Filmmaking

Why Are We Still Making Film the Old Way? Let me start with a full disclosure. I work for a company that makes some of the products I’m mentioning here. I don’t want you to take that the wrong way. I’m still a filmmaker and actively use tools like these to produce content on literally a daily basis. But I know sometimes people get fussy, think I’m just promoting a product. In this case, that is true, but for all the right reasons. The Old Ways Are Dead I’ve been in the industry for over 30...

When planning an independent production, regional film incentives are frequently discussed as a cornerstone of the financial plan. However, the language surrounding these programs often obscures how they actually operate. In an ethical filmmaking ecosystem, an incentive is not an emotional tool used to accelerate a deal or create a false sense of security. It is a strict, rule-based government mechanism designed to stimulate regional job growth. To be ethical and transparent, a production mus...

In Hollywood today, everyone loves talking about how audiences have smartphones glued into their hands. Our big discourse is all about how the minute-to-minute attention span of the average modern filmgoer is a warzone in which our creative aspirations are pitted against every meme and TikTok video a user’s algorithm can throw at them. What if I told you that shrinking attention spans aren’t the reason people are so easily distracted in the movie theater? What if I told you that the problem is e...

Hi, Everyone! I'm Laura, the Marketing Coordinator here at Stage 32 supporting Development Services, which means my job is all about connecting this incredible global community of 1.5+ million creatives with the executives, services, contests, and opportunities that can move your careers forward.Before joining the Stage 32 team, I was Content Manager at FX Networks with The Walt Disney Company, where I supported the launches of new and returning shows including SHŌGUN and THE BEAR through webs...

You’ve got a script. You’ve got funding. Now you’re ready to start selecting locations. If this is your first time taking this step, here are some helpful tips to get you started. Assess your Needs If you have your production team in place including a location manager, cinematographer and production designer, these individuals should be (and will want to be) included in this step. However, if you are starting this process prior to securing a team (or if you have limited funds and are consolid...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! I hope your weekend has been a creative one so far. Whether you have been writing, filming, editing, or sketching out the next spark of an idea, I have something today that will give you a boost. So grab your coffee, and let’s dive in. This week's featured video comes from FilmStack: When an Actor Didn’t Need to Be a Movie Star - Ethan Hawke. Ethan Hawke had every opportunity to become exactly what Hollywood wanted him to be, and he kept declining. Dead Poets S...

How do you work from a great logline? Remember what it says!You thought of a great story idea. It’s boiling in your head and you can’t get it out. Simply put, you must write it and so reach the first major stumbling block… “where do I start?”Well, you should put it into a logline. But then? Outline? Yes, but first… a new lens to look at that outline… The Lens of Memory Imagine John McClane from Die Hard all recovered from his Nakatomi Plaza adventure, but still before Die Hard 2. Since Die...

I've spent four years at a studio in LA, moving through roles as an editor, a camera operator, and an Executive Assistant supporting the President of Development/Production and the Head of Production. At the same time, I've been running my own production company, shooting my own photography, and now building a new studio. For a while I thought I had to pick one of those things and call it my career. Turns out I got to keep both, and I'm better for it. Nobody Puts "Coordinator" on Their Visio...

What's up, Creative Army! Last Wednesday, I sat down for a couple of hours with our Writers' Room members and answered everything they threw at me. I told you before the event that I had spent this year in the meetings, on the road, and on the phone with executives, producers, financiers, and buyers, and that I wanted to hand as much of that over to you as I possibly could. That is what we did. Amanda Toney moderated, our members brought their questions, and we went straight at the stuff tha...

I want to tell you about the thing that changed how I see this whole industry, and it happened because of a book. I read Crowdsourcing for Filmmakers because RB wrote it, and over the years I've worked here, I've grown to not just respect him as a wonderful boss, but as a passionate and informed creative professional whose insights I value. What I did not expect was that I would finish it and start noticing the pattern everywhere. In films. In games. In novels. In a card game about exploding k...