Shooting On The Red
February 27, 2009
“If you tried to do this show five years ago, you’d go bankrupt.”
This quote was taken from an interview between KCRW’s The Business and producer Dean Devlin. Devlin’s new show Leverage is the first show to be shot solely on the Red camera. Listen to Devlin talk about his experience with the Red and how it is helping Leverage to streamline and lower the costs of production.
Part One: How Leverage Uses Red (78 seconds)
Part Two: The Look of Red (40 seconds)
Coming To Grips With Digital?
February 27, 2009
In the past, Hollywood has overlooked the importance of technological innovation. However, tough economic times and increasing industry recognition (Benjamin Button was the first film shot digitally to receive a best cinematography nod) have cemented digital production into the Hollywood landscape. Producer Dean Devlin is pioneering the art of digital production with his high-tech TNT thriller, Leverage. Leverage is the first show to be shot entirely on the Red camera and it is the only show to complete editing, special effects, color, and sound all under one roof. Last week, Devlin spoke about shooting in digital and streamlining production to KCRW’s The Business. Listen to a few clips below, for the entire interview click here.
Part One: The Tipping Point (40 seconds)
Part Two: Studios vs. Indies (48 seconds)
Part Three: The Benefit of Digital (65 seconds)
Creating A Production Company
February 20, 2009
As you know, the legal entity of your production company is the key determinant of your tax treatment, liabilities, and how you raise money. I came upon a great chart over at www.themoneyalert.com that highlights the general differences. Keep in mind, the most important element to a producer is insulation from personal liabilities. That being said, always consult your entertainment attorney when making a legal decision – especially this one.
The Struggling Studio System
February 13, 2009
Scott Kirsner of CinemaTech wrote a great blog a few days ago about the struggling state of the studios. As the migration of viewers and content to the Internet continues, studios are clamoring to figure out how to best monetize new media’s many distribution channels. In his blog, Scott writes:
“I’m very confident about digital media’s ability to support individual creators, doing the kind of work they want to do, often on tightly-constrained budgets. (Constraints = inventiveness, right?) I’m less confident that it will support the same gargantuan, diversified companies that raked in the big bucks in the days when there were only four TV networks, six movies released every weekend, a dozen important records issued on Tuesday.”
I agree with Scott completely. In 2008, box office revenues hit an industry record of $9.6 billion and studios still lost money. In their biggest year ever, studios did not profit. With costs continuing to rise, declining margins will force the slow moving studios out of business… That is unless they get a government bailout.
Sundance 2009 Distribution Insights
February 10, 2009
Valuable insights to be gained from a panel of experts at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival’s panel on independent film distribution: ‘Models & Experiments in Indie Distribution’.
Viral is a Stupid Word
February 9, 2009
The title pretty much sums up my thoughts on viral marketing for films (or anything else for that matter). Viral marketing is absolutely fantastic, but it cannot be controlled. Being an indie filmmaker, you are well aware that you cannot compete with a studio’s P&A budget. However, this obstacle can be your ally! Studios continue to waste money trying to develop “viral campaigns” on the Internet and it is killing their profits. The solution to their marketing problem is not solved by simply pumping more dollars into the Web. It’s solved by using those dollars more effectively, and knowing how is your ally.
In order to create the most effective film marketing campaign you need to forget about viral marketing. Seriously, wipe the word “viral” from your head. Successful marketing campaigns are targeted. The first step and the most important thing to know when creating a targeted marketing campaign for your film is who your audience is. Who is going to spend $9 – $15 and 120 minutes of their life to watch your film, and what is their motivation for doing so? The best way to do this is by creating viewer personas. A viewer persona is a demographic group that you have identified as having a specific interest in your film. Determine exactly who your viewer personas are and create your film’s marketing campaign to target those groups. Is your film’s viewer the strait-laced, Ivy League intellectual who pays $5 for a cup of coffee and still relies on their parents to make their car payments? Or is it the frat boy from a small town whose sole mission is to drink as many beers as possible in the 72 hour period that encompasses Thursday night through Sunday morning?
Know your film as well from the viewers’ eyes as your do from your own. Viewer personas will help you create a targeted campaign that effectively uses your marketing budget. I never said viral marketing was bad, only that it was stupid. With some luck, your targeted campaign will go “viral” and your film will be a massive success – but it is luck.
The Christian Bale Remix Rant
February 4, 2009
I don’t want to draw more attention to the issue (I have said my piece), but I was on Variety.com this morning and I came across their Christian Bale remix poll… I laughed so hard at this video that my stomach hurt – take a look!
Christian Bale’s Broken Image
February 3, 2009
Christian Bale’s blowup at D.P. Shane Hurlbut on the set of Terminator Salvation is completely unacceptable and shameful. I understand that Bale was in the middle of an intense scene that put him in a different frame of mind, but filmmaking is a team project and everyone on the team deserves respect. Being an actor is no more important than painting a set or lighting a scene. Hurlbut was not trying to sabotage the film. On the contrary, he was trying to do his job. Though Shane Hurlbut may have made a mistake by interrupting the scene, Bale’s response was childish. If he were an unknown actor, his conduct would have immediately gotten him fired and kicked off the set. I hope Christian Bale takes the proper steps to mend his image by apologizing. He is fine actor, but I have lost quite a bit of respect.
Listen to Christian Bale’s rant
[UPDATE]
This morning Christian Bale called in to Los Angeles radio station KROQ to issue an apology…
“It’s been a miserable week for me.”
“Listen, I know I have a pottymouth, everybody knows that now, but I understand this is live, so please don’t worry, I will behave.”
“The thing that I really want to stress is that I have no confusion whatsoever. I was out of order, beyond belief. I was way out of order. I acted like a punk. I regret that and there is nobody that has heard that tape that it’s hit harder by it than me. So I make no excuses for it. It is inexcusable and I hope that is absolutely clear.”
“One thing that has really disturbed me throughout this, because I’m not familiar, I’m comfortable yet with this notion of being a movie star. I’m an actor and I’m don’t quite know how to handle the movie star thing. The thing that disturbs me so much is that I’ve heard a lot of people saying that I seem to think I’m better than anybody else.”
“I’m embarrassed by it. I ask everybody to sit down and ask themselves, have they ever had a bad day and have they ever lost their temper and really regretted it immensely.”
“Feel free to make fun of me at my expense; I deserve it completely.”
