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