Film Strategy

October 2, 1979 Sony v. Universal Studios may be the most famous of all copyright cases because it was a decision that would determine the future of media. People who know nothing about copyright know that the Sony-Betamax case held that home videotaping of television programs is fair use.   One of the key moments in a case that found its way to the Supreme Court occurred today on October 2 when a district court handed down an opinion that absolved Sony of liability.  The copyright law, Judge Ferguson held, did not give copyright holders “a monopoly over an individual’s off-the-air copying in his home for private non-commercial use.”  Universal appealed to the 9th Circuit and remanded it back to the district court.  The following day, members of Congress introduced legislation in both the House and the Senate to legalize home video recording.  On June 14, 1982, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Sony case, and members of Congress sat back to wait and see what the Court woul

Happy birthday, Pedro Almodóvar ( Sep. 25, 1951)!   "When you glance over the early life of Pedro Almodóvar, who turns [62] today, one can start to understand the formation of his style and preoccupations as a filmmaker. Born Pedro Almodóvar Caballero on September 25, 1949 in the country town of Calzada de Calatrava, the young auteur-to-be lived a life defined by poverty and hard work. He was one of four children being raised by his parents, who were poor peasants; his near-illiterate father’s small income came from hauling wine barrels by mule. Young Pedro, however, was intellectually curious and achieved a vaunted position within the community already as a very young child as he was able to read letters and teach literacy to his fellow visitors. At age 8, he was sent to a religious boarding school in Cáceres, with the ultimate aim of becoming a priest, an experience which informed his 2004 film Bad Education . Looking for an escape from his tough, c

Captain's Log. Star Date:9.18.13 62 years ago today A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE opens When Elia Kazan’s film  A Streetcar Named Desire  opened in September of 1951, those who’d read the play or seen the Broadway production, knew this was something very different. The 1947 drama, for which playwright Tennessee Williams received a Pulitzer Prize, was for the most part intact. The haughty Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh) comes to live with her sister Stella (Kim Hunter), and her sister’s earthy husband Stanley Kowalski (Marlon Brando). But the nuances that defined William’s dramatic style were quietly erased. The Production Code Administration, led by Joseph Breen, demanded up front 68 changes (some rather major). Blanche’s dead gay husband is now simply referred to as sensitive; the rape is covered in darkness; Blanche’s sexuality is quieted down. But even this was not enough, as Warner Brothers worked out a 11th hour deal with the Catholic League (unbeknownst to either Kazan or

Captain's Log. Star date: 9.11.13 A sad day to commemorate, especially when one remembers the helplessness we felt as only a few could actually do something helpful and concrete while the rest of us could only watch. We, artists, came in after the fact... to provide entertainment. Or solace. Or ruminations. Or fantasy. Or revelations. Or reflections.  When confronted with the horrible reality of a tragedy like 9/11 (and let's not forget that all around the world, other people are suffering or have suffered tragedies worse than our 9/11), the artists might feel impotent to do anything compared to the rescue worker or the soldier or even the politician who can move men and mountains in response. But our response comes later after the rescue workers or the soldier or the politicians have played their part.  And we play our part by doing what we do best... providing escapist entertainment.  Or moments of beautiful solace.  Or profound ruminations.  Or scientific, h

Captain's Log. Star Date: 9.4.13 Sep. 4, 1934 - Jan Švankmajer born In Jan Švankmajer’s film 2000 Little Otik , the titular character is a stump of wood who comes to life when treated like a baby; Švankmajer himself, though, arrived into the world in the traditional manner on September 4, 1934, in the Czechoslovakian capital, Prague. In the history of animation, few people have been more influential than Švankmajer, as his strikingly original perspective and painstaking eye for detail have led the way for figures such as Terry Gilliam, Tim Burton and the Quay Brothers. While mainstream animation tends to focus on happy, colorful antics, Švankmajer has presented a view of the world that is more sinister and macabre, filtered through a tradition of dark Eastern European fairy tales. Most famous for his stop motion work (which often has a slight jerkiness that adds to the viewers unease), Švankmajer came to prominence first in the 1960s with a series of sh

Captain's Log. Star date: 8.28.13 Ready to jump right in and answer some good questions but first a moment of silence because 26 year ago today in 1987, "one of the great directors of all time, John Huston , died from emphysema in Middletown, Rhode Island. Like another Hollywood titan, Alfred Hitchcock (whose last movie was called Family Plot ), Huston’s final production was a harbinger of his mortality: an adaptation of James Joyce’s The Dead . The film was a nod to Huston’s Irish roots, and he very much conformed to the stereotype of a hard-living Irishman: Huston was a man’s man – the Hemingway of the cinema, if you like – a heavy drinker and shameless womanizer (he was married five times) who supposedly only took on The African Queen so he could go shoot an elephant (if White Hunter, Black Heart is to be believed, anyway). Bedridden for several years as a child, when Huston recovered his health he took on life with an insatiable hunger: he followed his fat

Captain's Log. Stardate: 8.21.13 August 21 was a good day for rebels and innovators.  Today in 1932, Melvin Van Peebles, director of the politically and artistically radical film, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971), was born.  Also, today in 1939, Orson Welles signed a 63-page contract with RKO Pictures that allowed him to write, direct, produce and act in two movies for the studio with an unprecedented offer: complete creative control .  This led to the production of RKO 281 better known as the innovative and artistically daring film, Citizen Kane (1941). Now that your artistic appetite has been whetted, consider this: What are some sci-fi storytelling script tips ?  What lessons can networks (and aspiring producers pitching episodic concepts) learn from Breaking Bad ? What lessons can aspiring producers learn from David Simon's pitch for The Wire ? How do you light dark skin ?  Do you want an introduction to After Effects? Then here it is. What are th

Captain's Log. Star Date: 8.14.13 "On August 14, 1945, film director Wim Wenders was born in Düsseldorf. Well, almost. Wenders’ parents wanted to call him Wim, however – despite this being over three months after VE Day – the authorities did not consider this (Dutch) name acceptable for a German baby, so instead he was christened Ernst Wilhelm Wenders. (“Ernst” was the name of his godfather, and “Wilhelm” was the closest Teutonic name to “Wim.”) While his parents were forced to conform, it’s something that Wim himself resisted: in the mid 60s, he dropped out of university to become a painter. He moved to Paris to achieve his dream, and while his quest to get into art school floundered in the City of Lights, he found a home at the Cinemathèque Francaise, where he allegedly watched five movies a day and fell head over heels with film. Returning to Germany, he was accepted into Munich’s newly founded Hochschule für Fernsehen and Film (HFF), and graduated in 19

Captain's log. Star date - 8.7.13. There's a saying in Spanish that says, " Hace el trabajo mal, lo haces dos veces ," which means "Do the job poorly, you'll do it twice."  Avoid having to correct a badly done job by doing as much to learn how to do it right the first time. And so, without further ado: Why are ridiculously long hours on a movie set the norm and what can we do to correct that? What can we learn about filmmaking from Alejandro Jodorowsky ? What are 7 no-budget post-production tools you can start using today? Why do you need to put together a winning team if you want investors to fund your film? What can you learn from a "Writer's Room" panel of Breaking Bad creators ? What can you learn from legendary producer, Randall Emmett? At least, 13 golden rules . What are 3 ways filmmakers can adapt to a changing media landscape?  Plus 5 (+1 tip I added in the comments section) to break into the film industry. And

Captain's Log. Star Date - 7.31.2013 It's the midweek hump and you're almost to Friday.  Even though it's early I'm pretty sure you're having a better day than English writer Daniel Defoe did today in 1703 when he was placed in a pillory for seditious libel after publishing a pamphlet politically satirising the High Church Tories .  And unlike back in 1703, you have access to information and knowledge at the click of a link.  The 21st century, ya gotta love it. On Monday , we saw Spike Lee's essential film list. So, what was Stanley Kubrick's list of films ? What about those film festivals that aren't scams but are kinda sucky ? What is the language of cinema and what makes it so powerful and special? What are some tips to choreographing and shooting a fight scene? Can you really write your script committing 10 minutes a day? There's only one way to find out. Why do so many first-time directors fail to launch a career or ev

Captain's Log.  Star Date 07.24.13 Lots to read and think about if you're a producer or a director, so let's just jump right into it. Variety's latest article makes me think of the following: In the aftermath of some horrible box office numbers for tentpole films, will the studios still prefer spending $250 million on a single movie and letting more quirky or personal films migrate to video-on-demand?  With big- budget event movies cannibalizing each other, will the overseas market grow fast enough to make up for the collateral damage?  Instead of throwing money at a film or an actor and hoping for the best, is there a better, more analytic way to determine beforehand if a film is worth making, and at what specific dollar value? According to Henry Selick , animation also seems to be infected with the condition of " big blockbuster bloatedness " too.  Are creative diversity and online streaming the answer? 6 Lessons from the new digital distribu

Captain's Log. Star Date 07.17.13 Atop the midweek hump, you will see in the distance, the following: An interview with Jamie Benning, on his unique documentaries about the making of Star Wars, Jaws and Indiana Jones (and while you're at it, watch Benning's Raiders of the Lost Ark making-of doc here ; A list of grant deadlines this summer (because crowdfunding's not the only way to raise money for your movie, right?) A chance to ask Nicolas Winding Refn important or dumb questions on Reddit at 11 AM ET/8 AM PT today; A funny list of " anti-narrative " film ideas; A list of 10 lessons picked up at the IFP narrative labs; A quick look at a robotic camera system that can allow one person to control multiple cameras in a live sporting event (hope it's not bad news for live event camera crews); A DIY film marketing tip that should've made the list on Monday but... oh well; and, Beautiful, enigmatic and haunting photos by one of my fa