Social Media Stats, The Astounding Figures

There is no doubt that social media has and will continue to change the way that people communicate.  The video below sums it up.  The figures presented are flat out incredible.

Gary Vaynerchuk Talks About Business & Life

Gary Vaynerchuk @ Big Omaha 2009 from Big Omaha on Vimeo.

I watched an inspirational video last night of Gary Vaynerchuk.  Gary speaks about business in a broad sense, but also about life – and isn’t that just what film is about.  Great films make you examine life.  Great films inspire you. That is just what Gary Vaynerchuck does in this video.

Part 3 of Optimizing Your Film’s Website will be posted tomorrow – enjoy the video!

AIG Bonuses & The Bigger Problem

I got in a heated debate this weekend over the bonuses given to AIG employees.  Being partially responsible for bringing the financial system to its knees, I like everyone else am furious that bonuses were paid by my tax dollars to the Company’s employees.  Last week’s Gallop Poll illuminates the frustration, showing 76% of the American public believes the Government should block/recover the AIG bonuses.  The fundamental problem is clear, failure should not be rewarded.  However, I completely disagree with Congress’s decision to impose a 90% tax on the bonuses.

It’s always easy to point fingers in hindsight, but in this circumstance the problem was easily preventable (relatively speaking).  The Federal Government is well aware that bonuses are built into compensation packages on Wall Street.  So while everyone is shining a light on AIG (as they should), some focus needs to be placed on the Government who passed the bailout bill.  Taxing bonuses at 90% is not a solution, its a cover-up… a cover-up that still allows employees to keep 10%.

The AIG issue exemplifies the lackadaisical financial regulation that exists in this country.  I am not sure what upsets me more, the fact that AIG is rewarding failure or the fact that it is doing so legally.  Speaking purely as a lay person, the Government needs to develop a productive solution that sends the right message – not arbitrarily change the tax code.  Going forward, I believe President Obama said it well, “The best way to handle this is to make sure that you’ve closed the door before the horse get’s out of the barn”.

The Christian Bale Remix Rant

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

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.”

Listen to Christian Bale’s apology on KROQ’s homepage.

Creativity and Logic Get Hitched

While it is critical to be mindful of the tangible metrics that films are measured by, it is equally important to assess the intangible.  Aspects like cultural and moral significance are not found on a film’s profit and loss statement, they are not displayed in The Hollywood Reporter and are not, for the most part, heavily factored in an investor’s decision.  However, they should be factored into yours.  Filmmakers are their own brands, and their work is an extension of themselves.  Though cultural and moral significance cannot be measured on the bottom line, they are a powerful reflection of your brand, measured by career longevity.  You cannot monetize the fact that because you did a certain film, you were able to get a star cast that resulted in a smashing box office success.  Creative logic is what enables you to leverage your brand to benefit your career.

Principles To Live By

First off, happy holidays!  As we approach Sceneclips 2009 beta launch, I would like to quickly impart the words and principles of success that both inspire me and act as the foundation on which Sceneclips will be run.

• The keys to success are Drive, Dedication, and Determination.
  
• A quitter never wins – and a winner never quits.
  
• Every failure brings with it a seed of equivalent success.
  

It is our wish that all artists live & breathe these principles in their craft.  Remember the words of the great writer Napoleon Hill: “There is a difference between wishing for a thing and being ready to recieve it.  No one is ready for a thing until he believes he can acquire it.”

The Customer Is Always Right!

My family often calls me “The Ultimate Consumer”. I have been known to become obsessed with certain companies’ products and services – I am a Costco nut and swear by Verizon’s wireless network. If you are like me, you never give companies the benefit of the doubt, and even when they have earned your respect you continue to judge them. But is it true that the widely used mantra The Customer is Always Right really puts companies on the best path to prosperity? For the companies that I obsess over, it could not be further from the truth. Good companies listen to their customers, great companies correctly adapt to their customers, bankrupt companies believe that the customer is always right. Don’t agree with me? Go ask Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors how their decision to shift production to trucks and SUV’s in order to meet customers’ growing demand is going.  The best companies succeed by continuously innovating, creating great products and providing valuable services. Yes, they listen intently to their customers, but is the customer always right? The short answer is no.

The Drive-By Post

Sceneclips has been getting some traffic from the Filmmaker Magazine forums lately, which initially started with a kind reference given to us from a forum user going by the name of C8PR. A couple days and a few dozen hits after the post, I went and replied to C8PR, thanking them for the acknowledgment. While there, I poked around contributing to a post or two, and have gone back a few times since. What is amazing to me is how many drive-by posts there are. Some of them are so ridiculous that I am not sure weather I want to laugh or vomit – take a look at this one:

HEY EVERYONE…STUMBLED UPON A NEW WEBSITE THAT SCREENS INDEPENDANT FILMS. I GUESS ITS KIND OF LIKE AN ONLINE FILM FESTIVAL. THE SITE IS CALLED XYZ. ADDRESS IS WWW.XYZ.NET. I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS COOL BECAUSE I HAD NOT SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE. THEY HAVE ABOUT 10 MOVIES TO CHOOSE FROM ( ALL ORIGINAL INDIES ). THEY ALSO HAVE INDEPENDANT MUSICIANS, I HAVE NOT LISTENED TO ANY YET. I DID WATCH A COUPLE OF THE FILMS. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND CALLBACK: THE UNMAKING OF BLOODSTAIN. VERY PULP FICTION LIKE BUT NOT AS VIOLENT. I ALSO WATCHED COMMIT, WHICH I DID ENJOY, VERY GOOD PREMISE. THEY HAVE SOME COOL TRIVIA GAMES AND BLOGS AND BOX OFFICE PREDICTIONS …VERY COOL STUFF. DEFINITELY WORTH CHECKING OUT.

…To answer your questions, no I didn’t modify it (except for the company name), yes it was in all caps, and yes I agree, it stinks of self-promotion. Now I understand the thought behind businesses posting in forums, they are made up of concentrated groups of highly involved consumers. Forums allow a business to target their market as directly as it gets. However, I am quite positive that the drive-by company poster thinks their consumer has a mental deficiency. Otherwise, I don’t see how it is possible to be so stupid as to represent a company with that level of ignorance. Businesses take note, forums are for discussion and consumers can smell bullshit a mile away – don’t do drive-bys.

What’s That Make Me?

Earlier today I attended the Cinema City International Film Festival where Danny’s film What’s That Make Me was screened.  Danny has caught a lot of heat for creating a film that raises some very important questions about racism as it exists today.  The controversial film was nearly cut from the festival after being made an official selection.  Needless to say, the film made the entire audience question…  and isn’t that the point of film?  All great stories make you question, reevaluating or reaffirming your point of view.

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