I can and I will succeed…through successful negotiation

Lonnell Baker is a good friend of mine that I watched manage stage plays on a regular basis.  He remains steadily devoted to his craft of managing stage plays.  I had the fortunate opportunity to watch him at work dealing with a stage play called “Trees Don’t Bleed In Tuskegee” about 10-12 years ago here in L.A.  There were issues that came up between the Director, the cast, and crew; Lonnell stepped in and managed the disputes between the director, actors, and crew.  Backstage, on one particular night got really ugly, and Lonnell negotiated terms between them and managed to get the play back onto track hours before it went up for one of its performances. 

Lonnell played it straight with his cast mates and he usually didn’t candy coat things when it came to their duties.  The Director on the other hand, I’m not going to mention any names, was someone that a lot of people didn’t like.  He wanted to push his actors pretty hard, and at the same time didn’t give them the recognition that they deserved.  Lonnell came in and changed that, for the short time that the play ran.  He always looked out for everyone that was involved in the production and had his or her best interests at hand.

When I interviewed him, it had been at least 10 years since the last time I saw him, and he was still as vibrant as ever and still devoted to being a stage manager (along with keeping his steady day job).  He told me that he always thought of the people that worked for him during productions and when problems came up, he always placed himself in their shoes.  In that way, he would gain a better understanding of the problem itself and working it out mostly between the director and the cast (and sometimes) the crew.     

One of these days, I want him to manage my cast and crew when I set about shooting my next project.  By all means, I will do it and I will succeed and be fair, just like a particular stage manager by the name of Lonnell Baker.  

JUST FINISH THE DAMN STORY ALREADY!!!

     Franchise movies are a big business for major movie studios…if they are done right.  Too many cases, however, the films are not done right much to the chagrin of the audience.  I love a good chunk of the franchises that are out there (Star Wars Episodes 1-6, Star Trek, Terminator Saga, Bourne Saga...you get the picture).  But there are some like the Terminator franchise I would like for them to wrap up.  I know that box office numbers determine when and if more movies get made.  I would like to see a resolution to some of the stories that are out there.  Not reboots, just an endgame to the stories that have been put out.  A good example is the Star Wars Saga.  Episodes 1 through 6 chronicled the Skywalker family and eventually it was resolved (somewhat backwards with the prequel trilogy…but resolved nonetheless). 

     I would like to see a resolution to the Terminator Saga as well but with the box office numbers dwindling since the last outing (Terminator Salvation domestic number was $125,322,469, Terminator 3 came in at 150,000,000…you see where I’m going with this) (Box Office Mojo.com) that remains to be seen.  I would like to see a resolution to the story because the generation that followed the series is getting older and the younger viewers that have shorter attention spans and may not be interested in the films as time goes on.  Maybe I’m just generalizing about the younger viewers, but I do know that with each film, if the story isn’t produced correctly, it will definitely show with the box office numbers.  The viewers (aka the consumers) will be disappointed and would be leery of checking out the next installment.  In this case, the dollars speak more than the creativity and therein lies the problem. 

     I guarantee you if the last Terminator film was a serious  hit and the box office numbers was reflective of that, they would have green-lit another entry into the franchise quick fast and in a hurry.  But since it didn’t (plus rights issues are going on) no one is in a hurry to resolve the storyline.  I for one would like to see the end of the story. 

Lastly, studios are on the hunt for new material, but yet at the same time, they re-hash it, re-envision it, re-make it, re-whatever…I would like to see some kind of closure with some of the franchises out there.  I also hope that when they do finish these storylines that were started so long ago, they don’t mess them up (like the major studios tend to do) for the sake of the “bottom line.” 

Too Much Charlie Sheen?

I was observing some entertainment sites especially Deadline.com and I was observing that Charlie Sheen is getting his own reality show after all of the mess that he’s been in lately.  His show “Two and a Half Men” getting cancelled, his ex-wife taking him, to court over the custody of his children, and then his rants to the media about everything that is going on with him.  I mean when is enough is enough? Has society gotten to the point that when they see a celebrity go through the ringer, people thrive on it wanting to see more and more?  Now there talks of him getting a reality show.  I don’t know but, its like where did creativity go out the window and has been replaced by sheer drama of everyday life. 

     Reality TV, watching entertainment news shows like ET, The Insider, and TMZ thrive off from it and people seem to be wanting more and more.  It makes a person wonder about the future of the entertainment business.  Reality is hard enough to deal with.  But when people get to a point of watching someone else’s misery or drama, it’s a little sad.  The saying “misery loves company” brings new meaning to reality TV.  My observation is this, people in general have enough misery going on in their own lives and when they see a celebrity like Charlie Sheen go through his share of it people watch because they want to see what happens next, like a soap opera.  A few years back, Brittney Spears went through the gauntlet of drama in here life, and so did Michael Jackson when he was alive.  Everyone likes to see drama, whether it’s real or if it’s scripted.  As far as I’m concerned, there’s enough drama in the world to write volumes upon volumes of books on it.   

My Pet Peeve with Piracy

     My biggest pet peeve that comes attached to the movie industry is the madness that is called piracy.  Piracy comes in many different forms leeching from the entertainment industry.  Bootleg DVD’s, websites that offer “free” movies, streaming movies from illegal websites, I mean come on its crazy.  What I mean by that is that the hard working people within the entertainment industry don’t get to see a dime when films are pirated.  I know this has been ongoing for years, but it’s gotten pretty ridiculous in regards to it. 

     After going over the MPAA website (Smith, 2011), I caught a glimpse of an article regarding their efforts to curb piracy.  There are many countries that are suspect, even here in the U.S.  In my experience and travels, I’ve come across many of people trying to sell me bootlegged current films, mainly from the parking lot of a grocery store or gas station.  It bothers me because, if that were my film (that I worked hard in writing and directing it) and someone were to come up to me saying “do you want to buy this new recent movie” and its mine…well let’s just say that I might be going to jail that day for bodily harm.          

     It disgusts me when I see things like that take place because I work in the entertainment industry and I’ve seen the hard work that people have put into a lot of films.  Whether it would be mainstream or direct to video, it doesn’t matter.  There are a lot of hard working people who work on these films who don’t command a million dollar paycheck, but they do make a decent living from making the films and for someone to come along and use a “camcorder” in a theater or pilfering streamed footage…it’s not right and it’s not fair.   Also that would affect the marketing of a film, say if the film was put out "pirated style" before it was released, would take away from the box office.  I would say a good example would be Ang Lee's 2003 film, HULK and the backlash that it received because it was unfinished, and then it affected it box office receipts.  I mean just plain stupidity on the person who put it out there. 

     I don’t know, maybe I’m just ranting about this subject matter, but I know that the MPAA is stepping up its efforts to curb this disease that affects the entertainment industry and applaud them for it.  For those out there who buy these pirated videos, don’t.  You would be taking away from the people who make a living off from making films.  I want to stress hard-working people who build the sets, work in the editing room, do the computer designs for a film, who do catering on the sets to feed the hard working people.  I’m not taking away or even bad-mouthing the above the line talent, but my biggest issue is taking away from the below the line workers who don’t get the recognition but make major contributions to see that everyone is entertained on the big screen, TV screen, phone screen, I can go on and on.   People please don’t patronize pirates.  It’s not fair and it’s not right. 

Link to post: http://www.mpaa.org/resources/53df70a5-8c97-44dc-baa7-211bd9b448c4.pdf

"The Mystery Box" lecture and my thoughts on the matter

 “The Mystery Box” by JJ Abrams (lecture from TED.com 1/14/2008)

     I just watched a profound lecture given by JJ Abrams (from TED.com) regarding the “Mystery Box” (Abrams 2008) in which he spoke of in fond remembrance of his grandfather.  His passion came out when he spoke of his grandfather and the "Mystery Box" that he bequeathed him.  You can like him or hate him, but JJ Abrams has a hell of a track record of films and TV shows under his belt (Lost, Alias, Star Trek [2010 version], Cloverfield, just to name a few…) and that what got me excited about hearing this lecture is the idea of the "Mystery Box."  He pointed out to a blank sheet of paper and stated “that the blank sheet of paper is a mystery box” just for the fact alone is that the sheet of paper is the writer’s canvas upon which to work on.  Myself being a writer and director, I never looked at the sheet of paper as a “mystery box” it was more of a canvas to me than anything.  But now, after seeing JJ’s lecture, I see that you have to look past certain key tools to understand and go in depth for the meaning and also create it. 

     To the average person, a blank sheet of paper is just simply…a blank sheet.  However to the artist (depending on your passion), that sheet of paper is more than that.  For the musician, it is a means to put lyrics and music notes on page, potentially creating a masterpiece.  For the screenwriter, the blank sheet is a means to put together a story that the director can then bring to life on screen.  I mean the possibilities are endless.  All just because the fact that a sheet of paper is considered a “mystery box”.    The “mystery box” can also be interpreted as what is not seen, but shown in a different context. 

     After viewing many films in my lifetime (and I’ve seen quite a few) and also shooting my own projects, I'm starting to look at things a little differently upon watching JJ’s lecture.   Abrams also stated that the mystery box can also be handled in such a way where when shooting a film, you don’t give everything away on the screen.  He mentioned about the first Alien film in which Ridley Scott craftily avoided revealing the whole monster until the very end of the film, heightening the suspense and mood of the film.  After reviewing it again, and thinking about the many times that I’ve seen it,  I realized that he was right.  Basically, the motto that adds to JJ’s "mystery box" is the art of “showing it, without showing it.” 

     The mystery box can be opened by the average viewer if they look past the surface of the story  on film.  Not everything has to be given away on the screen.  If the story is written, directed, or produced properly, then the “mystery box” can be a great asset.  Mastering the “mystery box” to get the story across is the key, and therein lies the journey of not only for the creator, but the viewer who witnesses the story that plays out on the screen and goes along the journey with the creator.

REFRESHING

            It is refreshing in today’s Hollywood that older actors still have a staying presence in Hollywood.  After reading an article on Nikki Finke’s Deadline (1/18/2011) regarding older actors, it was good to know that older actors like Bruce Willis, Helen Miren, and even Arnold Schwartzengger are still in the Hollywood game making power moves to create films that doesn’t necessarily include younger actors under the age of thirty. “In a move that's not exactly surprising, Summit Entertainment brought back Jon and Erich Hoeber to write another installment of Red” (Finke, 2011).  What’s so refreshing about the article is that the older actors have not been counted out in today’s Hollywood arena.  In the age of reality TV in which wannabe actors in reality TV shows, such as Jersey Shore, have a cast of people, not actors, that get by on their good looks and charms getting deals based off as such, are not included in this mix of older thespians who have true talent.  With the older thespians, their presence on the screen is not based off their good looks or charms, but rather their abilities to show on the silver screen that they get into their characters without a hitch and its not based off some “reality” trend that the Hollywood industry has gotten so used to.

            With the success of Red, it shows that even if the actors are older, and don’t have as much drawing power at the box office, they can still act and make it known that they are the masters of their craft and not some reality TV wannabes that comes along and steal the spotlight, just because the camera is on them. There are times recently that the Hollywood box office bases their success from their young audiences, because it is a new generation as such, with the new talent that is out there, the older ones still have to make things work in concordance with the roles that they have been given.  In addition, Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables is also another example to show that these actors may be older and wiser, but at the same time, they can still draw in a crowd to show the younger generation on how to do things properly and right once and for all. 

Reference: http://www.deadline.com/2011/01/older-thesps-show-staying-power/

BIG BUDGET FOR "THE HOBBIT" TIMES TWO

A return to J.R.R. Tolkien’s stories about ancient Middle Earth, which was preceded by The Lord of the Rings trilogy in the early 2000s,  will be followed up by The Hobbit which would involve two films shot back to back will soon be in production.  What is surprising, according to Deadline.com is that Warner Bros. will be picking up the majority of the production tab along with MGM for the two movies whose prices combined are “expected to exceed 500 million” (Finke, 2011).  In addition, Warner Bros. will also handle the worldwide distribution as well and MGM would handle the domestic.

            The good to come out of this is that the two major recognizable studios, MGM and Warner Brothers are getting their acts together to produce a product that has much to live up to in regard to the preceding Lord of the Rings Trilogy.  In addition with MGM getting their acts together with the new studio heads, Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum (who also command a dominant presence in Hollywood with their production company, Spyglass Films), things are beginning to look up for not only the film itself, but also MGM as well.  Recently, MGM has just emerged from bankruptcy with Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum taking the helm of running the studio, and with these two high profile films in pre-production, all eyes will be on them to produce the two films that would be worthy to follow in line with the films that have already come before. 

            As stated before, Warner Bros. will be paying for the hefty price tag for the films, and also handle its distribution as well.  What is also exciting is that the two studios are working as a team financially and creatively to bring about the best product that would be worthy of J.R.R. Tolkien.  In addition, Peter Jackson (the director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy) is now making his rounds to secure the original actors from the previous films so that the films would be consistent with its characterizations.  If Peter Jackson stays on that path, Jackson and the studios involved would have another major hit, times two, on their hands. 

Reference:

http://www.deadline.com/2011/01/warner-bros-taking-worldwide-distribution-on-the-hobbit/