Casting is an art of its own. At the most fundamental level, casting directors are in charge of building a team. At the most sensitive level, casting directors hold the “keys to the city,” determining who gets put forward for a gig and who doesn’t. From running auditions to negotiating contracts, CDs are the people who bring the actors to the story and are often charged with presenting out-of-the-box options that could change a story’s essence.If becoming a casting director is your dream, Backstage has you covered. It’s a tough, competitive field still rooted in an apprenticeship model, with…
The project’s been green lit. The script’s been finalized. I’m going to hold an open casting call! Not so fast. If you’re not careful, your open casting call can be disorganized and rushed, netting you less than amazing actors. Continue reading The Ultimate Guide to Auditions [FREE Casting Sheet Template]
Pixar shorts inspire imagination. They win awards. They deliver the goods. We’ve watched and compiled the best 21 Pixar short films right here, from the first Pixar movie to the most recent. They’re sure to entertain, trigger creativity, and — for filmmakers — spark short film ideas of your own. Storytellers, take heed: there’s a lot to learn on this list of animated short films.Continue reading 24 Best Pixar Shorts That You Need to Watch
Casting websites have forever changed the production process. It used to be that the aspiring actor, with their trusty headshot in tow, would make the rounds to casting offices, not quite sure what to expect.Thanks to the wonders of technology, actors now have an abundance of online resources to find legitimate casting opportunities.Here’s a look at some of the best free casting websites out there.Continue reading The 8 Best Free Casting Websites
If there’s one thing writers will agree on, it’s that character development is super critical to writing a winning script.Continue reading Character Development: Write Stronger Characters [with FREE Worksheet]
Kickstarter has helped plenty of filmmakers outside of Zach Braff bring their projects to life. It’s proved to be a great way for independent filmmakers to raise funds when other avenues may be closed off.If you think you might want to start a campaign for your own movie, then you need to look at some of the best Kickstarter film projects of all time. You can examine their Kickstarter pages for yourself to see how they convinced hundreds or thousands of strangers to give them money and then check out the films themselves to witness the final result. Continue reading…
Musicals are a special breed of filmmaking that requires a LOT of preparation and planning to pull off. There is singing, and dancing, and music. And it all has to be presented in the script in a particular way.In this post we’ll look at some of the special considerations that go into making a musical using La La Land as our guide. Continue reading How to Schedule a Musical: Breaking Down La La Land
You’ve got a script. You’re getting ready to shoot. Before you go into production, you’ll need to do a script breakdown.Continue reading How to Find and Schedule “Hidden” Shoot Locations in a Script
You grew up watching the best fight scenes and loved every bone-cracking minute of them. They are one of the reasons you became a filmmaker, and perhaps you’ve already put together a few of your own.But for some reason... they just don’t play the way you had hoped. It’s not like you don’t know how to film an action scene or even a good fight scene, but something is just... wrong. Was it the sound design? The fight choreography? The actors? You're not sure, but you do know one thing...You can do better.In this post, we’re going to break down…
Video equipment rental is essential for most productions, but navigating what your crew wants and what your budget can afford can be an overwhelming process, even for seasoned producers.Continue reading 10 Best Video Equipment Rental Options: Complete Guide
