Film Strategy

Captain's Log. Star date: 8.5.13 Congress goes into recess in August but we in the film world never stop writing, reading, seeking funds, producing, directing, editing and screening.  But even though you're a busy artist-businessperson hybrid , take a moment to ponder the following: Will changes in the use of video in social media (like Twitter) have a large impact on entertainment and how it will be made? No one likes to think about this, but you're going to die one day and you should have a will to leave behind to distribute to your loved ones... things like the money in your account, your comic book collection, your library of intellectual property and any future residuals/royalties.  So don't be like these 5 celebrities ... Would you get this camera now that it's dropped to $2000? Compared to this 6K RED ? Or the 7D with Magic Lantern RAW Video? Now that you've probably moved on from FCP to Adobe Premiere Pro, want to know some shortcuts ? Ev...

“People who want to make a million borrow a million first” ― Sophie Kinsella, Shopaholic Takes Manhattan   “Money often costs too much.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson  Money is both the lifeblood and the bane of film; we need it to express our visions on celluloid (or digital) but getting it is a struggle.  And getting the money is not only hard to get but also hard to keep.  Now, although most directors and producers (and sentient earthlings) would prefer to have the problems associated with money than be broke, it is still important to remember that keeping the money can be even more problematic than getting it.  That point was made vividly clear to me by a case I read recently and a question I came across on a Facebook group page.  Essentially, they dealt with the strategy and consequences of handling money with a business partner and setting up a joint bank account for the purposes of a production. The case I read ...

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 - 7.29.2013 Start your day with tips, articles, interviews and a mindblowing video. Btw, here's a clue to the video... the "creators" were born today in 1958 when U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act into law, establishing a new federal non-military space agency known as NASA. What are 5 tips on script analysis directors should use? What's so good about Google Chromecast being cheap and dumb ? What are the movies on Spike Lee's "Essential Film List" ?  What does director James Wan have to say about the making of his movie, The Conjuring?  What are webfests and which are the best ones so far ? What are 5 keys to getting a distribution deal? What can you learn from the art and practices of 4 master sound designers? Alot . How effective and mindblowing can sound design be in creating a memorable experience? This effective and mindblowing.

Some people don't like to know how a magician pulls off his tricks on stage to avoid spoiling their suspension of disbelief.  I'm not one of those people; I want to know and I appreciate any opportunity to see how it's done.  Besides, the technical trick itself is just one of the many elements to enjoy in a good show, there's also the banter, the misdirection, sleight of hand, etc. So knowing how it's done doesn't detract from the overall experience for me. Creating illusions as well, the filmmaker is also like a magician and for those of us making a living making films and videos we have to constantly pierce the veil on how things are done.  With this knowledge, we learn how great videos are made and then use that knowledge to replicate or, even better, improve upon what's been done.  Then if we're good enough, the next filmmaker will take what we've done and build upon that. And so on, until cinema is no more. Being a big fan of music video...

LOVE NEVER DIES... Sometimes it kills! One could say that we make films because we are so haunted by the movies we saw in our past that we feel compelled to create new ones. That might explain why director/producer Peter Szabo has been wanting to make films ever since Jaws scared the wits out of him as a little boy.  It also hints at the haunted protagonist at the heart of Peter's latest short, Love Never Dies .  Thematically, Peter is attracted to dark and tragic tales so it's no surprise that he adapted "Nona" by Stephen King for Love Never Dies after acquiring the non-commercial adaptation rights through the Dollar Baby Scheme . TITLE: Love Never Dies GENRE: horror/thriller short (35 minutes) DIRECTOR:   Peter Szabo PRODUCERS: Peter Szabo and Reese Eveneshen BUDGET: $10,000 FINANCING FROM: In-kind donations and Self-financing PRODUCTION DATES: March 13 through April 3, 2011 POST PRODUCTION DATES: April 2011 through November 2012 CA...

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...