Film Strategy

Film is an artform. But it is also a business. If you want to keep making your art, you have to treat it like a business ( I am talking about the logistics of making film, I am NOT talking about the cinematic parts; please don't substitute artistic elements and creativity with financial ratios and marketing buzzwords ). Running a business well means asking the right questions. Here's an article meant for small to midsized business (which is what most film production companies are) about 5 questions they should ask regarding their intellectual property. Substitute "IP" or "intellectual property" or "copyright" with "film" or "pilot" or "media project" and it will make sense and be relevant to you.  So enjoy: Five IP Lessons for Small to Medium–sized Businesses Originally published on 6/29/2016 by Joseph Walsh, Jr. | Harness, Dickey & Pierce, PLC Intellectual property plays an increasingly significant

The good people at  Script Reader Pro  have just made your life easier.  Why is that you say?  Because they've made your filmmaking life easier to manage this year with their  calendar of  all the major upcoming screenwriting contests  (orange) , awards   (blue) , festivals  (green) , fellowships and labs  (yellow)  in 2016. Like Yogi Berra says, “If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else.”  Thursday, June 30   Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Contest Deadline(TBC)   The Sitcom Mission - Comedy Writing Competition Deadline (TBC) Friday, July 1   Screencraft - Horror Screenplay Contest Deadline (TBC) Sunday, July 24   AFI Film Festival Submissions Deadline (TBC) Sunday, July 31   Shore Scripts Competition Regular Deadline (Feature, Short, TV Pilot)

The good people at  Script Reader Pro  have just made your life easier.  Why is that you say?  Because they've made your filmmaking life easier to manage this year with their  calendar of  all the major upcoming screenwriting contests  (orange) , awards   (blue) , festivals  (green) , fellowships and labs  (yellow)  in 2016. Like Yogi Berra says, “If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else.”  Friday, April 1   Palm Springs International ShortFest Film Submissions Deadline Tuesday, April 5   CineStory Feature Retreat Deadline Wednesday, April 6   Screencraft - Short Screenplay Contest Deadline (TBC) Friday, April 8   HollyShorts Film Festival Deadline Monday, April 11   Screencraft - Comedy Screenplay Contest Deadline (TBC) Wednesday, April 13   Tribeca Film Festival   Kansas City FilmFest Thursday, April 14   Tribeca Film Festival   Kansas City

The good people at Script Reader Pro have just made your life easier.  Why is that you say?  Because they've made your filmmaking life easier to manage this year with their  calendar of  all the major upcoming screenwriting contests  (orange) , awards   (blue) , festivals  (green) , fellowships and labs  (yellow)  in 2016. Like Yogi Berra says, “If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else.”  Friday, March 4   HBO Access Writing Fellowship Submission Period Opens (TBC) Thursday, March 10   American Black Film Festival Screenplay Competition Deadline   Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition Deadline Friday, March 11   South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) Saturday, March 12   South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) Sunday, March 13   South by Southwest Festival (SXSW)   Canadian Screen Awards Monday, March 14   South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) Tuesday, March

Filmmakers have a frustrating love/hate relationship with money; they love spending it and hate the stress of getting it. The frustration is understandable as filmmaking is one of the most expensive art forms to pursue. In many other countries, filmmaking is not a purely capitalist enterprise . Instead, they are largely subsidized by the government because they find them culturally important. While some American filmmakers prefer a lack of government involvement, it's no secret that American productions are subsidized to some extent in the form of production incentives.   Production incentives are tax benefits provided by the states on state-by-state basis as a way to bring the film business to the states. These programs began as a response to Canada's cheap production incentives in the 90s that lured many film productions. As a result, the US states adopted progressively generous incentives to bring them back. Hollywood and government officials tend to be big boosters of