All levels of filmmakers (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to learn how to ensure that the music in their film satisfies the necessary legal requirements in order to be included in their project.
All levels of filmmakers (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to learn how to best work with music professionals for your project.
All levels of producers (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to learn how to ensure that the music in their film satisfies the necessary legal requirements in order to be included in their project.
All levels of screenwriters (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to learn the necessary legal requirements in order for music to be in their project in order to inform their writing.
All levels of composers (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to learn how their music can be legally sourced for films, TV shows and digital content.
Stage 32 Next Level Education has a 97% user satisfaction rate.
Alan Brewer is an independent music, film & television producer, music publisher, and the President/Owner of New Brew Entertainment, a Los Angeles area production company with several feature films and television series on its production slate. He has worked as a Film Producer, Score Composer, Music Supervisor and Soundtrack Producer on feature films & television productions for Universal, MGM, Fox, Warner Bros., Bold Films, CBS Television, Orion Pictures, Miramax, Summit Entertainment, Shochiku-Fuji Films, Anonymous Content, IFC Films, CMT, and VH-1, and others. Alan produced the Universal Pictures release, “Playing For Keeps,” (starring Daniel Jordano, Matthew Penn, Marisa Tomei). His feature credits include the Warner Bros release "American Pastime," “Come Early Morning,” (starring Ashley Judd, Laura Prepon, Jeffrey Donovan, Tim Blake Nelson), David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars,” Paul McCartney’s “Rockshow,” horror classic, “The Burning,” “Trailer Park Of Terror,” “Tokyo Pop,” and “Secret Policeman’s Other Ball” (featuring Monty Python, Peter Cook, Rowan Atkinson, Pete Townshend, Sting and others). Alan has produced recording sessions on 3 continents, in 5 countries in over 50 studios in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, Boston, London, Manchester, Tokyo, and Toronto. Projects he has supervised or for which he produced and mixed music have included music by Jeff Beck, Clarence Clemons (of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band), Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Rick Derringer, Bob Geldof, Ruben Blades, Sister Sledge, Rick Wakeman (of Yes), O.M.D., China Crisis, Donovan, and many others. Alan is on the Advisory Board for the Hollywood Music in Media Awards, served on the founding Board Of Directors for the Burbank International Film Festival and is a Past President of the Board Of Directors of the Nashville Film Festival (one of the longest running film festivals in the U.S.). He is also one of the founders of Film-Com, the annual Nashville based film & television conference, and is currently its West Coast Chairperson. Alan’s current production projects include “The Human Fly,” inspired by the real story behind the Marvel Comics character, “Sewerville,” a gritty, rural crime thriller set in Appalachia, “Hitchhiking With Larry David,” based on the popular book by Paul Samuel Dolman (Gotham/Penguin books), and “Deadfellas,” a mind-opening sci-fi horror feature co-written by Jeff Buhler, screenwriter of “Studio 666,” starring Foo Fighters, “Pet Semetary” (2019), “The Grudge” (2020), and creator of the George R.R. Martin based SyFy series, “Nightflyers.” Full Bio »
Learn everything you need to know about how to source and use music in your productions from Alan Brewer, who is the President of New Brew Entertainment. Alan has extensive experience in every aspect of music for film and television including Music Supervision, Music Clearance & Licensing, Music Production, Score Composition, and Music Publishing!
PLUS! You'll receive a Music in Motion Pictures: Rights and Licensing exclusive handout!
We all agree that music can make or break a film. From Spike Lee to Steven Spielberg to Greta Gerwig to Quentin Tarantino, the best filmmakers rely heavily on music in their films to create a particular tone and evoke a certain emotion from the audience. The music you choose for your film can literally make or break your project.
However, most budding filmmakers have no clue where to begin in getting the necessary legal rights to use music in their films. While many independent filmmakers spend a great deal of time learning about the various aspects of the craft and business of filmmaking, most emerging filmmakers, even those who have gone to prestigious film schools, have little to no knowledge about the administrative and legal requirements for the inclusion of music in their projects. Furthermore, most independent filmmakers don’t know how to best navigate the creative music search with respect to finding songs and/or composers suitable for their productions and appropriate to their budgets. All too often, independent filmmakers find themselves in a bind, learning late into post-production that they don’t actually have permission to use the music they were planning to include in their project. Without the proper legal authorizations for the use of the music, your film will not be accepted to film festivals or get released on any platforms. We’re here to help!
In this exclusive Stage 32 webinar, you will learn how to ensure that the music in your film satisfies the necessary legal requirements in order to be included in your project. You will learn everything from the different types of rights you need for music and how to obtain them, to how to work with a composer and your music team, the differences between using existing songs or creating original music for your film, how and when you need to create music cue sheets, and more. Teaching you everything you need to know about the use of music in your film is Alan Brewer, President/Owner of New Brew Entertainment. Alan has worked as a Film Producer, Score Composer, Music Supervisor and Soundtrack Producer on feature films and television productions for Universal, MGM, Fox, Warner Bros., Bold Films, CBS Television, Orion Pictures, Miramax, Summit Entertainment, Shochiku-Fuji Films, Anonymous Content, IFC Films, CMT, and VH-1, and others. He produced the Universal Pictures release PLAYING FOR KEEPS (starring Daniel Jordano, Matthew Penn, Marisa Tomei). His feature credits include the Warner Bros release, AMERICAN PASTIME, COME EARLY MORNING (starring Ashley Judd, Laura Prepon, Jeffrey Donovan, Tim Blake Nelson), David Bowie’s ZIGGY STARDUST & THE SPIDERS FROM MARS, Paul McCartney’s ROCKSHOW, horror classic THE BURNING, TRAILER PARK OF TERROR, TOKYO POP, and SECRET POLICEMAN'S OTHER BALL (featuring the members of Monty Python, Peter Cook, Rowan Atkinson, Pete Townshend, Sting and others).
Over an information-packed 90 minutes, Alan will cover the full range of information you must have in order to effectively and legally include music in your production whether you are working on a feature project with a substantial budget or a micro-budget short film intended only for festivals. Additionally, not only will this course be highly informative and useful for individuals working in film & television (producers, directors, production managers and post-production supervisors) but also for those songwriters, composers and music artists with a focus on creating music for film & television or placing their existing music in current projects.
PLUS! You'll have a Q&A with Alan and receive exclusive handouts to help you best work with music for your project. Downloads include:
"I'm excited to share with the Stage 32 community my accumulated knowledge resulting from many years of experience in all aspects of the music for film & television process. Having worked all my life as both a music "provider" and a music "user” for film, I look forward to providing the facts regarding what has to be done as well as the language and terminology that will help facilitate communication between all parties involved in the use of music in a film project.” - Alan Brewer
Praise for Alan's Work
“(Brewer is) a sort of artistic systems resource manager, ever balancing aesthetics and the bottom line." - MIX Magazine
“One of the most diversified artists in the industry.....There’s a lot to be learned from such a revered professional as Brewer.” - The Music Paper
“Brewer worked to develop a creative consistency despite the diversity of the musical artists. The result is pure state of the art sound throughout.” - Valley Advocate/New Haven Advocate
Alan Brewer
Alan Brewer is an independent music, film & television producer, music publisher, and the President/Owner of New Brew Entertainment, a Los Angeles area production company with several feature films and television series on its production slate. He has worked as a Film Producer, Score Composer, Music Supervisor and Soundtrack Producer on feature films & television productions for Universal, MGM, Fox, Warner Bros., Bold Films, CBS Television, Orion Pictures, Miramax, Summit Entertainment, Shochiku-Fuji Films, Anonymous Content, IFC Films, CMT, and VH-1, and others.
Alan produced the Universal Pictures release, “Playing For Keeps,” (starring Daniel Jordano, Matthew Penn, Marisa Tomei). His feature credits include the Warner Bros release "American Pastime," “Come Early Morning,” (starring Ashley Judd, Laura Prepon, Jeffrey Donovan, Tim Blake Nelson), David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars,” Paul McCartney’s “Rockshow,” horror classic, “The Burning,” “Trailer Park Of Terror,” “Tokyo Pop,” and “Secret Policeman’s Other Ball” (featuring Monty Python, Peter Cook, Rowan Atkinson, Pete Townshend, Sting and others).
Alan has produced recording sessions on 3 continents, in 5 countries in over 50 studios in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, Boston, London, Manchester, Tokyo, and Toronto. Projects he has supervised or for which he produced and mixed music have included music by Jeff Beck, Clarence Clemons (of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band), Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Rick Derringer, Bob Geldof, Ruben Blades, Sister Sledge, Rick Wakeman (of Yes), O.M.D., China Crisis, Donovan, and many others.
Alan is on the Advisory Board for the Hollywood Music in Media Awards, served on the founding Board Of Directors for the Burbank International Film Festival and is a Past President of the Board Of Directors of the Nashville Film Festival (one of the longest running film festivals in the U.S.). He is also one of the founders of Film-Com, the annual Nashville based film & television conference, and is currently its West Coast Chairperson.
Alan’s current production projects include “The Human Fly,” inspired by the real story behind the Marvel Comics character, “Sewerville,” a gritty, rural crime thriller set in Appalachia, “Hitchhiking With Larry David,” based on the popular book by Paul Samuel Dolman (Gotham/Penguin books), and “Deadfellas,” a mind-opening sci-fi horror feature co-written by Jeff Buhler, screenwriter of “Studio 666,” starring Foo Fighters, “Pet Semetary” (2019), “The Grudge” (2020), and creator of the George R.R. Martin based SyFy series, “Nightflyers.”
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When making an independent film, finishing the film is only half the battle. You need people to actually see the film you’ve worked so hard on. When it comes to distribution, it’s important to know how to get your film into the worldwide marketplace. Once it’s there, you need to know how to generate interest toward it so the film can make its money back for the investors and back-end participants. Distribution comes in all shapes and sizes, but what kind of distribution is right for your indie film? Sometimes it means getting your film distributed by a studio; sometimes it’s creating a self-distribution path. Sometimes —- most typically — the distribution lands somewhere in between. Every film is different and therefore requires a different marketing plan, release strategy, and team behind it that have the passion and drive to get the most out of its release amongst the myriad other movies available. In this on-demand Stage 32 Next Level Webinar, host Tiffany Boyle will get into the details of what the independent distribution process looks like. She will go over how to get the right representative, foreign sales agent, and domestic distribution, and the different options for each based upon the size, genre and execution of a film. She will also discuss what the key points are to look at when reviewing a foreign sales agent and/or domestic distribution deal. Filmmakers should be making an informed decision when choosing who will be handling the licensing of their film for the next 3-25 years, and Tiffany is here exclusively for Stage 32 to help you navigate the ever-evolving world of indie distribution. Tiffany Boyle is the President at Ramo Law and works with producers, financiers and writer clients to bring their new material to life. Having been a Director of Sales at Crystal Sky Pictures, Tiffany has an extensive background in foreign sales. She now works with the attorneys to review, collaborate, develop, submit and supervise creative materials on behalf of clients within the firm. Tiffany has worked on over 100 features including, Stuck In Love, Pawn, Gimme Shelter, Maladies, and I-Lived. She has been to AFM, Berlin, Tribeca, TIFF, Sundance, and Cannes and is constantly expanding her knowledge of how to match films with production and distribution companies.
A New Exclusive Webinar! Learn how to strengthen your mindfulness and happiness as a creative from an Emmy-winning Executive Producer and a Ph.D. in Conscious-Centered Living, who's worked with A&E, ABC, CBS, NBC, TNT, Lifetime, and more! The entertainment industry can be challenging. The rejections, self-doubt, and pressure can wear on even the most mentally resilient creatives. Many believe that when they land the big TV show or the top manager, they’ll be happy, but that’s not how it works. Those external factors are great, but you need internal strength in order to maintain your mental health no matter the ups and downs that come with working in this industry. In this exclusive Stage 32 webinar, you’ll learn the seven-step process to crafting your Inner Sanctuary as a creative from a veteran industry executive and wellness teacher so that you'll be able to keep striving forward against setbacks. Guiding you is Maria Baltazzi, an Emmy-winning executive producer with a Ph.D. in Conscious-Centered Living. Maria has worked with A&E, ABC, CBS, NBC, TNT, Lifetime, and many more. She was even one of the original producers of SURVIVOR, the game-changing reality series for CBS that pushes contestants to their absolute physical and mental limits. Maria will take you through her tried-and-true process to dispel the myths of happiness and show you her essential seven-step process to build a rewarding and intentional life that is mindfully lived with creative purpose. Best of all, those who attend the live webcast will have the chance to ask Maria any questions about strengthening your Inner Sanctuary while building a career in the entertainment industry. Start 2023 with a fresh perspective and the tools to have your happiest and most creative year yet!
There is no worse feeling than finally getting your project on its feet, only for it to be brought to its knees because you don’t have the proper insurance coverage in place. You have to make sure your project can be completed safely and responsibly and, ultimately, sold to a distributor. You need the right kinds of insurance to guarantee your success, and you will learn exactly what that entails in this new exclusive Stage 32 webinar. The key to your success is that you understand the 4 basic kinds of production insurance, why each is important and what the function of each type of coverage is. Not having the proper coverage in place could cost the production company big time with losses that you cannot recoup. You may be denied access to a location due to not having the proper coverage in place. You also may not be able to sell your project to a distributor who requires that the film is properly insured. Teaching you every important aspect of the production insurance game is Doug Hodges from Front Row Insurance, an Entertainment Insurance Broker with offices in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, Los Angeles, Nashville, and New York that specializes in the film, music, and theater industries. Doug routinely negotiates on artists’ and companies’ behalf to obtain the best coverage at the lowest premium from the insurance companies. This essential webinar will give you an overview of insurance coverage, policies and how they protect you, and why having the right insurance is vital to any production and ultimate sale. You will review real insurance policies and receive real-world examples from Doug's vast experience working on every kind of film and with every type of filmmaker. When you’re making your film or TV project, you may focus heavily on the creative side, but you also need to protect yourself with the right kinds of insurance, so don’t want to miss out on this incredibly valuable webinar.
Your film requires a unique budget based on the scale of the story, special effects, stunts, visual aesthetic, insurance, and so much more. But how much is that going to cost you? If you're looking for financing, how do you explain the dollar amount you need to investors? You need a budget. Do you know what budget tier your film is? How to create a production schedule? How to "guesstimate" your costs? How to do a budget display for investors? Well, you're about to find out! Creating a budget is not in your everyday skills, and that's okay! Most writers and directors have never created a budget, making it vital to get the correct information to know what your production needs. Quality budgets are the job of line producers, but they take time to create and are typically expensive. A line producer knows all the crewmembers, equipment, and unique additives that your script requires, as well as where you can save money. But you need this information long before you hire a line producer because you have to create an estimated budget to draw investors. This exclusive Stage 32 webinar shows you how to create an estimated budget for your film, including a Q&A with a professional line producer so that you can receive direct expert knowledge regarding your script. For over a decade, Chris Smith has built budgets working on over ten indie features and has worked as an Executive in Charge of Production, creating reality content for Travel Channel, Cartoon Network, NatGeo, MTV, and more. Having moved through the production ranks, he knows every crew role and rental and why they each require a line item in the budget. He’s also built over a hundred budgets for every type of project you can think of. His budgeting philosophy is simple: measure twice ‘cuz you only shoot once… hopefully. By the end of this exclusive Stage 32 on-demand webinar, you will be able to create an accurate budget estimate and have the confidence to talk about that estimate with any potential investors and professionals that are as excited to get moving on your project as you. You will also: Break down your script for the schedule and budget Understand budget tiers Know what causes unexpected cost increases Looking at "comps" (comparable examples) Learn how to communicate your budget effectively to investors and more! Praise for Chris's Teaching: "Chris is truly a master. I'm appreciative he took the time to be as thorough as he was in this webinar." - Phil M. "I've never done an estimated budget before and Chris included so many things that never occurred to me! After doing my 'guesstimate,' I locked a producer and am about to start my first production ever." - Terry D. "I thought it was very well done. Chris was very straightforward and a pleasure to listen to." - Michael W. "Chris is wonderful! Wealth of knowledge & seems like a really cool, standup guy."- Melissa L. "Chris was great, very clear, knowledgeable and charismatic. As someone who has shot multiple films in the past, some of the first half content was aimed at beginners, but I got my money's worth with his case studies and strategies in the second half. Thank you." - Javier B. "it was great to hear from an LP to walk us through guesstimating a budget. Very useful info. I thoroughly enjoyed it" -Yvette S.
Understanding film distribution and all of the variables that go with it - just got a whole lot easier. With so many sale options, both foreign and domestic, making the proper decision when it comes to distribution rights can be downright frustrating. To help ease that frustration, Stage 32 is bringing in Alexia Melocchi, a seasoned sales agent and buyers representative for international distributors. For over twenty years Alexia has been in the trenches and continues to move successfully through them, which is why we’ve asked her to share her most sound advice with all of you. Alexia has sold over 25 movies to international and US distributors making three times their budget for herself and her producing partners. In 2017 and 2018 the films she acquired on behalf of her distributor clients have grossed over $900 Million USD. On this information-packed webinar, Alexia will share how this was done, as well as offer a fresh perspective on the ever-changing distribution landscape and what filmmakers need to do to successfully move through the trenches themselves today.
A Writer/Director/Producer Who Has Worked With Dreamworks, Disney, Warner Bros. and Paramount and Who Produced His Own Podcast Based On A Script He Wrote Shows You How The world of podcasts has exploded and become an industry to be reckoned with. Over 125 million Americans listen to podcasts on at least a monthly basis, and individual shows can have millions of fans. We’re not just talking about nonfiction works like SMARTLESS or CRIME JUNKY; fiction podcasts are also thriving as more writers are turning to the audio medium to tell incredible stories. An art form in its own right, podcasts have also become a proving ground for stories to be adapted for television or movies. Shows like THE DROPOUT, WECRASHED, and THE THING ABOUT PAM would never have been greenlit or aired if they didn’t first find success and a fan base in podcast form. There might not be a better time than now to adapt your feature screenplay to the podcast medium. If you've had difficulty gaining attention for your screenplay, turning it into a podcast and attracting an audience may provide proof of concept for your story to move it to a show or feature. This type of intellectual property is golden. Adapting your screenplay, of course, easier said than done. Writing for audio is a very different process than writing for a film or TV. Podcasts are written to be experienced as real time events, which is entirely different from a feature or TV script. A good podcast must paint a picture with only words and sounds and be paced to pull a listener in despite any distractions around them. It must also be structured into short episodes that defy traditional film or TV act structure. So, how do you turn 100 pages of a script into a multi-episode podcast? How does writing character or story arcs change when adapting your feature script to multiple episodes? Having a better understanding of what goes into a great comedy, drama, or genre podcast and the rules and expectations that come with this unique format can position you for success in telling your story and finding an audience. Mike Disa is currently the director of the highly praised Netflix show Paradise PD and has been working in the industry, both in television and features, for two decades. With no film training or knowledge of the byzantine workings of the entertainment business, he eventually found success and has worked with studios such as Dreamworks, Disney, Warner Bros., Paramount, and many others. Over a fascinating career, Mike has worked with some of the greatest and most infamous people in Hollywood including Steven Spielberg, Eric Goldberg, Ralph Bakshi, Glenn Close, Steve Oedekerk, David Tennant, Amy Poehler, Adam Sandler, Jeffery Katzenberg and Roy Disney. Always an innovator, Mike recognized the interesting time right now for developing material based off of IP and took it upon himself to adapt his feature script SENTINELS: POINT OF NO RETURN into a 12-part podcast series, which is now produced. Having recently gone through the experience Mike is excited to share his approach and his lessons learned writing the adaptation exclusively with the Stage 32 community. Mike will walk you through the nuts and bolts of writing a fiction podcast and give you the tools you’ll need to adapt your long form script into this new medium. He’ll begin by discussing what the state of podcasts looks like today, including what kinds of podcasts are possible and the different formats of fiction podcasts that people are writing and which ones are currently popular. He’ll then delve into how to approach your podcast adaptation and which things you should decide on from the outset. This includes deciding on the format that will work best for your story, how to adapt your writing style to short form when you’re used to writing features or television, and whether you will use a narrator or go full “radio play”. He’ll also give you tips on how to plan for sound while starting to write. Mike will next go into detail on breaking your long form story into multiple short form episodes. He’ll give you tips on extending your story and show you where to put episode breaks within it. He’ll go over building tension between episodes between episodes and what goes into good cliffhangers on podcasts. He’ll also talk about how to avoid needing recaps between episodes. Next Mike will spend time talking about other writing challenges that come with this format, including how to paint a picture in audio form without creating awkward dialogue, the process of holding on to your subplots without your storytelling getting choppy, and how to use your first episode to grab your audience. He’ll also offer tips of how to give your characters separate voices. Finally, Mike will use his own podcast SENTINELS: POINT OF NO RETURN, which was originally written as a feature, to illustrate the process of adapting for podcasts. He’ll even share samples of both the feature and podcast versions of the SENTINELS script. If you’re excited about podcasts, curious about writing your own or adapting your feature script into one and don’t even know where to begin, start here. Praise for Mike's Stage 32 Webinar: FIVE STARS FOR MIKE!!! He is super-awesome! Can't wait for the next session. -Robert S. "Mike Disa is definitely one of the best. He provided advice that is actionable." -Martin R. "I loved how engaging Mike was. It felt like he was genuine and addressing each of us almost individually. I have honestly never had a better Stage32 experience!" -Elle C. "It was great to hear from Mike. What a professional and what great advice from someone who knows the business and the craft of writing for podcasts." -Mary S.
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