The 5-minute pitch. 30 seconds for BS, another 30 to tell everything about your film. That leaves 3:45 to explain the BUSINESS DEAL. Take a full 15 seconds to wrap it up and leave.
Sunday Morning
by Dan O'Brien
In my house the Sunday morning talking-heads shows become the background noise for the wonderful chaos of family breakfast. I am pleased to say that Sunday mornings have remained a blessed sanctuary from the all-green, all-nutritional, no-fat meals that appear at our table during the rest of the week. Sunday mornings we still have freshly-brewed coffee, bacon and eggs or pancakes and ham all with fresh fruit and homemade whipped cream. The aromas filling the house take one back to childhood and innocence and very happy times.
Last week, though, my Sunday morning breakfast reverie was interrupted by the appearance on several of the talking-heads interview programs by a series of high-ranking military-types spouting off the military talking points about our various wars, the increasing tours of duty, suicide rates and fatalities, etc., etc.
In my house the Sunday morning talking-heads shows become the background noise for the wonderful chaos of family breakfast. I am pleased to say that Sunday mornings have remained a blessed sanctuary from the all-green, all-nutritional, no-fat meals that appear at our table during the rest of the week. Sunday mornings we still have freshly-brewed coffee, bacon and eggs or pancakes and ham all with fresh fruit and homemade whipped cream. The aromas filling the house take one back to childhood and innocence and very happy times.
Last week, though, my Sunday morning breakfast reverie was interrupted by the appearance on several of the talking-heads interview programs by a series of high-ranking military-types spouting off the military talking points about our various wars, the increasing tours of duty, suicide rates and fatalities, etc., etc.
Leaving all the truly disturbing politics and strategy questions aside, it was one of those moments where I truly couldn’t tell if life was imitating art or art was imitating life.
In his book The Right Stuff, Tom Wolfe talks about how airline pilots to this day imitate the drawl of Brigadier General Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager.
"That voice," Tom Wolfe writes, "started drifting down from on high. At first the tower at Edwards began to notice that all of a sudden there were an awful lot of test pilots up there with West Virginia drawls...Military pilots and then, soon, airline pilots, pilots from Maine and Massachusetts and the Dakotas and Oregon and everywhere else, began to talk in that poker-hollow West Virginia drawl, or as close to it as they could bend their native accents. It was the drawl of the most righteous of all the possessors of the right stuff: Chuck Yeager."[1]
Suddenly on this Sunday morning with bacon and eggs and potatoes and fresh coffee filling the air, I couldn’t tell if I was listening to General Whomever or George C. Scott in a blend of his roles as General George Smith Patton, Jr. in Patton and as General “Buck” Turgidson in
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. It was surreal.
This is especially pronounced when viewing any of the retired military brass that are self-anointed “experts” on the various news channels.
Try it yourself. Here are some lines of dialogue from the Stanley Kubrick, Terry Southern & Peter George screenplay for Dr. Strangelove so the next time you hear that “we’re about to turn the corner” or “we’re making great progress!” you’ll have something to compare it to.
If you haven’t seen the picture, the President of the United States is in the War Room at the Pentagon and everyone is reacting to the sending by a base commander of our non-recallable bombers to start a nuclear war.
TURGIDSON
Mr. President, we are rapidly approaching a moment of truth both for ourselves as human beings and for the life of our nation. Now, truth is not always a pleasant thing. But it is necessary now to make a choice, to choose between two admittedly regrettable, but nevertheless “distinguishable”, postwar environments: one where you got twenty million people killed, and the other where you got a hundred and fifty million people killed.
And another exchange:
PRESIDENT MUFFLEY
General Turgidson, when we initiated the Human Reliability Tests you told me this kind of situation couldn’t happen!
TURGIDSON
Sir, I don’t think it’s fair to condemn an entire program just for a single slip up!
And this:
PRESIDENT MUFFLEY
There’s nothing to figure out, General. The man is obviously a psychotic!
TURGIDSON
I’d have to hold off judgment on that, Sir, until all the facts are in.
And finally, from Patton, an excerpt from the opening Address to the 3rd Army.
PATTON
Men, all this stuff you've heard about America not wanting to fight, wanting to stay out of the war, is a lot of horse dung. Americans, traditionally, love to fight. All real Americans love the sting of battle.
When you were kids, you all admired the champion marble shooter, the fastest runner, the big league ball players, the toughest boxers. Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Americans play to win all the time. Now, I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost and will never lose a war. Because the very thought of losing is hateful to Americans.
Now I’m not anti-military, far from it. But last Sunday suddenly what I was watching on TV and these characters suddenly merged. I’m not sure of the significance of all this but suddenly they were all caricatures of each other. Odd.
It’s like wondering if your pilot or Chuck Yeager is talking to you on the PA.
[1] Tom Wolfe, The Right Stuff, as quoted by John H. Houvouras in Yeager The Best There Ever Was, Huntington Quarterly Magazine, Winter 1998.
Where Have Movie-Marketing Dollars Gone
by Andrew Hampp
LOS ANGELES (AdAge.com) -- Especially during the summer, it often feels like there isn't a single piece of media, measured or otherwise, that's not promoting a movie. So it's easy to look at the movie industry's spending figures from first half of 2010 and think, "Where did all the money go?"
Hollywood spent 6.6% less on measured media during the first two quarters of the year, shelling out $1.72 billion vs. last year's $1.84 billion, according to Kantar Media. Among the most notable shifts? A 20% boost in outdoor spending ($58.9 million vs. $48.9 million in 2009), a small increase in national spot radio ($16.4 million vs. $14.6 million) and a slight uptick in digital ($71.4 million vs. $69.9 million).
But most surprising is a series of cuts in TV spending, with network ($697 million vs. $720.3 million), spot ($79.6 million vs. $94.2 million) and even cable ($413.8 million vs. $426.5 million) all posting decreases during the period. Considering studios spend 70% to 75% of their budget on TV for an average wide release, shifting a couple million into other media may seem like chump change.
But moviegoers are a tech-savvy lot....
Read MoreHas Creativity Been Lost...?
By Andy Marken
Labor Day in the U.S. is a fading concept. Less than 40 percent of the working population is actually doing what can be called physical labor. The rest are doing data manipulation, handling content tasks.
So, we guess most of us have to take a break from thinking. Jeez…we know people who do that all the time!!!!
The improbable idea was triggered by an article by a friend, Rob Enderle, on the 4th of July when he suggested taking a freedom break from technology. You know, no email, no IMs, no microblogs, no text messages, no social site postings.
Gawd, that sounds like a stupid idea. But he reflected on his youth.
You remember, when we simply laid on the grass, stared at the sky and let our minds create all types of cloud images – a sailboat, a beautiful girl, a horse, a bird, an old man, anything our minds could conger.
Featured Member
Andrea Lodovichetti, Director
Forever trust in who you are. And nothing else matters.
I was born in Fano, a small town in the center of Italy by the sea. Imagine me as a child in my sweet, but tiny room. Eyeglasses, shoes with laces off, a red pencil-book in hand. Outside, it’s a beautiful day, but instead, I prefer to sit in front of a strange new device my father brought home called a “VCR” watching movies.
Paralyzed by emotion. Wondering how they make these fantasical scenes with all of those shots and movements. Daydreaming. Grasping the opportunity Cinema has… to tell one story, two stories, a thousand stories all together.
Since that day I have spent my life thinking as a director, imagining how to make people dream. I am happy to say I have come a long way technically - the boy who once fumbled with his father’s VHS tapes, stealing them in secret to watch again and again.
It was films like “Once Upon a Time in America” by Sergio Leone that changed my life forever, and I thank Italian directors of the past for opening that door for me to see the aesthetic, ideological, historical and above human value of film. I don’t want to be cheap on my dreams, so I keep strong my passion of story-telling with that same innocence of the child with the red pencil-book.
Andrea Lodovichetti
Andrea Lodovichetti
What was your first job on a film set?
On a "real" set - I mean in the "real industry," my first job was as an Assistant Director. To
Paolo Sorrentino, a great Italian director who won Cannes 2 years ago with his "IL DIVO."
Have you done work other than directing?
Now I stopped, but usually in the past I was also editing my movie, videoclips, docums. Not anymore. Now I have a great editor: Nicola Nicoletti. So now just write and direct. And produce, sometime.
How did you get started in film? And why?
I started to be passionated about movie making at 8: I spent a lot of time in watching my father (he's a doctor, not a film maker) editing his footare (travel reportage). And totally felt in love for moviemaking!
What was your impetus for making “Sotto il mio giardino?”
SIMG was my thesis film at Centro Sperimentale di CInematografia in Italy. I was looking for a stoy with kids... and I found SIMG! The author of the novel is a friend of mine, Roberto Santini. He's passed away 2 months ago, and SIMG is in his loving memory.
It took about 3 months in total, and the budget was about 30.000 euros. For distribution I made EVERYTHING by my own. You have to be a good filmmaker but also a smart guy to reach your goal.
You’ve won an amazing number of awards for your film. Do you think the awards are deserved? Or a lucky break?
I feel so lucky, but my short won tons of prizes in every part of the world... so, maybe I'm not so bad. Isn't it? Hope so, I mean... Of course yes, I won prizes and trying to become known is the intention of every emerging film maker....
How did you get started in film?
My first film was a little movie called "istinto omidica"... but it was just a game between friends. I was 12 years old! The latest one is a commercial.... My next one? The feature, hopefully!
How were your trained?
I attended and got my degree in film directing from Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, 5 years ago.
You teach. Why?
I love to speak to young people about movie making. I tell my students that they can fell in love in moviemaking, but only if they handle the right tools. As happened to me.
Is it good that “filmmakers” can make movies with $100 cameras and free editing software?
Everybody should have opportunities to shoot. The problem is that this way a lot of kids feel like they're Stanley Kubrick, but without studying cinema and moviemaking. And it's terrible. And their shorts are horrible.
Tell me about your next film....
I'm looking for agents and producers in ths US. Hope to move here, but first I have to see the opportunities before I can decide.
Have you ever wanted to get out of the business and do something more “normal” for your career?
Absolutely NOT! No way. This is my life!
What’s it like working in Italy (as compared to the US)?
Italy is at its lowest point. No money for cultural issues. Hope something will change soon. Otherways, we have no way to work and we need to move abroad. Here, in the States, for example.
What was the worst thing that ever happened on a set?
Nothing so bad to leave a terrible memory. But I remember that the last days of the shooting of SIMG, we had a golden hour scene. But during the rehearsal, a pair of cuffs has been locked on the hands of the actor.... And we had only 20 minutes to shoot. Panic. After a while, the problem was solved.
Any regrets that you became a filmmaker?
NOT AT ALL! Thanks to my family that supported me every time.
How do you get distribution for your films?
Internet gives a lot of opportunities to filmmakers, in order to get visibility. But you have to manage them in a right way...
You’ve made a lot of shorts. Any profit in that…?
Few money. You can not pay bills with shorts, unfortunally! My next one will be a feature, hopefully!
Andrea Lodovichetti can be reached through his website, www.andrealodovichetti.com
Andrea is currently teaching directing and creative writing in workshops and film courses; and has been many times invited as special guest in seminar panels and discussions about his projects and film making in general: Italy, Usa, China, Hungary, Macedonia.
1992 «Let’s Go» - commercial (Video8-VHS)
2000 «The church» short movie (miniDV)
2001 «Welcome back, Ciriòn» - music videoclip (Video8, miniDV/DVCam)
2002 «Director’s Cut» - short movie (DVCAM)
2002 «Grace!» - musical videoclip (miniDV)
2003 «Untitled» - short movie (miniDV)
2003 «World creator» - short movie (miniDV)
2004 «Almost love» - short movie (miniDV)
2005 «8 Seconds. Almost» - short movie (minidv)
2005 «Fragile» - short movie (35mm)
2006 «The Devil» - short movie (35mm)
2006 «Aperol Soda» - commercial (miniDV)
2006 «Biocalce, breaths!» - commercial (miniDV)
2007 «Enel» - commercial (miniDV)
2007 «Under my Garden» - short movie (35mm)
2009 «What's wrong» - social advertise (Hdv)
2010 «Anonymous» - short movie (in development)
2010 «Weezy» - commercial (in development)
2010 «The Prayer-» - feature film (in development)
Festivals
5th Annual TRIMEDIA FILM FESTIVAL
Sep 10 - Sep 12, 2010
The 5th Annual TRIMEDIA FILM FESTIVAL has earned a reputation for great hospitality, VIP industry attendance, excellent programming, and welcoming and engaged audiences. The Festival is unique in its dedication to three specific media - film, TV, and theatre.
TriMedia includes parties, panels, and performances across four venues, and hosts select VIP 
industry guests each year. Accepted films are actively promoted to regional and national media, and attending artists give interviews for print, radio, and TV broadcasts. Producers, cable channel representatives, and theatre companies attend to scout content.
Recent selections include TIMER starring Emma Caulfield, BROKEN HILL starring Alexa Vega, and the Oscar-nominated short MIRACLE FISH. Past guests include Ron Noble (RUGRATS), Sol Tryon (THE LIVING WAKE), Dan Trezise (THE MUMMY), and Susie Watson (THE WELL). Trimedia also exhibited the TV pilot for SPARK! which was picked up by ColoursTV cable channel. All selections are eligible for an array of Jury and Audience Choice awards.
Featured Announcement
WORD*PLAY Short Script Competition
Sep 01 -
Nov 29, 2010
IN THE MOMENT Films (Minnesota)
accepting submissions for their inaugural fundraiser.
Word*Play Short Film Competition
Seeking original (unproduced) screenplays and theatre scripts!
Seeking original (unproduced) screenplays and theatre scripts!
Eight accomplished Twin Cities writers, producers and directors will judge entries.
The top Six short scripts selected will be
presented to the public by skilled actors at a
Staged Reading in Minneapolis at InterMedia Arts
Monday, November 29, 2010.
A lively night of readings, live music and a silent auction
with light appetizers & beverages.
One of the six pieces will be selected (by audience vote) as the
WORD*PLAY COMPETITION WINNER
and receive $200
There is NO FEE to submit a short script.
Questions...?
Contact Submissions Coordinator, Amy Carlson
“I’ll tell you (what is wrong with cinema today)—nobody dies. It used to be that there were always two endings to any story—the hero either gets what he wants, or he dies trying. And in the 60s everybody died. When Ratso Risso in Midnight Cowboy got to Florida he died, right at the end. Jack Nickolson got snuffed at the end of Cuckoo’s Nest. Let’s not talk about Bonnie & Clyde, they really died. Then the studios realized that they wanted sequels and now nobody dies. Because you can’t do a sequel if the character’s dead…So, in my opinion, there’s no real stakes in movies anymore, because you know going in that the main character is going to get what he wants, going to achieve the goal."
-- Academy & Emmy Winning Screenwriter Barry Morrow (Rain Man)
Been asked to deliver a "deck" for your pitch meeting...? Wonder what you'll need....? Producer Curran G. Engel answers....
Basically, a deck is a 10 slide presentation that answers a series of basic questions about your project and its investment potential. This information is so sensitive that few will share their examples unless they have some indication that it'll lead to an investment.
- TITLE SLIDE
- THE PROBLEM
- The name of your film and the amount of money you want for it
- THE SOLUTION
- How your specific film will solve the investor's problem
- THE BUSINESS MODEL
- Describe your business model concisely and precisely
- THE UNDERLYING MAGIC
- Explain how your business model will work
- MARKETING & SALES STRATEGIES
- How will your film reach its viewers (customers)
- THE COMPETITION
- It's OK, even good, if there are other businesses just like yours
- THE TEAM
- Who are the people who will make all this happen
- FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS
- Use (very) simple math to show the desired ROI
- Typical VC ROI is 7X over a 5-7 year period. Most films can't expect a return above 3x, but show how and when ROI can be anticipated
- Keep in mind that Blue Sky regulations apply to films just as they would to any other industry
- STATUS & TIMELINE
- How much money is needed
- What does that money buy
- How long is the money needed
- When will dividends be paid
The easiest way to think about slides 2 & 3 is to think about the medical industry. Slide 2 tells us about the sick people. Slide 3 tells us how our product will help them,
It is also important to show that the equity is only one part of the financing model, one of the 4 legs supporting the table.
The math should be so basic that 4th graders could do it in their heads.
Investors are looking for this kind of clarity in the project. Without it, most investors would prefer to spend their money on a vacation home or museum relic.
Curran G. Engel
Executive Producer
Tectonic Entertainment
It wasn't that long back when my buddy, Bill Meredith, cautioned against those massive 5MB hard drives that were just leaving the labs and heading into the market (with their new, low, low introductory price tag under $5000). "Don't put all your work on one drive," he warned. "Those things are way too fragile. Besides, anything that big is just a fad."
How to Pitch & Win
$125.00 $97.00You have FIVE MINUTES to present your idea, your needs, your plan. Here's how to condense your script, your business plan, your marketing plan and your profit goals down to the most important five minutes of your life. And have enough time left over for small talk. Yes, you can do it - if you know how. Two Hours.
The complete class on CD/DVD includes all support materials, exactly like the live class.
Visit the GrokShop for More Details
BUDGETING & SCHEDULING – $125
Norman BernsDetailed three-hour overview of the twin pillars of production - scheduling & budgeting. This intensive course analyzes the process, technique and complex relationship between a film's schedule & its budget.
This complete class - including all support materials - is now available on DVD/CD from The GrokShop.
Saturday, September 11, 2010, 11AM PT (2PM ET)
Wednesday, September 15, 2010, 11AM PT (2PM ET)
BUSINESS PLANS – $125
Norman BernsThe substance of a business plan and how to use it. A step-by-step guide to planning and writing effective business & marketing plans, then coupling them with a Private Placement Memorandum for fund raising.
This complete class - including all support materials - is now available on DVD/CD from The GrokShop.
Thursday, September 16, 2010, 5PM PDT (8PM EDT)
Saturday, September 25, 2010, 11AM PT (2PM ET)
PITCH TO WIN – $100
Norman BernsYou have FIVE MINUTES to present your idea, your needs, your plan. Here's how to condense your script, your business plan, your marketing plan and your profit goals down to the most important five minutes of your life. And have enough time left over for small talk. Yes, you can do it - if you know how. Two Hours.
This complete class - including all support materials - is now available on DVD/CD from The GrokShop.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010, 11AM PT (2PM ET)
Thursday, September 23, 2010, 5PM PDT (8PM EDT)
