Life During Wartime...

Okay, just stay calm. You prepared for this. Oh damn. They’re at the rear entrance too…
Follow procedure. Ditch the legends in the fireplace - passport, credit cards, driver’s license - everything.

How the hell did they find me?!

Must’a got sloppy. Caught my face on the CCTV cameras. Showoff. Idiot.

Damndamndamndamndamn.

Come on man. Wipe the drives. Discs in the fireplace. Come on, you know this stuff. The clock is ticking. Six flights of stairs isn’t that much. They're almost here.

What was that?

Move! Move! Move! Out the fire escape. Down…No! Up and over! You practiced this! No choppers - good. The escape route's clear.

Don’t run. Don’t draw attention to yourself. You’re just a face in the crowd. Nobody knows you and nobody cares. Just get to the drop, leave the file and then disappear.
Call it in. Get to a safe house.

You can do this. Just keep telling yourself that.

And don’t forget to breathe.

"Release The Hounds..."

So the AMPTP made their counteroffer (or is it just offer?) which amounts to the title of this post. We have a long hard road ahead.

I just hope the stockholders in these big companies realize exactly what's going to happen when their stocks take dives and advertisers don't want to advertise on networks with nothing to show.

Another Tale From The Trenches...

I just had a production meeting and so help me Goddess, there was a point (after the coffee and before we stood and left the conference room) where I thought there was going to be bloodshed. I would be pummeling the person - no, waste of flesh would be a more appropriate title - and they would scream in agony as their blood spray painted my face into a crimson mask. I wouldn't stop until they lost consciousness or until my fists tired.

I do not suffer fools gladly and one thing I want for all of you my little pulpsters is to think creatively. If you don't, it's over. Pack your computer up and hold a bonfire for your scripts, films, art, whatever. You are done. Time to go get that government job over at the post office where they have the good benefits.

If you don't think creatively there are consequences. Dire ones (and not just talking about my fat ass leaping over the conference room table and beating you to the point where I hit the dark meat). Jobs are on the line because of creativity, and if I were to formulate it I would say:

Creativity costs you nothing and pays you handsomely.

LACK of creativity costs you everything.

The object of my ire, an outside producer, discovered that today when he put together a budget for a project we are doing for a client - a series of flash animations promoting one of their movies. This is the client's first time using animation for their site (and licensing it for other territories to use on their sites in their languages when the movie is released there), so we are in a test case scenario. The spotlight is on us to be promotable and on budget - 5 spots for $300/spot.

This "producer" put together a budget based on the idea we would be shooting video of the actress for the animations ($500/day plus a camera man -- probably $250). Then the footage would be edited together in a day ($200 ). Already $950 in the hole and we hadn't shot anything [and we would have to work around this actress's schedule]. Then there would be time for a designer to work in flash on the spots, etc...

His estimate was we could do it all for $2000. We had to go back to the client and ask for more money. Does everyone else see the bad math here?

Fortunately for him I took the budget and ripped it in half. I told him to get out of the office and don't come back until he could tell me and the rest of us sitting at the table what he did wrong. He was offended, but I told him he was getting off light because if he had shown that budget to the CEO, who approves such things, he would have been fired.

I talked to my graphic designer and we pulled all of the footage we would require from the film, grabbed some stills and audio of the actress and spit-balled some concepts. Total cost: $700. No video shoot. No cameraman. $800 profit. We were even able to add some things to the mix the producer hadn't thought of...

So learn your tech. Get your experience. Find out what the tech can do, and what it can't. Sketch out ideas. Read. Feed your creativity. Take it out for a walk and let it poop on the neighbor's lawn...

But don't let your creativity go to waste. Because if you're sitting across the table from me you know what could happen, and I'm a nice guy.

(Portions of this post may be fictional. That doesn't make them untrue)

Yep, This Is All Strictly Promotional...

Which is why NBC and others are making deals like this.

Now This Is A Point of View...

From the website promoting the upcoming movie THE WATCHMEN. Check out the images of the backlot.

I Just Threw Up a Little...

When I read Seth Rogen's MTV interview regarding his take on THE GREEN HORNET.
And yes, I agree with his point about how fanboys like to bitch if something "isn't in the canon." It drags me down too...

But when you admit that:

a) You don't know whether or not you're writing a comedy or an action picture, and...
b) The MTV main website says inaccurate stuff like:

"By day Brit Reid (Seth Rogen) is a millionaire publisher and popular media figure, but by night Reid assumes the identity of fearless crime-fighter the Green Hornet and teams with his trusted sidekick Kato to keep the streets safe for average citizens... ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide"
.
It doesn't inspire confidence. It glosses over what could be a unique selling point of the movie that would distinguish it from all the other costumed avenger movies out there (Bats I'm looking at you). The distinct "hook" with the Hornet is ---

Everyone thinks he's a criminal!

To the public at large he is a myth to be feared - a ruthless racketeer who always gets his way. The police blame him for all of the corruption in the city. They say he's bought off the judges and even the District Attorney. He's Keyser Soze in a mask, and when the Hornet is involved people who get in the way tend to disappear. The Hornet doesn't get the accolades - he gets the contempt. The scorn. It's his other identity - Britt Reid - that gets the fun.

Now granted, the synopsis above could be a simple matter of people from outside the source writing the PR for the movie. However it seems to me that when you have a marketplace filled with superheroes and masked avengers you want to brand yours as different, unique, exciting. That all-important "same, yet different" movie that the studios are looking to produce. You want to let everyone know this. This synopsis fails miserably.

Good movies of this nature start things off with a unique point of view/approach. (Case in point: BATMAN BEGINS, SPIDERMAN). By not making the decision on whether or not its going to be a comedy speaks to indecision and floundering. It speaks to poor moviemaking.



The Green Hornet (both as a character and a franchise) deserves better.


(and yes, I've said all this before, but it bears repeating. Movies are better when decisions are made before you get to the script and to the camera)

I Poke Fun...

at the guys and gals up north, but it's really nice to know they are supporting the WGA in the strike.

Man, it is cold! How do you cats do it? I mean that is like "sterility-inducing" cold.

Anyway - go check out DMc, Miss Jill, Alex and Sir Jim in their march for freedom. Our march is their march and we all hang together.

One of DISContent's Founding Fathers...

Is being honored with a documentary showcasing his library of films and antics.

I urge everyone to go see it and learn about the whacky wonderfulness that was William Castle: Filmmaker. Showman. Entrepreneur. I am glad he is getting his due (as I'm sure Joel Silver and Robert Zemeckis are as their Dark Castle Entertainment shingle is based on Castle's works).

The New Frontier...

is coming! Save your pennies and get the 2 disc special edition! Newsarama covers the DVD set's details here. Just in time for a certain Mad Pulp Bastard's birthday! (ahem...)

The Other Side of The Fence

(Courtesy of Cinematech)

You want to know how investors think when you go out and pitch them your projects? Do you want to know what (and who) they see as potential investments?

Then read this. (The problems with investing in content)

Then read this. (When content investment works)

This is going to be an important skillset for writers to master in the digital age - how to show people they can make money by backing your work. That means you not only have to show them your work, but also that you have an audience that is hungry for more of your material. You have to show them their money isn't going to be wasted, that you've thought about what can happen if it all goes to pot and what you're going to do to see that doesn't happen.

VC Mike is laying it out for you, so let's go back to school and learn from his tutelage.

Just imagine...

From the vaults of the pulp electro-web comes this 47 page story from Phillip Francis Nowlan featuring a character you are all familiar with...

Now, to go off on a 4GMedia tangent - isn't this cool that you can download this classic story for free on the web? In a variety of electronic formats?
Now imagine new pulp fiction available the same way - paid for with advertising on a website. New characters. New stories. New methods. Authors paid based on the number of downloads. The best pulp stories and novels collected in limited editions with illustrations by fan favorite illustrators. All published on demand so there's no upfront cost except a creator's time.

Imagine if we could recreate the pulp industry for the new digital age. Getting people to express themselves through writing...

But let's not limit it to prose - what about short videos? Comics? Articles? Message boards. Art galleries. All under one digital roof.

Just imagine...

Post Tryptophan Hangover...

So, still feeling stuffed after the big bird blowout yesterday. Now as the serotonin levels in my brain begin to lower I am left with a desire to get to work on some projects that I've been juggling lately, and yet here I am blogging...and here you are reading.


(You enablers! Damn you all)


The holidays are now officially in full swing and we will be addressing this in an upcoming Geekerati podcast with our "What I want for Christmas this year" episode. I am taking suggestions now.


John Rogers (who is experiencing the cold up north for the first time in a long time I wager) has a discussion about short online fiction and the death of the anthology following a post by Warren Ellis on the same subject. I'm also wondering what happened to our series paperback characters that seemed to dominate the drug store spinner racks when I was a kid. Does anyone here besides me remember the Richard Blade series of books?


Warren Ellis reminded me the other day about Createspace - a division of Amazon - where you can publish on demand and videopost on demand and monetize the whole thing - including selling DVDs on demand. This is an excellent step toward self-sufficiency for filmmakers. It's possible that there could be a shift toward "regionalism" with something like this set up. Imagine a group of mediamakers who aren't in LA, New York or Chicago who have their own local programs and "stars" and are able to create content for a local market that pays the bills. Possibly similar to where Quebec is in the Canadian market - separate and distinct, but accesible to those who look for that programming. Then, as an afterthought the rights to the programming is sold elsewhere as added revenue not necessary for financial solvency.


(Yes, these are the things that run through my head as the serotonin dips)


Congrats to Denis McGrath whose THE BORDER premiered in Canada last night. I will be searching the webs for it.

I've been searching the web looking for a new blog template that reflects my pulp, movie-making and new media sensibilities. If anyone has a suggestion that seems to fit the bill, please send me a link. The template must be compatible with Blogger, easily adaptable and rockin'. I'm going to be breaking things up into better categories for navigation's sake as well as providing links to my other digital shadows - message boards, networks, business related matters.

I set aside my short story for Astonishing for a week so I can go back to it over the holidays and polish it up. I wrote down a lot of notes and put the file away so I can read it with fresh eyes right before I polish it. The twist doesn't work yet as I haven't set it up properly in the story. It has to be obvious when it happens, but not so obvious that the reader gets it before I give it to him in the story. A delicate touch to be sure and I'm a freakin' sledgehammer...

Later...

Speaking of Comics...

In his latest column for Comic Book Resources, Augie De Blieck makes some interesting observations about the new Marvel.com Digital Comics Unlimited site's business model which could (and probably should) be applied to movies and television over the internet.

Two excerpts:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Comics distribution is the most important part of the industry. It's what drives the readership and the popularity of comics. The lack of comics on every pharmacy magazine rack and supermarket check-out line is what has pushed the industry into a corner of its own making. The reliance on the Direct Market -- often (but not always) run by fans without any sense of business -- has encouraged a monoculture of comics production.

Digital Distribution has the potential to solve all of those problems. The internet is a completely level playing field with near-ubiquitous availability. The computer screens we use today are so large and so detailed that reading comics off them can be a pleasurable experience, if not a perfect one. Broadband availability -- while not ubiquitous yet -- is widespread enough to create a much larger market than what the Direct Market can give us today.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wherever it says "comics" substitute "film" or "television" and you get the picture...

Check This Out!

Francesco where have you been all my pulp writing life?

And to top it off he also creates title cards for The Shadow radio shows airing every sunday!

(Drat! Blogger is having a problem uploading art - will have to blow your eyeballs through the back of your heads later...stand by for retinal reaming!)

Edit: There! All fixed and Happy Happy!

My Feet are Tired...

But my soul is strong because I walked down Hollywood Blvd. today carrying a sign in solidarity with my fellow writers. I won't bore you with the star sightings though there were many.

We marched as one and people from all over the world saw us. As I walked back to my house carrying my sign I got "honked" and "thumb upped" several times. It reminded me I wasn't alone even though it seemed like it.

I'm going to watch the news tonight to see exactly how many of us there were.

Digital Re-alignment 2.0

Kung Fu Monkey John Rogers follows up on my post below with a far more cogent and detailed analysis of the implications of Andreessen's Hollywood via Silicon Valley Business model.

I happen to agree that there is going to be some blow back from the traditional media systems that are in place - creatives, networks, employees and ancillary industries associated with "moviemaking." It probably will take longer than I think and shorter than John thinks to re-align the distribution system. I say re-align (John says bloodbath or rearranging the deck chairs) .

I say re-align because there are several facts in play --

a) Studios and networks distribute television and movies really well. They buy intellectual property and license it really well, but...
b) They don't produce said products very well (in the overall). A lot of money and time is wasted at the studio level. They need a wide margin of demographic groups (4 quadrants) for them to greenlight a film. This tends to take the spice out of the content, and make it palatable for a wide variety of folks.

(gross generalizations to be sure, but nonetheless supported by many examples.)

So the first steps in the re-alignment process would be:

1-- To have the creatives create the shows, build a a reputation and brand for the shows (as well as some revenue) through digital distribution. AFTERWARD have networks distribute the shows via traditional media - VOD, cable and DVD. Very similar to the idea of a comic publisher producing comics on a monthly basis, who then licenses rights to a book publisher (who has greater reach into mainstream stores) who releases a graphic novel.

(We'll come back to this analogy in a moment. Please stand by)

2-- The guilds and unions have "indie -experimental" contracts in place. They recognize the new media and the place for independent media production in relation to their membership. This needs to be utilized more and more, and in this new world agents and managers are going to have to realize this, and not prevent their clients (ha!) from examining offers to work in this new media.

3-- Take advantage of the technological tools at our disposal - in many cases for free - that allow talented individuals or groups to create material without having to mortgage the house. An excellent example is this , which was created on a Mac computer at Darwyn Cooke's home. Broadcast quality at 1/100th the price and headaches.

4-- It's going to have to be a co-operative measure for awhile...creators will create and distribute via the web then license other rights out to traditional media. You can't just yank the cash carpet out from underneath the studios --too many people's jobs are at stake.

There will be bumps along the way...but make no mistake that the studio system, as it exists today, is realigning toward distribution. Production, as it exists today, is realigning toward creators. There will be more limited partnerships for new media along all points of the process. The people who make the shows will be the show's owners. The studios will be the salesmen.

(And to answer John's point about writers who are just damn good writers and don't necessarily want to be producers. Okay, fair enough. That's what partnerships are for. If I don't know something, I partner up or hire those who do specialize in the area where I'm weakest.)

This will be tough for some folks. It will be brutal in terms of convincing people to go ahead and take the gamble, but understand this sort of entertainment media re-alignment has happened before in the early 80's (and earlier) and parallels what is happening today with new media:

(By understanding the history of how distribution affects creation and vice versa we begin to understand the potential of the web, avoid some of the pitfalls, and reasonably predict where some of this is going)

For the longest time, 4-color comics were produced only by the big two- DC and Marvel. Now we have a much more diverse comics market. There are a dozen or so companies that make up a smaller percentage of the market that is still dominated by the Big Two. However, those alternative comics and their smaller niches are still lucrative for the individual creators and companies. I'm looking at guys like Mike Mignola (HELLBOY), Jeff Smith (BONE) Brian Bendis (JINX) and others...this is thanks to the alternate distribution system set up in the market known as the comic book shop direct distribution system.

While it had its fits and starts, the direct distribution system changed the way the market thought about comics. Suddenly, new voices, which were ignored by the Big Two had a way to get their material in front of their audience in a cost-effective manner. It's the system that allowed for the creation and licensing of the TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES. It gave us Image comics, DC's Vertigo Comics line, Boom Studios and CEREBUS THE AARDVARK.

Eventually the system evolved for both indie and corporate companies to co-exist and each grab their piece of the market. It also cross-pollinated the indie world creators with the corporate comics world. Now some creators work on "company material and characters" (the short burst paycheck of work for hire) while also working on their own "creator-owned" work (smaller income, but fueled by ownership and generally creative non-interference). This would never have happened if the creators hadn't taken the chance and self-published through this new distribution system - shown the larger companies that they had an audience and brand identity.

Now what's interesting is the fact that the two of the guys mentioned above - Mignola and Smith - are doing traditional 4-color comics, but with new subject matter. Mignola mines the pulpy horror of Lovecraft, et al with his HELLBOY, while Smith mixes sensitive drama with Pogo-like childish adventure in his comic BONE. Both are so much more than regular comics though they have many of the same trappings...and both have rabid followings of fans.

And I think that's what is going to get the audience to the new media of the internet in sufficent numbers:

New voices and perspectives wrapped up inside the familiar trappings of traditional media - production quality, familiar faces, known writers.

(I almost want to say that we've hit that with QUARTERLIFE, but not quite)

So, I predict, based on the evidence before us, that one day - sooner than John thinks and longer than I think - there will be an "Image Comics" who comes along and truly signals the re-alignment of this new media and distribution...a breakout performer that is financially sound and ongoing and touches a nerve in the audience.

When that happens - watch out.

(Apologies that this is a first draft and reads that way. I needed to get it out and on the boards...)

Edit to add: This is interesting and adds fuel to the discussion.

The New Hollywood Business Model Has Arrived...

Marc Andreesen has an excellent very well-thought out post on how Hollywood and Silicon valley are converging.
This is a must-read for those of us affected by this convergence (meaning everybody).
The days where you are "just a writer" are over, Bartleby.

Sunday Morning Pre-Coffee Blather...

(Wherein your Mad Pulp Bastard discusses all those little tidbits floating around his cranium seeking expression. Let the reader beware.)

-- Been going through a tough time lately. Won't go through specifics at this point, but suffice it to say that it's nice to have friends who step up when you need them.

-- Note to all those people who visit my blog looking for "Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet" information. Go away. I broke the story here. Big deal. You didn't believe me then. Well maybe you'll believe me now when I say people have babies all the time. People break up - all the time. So the idea that this is newsworthy is simply ridiculous. Leave it alone. Get your own life and live it.

--Had a wonderful discussion with Tim Minear on friday. If you go over to my right sidebar and click the player you can listen in. Seems Tim is a real fan of the six-pack British form of television and Shawna and I recommended he watch Jekyll to see the form put to its best use. Tim is also a pulpster and has some D2DVD / DTV roots. Enjoy.

-- I can't wait to see this.

-- I can't wait to read these.

-- I have been concentrating (or at least making the attempt through this stressful time) on my story for Astonishing Adventures. It's going to be fun (for me at least) and when it is finally published (Issue 3?) I hope you will enjoy it, and give the guys some feedback. The PDF magazine is free and is sent to your email box. I encourage everyone (you, you and you especially) to stretch their screenwriting muscles, come up with a short story and send it in.

-- I'm also working on a treatment for a graphic novel I'm writing. I have the concept down, but haven't quite nailed the story. If you know of any artists who are willing to work with me - I do have a publisher lined up - then let me know. It's an old school scifi - aviation adventure series with tons of design influences from the thirties. Just like FLASH GORDON or SKY CAPTAIN (to use a movie reference).

-- In the comments section, send me links to the web serials or series that you are watching. Tell me why you like them and what you want to see the format grow to do in the next couple of years. Do you post comments on the video sites? Do you seek out merchandise from the same folks who brought you the web serial - t-shirts, books, music, toys, etc..?

Okay, the caffeine has kicked in, and my blathering will halt. It is now your turn.

It's A Small World After All...

I just wanted to post and remind everyone to tune in tonight at 7pm pst (10 pm est) to hear Tim Minear on the Geekerati podcast. We will be discussing the fan support for the strike here in the states.

Jill Golick (Jill is my elder sister's name which predisposes me to like anything she says, but she really comes through with the goods) reminds us that the writer's strike is not just about the United States (imagine that), but about writers all over the globe. She has several posts that show exactly how this action has inspired others to change things in their countries.
Go. Read. Now.

"Drive!" He said...

DRIVE, FIREFLY, BUFFY and ANGEL scribe and all around media mensch TIM MINEAR will be our guest in a special podisode of the GEEKERATI PODCAST this friday evening at 7pm PST. The subject of our discussion?

Fans4writers.com and how the fans have come out to support the WGA writer's strike.

.

Have a question for Tim? Have an issue you want to see covered ? Then post your questions in the comments and we'll try to cover it. Can't guarantee anything, as our time will be limited, but we'll be putting the show outline together and we want your input.

Does Anything More Need to be Said?

Except maybe where to get your own sign.

More Fun for your Friday...

Upper left is the cover to the upcoming SUPERPOWERS #2 from Dynamite Comics. Cover by Alex Ross.

The other two I found trolling the web and came upon the Calavera Comics sites. I want to see if I can get a poster of the luchadore and the leopard. That would look good on my wall.

Studios! Your Attention Please!

I know this is hard for you to fathom, what with you having a chokehold on most everybody's entertainment choices for decades, but I really have to let you know:

You're not the only game in town.

Now some of you own pieces of this new media. Good for you. However if you insist on not paying people for their intellectual property and craft, you surely have to understand that the creatives are going to go find venture capital and...

DO IT ON THEIR OWN.

(Just like Marvel Entertainment, or Sacha Baron Cohen or Zwick & Herskovitz or Eisner or Iron Sink Media...)

Welcome to your future. We really don't need you.

Run along now.

What Did You Do Today?

I went walking around the neighborhood and found the WGA Strike (Cause it's everywhere studios!):

Unfortunately I couldn't stay long nor ask in-depth questions of each individual there, but there's always tomorrow! As I say in the video there's alot of opportunity in the internet and my point is that the studios are trying to limit what writers can and cannot do.

That is just plain wrong.

The internet is the future and if the studios don't realize that then there are going to be more and more defections from the hallowed halls of Hollywood, and into the loving arms of silicon valley.

Think about it. Soon you could be hearing the words:

"This movie brought to you by Google."

For Those Do-It-Yourselfers...

My boy James McKenney is getting ready to release AUTOMATONS.

As reported last week in Variety and at Fangoria.com, AUTOMATONS, thesci-fi ScareFlick from Glass Eye Pix and MonsterPants Movies, comesto DVD this January 29, 2008, courtesy of the prestigious FacetsVideo label.

The DVD will include the one and only version of the criticallyacclaimed film starring Christine Spencer, Brenda Cooney and Angus Scrimm and directed by James Felix McKenney that played in festivalsand theaters. Also on the disc are over 80 minutes of Bonus Materials.

These Special Features include:

- DEATH TO THE AUTOMATONS: a 60-minute look behind the making ofAUTOMATONS

- A FEW MINUTES WITH ANGUS SCRIMM: A hilarious, unedited interview with the horror icon unlike any he's given before

- Camera and FX tests

- Original Theatrical Trailer

The AUTOMATONS DVD is available for pre-order from directly from the Facets catalog as well as through Amazon.com.
.

"Automatons is an excellent homage to the movies of yesteryear, andwill be quite a thrill for anyone who misses those old days."-- Steve Anderson, FILM THREAT

"It's not a film of compromise but of sheer determination, refusingto be defined by its budget and liberated by a decision to overcomeits bank account with sheer imagination."-- S. James Snyder, NEW YORK SUN

"The beautiful indie sci-fi film AUTOMATONS is a troubling vision ofthings to come. Enough to make you think, worry and pray."-- Louis Fowler, ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHRONICLE

"...the movie’s loving attention to light and shade transcends itshermetic setting and meager budget. At times the buzzing static andfizzy backlighting recall the glistening surrealism of the filmmakerGuy Maddin... enormously endearing"-- Jeannette Catsoulis, NEW YORK TIMES

"a chiaroscuro love child of Eraserhead and Team America: WorldPolice ... Automatons fuses surging political critiques to experimental sci-fi in a gritty, grainy 8mm black-and-white thatplants viewers squarely in its heroine's nightmare."-- S.T. VanAirsdale, THE REELER

"AUTOMATONS is a wonderfully made, socially conscious low budget film and I cannot recommend it enough."-- Brian Harris, JOE HORROR.COM

http://www.deathtotheautomatons.com/

http://www.facets.org/

http://www.monsterpants.net/

http://www.glasseyepix.com/

http://www.scareflix.net/

Making Dreams Come True

By now, many of you have seen the excellent video posted on YouTube by the showrunners and staff of THE OFFICE. If you haven't, then here it is (courtesy Dead Things On Sticks):

Full length episodes with commercials streamed over the web are "promotional" are they? Webisodes requested by a network for free (which won an Emmy no less!) aren't writing? Aren't work? Networks aren't making any money off the internet? It's an expense?! The internet doesn't count?

Fine. If that's the way the AMPTP wants to play that, then let's make that a reality...

Until the strike is resolved, I hereby swear not to watch any streamed content from the networks or cable outlets. They will not have my eyeballs. They will not have my money.

They will hear crickets at their websites. Zero traffic from me.

I urge all of you to do the same. Link to this post. Post your own. I don't care.

Just spread the word.

Make sure people know that we are only following what the AMPTP has been saying all along, "That the internet doesn't count."

We are making that dream come true for them.

I'm sure they will be quite pleased as will their advertisers.

Make it so.

Hugs and kisses,

Your Mad Pulp Bastard.

What's It Worth In Today's Market?

Every annual AFM issue of The Hollywood Reporter has a column called "The Going Rate" which estimates prices various territories are paying for "all rights to theatrical films in Overseas Markets."

***Disclaimer***

Per THR, this list is only meant as an approximate guidleine to launch negotiations and are not sanctioned by any industry organization. Per me, I am only listing the information related to films made for $750k - $1M as this is closer to budgets for first timers than any other. THR also lists information on budgets from: $1-3M, $3-6M and $6-12M.

So, if you produced a movie for between $750K -1M then you could expect to negotiate for the following for all rights in that particular territory:

EUROPE:

France $30-60K
Germany/Austria $30 - 75K
Greece $5-10K
Italy $30-60K
Netherlands $10-25K
Portugal $5-10K
Scandinavia $30-60K
Spain $30-60K
UK $40-80

ASIA / PACIFIC RIM:

Austrailia/New Zealand $15-30K
Hong Kong $3-5K
Indonesia $5-10K
Japan $40-80K
Malaysia $3-5K
Philippines $3-5K
Singapore $3-5K
South Korea $20-50K
Taiwan $5-15K

LATIN AMERICA:

Argentina/Paraguay/Uruguay $2-5K
Bolia/Ecuador/Peru $1-3K
Brazil $15-30K
Chile $2-5K
Colombia $2-5K
Mexico $15-30K
Venezuela $2-5K

EASTERN EUROPE:

Czech Republic/Slovakia $5-10K
Former Yugoslavia $2-5K
Hungary $10-20K
Poland $5-10K
Russia $20-50K

OTHERS:

China $3-5K
India $5-10K
Israel $2-5K
Middle East $2-5K
South Africa $5-10K
Turkey $10-20K

What the list isn't telling you how to sell the territories and in what order. For example, you can't sell Japan before Korea because the discs will mysteriously end up in Korea and Taiwan and selling on the streets.

Same goes for Turkey and Greece. If it goes for sale in Greece, it will be bought and copied and on the streets in Istanbul within a week.

The trick is to always sell for the best possible return, which doesn't mean selling all rights (DVD, cable and free tv) right away. You should sell according to the territories demand. Free TV in India doesn't get you anything (or it didn't used to), but VCD and DVD does.

There's also the taste factor to include in the sales plan. Certain territories buy more of a certain type of film. Example: India and the Middle East don't buy a lot of porn.

Now there's a few smart ones out there who are asking, "Why are you showing us this, Bill?"

I'm showing you all this because this system, these rates, the distributors, salespeople, sell sheets and posters and a whole ton of other "middleman" factors are all going the way of the dinosaur.

More later.

Just Because...

Post AFM

Working on a long post outlining AFM and what's right and what's wrong about it.

Then I'll work on that post about the future of all this media-making and how that is going to affect the traditionalists among us. Specifically, how it's going to affect DVD.

Now we return you to our regularly scheduled strike coverage:

(see sidebar and read the lot)

I Consider This Meme Business Concluded

News From AFM

I spent most of the afternoon Friday and all of the morning today over at the AFM. I would give you a rundown on who's got what and so forth, but Bill Martell has a pretty good summation so I turn it over to him. There's a lot of films out there kids. A lot.

As Bill rightly points out there are a lot of them which are just no good - from the concept ("Been there, done that.") to the stars ("He's STILL making movies? For THEM? Sheesh...") to the marketing ("You know, for the amount they spent on that video display they could have had banner ads on dozens of websites in heavy rotation.") to the number of trees killed ("They wasted paper to make a sell sheet for this?").

It's the same old way of doing business, and really - when you crunch the numbers on X number of films with X number of distributors divided by the # of Buyers and the # of slots the Buyers have to fill for their releases schedules - you begin to see the tangled mess of spaghetti that is film distribution.

(And to be clear how tangled, I didn't even crunch the dollars that are being shuffled around and not reaching the filmmakers themselves what with percentage and library deals)

I'm not going to go out on a limb and say what Bill said about there being a lot of "half efforts" out there looking for distribution. That's the way it's always been, but seriously, I am now noticing how all those "bad films" are clogging things up. You have to wade through a lot of films climbing up and down those six floors of offices.

There has to be a better way - not only for the filmmakers but for everyone involved. The system has to be streamlined and rethought so it adheres to sound business principles. Right now, the people who distribute the product get the lion's share of the return. (To be fair they also spend money marketing the movie, but not enough to justify percentages as high as 35%)
The folks who created the product don't share in the revenue in the same manner unless they have a remarkable "hit." Then they not only start to get money, but they get publicity and business value too. But it takes so long to get there, especially under the current methodology.

Again, there has to be a better way.

Which leads me to this post by Alex.

This is a step toward how films should (and will) be produced, marketed and distributed. Yes, it's a documentary, but 10MPH could just as easily been a fictional narrative. Please notice how the product placement and sponsorship work with the story and the overall marketing. This is shades of what Roger Corman did with his first movie THE MONSTER FROM THE OCEAN FLOOR when he used an Aerojet sub as a major prop in the movie.

Read the manual as it has some good nuggets of info in there - your web presence, branding - but nothing meaty. Each chapter could easily be 10-20 pages, and yet the whole thing is 26 pages.

So yes, times and methods are changing and we as content creators (Not just writers. Not just directors. Not just producers) have to change with them. We have to marshal our forces, our resources and work toward creating the most entertaining productions possible.

More thoughts tomorrow as I go back to Santa Monica.

Heading Out...

Later this afternoon to the AFM in Santa Monica. The ASC is conducting a seminar on how to get the best look for your low budget film.

From Sunday onward, I will be there in SM attending seminars, shaking hands and "hawking my wares" (or is that hocking?).

I'll come back with news and pictures of what I see there at the Loew's. I am hoping to capture some of the "players" on video and sit them down for short interviews.
We'll see what happens.

I Am So There...

See what I'm talkin' about?

Joss Kidding...

By now the whole of geekdom is reeling over the announcement that Eliza Dushku (do I really need to spell out her credits?) and Geek TV's God of Thunder Joss Whedon (ditto) are teaming up for a new show called DOLLHOUSE.

You can read details here.

This will be covered ad infinitum by the geekosphere, analyzing the most minute points in Joss's every word to the point of assigning numerical values to his speech in the hopes of unlocking the gates to some cyber rosetta stone of masturbatory material...

For those of you reading this who know Mr. Whedon or Ms. Dushku personally (and I don't mean in a "I beat off to their pics during my coffee break in my cubicle" sort of way) please pass along these words:

- You're doing new stuff. Very cool.

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- You're working together. Again, mark a 'win' in the cool column.
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- Joss, please make these 7 episodes you get from Fox a self-contained story. An American variation of the six-pack model of Television Storytelling we've enjoyed with shows like JEKYLL. Good for television, GREAT FOR DVD. This is an opportunity for you to explore the business model of television and stretch the limits. You been quoted as saying that the D2DVD model is an interesting way for an artist to get his material into the hands of his audience. Well kid, here's your chance.

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(And just to let you know people want more material from you. In whatever form they can get it. They are wondering how to make it work for you so that everybody gets what they want. How often does a creator hear that from his audience?)
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- Eliza, any day we get to see you, whether it's onscreen or at the local Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is a big win. We are really glad you're back (not that you went away or anything). Think about doing a DOLLHOUSE (web)comic.

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- NBC, read the premise of DOLLHOUSE. You could have had something just as cool with this beautiful lady here:

But instead, we have a very pedestrian show that doesn't fulfill the promise of BIONIC WOMAN. You need to fix that, pronto.

Seriously. Demos are only going to get you so far, and then it comes down to numbers (at least for television).

(Don't get me started on how I would reboot this show. I don't need the stress...or maybe I do. I don't know. That's how ambivalent I am about the show at this point)

Edit to add:

This here where Joss talks about titles and how if something has a title... well, read it. It was as if he read my mind. That Whedon, watch him. He has powers.