, update, create your materials for film finance and production. Prepare your project with strong materials (great resources, webinars here @stage32), move your pitch deck, film budget, and screenplay forward to be ready when the strike ends and production resumes full force.

Good article in the Los Angeles Times with details on the current state of play:

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/newsletter/2023-09-0...

I am not going to make this long (I'm going to try not to any way). About several months ago my company J and R Films, LLC was in the mist of putting our cast together to do a feature film called A Cry In The Dark based off of true life events. The story that came from the book called The Scream That No One Heard.

We pitched it around and we had several promises however; nothing came of it. Than in mid December, we found a Financier that made all type of promises and he had advised me to add more value to the film, we need to get a well named actor. We then reached out to several well known actors, Clarence Howard, Rockmond Dunbar, Columbus Short, Iris Elba just to name a few. Two of the many that we reached out to responded back. Rockmond Dunbar and Columbus Short. Once we received confirmation on the one who we really wanted to play the lead character; we reached back out to our Financier who told us that during the holidays that no one is going to be doing anything. So after the holidays is when everything kicked started for us, we had a full cast, costume designer, makeup artist, set designer, casting director, production assistant (s) etc. Then all of this Coronavirus came about and plus the Financier failed to produced anything on any type of investor (s) after telling us that he had about 4 or five investors ready.

My thing is this, since now that this Coronavirus has now changed the way that we live, and since we know that we have a major hit on our hands. What can we do to get this production finished and get it ready for the public on Hulu, NetFilx etc?

In our weekly video that we released Monday, I talk about the metaphor of being a thermometer vs. a thermostat. Waaaaay too often, actors fall into the trap of being the thermometer. That is, taking the temperature of the room. Trying to figure what is the accurate answer to how to play the role. Owning a taping service for over 15 years, I see this EVERY DAY.

A much more powerful approach is to be the thermostat. SET the temperature of the room. And the room can be your self-tape studio, a Zoom callback, in-person audition, or being on set.

If you don't take ownership over the role and confidently bring your signature performance, then you risk becoming a carbon copy of the other 80% of actors who are all being thermometers, trying to gauge "what Casting wants."

SET the temperature.

Now, the rub is that it takes years of training and experience to get to a place of understanding this concept (specifically what your signature performance is), because blind arrogance is just as bad as being completely passive. I guess in the metaphor that arrogance is like being a broken thermostat? The metaphor isn't perfect ;)

Here's the video from our YouTube channel:

https://youtu.be/7EJDM0u9OcQ

Join Rachel Paulson on January 6th for her webinar on how actors can use Instagram to achieve their goals. Here is a link so you can check it out and register: https://www.stage32.com/webinars/Actors-Make-Instagram-Work-For-You-Get-...

“Casting companies often do the work of talent agencies all over Latin America, with the exception of Mexico, Argentina and, recently, Chile. In general, the Latin American agencies that do exist limit their clientele to actors, rarely focusing on directors or screenwriters. “A key reason for this is the high number of independent productions made by director/scriptwriters or directors working with their regular writers,” says Jorge Hernandez of Chile and Spain outfit IMC Management.“

Read more, here>>>>

https://www.screendaily.com/features/future-leaders-2023-how-streamers-a...?

Here’s saying hello to my dear community,

I’ve been with Stage32 since September 2015. It has been a great place to develop my skills as a screenwriter, create a network of fellow creatives, learn more about my craft and also Production through Education Services.

I wanted, on this IYW, to introduce myself as an author. In 2021 Upptacka Press published my first novel (but fifth book) entitled “0w1:believe”.

The seed of the story came to me in a dream (it’s not the first time that has happened), after which I sketched out what the story may be, of the two characters I encountered that night in a Dali-esque desert landscape.

For the publication of the book we set up a YT channel: https://youtube.com/@worldof0w113?si=2twwOTF5nVeuR7YY

It was a steep learning curve, especially on the technological front, as the WiFi was inconsistent at best and looking back I would have had more pre-recorded pieces so that post event, there was better quality videos for playback. You live and learn!

As part of the World of Owl, Colse Leung, of ColseCreative designed and managed the release of a website, in which I explored the themes of “0w1:believe” through the writings of some of the characters:

Strix - the main character. A young journal writer and resistance member.

Jack Stanza - his father, a political poet, known by the State Authorities as “the toxic poet”.

Shula - his mother. A model and mystic poet. (The ultimate combination!)

The story is set in an Authoritarian State, with a Government made up of the CEOs from the most successful companies in the National Economy. Everything in their lives is controlled; education, employment (matching each person with a job, through their ‘thought patterning’), housing and media.

But then, a group of teenagers encounter the ‘vision space’ where they see the dark spiritual forces behind their captivity.

To expand this world further, I set up a World of Owl channel on Spotify, for the readers to connect with the soundtrack of the story, as they read it.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/48XCrlf2KjBh6SKjCD36Wc?si=PoJq9UUaQH6r...

You can check out the website here:

https://www.worldofowl.co.uk

Yes, it was a whole lot of work, but this seems to be the way my imagination works - create a big world story and then expand it further. (Or, perhaps it’s about creating a big world and then casting a larger net to catch a wider audience?)

May you meet lots of interesting people in the Stage32 IYW. It really is the best place to develop your craft and make lasting (and creative) friendships.

Peace and all good things to you.

Geoff