Stage 32 TV Development Lab: How to Develop and Pitch Your Television Project
Other education that may be of interest to you:
Stage 32 Directing Workshop: Master Your Vision
Maximize your creativity with the guidance of a professional filmmaker with over 40 years of experience in this directing intensive, covering everything from development through post-production. You’ll take a deep dive into everything expected of you as a director and how to achieve your vision. Do you dream of directing your own feature but worry that you don’t have the training or experience to make it happen? Whether you want to establish yourself as an independent filmmaker, build a career within the traditional system, or become an accomplished television director, all it takes is one project to set your career in motion. But directing is more than supervising a crew and telling actors how to emote. Directing starts months before cameras start rolling, as you lock the script, determine your vision, and set a production plan to execute it. It’s an enormous task and one that you need to know what it entails before jumping in. This Stage 32 exclusive on-demand course teaches you just that. Starting with how to break down a script and design a visual story, through pre-production with scouting and casting, to the actual production and managing your cast and crew, and through post-production, where you have the last chance to create your vision. You’ll learn time-management skills and tools to collaborate with your crew and actors so that everyone is as excited and invested in the project as you. You’ll even see how directors get hired in the industry for directing jobs, so you can hit the ground running in your career. Taking you through these invaluable tools is feature film and television director Bobby Roth, who has over 40 years as a director in the business and whose films have been honored at over 70 international film festivals. He’s worked with top-tier talent, including Academy Award-winner Rita Moreno on the film THE BOSS’ SON, who won Best Supporting Actress at the Miami International Film Festival. He’s been nominated and won several awards for his work in features, including the films HEARTBREAKERS, BAJA OKLAHOMA, DEAD SOLID PERFECT, MANHOOD, and BERKELEY. He’s also directed countless hours of television on popular shows, such as GREY’S ANATOMY, MACGYVER, and AGENTS OF SHIELD. Using his decades of experience, Bobby will show you how a director learns all the filmmaking skills, such as screenwriting, casting, editing, and composing, in order to build great partnerships with every member of production and create a beautifully cohesive story. After this intensive, you will have access to this incredible resource on-demand. You will also walk away with confidence that you know everything being a director entails and how to achieve a fantastic film with your team.
How To Develop Your 30-Minute Multi-Cam Television Series
Learn the fundamentals of how to create a successful multi-cam television series from a seasoned television writer who has worked on FX's IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, Freeform's BABY DADDY, Disney's SYDNEY TO THE MAX, and more! PLUS! You'll receive exclusive handouts to help you on your multi-cam comedy writing journey, including the script for the pilot episodes of FRIENDS, NEW GIRL, CHEERS, IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, BABY DADDY, and SYDNEY TO THE MAX! Multi-cam comedies are half-hour shows filmed in a studio in front of a live audience with multiple cameras directed toward standing sets, like a living room, that we get used to seeing in every episode. The multi-cam sitcom has been the mainstay of TV comedy since I LOVE LUCY first invented it in 1951. From CHEERS, SEINFELD, and FRIENDS to EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, BIG BANG THEORY, FULL HOUSE and FULLER HOUSE, so many of the mega-hit TV shows that we all know and love are multi-camera series. Even in 2023, multi-cam sitcoms are everywhere, with shows like LOPEZ VS LOPEZ, THE CONNERS, NIGHT COURT, THE NEIGHBORHOOD, and THAT 90'S SHOW garnering huge ratings and anchoring program schedules for their respective networks/streamers. There will always be a robust market for multi-cam comedy writers who can deliver laugh-out-loud scripts, which means writing your own multi-cam pilot will greatly increase your staffing and development opportunities. In fact, most kids and family sitcoms are multi-cams, which in many cases represent the easiest path to getting that ever elusive first writing job or sale. In a world where writing staffs and episode orders are shrinking and opportunities for writers to go to set and gain valuable producing experience are becoming less and less the norm, multi-cam television is one of the few genres where the traditional job of a TV writer/producer still exists. In this exclusive Stage 32 webinar, veteran TV writer Eric Zimmerman will teach you the essential elements that comprise a successful multi-cam television series - characters, tone, dialogue, and set ups, to name a few - so you can create your multi-cam series that sets you up for a successful career. Eric has been a working TV writer for 14 years, including writing on all 100 episodes of Freeform’s multi-cam hit BABY DADDY. Most recently, he served as a Co-Executive Producer on Disney’s multi-cam series SYDNEY TO THE MAX. He has also sold several multi-cam projects to Disney and Netflix, as well as worked on multi-cam network pilots. Eric wasn’t always a multi-cam writer. He got his start writing on single camera and animated series, including the Emmy-nominated DAN VS. But once he started writing multi-cams, he quickly fell in love with the genre. In this information-packed webinar, Eric will go in depth on the differences between writing a multi-cam versus single camera or animated sitcoms. He will give you the necessary tools to determine if your pilot idea works best as a multi-cam, single-cam, or perhaps the often hard to purely define “hybrid” series. Eric will also break down all the essentials of writing your own successful multi-cam pilot script, with an eye toward the goal of it serving as an effective writing sample or to be sold as a spec. PLUS! You'll receive exclusive handouts to help you understand multi-cam character and structure so you can write your own. Downloads include the PILOT SCRIPTS for: FRIENDS NEW GIRL CHEERS IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA BABY DADDY SYDNEY TO THE MAX If you want to explore the key elements of writing a successful multi-cam series and learn the process of writing your very own multi-cam pilot, this webinar is a must! "I am thrilled to be part of this vibrant stage 32 community! I have every confidence that my Multi-cam 101 class will prove more valuable to your life than food, water, and perhaps even air." - Eric Zimmerman
4-Part Screenwriting Class: The Fundamentals of Story and Screenwriting Structure
4-PART IN-DEPTH CLASS (OVER 8 HOURS OF EDUCATION) Join veteran screenwriter Brian Herskowitz and receive sample feature script outlines and scenes while learning how and why professional outlining can set your work above the rest! Includes Exclusive Handouts! You may have heard the screenwriting phrase “story is structure.” Many writers reject the idea as they feel it’s too rigid or restrictive, holding you back from being your creative self. But it’s actually the opposite - the structure if your friend! In this exclusive Stage 32 on-demand class, you’ll learn how to formulate your idea, concept, and theme, using the principles of structure that will allow you to be your most creative self and create the best story. Over four sessions, you’ll learn how to develop your script using story as your guide as you build from concept to beat sheet and, ultimately, an outline for your feature script. Outlines aren’t just documents that help you blueprint your script for when you start writing. They’re also documents that many development executives require as they work on projects with writers and something managers use to asses their clients’ progress. Taking you through this vital process is writer and producer Brian Herskowitz. Brian has worked on over 2 dozen feature films and TV shows for HBO, Universal, CBS, NBC and more. He’s worked with top-tier Hollywood talent, such as Academy Award-winner Jason Alexander and RUSHMORE’S Jason Schwartzman. Now, he brings his decades of hands-on experience to you in this Stage 32 class. Brian will provide you with sample script breakdowns, including SHREK, a cheat sheet of his 12 Guideposts for a great screenplay, and more. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to learn from an industry veteran with a proven process for screenwriting success. You’ll finish these sessions with the tools you need to professionally craft your screenplay's story and structure to strengthen every script you write in the future. Testimonials for Brian's Teaching and Stage 32 Education “As a collaborator with Brian and a guest in his class, I am hugely impressed with his screenwriting knowledge. I heartily recommend him and his course.” - Jason Alexander (Seinfeld, Pretty Woman, Listen Up) "I have a master's degree and a doctorate, Brian is by far the most caring and best teacher I have ever had." "The course was everything I needed and then some. An excellent course." "Mr. Herskowitz is very knowledgeable, patient, and superb at discerning problems and helping us solve them." "A solid course in which I felt I had learned a LOT by the time it was over."
Beyond The Page: The Business Side of Breaking In & Getting Work as a Screenwriter
Learn directly from Michael Poisson, the former Director of Development at Silent Machine Entertainment, Krysten Ritter’s production company that has a first look deal at Universal TV. Michael is also a comedy writer who used his insider knowledge to land a manager, and get two projects in development at TV production companies. In this Stage 32 Next Level Webinar, your host Michael Poisson will guide you through the business side of how to become a working writer in Hollywood. Writing an awesome script is only part of the process for becoming successful in this industry. Having worked on various projects from both the executive side, as well as the writer side of things, Michael has obtained great insight for how to avoid the difficult terrain when meeting and working with producers, studios, and networks. And while the process of finding a manager or agent is daunting, keeping a strong relationship with them so that they’re doing the most for you as their client can be equally difficult. Michael will share with you his insider knowledge to help: keep your writing on track, your meetings fruitful, and your industry contacts strong. If you’ve ever wondered what you should talk about in “general meetings”, how to take notes from friends/producers/execs that you don’t agree with, or how to be a more prolific writer, this webinar is for you!
Bradley Gallo (Producer & CCO) & Nat Topping (Development Executive), Amasia Entertainment
CCO Bradley Gallo and Story Editor Nat Topping from Amasia Entertainment join our Panel as we listen and read your pitches live to help educate the Writers' Room screenwriters on what is and isn't working in their pitch.
Stage 32 6 Part Producing Lab: Create A Business Plan For Your Feature Film Under $5 Million
ONLY 2 SPOTS LEFT - GRAB YOUR SPOT NOW! Create the business plan for your feature film with a budget under $5 million under the mentorship of Jeanette Milio, a producer and financier of over 45 films with Netflix, Disney, Warner Bros., Lionsgate, HBO, Showtime, and more! ***Flexible Learning: if you cannot attend any of the sessions live don't worry - you will be sent the links to the recordings of each session within 48 hours of the live session and you will have direct access to Jeanette on email to ask her any questions so you can keep up at your own pace and schedule.*** Payment plans available - contact edu@stage32.com for details Films under a $5 million budget can be very profitable and, thus, a very attractive opportunity for investors. Films in this budget range allow for sufficient costs to hire a recognizable lead actor and pay for sufficient below the line production to create a quality product, all while remaining at a low overall budget so the film can make significant profit through various distribution avenues. This winning combination elevates profitability significantly and reduces the risks for investors. However, investors aren’t just going to give you millions of dollars because you’re making a low budget feature film. Investors want to see a strong business plan for a project, which lays out their risks, offers mitigation strategies and projects a meaningful return on investment. If you are going to raise money for your film, it is imperative that you approach your investors with a comprehensive business plan. In this exclusive and interactive Stage 32 6-part lab, you will work directly with an industry leader to create your business plan for your feature film that you can use to pitch to your investors. Your business plan will include everything your investors need to properly understand to decide to invest in your film, including the creative aspects of your project to the ideal distribution strategy, detailed financials, as well as risk mitigation and profit optimization strategies. Your business plan will also include various options for your investor to choose from, and it will offer different phases to invest in including the development phase, the physical production and the finishing costs. Guiding you through the creation of your business plan is producer and financier Jeanette Milio. Jeanette has worked on over 45 films and television programs for companies like Netflix, Disney, Warner Bros., Lionsgate, HBO, Showtime, and many more. Her projects have also starred Academy Award-winning performers, including Halle Berry, Adrien Brody, Forest Whitaker, and Mickey Rourke. Jeanette is a member of the Producers Guild of America, Women in Film, and the Cannes Film Festival Producer's Network and structured her own media fund in 2009 that financed theatrical features with a production volume of $60 million. Over 6 interactive sessions, including 2 one-on-one sessions with Jeanette and a practice pitch session, you will learn what should (and shouldn’t) be in your business plan and actually create your own business plan for your project. You will learn about the different investment options you can present to your investors, including investments as a loan, and an equity investment. You will walk away from this film finance lab with the business plan for your project in-hand that has been vetted by an industry professional and is ready to present to investors! PLUS! You’ll receive exclusive handouts to help you create your business plan. Downloads include: Financial Planning Tools Business Plan Example Adjustable Worldwide Distribution Revenue Projection Template If you are looking to raise money for your feature film project with a budget under $5 million, this lab is a must! PRAISE FOR JEANETTE'S PREVIOUS STAGE 32 EDUCATION: "Jeanette has invaluable knowledge and made me feel like seeing my movie on the big screen was possible." --Phillip F. "Jeanette's experience really comes through in her mentorship. She has seen it all and is so helpful in guiding you through the complex world of film and tv." -- Letty L. "I learned so much from Jeanette and highly recommend you work with her!" -- Kaitlin L.
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