Still don't believe content creators are producers in Hollywood 2.0?

After the strong but not overwhelming performance of How to Train a Dragon, DreamWorks Animation stock dropped 10%!

 

Do you guys realize what a big number that is?

 

Right now, every board of directors in Hollywood is discussing what projects to drop to appease those shareholders, and whether or not non-franchise, non-remake content is even viable.  This was a big animated movie, after all - the only way to make things even less risky is to stop telling new stories altogether.

 

If it makes the stock move, don't you think for one second that they won't do it.  That's their job, and right now the shareholders are telling them their job is in jeopardy.

 

And please keep in mind - that lack of stockholder confidence is a trend, not a one-time thing.  As more and more people by DreamWorks stock, or Time Warner, or Disney, or whatever,  the business model needs to appeal to more and more people so they can sell EVEN MORE stock next year.

 

At a certain point, less risk is the only way to do that.

 

Do you want fresh content?  Do you want anything other than Brady Bunch the Movie 5 and Monopoly?

 

If so, the task of producing it falls to someone who can afford the risk - and that's you, bucko.

 

Writers, directors, actors, it's time to roll up our sleeves, and produce our own stuff.  That's how theater has worked for literally centuries, and it's time for the madness in Hollywood to end.

 

This is our industry.  Time to take it back.

"I've got a great idea for a Hollywood remake! How can I get paid for it?"

If you have a great idea for a remake, the very first thing you need to do is buy the rights to the thing you're remaking from whosoever may own them currently.  That takes research, it takes negotiating, and it takes cash on the barrelhead.  From that moment on, you're a producer.  Making the movie happen becomes your responsibility.

While it may be disappointing to hear, nobody pays people for suggesting what movies to make or which ideas to develop. When you think about it, that's kind of like backseat driving. No matter how excellent a backseat driver might be at advising you, can you ever imagine actually paying for one?

 

Probably not.

In fact, everyone in Hollywood has great ideas - from the most successful producer to the poorest actor or writer who can't get work. What matters is not how many great ideas you have, but how you execute them.

Paydirt!

Plenty has been said online about the troubles of making your financial mark on the film industry, but we all know it can be done.  Every year, a handful of people manage to create the circumstances necessary to quit the day job, move to Santa Monica, and start buying real estate.

 

Don't quit the day job.  Don't shack up in Santa Monica.  Don't buy real estate.  In fact, the very moment you start to think you may have found a weakness in the money dam that has been your life until now, get your butt over to a financial planner.  Let them know your goals, and let them know what's happening.  They'll help.

 

Which would you rather have?  A mortgage in Santa Monica on top of all your other expenses, or a salary of $50k a year that comes to you on top of your day job - or even instead of it?

 

There's a lot of theater you could be doing with that time, a lot of auditions you could be hitting, a lot of screenplays you could be writing... whatever.  Almost every artist who strikes it rich is right back where they started inside of two years, and there's no reason for it.

 

I personally use www.grammergroup.com and I love them, but who you use isn't the point.  Get referrals from people you trust, and when you get the inkling that things may pop, set up a meeting.  Make a plan.  That way, the money has a place to go that immediately and directly serves the things most important to your happiness.

 

Artists tend to invest the things they think they SHOULD invest in, rather than just making life easier for themselves.  Talk to someone who knows the difference, and let them help you organize your financial future.

The 8 Sided Forum welcomes Arron Nelson Jr.!

http://www.8sidedforum.com/profile/ArronNelsonJr

 

In any highly competitive business, young hot shot up-and-comers tend to labor under the impression that asking for help is somehow not cool.

 

Over the last few months, I've come to realize that it's very cool indeed!  About a month ago, I took a Sam Bailey meeting with the production company that completed the post-production on Farther (www.8sidedfilms.com/Farther.mov).  As one of their chief concerns, they warned me about the sneak-attack expenses of finishing touches like quality color correction, a final sound mix, and the film-out from digital to 35mm for the older film projectors common to arthouse cinemas.

 

With a little bit of research, I realized they were right.  I was headed up the creek without a paddle.  At the same time, those guys were my big contact in post-production.  With that in mind, I did what any sane man would do in the information age -

 

- I posted my problem online, and that's how I met Arron Nelson Jr.  Arron has been has independent filmmakers find a home in theaters for a few years now, and his relationships with arthouse cinemas are strong enough to build and expand on a platform release like the one we've been designing for Sam Bailey.

 

At the same time, independent filmmakers have not been making the most of his services.  Most filmmakers have been hiring him to squeeze their film into a theater or two for a week-long run, in order to satisfy the requirements of their DVD and foreign distributors.  Nobody even cares if the audience shows up!  Where's the fun in that?

 

Those few filmmakers who have more ambitious plans tend to suffer from a lack of planning.  Indie marketing and publicity is an endeavor that takes years of effort, unless one has tens of millions of dollars to spend on advertising.  Of course, that's only if you trust the value of those advertising dollars in today's social media climate.  For an independent filmmaker, there's no just substitute for elbow grease when it comes to building community support for your film.

 

Most filmmakers just don't want that responsibility, which makes distributing their movies impossibly unrewarding.

 

That's my understanding of why Arron Nelson is enthusiastic about Sam Bailey, and it's what makes him the right man to help us usher this film into theaters.  His business sense is simple and pragmatic - while his taste in film strikes me as grounded in reality, but with a passion for the fantastic. 

 

How often is it that you meet someone who is good at all the things you need someone to be good at, who likes all the same things you like, and who does things the way you wish you could do them yourself?  Given the few times in one's life when someone like that actually comes along, what are the odds that they actually passionate and fascinated by the challenge you're trying to meet?

 

Sometimes, the best things in life are easy. 

 

All of us at 8 Sided Films are incredibly grateful for Arron's help, and we're very glad indeed that he finds fun in the work we're doing.  Thanks to him, you'll have the opportunity to find that fun as well.

 

It is with great pride and pleasure that I announce our intent to bring Sam Bailey to select theaters on August 10, 2012.

 

Welcome to our family, Arron.

The Opening Night of Heartsgaard

Wow, what a night!  If you saw the show with us, remember to check out our e-program at www.heartsgaard.com.

 

For those who don't know, last night was the Los Angeles premiere of a piece of theater the ensemble has been developing for the last six months, as part of an ongoing transmedia experiment called Heartsgaard.

 

All his life, Conrad Elisson dreamed of battle in the mythic ages of Scandinavia - and of the white-haired witch who foretold his future. When he meets the girl who shares his recurring dreams, Conrad is forced to fit his fantasy into the reality of a modern world.

 

For 8 Sided Films, Heartsgaard is a means to master the relationship between theater, film, the internet and social media. Currently, Heartsgaard is a live performance piece, and there's more coming - a film, internet shorts, and anything else that strikes our fancy!  For our audience, Heartsgaard is about getting to know the cast and creators.

 

Fortunately for us, the response of the crowd last night was extremely passionate.  Our audience understood what was happening and embraced the piece from moment to moment.  Some folks seemed exhilirated by the experience, and others were left uncomfortable and off-balance.  In no event did I speak to someone who wasn't thoroughly engaged.

 

In the past, all the hipster-cool self-aware theater I've seen has fallen apart in the company of an audience.  What these actors performed last night was involving, exciting, dangeous and fun - everything good theater should be!  For the last year or so I've been extolling the excellence of our ensemble cast - and this was my first opportunity to share them with the world.  I'm so proud...  You have no idea.  My sense is that finishing this run will be one of the great pleasures of my life, and I can't wait to begin the next stage of our work together.

 

In Heartsgaard, something very cool and extremely organic is taking shape.  Please, don't miss out!  Visit our online program at www.heartsgaard.com to meet the cast, check showtimes, and demand Heartsgaard in your area!

Stephen Soderbergh on the Studio System

I read this in the quotes section of Stephen Soderbergh's IMDb page, and I agree wholeheartedly:

 

"One of the reasons the business is in the condition it's in now is a lack of vision about how to deal with talent. Instead of trying to identify, on a project-by-project basis, what is going to work, studios ought to be betting on talent and making deals that have specific financial parameters within which the talent can do whatever they want, if they prove themselves able to generate a profit. Because if you'd financed all of my films, you're up - significantly up, actually. That's the way you should be running this business. Because in point of fact - any rat-based lab experiment about probability will tell you this - you increase your chances of missing when you choose films individually. They should be betting on the career of somebody. By definition the really smart people in this business are the ones making the stuff."

Farther - Now on Vimeo!

http://www.vimeo.com/10226880

After many, many years and many lessons learned, the 8 Sided Forum is pleased to present our first short film. Here, you'll find a link and an embedded video of FARTHER on Vimeo. Over the next few days, we'll put together a wider presentation through our homepage at http://www.8sidedfilms.com. Stay tuned, and enjoy FARTHER!

Five Favorite Movie Foods

Sometimes, watching an actor eat on screen makes me hungry.  These are my five favorite movie meals:

 

In 2001: A Space Odyssey, there's a big space cooler of sandwiches which the scientists raid, hungry from their briefing, on their way to the crater.  Man, are those guys hungry!  There's the snack in the woods in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (God, that tomato!), and the food Aunt Beru makes for Uncle Owen in Star Wars in the plastic blue bowls.  I've always wanted to know where Riggs got his hot dog in Koreatown in Lethal Weapon.  He drove all the way across town for that hot dog!  Lastly, the coney stew in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (PO-TA-TOES!) looks like it rivals the best bisques of provincial France.

 

But if I had to ask for one thing to eat from a movie, I'd ask for that cooler of space-sandwiches.  Damn you, cooler of space-sandwiches - you've taunted me for a lifetime!

Becoming a Producer

Wow.

 

Hey, you guys.  I'm sorry Ive been off the blog for as long as I have, but you have absolutely no idea how crazy things have been - or how much I've learned.

 

Perhaps the most important thing I've learned to anyone hoping to break into the industry is just how critical it is to produce at least some your own work.

 

Once you start producing your own films, your competence in business, your ability to get what you need, and how well you work with others all become instantly apparent.  Respect comes quickly, so long as you do a good job along the way.

 

With that respect comes a flood of opportunity.  Producing sucks, nobody wants to do it, and as soon as people realize you can...

 

Use that power for good.  If you help other people with their goals, instead of pushing your own agenda, you're going to be able to build strong, positive relationships - and what you wind up with is the network and the foundation to make just about any kind of movie.

 

From there, making the films you want to make is pretty straightforward.  If your story or your business model is a little unusual, some of the folks in your network will be willing to take your lead regardless.

 

Show them you're a leader, and everything will fall into place.