Stage 32 4-Part Directing Lab: The Directing Process From Prep to Post

Private, interactive class on Zoom with SpectreVision Co-Founder and MANDY Producer Josh C. Waller

Apply Every Session to Your Own Project With Personalized Homework and Feedback From Josh

Limited spots available — secure yours before the lab fills!

Payment plans available at checkout or email edu@stage32.com for more info!

You have a vision for the film you want to make. But do you know how to get that vision from the page to the screen, lead a cast and crew, make confident creative decisions under pressure, and carry your film through post-production without losing what made it special in the first place? The difference between imagining yourself as a director and being ready to direct is knowing how to turn your creative instincts into decisions that bring a film to life. In this exclusive four-session lab, you’ll learn directly from acclaimed director and producer Josh C. Waller how to approach the entire directing process, strengthen your visual storytelling, lead actors and crew, and develop a practical process you can apply to your own project!

The reality is that directing requires far more than knowing where to put the camera or calling “action.” You need to know how to communicate your vision to your cinematographer, guide actors toward authentic performances, and adapt when locations fall through, schedules change, or the light disappears. You also need to recognize when to fight for a creative choice, when to adjust your approach, and how to navigate feedback from producers and financiers without losing sight of the story you set out to tell. Learning to handle these decisions with confidence can help you become a stronger creative leader and a director others trust to bring a project to life.

That’s why we’re bringing you Josh C. Waller, an acclaimed director and producer who co-founded SpectreVision with Elijah Wood and Daniel Noah, building one of the most distinctive companies in independent genre filmmaking. Josh helped bring films like MANDY and COLOR OUT OF SPACE, both starring Nicolas Cage, DANIEL ISN’T REAL, THE GREASY STRANGLER, and COOTIES to the screen, and executive produced Ana Lily Amirpour’s breakout feature A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT. Through his company Woodhead Creative, he produced LOVELY, DARK, AND DEEP and wrote, directed, and produced the Japanese-language action thriller LONE SAMURAI, selected for the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Having worked on both sides of the process, Josh brings you a valuable perspective on how to balance creative ambition with the realities of production, budgets, schedules, and collaboration.

Across four exclusive live sessions, you’ll learn how to bring your vision to life from script to final cut, developing your visual style, directing actors, leading your crew, and shaping your film in post-production. You’ll go inside a scene from one of Josh’s films and apply what you learn to your own project through weekly homework. You’ll walk away with practical tools to communicate your vision, collaborate confidently, make stronger creative decisions, and develop a directing process that brings out the best in you and your film!

This interactive Stage 32 lab is held on Zoom and goes substantially more in depth than a Stage 32 webinar. Best of all? As soon as you sign up you will be linked on email with your Stage 32 Educator and given a questionnaire to fill out and send back to them. You will have access to your Educator for the duration of your class by email to ask them any questions you have about your craft or career - it’s like having a mentor on demand! And, if you can't make a live session, don't worry! All class recordings will be available 48 hours after each session and you will be able to view them in your Library on your Stage 32 profile. Finally, you can expand your network with like-minded creatives - you'll have a dedicated lounge for interactive support and discussions with your fellow classmates!