Producing

Hi, you have a solid foundation with the story, series structure, pitch and bible. I’d recommend developing a strong pilot screenplay before approaching producers, as it gives them a clear sense of the writing, tone and execution.

I’d lead with the one-page pitch, then share the bible and pilot if there’s interest. The Right Temperature sounds like an intriguing period drama, and I’d be happy to connect and discuss its development.

Shared with the Board at The Movie Institute!

Raised the call! I created a post for my Instagram community recommending Stage 32 to filmmakers, actors, writers, producers, and other creatives who may not know about the community yet.

I may have gotten a little carried away with the 80s Creative Army artwork, but apparently subtlety was not invited to this particular mission.

I shared it in a private Women in Film Facebook group. Do I email anything?

Joshua Young That's totally rad, Joshua! Love the 80's theme!

Ashley — thank you —

Appreciate kind words — three shares — three completely different communities — specifically chosen — exactly spirit — yes — Pretoria SA indie filmmakers + African co-pro group + Discord romance thriller / contained budget channel — rooms you couldn't have reached from here — full of people building kind of work this platform should be serving — glad to bring them in —

Webinar code received — inbox — thank you — claiming — will use for next pitch / contained trick session —

Thanks for building Creative Army — Week 1 done — ready for Week 2-5 — aiming for Grand Prize — Career Development Call —

Community is greenlight — crowd makes it stronger for all —

Rethabile — Masia Pictures — Pretoria / NYC — AZURA: THE ROYAL ESCAPE — romance thriller — $1-5M → $12M-live — in double exec review — 4-6 week window —

Appreciate you —

Love the article, Karen Ross! Thank you for sharing!

Great post, Jackie! Indie filmmaking runs on stacking multiple funding sources — including free resources, in-kind support, donations, crowdfunding/crowd sourcing, tax credits/incentives, rebates, grants, equity, brand sponsorships/integration, presales, etc.

One free resource that's often overlooked: your local/regional film office. They can help with locations, permits, local crew, studio space, equipment rental, tax incentive guidelines and so much more — all at no cost. And yes…independent filmmakers are welcome (the services are not just for Hollywood blockbusters)!

For more information, check out:

Love this question, Jackie Letkowski! My guess is the answer isn't gear or locations. It's a person. A DP who believes in the project and brings their own kit. A production designer who can make a room look like money out of thrift store finds. A sound mixer who came as a favor. Free equipment still has to be operated well, and free locations still have to be shot well, but someone genuinely good who shows up for the project raises everything around them.

The other answer nobody puts on a list is time. A location you can have for three days instead of one changes what's possible on screen more than almost any single free thing you could be handed.

Though I'd also argue food isn't free production value, it's a requirement. Feeding people well is the cheapest way to keep a crew willing to come back tomorrow.

Hey Kent, this is Leonardo from the Stage 32 team. I just wanted to let you know I moved your post from Screenwriting to Producing, as it fits much better there. Let me know if you have any questions, and all the best to you!

What a great questions Kent! I most often see a lot of telling instead of showing, an unclear, weak, or late inciting incident, and a second act that gets lost in the sauce.

If I had one piece of advice for writers I'd suggest laying out WHO you're going to follow, WHAT happened to them to kick off their adventure and WHAT their subsequent goal is, and WHY they must take action/what obstacles will they face in achieving their goal. Take these answers and make sure all story decisions circle back to them. This will help anchor your story right away from the first act/inciting incident and provide a map forward into your second act.

Usually there's a decent logline, and most scripts I read show that the writer DID NOT take time to learn how to tell a story or know anything about screenwriting. Writers need to invest in themselves!

From the sales and acquisitions side, I often see great stories without a clear sense of audience or market. Knowing who the film is for can make a big difference.

Hi Shadow, thank you for the legal breakdown. Your point about the E&O insurance and the prima facie vulnerability of AI registration is exactly why traditional network television packaging is struggling heavily with these concepts right now.That specific corporate distribution wall is exactly why the idea is to deliberately bypass the traditional network route and positioning Beat the Machine purely as an agile, independent digital project for a joint web channel (like YouTube).By building directly for a digital platform, the commercial engine shifts away from music synchronization/copyright licensing and focuses entirely on direct video ad revenue, tech sponsorships, and public engagement around the "Human vs. Machine" debate. The show's ultimate asset becomes the discoverability platform would be built for the independent singers, rather than the ownership of the AI backing tracks.Your expertise on this is invaluable—thank you truly for helping me sharpen the business definition of this project!

Have you already developed the idea beyond the basic concept for example, the format, episode structure and how the human vs. AI challenge would actually work?

Hi Zoltán, Yes,, I have fully developed the concept into a structured production bible; mapping out the exact episode mechanics, structural pacing, and format rules.The show utilizes a weekly "reset" tournament structure called The Showdown Model. It breaks the episode down into precise timed segments, including a blind "Interrogation Process" where a panel uses strategic trapping questions to separate the (human) talent from the (AI) process behind a high-definition LED mesh curtain. It also includes an educational "Technical Breakdown" segment to reveal the prompt-crafting mechanics if a machine track wins.I manage the complete formatting blueprints under my portfolio archive at VisionisIPMedia@gmail.com. If you're interested, I would be more than happy to share our 1-page format deck summary or discuss the episodic layout further.

Thanks, Tonyeka. It sounds like you’ve developed the concept quite a bit already. I’d be happy to take a look at the 1-page format deck summary.

Hi Zoltán,I really appreciate your willingness to check it out! Per your invitation, here is the executive 1-page format summary for Beat the Machine: Real Sound:

Hi, @Myranda. I treat networking like building relationships/getting to know people/making friends. I don't bring up my project or ask for a script read/job. The person asks about my script or brings up a job.

You could search for producers, directors, executives, etc. in the Browse Members section and network with them (www.stage32.com/people). Stage 32 also has free in-person Meetups (www.stage32.com/meetups).

I live in North Carolina, and I use Stage 32 and Twitter/X to network. The platform I've had most of my success on is Stage 32.

I think the shift is a good thing. Everything being concentrated to LA, forces people to move geographies which ends up driving up the price of housing and an inadvertently driving up to price of wages and by extension, the productions.

When it is spread out, more people gain opportunities globally, and economies remain a bit more stable and competitive, giving people options.

Myranda Peterson this is a question a lot of people are quietly asking right now, so I'm glad you put it in the room.

Funnily enough, today's Stage 32 blog is looking at a piece of the same picture. ON LOCATION tracks where production physically went last month, and the data tells its own story about how distributed this business has become: https://www.stage32.com/blog/on-location-where-production-went-in-august...

One thing worth separating in this conversation is where production happens versus where decisions happen. Those have been drifting apart for years. A film can shoot in Atlanta, post in Vancouver, and still be greenlit in a room in Los Angeles, and those are three very different questions about where you need to be.

The other piece is what stage of your career you're in. Crew work follows production, so being where films actually shoot matters enormously. Development and executive relationships are stickier to LA, though far less than they were even five years ago. And writers may be the most location-independent people in this business now, which wasn't true a decade ago.

I think the shift is a good thing. Rather than most films being only concentrated in New York, L.A., Atlanta, the shift will force people to look for opportunities elsewhere. Unfortunately, there aren't many opportunities in Regina, Saskatchewan. When I did go to open mic nights, I ended up only having one friend who took their art as seriously as I did. I use stage32 to network and I'm always reading the blogs to learn as much as I can.

"As an international screenwriter and author, my perspective is that while Los Ángeles remains the ultimate epicenter for major studio greenlights, networking, and industry-standard deal-making, hubs like Miami, Atlanta, and emerging international markets offer a fresh, diverse edge in terms of unique cultural storytelling and localized production flexibility. For creators working across borders like myself, digital platforms like Stage 32 are bridging that physical gap, proving that a great story—like a high-stakes geopolitical action saga—can originate anywhere and find its audience globally."

I get what you’re saying. I’ve wondered the same thing myself. It would be great to see more actual producers engaging here and sharing their experiences. Sometimes it feels like there’s more content to read than actual conversation happening. Hopefully we can get more people involved and make this a more active space for connecting and collaborating.

Good question, David. Maybe the producers are here just busy producing.

Exactly, Maurice Vaughan :)) And I completely agree. Sometimes the best opportunities come from the most unexpected places. That’s why networking and genuine relationships matter so much, like us <3

Thank you, my friend, for always bringing another angle to the conversation.

You're welcome, @Sandra. You're right. Same with story ideas. Sometimes the best ideas come from the most unexpected places.

No doubt my friend <3

I think the point about these gaps starting years before a festival lineup is really important. By the time we see the final selection, so many decisions around financing, packaging, and access have already shaped which projects get the opportunity to exist. I’d be interested to hear whether stronger access to early-stage financing could be one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle.

Sandra Isabel That's such a powerful perspective and your background gives it real weight, going from pioneering entrepreneurship in a male-dominated industry to leading rooms in film. The RB quote lands too, access before money really does explain why some strong projects stall while others move. What was the moment you realized trust mattered more than the money itself?

Hi Emil Soliman

I think the three-country setting could actually become one of the project’s strongest assets if it is handled strategically. When each location is essential to the character’s journey, the international element can add both creative depth and potential production opportunities.

From a producer’s perspective, I’d say the screenplay and the clarity of the story should come first, followed by a realistic production strategy showing why each country is necessary. From there, exploring local film commissions, co-production structures, incentives, and the right international partners could make the complexity much more manageable.

I’d be very interested to hear more about the project and how you’re currently approaching the screenplay and production side.

Hi Mary,

Thank you for such a thoughtful and insightful perspective. I completely agree that the three-country setting can become one of the project’s greatest strengths rather than simply a production complication, provided that each location is essential to the character’s journey and to the story itself.

That is exactly why I’m taking my time with the screenplay. My priority at this stage is to develop the strongest possible version of the story — creatively, emotionally and commercially — before moving too deeply into the production strategy.

Because the project is ambitious in both scale and story, I want the screenplay to be strong enough to make producers see the potential immediately. Once the script reaches that level, I can then look seriously at the production side: why each country is necessary, the right co-production structure, incentives, film commissions and, most importantly, the right international partners.

I’m currently focused on getting the story and screenplay exactly where they need to be. When the material is ready, I’d be very happy to share more with you and hear your perspective from a producer’s point of view.

Thank you again, Mary. I’m very glad we connected, and I appreciate your interest in Beyond the Five Senses.

Best,

Emil

Emil Soliman To be entirely honest, budget and logistics can easily kill the idea from the start, unless you have very strong attachments and very strong proof of market, or two of the three can be done with small B-unit and chromakey process. Certain genres and franchises (eg. the Bond films) require multiple countries. Others don't.

Thank you, Shadow. I completely understand your point, and I actually appreciate the producer’s perspective behind it.

You’re right — three countries can become a serious budget and logistics challenge if the story doesn’t genuinely justify them. In Beyond the Five Senses, however, the locations are not there simply for visual variety. They are connected to the protagonist’s real journey and transformation, and removing them would change an important part of the story.

That said, I’m not approaching the production side blindly. My priority right now is to make the screenplay strong enough to establish why each location is essential. Once the screenplay is ready, the production strategy can then determine the smartest way to achieve it — including what truly needs to be filmed on location and what could potentially be handled through controlled units, doubles, or other production solutions.

I also agree with your larger point: before asking anyone to take on the complexity of a three-country production, the project needs strong creative material and a convincing path to the market.

That’s exactly what I’m working toward now — making the story strong first, and then finding the smartest way to produce it.

Thank you again for the honest perspective. Coming from someone with your production experience, I really value it.