tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33388287922628683572024-02-08T08:40:59.218-08:00My Program IdeaDo you have a program idea for television, the internet, books, or movies? This blog will help you realize your dream of creating compelling content and selling it to a media company.My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.comBlogger172125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-24378501147756539492015-03-23T20:04:00.003-07:002015-03-23T20:05:57.541-07:00You Miss 100% of the Shots You Don't TakeI am proud to say that my niece was recently accepted to the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts. This school was immortalized in the movie and TV series "Fame," and remains to this day a magnet for young people in New York City interested in a performing arts career. Only 3% of the students who apply are accepted to its drama program -- a lower admissions percentage than Harvard, Yale, and Stanford.
Her parents and I were surprised that my niece wanted to apply. We knew she enjoyed going to live shows, and attended a drama camp between 7th and 8th grade, but other than that she never expressed much interest in acting. She wasn't "on," all the time, as many young actors are. Despite living in Manhattan, she never asked to be taken to auditions for young people. She did try out for her Middle School musical, but felt lucky to make the chorus. One month before her audition, she still hadn't settled on her two monologues.
She wanted to try, so she worked to memorize her two monologues. She applied the acting knowledge she learned during camp to create characters, and received two one-hour coaching sessions from a professional director that my brother knew. New York being filled with young actors, I'm sure there were many students that spent more time on their monologues than she did. Yet she was accepted, while many of her friends, including everyone with a lead in her Middle School musical, were not.
Have you ever thought about not trying to live your dreams because the odds of success were small? When you do, think about my niece. Yes, her chances were small, particularly for someone with limited experience. But she wanted to try, so she did her best and was accepted! Don't be afraid to take a shot at what you want because you think you might fail. If you have a dream to create great content, or do some other job in the entertainment industry, go for it! You just might succeed. One thing I can guarantee -- if you don't try, you will certainly fail. After all, the acceptance rate at La Guardia High School among students who didn't apply is 0.
As the great hockey start Wayne Gretzky said, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." Go ahead. Take your shot. My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-85952808964505889002015-03-06T19:32:00.003-08:002015-03-06T19:32:49.499-08:00Should you Move to Los Angeles?Young people who want a career in entertainment often ask me if they should move to Los Angeles. Sometimes they want support for a decision they've already made to move, and I give it to them. Sometimes, they don't want to move and say: "I can make movies anywhere. We can upload video to the internet from anywhere. Why move to a city where I don't know anyone and will probably struggle?"
I usually answer this way: It's true that you can make movies anywhere. Richard Linklater shot "Boyhood" in and around Austin over 12 years. I know a very successful commercial production company headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin. However, if you want to become a major player in the film or television industry, moving to Los Angeles can accelerate your career path.
Most of our major media companies are headquartered in LA. f you want to work in the industry, you need to go where the major players live, work, and socialize. You can upload internet videos from anywhere, but if you want to pitch ideas to the heads of development for most major companies, you need to do it in person. If you already live there, you can pitch and/or interview with all the major companies. You'll also have opportunities to meet other people in the business that you may work with, or that might want to hire you. There are educational events to help you learn more about the industry.
Another reason to move to Los Angeles is to realize you're not alone. There may be some people in your home town who share your dream to make movies, but Los Angeles has thousands of them. That will help you find more skilled people to collaborate on your current content ideas. Of course, if you want to work in development or just about any job for a film studio, you have to move to Los Angeles. You can't be a receptionist for a Hollywood studio in Dubuque.
There are other production centers in the U.S. that provide some of the same opportunities as Los Angeles. Most major studios have signifiDecant operations in New York City, too. Atlanta, home of the Turner Networks, and Washington, DC, home of Discovery and the Nat Geo channels, provide production and development opportunities for television networks. However, Los Angeles provides more than any other city. Even if you manage to bring your work to the attention of a major studio, you'll probably have to fly to LA for the meeting. It would be a lot easier if you were already there. If you are out of work, as so many people in the industry are from time to time, it's easier to find work in LA than in any other city.
Horace Greeley said it best in the 19th Century when he advised young people to "Go West!" If you want a career in film, or in many other entertainment businesses, Los Angeles is the place to start.My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-70664752221985111632015-01-17T19:39:00.001-08:002015-01-17T19:39:28.050-08:00How to Protect Your Idea Everyone's got stories. When I was worked in programming for television networks, I never told anyone what I did. Because once people heard what I did, they would start pitching me an idea. My cobbler would pitch me a show idea about cobblers, my taxi driver would say there should be a show about taxi drivers, not realizing that there already was a very successful series called "Taxi," and my son's teachers would pitch me educational sitcoms and dramas. They were convinced that viewers would love to see their stories up on the screen, if only "those idiots" at the networks would agree.
Almost everyone who was about to pitch me an idea would ask if I planned to steal it. I would always say not to tell it to me if they thought I would steal it. While there are certainly unscrupulous people in the entertainment industry, idea stealing is not that common. It's not the idea that matters, it's the execution of the idea that matters. How many movies have been made where a parent and their teen child switch identities? Some have been hits and some disappear from the theaters after a week. It all depends on the execution.
Therefore, the best way to protect your idea is to turn it into a property. If you have an idea for a movie, don't keep it in your head. Write a treatment, or do a rudimentary story board, or create a detailed outline. Don't just say that you want to create a reality show about a biker bar in Dallas -- go to Dallas, find the perfect biker bar for your show, and sign an exclusive agreement with them. If no one wants to read your screenplay, use it as an outline for a novel. Then write your novel and get it published. You may find it easier to get studios to read your script if it's based on a novel.
As I pointed out, everyone has ideas. If an entertainment company doesn't like your idea, they know they can get ideas from any number of other creators. If you own a property that the entertainment company wants, you're in the driver's seat. JK Rowling had an idea for a novel about a boy wizard. That idea itself can't be protected. But once she wrote her first Harry Potter novel, she turned her idea into a property that has become one of the most valuable entertainment properties in the world. It also made her a billionaire. Maybe you have an idea that can be equally as successful. Turn it into a property and find out. My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-7695685156592565162015-01-04T07:40:00.000-08:002015-01-04T07:40:05.524-08:00The Easiest Place to Find Unique StoriesHappy 2015! I hope you had a Holiday Season full of joy, shared with your family and friends. Of course, for many of us, that family time is a mixed blessing. While I hope most of you enjoyed the time spent with your families, I wouldn't be surprised if your holiday time also included stresses and tensions. Just traveling home for the holidays can be a stress-filled adventure, as depicted memorably in films such as "Planes Trains and Automobiles," and "Home Alone," among many others.
Yes, the holiday time and your families can be great sources of material, particularly for independent film makers. If you're creating your own content you probably don't have a multi-million dollar budget for special effects and stars. That means you won't shoot a film like "The Avengers," although you may be able to emulate Joss Whedon's follow-up project, a film of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" shot in his backyard.
In addition to sharing meals with family and friends, did you share stories? Just about every family has a unique character whose story would fascinate other people. For example, my father and aunt told me stories about my grandfather I never knew. He didn't come to America through Ellis Island - he had a rich uncle who paid his passage, and put $20 in his pocket. That was enough money so he entered the country as a tourist, through Philadelphia. That uncle brought his whole family to New York, and owned some Nickelodeons and storefront theaters at the turn of the 20th Century. But he thought the film business was a fad, and sold them cheaply - and then lost that money in other investments. I think there's a good story in there, if I can develop it properly.
You may have an even more promising story in your family. Start talking to your older relatives at family gatherings about their lives. Record what they say on your cell phone. Listen to their stories of growing up on a farm, or in the big city, or what they did during the war, or the good times that followed. Did they march on Washington in 1963, or hang out at Studio 54 during the seventies? Perhaps they weren't involved in the big political issues of their day, but there's drama and comedy in the every day interaction of people in all situations. The series "The Wonder Years," took place during the 60s and 70s, but followed the story of how a middle class suburban family lived during that time.
If you're an independent producer or film maker you most likely don't have a budget to option popular stories, novels, or the true stories you see on television news. You need to find stories that can be made on a budget that will still resonate with an audience. No one but you can own your life story. Start with your life, your friends and your family. You'll be amazed at all the compelling material just waiting for someone to share it with the world.My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-87819107132493655702014-11-06T17:31:00.002-08:002014-11-07T06:11:35.943-08:00Why Shows EndAll shows end eventually. Cultural icons like <i>The Ed Sullivan show</i> were cancelled. <i>How I Met Your Mother</i> aired its last episode this past year -- the creator knew it was coming, but it still ended. Hollywood made 7 Police Academy films, but they didn't make 8. JK Rowling stopped writing Harry Potter novels. <i>Cats</i> ran on Broadway for years, but it closed. So did <i>Les Miserables</i>, even though it was revived. <i>Phantom of the Opera</i> is still running, but it will close someday too.
Why does it happen? The simple answer is: shows close and series are canceled when they ceasroducers will close Phantom of the Opera. The deeper question for content creators is why does the audience go away? How can something that was once so vital that fans structured their day around watching it become so insignificant to them?
The fact is, tastes change. My parents loved Big Band music and hated rock. I loved rock in the 60s and 70s but didn't love Nirvana in the 90s. I thought "Gilligan's Island" was very funny when I was a kid in the 60s; I recently watched an episode (it's still on cable somewhere) and can't believe I found it amusing. When we find a new program or movie that we like, the thrill of discovery adds to our pleasure. After the 20th or 30th or 100th episode, we find ourselves losing interest. In television, we say that a show that lost its freshness and is flailing away to try to attract an audience has "jumped the shark." That's from a famous episode of the series "Happy Days," when Fonzie, wearing his trademark leather jacket, water skis over a shark-infested part of the ocean. Many people don't realize that was in season five -- the series lasted six years after that famous incident.
Increasingly, creators and networks choose to end shows while they are still popular. Perhaps the first series to do that was "The Fugitive" in the 1960s, which ended with Richard Kimble finding the one-armed man. In the 1970s the Mary Tyler Moore show memorably said goodbye with the cast all huddled together singing "It's a Long Way to Tipperary." Some shows do better than others -- I thought "Seinfeld's" last episode was just odd, and I still am mad about "The Sopranos'" cut to black. But whether you end your show on your own terms or your studio, producer, or network ends it for you, understand that every show ends eventually. Enjoy it while it lasts. Dedicate yourself to making each piece of content you create as good as possible. Keep working on multiple projects so that, when one ends, you can move on to something else. When the show does end, reward yourself. You deserve it for creating something that entertained people and made a difference in their lives. My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-84264033209804017322014-09-27T06:01:00.001-07:002014-09-27T06:10:17.712-07:00Don't Make the Beatles' Merchandising DealWhen I was a young boy during the 1960s, I worshipped The Beatles - John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Under the business guidance of their manager, Brian Epstein, the Beatles became the most popular band in the world. They inspired a great deal of what we think of today as "the Sixties." Even at the age of 72, Sir Paul McCartney still fills stadiums. The Beatles all became rich beyond their wildest dreams. I hope that all of our work becomes so widely accepted and influential.
But while Brian Epstein's guidance helped make the Beatles household names and fabulously wealthy, Epstein also lost millions because he made some agreements without researching the industry. One of the worst deals they made was with a British businessman named Nicky Byrne. According to Bob Spitz' biography, <i>The Beatles</i>, Byrne approached Epstein's lawyer, David Jacobs, in 1963. Byrne convinced Jacobs that he could make the Beatles a great deal of money if they gave him their merchandising rights in the United States. Byrne had run a variety of entertainment businesses in the U.K., and convinced Jacobs that he would be the best man for the job. Jacobs asked Byrne what he planned to pay the Beatles, and Byrne said, "Ten percent." Jacobs wrote that amount in the contract that Epstein signed, giving Nicky Byrne 90% of the profits of Beatles merchandise sales outside the U.K.
The story goes that when Brian and the boys landed in America in 1964 Byrne met Brian at his suite in the Plaza Hotel and handed Epstein a check for $200,000. Brian asked what it was for. Byrne calmly replied, "that's your ten percent." Epstein finally realized that merchandising was worth millions of dollars and that he had given it away to a stranger. They immediately started renegotiating with Byrne, and eventually sued him to recover the rights. However, even after the suits were settled, millions of dollars were lost.
That's an important lesson for all content creators: Don't make that deal. Don't give up 90% of your merchandising rights to someone you don't know. You may be laughing right now and saying, "of course I wouldn't do that." But the ranks of creators are full of artists who did exactly that, or worse, gave up all control over their work. Take the time to research the industry standard so you know a good deal when you see one. If you don't have the time or the inclination to do this, at least find an agent and/or manager who does know the business. Have them explain it to you, and represent you in negotiations.
Finally, don't sign any contract you don't understand. Either figure it out yourself or hire someone who knows that particular area of the business.
My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-42626182433744493092014-08-01T18:31:00.000-07:002014-08-01T18:31:44.608-07:00Is Hollywood Losing America?The 2014 summer box office returns have disappointed Hollywood studios, particularly when compared with 2013. As of the last full week in July, box office grosses in 2014 are down 20% from summer of 2013. But while some of the hoped-for blockbusters didn't perform as expected, there are also many fewer big flops. There hasn't been a flop like "John Carter" or "The Lone Ranger." What is the reason for this, and what can we, as content creators, learn from it?
One reason for the box office slump often cited by critics and industry insiders is that the current crop of movies stink. When "Transformers 4" is one of the top performing films, you know that in-depth characters are not a priority this summer. Poor marketing also is mentioned. The dystopian movie "Snowpiercer" received very favorable reviews and did well at the box office, but the film's distributor, the Weinstein company, released it to video on demand before allowing the word of mouth to build. The film is doing very well as a VOD title, but it's not contributing to the box office total.
It's very difficult, if not impossible,to predict how an audience will respond to a movie two or three years in the future. Yet, that's when Hollywood makes its movie bets. Executives listen to a pitch, commission a script, and give those lucky few projects green lights. The films don't premiere until a year or two, or sometimes longer, after they are a "go" project.
That's why concepts that are popular when a film goes into production may feel old by the time they open. Next summer, when a new Avengers movie and other tent pole films are scheduled to open, major Hollywood studios may have a great summer. They also may not be so quick to send sleeper hits to video on demand after this year.
Since you can't predict audience taste in the future, don't worry about it when you're creating your content. Your job as a creator is to make the truest, most unique film you can. Audiences respond to authenticity, and they want to be thrilled by something they didn't expect. One of the challenges I had with last year's "Lone Ranger" movie, was that, after I got over Johnny Depp's odd look and manner, the film delivered everything I expected to see <i>and nothing else.</i> Please tell your unique stories with as much imagination as you can muster. That's how you capture an audience.
Is Hollywood losing America? They've lost some of their audience this summer, but all it will take is a couple of blockbusters, or a director and star with a unique vision, to get the audience back. This weekend's "Guardians of the Galaxy" looks to be a big hit. That's good for me -- I still own the 1969 comic book. However, if you define Hollywood as more than just movies, and include television and online offerings, Hollywood is having a pretty good year. While movie box office is down, viewing of online series -- everything from "House of Cards" and "Orange is the New Black" to experimental you tube series, is way up. Many of those series are created by traditional Hollywood talent. I don't think Hollywood is losing America; I think Hollywood is learning to find audiences in places other than movie theaters. Think about that when you're creating your content.
My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-69454727233771049952014-06-23T20:44:00.001-07:002014-06-23T20:44:25.846-07:00The disappearance of American IdolDisney announced today that their Hollywood Studios 'American Idol' attraction would close at the end of 2014 -- before the 14th season of American Idol starts airing on Fox. There is no clearer sign of American Idol's eroding audience than Disney deciding that even the show being on the air wouldn't draw enough people to their attraction.
Did you watch American Idol this year? A show that used to be Number One in America sometimes finished second in its time slot to situation comedy reruns. Readers of this blog know that I have long been a big fan of the show, and I barely watched it this past spring. When I did tune in, the show certainly resembled its glory days. There were three judges - two men and a woman.Ryan Seacrest hosted, and the various contestants warbled their way through a series of vintage and modern hits. The show had auditions with good and bad singers, Hollywood week, elimination shows, and everything that Americans always used to watch -- only this past season, they didn't.
The ratings for the finale were down 28% over the previous year, and some nights sitcom reruns beat it in the ratings. Because the show had a long way to fall from its lofty perch, Fox renewed the show for a 14th season. Even if you remained a regular viewer, you knew it wasn't the same. No one at the office was talking about the performances, or what the judges said. The contestants weren't on every nightly news show. And the various blogs and online chatter were more likely to talk about contestants on 'The Voice' or 'Dancing With the Stars.' Vote for the Worst, the web site that took credit for keeping Sanjaya on the show week after week, didn't even bother to cover season 13. The creators shut the site down because American Idol was no longer relevant.
What happened? Media critics suggested several causes for the show's drop in popularity -- competition from other reality singing shows, boring judges, a series of bland winners, etc. All of these have some validity. However, I believe the reason for the huge drop in ratings is more simple: the audience was bored with the format. They knew that there would be some ridiculous performances during the auditions. They knew there would be heartwarming stories and tension during Hollywood Week. And they knew most contestants would struggle to perform week after week. There were no surprises any more, and a large percentage of the audience moved on.
That's a normal part of the cycle of programs. All shows lose audience and end. CBS cancelled the Ed Sullivan Show. Gunsmoke, the longest running dramatic series, eventually rode off into the sunset. These days, creators and networks prefer to create finale episodes, like this year's How I Met Your Mother final show. They provide closure to fans and tie up several story lines.
Of course, you as a show creator will want to keep your show running as long as possible without "jumping the shark," a phrase referring to a time when the creators of 'Happy Days' ran out of ideas and had Fonzie water ski over a pool of sharks in a bathing suit and trademark leather jacket. If you've done your best to make your show compelling, and its audience is fading, don't take it personally. Understand that's part of the natural cycle of content, accept it, and move on to the next idea. After all, if your content is good enough it will live on in syndication, international markets, and internet streaming. Just make sure, if you want to remain in the content creation business, you are constantly developing new ideas while your previous idea is still on the network.My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-14306725110076087472014-05-31T16:25:00.001-07:002014-05-31T16:31:52.573-07:00Lessons from Act OneI was in New York for three days last week and could only see one Broadway show. For me, there was only one choice: James Lapine's stage adaptation of Moss Hart's memoir <i>Act One</i>. Moss Hart wrote <i>Act One</i> at the end of his career, from the perspective of a successful, worldly man of the theatre looking back at his early life. The book is funny, poignant, and infused with a love of theatre that struck a chord with me, a stagestruck young boy in Brooklyn some sixty years after the events described in the book. James Lapine and the producers at Lincoln Center must share my love for <i>Act One</i>, because they adapted the book faithfully and spent a lot of money on a revolving set and large cast of actors
Lapine faced many challenges adapting the piece. <i>Act One</i> covers over 20 years in Hart's early life, with many characters and locations. He also faced the tough challenge of recreating some of the stage shows as a play within his play to demonstrate Moss' love of theatre. The second act, which largely tells the story of how Moss worked with the great playwright George S. Kaufman on their first play, "Once in a Lifetime," suffers from this difficulty. It's tough to dramatize the writing process on stage.
Lapine and the designers met the challenge of multiple locations by staging scenes on a multi-level revolve that stood in for many locations, and playing other scenes on the thrust stage at the Beaumont theater. Even though they had a large cast, every actor played multiple parts. Tony Shaloub played three parts: older Moss Hart, Hart's father, and George S. Kaufman. Andrea Martin played three parts, too. That device works much better in theatre than on film or television. In this case, too, having actors playing multiple roles fit the material, which was a play about a boy who grew up loving theatre and finally found his place in it. As the young Moss says at the end of the play, in a line taken verbatim from the book, "not a bad curtain for a first act."
Everyone involved with <i>Act One</i> did a credible, professional job of bringing the book to life. Since I loved the book I enjoyed the stage production. Even with the elaborate sets and costumes, charismatic performances from the actors, and great source material, it was no more than what we call a gentle, pleasant, evening in the theatre. I hope Tony Shaloub wins a Tony, but suspect that he won't since it was a strong year for actors on Broadway.
If you're thinking of adapting a famous work to create your content, make sure you've chosen the right format for it. Does it enhance the piece if it's a play or a television series? Let your imagination soar. I heard of one young composer who created a very successful 15 minute accapella musical based on Sophocles' Oedipus. Before you start writing, think about what the material demands. <i>Act One</i> was made into a movie in the 1960s, in what is still considered one of the worst movies made by a Hollywood Studio. Clearly, it made more sense to tell this story in the theatre. Make sure you have the proper resources to realize your vision. Although <i>Act One</i> is technically a Broadway show and eligible for Tony Awards, only a non-profit like Lincoln Center Theatre Company could afford to mount a play with such a large cast and set. A commercial producer would probably not have done it. If you don't have large resources make your adaptation fit the resources you have.
If you love the theatre and/or loved the book <i>Act One</i> I would recommend you go before its current run is over. I can't imagine smaller theater companies around the country staging such an ambitious, expensive adaptation.
My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-74553125896753595642014-05-13T21:30:00.000-07:002014-05-13T21:30:04.536-07:00The Enduring Popularity of "Road House."I love films that challenge,confound expectations, and make you think. I hope you do, too. But every now and then I also enjoy watching a film that does none of those things. I am referring to the Patrick Swayze film "Road House," which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. I don't know about you, but I always watch at least part of the film whenever I catch it on cable. If I was still running a cable network, I would schedule it every chance I got. Even a quarter century after its release, the film remains a potent ratings performer. Entertainment Weekly's Dalton Ross, who shares a name with Patrick Swayze's character in the film, created a chart for Road House fans to track its violence. He counted 55 punches to the face, 24 stomach punches, 26 kicks to the chest, and esoteric violence such as 7 pool cue strikes and 1 man crushed by a stuffed polar bear. You can find the details at: http://popwatch.ew.com/2014/04/29/road-house-patrick-swayze-fight-chart/.
Road House is structured like a classic Western. The owner of the local bar in this unnamed small town hires Dalton, America's greatest bouncer, played by Patrick Swayze, to ride into town in his sports car and clean up his bar, the Double Deuce. Dalton is not only a martial arts master but also a zen philosopher who says things like "pain don't hurt," and "be nice, until it's time not to be nice." The movie signals early on that we're not supposed to take any of this very seriously, so we just enjoy watching Swayze, beat up bad guys, woo Kelly Lynch, the world's most glamorous emergency room doctor, and avenge the death of his mentor played by Sam Elliott. We also get to see a lot of Swayze's magnificently sculpted body, since he spends a lot of the film shirtless.
The small town is run by an evil, rich man, Brad Wesly, played in scenery-chewing glory by Ben Gazzara. Gazzara was a very promising actor when he was younger, but you wouldn't know that from this film. In fact, very little about the plot makes sense, which is why I think the film spends so much time on various fistfights and destruction of property.
Road House is the very definition of a film that's usually called a "guilty pleasure." We know it's not a great film, but we enjoy watching it anyway. But why does it work? How does this combination of fist fights, zen philosophy, and shirtless Swayze continue to draw an audience when so many other films from 1989 have faded away?
I believe the key to Road House's success is the performances. Yes, the situation strains credulity, but doesn't break it. All the actors act as if the situation is real, and their total commitment to their performances allows the audience to suspend their disbelief. Dalton is a particularly compelling character. There's also something admirable about a man known for keeping the peace who prefers not to fight; that's a trope that content creators have used successfully throughout history. We all want to root for a man who always does the right thing, no matter what the cost. Finally, there's the rough and tumble of the actual fist fights; what man hasn't at some point, fantasized about being able to enforce order just by beating people up?
The lesson I take from Road House is to make the world you create as believable as possible. Once you set up the rules of that world, stick to them and make sure that characters behave according to those rules. It helps if the characters are attractive and the heroes and villians clear. But let's not analyze the film in too much depth. Let's just enjoy it for what it is, the next time we see it on cable. And remember, be nice until it's time not to be nice.My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-59397891166784171452014-03-29T20:54:00.002-07:002014-03-29T21:20:09.151-07:00The Power of the Public DomainHaving trouble coming up with an idea for your next project? Try the public domain. Stories and content in public domain are available for anyone to use.
Sounds like a great resource, doesn't it? Public domain material won the Academy Award for Best Picture this year. <i>12 Years a Slave</i> was based on a public domain memoir of the same name by Solomon Northrup. Anyone could have used it for movie source material. The Bible is in the public domain. This week a big screen version of <i>Noah</i> is opening, starring Russel Crowe. <i>Son of God</i>, based on the public domain New Testament, is still raking in bucks at the box office.
All of Shakespeare's works are in the public domain. Perhaps you didn't like Joss Whedon's version of <i>Much Ado About Nothing</i> and want to film your own. Go right ahead. Walt Whitman's poems are in the public domain. You can take "Song of Myself" and create a web series of two minute videos until you've put the whole poem on line. Want to adapt any of Mark Twain's works for the stage or television? Start typing today. The public domain is full of time tested content that's been popular for centuries and can still work today.
In general, any work published before 1923 are in the public domain in the U.S. That's a lot of content. Someworks published after 1923 may be in the public domain if their copyright wasn't renewed. Some works created long after 1923 are in the public domain -- for example the 1968 version of <i>Night of Living Dead</i> is in the public domain. So is <i>His Girl Friday</i>, starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. However, for works published after 1923 in particular be careful before you use it. Check with the U.S. copyright office to be sure. Here's their web address: www.copyright.gov.
It's important to make sure that the material using is actually in the public domain before you use it. It is possible to copyright a particular version of public domain material. <i>12 Years a Slave</i>, the book, is in the public domain, but the screenplay and the film adaptation are copywritten. If you print a version of Shakespeare's <i>Hamlet</i> with your specific notes about the script, that version of the play can have a copyright. If you compile all the poems of Walt Whitman into one book, that book can have a copyright, even if the individual poems don't have one. That being said, if you want to quote from Whitman's poem "Oh Captain My Captain," as Robin Williams did so memorably in <i>Dead Poet's Society</i>, you don't need permission to put those quotes in your screenplay.
The works I mentioned only scratch the surface of what's available in the public domain. Other content available includes all of Greek and Roman drama and poetry, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Moliere's plays, Nathaniel Hawthorne's novels and stories, and the songs of Stephen Foster. Think of the public domain as a vast source of free ideas that you can adapt for your own content. If you have questions about what can and can't be used, it's best to consult an entertainment or copyright attorney.
There's power in the public domain. It contains content hundreds or even thousands of years old that continues to thrill audiences to this day. It can be a great source for your work if you use it wisely.
My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-32474822498655080192014-03-09T09:14:00.001-07:002014-03-09T09:15:35.129-07:00Low Budget Films Win Acting Academy AwardsAll of the Academy Award acting winners this year acted in films whose production budget was $20 million or less. $20 million might seem like a lot of money, but these are in fact small budgets to most major media companies. In 2013, for example, Disney spent a reported $250 million to make<i> The Lone Ranger</i>, with Johnny Depp.
Last week Mathew McConaughey and Jared Leto won Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively, for <i>Dallas Buyer's Club</i>, a film budgeted at $5 million. Best Actress winner Cate Blanchett appeared in <i>Blue Jasmine</i>, budgeted at $18 million, and Lupita Nyongo, the Best Supporting Actress winner for her work in <i>12 Years a Slave</i>, was in the biggest budget picture of all. Best Picture winner <i>12 Years a Slave</i> cost a reported $20 million.
How did a low budget project like <i>Dallas Buyer's Club</i> capture a star like Mathew McConaughey? He supposedly turned down $15 million to star in the screen version of <i>Magnum, PI</i> to take $200,000 (plus backend considerations) for <i>Dallas Buyers Club</i>. Would you turn down $15 million for a $200,000 fee? You might if you were an actor. McConaughey had already made millions from a series of big budget films that didn't provide great acting challenges or do very well at the box office. McConaughey wanted to work on projects that provided both. Years from now, people may not remember that he starred in <i>Sahara</i>, but they will remember <i>Dallas Buyers Club</i>.
Actors want to act. Most big budget action films don't require a lot of emotional depth, or offer actors a chance to play characters that can help them win awards. Many actors would find a good script that offers them a chance to show their talent and range very compelling. That's particularly true if the subject matter is compelling history, like the early history of AIDS or the savagery of slavery.
Therefore, the key to capturing a great actor for your independent production is to write a great script. Make the lead roles attractive to actors by offering them opportunities to create memorable behavior within a compelling story. Give them a chance to win an Academy Award.
However, a great script with great parts isn't always enough. It's important to make sure you have the business side of your project in order. Try to partner with a company that has a record of getting distribution for their projects, such as Fox Searchlight, which distributed <i>12 Years a Slave</i>. Actors may be attracted by your great script, but if they're going to work at a reduced rate they want to know that their work will be seen. Even a talented newcomer like Lupita Nyongo will be hard to cast in your film if she doesn't think it will be distributed.
I'll discuss more about what the success of these films mean for the industry in a future post. For now, I hope those of you creating content understand the lesson from these success stories. Make your script and your story as good as you can every time. Who knows, you just may get an Academy Award winner to star in your project.My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-44639350775606404502014-02-23T08:36:00.001-08:002014-02-23T20:43:32.856-08:00The Disappointment of 'Inside Llewyn Davis'The coming week will be full of predictions about who will win the Academy Awards on March 2. One film that won't figure in the Oscar race, despite great reviews from many critics, is "Inside Llewyn Davis."
I'm a big fan of the Coen Brothers' films. I loved "Fargo" and "Miller's Crossing," and still quote lines from "The Big Lebowski." I am also a fan of folk music and the early 1960s Greenwich Village scene. So when I heard that the Coen Brothers' next movie was set during the 1960s folk revival, I went to see it as soon as it opened in Orlando. 'Art' films generally open here a couple of weeks after their New York and Los Angeles debuts, so you can imagine how much I anticipated seeing "Inside Llewyn Davis" after so many critics chose the film as one of the top movies of 2013.
I can't remember the last time a film disappointed me this much. I wanted so much to like it. It's taken me a few weeks to write about it because I was trying desperately to salvage something from the experience that could provide useful insight to my readers. I think I've finally figured out where it went wrong, which I can pass on so you can avoid the same mistakes.
Briefly, the film tells the story of a few days in the life of folk singer Llewyn Davis, a talented, if unfocused, folk singer. The film essentially relates a series of incidents where nice people (friends, family, and even strangers) try to provide opportunities for Llewyn, and he messes up every single one. Over the course of a few days Davis moves from couch to couch throughout the city, deals with the possibility that he may have gotten a friend's wife pregnant, loses a friend's cat, gets a few gigs, gets drunk, and gets beaten up.
Unlike other, more successful Coen films, there's not a lot at stake for Llewyn Davis. He doesn't solve a murder, like Marge in "Fargo" or the Dude in "The Big Lebowski." He isn't trying to save his marriage and reunite with his family, like George Clooney's character in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Llewyn Davis runs away from his family and his responsibilities -- he doesn't go see his son in Akron when he has the chance and he insults friends who give him free places to sleep, but he won't compromise his art to make more commercial records. That may make him a hero to the Coen Brothers and the critics who loved the film. The average audience member, myself included, doesn't understand what's wrong with some commercial success. Bob Dylan, who makes a brief appearance at the end of the film, sold a lot of records, but that doesn't make him a sell-out. Llewyn Davis doesn't do anything to try to save himself, despite the huge number of lifelines thrown him throughout the film. It's very difficult to make the audience care, if the protagonist doesn't.
When you're working on your content, make the stakes as high as possible. Give your protagonist a clear objective to pursue, and have him or her pursue it strongly. It's all right to give the audience someone they can root for and identify with. We want our audience to be engaged and follow the story. Communication with the audience can only happen if they find the story and lead characters compelling. If you can make the story and lead characters compelling enough, you, too, can achieve success.My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-76300501138611440562014-01-21T14:22:00.001-08:002014-01-21T14:27:24.315-08:00Why Did ABC Cancel "The Assets" while F/X Renews "The Americans?ABC announced the cancellation this week of their Cold War spy era series "The Assets" after just two episodes. They planned for the series to be "limited" and complete the story arc in 8 episodes. I'm sure they didn't think the "limit" would be two episodes, however. The series was a fictionalized version of how the CIA searched for and caught one of the most destructive, traitorous turncoats in its history, Aldrich Ames, played by Paul Rhys. It takes place during the mid-80s when Ames was a respected CIA counterintelligence operative, and details the CIA's efforts to find the mole in their system.
I am in the small minority of viewers that saw both episodes of "The Assets." I say small because the first episode received a .7 rating and the second a .6. No broadcast network can allow a show with ratings like that on the air, so despite my desire to find out what happened in the series, ABC made the decision to cancel.
Why didn't the series work? After all, F/X's "The Americans," which stars Keri Russell as one of two deep cover Russian spies working in the US during the 80s, is a big hit. I can envision the pitch for the series and the development meetings that made "The Assets" a 'go' project. The producers probably pointed out the success of "The Americans" and said "The Assets" would be like a spy reality series, with the added hook of being based on "actual events."
"The Assets" came with a major, built-in problem that probably sank the series before it began: U.S. traitor Aldrich Ames was a major character, and they wanted us to feel sympathy for him. That's a tall order for US audiences. Imagine the difficulties that a series set during the Revolutionary War would have if the producers wanted the audience to identify with Benedict Arnold There are some things that Americans just don't want to see. Of course, "The Assets" also featured Jodie Whittaker playing Sarah Grimes, the blonde CIA agent who would eventually track the traitor down. But oddly, the two episodes I saw concentrated on Aldrich as much as the intrepid woman trying to catch him.
Why did one 1980s spy thriller fail and one (The Americans) succeed? Star Power is part of the answer -- Keri Russell has a television following from her days playing "Felicity". Better execution of concept is another reason. "The Americans" features great writing, sharp direction and great acting. "The Assets" writing and directing were OK, but not particularly memorable.
Finally, "The Americans" doesn't feature traitors. The Russian spies masquerading as a typical American family aren't traitors -- they're patriots fighting for their country. They also give viewers an American family that viewers can root for. While "The Assets" gave Sarah Grimes a home life, the scenes didn't depict a loving home, but instead a troubled home caused by her devotion to the CIA. Her husband was understanding, but her teenage daughter was rebellious and everyone resented the time she spent on her job.
In the end, an idea is only as good as its execution. "The Americans" is well executed and thrilling. "The Assets," despite the efforts of a talented group of people, was not. That's why "The Americans" will stay on F/X, and I'll be hunting Hulu for the last few episodes of "The Assets."
My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-29233663384533058912014-01-11T20:23:00.000-08:002014-01-21T14:27:47.322-08:00Set Your Creative Goals Today's the eleventh day of 2014! Have you set your creative goals?
What's that you say? You don't know what your goals are yet? Well get to work. I know, you were partying on New Year's and needed the next few days to recover. Then you spent last week catching up on work. Then there are all the bowl games, snow in the Northeast, and your last opportunity to binge watch all of "Breaking Bad."
I'm not saying all of those aren't worthy or important activities. However, if you want to become a content creator, the first step is to actually <i>create content</i>. Write a poem, or a chapter of your novel. Finish that screenplay scene, or create a video. Grab that canvas out of the closet and start painting! Of course you can choose what content you like to create. But unless you're creating or writing or the time, you're not an artist -- you're someone who hopes someday to be an artist.
This year, resolve to create specific times in your schedule to create. Drop an appointment in your schedule, just like you would for a meeting at work, doctor, or dentist. Don't take calls during that time, or check Facebook and e-mail. Make it your time to create. Even if nothing happens the first few times, keep that appointment on your schedule. Eventually, it will become your most productive time.
Finally, set a creative goal for the year. Decide to finish your screenplay, novel, book of short stories or poems. Give yourself a date to finish by. Then break the overall task into segments. If you just finish a chapter for your book each month, by the end of the year you'll have a 12 chapter book to sell. Creators create. That's our job. Make sure in 2014 you give yourself time to create and a goal to achieve. You'll be amazed at the results. Write and tell me how it's going, and what you accomplished.
My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-35324970000637109072013-12-15T05:54:00.002-08:002013-12-15T05:55:18.033-08:00How to Make a Successful PitchIn my years working in television I heard thousands of pitches, and as head of development for production companies I made a few, too. I'm often asked, "what are executives looking for when you pitch them? In my experience they are looking for two things:
1. They want to be thrilled
2. They want to believe you can do it.
Let's talk about that in detail.
1. Film studio and network executives hear hundreds if not thousands of pitches a year. They hear them in their offices, of course, but also everywhere they go. I once got pitched by a caddy at the Bel Air golf course who was also a screenwriter. Most of the time, they say 'no.' But the reason they got in the business, the reason they have their current job, is because they want to be part of creating something wonderful. Nothing excites an executive more than a great story - something that they can be a part of and that might make their reputation. They want to be thrilled by a pitch -- but they rarely are.
2. However, even a great story is not enough. As I've written in previous posts, an idea is only as good as its execution. For example, it's one thing to go into a network and pitch the idea of starring Bill Cosby in a sitcom where he plays a doctor. It's a very different meeting if, like Carsey-Werner productions, you walk in with Bill Cosby himself. (see my earlier post, turn your idea into a property). Even with Bill Cosby, the two networks at the time with the biggest audience turned down the pitch for The Cosby Show, which made NBC, the network that said yes, the #1 network during the 1980s.
That's why it's important to create a track record in the entertainment business before you pitch. Unless they feel comfortable with the second point, it doesn't matter how great your idea is. If you're already a producer or can show a video of your work, that will help prove it. If you haven't produced anything, try to partner with a production company that has produced shows.
Pitching and picking shows remain an art, not a science. If it were a science, no show or movie would fail. However, If you keep these two points in mind -- 1. Thrill them; 2. Prove you can do it -- you'll have a much better chance.
My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-19772906934943068952013-12-01T17:28:00.000-08:002013-12-01T17:28:05.631-08:00Hunger Games: Catching Fire -- How to Make a BlockbusterThe second film in the Hunger Games series, Hunger Games: Catching Fire, is likely to gross over $500 million worldwide by the end of the Thanksgiving weekend. That's after a record pre-Thanksgiving opening day gross and a Thanksgiving Day record box office gross. It's likely that after just it's second weekend the film will be the fourth best-grossing film in the U.S. for 2013, and there's a good chance that by the end of the year the film will be the top grossing film of 2013. Remember this is only the second film of what will be four movies in the series. I hope whoever optioned the books for Lionsgate got a well deserved promotion.
It's no wonder that the only growing section in most bookstores is teen fantasy adventure. It's not just the Hunger Games -- the Harry Potter and Twilight series also made billions of dollars for their movie studios and publishers. Some of these series, like the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series, have not been nearly as financially successful. The latest film in the series, "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters" has grossed just under $200 million worldwide. We've now seen enough successes amongst these types of films to identify certain common principles of their creation.
1. Start with a popular book series: Harry Potter, Twilight, and the Hunger Games all sold tremendously well as books. The Potter books started the practice of having parties in bookstores the night before their release. The first two Potter films were not critical triumphs, but the series had so many built-in fans they were financial successes.
2. Cast good young actors as the leads, but not stars. Jennifer Lawrence got great critical acclaim for her role in the independent film "Winter's Bone," but she was not a star when cast as Caitness. Similarly, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson had some experience, but were just about complete unknowns when they got cast as Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Let the audience create the stars.
3. Surround the young stars with the best possible adult actors: Catching Fire added Phillip Seymour Hoffman to a cast that already included Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, and a host of other fine character actors. The adult Potter cast was a who's who of great English actors. Don't cast stars who will draw the focus from the young leads, but rather will help make the world believable.
4. Don't try to recreate the book on the screen. Aim for the essence of the book and some key plot points, but recognize that movies are a different medium. The Hunger Games films did that successfully by compressing the action that took months into a few days.
5. Include a strong heroine. Of course, Caitness fills that bill, but so does Hermione in the Potter books and Bella in Twilight. Your target audience should be first -- the target audience for the books, and second, their parents. If you can capture both the fans of the books and their families, you have a blockbuster.
6 Don't be afraid of including adult themes. The Hunger Games, for all of its love triangles and plucky heroines, is actually the story of a political revolution against tyranny. The Potter books are about the importance of self sacrifice for the greater good. Those themes make the action more compelling and help the films appeal to adults.
7. Keep the stakes high; make the antagonists strong. President Snow appears invincible at the beginning of Hunger Games; Voldemort is the most powerful evil wizard in the world. There's no challenge if the bad guys are easy to overcome.
Most important, if you are the author or filmmaker, you have to care about the characters and the story. The Hunger Games series started because Suzanne Collins had a story she wanted to tell. JK Rowling hoped her first Harry Potter book would find an audience; by her own admission she didn't expect it the franchise would grow to its current size. The story and the characters kept her writing every day while she was on the dole in Great Britain.
The first step to success is a burning desire to tell your story, and to make it as compelling as possible.
My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-3132836376530488892013-11-24T06:11:00.002-08:002013-12-01T17:28:52.425-08:00Artists are Never Out of WorkIt's not surprising that the Great Recession and slow economic growth have made Americans obsessed with job security. It seems that parents and college age students pay more attention to college majors and job placement rates than ever before. In response to this concern, colleges are creating more specific majors to meet the demand for job related skills.
Yet people still struggle to get hired. When companies run into financial trouble, like the Tribune company did recently, they lay off or fire their workers. Sometimes they lay them off even if they're not in financial trouble. After all, if you can run a business more efficiently, you should. If that means restructuring to eliminate positions, that's what a business owner should do. That's capitalism. No jobs immune from economic problems.
That is, except for artists. If you're a writer, filmmaker, musician, designer, painter, or poet, you're never out of work, as long as you keep creating. You may not always be paid, but you can always work on your art. What's more, you never know when your work will spark enough of an audience interest to support you. The stories of artists who jumped from poverty to affluence are legion -- JK Rowling was living on the dole in England while writing the first Harry Potter book; the Beatles barely got enough to eat during their gigs in Hamburg, and Robert Townsend financed his breakthrough film, "The Hollywood Shuffle," by signing up for dozens of credit cards.
It's important to believe in yourself while you're finding your voice and creating your content. If you want to tell your stories, paint your pictures, or create any content at all, you have to be in for the long haul. History is full of big companies that went out of business when technology changed. We no longer have blacksmith shops, buggy whip companies, and pretty soon we may not have any printed newspapers. The skills you learn as an artist -- the ability to create and finish a project, analyze and improve it, and create products that move people -- are always in demand. What's more,great art lasts forever. We're still reading the Illiad, performing Shakespeare's plays, and enjoying Monet's paintings. What legacy do you want to leave?
Artists are never out of work, as long as they keep working. My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-48265906201264885672013-11-11T20:38:00.002-08:002013-11-11T20:38:43.671-08:00Kill Your Darlings: Indie and Hollywood Philosphy"In writing, you have to kill all your darlings." - William Faulkner
This quote from Faulkner refers to revising your writing to remove material you loved, if it makes the piece stronger. It's also the title of a recently released indie movie starring Daniel Radcliffe as the young Allen Ginsburg, the Beat poet who wrote “Howl” and other iconic works. The film is a portrait of the artist as a young man, based on the true story of Ginsburg’s formative years at Columbia University, where he first met Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs. According to the script Ginsburg and the young beats came under the spell of the charismatic Lucien Carr, who encouraged them to create a New Vision. The movie features a lot of hanging out in New York jazz bars during World War II as they develop new forms of self-expression. It also depicts benzedrine and other drug use, and Allen Ginsburg explicity exploring his sexuality. There isn't much great poetry in the film; the film ends with Ginsburg starting to write poems in his personal style.
Clearly, this film is not aiming at a mass audience, despite Radcliffe's star power. The cast is uniformly excellent, and includes a post-Dexter Michael C. Hall and the immensely talented Jennifer Jason Leigh as Ginsburg’s institutionalized mother. This makes the second film about Allen Ginsburg released in three years (“Howl” was the other) in a period where we’ve seen no films about George Washington or Thomas Jefferson. To be fair, we have seen two films about Lincoln – Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” and of course, “Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter.”
I’m surprised the film got made at all – it’s a downbeat story about a literary figure whose most famous poem, “Howl,” debuted over 50 years ago. On the other hand, the Beats appear to fascinate some filmmakers, despite their spotty box office record – the recent movie version of Kerouac’s “On the Road” lost money, as did the most recent film about William Burroughs that starred Johnny Depp. The fact that it got made says a lot about the type of projects that attract actors. Radcliffe said he was attracted by the high quality of the script. Remember that many actors see themselves as serious artists. Appearing in indie movies with meaty roles provides them opportunities to demonstrate their acting ability. These types of roles can also win Academy Awards that you can’t get for big budget sci-fi sequels.
The fact that films like “Kill Your Darlings” continue to get made should provide inspiration to content creators everywhere. Don’t give up on your passion project. If your script gets into the right hands, you might capture a star. Just understand that you could be in this for the long haul. It can take years, sometimes. Finally, be ruthless when revising your work. Faulkner’s advice for writers keeps being repeated because it’s often true. It’s often the work that’s most precious to you that requires the most revising. Take it to heart.
My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-29540895397410367712013-10-25T20:17:00.002-07:002013-10-25T20:17:56.298-07:00Neil Simon's MistakeIf you enjoyed the plays or movies <i>Barefoot in the Park</i>, <i>The Odd Couple</i>, <i>The Sunshine Boys</i>, <i>Brighton Beach Memoirs</i>, and <i>Biloxi Blues</i> (among many others) you've enjoyed Neil Simon's work. He's one of the most successful and funniest modern writers. He's won several Tony and Emmy awards and was nominated for four Academy Awards, all while making millions of dollars from his writing. He became known early in his career for helping rewrite shows out of town before they premiered on Broadway. His play doctoring work was how he got the nickname of "Doc" Simon. I've been a fan of his work for many years, and had the good luck to work as an assistant on his play <i>Actors and Actresses.</i>
As Neil Simon writes in his memoir, "Rewrites," his talent as a writer did not always translate into business. In 1965, after <i>Barefoot in the Park</i> and <i>Odd Couple</i> were big hits on Broadway, Paramount approached Simon's business manager to buy the company that held all the rights to those two plays. Paramount offered $125,000, which was a significant amount of money in those days. Simon had misgivings, but because his business manager told him it was a good deal, he ultimately decided to sell. That meant that Neil Simon, the creator and author of the play "The Odd Couple," received no money from the run of the TV series, or any ancillary revenue from DVDs and videocassettes. He receives no royalty money from stage productions of <i>Barefoot in the Park</i>, which is still performed all over the world. For a $125,000 fee, Simon literally gave up tens if not hundreds of millions in revenue. In his memoir Simon takes responsibility for this decision. He says, "No one forced me to make the deal. It was a judgment call, and I let the wrong person sway me in making that judgment."
Of course, when he made this deal in the sixties, very few people realized the amount of money one could make from ancillary markets for content. However today we expect that the number of outlets for our content will continue to expand in ways we can't even predict now. Hence the phrase in many content contracts - "all rights in all media currently existing or that may exist, in perpetuity."
Never sell all rights to your content to a third party. If your business manager tells you to sell all your rights, get a new business manager. If your content reaches a good sized audience, it may provide you with an income for many years (see my earlier post about Norman Greenbaum, who still lives off royalties from his one hit, 'Spirit in the Sky.'). Of course, like Norman Greenbaum, you should license your content to third parties for distribution and collect your fees and royalties; just don't sell all the rights. I've advised never to sign any contract without having it reviewed by a lawyer. Don't even bother having your lawyer review a contract asking you to give up all rights to your content in perpetuity. Just don't sign it.
I should add that Neil Simon wrote a lot more hits, and made a great deal of money from them. Even with this success, it still bothered him that he no longer owned the rights to two of his greatest plays. Learn from Doc Simon's mistake. Own your content.
My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-52320655585110982532013-10-13T21:15:00.001-07:002013-10-13T21:15:31.045-07:00Happy Accidents"There are no mistakes, only happy accidents," - Bob Ross
When I worked at public television station WLIW, I watched Bob Ross paint every day at 2:00 PM. Every day Bob Ross started with a blank canvas, and a half hour later he created an inspiring landscape. His soothing voice combined with the sound of his brush scratching the canvas was like white noise shutting out the world. He had by far the most popular painting show on PBS; even people who didn't paint watched it. But as practiced as he was, Bob Ross was not perfect. When he did make a mistake, rather than try to cover it up, he incorporated it into his painting. He liked to say "there are no mistakes, only happy accidents."
Artistic techniques -- whether it's practicing music, sketching a still life, or creating a believable acting moment -- are studied and practiced in order to enable artists to create freely and spontaneously. There are times when all artists struggle to create, and there are times when the ideas flow freely and the canvas fills up as if by magic. We never know when inspiration will strike, but we do know that we'll make the most of it if we have a solid technique and practice every day to give our inspiration the best chance to affect our work.
Allow those happy accidents to happen when you're creating content. Have a vision, but don't be so rigid you ignore opportunities for inspiration. The scene where Cary Grant is chased by the crop dusting plane in "North by Northwest" was created when director Alfred Hitchcock and screenwriter Ernest Lehman were stuck for an idea. They considered several ideas for the scene, including a killer tornado (but how could they make the tornado appear on cue? Too bad they didn't see Sharknado). Finally, one of them said, "what about a crop dusting plane?" and suddenly they were developing the scene and writing notes madly. A happy accident of an idea became one of the most memorable scenes in the film.
I bet you're wondering if Bob Ross' painting techniques worked for others. They absolutely did. Mario, one of our master control technicians at WLIW, also had watched Bob Ross' show for years and one day decide to try it. He would often show me slides of the magnificent landscapes he created using the Ross technique, without any formal art training. In your own work, follow Ross' advice. Don't make mistakes. Make happy accidents.
My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-14197076913285742142013-10-05T14:25:00.002-07:002013-10-05T14:25:38.751-07:00Create Entertaining StoriesIn the classic movie Sullivan's Travels, written and directed by Preston Sturges, Joel McCrea plays film director John L. Sullivan, who's made a good living directing light comedies, but now wants to direct a 'significant' picture, a movie called "Oh Brother Where Art Thou?" (yes, the Coen brothers knew about Sullivan's Travels when they wrote a movie by the same name.). When Sullivan actually does live on the streets and is sentenced to a chain gang, he learns how much joy his comedies gave ordinary people, and he goes back to making them.
People want to be entertained. That's why they spend hundreds of dollars on concert or sports tickets, and share internet videos about kittens. If you want to market your content to a group larger than your friends and family, you must make it entertaining. That doesn't necessarily mean funny. Your goal as a story teller is to involve your audience so they want to know what happens next, and are anxious to find out. The more your content can do that -- whether it's a viral video or a popular novel -- the more people will want to experience it.
How do you make something entertaining? If there was a formula that worked every time, every piece of content ever created would be popular. That being said, there are some principals I've learned over the years that I try to apply to my work:
-- A satisfying story is both surprising and inevitable. The audience must be unsure of the ending, but when they get there the ending should result from the characters' personalities and interaction.
-- Tell a story about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances -- whether they're trying to save the earth or save their Average Joe Gym (yes, that's a Dodgeball Reference. Wonder if they'd still have Lance Armstrong in that movie today). By the way, "people" does not necessarily mean humans -- your characters can be hobbits or Norse gods.
-- Dialogue should reveal character and advance the plot. Even the most brilliant verbal repartee from Noel Coward or Oscar Wilde or Judd Apatow does that.
-- Any message must grow out of the situation and characters to be effective. Otherwise, write an op ed piece or an essay for the NY Times.
Of course, even if you apply these rules and work hard to make your content as strong as possible, it still may not find an audience. Forgive yourself, and move on to the next project.
My message: If you liked this post, make a comment. My poetry collection, Two Car Garage, is also available on amazon.com and bn.com.My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-73981333932718167682013-09-21T20:59:00.002-07:002013-10-06T10:24:04.590-07:00Casablanca's Ending"We'll always have Paris." "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she has to walk into mine." "Round up the usual suspects." "Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." "Play it, Sam." -- Has there ever been a movie with as many iconic lines as Casablanca? By the way, no one in movie ever says, "Play it, again, Sam." Both Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa and Humphrey Bogart as Rick say to Dooley Wilson as Sam, "Play it" meaning their signature song, "As Time Goes By."
According to several books about the movie and biographies of the stars, Bogart and Bergman played the movie without knowing how it was going to end. Would Ilsa go off with Rick, or with her husband, the noble resistance fighter Victor Laszlo, played by Paul Henreid? One reason the audience was unsure, was that the <i>actors</i> were unsure. The writers were still working on the script during shooting, and wrote two different endings. Ingrid Bergman said she asked the director and writers who she would end up, and they said, "We don't know. Play it in between." Her uncertainty increased the audience's anxiety,and made this love triangle romantic and mysterious.
Even though two endings were scripted, Director Michael Curtiz only shot one -- the famous ending we have today where Rick sends Ilsa off with Victor, and reminds her "We'll always have Paris... If that plane leaves and you're not on it you'll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life." It makes me wonder if Curtiz knew how he wanted the movie to end all along, but didn't tell Bergman to make sure she played it the way he wanted. You can do that when you're directing actors in a movie. You just need to capture the result you want once, and it lives forever.
Casablanca won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and many film historians consider it one of the greatest movies ever made. How is that possible, with the amount of rewrites in production and uncertainty about the ending? Sometimes, creative chaos produces the best results. I don't mean total chaos -- after all, the movie did get shot even though the script was being rewritten. All that off screen creative uncertainty has a way of feeding the on screen energy. On the Casablanca set that uncertainty about the ending probably helped keep the performances fresh throughout. It helped that the ensemble cast was one of the deepest and finest assembled for a Warner Brothers, film. It was so good that Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet played only small (but crucial) parts.
The reasons why one piece succeeds and another doesn't remain mysterious. If they weren't mysterious, then anyone could create a successful film, and no movie would ever fail. That's why it's important for content creators to keep going and finish their pieces despite the chaos. There will always be chaos. Don't let that stop you from making your content the best it can be.
My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-91410876697304260782013-09-12T08:39:00.001-07:002013-10-06T10:25:30.310-07:00"The Butler" outgrosses "Lone Ranger"As of September 8, 2013, the Disney film "The Lone Ranger's" domestic box office gross stood at $88,806,000. That's a tremendous disappointment for a film that reportedly cost $250 million to make. As of Sept. 8, after only four weeks of release, "Lee Daniel's The Butler" grossed $91,901,000. The reviews and word of mouth on the movie have been so good that it's sure to increase its lead over The Lone Ranger, and many other summer box office failures. The budget for The Butler is estimated to be $30 million, making it tremendously profitable.
What happened? The obvious answer is that audiences liked The Butler and didn't like The Lone Ranger. In my July post 'A $250 million Flop" I outlined some of the more obvious mistakes Disney and its creators made with the Lone Ranger. Lee Daniels, producer and director of The Butler, made right decisions, starting with casting Forrest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey, who the audience loved and could play those parts believably. The Butler also opened up a world for audiences that most of us do not know -- behind the scenes of the White House. It constantly surprised us in a way that draws people into a story -- we thought we knew the history, but The Butler showed us a side we didn't know. The Lone Ranger had no surprises -- we may not have known the specific stunts going in, but we knew everything that was going to happen.
The Butler's success also proves two other things: 1. $30 million dollar films can still make money, if they are well made and reach the right audience. 2. We'll soon see several movies dealing with African-American history -- the upcoming "!2 Years a Slave" is just one example.
Does the success of The Butler and failure of The Lone Ranger mean studios will change the way they do business? I'm sorry to say no. It's true The Lone Ranger's budget would fund 8 movies like the Butler. But personal, quality films like the Butler bring their own challenges. You need to have a quality script. You need stars willing to work for less than they usually make because they believe in the project. It's not easy to make high-quality, intelligent, films that reach a wide audience. Finally, Studio executives don't get jobs because they make $30 million movies; they get jobs because they've supervised $100 and $200 million movies. If you greenlight a bunch of $30 million movies and they fail, not only did your films fail, you couldn't attract big budget elements. When The Lone Ranger fails, at least you've shown your ability to bring name talent to your studio. The business isn't set up to nurture inexpensive or even reasonably priced films.
For content creators, the lesson of "Lee Daniels the Butler" is that there is a market for quality stories that inspire people. We never really know what stories will capture the audience's interest. Keep working to make your stories, films, poems, and web series the best you can, and let your audience find you.My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338828792262868357.post-47913492584198632532013-09-01T15:29:00.002-07:002013-10-06T10:27:01.936-07:00Final American Idol Judging Panel - You Make the Deals You Can MakeThe rumors, stops and starts, and time it took to fill the judges' chairs for American Idol this summer are a clear sign of the show's problems. With its ratings plunging last season, and expected to fall further in 2014, top talents didn't want to be associated with the show. The show's new producers, stuck with high expectations, either couldn't or wouldn't take the chance of creating a panel entirely of successful former contestants. It's possible Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Jennifer Hudson didn't want to take time from their busy careers to sit in the judges' seat -- at least not for the amount of money Fox was willing to offer.
Instead, with their backs to the wall (production starting this month)the producers first re-signed Keith Urban, whose nice guy persona will at least make contestants comfortable. With a year of experience and a different panel, perhaps this year he'll get a word in edgewise. Next they reportedly spent $17.5 million to re-sign Jennifer Lopez, a judge the previous regime had tossed over the side just a year ago. Lopez was probably happy to get the gig. Her music and acting career is stalling, and after her recent divorce she probably could use the money. After they lost record producer Dr. Luke over contract conflicts of interest, reports are they signed Harry Connick, Jr. to fill the third slot. Harry also has a nice guy persona like Keith Urban, so perhaps Jennifer Lopez will fill the Simon Cowell role of acerbic truth teller. Further rumors are that Randy Jackson will return as mentor. I think bringing Randy back in a different role is a great idea. For long-time fans, Randy provides continuity to the glory days of idol.
In earlier blogs on this topic I said, and still believe, the problem with Idol wasn't the judges, but the contestants. America needs people they can care about. I just can't believe out of the thousands who audition every year they couldn't find more compelling contestants than the ones chosen for last season's show. Rather than spend $7.5 million on a single judge they would be better off spending $7.5 million on talent scouts and coordinators to make sure only the most interesting contestants and story lines get to the finals. I'm sure they could find a former contestant who's had some success to judge the show for just $10 million -- Chris Daughtry, Adam Lambert, Fantasia, Ruben Stoddard, and maybe Jordin Sparks would consider it.
What content creators can learn from this hoopla is: sometimes you have to make the deals you can make. The producers may have wanted to take the judging panel in a different direction (they certainly tried to sign other judges first. Their production deadline meant judges had to be signed by a certain time, and the longer it took, the less leverage they had to find the ideal judges. I'm sure that Harry Connick's price went up after Dr. Luke dropped out because he knew they needed him and were out of time. When you're creating a movie or a television show you can't always sign your ideal cast or afford your ideal production values. Successful producers and directors make it work anyway by focusing on the key points of the story they're trying to tell. It's possible that the current Idol judge panel will work, as long as the most important part of the show -- the contestants -- capture the viewers' imagination.
When you're creating your content don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Make the deals you need to make things happen, and protect the core of the story to connect with your audience.My Program Ideahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13256092565171096473noreply@blogger.com0