The Casting Director - To Joe Kiddle…

The Standby Painter - Synchronicity on the Graveyard Shift

The Manager - What’s Next in 2010? One Manager’s Prediction:

As the entertainment business wraps up for the holidays, many people are asking what’s next in 2010 in entertainment?

Here’s my prediction:

Interactive is where entertainment is going.  Audiences want to be connected to the story — from beginning to end. They don’t want to just be told what the story is — they want to be active in its evolution.

This will have a huge effect on everything from movies to tv to web to advertising.  Think about it this way:

What if it wasn’t just a handful of people at a network deciding what shows get made and if the shows stay on the air or get canceled?  Or what if instead audience members got to decide which movies got made instead of one person who controls all the decisions at a studio?

In fact, Mountain Dew let consumers pick a new flavor in a hugely successful massive multi-player online game. The response to the campaign was amazing.

Perhaps if we brought this idea into entertainment — movies, tv, even all content could do much better because, if done right, audiences are already active participants and will want to promote the content and will have a valuable stake in its success.

This idea is already being incorporated into indie movies.  The film THE WEATHERED UNDERGROUND comes out January 26th and could open the doors for more content to go this route.

Check out the film’s trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpPCS8yZBJ0

No matter what type of content, if you allow audiences to be involved, you are creating an active conversation with the audience and can help push your project to huge success.

Have a great holiday!!

Tags: Film Blog, Movie, Oscars, Film Industry, Movie

The Manager - What You Need to Know Upfront When You Join Forces with a Big Producer

Since the dawn of the movie business, less established producers have teamed up with more established ones to help set up projects. However, as budgets shrink and studios strong arm producers, directors and talent into smaller and smaller deals, it is imperative that, if you are teaming up with a producer, you figure out in the very beginning what the deal will be.

This will save you time, money and huge amounts of frustration.

Here are some questions to ask BEFORE you agree to team up with a producer:

• How does the big producer split his/her money? (Often there is just one pot for all the producers and it is up to the individual producers to split it. Some big producers might demand a 90/10 split — 90% to them and 10% to you.

• How will the produced by card work? Does the big producer demand a single card or will he/she share a card? If the big producer won’t share a card, what happens if a buyer asks the producer to share a card?

•  Will you get to be on set?

• Will he/she be mentoring you?

Once you are equipped with the answers to these questions you will be able to analyze the situation and figure out what is best for you.

You might decide to walk away from the producer — even at the risk of not setting up your project — or you may decide that, even if it is a bad deal, the big producer will help set up your project and this is worth it to you.

No matter what your decision, it is important you have all the information upfront so you know what situation you are walking into.

Tags: Filmmaking, Movie Blog, Movie, Hollywood, Movie Theatre

The Genre Director - STUNT ROCK - 32 YEARS ON - STILL MAKES THEM LAUGH AND GASP…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A good crowd showed up for the Midnight show, a few more than the July screening. Show of hands indicated about 75% of the audience had not seen it before, and came because of the recommendation of friends or internet reviewers. They got all the jokes, they gasped at the stunts (catapult, high wire, human torch, leopard smack - in particular), and I saw toes tapping to Sorcery’s driving rhythms. The majority were kind enough to stay for the Q&A, with myself and Dick Blackburn (the oily agent), moderated by Grindhouse Releasing’s Brian Quinn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was great to watch today’s audience revel in the gear-grinding segues and the in-your-face juxtapositions, and put a post modern eye on a late seventies/foreign indie/Hollywood time capsule/death defying Acts/rockumentary/mockumentary … ( I was once asked for a short definition of STUNT ROCK’s continuing appeal. That was the best I could do).

Among the audience were director Kurando Mitsutake and producer Chiaki Yanagimoto, whose SAMURAI AVENGER, THE BLIND WOLF is a festival hit and selling well across the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To those who have bought DVDs, I recommend STUNT ROCK as a group experience. Get a bunch of friends together for a STUNT ROCK PARTY. Serve Chinese take-out, Sorcery’s after-show meal. (Peking Duck, perhaps?) Encourage hot chicks to dance during the concert sequences. A good night will be had by all…

Click here for the Sorcery website. I’d like to turn STUNT ROCK into a Vegas show. Any deep pockets out there?

 

 

 

 

 

 

For fans of Grant Page, I recommend all Stunt Rockers, particularly those in Australia, pick up a copy of Grant’s memoirs MAN ON FIRE, A Stunt Of A Life, published this holiday season. Full of photographs and amusing anecdotes - I wrote the foreword - it’s a great read. Grant’s recollections also capture the spirit that fueled the pioneering days of the Australian film industry renaissance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My message to Mankind this holiday season: If you’ve only seen INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS once, catch it again while it is still on the big screen. It’s richer the second time round, particularly the oscar worthy performance of Christoph Waltz as the evil Landa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I anticipate nominations for original screenplay, best actor, best cinematography, best director. There should be a special category for best World War Two Ending Ever.

 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS & BEST WISHES FOR 2010!!

Tags: Hollywood, Film Industry, Actor, Film, Movie

The Standby Painter - Behind the Movie

First, a thank you to T. Emerson for your kind comment last week.  I fear that this entry will be short and not a telling of any story.  When I could have written this blog as planned, while waiting over an hour and half at the car repair shop and …

Tags: Movie, Movie Blog, Hollywood, Film Blog, Television

The Manager - Two Out-of-the-Box Ideas Produced Huge Results for an Actor and a Director

Sometimes it takes out of the box thinking to get the results you want.

Here are two great examples of people who tried something different and got exactly what they wanted:

TJ Miller, an LA-based comedian (CLOVERFIELD, “Carpoolers”) shot the below video after two unsuccessful auditions for the Warner Bros’ YOGI BEAR movie. Studio boss Alan Horn and producer Donald De Line saw this footage and offered him a major part in the film. He’s now in New Zealand shooting.

Watch the audition video here:
http://www.deadline.com/hollywood/actors-will-do-anything-to-land-a-role/

Fede Alvarez scored a million-dollar deal based on the heat generated by “Ataque de panico!” (Panic Attack), a four-minute, 48-second short about an apocalyptic robot attack that Alvarez directed through his commercial production house for less than $500. After the short found its way to the Internet, it generated a huge amount of buzz and suddenly Alvarez had every agent, manager, lawyer and producer calling him.

Ghost House Pictures quickly made a seven-figure deal with the director for a feature film — which is almost unheard of in today’s marketplace.

Further, Sam Raimi will be in a mentoring role to Alvarez similar to the one that Peter Jackson played in Neill Blomkamp’s directing debut on DISTRICT 9, an under-$30 million film that’s grossed over $180 million worldwide!

Watch the short here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dadPWhEhVk

These are just two examples of what a little ingenuity can do for you.

Tags: Hollywood, Film, , Film Blog, Filmmaker

The Casting Director - This Sh*t is hard to do…and that ain’t no LOI (the “o” is silent)

Here is a recent email I received from a producer:

“…In searching for money for this film we’re constantly coming up against the “who do you have attached” question. The whole Catch-22 thing. We have actors that want to be in the film, yet refuse to give us written a LOI, which is something I can’t understand, because a written LOI could be like an un-cashed check. So, we’re forced to seek out talent, prior to funding, with hopes of getting attachments. Asking a casting agent to take a script and get it into any actors hands is unfair when you can’t pay that agent. My question is are you finding this scenario happening more and more in the industry and do you feel that actors and their managers will come around, select scripts, and then go out to look for funding? Such a big question on a Sunday morning, I know…”

Below is my general answer to this question. But I also have to say, being someone who did not go to business school, that when you are starting to try to bring a film to fruition, you are going to need a plan. Often time that plan involves…money. This isn’t your high school drama club, this is the real world and while, yes there is always going to be an element of people out there who would do anything to help you with making a film because (gosh darn it) they are good people, the truth is be prepared to spend, because you will only get so far on favors in this town and the people you want to work with who are any good, will cost you…

1)    It’s about the script: If you are not getting the response you think you should be getting then quite possibly your script isn’t is amazing as you think it is. This does not mean that the script is bad, it may need another polish or even a re-write. This does not mean to say that it won’t get produced (go to AFM and see the barf that is produced there-not that your film is “barf”), but an un-financed script that is not getting good coverage or getting a luke-warm reception from actors, agents & representation means that you will have to find money to bring actors into the project.

2)    It’s about the producer: What is the track record of your producer? How many films has he/she made and to what success? What are your producer’s personal relationships within the industry and are those relationships getting you the meetings you need to get in order to have progress on finding talent for your film?

3)    It’s about the writer: Is this the first script that the writer has ever written? Does a top tier agent or manager represent the writer? Has the writer had any success prior to this script? Is there anything that the writer can bring to the table?

4)    It’s about the money: what is the budget of your film. Anything over 5 million dollars is going to raise red flags on first time director/producer/writer etc…the obvious questions will be: a) why this script (b) why this director (c) why this budget & (d) how are you financed? Can you answer these questions with confidence?

5)    It’s about the LOI: The letter of intent to release funds from an investor, bank, etc…is about as old a line as it gets. Talent representatives do not think that a film is real if you ask for an LOI and do not have a good script, producer, writer or realistic budget attached to your film. It smells like bullshit and will run from the project. They are not going to be willing to sit down in a company talent meeting and suggest a project that has no legs and be fired the next day because Bryan Lourd thinks that they are a schmuck in the first place for bringing it up. Understand the politics of large agencies and management companies and the pressure they are under to deliver projects to high grossing clients and you will begin to realize where you fit in the scheme of things.

6)    Agents and Managers will try to find financing if the talent they represent brings financing to the table. This assumes that the talent that is attracted to your script is one of those few names in the industry that brings money to the table. On a film I am on, an actor is not going to get anywhere close to the money they should (and deserve, in my opinion) for making the film, in consideration of the lack of funds for the actor, they will be getting a significant back-end, and the management company may invest a few thousand dollars in order to make the actors experience on the film “doable.” Actors in general, don’t need all of the creature comforts that a gazillion dollar studio film provides, but at the end of the day, one wants there to be no distractions for an actor. An actor needs to deliver on set and if there is a way to make this happen without any drama (usually $$$, which can translate into a nicer hotel room or rental car/driver/personal assistant for the actor) then it is worth it for the management company to come up with a solution as they are invested in the role for the actor and want that actor to succeed. This is part of what I do, I introduce scripts to representation and I seek out actors that are not only right for a role, but also should want the role because it is going to make a difference to them personally. Get the actor invested in the material and amazing things can happen for you.

6)  Actors say “no.” It is not personal. You are dealing in people. This is why it takes a loooooong time to put a film together and cast it well.

If you want talent in your film, make real pay-or-play offers backed by an investor that is willing to go there with you. If your financier is not willing to back a hard offer, put money in escrow & pay your casting director, then the chances of you getting the talent you need for an LOI for the releasing of the finances are…ZERO. Also, you will realize that your financier is full of shit. This is not a game, go play Hollywood with your friends and don’t waste the time, energy and reputation of people who can actually put a film together for you. If you want to make a film, make it at the budget level you can afford to make it at, with the cast you can afford to make it with. If the film is any good, it will sell at markets do the festival circuit and hopefully do business on DVD and you will be able to begin to think about making your next film.

To that end, this is why I am so friggin busy casting. I am working on more films below 5 million (and getting great casts for them) then ever before, because individual investors are willing to get into the world of filmmaking and the producers I work with are tapping into those people and telling them the what’s what. You get the actors by putting your money where your mouth is. By the way, that money can be SAG/Ultra-Low budget (100/day) or scale, it doesn’t matter, as long as you are making something and it is real, actors, agents and managers will be interested. Also donations are always gratefully accepted to the Matthew Lessall Casting Fund :0)…Daddy needs a holiday…

Lastly, I am not a “casting agent” the title is “casting director.” My ramblings/advice/experience is based on thousands of hours connecting producers, managers & actors to scripts that I work on. It is never easy and is always an uphill battle. I deal with egos, crazy people, narcissism that defies the mind, psychopathic personalities (and that’s just me) but I also work with the brightest, most fun, intelligent people on this planet. It’s a miracle anytime a film gets made and no matter how I feel personally about working with the producers, directors, writers, managers, agents and actors that I have worked with, I think all of them achieve more in producing one film then many people achieve in a lifetime. They all have that respect from me…making a film is that hard to do…

That’s my 2 cents…

Tags: Film Blog, Film Industry, Movie, Director, Movie

The Hollywood Career Coach - HOLLYWOOD FUTURE STRIKE WATCH: CAROL LOMBARDI OF AMPTP

Interesting interview in the LA Times with Carol Lomdardi who is the new chief negotiator of the AMPTP (representing the major studios and networks.)

She’s already shifting the dynamic. That’s good news.

Nick Counter was known as a pugnacious negotiator. Will you adopt a similar approach?

I’m a good listener at the bargaining table. I try to be. I’m still a representative of management. I represent major studios, each of whom has different businesses and in some cases different interests. All of that is the same as it was for Nick. The one area where we may really differ a lot is getting out in front of negotiations. Having regular communications with the guilds and unions, so that we can share perceptions or disagree about what the world looks like, is very important. I’ve already had discussions with representatives of the Writers Guild and the Screen Actors Guild about doing that.

In fact, during the writers strike, it seemed that you were practically speaking different languages.

I think increased dialogue between the parties would have helped on some issues, particularly in new media, where the companies felt it was too early to negotiate a deal, and the Writers Guild felt they were going be left in the dust and have this whole market develop around them and not be part of it. It may not have prevented a strike, but having discussions about that at an earlier stage might have been very helpful. We really didn’t have a functioning relationship.

And you have one now?

We’re working on it. I’ve made efforts to reach out to the WGA leadership to change that dynamic.

Looking ahead to 2011, when contracts for actors, writers and directors all expire, conditions would seem ripe for another showdown between studios and talent.

I hope not. Everybody endured some battle scars from the last round. The economy in L.A. and elsewhere suffered tremendously as a result of the last strike. A lot of people lost their jobs. Nobody really wants to revisit those consequences, so I’m optimistic that people will say, “Let’s find a way to get this done.”

Read the full article HERE:

Thanks to Jonathan Handel for pointing to the article:

Tags: Movie Blog, Hollywood, Oscars, , Filmmaking

The Standby Painter - Back to Work

We’ve been off, enjoying a little holiday vacation for the past week, and the time has never gone by so fast.  But tomorrow it’s back to the set, and I’m hoping my stuffed toy dog Snoopy will be able to play a small (nonspeaking) part in the upcoming scenes at …

Tags: Movie Theatre, Film Blog, Filmmaking, Filmmaker, Film