From Reel to Deal, Part 2

I learned about Film Festivals. This was very interesting I have seen these awards listed on movies such as Sundance and Toronto. But I never knew why. Dov says to only enter film festivals that submit winners to AE. (If AE wants to buy it your lower-budget film can turn out some fairly large profits.) These will help publicize your film even more. There are three reasons to go to a film festival: 1) chance to win awards, 2) buzz and hype, and 3) has three parts including getting discovered, get a distributor, and sell your film. People may call themselves award-winning film makers because they receive an acceptance certificate from a film festival but in fact that could be a lot of people. Dov says that's not enough. What your film should do is win in an elite film festival. He later goes on to explain how deals are made to sell films. For this case, you best have an attorney to help you out because you are a novice. An important lesson is not to ever give away your exact budget costs, no one has the right to that information. Another lesson is not to be seduced by anyone offering anything to good to be true.

From Reel to Deal, Part 1

From Reel to Deal, a couple chapters I read discuss the importance of a script. Simens also offers ways to test it. He tells a lot of things point blank and spares no hurt feelings. Which I think you should do when choosing a career in life. If it’s not for you, it’s not for you. Like, if you can’t write dialogue, it just won’t happen because it is a natural talent. He suggested testing yourself by covering names of characters. The goal was that the dialogue wouldn’t be so dry that you can identify a type of personality to that character. He said you also when you read a script that you should always be reading it fast and easily. Everything should flow nice and smooth. If reading is boring or what is written does not progress the story or serve some form of purpose, than it is not good. If you write a comedy you should be laughing out loud, not just smiling. He keeps saying you should go for great not good. If an agent tells you it’s good but won’t accept it, then it really wasn’t good. You need to rewrite, expect changes to happen to your work. Writers should attend writing workshops and leant the Hollywood writing formula. You need a great idea not a good one to make money. Lots of people have ideas, the ones that package it in the best-selling way make it. Hollywood markets films, they do not make films according to Simens

Hollywood 101 part 2

This gave in depth look on all the people who work together to produce a film. I can better understand why film budgets are so huge. I learned that people are important in film production by monitoring the budget and time sheets carefully. I had no idea that if actors didn't get a break after six hours of work, that there is a huge fine and ADs need to make sure that everyone takes their break to prevent these fines. I know that Christopher Columbus said it was such a struggle to film the first Harry Potter movie because every hour that would have to take a break because child actors according to English can only work for so long without a break. His crew had to work dilligently to make sure that the kids were ready as soon as possible to shoot more footage. I learned that in earlier film history there was no production designer only an art director. I learned more about an editor's final cut. I found it interesting how people use a composer or know musical scores. I do not have a musical note about myself. So, even though I love screenwrting, I have no idea how to accomplish a budget, music, special effects, and I'm hence very glad there are people who do. Types of effects include: computer generated imagery, digital video effects, makeup effects, mechanical, optical, and pyrotechnic.http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4jue-lri5o&annotation_id=annotation_589463&feature=iv

Hollywood 101 part 1

This week I learned about writing a screenplay and hopefully getting noticed by an agent. I saw the two examples: of what to do and what not to do. The section also suggested reading through and seeing what kinds of movies make the most for an idea of what to write about. If one movie of a certain genre succeeds, Hollywood produces a bunch of similiar movies. They used the example of all the teen movies such as Clueless, 10 Things I Hate About You which came out in the 1990s. The writer of Shawshank Redemption wrote specificly requested screenplays until he wrote his breakthrough Shawshank Redemption which gave him the ability to write whatever he wants. I learned you have to be flexible with your screenplay because things will change once a studio and director take it. For agents, you should check the WGA, Wrtiers Guild of America. That will help ensure I get a legitimate agent. I learned that it is best to write queries, proofread them, and they are short and sweet. One of the queries sounded actually desperate. They say it is very importatnt to keep writing as your first job and have a second job to pay the rent. That really motivates me to start writing my ideas out that have been living in my head for so many years. http://http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk5xg2GemgA&feature=related

Media Making Part 4

Globalization eliminates choices for people by decreasing diversity. Coke and McDonalds have done this. It’s easy to see what we have doe in restaurant chains in the U.S. by saying we have a variety of restaurants but really most are not authentic. For a homework assignment, my boyfriend had to find an authentic Mexican restaurant. It was not easy. Finally, he found one and the owner had lived most of his life in Mexico. He told us that restaurants like Taco Bell use the same vegetables but prepare their meat quite differently. He said that his business was family owned and he and his sister-in-law were the main chefs. Their radio played Spanish songs in between news spoken in Spanish. A lot of the menu was in Spanish. I think that part of the reason we lose diversity is because people may be afraid to adjust or try new things. You have to step out of your comfort zone and ask questions. So much familiarity to certain companies may be more appealing than a new experience. When you hear or watch Taco Bell ads, you know what to expect because they are identical in menu, appearance. Our visit to an authentic restaurant was a small one. But if everybody really thought about it they really don’t go for authentic Italian, Mexican, or Chinese that often. We live in a fake reality with globalization and this idea of everything being the same. Here is a picture of a Taco Bell taco and an authentic Mexican taco.http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth/crunchy-tacowebjpeg.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/81/220583510_9d009e2556.jpg

Media Making Part 3

One topic discussed in this section, is sex abuse towards women in the media versus real abuse. It is about whether or not there is a relation. In film, documentaries Dreamworlds 3 and The Merchants of Cool blame media culture either concerts or music videos with attacking women. At one of Bizkit’s concert, four women reported to being raped. Now, I do not like his lyrics. I find them disturbing and hateful. There are extremists and maybe they listen to his music because they are sick and want to do those things. It is very tense and frightening. But, I believe there is a huge difference between going to a concert to listen to music versus attacking someone else. I’ve always felt rape is not really about sex. It is about the pleasure of overpowering someone else. Victoria Secret ads give the idea of women being teasing and wanting to be used if you see it that way. It is a different means than vulgar lyrics but you could argue they have the same purpose. I do not believe the media has that much power to control someone’s conscience. If so wouldn’t have all the men raped women that night. I believe that this world has a fair share of crazies that believe other people exist for their use. Ted Bundy, the Craig’s list killer, Scott Peterson, to name a few. We are not drones, people have reason and free will. Here is a trailer to the Ted bundy movie. Acting out murder and suspense is far different than killing 35 women in real life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IRJTTmv8CY

Children and Book Bans

Part II of Media Making discusses how popular books can be controversial. Working at a library, I run into this every so often. One book mentioned in this section is the Harry Potter series. Once, a little boy asked me where they were. I showed him and he was so excited when I handed him the first in the series. Then, his mom came down the aisle asked what book he had. Reluctantly he told her. She told him to put it back immediately. She turned to me and said, “We’re Christian. We don’t read those kinds of books.” She turned and left with her son. Well, I happen to be a Christian too. Anyone that has looked at the books knows they are not about really about sacrificing animals or blood or dark arts stuff. Actually, the books have a very Christian message. You can survive great and multiple hardships and your sacrifice can save others. Hello-that’s a Christian message. Not to mention a very human message. Small girls tend to flock to the Disney fairy tales. But every so often a girl asks me for the old tales which have dark content and don’t sugarcoat everything. I see parents open to it and others tell their children they wouldn’t like it. When children are so young and haven’t tasted much, I feel that they should be given the chance to try and pick out what they want. News flash to over protective parents the world is not a Disney fairy tale and sooner or later your child will find that on their own.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVByHK_ZHUE ( A clip showing that how J.K. Rowling's mother's passing influenced the Harry Potter stories and not dark arts)