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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Steven Soderberh’s State Of Cinema Talk

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Humberto Rivera said:
The place was abuzz with everyone talking at the same time before the Movie began, but then it got quiet and we all watched the Film.
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But then along came the Internet. Now if Hollywood can pay Government to take the Internet away from Free Men, maybe they will survive. But if men and the Internet remain free ... a whole new world of expression opens up. Will the Government allow that?
 
George Butterfield said:
But then along came the Internet. Now if Hollywood can pay Government to take the Internet away from Free Men, maybe they will survive. But if men and the Internet remain free ... a whole new world of expression opens up. Will the Government allow that?
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With no money, there is no thriving art scene. artists have to eat like everybody else, otherwise they only work in their spare time, and I don;t think you can become [insert your favorite filmmaker here] in your spare time, especially since most jobs, especially in the U.S., barely leave time for sleep. And films beyond cat videos require real money for makeup, sets, locations, props and the list goes on, even if camera are free.
 
Kyle Prohaska said:
Netflix is a big problem for us little guys as previously stated. They pay little for content without BO returns and name talent. Those two things and those two things alone will drastically improve your licensing agreement. I got $10,000 for my little straight to video movie ($8k being my net take). However, a movie a friend of mine made which pulled in $5mil at the Box Office yielded a $600k streaming agreement and another that made $1.3mil brought in $125k or so. For us guys making films that cost a couple hundred thousand or so (or <$200k)...maybe 500k max, it's tough for streaming to make much financial sense. My DVD sales held for over 2.5 years until I hit Netflix Streaming and then they dropped like a rock and haven't recovered.

I'm also weary of digital download content as a whole, since the margins are lower and you require more sales to make the same amount you can pull in from DVD's. DVD's in the market I personally work in are still top dog in regards to margins and will hold out for quite some time...likely longer then the typical market since there's a lot of older buyers within it. They like the discs. People 10 years ago wouldn't have thought twice about buying the latest movie out at $19.99. Today you see new movies with prices slashed heavily and movies only a year or two old being sold for $9.96 or less at your local Walmart.

The margins are getting smaller...and the budgets aren't getting any smaller. Something's gotta give. I'm going to hang onto physical DVD sales and distribution as long as humanly possible, because once things go fully digital and my market is interested in digital, the model is going to have to change drastically, even more so then it already has with prices hitting the floor. I'll need double the sales/audience just to keep up with the profits I'm used to.
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Where can I see your films? and I agree DVD (for simplicity we'll cal blu-ray + DVD just "DVD") was (and to a smaller extent still is) the no 01 way small films got their money back. The 1990s were the golden age of small indy films that were still done professionally. They could get some shelf space at Blockbuster, with almost no theatrical, and break even. Piracy and Netflix are killing this business.
 
GEORGE, “But then along came the Internet. Now if Hollywood can pay Government to take the Internet away from Free Men, maybe they will survive. But if men and the Internet remain free ... a whole new world of expression opens up. Will the Government allow that?” George Butterfield

“The Movie Business” is a moving target, everyday someone comes up with something new, or at this point even with the recent revelations of “Edward J. Snowden”, the former National Security Agency contractor, the internet is moving forward, what countermeasures will follow, from where we just don’t know!

This is just my OPINION, but I think Theater Owners have while to-go, meanwhile people continue to invent ways to Milk the new technology, and the copyright holder is the one holding the cards, not the other way around! Don’t forget about ODEMAX, they got-to be busy doing something somewhere!

ROBERT, “With no money, there is no thriving art scene. artists have to eat like everybody else, otherwise they only work in their spare time, and I don't think you can become [insert your favorite filmmaker here] in your spare time, especially since most jobs, especially in the U.S., barely leave time for sleep. And films beyond cat videos require real money for makeup, sets, locations, props and the list goes on, even if camera are free.” Robert Ruffo New

Therein lies the rub, you have to play the game where you choose, wherever you’re today will be different that where you’ll be tomorrow, you just don’t know it, because tomorrow has-not come yet! To play the Film Game you at least need the basic Budget for Production and Post, then you have-to sell-it, to a Distributor or to the Public. Others play the game at high end, but most of them do a lot of compromising, it’s just a matter of choice.

As for “Netflix”, at this point they are a small player, there is no world-wide “Netflix”, there are others right on their heels, they have made so many mistakes that their stock charts like a yo-yo, all they are after is to pad their bottom line at the expense if the Independent Filmmaker, just say NO!

That’s my OPINION for today; it could change tomorrow, in the Movie Business nothings stays the same for long. However; “Anything you say in the “Movie Business” is “True”, no matter how outrageous it may be”!

Humberto Rivera
 
To quote Phil; “ODEMAX and REDRAY are part of my future and that decision was made a while ago.” Phil Holland - Cinematographer - Los Angeles

That quote kind of says it all, there is a new world yet to come, we know very little about it (ODEMAX), but with Reds’ past experience, it will be something good! It might be beyond our expectations, it will be something that again leaves the competition scratching their heads, and saying; “Did that just happened to-us, again?”

They’ve been warned, but it's like they are not paying attention, meanwhile the People at Red continue to work long hours, for all of us! There is a Revolution Coming, pay attention!

Humberto Rivera
 
Sony will considered selling off 15% to 20% of its Profit Making Division; http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sony-shareholders-press-ceo-proposed-571940 “Sony Shareholders Press CEO on Proposed Hollywood Sell-Off” 8:48 PM PDT 6/19/2013 by Gavin J. Blair – The Hollywood Reporter

The news comes from Tokyo, Japan, it’s a corporate decision!

To quote from the article; ““The explanation regarding the hedge fund proposal that Hirai provided in his speech is essentially the same as has been reported in newspapers. Can he give us shareholders some more information as to Sony's response?” asked a private investor. “The entertainment businesses are very important to Sony, so this is a decision that is vital to Sony, not just today, but for its future. It needs to be examined from all angles and fully discussed before any decision is made,” answered Hirai, to a round of applause.

So, times marches on! What is today may not be tomorrow!

Humberto Rivera

More info; http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/06/19/sony-rebuffs-new-call-to-sell-entertainment-unit/?src=dlbksb
 
China has a shortage of lawyers (entertainment), sound incredible, but true; http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/chinas-looming-entertainment-problem-not-572629 “China's Looming Entertainment Problem: Not Enough Lawyers” 5:00 AM PDT 6/21/2013 by Patrick Brzeski

TO QUOTE; “Local box office smash "Lost in Thailand" also drew a record-breaking copyright lawsuit -- the lack of clear IP laws and experienced attorneys could pose new issues for growth.” Hollywood, Esg.

Soon China will be the largest Film Market in the World, in about five years time if it continue to move at its current ‘Clip’, LARGER than North America! Hard to belief; but true. You got admit that “The Hollywood Lawyer” got a “Pretty Good Track Record” again everyone, Including Independent Filmmakers.

Humberto Rivera
 
What does it-take to make a Good Movie? The obvious answerer is a Good Script, a Good Director, Good Actors, a Good Director of Photography, or just a plain Good Crew all working as SEAMLESS TEAM! But wait, what about the MONEY, where is it going to come from?

They all want some money UP-FRONT, the scriptwriter, the casting director, the Actors, the Director (maybe he can wait), the DP (I think he does want to get paid), the rest of the crew; they definitely want to get paid, the lower down the totem-pole they are the more they want to be paid! And then there is the equipment, that has to be paid for; Camera, Sound, Dollies, Lights, Trucks, and so forth; too many to mention!

OK, so how do we get the money? You’re independently wealthy and you’re just going to write a check, I kind of DOUBT that! So what other options are there? They’re really a lot if you’re going to stop to think about it! The only thing is that each one MIGHT come with a few conditions attached to-it. If you’re willing to live with them, there is no problem.

Let’s go back to the SCRIPT, it got-to be so Good that nobody would change anything, there would be one or two Good Actors that would loved it so much that they would do that Script! Then the question of the Director (usually the Scriptwriter); he need to convince the Actors and Producer that he is the Person to Direct. I could go on, and on, but I won’t and just say; “Anything you say in the “Movie Business” is “True”, no matter how outrageous it may be”!

Humberto Rivera
 
Humberto Rivera said:
OK, so how do we get the money? You’re independently wealthy and you’re just going to write a check, I kind of DOUBT that! So what other options are there?
Humberto Rivera
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Actually, it's not so uncommon for independently wealthy investors to provide some capital for film-making. Not that it happens every day, but you certainly hear about it. In cities like NYC, there is a long standing tradition of the wealthy and their patronage for the arts. And this certainly has applied to select, well regarded film projects.
 
Nick Morrison said:
Actually, it's not so uncommon for independently wealthy investors to provide some capital for film-making. Not that it happens every day, but you certainly hear about it. In cities like NYC, there is a long standing tradition of the wealthy and their patronage for the arts. And this certainly has applied to select, well regarded film projects.
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Just like there were "Angels" who bankrolled Broadway Shows from back in the old days, and even to this day. Wasn't there a Dick Powell musical that dealt with that aspect of Broadway? 42nd Street, I think it was.
 
Hi Nick, if I can quote myself, I said; ”You’re independently wealthy and you’re just going to write a check, I kind of DOUBT!” By that I meant IF YOU ARE but that’s OK, you have a friend that IS or knows someone THAT-IS! As I said numerous times; “Anything you say in the “Movie Business” is “True”, no matter how outrageous it may be”!

It would make an interesting plot for a Film. Or as Elsie said; “Just like there were "Angels" who bankrolled Broadway Shows from back in the old days, and even to this day. Wasn't there a Dick Powell musical that dealt with that aspect of Broadway? 42nd Street, I think it was.” Elsie N

For the rest of us there are the Million of ways to finance a Film, Movie, Picture, or Cinema; whatever you want to call-it!! Seriously there are many ways to finance a “Theatrical Motion Picture” you just have to work at-it!

Humberto Rivera
 
“EXCLUSIVE: Legendary And Lionsgate To Meet This Week; Details On What Tull Wants” By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief - Monday June 24, 2013 @ 11:34pm PDT http://www.deadline.com/2013/06/leg...-this-week-details-on-what-thomas-tull-wants/

I find this story interesting because people LIKE-THIS, are some of the ones that get MOVIES started, they form PART OF THE MUSCLE behind the Studios, and SOMETIMES they do BACKDOOR deals with them, SOMETIMES.

Humberto Rivera
 
Have you ever wonder why Films that DO-GOOD at the BOX OFFICE almost always get at least one law suit? It’s a “Rhetorical Question”, of course we do, and if you have the littlest thing to hang-to; a Law Suit is just what the doctor ordered, the temptation is just too big, so one is just always waiting around the corner. “Anything you say in the “Movie Business” is “True”, no matter how outrageous it may be”!

But the producers have their Big Law Partners, just waiting; they also have Movie Precedence which simply means this is the way we do business, in the Movie Business, and we can go on for years and years, till death do us part (which happens once in awhile)! They have seen it all! Just saying!

Look at a recent case; http://www.deadline.com/2013/06/fox...ive-in-black-swan-intern-lawsuit/#more-529660 “Fox Searchlight Goes On The Offensive In ‘Black Swan’ Intern Lawsuit” By DOMINIC PATTEN - Tuesday June 25, 2013 @ 6:59pm PDT

Humberto Rivera
 
HERE IS ANOTHER CASE OF WHEN I SAY; “But the producers have their Big Law Partners, just waiting; they also have Movie Precedence (that they put in place in other cases they won) which simply means this is the way we do business, in the Movie Business, and we can go on for years and years, till death do us part (which happens once in awhile)! They have seen it all!“ Humberto Rivera

“Marvel Gets Trial Date In ‘Ghost Rider’ Copyright Case” By DOMINIC PATTEN - Thursday June 27, 2013 @ 6:16pm PDT http://www.deadline.com/2013/06/marvel-gets-trial-date-in-ghost-rider-copyright-case/

Here is a Copyright Case that began 2007, Marvel, Columbia TriStar, Relativity Media Won, but they want to keep on going!

TO QUOTE; “The company might have thought that the case was over, but Friedrich didn’t accept the ruling and appealed. The case was argued in front of the federal appeals court in late February, leading to the June 11 decision allowing Friedrich to take the case to trial. Of course, November is a long way off, and the two sides might reach a settlement before then. The judge today also ordered the parties to appear before her for a final pretrial conference on October 30. Charles Krammer and Joe Schneider of Riezman Berger PC represent Friedrich. Randi Singer and James Quinn of Weil Gotshal & Manges and Haynes & Boones’ David Fleischer represent Marvel Enterprises and the other defendants.” The Court

It’s really hard to count the number of cases that Hollywood Lawyers and Studios have lost, and that’s after a long protracted battle. Good Luck to them all!

Humberto Rivera
 
Here is an example that keeps on giving to Hollywood Attorney (fees); http://www.deadline.com/2013/06/james-cameron-20th-century-fox-avatar-new-copyright-lawsuit/ “Fox & James Cameron Slapped With $50M ‘Avatar’ Copyright Suit By Album Cover Artist” By DOMINIC PATTEN- Friday June 28, 2013 @ 7:24pm PDT

I just notice that I’ve been talking too much about Hollywood Lawyers as if they were on the same side of the page as-me! I AM NOT, I’m on the side of the Independent Filmmaker’s page, some lawyers might be on the Independent side also, but mostly they are on the Hollywood Side of the fence! A word to the wise, you really have to have someone really looking at every single detail, it’s a MUST! Is it possible that two or three people could have similar ideas, or that you forgot to cross a “T” or dot an (.), is that possible? I guess you have to provide for every single contingency when making any kind of Film!

The Producers, Assistant Producers, Line Produces, any one of them depending if you later win and award for the Picture. They do-have something very important to contribute, because they are constantly MAKING-DEALS for the Studios, Movie Stars, Music Composers and Copyright Holder’s of the same music and songs, sometimes multiples Copyright Holders for just one Property! They must constantly interface with the LAWYERS!

Well the Lawyers know exactly how the Hollywood Business works! AND DON’T FORGET, the Film Business is just that; a Business with multiple layers of Business which it’s all about; MONEY! So when it comes to Contracts, Deal Memos, and sometimes what you say in a meeting might comprise your position later. They’ve been doing it for a long time, so watch-out; if you’re on the wrong side of the fence.

Don’t get me wrong YOU DO-NEED an Attorney (or several) for all sorts of things you need to-do; first the “Copyright of your Film”, who owns the Picture, very important; the contracts with your Actors, your key people like the Director of Photography and others, who owns the stills and their rights thereto, this something you really need to pay attention too, rights to subsequent films rights with the same theme; you get the point, THE LIST IS ENDLESS! A good Producer or Associate Producer is almost mandatory in those cases that you have to deal with Attorneys, Agents, Managers, The Unions, and an endless number of people that you need to continue to report to! That’s why the end credits, even on a small Independent Film, they seem to be endless. And by all means don’t forget the Account(s), you have a lot of money to continually track, spend, and make reports on, to whom, to the Production Managers!

Now comes the part where the money gets “tighter”; Post Production, that’s an expense that MUST, faced, but “with-not-as-much-jingle-in-the-pockets-as-you-thought”. There is the shot that you thought you had in the “can”, but it’s just in your head, do you go out and shoot it or not, the sound that must be “Foley” or “Dubbed-in” for whatever the reason. There never seems to be enough hours in the day.

“Anything you say in the “Movie Business” is “True”, no matter how outrageous it may be”! You may want to use the same Attorney(s) for the next step which is Distribution!

Humberto Rivera
 
Interesting (relevant) article on the Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-e...th-and-brad-pitt-lost-their-mojo-8677002.html. This line really surprised me:
Indeed, the high cost of releasing films is making film-makers sweat at both ends of the budget scale. Steven Soderbergh said he had to make Behind the Candelabra for HBO as the budget of the film was $5m, but the marketing needed for an American release is a minimum of $70m – numbers that don't make sense.
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$70M in marketing on a $5M picture... wow. Now that I read the full text of the IP's article I see he said much the same thing there... seems like backward to an outsider like me.
 
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David, thank for posting the article; http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-e...th-and-brad-pitt-lost-their-mojo-8677002.html “The last action heroes: Have Tom Cruise, Will Smith and Brad Pitt lost their mojo?” “The same old familiar faces are saving the world this summer. They might be better employed saving themselves, says; Kaleem Aftab”

Here is a quote from the article that I found interesting; ”It's commonly asserted that the start of Cruise's demise was his couch-jumping proclamation of love for Katie Holmes on Oprah. Yet Cruise can argue that his box-office average has remained high since. But take away the Mission: Impossible franchise and the numbers are bleak. Before 2005 every Cruise film for a number of years made more than $100m.”

Another from the fading stars; ”The three are such big stars that they even run their own production companies – Pitt runs Plan B, Smith chairs Overbrook and Cruise founded Cruise/Wagner Productions. They call the shots on their movies, hiring directors, working on the scripts and picking projects. Pitt staked his star name that he could turn Max Brooks's novel into the start of a franchise. The jury is still out.”

I ask myself; what about “Pacific Rim” by “Guillermo Del Toro”? No stars there, the budget is high by any standards, all shot with multiple RED EPICS, will see soon!

Thanks to David Kuhn!

Humberto Rivera
 
Here is an example of TOO-MUCH from Hollywood, “White House Down” a White House movie again! As the Studios seem to be playing chess with their positions, and time of the year. This is the Six Update, tomorrow will know how it all turns out!

http://www.deadline.com/2013/06/fir...-u-2-wwz-3-white-house-down-4-man-of-steel-5/

“4. White House Down (Columbia/Sony) NEW [Runs 3,222] Friday $8.8M, Saturday $9.2M, Weekend $26.0M

The Channing Tatum/Jamie Foxx actioner on Friday went from #4 to #3 and then back down to #4 again. At least the two stars did their job and opened the film above $20M even if they were bullied by the broads. Unfortunately FilmDistrict’s earlier release Olympus Has Fallen had a similar plot and scooped up $30.3M opening the weekend of March 22nd. Sony admits White House Down was released in a tough Summer 2013 slot after World War Z opened surprisingly strong last weekend and before Lone Ranger starts holiday mid-week. (Original release date was November 1st.) WHD did $1.35M in Thursday late shows/Friday midnights which was soft. Studio claims budget was $150M with Montreal tax incentives but that’s way too expensive. Problem was all the above-the-line costs: for the two marquee actors plus director Roland Emmerich. ”It would have all been fine if we didn’t come out two months after Olympus Has Fallen. Their gross plus ours would have been a big hit,” a Sony exec explains to me. This pic could even be one of the studio’s worst money-losers of the year depending on how it does overseas where Emmerich’s big-scale movies almost always become big hits globally. WHD opens day and date in about two dozen small countries this weekend (ie Aruba, Ethiopia, Kenya, Iraq). But the first major international territory won’t debut until mid-July. Emmerich first destroyed 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with far more shock value in 1996′s Independence Day. His track record since then is to come to the marketplace with a script, a budget, and a start date. That’s when studios respond by paying huge sums against extravagant back ends. But WHD went down ass backwards. Sony bought a $3M spec script from its Amazing Spider-Man scribe James Vanderbilt, whose Mythology Entertainment partners Brad Fischer and Laeta Kalogridis also produced. Emmerich was his usual derivative self, with one critic counting Independence Day, Die Hard, Air Force One, Lethal Weapon and Showtime’s Homeland as influences. Sony started promoting the pic during Jimmy Kimmel’s After Oscar show. Foxx’s song “Channing All Over Your Tatum” and star-studded video went viral for 3 million views on YouTube. NBA playoffs and finals, scripted and unscripted TV send-offs, and Yahoo/Facebook/MTV partnerships featured prominently in the marketing. But the movie tanked anyway.”

Where does that leave the Independents Producers?

Humberto Rivera
 
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