Financing

My fellow filmmakers, my name is Tim Ogletree and I’ve been chasing this thing since January 2009, just on the heels of the 2007-2008 WGA strike. After graduating from The University of Texas at Austin with a Radio-TV-Film degree, I made the official move out to LA with a pretty killer short film and a truck full of clothes, books, and DVDs. The short caught some eyes, landed my writing partner and me a manager, and catapulted us into meetings and pitches that led to our first feature script. Tw...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? Whether you’ve been writing, filming, editing, or simply dreaming up your next big idea, I’ve got some inspiring content to fuel your passion and keep you moving forward. So grab your coffee, and let’s dive in. I want to kick things off with a fantastic video from Vox that digs into how A24 went from a little-known indie film distributor to one of the most influential names in modern entertainment. From Moonlight to Everyth...

Happy Friday, Creative Army! If you’ve ever dreamed of taking your film to the Croisette, shaking hands with global buyers, or simply navigating the incredible whirlwind that is the Cannes Film Festival and its Marché du Film, this is for you. I’m thrilled to announce that this upcoming Wednesday, March 26th, we’re hosting a completely FREE webinar with the Executive Director of the Marché du Film, Guillaume Esmiol, to help you prepare for Cannes—whether this is your first time attending or...

Happy Thursday, Creative Army! “This is a community for you, built by you.” When I was conceiving Stage 32 way back in 2009, those were some of the first words I wrote down on a legal pad I titled THE MISSION. The mission hasn’t changed. The song remains the same. Many of you know the story. During our soft launch in 2011, I reached out to 100 of my industry friends and showed them the first version of Stage 32. I asked them to join and tell me what they liked and didn’t like about the pla...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? I have some content here for you that is sure to get the creative juices flowing, so grab your coffee, and let's dive in. Whether you’re building worlds on set or crafting the story that brings them to life, the journey of a creative is all about transforming ideas into reality. This week’s Coffee & Content is here to inspire and empower you to tackle those challenges head-on. First up, in this fantastic video, Adam Savag...

Happy Tuesday, Stage 32 Community! Our Stage 32 Team has been working diligently to bring in new educational and mentoring resources and opportunities to this fantastic community! This January, you'll have the chance to learn from knowledgeable industry executives, award-winning writers, producers, directors, cinematographers, coaches, consultants, authors, actors, and representatives. Impressive creative professionals who have worked on or represented such projects as JOY RIDE, NOW YOU SE...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? I have some content here for you that is sure to get the creative juices flowing, so grab your coffee, and let's dive in. First up, in this video essay by Frame Voyager, he’s talking about the new Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown. Based on Elijah Wald's 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric!, the film chronicles Bob Dylan's rise from a folk music phenomenon to the seismic moment at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, where his shif...

On behalf of the entire Stage 32 family, I'd like to wish you all a happy, healthy, and loving Christmas and the remainder of the holiday season. While the holidays are a time of celebration, I hope everyone will take a moment to reflect on the many blessings life has offered and afforded all of us. We personally feel blessed to have had so many of you enter and enrich our lives. The Stage 32 community has grown to over 1,000,000 members from around the globe, and we are beyond honored to prov...

We’ve all heard the stories. Paranormal Activity, a film with a budget slightly less than a used Honda, made $193 million worldwide and launched a profitable franchise. That film’s progenitor, The Blair Witch Project, had a $60K budget and turned out a $250 million box office haul. The most profitable films from 2010 to 2015 were all horror films. 10. The Last Exorcism ($68M gross vs. $1.8M production budget) 9. Annabelle ($257M vs. $6.5M) 8. Chernobyl Diaries ($37M vs. $1M) 7. Ins...

Today, I had an inspiring conversation with a talented writer who is passionately navigating the journey from script to screen. Over the past few years, she has shown remarkable dedication, and as a consultant, I've been fortunate to witness her progress. Yet, the reality of filmmaking is that it truly takes a village to bring a project to life. Depending on the size and scope of the project, various roadmaps can lead you to that coveted finish line: a completed film. My Journey Into Film Fina...