Film Strategy

SXSW Film 2015  currently underway from March 13-21, 2015. Check out their lineup: NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION  - 10 world premieres in competition 6 Years Director/Screenwriter: Hannah Fidell A young couple bound by a seemingly ideal love begins to unravel as unexpected opportunities spin them down a volatile and violent path and threaten the future they had always imagined.  Cast: Taissa Farmiga, Ben Rosenfield, Lindsay Burdge, Joshua Leonard, Jennifer Lafleur, Peter Vack, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Molly McMichael, Jason Newman.  (World Premiere) THE BOY Director: Craig Macneill, Screenwriters: Craig Macneill, Clay McLeod Chapman THE BOY  is an intimate portrait of a 9-year-old sociopath's growing fascination with death.  Cast: David Morse, Rainn Wilson, Jared Breeze, Bill Sage, Mike Vogel, Zuleikha Robinson, Aiden Lovekamp.  (World Premiere) Creative Control Director: Benjamin Dickinson, Screenwriters: Benjamin Dickinson, Micah Bloomberg In near future Brooklyn, an

Some thoughts on " The State of Diversity in Writing for Television " Finally got a chance to read the WGAW 2015 TV Staffing Brief  and the findings are somewhat depressing: " Not only were minorities still underrepresented by factors of nearly 3 to 1 among all staff writers and nearly 7 to 1 among executive producers during the 2013-14 season, but women television writers also continued to tread water, at best, relative to their male counterparts. That is, women were underrepresented by factors of nearly 2 to 1 among all staff writers and more than 3 to 1 among critical executive producer positions. Meanwhile, older writers who were represented on nearly every show staff during the 2013-14 season saw their fortunes 14 drop precipitously beyond age 50, when they were absent from nearly a third of all shows. Findings like these highlight a glaring disconnect between the increasing diversity of audiences and business-as-usual practices in the Hollywood industry. "

The 414s |  Michael T. Vollman | 2015 | USA | Format: various/unknown  | 12 min  When I was young I wanted to be a hacker (I also wanted to skateboard). My friends and I toyed around with hacking on our Commodore 64 and our school's old Apple Macintoshes but needless to say we didn't become very good at it. (Or skateboarding). Now comes along the story of some kids who did become very good at hacking. So good that the FBI had to chase them down and Congress had to pass legislation to address hacking. Michael T. Vollman is the director of this short story about these hackers called The 414s: The Original Teen Hackers. I would watch it based on the subject of hacking alone but, as a producer, I'm curious to know about his journey to Sundance. Fortunately for us, he wrote a diary of his trip to Sundance, highlighting his experiences there and sharing what it's like to sell your film. Since I believe that the more we know about how things are done behind the scenes

As soon as I read this  Film Industry Network article  headline:  CANNES FILM FESTIVAL BEING SUED BY A FILM DIRECTOR and started the first sentence: A French film director is suing the Cannes Film Festival for not accepting his film. plus saw the accompanying picture: I shook my head in disbelief, "This  young  director just ruined his career before it even started."  At least  this guy  got a deal and a movie bought and distributed before he nuked his career.  The lesson is clear : If you want a career in filmmaking, suing one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world because they did NOT choose your film is one of the worst things you can do.  Curious to know what legal loophole the director is trying to exploit to make his case, I read the article. And it turns out the young guy in that pic is NOT the director. That guy is one of the actors in the film. And the director's name is Paul Verhoeven. Now  Paul Verhoeven  is a  veteran  di