Check out today's fantastic Variety article on social media right here.
Creating a conversation is the key to any social marketing campaign, and that's exactly what the marketing behind Sam Bailey is all about. By publishing different perspectives on Sam Bailey as a man, as well as by opening our production up to internet scrutiny, we hope to fuel a larger discussion. That discussion can range from the nature of fantasy and what it means to be immortal all the way to what it takes to make an independent movie.
Why do that? What's the point?
Read the article. Media has grown past feeding it's audience. Now, things are more like they used to be before mass production.
Here's another example - a blog focused on the financial side of the audience-performer relationship, written by Amanda Palmer of Dresden Dolls fame. Apparently, she's been getting flack for personally billing her audience for content. Of course, her welfare has always come from her audience. Now that those relationships are becoming more transparent, some folks are balking.
For performers and audiences alike, rejecting the realities of our interconnectedness isn't going to get us anywhere. Embracing those realities, on the other hand, is at the very core of what defines New Media. People like Homer and Shakespeare knew their audiences. On the one hand, that relationship invited a whole lot of heckling - something no internet denizen is a stranger to. On the other hand, it also invited intimacy and honesty.
Some artists have become enamored of the anonymity that mass-produced media offers. As tech-savvy generations of filmgoers grow up, there's going to be less and less places for those artists to hide. Why do you think people like David Lynch are tweeting? Why is Mashable in this year's top ten list of influential Britons? In short, they're relevant.
Come on. Get into the conversation.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Kicking off an Indie Feature
Last weekend I was sitting in the car with Gerard, and he mentioned that it might be a good idea to post a breakdown of the overall gameplan for Sam Bailey in our virtual green room, so everyone can refer to it at their leisure. Somehow, this idea had totally evaded me until Gerard brought it up. After all, I've discussed the plan with everyone many, many times. RIght?
He's right. Making it tangible highlights the strengths and problems in any plan. Maybe I've been avoiding it for that reason.
As it turns out, our plan for Sam Bailey is a lot more simple and linear than it seems. At the very beginning of the document I posted, there are three basic things we're developing as a springboard to launch the financing and production to come. In a lot of respects, those are the steps of filmmaking most Hollywood newcomers tend to remove themselves from the most. As the studios become more and more closed to original content and untried talent, mastering these skills is going to become very important to independent filmmakers, actors, and everyone else looking to get involved.
The Script
Even if you're an actor or a production person, you should master the basic tools of screenwriting. If nothing else, it'll help you avoid making choices you'll regret. As a primer, I always recommend Syd Field's "The Screenwriter's Handbook".
As far as Sam Bailey goes, I've been doing the writing myself. When I finish the 8th draft in a handful of weeks, I'll be posting it here. Triggerstreet is a cooperative website where screenwriters work to make each other's work stronger, and I've found it to be a real timesaver. Just a few more drafts, and the script will be ready.
The Company
Ask any director who works in theater to set up a non-profit, and they can have it done for you in a matter of days. Why is everyone in film playing coy when it comes to establishing L.L.C.'s?
Giving your film project a real, legal structure makes it possible for you to give out equity in exchange for services, start raising money, open a bank account or take out a loan. Setting up your movie is the first step to making it, and while you should always have a lawyer read over the documents you're submitting to the secretary of state when you register, there's a lot about this process you can do yourself.
Now that I'm selling my social media skills for the cash lawyers and institutions crave, I'm putting all my contracts experience to work and working out the details of Sam Bailey L.L.C.
The Buzz
People like you make a film like Sam Bailey worthwhile. Lots and lots of people like you, in fact!
That's why independent filmmakers need to start finding those people very, very early on. In all my years in the industry, I've never met one person who complains about having reached out to their audience too soon in the game. Our viral Sam Bailey campaign is growing, and we're getting a handle on how an interactive "Table of Contents" like Digg can help us get out there. Now that we can afford to be more aggressive with spreading the word, you're going to be seeing a lot more from us.
That's where we're at with Sam Bailey. Once the legal structure is in place, the script is ready, and the audience is starting to show signs of awareness and growth, we'll be in a great position to start raising capital. When you get right down to it, those things amount to supply and demand. Having an audience who wants to see the movie is half the battle. Having a movie worth seeing is the other half.
These are the kinds of things no budding indie filmmaker enjoys thinking about. After all, it's about their vision.
Right?
Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, getting the content, the business, and the marketing of a project in hand is what makes the project stable. That's what gives your collaboraters a safe space to work in. Contrary to popular myth, aving a great idea was never enough. Having a great plan doesn't cut it anymore, either.
Every day, the lines between those who want to produce independently and those who crave the big studio deal are narrowing. Either way you go, building your film and building your audience is the best way to get where you're going. Always has been, always will be.
And now, more than ever.
He's right. Making it tangible highlights the strengths and problems in any plan. Maybe I've been avoiding it for that reason.
As it turns out, our plan for Sam Bailey is a lot more simple and linear than it seems. At the very beginning of the document I posted, there are three basic things we're developing as a springboard to launch the financing and production to come. In a lot of respects, those are the steps of filmmaking most Hollywood newcomers tend to remove themselves from the most. As the studios become more and more closed to original content and untried talent, mastering these skills is going to become very important to independent filmmakers, actors, and everyone else looking to get involved.
The Script
Even if you're an actor or a production person, you should master the basic tools of screenwriting. If nothing else, it'll help you avoid making choices you'll regret. As a primer, I always recommend Syd Field's "The Screenwriter's Handbook".
As far as Sam Bailey goes, I've been doing the writing myself. When I finish the 8th draft in a handful of weeks, I'll be posting it here. Triggerstreet is a cooperative website where screenwriters work to make each other's work stronger, and I've found it to be a real timesaver. Just a few more drafts, and the script will be ready.
The Company
Ask any director who works in theater to set up a non-profit, and they can have it done for you in a matter of days. Why is everyone in film playing coy when it comes to establishing L.L.C.'s?
Giving your film project a real, legal structure makes it possible for you to give out equity in exchange for services, start raising money, open a bank account or take out a loan. Setting up your movie is the first step to making it, and while you should always have a lawyer read over the documents you're submitting to the secretary of state when you register, there's a lot about this process you can do yourself.
Now that I'm selling my social media skills for the cash lawyers and institutions crave, I'm putting all my contracts experience to work and working out the details of Sam Bailey L.L.C.
The Buzz
People like you make a film like Sam Bailey worthwhile. Lots and lots of people like you, in fact!
That's why independent filmmakers need to start finding those people very, very early on. In all my years in the industry, I've never met one person who complains about having reached out to their audience too soon in the game. Our viral Sam Bailey campaign is growing, and we're getting a handle on how an interactive "Table of Contents" like Digg can help us get out there. Now that we can afford to be more aggressive with spreading the word, you're going to be seeing a lot more from us.
Actually, this is one area where we could really use your help! Whenever you see the words "Sam Bailey diggs..." on Twitter or Facebook, clicking the link and Digging will help us find the audience we need. Whenever you see Digg on the blogs or the forum, you can Digg us there too!
That's where we're at with Sam Bailey. Once the legal structure is in place, the script is ready, and the audience is starting to show signs of awareness and growth, we'll be in a great position to start raising capital. When you get right down to it, those things amount to supply and demand. Having an audience who wants to see the movie is half the battle. Having a movie worth seeing is the other half.
These are the kinds of things no budding indie filmmaker enjoys thinking about. After all, it's about their vision.
Right?
Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, getting the content, the business, and the marketing of a project in hand is what makes the project stable. That's what gives your collaboraters a safe space to work in. Contrary to popular myth, aving a great idea was never enough. Having a great plan doesn't cut it anymore, either.
Every day, the lines between those who want to produce independently and those who crave the big studio deal are narrowing. Either way you go, building your film and building your audience is the best way to get where you're going. Always has been, always will be.
And now, more than ever.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Isn't Hollywood always looking for the next big thing?
This week, there was an explosion of debate on the internet surrounding an editorial in the Village Voice by Josh Olson, the screenwriter on A History of Violence, entitled "I will Not Read Your Fucking Script. To check it out, click here: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2009/09/i_will_not_read.php
Basically, Josh's editorial boils down to the idea that folks showing up in Los Angeles and sharing their talents for the first time expect a helping hand from the established community, and he's right. He calls it crass and unprofessional, and he's right about that too. Whether you're asking for a critique on a screenplay, a performance, a business plan, or anything else, you're really asking someone who has poured years of work into their own careers to help shape your pet project for free.
Asking for something like that is, at best, gauche. Expecting it makes you King of Asshole Island.
Huh?
Don't people need new actors? Don't they need new screenplays to shoot? Isn't Hollywood always looking for the next big thing? In short, aren't you doing them a favor?
No. Hell no.
Against all probability, this attitude isn't a product of the corporate culture that's eaten away at Old Hollywood. While that process has certainly had nasty consequences, Hollywood has always been this exclusive.
Breaking into film takes more commitment and drive than you imagine possible. To get anywhere in this industry, you need to know what you're doing. You need to have a vision, and you need to have a community that supports you.
Anybody who has done anything in this business has both. Know what that means?
First, it means that drive came from somewhere. Everyone in Hollywood has stories inside them, trying to get out. Everyone's got several movies they've been struggling to get made for years. What do they need your movie for?
Secondly, it means these people are surrounded by other people in whom they believe, and who have helped them get where they are. That's what a community is! If somebody needs an actor, and if for some reason the producer is open to casting a unknown talent, then every single person on that production knows at least two people who would be perfect for the role, who would be great to work with, and who are more than likely working harder than you.
Even with less flashy positions, the network comes first. While I don't know any assistant directors for Sam Bailey, I've got friends who make some very impressive movies on very meager budgets. When I give some guy a chance, it'll be some guy who helped my friend. He deserves it at least as much as that schmoe off the street, and I trust his work.
This is going to be hard to hear, but Hollywood doesn't need you. If that's what you were hoping to find here, pack your stuff and go home.
Or...
Bring something new to the table. If you're creative and dedicated enough, you can make a movie and get people to watch it. If people are watching your movies, you're suddenly very interesting to Hollywood. Suddenly, everyone wants to know who you are.
Some people are scared. They don't want people watching your movie instead of theirs, so they'll try to make sure you're working on the same projects.
Other people are excited. Creative people like to see one another succeed. They know how hard you've worked for it. Those people will work with you because they think you're cool.
Either way, making movies and showing them to people makes you important to Hollywood. In the meantime, we've all got projects and people we're committed to getting out there. Personally, my actors and collaborators are my family. Every year, that's who I have Thanksgiving with.
Do you really think I'm going to recommend you to a casting director over them? Do you really think I'd produce and direct your script over the one I've been polishing over the last year? Would you just help yourself to my plate at Thanksgiving dinner?
Are you crazy, or just King of Asshole Island?
Anyone in the business will back me up on this. Most people in Hollywood have their hands full with the family they've got. Nobody here needs you. If you're the next big thing, don't tell Hollywood. Show Hollywood.
Then, we'll read your fucking script.
Basically, Josh's editorial boils down to the idea that folks showing up in Los Angeles and sharing their talents for the first time expect a helping hand from the established community, and he's right. He calls it crass and unprofessional, and he's right about that too. Whether you're asking for a critique on a screenplay, a performance, a business plan, or anything else, you're really asking someone who has poured years of work into their own careers to help shape your pet project for free.
Asking for something like that is, at best, gauche. Expecting it makes you King of Asshole Island.
Huh?
Don't people need new actors? Don't they need new screenplays to shoot? Isn't Hollywood always looking for the next big thing? In short, aren't you doing them a favor?
No. Hell no.
Against all probability, this attitude isn't a product of the corporate culture that's eaten away at Old Hollywood. While that process has certainly had nasty consequences, Hollywood has always been this exclusive.
Breaking into film takes more commitment and drive than you imagine possible. To get anywhere in this industry, you need to know what you're doing. You need to have a vision, and you need to have a community that supports you.
Anybody who has done anything in this business has both. Know what that means?
First, it means that drive came from somewhere. Everyone in Hollywood has stories inside them, trying to get out. Everyone's got several movies they've been struggling to get made for years. What do they need your movie for?
Secondly, it means these people are surrounded by other people in whom they believe, and who have helped them get where they are. That's what a community is! If somebody needs an actor, and if for some reason the producer is open to casting a unknown talent, then every single person on that production knows at least two people who would be perfect for the role, who would be great to work with, and who are more than likely working harder than you.
Even with less flashy positions, the network comes first. While I don't know any assistant directors for Sam Bailey, I've got friends who make some very impressive movies on very meager budgets. When I give some guy a chance, it'll be some guy who helped my friend. He deserves it at least as much as that schmoe off the street, and I trust his work.
This is going to be hard to hear, but Hollywood doesn't need you. If that's what you were hoping to find here, pack your stuff and go home.
Or...
Bring something new to the table. If you're creative and dedicated enough, you can make a movie and get people to watch it. If people are watching your movies, you're suddenly very interesting to Hollywood. Suddenly, everyone wants to know who you are.
Some people are scared. They don't want people watching your movie instead of theirs, so they'll try to make sure you're working on the same projects.
Other people are excited. Creative people like to see one another succeed. They know how hard you've worked for it. Those people will work with you because they think you're cool.
Either way, making movies and showing them to people makes you important to Hollywood. In the meantime, we've all got projects and people we're committed to getting out there. Personally, my actors and collaborators are my family. Every year, that's who I have Thanksgiving with.
Do you really think I'm going to recommend you to a casting director over them? Do you really think I'd produce and direct your script over the one I've been polishing over the last year? Would you just help yourself to my plate at Thanksgiving dinner?
Are you crazy, or just King of Asshole Island?
Anyone in the business will back me up on this. Most people in Hollywood have their hands full with the family they've got. Nobody here needs you. If you're the next big thing, don't tell Hollywood. Show Hollywood.
Then, we'll read your fucking script.
Friday, September 18, 2009
The Tortoise and the Hare
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118008817.html?categoryid=13&cs=1
Demand for movies has never been higher than it is today, and the box office is bigger than ever - something that always seems to happen during times of economic woe. To me, the troubles the studios are facing reads like another sign that the reliance of both talent and exhibitors on the studio system to provide the bulk of our films is becoming less and less feasible.
Plenty of people are suggesting that part of the problem is the box-office. Nobody's making money, right? Movies just hope to break even, right?
No. As somebody who works on the inside of independent film finance, I can tell you that box-office is NOT a break-even proposition. Doom and gloom helps sell Variety, and it keeps the unions and the industry at large complacent with what they have... and there's plenty of info to substantiate it. Movies lose money all the time.
What they try not to emphasize as much is how many films make money in ticket sales, and how many companies - even today - find their first fortune in theatrical. It's a viable, very attractive business model for the person who knows how to use it, and marketing is becoming more accessible with the advent of social media.
One of the problems is that the studios tell their sob stories to the trades... and then the trades sell execs their news. Much of our working information in this business comes from a closed loop. Observe the trends for yourself. Use sites like Box Office Mojo and the MPAA to find hard dats, tracked over a long period of time, and you start to see a different picture. Not necessarily contrary... just more complete.
What does that picture look like?
Box office is up, and the studios are having trouble. Obviously, their reouble is not the box office. Rather, the problem is financing. They've been living fat off of big, diverse investment portfolios, and those portfolios have run dry.
They're spent. Simple as that.
In this economy, someone who keeps things far more sustainable can walk right by them... right into theaters. This is good news for independent filmmakers.
Demand for movies has never been higher than it is today, and the box office is bigger than ever - something that always seems to happen during times of economic woe. To me, the troubles the studios are facing reads like another sign that the reliance of both talent and exhibitors on the studio system to provide the bulk of our films is becoming less and less feasible.
Plenty of people are suggesting that part of the problem is the box-office. Nobody's making money, right? Movies just hope to break even, right?
No. As somebody who works on the inside of independent film finance, I can tell you that box-office is NOT a break-even proposition. Doom and gloom helps sell Variety, and it keeps the unions and the industry at large complacent with what they have... and there's plenty of info to substantiate it. Movies lose money all the time.
What they try not to emphasize as much is how many films make money in ticket sales, and how many companies - even today - find their first fortune in theatrical. It's a viable, very attractive business model for the person who knows how to use it, and marketing is becoming more accessible with the advent of social media.
One of the problems is that the studios tell their sob stories to the trades... and then the trades sell execs their news. Much of our working information in this business comes from a closed loop. Observe the trends for yourself. Use sites like Box Office Mojo and the MPAA to find hard dats, tracked over a long period of time, and you start to see a different picture. Not necessarily contrary... just more complete.
What does that picture look like?
Box office is up, and the studios are having trouble. Obviously, their reouble is not the box office. Rather, the problem is financing. They've been living fat off of big, diverse investment portfolios, and those portfolios have run dry.
They're spent. Simple as that.
In this economy, someone who keeps things far more sustainable can walk right by them... right into theaters. This is good news for independent filmmakers.
CASTING CALL: The Three Fates of Heartsgaard
http://www.8sidedforum.com/group/Heartsgaard/forum/topics/casting-call-the-three-fates
We're looking for a Lawyer, a Prophet, and Lady Macbeth to workshop and perform in a uniquely structured stageplay, and then to carry their roles over into the Heartsgaard feature film production.
These three women are:
Casey (THE LAWYER):
28-35 years old. When she met him, Casey was starting law school. His creativity and bright mind drew her in, and the steady patterns of academia made it easy for the two of them. Now that she's wrapping up her schooling, it's time for Conrad to commit to a serious future. He loves acting, but if something was going to happen there, it would have by now.
Mariko (THE PROPHET):
28-35 years old. When she was young, Mariko's visions gave her a hard time connecting with reality, and her search for people who "got" her lured into the drug culture at a very young age. Five years ago, she met Conrad's best friend Simone in New York, and the two became fast friends. Both women are artists, and they both share a rebellious streak - they had a great time, until Mariko stole the money Simone was saving for an upcoming piece of performance installation, and used it for drug money. Since then, Mariko has cleaned up her act and earned a second chance with Simone.
Renny (LADY MACBETH):
25-32 years old. As a budding diva in the Boston theater scene, she's too young to play Lady Macbeth and too opportunistic not to. Her soul is clearly for the stage, and she's got the chops. At the same time, her focus is consumed by the chance to be a big fish in the small pond of Boston theater, and she hasn't yet gotten brave or wise enough to take the risk of going someplace where she's not as well liked. Instead, she's biting off more than she can chew creatively, but personally she's hedging her bets. That's exactly how she winds up dating the star of her show, at the same time she's dating the director...
Heartsgaard is a comedy about fate, love, and other excuses... the story of Conrad Elisson, an actor in Boston who has a recurring dream about war, about being a Viking berzerker in the mythological age of Ragnarok, and about a white-haired witch who guides his battles. When he meets the girl who's been dreaming about guiding her berzerker with prophesy and magic, he turns his life upside down looking for somebody to tell him what's real, what's just a fantasy, and what his destiny truly is.
Ideally, the three women we cast will have a strong sense of entrepreneurism, as well as the qualities that make them right for these roles. Like our other 8 Sided projects, Heartsgaard is going to take a lot of ingenuity and elbow grease to pull together. Because of the production and post-production resources we have access to, we've got the ability to make a film that looks and sounds like a movie at least five times as expensive as it is. Moreover, we have the relationships to put this film into a limited release, with the ability to add on theaters if the movie catches on.
What we need most is an audience, which is what first inspired the play. In the case of our other project, Sam Bailey, the mystery of the story serves as a great viral marketing hook. With Heartsgaard, we need a different approach. Basically, we decided to use the opportunity these characters provide to produce the kind of theater we love the most, while the 8 Sided Ensemble gets Sam Bailey into the public awareness. As both the play and Sam Bailey catch hold, we'll be in a good position to launch the production of Heartsgaard.
Because this is an unusual commitment, and also because we'd like to use this opportunity to find folks who like how we play as an ensemble, I recommend checking out the scripts and the people behind the show before submitting a headshot and resume.
I've posted copies of the play and the screenplay in a Heartsgaard discussion at the 8 Sided Forum, here. Our film script has time to develop, but we find it very funny. Although they hinge on the same basic events, they're very different projects. Check them out. For information on who's doing this, just check out the forum's Heartsgaard section, here.
Again, all the information on Heartsgaard can be found at the following link:
http://www.8sidedforum.com/group/Heartsgaard/forum/topics/casting-call-the-three-fates
Please send all headshots and resumes to: tennyson@8sidedfilms.com
Thank you for your attention. We hope to hear from you!
We're looking for a Lawyer, a Prophet, and Lady Macbeth to workshop and perform in a uniquely structured stageplay, and then to carry their roles over into the Heartsgaard feature film production.
These three women are:
Casey (THE LAWYER):
28-35 years old. When she met him, Casey was starting law school. His creativity and bright mind drew her in, and the steady patterns of academia made it easy for the two of them. Now that she's wrapping up her schooling, it's time for Conrad to commit to a serious future. He loves acting, but if something was going to happen there, it would have by now.
Mariko (THE PROPHET):
28-35 years old. When she was young, Mariko's visions gave her a hard time connecting with reality, and her search for people who "got" her lured into the drug culture at a very young age. Five years ago, she met Conrad's best friend Simone in New York, and the two became fast friends. Both women are artists, and they both share a rebellious streak - they had a great time, until Mariko stole the money Simone was saving for an upcoming piece of performance installation, and used it for drug money. Since then, Mariko has cleaned up her act and earned a second chance with Simone.
Renny (LADY MACBETH):
25-32 years old. As a budding diva in the Boston theater scene, she's too young to play Lady Macbeth and too opportunistic not to. Her soul is clearly for the stage, and she's got the chops. At the same time, her focus is consumed by the chance to be a big fish in the small pond of Boston theater, and she hasn't yet gotten brave or wise enough to take the risk of going someplace where she's not as well liked. Instead, she's biting off more than she can chew creatively, but personally she's hedging her bets. That's exactly how she winds up dating the star of her show, at the same time she's dating the director...
Heartsgaard is a comedy about fate, love, and other excuses... the story of Conrad Elisson, an actor in Boston who has a recurring dream about war, about being a Viking berzerker in the mythological age of Ragnarok, and about a white-haired witch who guides his battles. When he meets the girl who's been dreaming about guiding her berzerker with prophesy and magic, he turns his life upside down looking for somebody to tell him what's real, what's just a fantasy, and what his destiny truly is.
Ideally, the three women we cast will have a strong sense of entrepreneurism, as well as the qualities that make them right for these roles. Like our other 8 Sided projects, Heartsgaard is going to take a lot of ingenuity and elbow grease to pull together. Because of the production and post-production resources we have access to, we've got the ability to make a film that looks and sounds like a movie at least five times as expensive as it is. Moreover, we have the relationships to put this film into a limited release, with the ability to add on theaters if the movie catches on.
What we need most is an audience, which is what first inspired the play. In the case of our other project, Sam Bailey, the mystery of the story serves as a great viral marketing hook. With Heartsgaard, we need a different approach. Basically, we decided to use the opportunity these characters provide to produce the kind of theater we love the most, while the 8 Sided Ensemble gets Sam Bailey into the public awareness. As both the play and Sam Bailey catch hold, we'll be in a good position to launch the production of Heartsgaard.
Because this is an unusual commitment, and also because we'd like to use this opportunity to find folks who like how we play as an ensemble, I recommend checking out the scripts and the people behind the show before submitting a headshot and resume.
I've posted copies of the play and the screenplay in a Heartsgaard discussion at the 8 Sided Forum, here. Our film script has time to develop, but we find it very funny. Although they hinge on the same basic events, they're very different projects. Check them out. For information on who's doing this, just check out the forum's Heartsgaard section, here.
Again, all the information on Heartsgaard can be found at the following link:
http://www.8sidedforum.com/group/Heartsgaard/forum/topics/casting-call-the-three-fates
Please send all headshots and resumes to: tennyson@8sidedfilms.com
Thank you for your attention. We hope to hear from you!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Getting personal with the 8 Sided Team
Most of us at 8 Sided come from a background in the theater.
As we began pulling our projects and plans together, we realized that one of the things we were missing was a place where we can interact with the audience personally. In the theater, the audience usually sticks around after the show to meet everyone involved.
In film, there are audience members who get involved while the film is still in production, those who look into a film after they've seen it, and those who just want great entertainment to watch - but with all these technologocal advances we've made in social media, we can have a space to get to know one another regardless of when that happens.
That's exactly what the 8 Sided Forum is. We have groups for each of our films, where people can ask questions and post comments about the projects that interest you. Each of our ensemble members has a profile page, where you can friend them and get to know them personally. Lastly, we have this forum for general discussion about movies, theater, or anything else that crosses your fancy.
Here's a quick directory of what's happening on the 8 Sided Forum:
THE WELCOME THREAD
Introduce yourself!
THE 8 SIDED FILMS
Sam Bailey
Heartsgaard
THE 8 SIDED ENSEMBLE
Sheila Daley: Actor
Chris DeChristopher: Actor, Producer
Johnny Derango: Cinematographer, Producer
Christie Insley: Actor, Producer
Aaron Lyons: Actor, Producer
Shawn MacAulay: Actor
Gerard Marzilli: Actor, Producer
Matthew David McCallum: Actor, Producer
Tennyson E. Stead: Writer, Director, Producer
Elizabeth Southard: Actor
As we began pulling our projects and plans together, we realized that one of the things we were missing was a place where we can interact with the audience personally. In the theater, the audience usually sticks around after the show to meet everyone involved.
In film, there are audience members who get involved while the film is still in production, those who look into a film after they've seen it, and those who just want great entertainment to watch - but with all these technologocal advances we've made in social media, we can have a space to get to know one another regardless of when that happens.
That's exactly what the 8 Sided Forum is. We have groups for each of our films, where people can ask questions and post comments about the projects that interest you. Each of our ensemble members has a profile page, where you can friend them and get to know them personally. Lastly, we have this forum for general discussion about movies, theater, or anything else that crosses your fancy.
Here's a quick directory of what's happening on the 8 Sided Forum:
THE WELCOME THREAD
Introduce yourself!
THE 8 SIDED FILMS
Sam Bailey
Heartsgaard
THE 8 SIDED ENSEMBLE
Sheila Daley: Actor
Chris DeChristopher: Actor, Producer
Johnny Derango: Cinematographer, Producer
Christie Insley: Actor, Producer
Aaron Lyons: Actor, Producer
Shawn MacAulay: Actor
Gerard Marzilli: Actor, Producer
Matthew David McCallum: Actor, Producer
Tennyson E. Stead: Writer, Director, Producer
Elizabeth Southard: Actor
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Getting the Most Out of Digg
Recently, I discovered an online tool that's made my most ambitious goals for Sam Bailey into something tangible, and I want to tell you about it.
Basically, Digg is a table of contents for the Internet, indexed by everyday users like you and me. When someone Diggs something for the first time, that article, video, or image gets added to the table of contents. As more and more people Digg it, it becomes more prominent on the Digg homepage, as well as in the news feeds.
For example, if you go to Digg.com and click on entertainment news, you're looking at the articles and factoids deemed most important, entertaining, or just plain "Digg-worthy" by the internet-viewing public. If you scroll all the way down to the bottom, you're seeing the articles that have only one or two Diggs apiece.
If you can use resources like Facebook and Twitter to get your own social network to Digg your stuff, then Digg becomes a tool to reach a much, much wider audience.
How many Diggs does it take to get to the top of the Digg list? On average, a thousand or so. Sometimes only a few hundred, depending on how many people are Digging stuff that day.
One person can get a few hundred Diggs, if they're smart about it. Together, a group can rangle up a few thousand. Here's how I'm doing it, for those who are interested:
Whenever I post something, I make sure to Digg it. That's step one.
On my social networks, like my Twitter, Facebook. MySpace and Linked In, all the status updates are handled through http://ping.fm/. Ping makes it easy to do, because one status update works for all the networks.
Twitterfeed.com is another site I use. RSS feeds are like simplified web pages, and most online blogs and lists have one. Twitterfeed will send Ping links to updates on any RSS feed, along with a little piece of introduction text.
Because Digg offers RSS feeds for the digging history of any user, I feed my Digg history to my Twitterfeed, add the text "Digg this!" and forward it to my Ping... to all my social networks! Every time I Digg something, it automatically shows up in the status of everyone who's connected to my Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, or MySpace. In my case, that nearly a thousand people, right there!
Because I'm working on these projects with a number of other people, it's easy enough to make sure we all Digg the same things. When we're all set up and organized, Each thing we Digg can reach a social network of tens of thousands...
If they Digg our stuff, that's enough to give our article, video, or picture a world-wide audience through Digg.
Can you Digg it?
(As an aside, each of my blogs is Twitterfed to my Ping, as is my Netflix. Automatically feeding RSS into your status updates is a great way to save time and keep people aware of what you're up to.)
Basically, Digg is a table of contents for the Internet, indexed by everyday users like you and me. When someone Diggs something for the first time, that article, video, or image gets added to the table of contents. As more and more people Digg it, it becomes more prominent on the Digg homepage, as well as in the news feeds.
For example, if you go to Digg.com and click on entertainment news, you're looking at the articles and factoids deemed most important, entertaining, or just plain "Digg-worthy" by the internet-viewing public. If you scroll all the way down to the bottom, you're seeing the articles that have only one or two Diggs apiece.
If you can use resources like Facebook and Twitter to get your own social network to Digg your stuff, then Digg becomes a tool to reach a much, much wider audience.
How many Diggs does it take to get to the top of the Digg list? On average, a thousand or so. Sometimes only a few hundred, depending on how many people are Digging stuff that day.
One person can get a few hundred Diggs, if they're smart about it. Together, a group can rangle up a few thousand. Here's how I'm doing it, for those who are interested:
Whenever I post something, I make sure to Digg it. That's step one.
On my social networks, like my Twitter, Facebook. MySpace and Linked In, all the status updates are handled through http://ping.fm/. Ping makes it easy to do, because one status update works for all the networks.
Twitterfeed.com is another site I use. RSS feeds are like simplified web pages, and most online blogs and lists have one. Twitterfeed will send Ping links to updates on any RSS feed, along with a little piece of introduction text.
Because Digg offers RSS feeds for the digging history of any user, I feed my Digg history to my Twitterfeed, add the text "Digg this!" and forward it to my Ping... to all my social networks! Every time I Digg something, it automatically shows up in the status of everyone who's connected to my Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, or MySpace. In my case, that nearly a thousand people, right there!
Because I'm working on these projects with a number of other people, it's easy enough to make sure we all Digg the same things. When we're all set up and organized, Each thing we Digg can reach a social network of tens of thousands...
If they Digg our stuff, that's enough to give our article, video, or picture a world-wide audience through Digg.
Can you Digg it?
(As an aside, each of my blogs is Twitterfed to my Ping, as is my Netflix. Automatically feeding RSS into your status updates is a great way to save time and keep people aware of what you're up to.)
Monday, September 14, 2009
Writing Screenplays for Microbudget
What it boils down to is the conflict, and the mission of the protagonist. If what your protagonist needs to accomplish can be done by convincing people of something, negotiating something, finding something...
Then you can resolve the conflict without stunts and effects, right?
If the conflict needs to be resolved by killing every member of an outlaw biker gang... Guess what.
Then you can resolve the conflict without stunts and effects, right?
If the conflict needs to be resolved by killing every member of an outlaw biker gang... Guess what.
Don't Show, Don't Tell
Over the last few days, I've seen a number of films with the same central problem undermining the story. Because it's led to several discussions already, it seemed like an appropriate issue to bring here.
Most people who don't write and don't act think that the key to good cinema is showing, not telling. Actually, that's not true.
Don't show, and don't tell either. Act it out.
CInema, theater, dance, and the other performing arts share a language of action. At any given moment on stage or screen, the performer needs something to do. To give the show structure and keep the audience's focus, you need to pretty much give them one big thing to do, instead of lots of little things.
In Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, that action is to get a bill passed through Congress. In Star Wars, it's to destroy the Death Star. In Lost in Translation, it's to find happiness in a foreign land. All of these things are active. In every one of these examples, the main character has a metaphorical mountain to climb.
In the film and theater I've been watching, the main character has been lead on a leash to their moment of truth. Supporting characters guide and cajole them along, lessons fall into their lap, and suddenly they decide to transform. Usually the last quarter of these stories has the main character getting off their rusty-dusty and doing something. By then, it's too late.
When a director does this, they justify it by showing, not telling. Show the putz with his wife before she died, so you see how happy he was before she died, and then show him chugging the booze. Show the guy finding out how much trouble his daughter is in. Show some dude watch his girlfriend move out. Show the dying grandmother. Whatever.
Then show the one magic person who comes into their lives to change everything, right?
Sorry, no. That sorry dude with the dead wife, dying grandmother, or whatever... He needs to go do something. Don't let something happen to him. He needs to go out there and make something happen.
Right now, you're thinking that sometimes in life, things just happen.
That's true, but not in cinema. Performers don't "capture the moment" - they do stuff. They find their daughter. They seek new love. They bury grandmothers, move out on their own, get a job and grow the hell up.
Actors need a throughline. We're not talking about a theme here, either. Actors need a mission. They need a crusade. Give every actor a mountain to climb, and your story will resonate with drama, power, humor, excitement, and all the colors of emotion.
Give your actors a lesson, and you're going to get some frustrated actors. More often than not, you'll also get a bewildered, irritated audience. If you get one at all.
Save the show and tell for kindergarten, people. Give that performer something to do. Every single time you do, your art will come alive.
Most people who don't write and don't act think that the key to good cinema is showing, not telling. Actually, that's not true.
Don't show, and don't tell either. Act it out.
CInema, theater, dance, and the other performing arts share a language of action. At any given moment on stage or screen, the performer needs something to do. To give the show structure and keep the audience's focus, you need to pretty much give them one big thing to do, instead of lots of little things.
In Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, that action is to get a bill passed through Congress. In Star Wars, it's to destroy the Death Star. In Lost in Translation, it's to find happiness in a foreign land. All of these things are active. In every one of these examples, the main character has a metaphorical mountain to climb.
In the film and theater I've been watching, the main character has been lead on a leash to their moment of truth. Supporting characters guide and cajole them along, lessons fall into their lap, and suddenly they decide to transform. Usually the last quarter of these stories has the main character getting off their rusty-dusty and doing something. By then, it's too late.
When a director does this, they justify it by showing, not telling. Show the putz with his wife before she died, so you see how happy he was before she died, and then show him chugging the booze. Show the guy finding out how much trouble his daughter is in. Show some dude watch his girlfriend move out. Show the dying grandmother. Whatever.
Then show the one magic person who comes into their lives to change everything, right?
Sorry, no. That sorry dude with the dead wife, dying grandmother, or whatever... He needs to go do something. Don't let something happen to him. He needs to go out there and make something happen.
Right now, you're thinking that sometimes in life, things just happen.
That's true, but not in cinema. Performers don't "capture the moment" - they do stuff. They find their daughter. They seek new love. They bury grandmothers, move out on their own, get a job and grow the hell up.
Actors need a throughline. We're not talking about a theme here, either. Actors need a mission. They need a crusade. Give every actor a mountain to climb, and your story will resonate with drama, power, humor, excitement, and all the colors of emotion.
Give your actors a lesson, and you're going to get some frustrated actors. More often than not, you'll also get a bewildered, irritated audience. If you get one at all.
Save the show and tell for kindergarten, people. Give that performer something to do. Every single time you do, your art will come alive.
Friday, September 11, 2009
David Lynch and the Real Hollywood
Whenever someone tells me that Hollywood is full of jaded, greedy bloodsuckers, or that nobody in the business cares anymore, I always tell them the same story. Because that story involves a certain amount of name-checking, I've avoided putting it in print... until now. At the special request of my producer, this story goes up on my Noah's Ark Blog later today. Since it'll be on the record anyway, I decided to share it here.
Mind you, the only person who really looks bad in this story is me. At the same time, I try not to editorialize on the actions of others. Hollywood is plagued by gossip-mongers. You may have heard.
When I started working with Unified Pictures in an official capacity, we were assisting the production of David Lynch's Inland Empire. David's producer, Jeremy Alter, was also the director of our first feature. Supporting Jeremy was a given, and we were naturally excited to support David.
One afternoon, Keith Kjarval, friend and co-founder of Unified, overheard a conversation. While I don't remember the exact words, it went something like:
I need a monkey, a lumberjack, and a woman with a peg-leg by six o'click tonight! What am I going to do? Will you be my lumberjack?
Jeremy ended up asking Keith to be the lumberjack, as well as to help dredge up production assistants. That's how I wound up on set.
At the end of Inland Empire, there's a credit sequence involving a ball room, Laura Dern and Laura Harring (who wasn't actually in the film) sitting on a park bench, and an assortment of oddities including the aforementioned monkey and the handicapped woman. David was moving though a carefully choreographed sequence of happenings, shooting what was in front of him while people and props were stuck behind his back. The result was a disorienting, continuous take where nothing was where you left it and you were never sure where you were. Very cool.
Because the lumberjack was sawing a log in half in the middle of this ballroom, we had to strike the log, the sawhorses, and sweep away the dust. While this was simple gruntwork, I wasn't willing to turn down the opportunity. It's a David Lynch film, for goddsakes! Those other two guys helping me? They felt the same way.
One of them was Duke Cullen. If you don't know, Duke is one of the co-heads of Make-up and Monsters - one of our industry's leading creature effects houses. At that time, Duke and his partner were in production on Pirates of the Carribean 2. All those starfish people? That's Duke.
Work like that means being the first person on set, and the last person off. Work like that also means a pretty decent paycheck. So why is Duke on the set of a David Lynch film at one in the morning, when he could be in bed?
He loves movies that much. No way was he gonna pass up the opportunity to see David work. Instead of taking a break from what must have been one of the most work-intensive jobs of is life, he was helping me move a log at one in the morning on Friday night... for David Lynch.
Think that's wild? Guess who was sweeping up after us!?!
Mike Mitchell. Look him up. He's the director of Deuce Bigalow, American Gigolo, as well as The New Guy with Eddie Griffin and DJ Qualls. That Friday night was the second weekend of Mike's third film, Sky High. Yep, the superhero high-school movie with Kurt Russell. If you recall, that movie was number one at the box office for two weeks.
At that moment in time, Mike Mitchell was the number one director in America.
This is the part where I admit I'm an elitist. Before meeting him, I was the kind of person who would use Deuce Bigalow as an example of Hollywood's creative bankruptcy. Mind you, I'd never seen the film. I had no idea what I was talking about.
If you told me that the man who directed Deuce Bigalow had produced a blockbuster, I'd immediately imagine some dude in the back of a limo, surrounded by women of the night and piles of blow.
No?
Fine. He's got to be a nine-to-fiver, working to put his kids through school. Right now, he's at home with his family.
No.
He's sweeping the floor on a David Lynch set at one in the morning.
This is his idea of a celebration!
Know what? It's mine, too.
Is there fat and waste in the film industry? Sure. Is there too much middle management? Definitely. Would anyone weep if the number of Hollywood agents and executives were instantly cut in half? Frankly, I'd be curious to see it happen!
At the same time, Mike Mitchell spent the whole night frantically explaining his new pet project to me and Duke, and while I'd be way out of line repeating it here, I can tell you that it was silly and fun. For him, it was something much more. For him, it was art.
While I probably won't rush into theaters for Deuce Bigalow 3, I've become a big believer in Mike Mitchell. I'm a believer in anyone who keeps making movies. You may think they lucked into the gig, or that they're some kind of talentless, dispassionate marketing robot. You're wrong.
Those people don't make movies. On set, it's a different story. In The Real Hollywood, passionate, creative people are banding together to bring their feelings, their ideas, and their stories to the world. In the Real Hollywood, nothing else matters.
I met Mike Mitchell while we were working for David Lynch. Together, we helped make Inland Empire. Think about that.
Mind you, the only person who really looks bad in this story is me. At the same time, I try not to editorialize on the actions of others. Hollywood is plagued by gossip-mongers. You may have heard.
When I started working with Unified Pictures in an official capacity, we were assisting the production of David Lynch's Inland Empire. David's producer, Jeremy Alter, was also the director of our first feature. Supporting Jeremy was a given, and we were naturally excited to support David.
One afternoon, Keith Kjarval, friend and co-founder of Unified, overheard a conversation. While I don't remember the exact words, it went something like:
I need a monkey, a lumberjack, and a woman with a peg-leg by six o'click tonight! What am I going to do? Will you be my lumberjack?
Jeremy ended up asking Keith to be the lumberjack, as well as to help dredge up production assistants. That's how I wound up on set.
At the end of Inland Empire, there's a credit sequence involving a ball room, Laura Dern and Laura Harring (who wasn't actually in the film) sitting on a park bench, and an assortment of oddities including the aforementioned monkey and the handicapped woman. David was moving though a carefully choreographed sequence of happenings, shooting what was in front of him while people and props were stuck behind his back. The result was a disorienting, continuous take where nothing was where you left it and you were never sure where you were. Very cool.
Because the lumberjack was sawing a log in half in the middle of this ballroom, we had to strike the log, the sawhorses, and sweep away the dust. While this was simple gruntwork, I wasn't willing to turn down the opportunity. It's a David Lynch film, for goddsakes! Those other two guys helping me? They felt the same way.
One of them was Duke Cullen. If you don't know, Duke is one of the co-heads of Make-up and Monsters - one of our industry's leading creature effects houses. At that time, Duke and his partner were in production on Pirates of the Carribean 2. All those starfish people? That's Duke.
Work like that means being the first person on set, and the last person off. Work like that also means a pretty decent paycheck. So why is Duke on the set of a David Lynch film at one in the morning, when he could be in bed?
He loves movies that much. No way was he gonna pass up the opportunity to see David work. Instead of taking a break from what must have been one of the most work-intensive jobs of is life, he was helping me move a log at one in the morning on Friday night... for David Lynch.
Think that's wild? Guess who was sweeping up after us!?!
Mike Mitchell. Look him up. He's the director of Deuce Bigalow, American Gigolo, as well as The New Guy with Eddie Griffin and DJ Qualls. That Friday night was the second weekend of Mike's third film, Sky High. Yep, the superhero high-school movie with Kurt Russell. If you recall, that movie was number one at the box office for two weeks.
At that moment in time, Mike Mitchell was the number one director in America.
This is the part where I admit I'm an elitist. Before meeting him, I was the kind of person who would use Deuce Bigalow as an example of Hollywood's creative bankruptcy. Mind you, I'd never seen the film. I had no idea what I was talking about.
If you told me that the man who directed Deuce Bigalow had produced a blockbuster, I'd immediately imagine some dude in the back of a limo, surrounded by women of the night and piles of blow.
No?
Fine. He's got to be a nine-to-fiver, working to put his kids through school. Right now, he's at home with his family.
No.
He's sweeping the floor on a David Lynch set at one in the morning.
This is his idea of a celebration!
Know what? It's mine, too.
Is there fat and waste in the film industry? Sure. Is there too much middle management? Definitely. Would anyone weep if the number of Hollywood agents and executives were instantly cut in half? Frankly, I'd be curious to see it happen!
At the same time, Mike Mitchell spent the whole night frantically explaining his new pet project to me and Duke, and while I'd be way out of line repeating it here, I can tell you that it was silly and fun. For him, it was something much more. For him, it was art.
While I probably won't rush into theaters for Deuce Bigalow 3, I've become a big believer in Mike Mitchell. I'm a believer in anyone who keeps making movies. You may think they lucked into the gig, or that they're some kind of talentless, dispassionate marketing robot. You're wrong.
Those people don't make movies. On set, it's a different story. In The Real Hollywood, passionate, creative people are banding together to bring their feelings, their ideas, and their stories to the world. In the Real Hollywood, nothing else matters.
I met Mike Mitchell while we were working for David Lynch. Together, we helped make Inland Empire. Think about that.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
One Way to Help
Will you Digg my Diggs?
This is a note to all the readers who've found this blog useful or interesting, as well as all the people who look forward to seeing Sam Bailey and Heartsgaard in theaters.
Finally, the 8 Siders have woken up to the many uses of Digg. For those who aren't aware, Digg is like a table of contents of the internet, sorted according to how many people like a given article, image, or video. We're plugging the mighty power of Digg into our company sites, blogs, and viral efforts.
Would you do me the favor of opening a Digg account, and Digging on the links listed here? While it seems like a small thing, it helps us leave a more visible paper trail as the viral Sam Bailey stuff moves forward. It leads folks to take an active interest in our projects.
This isn't something that will take long, or wind up filling your inbox with junk. What's more, we'd all appreciate it.
Again... Check out my new Diggs!
This is a note to all the readers who've found this blog useful or interesting, as well as all the people who look forward to seeing Sam Bailey and Heartsgaard in theaters.
Finally, the 8 Siders have woken up to the many uses of Digg. For those who aren't aware, Digg is like a table of contents of the internet, sorted according to how many people like a given article, image, or video. We're plugging the mighty power of Digg into our company sites, blogs, and viral efforts.
Would you do me the favor of opening a Digg account, and Digging on the links listed here? While it seems like a small thing, it helps us leave a more visible paper trail as the viral Sam Bailey stuff moves forward. It leads folks to take an active interest in our projects.
This isn't something that will take long, or wind up filling your inbox with junk. What's more, we'd all appreciate it.
Again... Check out my new Diggs!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
The Stormcrow and the Morality of Lovecraft
Lovecraft's horrors are not evil. Nobody deserves what they get, because virtue itself is an illusion. Really, the horror of Lovecraft is not having a place in the natural order. No matter how bad how things get, you've only scratched the surface... and there's nothing you can do about it.
As Lovecraft established it, suffering is inevitable because consciousness is actually a piss-poor tool for understanding the universe. Rather than being this all-important thing, the human mind and the human soul are actually just shitty, broken steps on the evolutionary ladder - accidents and failures of nature. Dead ends.
This is what film has yet to delve into...
As Lovecraft established it, suffering is inevitable because consciousness is actually a piss-poor tool for understanding the universe. Rather than being this all-important thing, the human mind and the human soul are actually just shitty, broken steps on the evolutionary ladder - accidents and failures of nature. Dead ends.
This is what film has yet to delve into...
What's up, T?
Today, I realized that it's been a while since I offered up a "Here's what's new in my world!" post... So for all those people reading just because you like me, here's what's new!
At the moment, I'm starting to take up publicity duties and lay the groundwork for grassroots marketing on Noah's Ark, a computer animated musical from the creative team behind Pocahontas and Prince of Egypt. How far this goes with me is up in the air, but it's keeping me mighty busy when combined with my finance work on the same project.
In the meantime, I've just finished a play on commission that I'm in line to direct, called Heartsgaard. Producing duties on that show are in other hands, while I rework Sam Bailey, pull the SB team together, bring in the financing, and start building curiosity and mystery around the project.
Plus, you know... other stuff. I'm working on a few spec scripts, I'm writing a tabletop role-playing game... I'm beginning to explore publishing as a way to get some of my more financially expansive content into the public consciousness.
Right now, Noah's Ark and Sam Bailey are my primary foci, with one spec script on the back burner at a time - right now, it's The Stormcrow. All the rest is being kept on the level of loose tinkering to keep me free for my martial arts classes, where I'm studying Jeet Kune Do, and to otherwise let me get out of the house and the office once or twice a week.
Learning balance and self-maintenance is my big lesson right now. As I take a quick glance back at what I've written here, it seems pretty clear that I haven't quite learned it yet!
At the moment, I'm starting to take up publicity duties and lay the groundwork for grassroots marketing on Noah's Ark, a computer animated musical from the creative team behind Pocahontas and Prince of Egypt. How far this goes with me is up in the air, but it's keeping me mighty busy when combined with my finance work on the same project.
In the meantime, I've just finished a play on commission that I'm in line to direct, called Heartsgaard. Producing duties on that show are in other hands, while I rework Sam Bailey, pull the SB team together, bring in the financing, and start building curiosity and mystery around the project.
Plus, you know... other stuff. I'm working on a few spec scripts, I'm writing a tabletop role-playing game... I'm beginning to explore publishing as a way to get some of my more financially expansive content into the public consciousness.
Right now, Noah's Ark and Sam Bailey are my primary foci, with one spec script on the back burner at a time - right now, it's The Stormcrow. All the rest is being kept on the level of loose tinkering to keep me free for my martial arts classes, where I'm studying Jeet Kune Do, and to otherwise let me get out of the house and the office once or twice a week.
Learning balance and self-maintenance is my big lesson right now. As I take a quick glance back at what I've written here, it seems pretty clear that I haven't quite learned it yet!
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