Introduce Yourself : Newbie here by E. Douglas Brown

Completely useless.

How long have you been on this site? And when you say useless, do you mean people are not here to help one another or it's just a waste of time to be here?

i think its great, you get to find projects, talk about films and be able to ask questions and opinions in the subject of films and acting.....well... im a person of enthusiasm and think its awesome.

Couldn't agree more, it's really encouraging as everyone here is in the same boat

AND you get to have a big network and search engine and you can look throughout for the ideal candidates for a certain project that have the look,qualities or skills that you are searching for.

I have liked it for just general industry conversations. I have had some really helpful conversations and been slowly but surely developing relationships. It is as much about how you use it as anything else. If you get to know people who are similar and/or different and learn and share, then it seems to lead somewhere more naturally. If you play the numbers game and treat people like a numbers game, and don't get to know anyone or have real conversations, then probably won't go so well. I have found the diversity of the community to be a nice asset here. For specific elements of the writer's craft, I have found some elements useful on sites specifically focused on that like Talentville. But I have loved chatting with actors here or others in the field who are developing their careers and working to understand their side of the craft and how it relates to mine. There is I think a lot to learn here and a lot to find. I think like a lot of things, if you are in it for the long haul, it may be valuable, if you are looking for a fast answer, probably not likely to be that. I think the community if finding its groove and many people cycle in for a while and then are busy and then back, and a lot of that is just the nature of the business especially for those who have established some roots and are immersed in projects for a while and then back reconnecting to the community, seeking inspiration, etc... Also like a lot of things, one good solid contact can be better than many light ones, or ten solid ones can certainly be better than a hundred poorly developed ones. A lot of people certainly take more of a quantity over quality approach, but some seem to take more of a quality over quantity approach and I have appreciated a few of them specifically. Some who I have not corresponded with personally other than on the board discussions.

Leon speaks to a different experience which may be relevant more for the director/producer types... I am more a writer type, so I think the experience can be different depending on which type you are and where you are in your career, location, etc...

Thanks for your insights. Still new here so don't have a proper comment yet, but have had some contacts (people interested in helping with my trailer)

HI, I'm the resident curmudgeon (not really bad tempered... just grounded in the mud of reality). If you really want to produce and direct. You need to do exactly that, and the first step is to spend your own money producing and directing your own material. You might be able to sell your script... that's a different conversation. BUt as far as directing and producing.... it ain't gonna happen unless you make it happen, and the only way to make it happen is to spend your own money and completing projects. Start with a nice easy ( and cheap) short film. THen do another, then another. then maybe a small ultra low budget feature... Then... if you can raise more money you can make another very very low budget film... If that one makes any money commercially... then you can possibly start to Direct other peoples films and start shopping your projects for financing. There is no shortcut other than being rich and well connected. If you are rich and well connected... then you're all set to go. Otherwise... take the first step and make a cheap short financed out of your pocket.

Thanks for the sound advice. Already did 4-5 shorts and now I am shooting the trailer for my feature then will be raising funds to shoot the feature. But what you said make sense to me.

outstanding - congrats on the present track record! Hope to see you flick when i's finished!

Hi Douglas!, I came to stage 32 about 5 months ago. I had no idea what I wanted to find here, but was very excited to find the community. I made friends, wrote a script and started producing. It's been an outstanding experience :)

Just got back on. In answer to your question, it's about the same as most other social networking site. A whole lot of self promotion spam, a whole lot of self proclaimed 'experts' with little experience arguing about the right way to do something, a whole lot of ego massage, and once in a great while, something beyond that. I've gotten more useful contacts from random Facebook groups, and through actual work.

getting all kinds of feedback....Some people have shown an interest in my movie an it looks like things are coming together.

Rachael, I can only hope that I qualify in your statement " and once in a great while, something beyond that". If not, I'm still trying to learn and improve.

Hi! I'm fairly new to this business, but so far I have found this site to be a pretty good resource. It really depends on how you use it. If you look at it as another way to communicate in the industry and network I think it will be a benefit. You'll definitely run into those who are just promoting themselves, but that is not a huge surprise when it comes to working in this field :) So far I've had a really positive experience on this site! It's really nice to hear from others who know where you're coming from.

This is from the main page of Stage32.com "Build your network Connect with cast, crew and industry execs. Build lasting relationships and take a step up in your career.' "Find work See who's hiring in your area for your skill set. Easily get in touch with producers and casting directors.' If anyone's not promoting themselves here then they're missing the point of the website. What should we do, just talk about guns all day?

Good point, Wayne! You're right, we are here to promote ourselves and find work by networking with others. I feel there is effective ways and ineffective ways to self promote. The effective ways would be to do what you listed from the site; connect with cast and crew, find work in your area and build a network with others in the industry. It's all about the connections and relationships you make within the site and beyond the site.

LOL, and then you have dreamers like me that connect with people from around the globe. What the heck, I have a passport. I'd love to go to Australia, England, many places to film a movie. If someone from Hollywood has a good opportunity for me, I can be there Monday morning. Like I said, I'm a dreamer, but if I weren't I wouldn't dare to be an actor either.

How's the saying go Erin? "If you shoot for the stars, you may at least make it to the moon". Something like that.

As far as work(?) in my area. I could perform in plays and low-budget independent films all I want and never be on Stage 32. But they don't pay. In order to be paid I've had to leave my area. I don't mind traveling for work. I love traveling.

Introductions are totally cool. All of the working actors I know also started out performing for little or nothing. All of the working writers I know - same deal.

Erin - as a resource, I've honestly found Facebook more useful in terms of meeting new people. Same with MySpace when it operated as a social networking tool. I'm curious as to what projects you've worked on as a result of being here, what's actually been created. I'd love to hear about your experiences.

'Everyone is entitled to their opinion' - opinions, yes. It's when a slew of people give flat out wrong advice on something that's rather important (like using the 'poor man's copyright' - mailing a script to yourself, which doesn't work and doesn't stand up in court) that it's a problem. Anyone with even a little real experience knows this is wrong, and ten people with no background are not going to change reality. I've seen a lot of this with financials as well - where doing things wrong can land someone in a lot of hot water. If people could just say 'I don't know' rather than repeating rumors they heard somewhere, it would be fine. Insecurity leads to people not being able to admit that, and it's detrimental for both parties.

Rachael, I haven't personally found work on here - I just recently started using the site and building a network. However, it's nice to have a social networking site that is focused on the entertainment industry. Everyone has different experiences and expertise so it's nice to have other people who understand the business to bounce things off of and share ideas with. I'm hoping I can make contacts with others through here that will turn into projects but if I don't I would still consider the site as a positive resource if only to connect with others who also have a love of entertainment and performing. There are many other ways to find work so using just one site for that purpose, and that purpose only would not be very beneficial. I'm sorry to hear you don't feel the same about the site. What would make using the site more useful to you? Maybe you could contact the guys who run the site with some suggestions.

I'd add a button to be able to mark things as spam - there have been a lot of them. Limit the exact same post to one or two categories. Making a new piece is great - but having the main feed full of the same post that's been put into every category is off putting. There are a number of social sites focused on entertainment - this is the only one that I've seen actively seeking members. A search will hook you up with plenty of legitimate outlets. Every site tends to get spam like that, that's why moderators exist. There seems to be a larger than normal number of people new or trying to break in than on other sites (save LinkedIn - don't get me started on those forums), which is fine. However, if someone is trying to give serious advice that can affect someone legally, they should probably be vetted. Any aspiring actor/filmmaker/etc. sharing 'what worked for me' is great. It's the posturing as major players that can be damaging - it seems most of the members here aren't experienced enough to smell bullshit, so it's a ripe forum for conning people. That's a concern.

That's a good point. People have to be careful about what advice they take on here; you don't know who is legit or not. A SPAM button would be a good idea. It's nice to hear other people's experiences though, it reminds me that I'm not alone when it comes to certain experiences I've had myself.