Multi-Hyphenate

Adios Blogger.

2010-06-07T22:28:00.001-04:00

by Tyler Weaver. Follow me on Twitter.

MH has lived at Blogger for the past four years. I always knew it was the "training wheels" platform for Blogging, but I always enjoyed the ease of use and simplicity.

Until last night and today. So much so to the point that I'm calling it quits to MH on Blogger.

What happened?

Blogger went down, and the error message said "Blogger is unavailable, visit Blogger status for more info." Of course, that wasn't updated. The problem went on for more than 12 hours on my end. I was angry, I was frustrated, and finally, I said "it's time."

I can handle site outages. I ran a website once that went down on a huge anniversary day, and I know what it's like to scramble to get it running. But still, MH is my baby. And sometimes, the baby has to grow up.

MH now lives on a self-hosted Wordpress blog, along with my personal website, tyler-weaver.com. My empire grows.

If you're been a reader of MH, please redirect your browser to...

http://multi-hyphenate.com

and join in the fun.

Looking forward to seeing you on the other side.

Once Upon a Time...

2010-06-06T21:39:00.001-04:00

by Tyler Weaver. Follow me on Twitter.

Ideas turn me on.

The discussion of ideas, and the gestation of ideas turns me on.

But what gets me going more is witnessing the unabashed realization of the singular vision of a creative force, so much so that with each shot, each note, each step, a new form of heightened pleasure is derived.

Sergio Leone's masterpiece, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, is the film that does that for me. Each shot - be it a simple close-up, a stare, or the most breathtaking views of Monument Valley - is a work of cinematic Art, the perfect union of story, cast, music, cinematography, and direction.

There are two works that have shaped my filmmaking sensibilities. The first is a book - HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT. It taught me of the importance of craft, of suspense, and provided an invaluable insight into the mind of two master craftsmen.. The other is ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST. It showed me everything film could be - and bared the ugly truth of today's "cinema," a cinema of unrealized potential, restraint, and the dollar.

So, it's with this post that I thought I'd put forth six things I learned from ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST. Note that if you haven't seen the film, there are spoilers ahead.

SIMPLICITY RULES.

At it's core, ONCE UPON A TIME... is a revenge story. Harmonica (Charles Bronson) is in town to kill Frank, (Henry Fonda), and along the way gets mixed up in a land battle between Morton (the magnificent Gabriel Ferzetti - also of my favorite Bond film, ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE) and Jill (the undying beauty, Claudia Cardinale). But, at it's heart, it's a revenge story. Plain and simple.

It's through that insistence on simplicity, that the grandeur of ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST is revealed. A meditation of the death of "the Western," and the ruthless drive of men to be more than they are, ONCE UPON A TIME... is epic. A revenge tale. A love story.

And let's face it. The writing pedigree of ONCE UPON A TIME... is superb - the story was written by Bernardo Bertalucci, Dario Argento, and Leone; the script by Leone and the great Italian scriptwriter Sergio Donati.

CASTING IS EVERYTHING, SO YOU BETTER INTRODUCE THEM RIGHT.

I've often been asked "when are you going to do your next movie?" And I say, "when I find the right people." I am not willing to forsake a script and characters on "filling the roles."

ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST features the single greatest casting decision of all time. That of Henry Fonda - yes, Henry Fonda: YOUNG MR. LINCOLN; the juror with a conscience in Lumet's 12 ANGRY MEN - as the most ruthless, evil sonuvabitch to grace the silver screen.

Had Leone not insisted on casting Fonda (Leone had long wanted to work with Henry Fonda, but his budget limitations in previous films precluded that collaboration), and won over Fonda (who turned it down until his friend, Eli Wallach - Tuco in THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY - told him "just go"), ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST would not be the masterwork it is now. He is the lynchpin of the realization of Leone's directorial genius, and a bold

Here is an excellent clip of Henry Fonda talking about his introduction in ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST. He says it better than I ever could.

It is in this introduction that ONCE UPON A TIME... demonstrates the power of cinematic introduction by playing upon the expectations of the audience (these are horrible people!) and then slapping them in the face through image (to quote Fonda, "Jesus Christ, it's Henry Fonda!")

THE INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTS OF A FILM ARE MEANINGLESS. THE MEANING IS IN THE COMBINATION THEREOF.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST is an operatic film. Restraint is something Leone does not exercise (unlike Hitchcock). In the hands of lesser filmmakers (namely everyone else working today with a few notable exceptions), this would be schmaltz. Nostalgia.

There are beautiful shots in this film - staggeringly beautiful; so much so that tears have been known to well up. But a shot in a film is not only composed of the camerawork. It is composed of the story behind the shot. The decisions that led to the shot. The art direction. The location. The actors on screen. The music (more on Morricone's masterwork later). The list goes on and on.

Take a look at this example, of the introduction of Claudia Cardinale to the story. Schmaltz in the hands of lesser. A work of beauty in the hands of a master - but only because of the perfect combination of elements. (Around 2:30 in is where it really takes off - but watch the whole thing).

MUSIC MAKES OR BREAKS A FILM.

It doesn't matter if you have directed, written, edited, or acted in YOUR greatest scene ever. The ultimate decision of the director regarding the music for his or her film is not the cherry on top - but the very flavor of the ice cream you're about to eat.

Leone's fabled collaboration with Ennio Morricone is the ultimate in filmmaker/composer collaborations, and one that every filmmaker should aspire to. Leone's films would simply be "just spaghetti westerns" without Morricone. And Leone knew it. Even if he'd never admit it.

Morricone's utilization of leitmotifs lent WEST its operatic quality (in operas, main characters usually have their own theme, or leitmotif). With WEST, however, you have the perfect combination of film and music. The vast majority of the score was written BEFORE principal photography commenced, as Leone wanted to play the music on set to inspire the actors.

There are moments in WEST that are so perfect it's mind-numbing. Horse trots are in perfect time with the music being played, the drop of a jacket hitting perfectly with the downbeat of the score.

Doesn't happen often anymore, and that's a shame.

SHOW. DON'T TELL.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST is a nearly three-hour film.

The script contains a grand total of 15 pages of dialogue.

I'll leave it at that.

THE FINAL SHOWDOWN BETWEEN PROTAGONIST AND ANTAGONIST BETTER BE WORTH ME WAITING TWO HOURS (PLUS). IF NOT, I'LL KILL YOU IN YOUR SLEEP.

We have been taken along for two and a half hours through the trials and travails of the end of "the Old West." Harmonica and Cheyenne have returned to Sweet Water, where exhausted workers build the town that Sweet Water will become.

Harmonica sits on a fence. Whittling.

Cheyenne:

"When he stops whittling, something will happen."

Henry Fonda, the object of Harmonica's singular focus rides up. "Who are you?" "Only in the moment of your death."

And so begins the finest endgame of any film - the duel between Charles Bronson's Harmonica and Henry Fonda's Frank. Not with fisticuffs, but with a single bullet delivered at the right time, and the display of master craftsmanship that brings all plot points and rivalries to the only conclusion the script could allow.

The grandeur of the film comes down to two men. One gunshot. And the revelations of years of pain.

Again, taking all that I've said before... would the film be the same without the perfect storm of Fonda, Bronson, Cardinale, Robards, the Bertoluccio, Argento, Donati, and Leone script, the Morricone score, the location, the set design, the Tonino Delli Colli cinematography?

Nope.

All mastercraftsmen at the top of their game.

And let's not forget, the answer to Fonda's question, "Who are you?"is not delivered through dialogue. Dialogue has its place - but actions speak louder than words.

AND IN THE END...

If you haven't seen ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, I hope this article gives you a kick in the ass to do so. If you have, but don't like it, it's your opinion. It's a film that rewards patience (the opening sequence is a largely silent 15-minute sequence), and is about the journey - not the destination.

At the end of the day, that's what I appreciate most about the film. It takes its time. It's not afraid to be operatic. It's not afraid to be what it is. It is an unabashed creative statement of a master filmmaker's abilities, passions, and vision that is more and more rewarding with every viewing.

It is the film I turn to when I need a creative jolt. It is everything I love about the possibilities of cinema - and everything I fear we are losing with each passing release. | MH |

Tyler Weaver is a filmmaker, writer, contributor to the pulptone.com website, and the founder and EIC of Multi-Hyphenate... which you're reading right now. He's currently making new things and yaks about that and more on Twitter under the creative guise of @tylerweaver.

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tips of the Day - Week 7

2010-06-03T07:11:00.001-04:00

by guest columnist Jon Reiss. Follow him on Twitter.

This week’s tips concern the re-born “theatrical” movement in the US and around the world for independent film. I’m a firm believer that film should be screened in front of live audiences – which is one form of our millennia old tradition of telling stories in a communal environment – usually in the dark (in the old days in front of a fire). (ps it’s a 4 day week in honor of Memorial Day weekend)

Tip 31 Embrace Live Event/Theatrical

What I call “Live Event/Theatrical” is being reborn in the US with more films using a robust outside of the box booking strategy utilizing a wide variety of venues to screen their works. I call these Live Event/Theatrical because: 1. They emphasize the live audience and the benefits that come from screening your film in front of an audience. 2. The Title emphasizes the event nature of the screenings –and I feel it is important for independents to embrace events (not just throw out screenings from Fri-Thurs) 3. We want to retain the ability to say that we’ve had a theatrical release – hence Theatrical – without having to succumb to the expenses or restrictions of what is known in the industry as “theatrical”. The tips for the next week or so will concern live event theatrical releases.

Tip 32 Use Organizational Partners

If you have laid the groundwork with organizational partners, you can have them organize many of your screenings what Lisa Smithline calls DIFY – or Do It For You. This is one of the many added benefits of starting your distribution and marketing groundwork from the beginning. Even if they don’t do the actual screening organization, they can provide audience, support structure, event production, and event talent. If you don’t have an organization – but have an engaged audience – you can work with your audience in this way too.

Again this is one of the many topics that are covered in depth in the workshops. In NY we are fortunate to have social engagement strategist Sheri Candler and community outreach specialist Caitlin Boyle giving presentations! In Vancouver we have Colleen Nystadt from Movieset!

Tip 33 When Booking Your Film: Do Your Research

Of course you have done your organizational research, but assuming you are still going to book some conventional theaters the first step is: Research. Most information you need to book your film is readily available online. There are already lists of theaters that book independent films available online. My distribution and marketing tools site: ultimatefilmguides.com has a list of these lists! Most theaters have Web sites, and in nearly all of them, the office number can be found if you look hard enough. To compile your list of theaters to contact, check out where other similar independent films have played.

Tip 34 When Booking Your Film: Make the Call

When calling the theater, ask for the person in charge of programming. These bookers are generally very nice people who love film. Why else would they be involved with small theaters that make no money? And remember, it is important to call first before sending an e-mail. An e-mail cannot express your passion, nor will an e-mail exchange allow you to address the bookers‘ concerns about your film in a direct and instantaneous fashion. I always followed up my phone calls with an e-mail and not the other way around.

My workshops are coming to NYC on June 5 & 6^th organized through IFP – and Vancouver on June 12 & 13^th. One of the perks of attending is a digital pack of articles and documents my theatrical pitch letter and a list of theater listings etc. I hope to see you there! Check out the book and workshops here.

Named one of “10 Digital Directors to Watch” by Daily Variety, Jon Reiss is a critically acclaimed filmmaker who has produced and directed three feature films, most recently Bomb It (Tribeca 2007) about graffiti, street art and the battle over visual public space throughout the world. Jon is the author of Think Outside the Box Office: The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution in the Digital Era. For more information go to http://jonreiss.com/blog or follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Jon_Reiss.

Chamber Music & 21st Century Filmmakers

2010-06-02T12:29:00.005-04:00

by Tyler Weaver. Follow me on Twitter.

I've wanted to write this post for a long time. It's one of those that's been in the back of my head, but I needed to let stew a bit. A bit being five years or so. But hey, better late than never.

It was Sheri Candler's appearance on Film Snobbery last night that cemented the need for me to write this piece now. She made the astute point that the reason the DIY-DIWO whatever it's called distribution method is being talked about so much is because people are finally getting it. And it's about damn time, too. Some people aren't, but I'm not here to make converts into the DIY method. I'm here to talk about my experience with another industry that went through the same growing pains in the noughties as the film industry is experiencing now.

For half of the noughties, I was in the music industry. OK, I wasn't "In" the industry, but I was a composer, classically trained, and all that. And I witnessed people falling all over themselves about piracy, about stealing, DRM, about rights, and most importantly - how to make money being a creative person in an age where the attitude of the general public is (and note that I'm not including fellow creatives of the same discipline here - like it or not, we're making content for a segmented and targeted portion of the general public - NOT other filmmakers, musicians, etc.)...

"If it's on the Internet, it's free."

Unfortunately, what's missed in that naive and selfish notion is that I don't know how you get your Internet for free. I pay a bill that makes me feel like a bullfighter being gored every month to partake in the splendor of the WWW. The computer (or phone, or television) isn't free. Yet, it's expected that the content on there is free.

I digress. Perhaps that's another post for another day.

I was a musician. I'm still a musician. It's all storytelling anyhow.

The point here is that as a musician and composer, the only time I aimed for a symphony orchestra to play one of my pieces of music to begin with (or in the rock world, stadium shows) was when I wrote a piece for symphony orchestra.

The great thing about music was that there were various forms and structures put into play that didn't require massive performances or symphony halls for performance. Pubs. Churches. The Street. Subways. Community center.

The film world, on the other hand, has always had one, two, maybe three performance venues at the most:

1.) Cineplex
2.) Art House Theater
3.) DVD

And let's face it. None of those are ideal. We can add online and television in there as well, but the issue is that while the distribution method always changes, the form being distributed hasn't. It's still made up of the same language and conventions.

Music, on the other hand, was custom built for a variety of distribution platforms and live event theatrical performances. String Quartets. Chamber music. Cello ensembles. Steel Drum/Marimba duets. The list is infinite.

And I would never compose a piece of music for a trumpet/piano duet as I would for a symphony orchestra. I would never expect it to be performed in a symphony hall.

The film form is tremendously limiting in numerous regards, so much so that filmmakers everywhere produce the same works in the same format (there are two - short form & feature, plus the burgeoning web series, though that owes more to television) using the same language and expect it to be received in the same way in each different distribution platform.

That's like writing a trumpet/piano duet and expecting it to be performed live with a symphony orchestra.

I thrived on composing small pieces of music for carefully designed live event performances. I never wrote the same way for each piece; in fact, I tried to know exactly where the piece was to be performed AS I WAS COMPOSING so that I could optimize my style for that venue.

In the filmic world, I never expected Gather 'Round the Mic to show theatrically. I made The Fourteen Minute Gap specifically for online viewing (more specifically on an iPod or mobile device). The script I'm currently writing would most likely work in theatrical, though it's not my primary goal.

To borrow a phrase from music, I make Chamber Films. Specifically orchestrated pieces designed for specific forms of audience consumption. However, unlike my time composing, where I wrote two symphonies and vowed "never again," I would, of course, love to make something that's viewed optimally in a movie theater with a bunch of people (Idiots, check your cell phones at the door, I've got a taser).

Is this method limiting to me? Not at all. In fact, I find it a new creative challenge. An opportunity to explore different forms of storytelling - and an opportunity to further my brand out to a wider audience segment.

So why do we as 21st-century filmmakers make films that we think must only play theatrically when what we're really making are Chamber Films? It's a matter of adaptability and banishing fear of the unknown.

But the bottom line: for me, self-distribution and not playing in theaters is not a crushing defeat.

It's the only way forward - as long as you write the right music.

Tyler Weaver is a filmmaker, writer, contributor to the pulptone.com website, and the founder and EIC of Multi-Hyphenate... which you're reading right now. He's currently making new things and yaks about that and more on Twitter under the creative guise of @tylerweaver.

Week One Down

2010-06-02T09:22:00.000-04:00

by guest columnist Mike Elrod. Follow him on Twitter.

What I’ve learned with my writing this week could fill a book. But, I’ll try and keep it to a few paragraphs. As you may know, I’ve begun a ten week-long work schedule that is a practice in what I called the discipline of letting go. The purpose of which was to have by the end of these ten weeks the rough draft of my first graphic novel finished and ready for revisions.

I thought that by the end of the first week I’d have something to say about the discipline of sitting down each and every day, ignoring any and all distractions, and letting myself fall into the world of All That Lives. Well, honestly that wasn’t the hard part this week. I suspect laziness will rear its lethargic head soon enough and make me contemplate, quite seriously, the merits of couch sleeping or cartoon watching over the prospect of finishing this goal I’ve set for myself.

The hard part however was what I wasn’t expecting it to be and, it’s one that may not seem to fit into this part of the process for those of you just joining in. I actually entered into a phase of editing in my first week. Now, this wasn’t a self-editing mind you, but an editing by an outside source. For those who don’t know, I’ve been working on this graphic novel for quite a while and have finally begun to piece it together issue by issue. I’ve had people look at my scripts before but the story has changed so much since then that I’ve needed to start over quite a few times. I think however, that this is a piece of the larger problem that I had to begin facing over this past week.

It’s the lack of focus in my writing.

Now, I know what you’re saying; “Mike you write so well, and there’s never a misspelled word or unfinished thought in any of those magically-brilliant pieces you write.” Believe me, it’s a shock for me as well.

The truth is though that it’s been quite a while since I’ve had any eyes, except for my own, on the script for All That Lives. For some reason, where I was willing to have others look at my work before, these newer iterations of the characters and plot have been something I’ve kept to myself hoping to make them as good as they were going to be amazing before anyone read them. Of course, that’s completely missing the point of a rough draft. I’ve talked a lot about it with my friends and especially with Mike Carpenter (the artist for the book) but I’ve barely shown them the work, which is exactly the reason I’ve lost some focus along the way.

If holding the story in your head or on spare pieces of paper and word documents works for you then do it. However, there comes a point when, as Mike said to me, “it has to congeal.” And for me, that can only come through having others look at it. The story is there and alive in my head but as it comes out the pieces don’t always fit together as well in reality as I see them myself.

As my friend Mona looked over the pages I had sent to both she and Mike I waited with the typical nervousness, like anyone in my position would, for her response. However, instead of editorial on what sections worked for her and which ones didn’t I got something that was even more valuable at this point in the process.

She asked me what the timeline for the story looked like.

In other words, she needed perspective on why these events were important and why they were where they were in the rough draft. What I found as Mona, Mike, and I sat down was that the events I was working so hard to use, needed to be broken down and put into a visual format so that I could actually “see” the sense that the story needed to make. The timeline placed the events of the characters’ lives into context with the environment and each other. It seems like a simple task and one that’s inherent in writing, and it is. However, when a world lives inside your head long enough without any outside perspective this natural part of the process can quickly become muddled.

For two hours or so we sat there placing the events of the story in order across a twelve issue arc. The fundamentals, much like what my high school basketball coach taught me, became essential once again. But there’s still more to this than just placing the events in order on the page with a few lines and numbers.

This piece came from Mike Carpenter himself.

I realized that I’ve developed a habit of saying I’m not “married” to anything in the story. I want the process to be something that we both contribute equally to, and so, out of fear of taking over completely and ignoring Mike’s input, I had gone the opposite direction. I’ve been operating out of a sense of non-commitment to the ideas in my head and on the page in order to not step on the toes of someone whose interest in the story is as great as my own. Why I approached it this way I don’t know. I try to find a good middle ground in most groups I work in, so why should this be any different I’m at a loss to explain.

As Mike put it, I need “to be married to some of this.”

Without commitment to the parts you believe are essential to the story you’ll never have the focus to complete it. This isn’t to say that these parts aren’t up for debate, but debate shouldn’t be avoided either. Commit to the story and it will be better for it. Don’t allow the plot to become so malleable that it never has a backbone with which to support everything else. This is your story after all. If you can’t tell it the way you see it happen what’s the point in putting it down on the page?

It’s important to always work with your partner on a project. But, in order to do so you each have to take responsibility for and ownership of your respective duties. Trusting one another to do each job is essential. Always thinking of your work in non-committed terms just means you’ll never get it done and that what you do end up with is just going to be mediocre at best. Debate is healthy for a creative project, don’t worry about avoiding it, embrace it. If you can’t argue over it, why would you expect your audience to do so once it’s finished?

With this in mind I’ve moved on into the second week of this process a little farther behind because of a need to rewrite what’s already been laid to page, and with a better focus for the discipline of letting go. Now that I’m looking at the story in concrete terms I think I can actually observe it and report it on the page. So the question is; how messed up is this story going to get? I could tell you, but I just know where it’s headed and how it’s getting there. The depth of these events is found in the process.

Mike Elrod is an instructor for a small college in the North Georgia Mountains where he spends his days helping students research their papers as he pines for the city. By night however, he reviews the show Supernatural for Pulptone.com. He also writes a graphic novel, All That Lives, along with Michael Carpenter - who produces amazing artwork - about growing up and the zombie apocalypse in the South.

Kapowing! - Kapowing Yourself

2010-06-01T10:55:00.001-04:00

by guest columnist Katie★Kapow (''')-.-('''). Follow her on Twitter.

When you fall of your horse because your horse is broken, get a new horse. (No wait, that’s not it.)

When the going gets tough because the roof of your house fell on your head, set your roof on fire. (Nope, also not right.)

When you don’t know what to do because everything has fallen apart and you want to give up, fight your hardest. (There, that’s better.)

No bones about it, things have been rough for Kapow lately, but after months of doing nothing in my medium, I’ve awoken with a fervor to fight my way out of it, to “Kapow myself.” We all know that the best motivator we have is within ourselves. If you’ve lost the drive to create, you simply have to kick your own behind and put yourself back in the game. Easier said than done, I know. Hell, even sitting here and attempting to write this article is proving difficult for me.

Just remember that breaking through is possible. Submitted for your perusal, I present: The Story and Outcome of Kapow Beating Down Her Wall.

I knew I needed a project to help kick-start my creativity. Conscious that I had to start somewhere to break out of this slump, I drew up my first goal: choose a project. Because I wanted to ease back into the saddle, the project I chose was stripped-down and simple, “Photograph a new set”. At that point, I knew what I wanted to do and I needed to further flesh out the picture.

Which leads to my second goal: Make a plan.

I’m not a spontaneous person by nature. In fact, I’m just the opposite. I tend to be obsessively organized, scheduled and methodical. I knew that in order to complete my goal, I would need to plan ahead, but not to excess. Too many of my creative friends find themselves with brilliant ideas that never take flight simply because they get stuck in the planning phase. I can’t exclude myself from this group, because I’ve done it too. Planning is fun. Unfortunately, planning isn’t doing.

To prevent myself from getting sucked into the planning phase, I kept the plan simple. I only wanted to know the following: Where am I going to photog?; What are the subjects I’ll want to focus on once I’m there?; And finally, how am I going to do best accomplish this project? The answers came quickly. I wanted to remove myself from my current environment, so I chose Seattle. I wanted my subject focus to be the personality, or the air of the city I was in. Once those decisions were made, all that was left was the “How?” I determined the best way to accomplish my goal was to book a hotel, invite a friend for company, and start driving north.

Without dwelling much on logistics, I packed a bag, threw my camera around my neck and set off on goal three: execute. I could have sat on my sofa forever, daydreaming of the glorious sights and scenes I “could be” photographing in my beloved Seattle. I could have hesitated or made excuses about not having time or money. If I did those things, goal three would have never been achieved. So I bit my lip and dove in.

It had been a few months since I had seriously photographed anything. To be quite honest, I was nervous. Once I was on location, I continued to hesitate. Luckily, my chosen companion was my husband, who would not let me “forget” my camera in the hotel room or who could remind me to remove the lens cap once she was hanging around my neck.

With the urging from this dear friend and loved one, I met goal four: be realistic. I am Kapow yes, but I am no superhuman (though I play one on the internet sometimes). Not everything I do will turn to gold. Not every photo that I take will be perfect, my greatest work or even a hit. Swinging the bat should be my focus. I was out of the game. Now it was time to get back in and play for keeps. I needed to hit my stride again and though I might find a winner in the process, if I don’t, that’s okay. I had to accept imperfection before I could freely execute my plan.

Something else I realized along the way, while being frustrated with the block in front of me and being afraid of the terrible work I may produce, I reaffirmed that I don’t do this because it’s “just a job”. I don’t photog and produce my art because I’m guaranteed a paycheck and health insurance. I do this because it’s what I love. I do this because it’s the light inside me that keeps me going. The empty feeling I’d been having while in the Kapow slump was the void left from the absence of my creativity. Removing the creativity from my daily life was what created the slump and block in the first place. We’re a strange breed, creative types, but if you’re one of us, you know what I mean. I now know that no matter what is going on in my life, I must always make time for my creative outlet.

With the initial project complete, I returned home. By setting a goal, planning, and executing it with realistic expectations, I consider myself successful in breaking down that wall. This means project one is a win, whether or not it’s a critical success. Now, the most important step: Repeat.

Yeah, I took some photos. I made some pieces and I had a great deal of fun, but now I’m back on my sofa and in my comfort zone. What’s to stop me from getting right back into the slump I was in? Me. Armed with a fresh mindset and a sense of accomplishment, I know I can always count on myself to be my own best advocate. After all, if you don’t believe in yourself, why should anyone else?

So I’m outlining a new project. I’m still keeping it simple, but each new project I complete, I get to add to the challenge. The road back to Kapow is taken in baby steps.

That said, my creative block is over. Mission Kapowing Kapow: Complete.

The moral is this: If you find yourself in a slump, stop fantasizing and start doing. You can plan ahead, but only a little. Then you need to get to work. Start small and simple, and don’t be overwhelmed. If things are slow in the beginning, remember to keep your expectations in check. Things were slow in the very beginning of your art too, weren’t they? The important thing to remember is if you did it before, you can do it again. You’re a creator, and there’s simply no excuse for not creating. If your art is something you love, you owe it to yourself and to your art to keep producing and improving. That, and you owe it to me, and everyone else who might stumble upon your art and fall in love with it.

★Kapow (''')-.-(''') Out.

Random Fact Of the Week About Katie★Kapow (''')-.-(''') :
I see the world very differently from most. Someone could, say, look at a tree and see a tree. I might look at it and see the way the colors and surrounding landscape might make the tree look strong, or towering, or even tiny. It’s an emotional experience, looking at the world through my eyes, for a number of reasons I won’t get into here. As such, when I look, I emote and assign emotion. I can’t help it. It’s what I do best.

The Risky Business of the Black Lotus

2010-05-27T11:38:00.000-04:00

by guest columnist Angelo Bell. Follow him on Twitter.

To paraphrase Tom Cruise's infamous line from Risky Business...

There comes a time in every filmmaker's life when he's got to say, What the fuck!

In my mind that means, Go for it! -- whatever it may be. For me, it means stepping out of my comfort zone and tackling a project that I couldn't possibly complete on my own. It means cautiously, then aggressively testing the waters beyond do-it-yourself filmmaking.

In this industry where you are no more successful than your last film and no more exciting than your next project, saying What the fuck! means finding that elusive balance between art and commerce.
Legend of Black Lotus is my next film project, both in short film form and in feature film form. The short film introduces us to a fairy tale, the legend of an African American child born to an empress in Ancient China under the prophetic legend of unifying a war-torn kingdom. The short film is a means to an end. It was conceived as an invitation for mainstream studios to join me in the $4 million production of an epic fantasy feature film. The feature film is my pie-in-the-sky project, it is my Driving Miss Daisy, to quote Gene Hackman's line from Get Shorty.

Getting these films made will be like winning the lottery because the odds are stacked against me, but the pay-off is ridiculously grand. However, the truth is, all of my completed films have been like winning the lottery. It is a miracle that any of my previous films were started, yet alone completed. The miracles have come not so much by my own hand but by being in the right place at the right time. I've met the right people (actors, DP's etc) who embraced the dream and gave me confidence that we could pull off miracle. I've met other writers who saw something unique in my screenwriting voice and encouraged me to have faith. All the pieces of the puzzle fell together, miraculously, to effect the end result -- a finished film.

So why not extend my efforts towards a grander finish? The odds of an independent filmmaker breaking through with a low budget film are virtually the same as an independent filmmaker getting admitted to the exclusive Hollywood club or finding funding for a film. Often, it is not so much an exercise in humility as it is an exercise in patience.

My film, Broken Hearts Club, which was recut as a six-episode series, has been limping along since 2009. After being rejected by 20 film festivals the film went on to screen internationally in Italy, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Back in the U.S., the film screened in Beverly Hills and South Carolina. Broken Hearts Club was later picked up by AMGTV, ZillionTV, and Simple ME TV. Yesterday I received news that, miraculously, the film was selected by NBC Universal, as part of a pilot program to test new series in one of the network's largest regions, New York City.

To put these events in proper perspective it's important to note that I shot Broken Hearts Club nearly three years ago, in December 2007. In mid-2010 the film is finally seeing some true daylight.
With Legend of Black Lotus I had to say, What the fuck! Why not push the envelope of what I can achieve? Why not go against the grain of diy filmmaking and diy distribution and shoot for the stars? Sure, it's risky business, but if it doesn't work out in the end I can always go back to what I've managed to miraculously achieve in the past. If it does work I'll have new benchmark to base my future miracles on.

I'm currently crowdfunding the short film Legend of Black Lotus on Indiegogo at http://www.indiegogo.com/blacklotus. All are welcome to be a part of this epic journey into miracles.

| MH |

Angelo Bell is an award-winning independent film producer, writer and director. He is currently in post-production with a neo-noir action thriller, Resurrection of Series Rogers, and developing an independent epic fantasy, Legend of Black Lotus. His romantic-comedy, Broken Hearts Club, has toured internationally and will soon air on the NBC Universal television network in NYC.

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tips of the Day - Week 6

2010-05-27T07:41:00.000-04:00

by guest columnist Jon Reiss. Follow him on Twitter.

Proper Prior Planning Prevents Perplexing Problems or Some Very Practical Tips When Finishing Your Film...

Tip 26 Start Your Deliveries During Production

As I continue to create delivery elements for Bomb It (for new sales three years after its premiere) I am reminded as to how onerous they are. Deliverables are the assets you need to deliver to distributors so that they can exhibit/sell your film. You need to start developing them during production. You should be organizing your contracts, keeping track of your chain of title (which actually starts at prep) and creating digital assets such as stills and video. Stills are hugely important and you need three types of stills: Of the Film, Of the Crew (mainly the director), and Specials of The Actors. Check out a list of conventional deliveries – and then expand that to include any trans media assets you will need. You’ll thank me for starting earlier than you think.

Tip 27 Don’t Do Your Deliveries Alone.

Yesterday I mentioned how onerous delivering your film can be. As a result – Having someone on your team either help with or do your deliveries is manna from heaven. This alone is a reason to have a Producer of Marketing and Distribution. If you are self distributing or using an involved trans media project you will have many more deliverables than what is conventional. It is also a reason to start doing them during production when you have the most crew available to help.

Tip 28 For Docs: Do Your International Cut Down When You Are Cutting Your Film

Documentaries usually need a 52-54 minute cut down of their film to sell to foreign television. I waited a year before doing my cut down for Bomb It, which was way too long. While it did provide me perspective and made it easier for me to slash and burn my film, I essentially had to repeat the entire delivery process for this edit – which was not fun to say the least. Further, if you have your cut down ready when you are finishing – you can make package deals for 2 separate DIs and 2 mixes – doing them simultaneously is MUCH better than having to reopen the process later. For perspective, I would recommend having a different editor do the cut down. If you are on a budget – this would be an excellent perk to give to one of your assistant editors. You can then polish it with your editor who is already on staff and might be difficult to engage later.

Tip 29 Full Frame Video Delivery Still Exists

Even though the world is moving to HD and its 16:9 aspect ratio as a standard, some television and VOD contracts require a full frame 4x3 version. In smaller deals you can often push your way out of this requirement, but on some bigger sales with bigger companies –just may not take your title if you don’t have a full frame 4x3 version. This is not a letterboxed version that has black bars top and bottom. It is the dreaded “pan and scan”. However it is a pan and scan that you can control – and you can pay to have a pan and scan done. A less expensive approach is a 4x3 extraction. This is a down convert from HD 16:9 in which a machine pulls the center of the picture into the full 4x3 frame. Remind yourself that you won’t have to be there when people see it. You can also wait to do this until you are forced to deliver one. When you are doing your DI – make sure that your titles/subtitles/graphics are very title safe – so that they stay in the frame when the extraction occurs – otherwise you’ll have to replace each of those titles individually – NOT FUN (I know from experience)

Tip 30 Request to Keep Assets that Others Create for Your Film

Make sure you get all of the elements for each stage of the delivery process, whether it is the files for your authored DVD or if it is a subtitled version of you film that a foreign film festival created or if it the files for the closed captioning of your film. I had a cc version of Bomb It created for Canadian television. I received the master HD of this version, however not the closed captioning file. Because of this I will need to pay for the cc process again. I was however smart enough to request copies of any subtitled version made for foreign film fest screenings or broadcast. I just screened Bomb It in Tel Aviv. The venue wants to screen it again, but with Hebrew subtitles. I just completed a deal for Israeli television which requires them to provide me with the subtitles and a Hebrew subtitled DVD. So now I have a DVD to use for the next screening of Bomb It – this time with Hebrew subtitles.

My workshops are coming to NYC on June 5 & 6^th organized through IFP – and Vancouver on June 12 & 13^th. One of the perks of attending is a digital pack of articles and documents including a delivery schedule and blank boilerplate budget in Excel. I hope to see you there! Check out the book and workshops here.

Named one of “10 Digital Directors to Watch” by Daily Variety, Jon Reiss is a critically acclaimed filmmaker who has produced and directed three feature films, most recently Bomb It (Tribeca 2007) about graffiti, street art and the battle over visual public space throughout the world. Jon is the author of Think Outside the Box Office: The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution in the Digital Era. For more information go to http://jonreiss.com/blog or follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Jon_Reiss.

The Evolution of a Reader

2010-05-26T15:47:00.004-04:00

by guest columnist Anthony Schiavino. Follow him on Twitter.

Print isn’t dead. It’s just evolved.

Way back I said I’ve had to completely stop collecting comics. I should have said print but it’s generally the case. As of this writing I have one more book to get and it’s late to the party. Could go on sale next week or next month. It’s not something I need to have but seeing how I bought 5 of the 6 issues already I think I’m going to finish the series.

But since I was able to get my iPad...and yes here I am saying I can’t buy one thing but bought one more expensive...I’ve been reading more. I’ve been reading more comics, more books, and more television at the same time on the computer even less.

Sure the iPad has it’s setbacks, the only one I’ve seen so far is Flash and I haven’t had a need to use it yet, but for the most part it’s changed the way I read, watch, and compute.

Maybe I should have said media has evolved. That’s a better description. With my iBooks and Kindle apps I’m able to sample books before I buy them. I’m also able to find books easier that aren’t carried in stores. Let’s face it, while we all read there’s really no reason to have every single book we have in print. I’m a collector and an avid reader of all things print; books, magazines, comics. But how many of them do nothing but simply collect dust after we’re done with them?

There are the staples of the collection such as The Lord of the Rings, or my copy of The Gunslinger, or the Harry Potter series. Outside of that however, outside of perhaps one bookshelf worth of very good books...the rest is clutter.

It’s not to say I didn’t want to buy them, or read them, or have them but I’m going on my 15th longbox of comics. I’m guestimating there. It’s years worth of collecting, probably a box a year, but at a certain point you run out of room. Like anyone I think what should I do? Give them away? Donate them? Keep them? They’re not worth much of anything to anyone but myself. I figure one day I’ll give them to my children and hopefully they’ll do something with them...like read. By that time paper may be a distant memory.

I don’t want to give away my run of Green Lantern or Daredevil. I don’t want to donate that copy of Kick-Ass.

I see the ending of one thing as a new beginning in another way. The iPad has made me think about my purchases. Most times I’ll sample a book and buy it in the store. Any real downloads so far have been the classics I never read. I need a new book so why not them?

Comics are cheaper and in many cases free be it on Panelfly (where my comic Sergeant Zero is sold for more than half the print price), Comixology, or the Marvel App. I’m reading more comics, and in some cases buying them, then I would have normally. Did I ever want to read that Garth Ennis Ghost Rider series? No, but now that Marvel let me sample the first issue for free I may do just that.

Just today WIRED magazine put out what I think is the definitive magazine on the tablet. I’ve tried other players but they just didn’t work right and the companies didn’t seem to get it. With WIRED you’re getting what looks like a full magazine (didn’t compare to print) with interaction in an experience. But they’re not giving you an EXPERIENCE! which is what most people think should be done. The interaction makes sense. Click on a headline on the cover and you go to the story. Pages filled with multiple products have numbers you click on. The text swaps out. Thinking interactivity by the creators.

People are complaining about the price, and sure they could use a subscription, but it’s still cheaper than the print and in most cases you’re getting more.

Now I’m just waiting on The New York Times to put their entire paper up for reading. With a subscription of course. For those that want your news for free ask yourself how the content is generated. It’s created, written, and generated by people who are working a job like anyone else. Ask yourself if you’d work without a paycheck. Breaking news is something else entirely.

One of the big topics I’m talking about lately is bootlegging. Let me just say that we’re living in a time far past Napster. We have much more available. We have iTunes, the iPad and all the bells and whistles, Amazon, B&N and countless other places. It not only makes media more accessible but it makes it all cheaper too.

So then why are people still bootlegging media? Why are there thousands upon thousands of downloads for a comic that costs 99 cents digitally? Quite honestly if the comic is $3.50 in print and it’s 99 cent digitally you’re taking more out of their pocket. Digital downloads are almost pure profit. Print, distribution, etc. are not taken out of the creator’s cut. The profit may be slightly less but it will sell more, thus making more money. As a creator I find it appalling.

People seem to want more and more for less if not free. In the old days I said down with the music companies for suing those people! I feel they went after the people instead of doing what they should have. Put the money toward something like iTunes. Say what you will about Apple but they changed the face of music completely and now they’re doing it to media.

I think we, as users, need to take some responsibility in what we do, what we buy, and what we download for free. At the same time I think if something isn’t done right we need to make sure to tell people. Which is the other problem I really have with all of these illegal downloads. All of these companies, publishers, whoever are available on Facebook and Twitter. Granted some are nothing more than news feeds but the majority of people, me included, WANT to hear what you have to say. If something doesn’t work, or if you have a problem with the product, they want to hear it.

Like I said, I love print and I still buy it, but digital media has changed the face of my reading, television, and computing habits. I do more and I’m on the computer less because of it. I still think we have a ways to go but some of the stumbling has turned to walking. Magazines need to take notice of what the comic apps are doing. Purchase and download again. Perhaps if Apple does that I’ll end up watching more of their media. I just don’t have the drive space. | MH |

From the halls of Marvel Comics as a mutant editorial intern to the heights of the Flatiron designing book covers and straight on through newsrooms as an art director, Anthony Schiavino has seen action and then some. Pounding away at the keyboard, working well into the night, he mixes his love of old hard-boiled stories, hopeless romance and black and white movie dialogue like a good stiff drink. A writer and designer from New Jersey, Anthony’s work can be seen on a wide range of pulp and comic book publications such as “Ghost Zero,” “The Phantom: Generations,” and the “Black Forest.”

He can be found talking comics, movies, television, and all things pulp on Facebook and Twitter.

The Good, The Meh, The Gah: Behind the Rant

2010-05-25T09:32:00.000-04:00

by Tyler Weaver. Follow me on Twitter.

(this article originally appeared at marialokken.com on February 22, 2010)

The ingredients that have thus far made up the concoction I call a career can be described, in a word, as “mucho.” Drummer. Orchestral percussionist. Composer. Film composer. Filmmaker.dd in a dash of non-profit management and my newest seasoning – critic – and the pierogie that is my hyphenated mish-mash of a career takes on a distinctly saucy turn.

Since September of 2009, I have cast a critical eye on J.J. Abrams’ FRINGE and David Shore’s HOUSE for Anthony Schiavino’s Pulp Tone website. Last month, I began reviewing the new Mark Valley/Chi McBride/Jackie Earl Haley-starring series, HUMAN TARGET. They are three distinctly different shows (though not without their similarities), and reviewing them has opened up my eyes to a number things that is done well in television, and a number of ills.

Though the three television shows I review are different, and I can’t apply many of the same criteria to each review, there is one criterion to everything I review that must be present:

CHARACTERS I WANT TO WATCH

If I’m given a story with cool effects, aliens, some T&A, mind-bending twists, and cardboard characters, I’m out. (I’m looking at you, “V.”)

Character is key. These are characters that I welcome into my home each week, characters that I want to follow. I loathe hospital shows. I love HOUSE. Were it not for the amazing ensemble cast and the wonderful performances from Hugh Laurie and Robert Sean Leonard, I would be gone. “Doctor with bad beside manner solves mystery cases.” Great. But I don’t care.

FRINGE would be just another X-FILES rip-off were it not for the performances of John Noble as Walter Bishop, Joshua Jackson as Peter Bishop, and Anna Torv (more or less) as Olivia Dunham. If I didn’t care about these people, they wouldn’t make it past a minute of my time.

The essence of great storytelling can be boiled down into one statement:

Fascinating people in difficult situations.

That’s it. It’s why the hero is defined by the antagonist – the situation must be more difficult than the protagonist can handle at the story’s beginning. The protagonist must grow through defeating their own demons, fears, etc. to overcome that which is bigger than them.

Simply because I want to watch a character doesn’t mean I have to like the character. In fact, if I don’t, I’m even more intrigued. I want to see what makes these people tick. I don’t need to like them. I just have to empathize with them.

If I’m going to stick with a show, and give up an hour of my life weekly for 10, 12, 13, 22 weeks or longer, I had better want to watch these people. Otherwise, it’s like going to a party filled with people you don’t like, just because it’s a party. Why would I waste my time?

There’s another element to my reviews – programming. Much of my complaining is leveled at the networks for their abysmal lack of balance. Because, as in life…

BALANCE IS KEY

As most U.S. network shows on the big four (ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX) last for 22-24 episodes, balance is crucial. Balance between what?

Balance between the done-in-one and overarching story (or mythology) episodes. They must function and inform one another. Despite having an overarching plot (House wants to be a better human), HOUSE is not a mythology-driven show. It’s a character-driven show, with a winning formula (a fascinating character in a difficult situation; in this case, a medical mystery that pushes the boundaries of his intellect), and an excellent supporting cast (more or less).

HUMAN TARGET is not a mythology-driven show, though it does have an overarching plot. In this case, it’s the slow revelation of Chance’s (Mark Valley) past, and why that past is after him. Otherwise, it again fulfills my criteria for watching: fascinating people (the lead triumvirate of Mark Valley, Chi McBride, and Jackie Earl Haley) in difficult situations – though with a healthy and fun dosage of boys-with-toys machismo and a caution-to-the-wind cavalier attitude.

FRINGE, on the other hand, is a mythology-driven show in the vein of everything else Abrams does. I’ve been particularly hard on FRINGE this season, but I’ve primarily aimed my critical switchblade towards the showrunners (for the first half – atrocious, badly-written dreck) and the network (for the second – showrunners got their mojo back, but horrifying programming decisions did nothing to garner my love).

I will confess to nearly jumping ship on FRINGE. However, the first criteria chimed in: It is filled with characters I want to watch. And I had faith that it would get better.

Balance, unfortunately, is often not synonymous with American television programming. So far, FRINGE has suffered the most from this disease. It’s a deadly one. It’s called…

FLUFFFORFLUFF’SSAKEITUS (Fluff•for•Fluff’s•Sake•Itus)

With a mythology-driven show like FRINGE , the 22-24 episode season doesn’t work. This season proved it beyond a reasonable doubt, in no small part to the absolutely shoddy programming. Some episodes moved the main plot forward. Stop. Done-in-one freak of the week. Myth. Stop. Freak. Stop. Three week break. Myth. Freak. Freak. Freak. Four week break. Ad naseum.

This is no doubt due to Fox’s inability to effectively market the show to anyone. It wants a big hit on its hands, so it markets to everyone. Bring in people, keep long-time fans happy. Pick one. By marketing to everyone, you market to no one.

The fix I have long proposed (well, since September, anyhow) is that ALL American television should follow the Euro/British model (10-12 episode series/seasons/volumes). In the US, USA, TNT, FX, AMC, HBO, etc. etc. have found great success with this formula. It needs to be applied to all television. It’s the first step towards curing the Flufforfluff’ssakeitus that plagues network programming.

And what is the ubiquitous issue?

THE DONE-IN-ONE.

American programming is a hodge-podge between myth and done-in-one, a balance never being found.

At its best, the done-in-one can both move the story forward and be accessible. The last new episode of HOUSE, “5 to 9,” is one of the best examples of this. It didn’t necessarily move the overarching HOUSE story forward (be a nice guy, House), but it did offer a new perspective on a tried and true formula. Told from romantic foil and hospital administrator Lisa Cuddy’s perspective, it was a “day in the life of,” with the HOUSE formula sneaking in once in awhile. It was a highly effective episode (made even moreso by the fantastic performance by Lisa Edelstein as Cuddy), and is, in my mind, a template for how the done-in-one should be… done.

On the other hand, you have FRINGE. While there have been some very good done-in-ones (several in fact, especially recently) that did move the story forward ever so-slightly, it came across as merely padding to fulfill a season order. One of my last reviews (before the eight-week break) was actually dedicated to ripping apart the programming decisions of the season (which I will leave alone for now – just go have a read of the review (assault?) if you want to know more).

Bottom line – the done-in-one must contain the following: a fascinating story with a unique perspective that illuminates and expands on the mythology and forward motion presented in the episodes surrounding it. If it doesn’t, it’s filler, and I’m not pleased or interested.

THE GOOD. THE MEH. THE GAH.

That I’ve pontificated on my review process for nearly 1500 words now is surprising to me. Discussing methods is something that I’ve never been good at. In fact, I tend to avoid discussing them, simply because I don’t think about it that much. My method for critical discourse:

If it’s good, I like it. If it sucks, I don’t.

Obviously, there’s more to it than that. I suppose one could ask “why do I review shows, films, etc.?” Simple. Because I like to. I like exploring things from people who get paid to make things because it makes me a better creative on my road to getting paid to make things.

In some cases, I learn by seeing what they do right. In most cases, I learn by what they do wrong. Either way, I apply, and move on.

At the end of the day, it comes down to my biggest pet peeve. There is nothing I hate more than wasted potential. When I see it in my everyday life, I make a point to do any little thing I can to help people gain the confidence to tap into their potential. When I see television shows, films, comics, etc. that aren’t living up to their potential, I pounce. Not that it matters – I’m under no illusion that my critiques and reviews have any bearing whatsoever. It’s the thought that counts.

When I see shows that I adore – with fascinating characters in difficult situations – flounder and flop from week to week, I get riled up. When I see poor business and marketing decisions that impact the showrunners’ abilities to run their show, or realize the show’s full potential, I get riled up.

Each review is my little way of being part of a solution to an epidemic of bland television. If, in some small way, my reviews can help potential be realized, maybe through turning other people onto the show, or by giving them a different lens through which to view it – a critical one – then I’ll consider myself happy.

Otherwise, I’ll give my reviews, on my own three-point grading system (Good, Meh, GAH!), a GAH!

Until next we meet…

THE GOOD: Television that features two main pieces: Fascinating people in difficult situations.

THE MEH: When one of the two is out of balance.

THE GAH: When potential is squandered by poor storytelling, marketing, and programming.

Tyler Weaver is a filmmaker, writer, contributor to the pulptone.com website, and the founder and EIC of Multi-Hyphenate... which you're reading right now. He's currently making new things and yaks about that and more on Twitter under the creative guise of @tylerweaver.

Why I Shouldn't Have Written This Blog

2010-05-24T08:29:00.000-04:00

by guest columnist Frederick Marx. Follow him on Twitter.

I must be a closet cowboy. I’ve never liked talking all that much. I never want to say more than has meaning or value in any given circumstance. I always prefer doing more, letting my actions speak for me. For anyone who really knows me, the question you should be asking right now is: How the hell did this happen to an intellectual?!

It probably was my early exposure to Westerns, though, truth be told, I never liked the genre much. I always preferred adventure stories, psychological dramas, comedies. But there was something about the Western hero that appealed more to me than just about any other kind of hero. Sure, the stoicism was part of it. Holding back emotion because, after all, what was there to say? It was all so self-evident. Being outdoors all the time, the wide open spaces, a man alone with his horse, the rugged, unprettified working clothes, all the complications and rigidities of women, families, mortgages, 9 to 5, left to other people’s lives, other people’s entrapments. The simplicity. The clarity. The purity.

Anyone recognize the wafting fragrance of Romanticism? All the key themes are here: the hero as loner, the saving grace of nature, the questioned value of human accomplishment. The Romantic ideal is part of who I am and always will be. There ain’t much room for yackety-yack in that equation. But there’s another part too.

Back in the early 70s there was a popular introduction to marijuana called A CHILD’S GARDEN OF GRASS. I still remember with fondness a simulated stoned conversation that went something like this:

Person A: Are you hungry?

Person B: Hmmm?

Person A: Are you hungry?

Person B: Hungry for what?

Person A: Hungry.

Person B: Hungry for adventure? Hungry for love? Spiritual fulfillment? Material success? What?

Person A: Hmmm, I hadn’t thought of that.

Person B: What was the question?

(Let me pause for a moment with a footnote. I’m sure it’s been over 35 years since I looked at that book. I suppose you could argue that extensive adolescent marijuana use does not have deleterious effects on memory cells after all.)

The point here is that language, from my perspective, is perhaps best utilized to create nonsense. If you have to open your mouth why air out tired old opinions that everyone’s already heard better expressed by someone else, ideally someone else with true talent for erudition and argument? If we have to speak and write why not use language simply to have fun? To turn words back on themselves, inside out, spin them in circles and create the games of puns, double entendres, illogic and absurdity that language is uniquely qualified for?

Language, when you think about it, is so self-serious. We say things as if there were in fact some absolute assurance that what we intend to mean will in fact be received the exact same way by all people at all times. It’s a literal impossibility. Talk about nonsense!

I bow down before the masters of Samuel Beckett and Firesign Theater. I prostrate before Lenny Bruce, Edward Albee, and the Marx Brothers. (I claim Groucho only as my spiritual father; as far as I know we’re not related.) So if I have to open my trap, my “pie-hole” as my friend likes to call it, I try to remind myself that any rational purpose for communication must include the irrational, the absurd, the downright ridiculous. If the calendar says now you must write a blog why not make it plain silly? If you have to go out to the store why not make it a joyous outing?

Frederick Marx is an internationally acclaimed, Oscar and Emmy nominated producer/director with 35 years in the film business. He was named a Chicago Tribune Artist of the Year for 1994, a 1995 Guggenheim Fellow, and a recipient of a Robert F. Kennedy Special Achievement Award. His film HOOP DREAMS played in hundreds of theatres nationwide after winning the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival and was the first documentary ever chosen to close the New York Film Festival. It was on over 100 “Ten Best” lists nationwide and was named Best Film of the Year by critics Roger Ebert, Gene Siskel, Gene Shalit, and Ken Turran and by the Chicago Film Critics Association. Ebert also named it Best Film of the Decade. It won numerous prestigious awards, including an Academy Nomination (Best Editing), Producer’s Guild, Editor’s Guild (ACE), Peabody Awards, the Prix Italia (Europe’s top documentary prize) and The National Society of Film Critics Award. The New York, Boston, LA, and San Francisco Film Critics all chose it as Best Documentary, 1994. Utne Reader named it one of 150 of humanity’s “essential works,” the Library of Congress recently added it to its prestigious National Film Registry and the International Documentary Association named it the Best Documentary Ever.

All That Lurks...

2010-05-21T13:03:00.001-04:00

by guest columnist Mike Elrod. Follow him on Twitter.

Writing is an odd creature. For some of us it’s a practice in discipline, for others, a practice in letting go. Striking a balance between the two is not only essential to the creative process but essential to the very life of humanity. I, like anyone, have struggled with both sides of this paradigm in my writing and my life. So, my thoughts this week have centered around the idea of what writing is and, like any good comic fan, I’ve applied that thought as a metaphor for where I’m headed.

I’ve decided to give it a name. I don’t presume to be the first with this idea or even this name. But I’m going to say it anyway because it bears repeating.

One has to develop a discipline of letting go.

I could sit here and type away about how great an idea this is. I could tell you everything that I’ve thought about in conjunction with it as well.

But I won’t.

Instead, I’m going to show you. For the next ten weeks I’m going to write one issue per week until I’m finished with the rough draft of All That Lives. At the end of each week I’ll turn them in to my partner, Mike Carpenter, who is doing the artwork for the book and brainstorming the story along with me. For the next ten weeks I will practice the discipline of sitting down to the computer every day, forcing myself to block out the desire to be lazy, I’ll force myself to ignore the distractions of the phone, Facebook, and Twitter until I’m done writing for that day. My schedule changes from day to day but that’s no longer an excuse. I will take the time needed to meet my goal no matter what part of the day or night that is.

And while I’m doing this I will also practice the discipline of letting go as I enter the world of All That

Lives. There will be no concern for making something come out the way I want it to. I’ll let the story unfold as it wishes to be told. I’ll let the fiction tell its own truth.

And just so it doesn’t seem like I’m bullshitting anyone, I’m going to document this for you all. I’ll write about the experience each week as it occurs and include those thoughts about the discipline of letting go as I proceed down the road for the next ten weeks. Maybe you’ll join me in this. I’m not saying you all don’t have legitimate excuses. I’m saying that I don’t, and that it’s time I dive in and see what this story is as a whole.

There’s a great scene in the film Hamlet 2 where Steve Coogan’s character Dana Marshz tries to sit down and write his opus. Finally after days of getting nothing out, he speaks the three truest words in the entire film through overdramatic tears. “Writing is hard.” What comes next is a little production that centers on a beautiful song called "Rock Me Sexy Jesus."

While I’m not looking to write my opus on my first attempt there’s only one thing I know about this experience for sure here at the beginning:

This is gonna hurt.

Tyler @ Pulp Tone - FRINGE: Break on Through

2010-05-21T12:44:00.002-04:00

by Tyler Weaver. Follow me on Twitter.

“You did cross universes twice to save my life, so that’s gotta count for something, right?”

If you’re going to end a season with a bang, this is the way to do it. Tight, taut (with one notable exception – more later) storytelling, and though I’m loathe to say it because of my disdain for his writing, highly skilled direction from “consulting producer” Akiva Goldsman; show-best performances from Anna Torv (in her dual roles of Haunted Olivia the Blond and Naughty Olivia the Red) and Joshua Jackson, the return of Kurt Acevedo as bald Charlie, and the long-awaited confrontation between Walter Bishop and William Bell – for what will be Leonard Nimoy’s final performance (and what a send off!!).

After losing Peter to the other side, Walter assembles the children of Jacksonville to pop open a door to the Walternate-verse, where, one by one, the Jacksonians are killed, as Olivia and Walter make their escape from the tough, bad-ass alternate versions of Olivia the Red and Bald Charlie. Peter and the Walternate meet, and eventually Olivia the Blonde convinces Peter that he’s being used to destroy our world – and they share a kiss when Olivia professes her need for him. With Peter in tow, a shootout ensues, with William Bell going all bad-ass and blowing stuff up, and making the final sacrifice to send Walter, Peter, and “Olivia” home – suitably enough being “beamed out” for good as he opens the door with his unstable atoms.

Click the link below to read the full review at Pulp Tone dot com:

FRINGE: Break on Through

Dragons, Centipedes, and Mothers - Oh My!

2010-05-20T10:26:00.001-04:00

by guest columnist Michael Wendt. Follow him on Twitter.

During the past few months, I have been part of a Kickstarter campaign to raise the funds to put the documentary I made, The End of the World As We Knew It, on DVD and pay for the music rights to copyrighted music. While we made a good effort we fell short, and while part of me felt I should quickly start another campaign, I decided to take a little break and recharge the batteries by indulging in several films at the local art houses in town, and I have to say that now is a great time if you are seeking out those small gems in an otherwise crowded Summer movie market place.

My two “must go” art house places here in Cleveland are the Cedar Lee Theatre and The Cleveland Cinematheque. The Cedar Lee, which is locally owned and operated through Cleveland Cinemas, plays a wide variety of art house fare from low budget indies, specialty films from studios (ie Focus, Fox Searchlight), documentaries, and foreign films. They also have a great Midnight program held on the weekends called The Late Shift. The Late Shift series has given me opportunity to see such favorites as Ghostbusters, Harold and Maude, and Friday The 13^th Part 3-D on their original 35mm format!

The Cinematheque is for the hard core movie buff. There you can see the latest from various international directors and also see a restored print of a cherished classic. Housed in the Cleveland Institute of Art, this one screen auditorium boasts a 606 seat capacity and features a staff of very friendly and knowledgeable staff, headed by Director John Ewing. The Cinematheque is only open on weekends in the summer and during the school year on occasions Thursday-Monday. The great thing about them is they truly bring the films that might not other wise play at even the Cedar Lee theatre. For example after Fox Searchlight decided to dump Jared Hess's Gentelmen Broncos in only a handful of the big cities after terrible reviews, Ewing felt that Clevelanders should have a chance to decide for themselves. Other favorite moments there include seeing Raider of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation, a shot for shot remake of Raiders made in the 1980s by a group of friends over the course of 7 years. The fact that viewers were treated to a special 35mm print showing of Spielberg's Raiders made it a great night. I have also been treated to several other great films there, a restored print of Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove, Cult Japanese film Hausu aka House, and most recently The Red Riding Trilogy.

Here are some films you should look out for now...

If you are looking for a crime thriller, I highly suggest the Swedish film The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, directed by Niels Arden Oplev. This film is the first in a trilogy of films based on popular, best selling books. It tells the story of a disgraced journalist and a brilliant yet emotionally complex computer hacker who team up to help solve a missing persons case for a former CEO of a wealthy company in Sweden. What follows is two and a half hours of solid entertainment and twists and turns you don’t see coming. I am definitely looking forward to the other films in the series. David Fincher is prepping to make the American remake as we speak (there are rumors that every young actress in town is courting to play the titular role), and while I think Fincher is a very talented director, something tells me the American version won’t be as nearly as good as this but one could hope.

Now while the decidedly inferior remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street is playing everywhere, horror fans might be better suited to give Tom Six’s The Human Centipede (First Sequence) a try. This is a wildly bizarre and twisted movie about a formerly well respected doctor who has grown tiresome of people and has now decided to make art out of them. Two American women and a German speaking Japanese man end up in his game as he attempts to make the first “human centipede”, or if you will one solid gastric system through three people. Ok yes it sounds ridiculous, but it really has a strong bite to it and generates some good laughs. Its not nearly as graphic as it sounds, unlike Nightmare or even the Hostel movies and it doesn’t take itself too seriously. This is also the first in a planned trilogy with rumors that in the next film it may be a 12 person centipede, yikes. Right now it is currently being played in theatre’s as a midnight movie only, but if it is coming to your town, I say get a group of your friends have a beer or two and enjoy.

Another enjoyable film making the art house rounds now is Joon-ho Bong’s Mother. This is a film about a young man who is mentally challenged and is accused of murdering a young woman in the town, his mother is determined by what ever means necessary (and I do mean determined) to prove his innocence. This is another example of great films that are coming from Korea in the past few years such as Oldboy, Thirst, and The Host. The film features great cinematography and a brilliant performance from Hye-ja Kim as the mother, its not just her lines that stick with you but her facial expressions as she just impresses with every scene.

Finally, another film I caught was the low budget indie Breaking Upwards. This is the first feature film from Daryl Wein and his co-writer and co-star Zoe Lister Jones. For a film made for a reported $15,000, this film impressed me so much. It had great zippy and realistic dialog, well done cinematography, and good performances. Its about a young 20’s couple who decided to take a bit of a break, as in they are a couple for only a few days a week, the other days they are free to try new things or try to see new people. It felt like I was watching a Woody Allen movie but featuring much younger people. It made me inspired because it shows that even the smallest movie can get released nationally, and you can understand why because first and foremost the script is good.

So anyway those are just a few examples of great films out there, its always good to recharge the batteries after putting a lot of effort into a campaign if you succeeded or failed. So I will keep plugging away with hope for a better results in the near future.

Michael Wendt is a Cleveland-based Actor, Producer, and Director. His recent works include the documentary The End of the World As We Knew It which has played at several Film Festivals, as well as acting in the romantic comedy The Bride & The Grooms which had a limited release around the country last year. When not working on film projects, you can probably find him frequenting the movie theater or hitting a karaoke bar!

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tips of the Day - Week Five

2010-05-20T09:00:00.003-04:00

by guest columnist Jon Reiss. Follow him on Twitter.

This week I will wrap up my tips on crew and budgeting. Next week we’ll get into what I define as Live Event/Theatrical

Tip 21 Lawyers

A good lawyer who is familiar with split rights scenarios and the vagaries of new distribution models is essential, although hard to find. If you cannot find one, I suggest using a consultant in tandem with a lawyer. The consultant negotiates, the lawyer goes over the language. Find someone who is open to working in new ways. Lawyers will either work on a per-hour fee ($175 and up) or for a percentage of the deal(s) (5 to 7 percent). Since the field is changing so rapidly, you may have to train your lawyer regarding certain items that you will demand. One new alternative is The Film Collaborative – a non profit entity that can go over your agreements for a very reasonable fee and are very knowledgable.

Tip 22 Create a Grid of Rights

It is important that you or someone on your team keep track of who has the rights to what. Most lawyers will never have the time to do this for you. You should create a grid and track it, because it can get confusing. Orly Ravid of The Film Collaborative who handles the legal on my deals has created such a grid for the rights on Bomb it. She will be posting it on their site soon – so stay tuned.

Tip 23 Webdesigners

If you are not a technically-oriented person, you need an IT person to set up your website. Chances are, they will know a lot more about search engine optimization (SEO) than you do. Ask them to set up a site that you can regularly modify on your own, so that you are not spending thousands of dollars over the course of your film’s life. If you can get a qualified person to do it for free, great — but you should be able to find someone to set up a simple site for $500 to $2,000. Maintain your relationship with this person so you can ask them to come back from to time to time to tweak your site (like when you want to sell DVDs, merchandise, etc.).

Tip 24 Webdesigners Part 2

Oftentimes the best designer is not the best programmer, and vice versa. You may need two separate people: one for the look of the site (which hopefully is integrated with your key art), another to do the actual programming. If you have to choose to pay one or the other, go for the programmer. It is easier to find good designers for a reasonable rate (i.e., someone needing to build their portfolio) than programmers.

Tip 25 Budgeting

To conclude two weeks of crew tips – a reminder that it is best to be able to pay these crew people. While sales agents should work on commission, lawyers, web designers, PMDs etc most likely will not. You should create a budget that is as detailed as a production budget. In Think Outside the Box Office I created such a budget with detailed explanation, using my budget and several others as examples. Raising the money at inception will help avoid potentially costly P&A finance rates and last in’s first out requirements. If you have a tax rebate due you, don’t bank it, use it as a large portion (or all) of your distribution and marketing budget. Here’s a list of what you will need to include in your budget:

-Distribution Crew including those who I have discussed and whoever else you need for your specific release: bookers, publicists, community engagement consultants, social media strategists, graphic designers.

-Marketing creative and materials: including trailer, poster/key art, press kit.

-Print and other delivery materials: Various masters, authoring, replication, digital cinema files etc.

-Media buys from print to google

-Travel expenses.

-General office supplies – especially shipping.

And anything else your release needs – the above is a very quick summary.

Let me know what you think! Follow me @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book and workshops here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Hollywood - The Wall Street of Ideas

2010-05-19T14:49:00.003-04:00

by Tyler Weaver. Follow me on Twitter.

Hollywood is bankrupt.

Out of ideas. Kaput. Nothing new, exciting, or interesting. They waste money, handing millions out to "stars" and the latest super-duper thingamabob. They don't throw creativity at problem solving - they throw money. And then they expect us to offer them a bail out to keep doing the same thing they've always done - waste money.

It's ridiculous that enough money to feed a small country (or large one) is thrown at the same cookie-cutter crap year after year. And that the industry is dependent on us shelling out our money to produce any sort of return.

As the saying goes, the quickest way to become a millionaire in Hollywood is to start out a billionaire.

But we as the small fries, the independent voices in the film world have to exploit our strengths - and not waste time complaining about the state of our industry (in fact, this will be my final post on the matter). That's counterproductive. So is discussing the same thing over and over again.

How do we do this?

EMBRACE

Both the "Hollywood" film industry and the "Hollywood" film medium are stagnant. Their business structures and storytelling techniques have remained largely unchanged since the 60s/70s. I have not seen a film that truly inspired or excited me in nearly ten years.

There is absolutely no excuse for this to be the case. For being one of the most "new" mediums, film is ridiculously behind the times in terms of technology. Sure, there's 3D, CG, THX, DVD, Blu-Ray, HD, DSLR, Mini-DV, 35mm, color, sound - but what has changed in terms of storytelling? A few new structures here, a few structures there. Nothing thrilling or exciting.

In a previous post, The Lost Art of Surprise, I put forth the argument that filmmakers today should not emulate the filmmakers of today. We should emulate restaurant owners and chefs. The food world is experiencing a rebirth and opening up their audience's taste buds to new experiences - there is no reason that we should not do the same for our audience's eyes, ears, and emotions.

I recently finished Daniel Pink's wonderful book, A Whole New Mind, and he brought up toilet plungers. Look at your local Target. Gone are the wooden-handled, red tipped toilet plungers. In their place are pretty, well-designed pieces that both do their job (unclog a toilet) and look good doing it.

Film should do the same thing. At the moment, both the independent film worlds (a term I loathe) and the studio worlds are wooden-handled, red-tipped toilet plungers.

We must blend utilitarian purpose - to entertain - with design - to stimulate.

We must be chefs - taking what people are used to (entertainment) and giving them something they didn't even know they wanted (our unique spin - POV and storytelling). Through word of mouth, and effective outreach and marketing - we'll succeed.

But it's only through embracing - and mastering - the technology at our fingertips that we can do this. It's what will set us apart in the always-connected, YouTube generation of new new new now now now.

STORY IS EVERYTHING

Story is paramount. And it's only through using the new technologies at our fingertips not as a platform for distribution and marketing, but as an opportunity to further the conventions and structures of storytelling. Who says "movies (which has now become a useless term to me - I prefer "visual storytelling") have to be two hours? Who says theater is the only way to go?

When people can download anything they want at anytime on any device - why do we stick to storytelling structures that are not custom-tailored to the platform through which our audiences are viewing?

It's up to us to innovate - not curate.

Imagine if mysteries were stuck in the Agatha Christie mold. Or if video game storytelling never got further than Super Mario Bros. Those industries would be dead and buried.

So why has film stayed the same?

AVERSION TO RISK

In an industry that spends billions a year to fulfill a single purpose - to entertain (and of course, rake in ticket sales) - there is an unbelievable aversion to risk. The mentality is: "I know this will make money because it's what people have wanted for years. I'm going to keep doing it."

Eventually people will get tired of - and ARE getting tired of - the "same shit different day mentality" of 95% of all the stuff that's recycled and regurgitated like a mother bird to her babies on the big screen.

In an age of conceptualization, in an age of utmost opportunity, and direct contact with the audience, why is the film industry digging its own grave?

A CHOICE

We as "filmmakers," or as I now prefer, "visual storytellers" (the term "filmmaker" is now as useful as the term "classical music" to describe every piece of music written by dead white guys for centuries), have a choice to make:

To be the change we know needs to happen or to get out.

We will never compete with the amusement park rides that are now part and parcel of the entertainment world. That is what the "movies" are now. Iron Man 2 was like waiting in a line for six hours on a hot summer day for a ride that lasted thirty seconds and offered no thrills after the first drop.

But, to reach that point of realization, to strike out on our own, we must banish the mentality of "Indie Film is a Charity Case." We must forever get rid of saying "we're the alternative to mainstream material." If people don't want to watch, so what? It's a big world out there.

Gone are the days of "French Cinema" and "American Cinema." Of German. Of Czech. Of Russian. It's now a GLOBAL cinema.

And now, we have to take that opportunity and turn it into something bigger - to use the methods of filmmaking, of cinematic storytelling, to take all of those varied influences, meld them with our own sensibilities, explore new forms of visual storytelling, and embrace the opportunity to titillate taste buds of content consumers like never before.

And if we follow the example of designers, chefs, and other creatives - there's money to be made by being simultaneously adept at business, and mastering the craft.

Otherwise, we're nothing but cogs in the same perpetual motion machine. Rinse. Wash. Repeat.

Not interested.

Tyler Weaver is a filmmaker, writer, contributor to the pulptone.com website, and is the founder and EIC of Multi-Hyphenate... which you're reading right now. He's currently making new things and yaks about that and more on Twitter under the creative guise of @tylerweaver.

Tyler @ Pulp Tone - HOUSE: Structural Weaknesses

2010-05-18T12:07:00.001-04:00

by Tyler Weaver. Follow me on Twitter.

Out of all the episodes of HOUSE I’ve reviewed (all of season six), this is, without a doubt, the hardest one to review. I’m reviewing two distinct episodes that were mashed into one with less than stellar results.

The first is the “different from the HOUSE formula” episode, which is the obvious – a crane has crashed down in Trenton (Editor’s Note: Which isn’t all that close to Princeton…at all. -Anthony) and trapped people inside. This is an obvious different tack that before – we don’t get the familiar Massive Attack title sequence, instead getting a supremely effective “HOUSE M.D.” Title card, and that’s it. House arrives at the crash site, acts like an ass for a bit, then goes underground after hearing a woman trapped under the rubble. Then begins the “amputation argument,” which rages on for awhile. Cuddy and House have it out, and House eventually has to tell Hannah that her leg has to come off, because she doesn’t want to end up like him – alone, angry, and in constant pain. He then cuts her leg off.

Read the complete review at Pulp Tone Dot Com:

HOUSE: Structural Weaknesses

What Businesses Can Learn From Filmmakers

2010-05-17T12:11:00.001-04:00

by Tyler Weaver. Follow me on Twitter.

(note: This article originally appeared on MH's bouncing baby offspring blog, "The Dog Ate My Homework(er)" on April 23, 2010)

This may seem an odd post, one that might make one say “shouldn’t it be the other way ‘round?,” but bear with me. As someone who straddles both worlds (I’m a filmmaker, yes, but I ran a non-profit Foundation and both its publishing and documentary film wings), there are a few lessons I’ve learned (and applied) doing film that business owners and corporations might want to consider.

1.) If you’re small enough, you can change quickly.
You’re a rowboat. Big companies are the Titanic. And we know what happened there.

2.) Maximizing resources. Do more with less.
Any filmmaker worth anything knows the value of a dollar and knows how to push it to the maximum ROI. It’s called creativity - not theory.

3.) Creativity is the ultimate problem solver.
Don't throw money at a problem because you can't figure it out. Work with the best, and use creativity to solve the problem. Why waste money on the lack of an idea?

4.) Know how to do the job of your crew.
Empathy wins in all things. Because I’m a composer, I can talk to composers and move things along more quickly. Efficiency comes from empathy. And trust comes from both.

5.) Create an environment where people feel able to work to the best of their abilities.
Don’t breathe down peoples’ necks. Let them do their job.

6.) Always listen to ideas from any member of the crew.
If it’s in the best interest of the final product, go with it. Leave your ego at the door.

7.) Two most important questions:
“What If?” and “Why Not?”

8.) Degrees are meaningless.
Work ethic, passion, and resourcefulness are everything.

9.) The director is the general, the script the flag carried into battle.
It’s his job to get his troops cheering behind him and willing to give it their all to make the best final product possible. And the way to do that… one through eight.

10.) Failure happens.
Deal.

Tyler Weaver is a filmmaker, writer, contributor to the pulptone.com website, and is the founder and EIC of Multi-Hyphenate... which you're reading right now. He's currently making new things and yaks about that and more on Twitter under the creative guise of @tylerweaver.

Proof of Hyphenation - April 26-May 14, 2010

2010-05-15T09:41:00.002-04:00

by Tyler Weaver. Follow me on Twitter.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 6- Identifying & Engaging Your Audience by Jon Reiss

Here is the Jon Reiss TOTBO three step approach to audience development and engagement:

1. Know WHO your audience is. This is not 18-25 year old boys/men. Or 35 – 55 year old women. As an independent filmmaker, if you cross over into a mass audience great – but you need to be much more specific. Tomorrow’s tip will discuss niche vs core audiences.

2. Know WHERE your audience derives information/congregates. In other words how you can contact them, engage them, communicate with them.

3. Know HOW your audience engages media, or HOW they will support you.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 7 - Differentiating Core & Niche Audiences by Jon Reiss

The terms Core and Niche are often used interchangeably and this is a mistake. The niche audience for your film is that slice of the population that has a particular interest in your film or an aspect of your film. The core audience for your film is those people within each niche that are your most ardent supporters. Those people who will spread the word about your film to not only their networks, but to the rest of that niche. You can have multiple niches’ that are interested in your film, and within each niche there is a core who combined adds up to the core of your film.

Tyler @ Pulp Tone: HOUSE - The Incurable Boredom by Tyler Weaver

Am I alone here?

I like to think that I’m not, but if that’s the case, then so be it.

This has been the most disappointing season of HOUSE yet. It’s become a chore to watch this show week in and week out. Stuff happens – though nothing happens. Taub is now boinking the cute blonde – surprise. House is still trying to be nice. Thirteen hasn’t changed a bit, Foreman is still Foreman, and Chase has now become the most interesting character on the show. I have to give credit where credit is due – Jesse Spencer has turned the role of Chase into an extremely watchable one. His expressions and reactions alone make the show worth watching – though that’s not much reason to watch a show.

Marvel & The Modern Filmmaker by Tyler Weaver

You don't need me to tell you things are tough for a filmmaker today. Though everyone's talking, no one seems to have "the answer" for how to move forward (nor do I). It's the Wild West out there, and like it or not, we're all in it together, both as colleagues and as competitors.

The phrase "never before seen in the film industry" is bandied about endlessly regarding the current state of affairs. Film is to the teens as music was to the noughties. And yeah, it's an uncertain time - though a quick look at history might help - just not film history.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 8 - Engage Organizations to Promote Your Film by Jon Reiss

Step 2 of Audience Engagement is: Know WHERE your audience derives information and/or congregates.

Many niches have organizations that support those specific topics and interests. Engage those organizations early in your filmmaking process (as early as conception and prep). It is important to have the proper attitude toward your audience and these organizations. You need to think, “What can I give them?” instead of “What can they do for me?” If you think of the former, the latter will flow. People are very busy. You need to give them an incentive to be involved with you. The film is not enough. How will the film service their organization, their lives and the lives of their members? In turn, they will help you promote your film to your direct audience. This has been used by great effect by documentary filmmakers. Narrative filmmakers need to follow their lead.

Multi-Moving On by Mike Elrod

This past week I hit the road headed down to the coast of Georgia for an old college friend’s wedding. While I had the time, I visited my alma mater to see some of the faculty and staff that were pivotal in my elongated time there. It’s no secret that I wasted much of my time in undergrad. Spending a whopping six and a half years there I experienced two defining moments in my life.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 9 - Create a Dynamic Website by Jon Reiss

Create a dynamic web site and do it long before your film is done.

Old-style film web sites are out — blogging and a constant flow of information are in. Blogging and tagging is what the little bots out in cyberspace will recognize and bring you up in the rankings. Thanks to my wonderful friend and web site savior Michael Medaglia and a lot of great blogging by producer Tracy Wares, we were near the top of Google search on “graffiti documentary” even before our world premiere at Tribeca. A great web site also helps you cultivate your niche audience and further allows the theatrical to fuel your DVD release.

Breath, Wood, and Optical Fibre by David Partridge

It all started with a monkey.

Not an actual monkey. I don’t get a lot of musical inspiration from the residents of the Metropolitan Toronto Zoo. The monkey to which I refer is the online avatar for a singer songwriter who goes by the name of Ayewrite. Ayewrite, or Monkey as he is often called, is an online friend of mine. He’s passionate about music but he’s not a man who bestows praise lightly. But some time ago he told me that I owed it to myself to check out a singer songwriter named Dolores Dagenais.

Friday, April 30, 2010

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 10 - Blog by Jon Reiss

Blogging helps in two ways: First, it drives traffic to your site as you link to new and interesting stories that are related to the subject of your film (For Bomb It, we post news about graffiti around the world.) And second, your blogging activity will help your site’s SEO (search engine optimization). This will result in higher search rankings for your film in relevant categories. What to blog about? Of course you should blog about your film, your filmmaking experiences and your screenings, but you should also consider blogging about subjects that relate to your film and your film’s audience. This will make your project relevant to them on a broader level and keep them coming back to your site. One simple way to come up with information to blog about is to use Google Alerts. We received a weekly Google Alert about “graffiti” and “street art” and select a few top articles to blog about.

Tyler @ Pulp Tone: FRINGE - All That Jazz & Brown Betty by Tyler Weaver

When reviewing a “musical” episode of anything, the first question asked is “yes, but can the stars of the show sing?” Yes. The cast of FRINGE can. Moving on.

I’ve long ragged on the FRINGE done-in-ones. They either pop up at inopportune moments, like pulling the e-brake instead of lightly depressing the footbrake in a car, or they’re just not that good. This episode was actually how a done-in-one should be… done, reminding me of the recent HOUSE done-in-ones, “5 to 9,” featuring the HOUSE formula from Cuddy’s eyes, and the recent “Lockdown” episode directed by Hugh Laurie. The done-in-one should provide a different perspective on the established show formula, especially when the show is as mythologically-oriented as FRINGE, or steeped in character, such as HOUSE.

This episode succeeds admirably.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 11- Developing Organizational Relationships by Jon Reiss

Last week I spoke about connecting with audience, creating a dynamic website and bloggin. Today’s tip is how to create relationships between your film organizations that should be interested in your film. This is an especially useful strategy for documentaries that naturally have a wide range of potential issue-oriented sites to connect to. But with a little outside-the-box thinking you can probably find relevant sites for your narrative film as well.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 12 - The New 50/50 by Jon Reiss

Distribution and marketing can take as long and cost as much, or more than you spent on your film. The new 50/50 is not a revenue split but the mental shift that filmmakers must make about the filmmaking process. This is not a hard and fast rule, remember all films are unique. It is essential to match the budget of your release to the kind of film that it is, your goals, and where it fits in your career. As budgets go up the proportion might be less, but it is a good guideline when embarking on a project. It is far better to have $50,000 to release a $50,000 film than to make a $100,000 film with no way of getting it to an audience.

Tyler @ Pulp Tone: HOUSE - The Longing Stare at a Bottle by Tyler Weaver

Open up your mouth and say “Ah,” HOUSE. Looks as though your “BoringMetoDeathodosis” is on the mend. Great. We’re going to amp your medication with a dose of Andre Braugher for next week, some dramatic interest, and give you something interesting to do. Take it once a week, and get back to me.

A groom-to-be collapses at his wedding, thanks to denying who he really is through one of those crazy “we’ll medicate the gay out of you” conversion camps. Drama ensues. Wilson and Sam have a morning quickie. House wakes up in a four-year-old’s bedroom and is becoming an alcoholic. Wilson pays Team House to take House out and show him a good time. Taub is maybe but not really (and I don’t care) boinking the cute intern. Cuddy wants to be friends, and set up the best line of the show: “The last thing I want is to be your friend.”

The A**hole In My Head by Kate Dawson

I don’t know about you, but everytime I start a new project… I’m terrified. It’s really f*cking annoying to be frank…. because as an artist, I crave to work and to be self-expressed, and yet… there’s always so much fear! Like this piece you’re reading right now. I’ve been stressing about it for a week. A WEEK I say! I keep hearing that voice in my head saying things like, “What will I say? What if it’s stupid? What if people think it’s boring and pointless? What if it just plain sucks.” That voice pisses me off. It drives me crazy! Because it’s ALWAYS there… pointing out my shortcomings, telling me I’m dumb, and making me doubt myself. That’s why I like to call that voice, the a**hole. Do you have one of these?

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 13 - Introducing the Producer of Marketing and Distribution by Jon Reiss

As a filmmaker, I have thought a lot of about complaints from filmmakers of all these new tasks that we are responsible for in distribution and marketing. And this is how I came up with the concept of the Producer of Marketing and Distribution or PMD. Just like you most likely did not make the film on your own, you should not be distributing and marketing the film on your own. I would argue that from now on, every film needs one person devoted to the distribution and marketing of the film from inception, just as they have a line producer, assistant director, or editor. I gave this crew position the official title of PMD since we need to train people to do this task, give classes in it, write books about it, just as people are educated (or learn on their own) to become DPs.

The Lost Art of Surprise by Tyler Weaver

On my Facebook page this morning, I posed the following question to my fans (or like-ables, or peeps, or faces, or whatever they're called now):

Seeing the plot synopsis for Christopher Nolan's Inception, (and not clicking because I want to go in fresh) got me to thinking - do we know too much about movies before they come out? Has the Internet lessened our willingness to be surprised? Or, has it made us smarter consumers of entertainment products?

Several people chimed in with some great thoughts, so I'd like to further pontificate on the notion here.

First, "the lost art of surprise" can actually apply three ways.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 14 - Responsibilities of the PMD by Jon Reiss

Responsibilities of the PMD include:

1. Identify and engage with the audience for a film.
2. Development of a distribution and marketing strategy and plan for a film in conjunction with the entire team.
3. Create a budget for said plan.
4. Assemble and supervise the necessary team/crew elements to carry out the plan

Things I'm Currently Obsessed With - THE ROOM by Michael Wendt

For the past decade or so one thing has remained a constant every Friday, I get the new issue of Entertainment Weekly in my mailbox. On one particular Friday in December of 2008, EW had a lengthy yet entertaining article about a movie entitled THE ROOM, a film that was virtually ignored upon its initial release and received several scathing reviews, but now had become the hottest midnight movie in Los Angeles. The article told of several celebrities such as David Cross, Jonah Hill, and Kristen Bell are known to frequent the sold-out screenings to the film, which are also attended regularly by cast and crew members from the movie.

Friday, April 30, 2010

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 15 - Hiring PMDs in the Early Days by Jon Reiss

I look forward to a near future in which filmmakers/directors will be able to put out calls for PMDs just as they do for DPs and Editors – and that they will get an equal volume of applications. Directors will develop long term relationships with PMDs that “get them” just as they do with DPs, Editors, and Producers etc.

Tyler @ Pulp Tone: FRINGE - Walternate! by Tyler Weaver

Wow.

Just. Wow.

This episode was a long time coming for several reasons. The first is that Joshua Jackson actually got to have a whole episode to himself. I had always hoped that we would see a FRINGE episode from Peter’s past, as a “doer of many things” in seedy parts of the world, but this will do nicely. Jackson makes a highly watchable protagonist, once freed up from his standard FRINGE duties as Walter’s sounding board and guardian.

On a journey to find himself after the revelations of “The Man from the Other Side,” Peter ends up in a small Washington town. Someone’s killing people who have come into contact with Peter, and Peter sees Newton at the first crime scene, leading him to suspect that they’re after him. Overtired and paranoid, it’s not necessarily the case – until Newton and “Mr. Secretary” show up in Peter’s hotel room – revealing the “Secretary” to be the Walternate!

Last Week In Israel by Frederick Marx

(editor's note - Frederick was noticeably absent from MH for the past couple weeks - here's why - T)

This is some of what happened last week while I was in Israel with a Palestinian friend researching a film on the possible 1948 massacre of up to 270 civilians in the village of Tantura:

Monday, May 10, 2010

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 16- Producer's Reps, Part I by Jon Reiss

In honor of the upcoming Cannes Film Festival – I will take this opportunity to explore other crew people that you might want to engage on your film and whether or not they are right for your project. There are several types of sales representatives/sales agents. Today the topic is Producer’s Representatives. A classic sales representative or producer’s representative, as has been known to the independent film world for the past 20-30 years, is someone who will broker your film to the various distribution entities, generally in search of an overall deal. The main advantage of sales reps is their relationships with the various companies that buy films, from full-service distributors to DVD companies to cable companies, etc. In the old model, it was almost taken for granted that an unsold independent film would engage a sales rep. Not anymore. Whether or not to engage a sales rep is one of the first decisions you need to make in the execution of your overall distribution strategy.

IRON MAN 2 - Now With More Stuff by Tyler Weaver

The first IRON MAN opened with no expectations - and succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams. The second IRON MAN hit with the expectations of people's wildest dreams, and while it provided an entertaining, over-long 140 minutes, I was underwhelmed by the extraordinarily disjointed narrative, and the feeling of "We're gonna cram so much stuff in here, each cut will be filled with... stuff."

It did, however, have Scarlett Johansson going all Emma Peel, so I'm not going to complain. Much. Oh wait, yes I am.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 17 - Before Bringing On Principal Crew by Jon Reiss

If you have one or more sales representatives interested in your film, certainly talk to them. But have your distribution and marketing strategy ready before even talking to sales reps, then present it to them to determine to see whether or not they feel that they can help implement that strategy. This is so that you can put their recommendations into context for your film. Remember, your strategy will evolve, so at least have the first draft before you take these meetings. In general you should go to any meeting with the following:

The Perspiration of Inspiration by Robert Butt

As you sit there in your chair, or on the couch reading a book by your favorite author, do you ever wonder how they came up with the idea for the story you're reading? Was the story derived from an actual personal event in the author's life? Did they snap out of bed and write the story after a dream the night before? As a writer I can tell you that I've come up with ideas both of those ways, and a few others.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 18 - Don't Despair by Jon Reiss

Since sales reps generally work on commission, they will be choosier about the films that they select. Hence more and more films will end up not being represented by a sales rep or will not have a sales rep for each right. So don’t despair if you don’t have one. If a sales rep is helping you obtain and negotiate split rights deals, they are helpful, but you can function without them. If a sales rep requests a large up front fee to represent your film, I strongly recommend doing your research before paying large up front fees to a representative. You must talk to filmmakers the rep has worked with to make sure that it was worth it.

The Art of the Obvious by Dolores Dagenais, Paul Klein, and Tyler Weaver

DOL
When Tyler and I first talked about doing a video of OBVIOUSLY, we kicked around several different concepts and for awhile it looked like the project wasn’t going to happen at all. Then something really interesting happened - Tyler hit upon an idea that completely encapsulated what the song meant. The idea that love in and of itself is obvious enough to not need hearts flowers and violins to get the point across. Everyone no matter who they are or where they are understands on some level how love feels, whether it is romantic love, warm friendship or the strong bonds of family, or even in the case of most multi-hyphenates the love of doing something you enjoy. The love of creating. My lesson in this experience is that if you give that particular type of love a full head of steam to just run where it wants and get out of it’s way, things happen naturally and you end up with something at the end that is better than anything you could have planned. It seems pretty simple in retrospect...almost...obvious. -Dol

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 19 - Foreign Sales Reps by Jon Reiss

These are reps/agents that are relatively established in the split rights world and specialize in the sales of foreign rights. Generally they take a higher percentage (25 percent) than producer’s reps for domestic deals and many of them charge expenses as well. However, it is much harder to get a foreign sales advance because overall deals in foreign territories are diminishing, just like overall deals in the United States. The reasons for this decline in overall deals are the same as well. Television sales however remain the strongest of the traditional rights sales in foreign territories. Tomorrow we will address television sales reps.

Rock and Roll Filmmaking by David Paul Baker

I DON'T
want to make work for middle class safe couples who want to watch a movie with a bottle of wine, and then pontificate about the nothingness in it afterwards with their dinner party friends!

I will leave that to Richard Curtis!

I DON'T
want to make navel gazing, award desperate wannabe art drivel, that is made by self proclaimed geniuses, tortured souls, and whose only real goal is to try and get across how vulnerable and smart they are.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 20 - Television Sales Reps by Jon Reiss

Television is a market that is hard to monetize if you DIY. You should get yourself a TV sales agent if you can. These agents/reps deal with television buyers all the time; they also go to specific television sales markets throughout the world.

Tyler @ Pulp Tone: HOUSE - Faith Healers by Tyler Weaver

It’s Friday – you were expecting a FRINGE review? Last night’s episode of FRINGE was great, but it was setup for next week’s season finale, so I’ll just review both episodes at once – I’d rather have a lot to talk about instead of very little.

On with HOUSE…

Ah, Andre Braugher.

Where were you all season? Other than hanging with Ray Romano and Scott Bakula?

In spite of the delay of this review (I was on a deadline for a music video project – insert shameless self-promotion… here), this episode has stuck with me. Even the patient of the week, though only a passing plot development, was fascinating to watch, filled with drama as her husband strove to make her remember their marriage.

The Audacity to Get Paid by Tyler Weaver

A few months ago, on February 11, 2010, to be exact, I published a post called "Two Months." This post was in "honor" of my second month of unemployment.

It's now four months later (plus two days), and here I am. I'm in my sixth month of being (gainfully) unemployed. As with the post of February 11, this post is not intended to illicit sympathy, or anything. It's the way it is. But, since that time something has changed.

I am no longer working for free.

Shrek Forever After: Medieval Peasant Faire, Part II by Quicksilverwest

(Editor's note - part one of this post lives at Quicksilver's blog. Yay for cross-blogging! - T)

Shrek Forever After : California's Going "Green," Moneybags, green.
There is no so such monster as "too much." In a Universe where all is preponderant and bliss, why do we always pick on the movie?
**
Shrek Forever After Medieval Peasant Faire, Part II

In Shrek Forever After : Medieval Peasant Faire, total recall, thirty-passed, days, when Dreamworks was all a dither about the unscheduled, sched in the 'oh-so-not-so-shocking,' "Shrek

Shrek Forever After: Medieval Peasant Faire, Part II

2010-05-14T16:12:00.004-04:00

by guest columnist Quicksilverwest. Follow him on Twitter.

(Editor's note - part one of this post lives at Quicksilver's blog. Yay for cross-blogging! - T)

Shrek Forever After : California's Going "Green," Moneybags, green.

There is no so such monster as "too much." In a Universe where all is preponderant and bliss, why do we always pick on the movie?

Shrek Forever After Medieval Peasant Faire, Part II

In Shrek Forever After : Medieval Peasant Faire, total recall, thirty-passed, days, when Dreamworks was all a dither about the unscheduled, sched in the 'oh-so-not-so-shocking,' "Shrek Guy."

Recap Fast,

VMan, magazine, up with a Shrek layout, paid homage to characterization medieval-present with shock-value, the only surprise.

The beef? Youth exposed to the dangers of talking animals, dancing evil princes, bad-ass princesses, reclining mules and felines and genuflecting gingerbreadmen. What's the deal?

First, animation is hardly Trix is for kids. It's the Adults that put in the subtext. I remember seeing my first Disney movie ever, Snow White, when I was six.

Remember SW?

I sat there with the 'rents, glued to the edge of my seat, practically talking to the screen at sweet little "Snow," freaking because she was about to eat that poisoned apple.

And I loved every freaking moment.

I loved being scared.

Yes, some treats are not for youths. Yes, the world has gone already into a hand basket and it's 2012 Mayan-style coming to all. But can you name one person who doesn't really like, "a little scare?" Or perhaps, a little, "slap and tickle?" Why is it whenever something at very edge of entertaining comes, it gets a beat down like a quaffle in a game of quidditch by media and fanboy/girl alike; but give me something existential and sniff-sniff, it's Award season time?

Why.

The deciding should be left to the viewer. The content, proffered from the creator. Like apple-buying, pick, select, eat. Sweet.

Can't we just enjoy the movie?

Dreamworks, any production co., distributor or team, knows producing-rule. There is never a thing as sure bet, but an advanced strategy... The Dreamsworks and VMan magazine spread; guess who was Stylist? Nicola FORMICHETTI. The same stylist for Lady GAGA. That alone should have sent flag signal of every colour to the D-Team side. "That's right, honey bee."

Here's The VMan Magazine spread

In Hollywood, it's always Advance. It's how the wheel goes. And sometimes, the "bet" even pays. My question, why shouldn't it? Our Motion Picture Industry is growing. With approvals for online writers and media content production and producer and showrunner credit on tap, movies and moviemaking as an art, are expanding. The micro-budget surge toward more studio/independent movies is no more than diversification. (There's always been a micro/mini budget production scale, B-movie or what have you). That means more work for everyone below the line. Pickings will vary always, but not too long ago, who even heard of a "webisode?"

If you've got the moviemaking bug, it's the love of being a part of something greater creatively that fuels, and that's simply the best.

I want to be entertained. I love movies. I want to be shocked, enraged, ensconced, titillated, and all-out Na'vi-porned. I Love It. Throw me all the medieval 'this is wrong,' 'that's not right,' and I say, fine. Just keep making movies (Industry) and allow all things to work themselves out. I want options to see when I go movie-gaga. Dot.orgs, Stop telling me what I should watch and discontinue trying to legalese-away my options. It's still freedom first.

Somewhat.

And I like talking gingerbreadmen.

Quicksilverwest works in Continuity and writes for Multi-hyphenate and Quicksilverfunsugar. Tell him "hi" on "Twitter." Part I of Shrek Forever After Medieval Peasant Faire, on quicksilverfunsugar. Shrek: Forever After comes to theatres in domestic release, May 21, 2010.

The Audacity to Get Paid

2010-05-14T09:31:00.004-04:00

by Tyler Weaver. Follow me on Twitter.

A few months ago, on February 11, 2010, to be exact, I published a post called "Two Months." This post was in "honor" of my second month of unemployment.

It's now four months later (plus two days), and here I am. I'm in my sixth month of being (gainfully) unemployed. As with the post of February 11, this post is not intended to illicit sympathy, or anything. It's the way it is. But, since that time something has changed.

I am no longer working for free.

As a creative, it's expected that we will do some things for free. Monetary gain does not necessarily mean money. It means people. It means contacts. But there comes a time when contacts and people don't pay the bills. It's a time for determining your worth as a creative - are you willing to put the work and effort into a video production for no money? When you're starting out, absolutely. It's a must. But the question you have to ask yourself is this:

When are you no longer starting out? When is it OK to ask for money for a creative job?

I was lucky. My learning time (and let me be absolutely clear here - anyone who says that you stop being a student is full of it and themselves) was paid time, as I was a paid contractor for my former employ, who one day opened his big mouth and said "I can make movies" without knowing if he could do it.   I was paid for my time there, and it was a learning ground; a proving ground. And I did fine work within the constraints of the job.

But now, I'm no longer being paid to produce content. But there is a fine line between not being paid to produce YOUR content and not being paid to produce OTHER PEOPLE'S content. OK, it's not so fine.

In April, I made the decision. A complete and total shutdown of any and all "free" work (unless it meets the criteria listed below). I cannot afford the time commitment to produce the projects of others, while they act as though I am a paid employee. If you want me to be part of your team, show me the green. Simple.

Is it selfish? Probably. But not really. I have a home. A family (OK, a fiancee and two dogs) who depend on me. Would anyone ask a lawyer to work for free? An accountant?

Until we as creatives monetarily value our own work - realistically, and not through rose-tinted lenses - we will never be taken seriously.

That's not to say I won't take on "free work." I don't get paid for Multi-Hyphenate (I created it). I don't get paid to write for Pulp Tone (I like Anthony and he lets me make trailers with monsters). I didn't get paid for "Obviously" (I was given total control, and come on - Dolores' voice? I'd be a fool not to put image to that - plus, I was obsessed with the challenge of the video, which was ironed out thanks to a story differential with my producing partner Paul).

There are two criteria that must be met in order for me to go "Gratis."

1.) I have to have total creative control of the project. I will, of course, invite debate and collaboration, but I have "final cut."

2.) It would break my heart for someone else to take on the project and/or I believe in the project enough to sacrifice Ben Franklin to my creative impulse.

Of course, there's the third criterion: It's my own bloody project.

So, to answer the initial question for myself...

When is it OK to ask for money for a creative job?

When you're ready to take yourself seriously. If you don't take yourself seriously, no one will. When you overcome the fear of failure - and when you realize that, while you'll always be learning, you are no longer in kindergarten.

It's time to go to school for the full day.

There comes a time when you realize that you want to make this your livelihood - not because you feel destined for Oscar greatness (and if you feel that way, screw you - it's the work that matters), but because you know that you have a saleable skill set that could bring other people a solid ROI.

Oh, and the best way to make contacts? Take your craft and business seriously. Get paid for it. Produce good work through maximizing your resources, using your know-how to get it out there, and the "contacts" will come.

So the final question.

Will you miss out on some opportunities if you don't work for free?

Yes.

You will.

But that's why I included point two in my previous question. You have to balance out risk vs. reward. And it has to be one hell of a balance. Who takes the biggest risk, and who gets the greatest reward?

Moviemaking is like DeNiro's crew in Heat - the juice IS the score - if the risk vs. reward is in balance, and the payday is right, and the Al Pacino of your private life isn't barreling down the street with an AK-47 saying you've got a great ass and screaming "gimme all you've got!"

Ahem.

Bottom line - don't be afraid to get paid. The only way to get other people to value your work is to value it yourself - and to take it - but not yourself - seriously.

Tyler Weaver is a filmmaker, writer, contributor to the pulptone.com website, and is the founder and EIC of Multi-Hyphenate... which you're reading right now.  He's currently making new things and yaks about that and more on Twitter under the creative guise of @tylerweaver.

Tyler @ Pulp Tone - HOUSE: Faith Healers

2010-05-14T09:09:00.001-04:00

by Tyler Weaver. Follow me on Twitter.

It’s Friday – you were expecting a FRINGE review? Last night’s episode of FRINGE was great, but it was setup for next week’s season finale, so I’ll just review both episodes at once – I’d rather have a lot to talk about instead of very little.

On with HOUSE…

Ah, Andre Braugher.

Where were you all season? Other than hanging with Ray Romano and Scott Bakula?

In spite of the delay of this review (I was on a deadline for a music video project – insert shameless self-promotion… here), this episode has stuck with me. Even the patient of the week, though only a passing plot development, was fascinating to watch, filled with drama as her husband strove to make her remember their marriage.

Read the complete review at Pulp Tone Dot Com:

HOUSE: Faith Healers

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 20 - Television Sales Reps

2010-05-14T08:33:00.000-04:00

by guest columnist Jon Reiss. Follow him on Twitter.

Television is a market that is hard to monetize if you DIY. You should get yourself a TV sales agent if you can. These agents/reps deal with television buyers all the time; they also go to specific television sales markets throughout the world.

Like foreign sales reps, foreign television sales reps typically take 25 percent of the sale as a fee, less expenses. Make sure you limit the foreign or TV rep’s expenses in your agreement. At most, you should be paying a percentage of their market expenses (split with the other films they represent on a proportional basis). At best, you should not be required to reimburse them for market expenses, since they attend these markets with a large slate of films.

Join me in Cannes on May 15^th at the Producer’s Network Breakfast at 9am and on May 16^th where Liz Rosenthal and I will be doing a presentation at the Short Film Corner from 4pm to 5pm. Check out my blog, for more information. Follow me @Jon_Reiss on Twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book and workshops here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Rock and Roll Filmmaking

2010-05-13T09:29:00.001-04:00

by guest columnist David Baker. Follow him on Twitter.

I DON'T

want to make work for middle class safe couples who want to watch a movie with a bottle of wine, and then pontificate about the nothingness in it afterwards with their dinner party friends!

I will leave that to Richard Curtis!

I DON'T
want to make navel gazing, award desperate wannabe art drivel, that is made by self proclaimed geniuses, tortured souls, and whose only real goal is to try and get across how vulnerable and smart they are.

They neither know or care who their audience is. Receiving "Awards" is the only validation they need. "I want to win an Oscar!" What is this? The Olympics?

I DON'T
want to make social realism that has been made into an expensive drama, instead of a cheap but effective documentary. If you are heavily into social issues, cool, we ALWAYS need them. Our world is a mess, bravo, I love docs, but I don't want to see them in "movie theatres"

(Digg at social drama UK)

I DON'T
want to make establishment government funded work or base my filmmaking principles on others manifestos or wisdom that they try to get us all to follow. I abhor text book filmmaking. You tell me to go left, I will go right! You can't teach this shit!!

(The basics, yes. But not the important shit!)

I DON'T
even want to make Hollywood homogenized crap that is only created so it can be turned into a burger box, toy, or a theme park. Hey, I don't hate Hollywood, I hope to work with them too, but there's playing and there's whoring, and there's taking it up the ass!

I don't mind playing a little, but that's it!

WHAT DO I WANT?

I WANT TO

TEAR IT UP!

Take you on a mental, spiritual, emotional, and psychological rollercoaster ride that crosses multiple platforms, taking you around bends you never saw coming!

Stage an assault on your senses and your brain!

Provoke, inspire, and break all the conventions of filmmnaking, and create content that is not limited by all the restrictions of conventional story telling.

Do what you say I can't do!

Fuck it up myself, without being told I need to think of this or that!

Do things that have never been done in story telling, marketing, and distribution

Make ART & POP, so I am reaching an audience with a brain, but at the same time not alienating those who are just developing theirs, or trying to get theirs out of their ass!

SMASH it all up, and restart it all fresh!

But most of all I want to do what I want to do, and not be told by ANYBODY what I should do and how I do it. Thats against all my principles of wanting to be a filmmaker. Hollywood suits do that, we don't need memo check lists from "indie experts" who have crystal balls! (People who have DONE it, then share, super cool. There's a difference)

It's a great time we live in, but I think we also just need a little bit of anarchy. It's all fine and dandy finding the "perfect model". But Hollywood has had a solid model for years, and they have still produced shit. Do we want to end up the same!

Lets just shake it up a little!! No, no lets BURN it all up and start again

David Baker is an actor, writer, director, and producer from Scotland. He has two feature films to his credit, and is currently developing and getting ready to make his 3rd film. His long term goal is to work with in the industry, but his real objective is to also build a direct to market route for his self produced personal projects.

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 19 - Foreign Sales Reps

2010-05-13T08:12:00.000-04:00

by guest columnist Jon Reiss. Follow him on Twitter.

These are reps/agents that are relatively established in the split rights world and specialize in the sales of foreign rights. Generally they take a higher percentage (25 percent) than producer’s reps for domestic deals and many of them charge expenses as well. However, it is much harder to get a foreign sales advance because overall deals in foreign territories are diminishing, just like overall deals in the United States. The reasons for this decline in overall deals are the same as well. Television sales however remain the strongest of the traditional rights sales in foreign territories. Tomorrow we will address television sales reps.

Join me in Cannes on May 15^th at the Producer’s Network Breakfast at 9am and on May 16^th where Liz Rosenthal and I will be doing a presentation at the Short Film Corner from 4pm to 5pm. Check out my blog, for more information. Follow me @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book and workshops here. I look forward to hearing from you.

The ReTweetables - May 10-12, 2010

2010-05-12T20:30:00.002-04:00

by Tyler Weaver. Follow me on Twitter.

Delayed, but there's some good stuff from Monday through today - straight from the Multi-Hyphenate Twitter account.

RT @DreamsGrafter: New Blog Post: What's In A Name? http://bit.ly/cEaCUG #scriptchat

RT @DreamsGrafter: RT @lovelyfilm: RT @grking: New Blog Post ->> Odds & Ends from the Mancave http://bit.ly/d1fwee

RT @luge: Fed judge orders filmmaker; turn over 600 hrs. footage: Chevron owe billions for oil contamination... http://snipurl.com/w4dl2

RT @grking: New Blog Post: Something Lovely This Way Comes http://bit.ly/9hlStZ

RT @FilmmakerMag: Shocker -- Mike Fleming at Deadline reporting that Bob Berney has resigned from Apparition. http://bit.ly/aLYIuN

RT @TedHope: New & Updated! 38 More Ways The Film Industry Is Failing Today: http://hopeforfilm.com/ (slight mod from HuffPost)

RT @pulptone: PULP TONE: IRON MAN 2 REVIEW http://tinyurl.com/3xwty87

RT @fuzzytypewriter: RT @iFanboy Seriously guys, MUST READ: The Top 5 Unforgettable Comic Book Ads http://bit.ly/aRD9NU

RT @TiltTheMovie: How @jeannevb read the 1st draft of TILT & survived: http://bit.ly/aJulpW Wish everyone was so lucky. RIP Sam.

RT @tylerweaver: And here it is... my music video for @doloresdagenais, produced w/ @kleinpau - OBVIOUSLY... http://bit.ly/as6Ji3 Please RT!

RT @davidpbaker: a little shameless plug for my campaign. http://www.deathmovie.co.uk/ http://bit.ly/9m5HI4 Please have a look. :0)

RT @danperezfilms: Excellent read ... --> 5 Things that make Camera People better Storytellers: http://bit.ly/bheS64

RT @Merrynell: Today's Double D: The DO and DON'T on Connecting Your Profiles http://bit.ly/DoubleD1

RT @wired: LimeWire has been crushed in the RIAA infringement lawsuit http://bit.ly/aZIuRg #notsurprising

The Art of the Obvious

2010-05-12T16:26:00.008-04:00

by Dolores Dagenais , Paul Klein, and Tyler Weaver.

DOL
When Tyler and I first talked about doing a video of OBVIOUSLY, we kicked around several different concepts and for awhile it looked like the project wasn’t going to happen at all. Then something really interesting happened - Tyler hit upon an idea that completely encapsulated what the song meant. The idea that love in and of itself is obvious enough to not need hearts flowers and violins to get the point across. Everyone no matter who they are or where they are understands on some level how love feels, whether it is romantic love, warm friendship or the strong bonds of family, or even in the case of most multi-hyphenates the love of doing something you enjoy. The love of creating. My lesson in this experience is that if you give that particular type of love a full head of steam to just run where it wants and get out of it’s way, things happen naturally and you end up with something at the end that is better than anything you could have planned. It seems pretty simple in retrospect...almost...obvious. -Dol

PAUL

On Sunday, I will graduate from law school. I have learned many things in my three years as a law student, but the most important thing I’ve learned is to never take yourself too seriously. Funny, because so much of law school prepares you for a serious world, one where dogs typically don’t run through the court room.

But if they do, now I’ll know how to act.

My collaboration with Tyler was borne out of our mutual passion to create visual oddities and amusements. That passion has sustained our collaboration through the death of two ideas preempted by those with more resources, and we have emerged with plans for much more (though we continue to mourn our losses). So it was with great enthusiasm that I agreed to help when Tyler told me a little over a week ago that he’d been trying to figure out the story for this music video Dol had asked him to make. He played ‘Obviously’ for me in the place I’ve come to think of as “The Writing Cave,” and I immediately fell in love with the song. We started talking about what to do, and within five minutes, we both smiled and said, “That’s it. We’ve got it.”

Not that we planned on the help from the dogs. Yet, strangely, they added a little more humanity than we could find with just a guy, a pen, and an anniversary card.

I can say from experience on both sides of the camera that working with actors is rarely easy. But working with two dogs—and a great friend—was both easy and highly enjoyable.

And with Dol’s gorgeous voice in the background? Icing on the cake.

TYLER
I made my last film, GATHER 'ROUND THE MIC nearly a year ago. Sure, I had done some projects in between, but I felt that I had come full circle with not only my ideas, but my abilities. I was unsure if I would ever feel the spark of collaboration, or the rush of a good idea ever again. Fortunately, two things happened.

First, I met Dolores Dagenais through the magic of the social interwebs, and we struck up a friendship over GATHER 'ROUND THE MIC, and through that a desire to collaborate was born. She put online a little song called OBVIOUSLY, and I immediately fell in love - as anyone with a heart would when they hear that voice. Two minutes later, I said "I wanna make a video!" And so I set off on an adventure...

And then life happened, got in the way, and my brain couldn't process an idea - because I was thinking too hard about it.

Then in November, I met my neighbor. After living two houses down from each other for a year. Yeah, I know. Anyhow, Paul Klein and I struck up an immediate friendship that turned into a writing partnership. I was writing again, we were loving it, and everything was great. A first draft was done, and then fate bitch-slapped yet again.

So we faltered around, and drank. Then we came up with two projects, and along the way, this little tune, OBVIOUSLY came back into my life. For a week, I pushed myself to come up with a way to meet the following challenges:

- The singer is Nova Scotia. I'm in Cleveland.
- I have no money to travel.
- I have no actors.

Paul finished up with finals, and I said, "Hey, maybe you could help me here," doing a HOUSE-inspired differential. In five minutes we had the concept. Paul is credited as a producer - and he's a producer in the truest sense of the word. Always there with an idea, always willing to bounce ideas, and always, always supportive when warranted, and an ass-kicker when needed. He's the ultimate collaborator. He gives me the freedom to think and to explore ideas - free of attachment. Back and forth, back and forth. And then a simultaneous, "Yep. That works." The video wouldn't have happened without him, and I know this is just the first chapter in a crazed, long adventure in visual storytelling.

On Monday we shot the video. Monday night I edited. Tuesday we shot more footage (opened up to the idea of the dogs being in the video because they were too damn funny), and Tuesday night I finished the video. Then I waited and waited for it to upload.

And here we are.

Thanks Dol for the collaboration, and for giving me the confidence to let loose and have fun.

Enough babbling...

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 18 - Don't Despair

2010-05-12T09:20:00.000-04:00

by guest columnist Jon Reiss. Follow him on Twitter.

Since sales reps generally work on commission, they will be choosier about the films that they select. Hence more and more films will end up not being represented by a sales rep or will not have a sales rep for each right. So don’t despair if you don’t have one. If a sales rep is helping you obtain and negotiate split rights deals, they are helpful, but you can function without them. If a sales rep requests a large up front fee to represent your film, I strongly recommend doing your research before paying large up front fees to a representative. You must talk to filmmakers the rep has worked with to make sure that it was worth it.

Join me in Cannes on May 15^th at the Producer’s Network Breakfast at 9am and on May 16^th where Liz Rosenthal and I will be doing a presentation at the Short Film Corner from 4pm to 5pm. Check out my blog, for more information. Follow me @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book and workshops here. I look forward to hearing from you.

The Perspiration of Inspiration

2010-05-11T09:50:00.000-04:00

by guest columnist Robert Butt. Follow him on Twitter.

As you sit there in your chair, or on the couch reading a book by your favorite author, do you ever wonder how they came up with the idea for the story you're reading? Was the story derived from an actual personal event in the author's life? Did they snap out of bed and write the story after a dream the night before? As a writer I can tell you that I've come up with ideas both of those ways, and a few others.

My ways of gaining inspiration for a story may or may not be the same as yours, but I'll share them anyway. First off, I love to watch the news on TV. You'd be surprised at how many ideas I get from that. It may not even be from the story itself, it could be from a gesture someone makes, or something happening on camera in the background. Then, there's my techie, nerdy side that reads almost every article on my Internet home page.

I'm also a people watcher. Not in the creepy, stalker-sitting-outside your house at night watching your every move kind of way. I see everything that goes on around me wherever I am. It's not that I'm nervous about my surroundings and the people in them, but the saying “fact is stranger than fiction” really is true. I notice the look on someone's face as they glance my way when we pass. Did that woman just clutch her purse and cross the street to avoid me? The everyday actions of everyday people can lead to some pretty good story ideas.

Basically, what I've learned throughout my journey as a writer is that you don't have to sit through the idea storm and wait to see what falls. You don't have to engage in an epic battle with your mind. There is no need to move your keyboard aside so you can bang your head on the desk. You don't even need to sit in front of the computer staring at a blank page hoping something hits you.

Just keeping your eyes and ears open can lead you to that next great story.

Robert Butt is a writer living in Kansas City, Missouri. He has spent most of his life writing whatever comes to his mind, including poetry, short stories, song lyrics, and comic scripts. Robert is currently working on two book projects as well as several comic projects. He is also one of many writers and artists working on a graphic novel to help fund the organizations which help aid our troops and their families.

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 17 - Before Bringing On Principal Crew

2010-05-11T08:18:00.000-04:00

by guest columnist Jon Reiss. Follow him on Twitter.

If you have one or more sales representatives interested in your film, certainly talk to them. But have your distribution and marketing strategy ready before even talking to sales reps, then present it to them to determine to see whether or not they feel that they can help implement that strategy. This is so that you can put their recommendations into context for your film. Remember, your strategy will evolve, so at least have the first draft before you take these meetings. In general you should go to any meeting with the following:

Knowing what you want from the meeting or person.
Having researched the person you are meeting with so that you know what they want, or can provide for you.

Leaving for the Amsterdam tomorrow. Then to Cannes. Check out the TOTBO site for more information. Comment here or on my blog, or @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book and workshops here. I look forward to hearing from you.

IRON MAN 2 - Now With More Stuff

2010-05-10T07:52:00.000-04:00

by Tyler Weaver. Follow me on Twitter.

The first IRON MAN opened with no expectations - and succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams. The second IRON MAN hit with the expectations of people's wildest dreams, and while it provided an entertaining, over-long 140 minutes, I was underwhelmed by the extraordinarily disjointed narrative, and the feeling of "We're gonna cram so much stuff in here, each cut will be filled with... stuff."

It did, however, have Scarlett Johansson going all Emma Peel, so I'm not going to complain. Much. Oh wait, yes I am.

IRON MAN 2 was an enjoyable thrill ride that had its moments of sheer geek giddyness. Robert Downey Jr. was quite good as Stark - moreso in the quiet moments, when we learn he's dying and especially the wonderful scene involving an old-school corporate video and a message from his father - the ever-fantastic John Slattery of MAD MEN..

The surprise of the film was Scarlett Johansson. Sure, she's beautiful, sure she's hot. But I was stunned that my favorite action scenes of the film involved her. I would love to see a full-on BLACK WIDOW movie (given the recent news that Marvel is moving ahead with lower-budgeted films, I would not be surprised to see a solo Widow movie).

Both Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell, while turning in perfectly serviceable performances, didn't have much to work with. Neither was a threat to Stark. Stark was a threat to Stark, but that's about it. A hero is only as good as the villains he faces, and they certainly didn't deliver. This isn't a new problem - the first film suffered greatly because of the lack of a truly intimidating and dangerous antagonist.

By dividing the forces of antagonism among two separate entitities who have to come together, screenwriter Justin Theroux lessened the impact of each individual antagonist. Separately, Rourke would have made a dangerous foe for Stark - the fallen son, angrily tinkering in his primitive lab vs. the Golden God of Weapons Tech. It would have been a fascinating battle of wills, backgrounds, and have a heavy thematic undertow of sons fighting their fathers' wars.

Sam Rockwell, so masterfully utilized in films like Clooney's CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND, Ridley Scott's MATCHSTICK MEN, and his best work to date, in Duncan Jones' MOON, is little more than a whiny, scene-chewing, "second place is the first loser" version of Tony Stark. It's this painful adherence to one-note villains (Tim Roth's Abomination in THE INCREDIBLE HULK and Magneto in X-MEN: THE LAST STAND for example) that cause Marvel movies to consistently entertain - but make for ultimately forgettable fair.

Making the hero their own worst enemy, as several Marvel characters are, makes for wonderful reading - but rarely does it make for a great film confrontation. IRON MAN 2 is no exception.

Is Iron Man 2 a failure? No. As I said, it's a tremendously entertaining ride. But I have to fault director Jon Favreau and screenwriter Justin Theroux for the disjointed nature of the film, compared with the much more tight, taut first film. Expectations were through the roof for this film. On the first film, Favreau didn't have the first film to live up to. For the second-go round, he tried to outdo himself, and by doing that, shot himself in the foot by overcompensating and "amping" up everything - often unnecessarily. However, instead of improving on the first film, he took that film's greatest flaw - the lack of an engaging villain - and brought in two less than engaging villains, which is the ultimate failure of the film.

None of the action scenes in the film (save the Black Widow raid on Hammer Industries - which should say something; I found the fight scene involving a secondary character who had less screen time than the perpetual motion machine on Pepper's desk to be infinitely more engaging than any of the bombastic 'superheros beating the shit out of each other' scenes) elicited more than a "wow, cool," followed by a "wait, what did I see again?", as Stark himself was so narcissistic that I never felt that HE cared if he lived or died.

Of course, he was going to live - so there's no danger.

Not unlike several movies that feature too many subplots, IM 2 didn't know when to end. The ending of the film was clunky, to say the least, so much so that it's been less than 24 hours since I saw the film, and I can't recall how it ended. It could have ended so many different ways, and unfortunately, they chose the route of unmemorable.

Some other mini-thoughts:

• Don Cheadle - I miss Terence Howard. The chemistry between Cheadle and Downey is nowhere near the levels from the first film.
• Gwyneth Paltrow - had a little more to do this time out - wait, no she didn't. She ran a company, was mad at Tony, then quit and kissed him.
• I did love Gary Shandling as Senator Stern (AKA Arlen Specter).

I'm not looking for Dark Knight levels of thematic dread and statements of the nature of duality in everything. Some movies are meant to be popcorn (or in the case of the wonderful Shaker Square theater, beer). But is it too much to ask for a summer film that does more than entertain, summer fair that actually sticks with you, instead of the forgettable IRON MAN 2?

Tyler Weaver is a filmmaker, writer, contributor to the pulptone.com website, and is the founder and EIC of Multi-Hyphenate... which you're reading right now. He's currently making new things and yaks about that and more on Twitter under the creative guise of @tylerweaver.

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 16 - Producer's Reps, Part 1

2010-05-10T07:13:00.000-04:00

by guest columnist Jon Reiss. Follow him on Twitter.

In honor of the upcoming Cannes Film Festival – I will take this opportunity to explore other crew people that you might want to engage on your film and whether or not they are right for your project. There are several types of sales representatives/sales agents. Today the topic is Producer’s Representatives. A classic sales representative or producer’s representative, as has been known to the independent film world for the past 20-30 years, is someone who will broker your film to the various distribution entities, generally in search of an overall deal. The main advantage of sales reps is their relationships with the various companies that buy films, from full-service distributors to DVD companies to cable companies, etc. In the old model, it was almost taken for granted that an unsold independent film would engage a sales rep. Not anymore. Whether or not to engage a sales rep is one of the first decisions you need to make in the execution of your overall distribution strategy.

The London TOTBO Workshop went amazingly well. Onto Amsterdam this week. Then to Cannes. Check out the TOTBO site for more information. Comment here or on my blog, or @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book and workshops here. I look forward to hearing from you.

The ReTweetables - May 7, 2010

2010-05-07T22:47:00.000-04:00

by Tyler Weaver. Follow me on Twitter.

Short list, but interesting - straight from the Multi-Hyphenate Twitter account.

Enjoy!

RT @zaffi: Have you seen my interview with Japanese auteur Shinya Tsukamoto? http://bit.ly/aFti0i

RT @iscamedia: New @jeannevb for @iwalkiwrite: The Crandell Theatre ~ a treasure of celluloid & hand-holding http://su.pr/61j2Bx #movies #NY

RT @livingspiritpix: If you missed last nights behind the scenes, you can catch here... http://www.livestream.co...

RT @jukebox65: Updated and revised Blog post: The Definition of Gorgeous http://wp.me/pA350-2K

RT @DanielPink: Why lack of motivation isn't normal & what Bruce Lee can teach us doing better. http://bit.ly/c0gkPN (via@copyblogger)

Last Week in Israel

2010-05-07T10:45:00.001-04:00

by guest columnist Frederick Marx. Follow him on Twitter.

(editor's note - Frederick was noticeably absent from MH for the past couple weeks - here's why - T)

This is some of what happened last week while I was in Israel with a Palestinian friend researching a film on the possible 1948 massacre of up to 270 civilians in the village of Tantura:

Arriving in the country we were held for 7 hours by security police. We were questioned separately, guarded, escorted to the bathroom, separated from our bags, computers, and phones. I was told to provide my father’s and grandfather’s names, my cell phone number, and my email addresses. I was asked how long I’d known my friend and what my relationship was to her.
The day after we arrived home this similar story appeared in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz about a Spanish clown being denied entry to the country.
Teddy Katz, the academic who first published his research on Tantura has received numerous death threats. http://www.monabaker.com/pMachine/more.php?id=2819_0_1_0_M27
Ilan Pappe, another academic who supported Katz, received so many death threats that he chose to leave Israel altogether. http://www.monabaker.com/pMachine/more.php?id=2819_0_1_0_M27
None of my friend’s numerous family members would go on camera to talk about Tantura for fear of government reprisals.
Two other villagers we met said they knew plenty about what occurred but also would not speak for fear of government retribution.
Three Israeli army veterans met with us and denied any wrongdoing. One said since he couldn’t kill Teddy Katz he wanted to at least set the record straight. They also said they would not have met with us if they’d known in advance that my friend - a Palestinian woman relative of the Tantura victims - would be present.
All parties agree that all the Palestinian bodies from 1948 still lie buried under the parking lot outside the public beach. One of the soldiers said he’d support exhuming the bodies there. But to date the government has shown no interest in exhuming bodies, counting them, and determining cause of death.
The once beautiful stone house that belonged to my friend’s family still stands on the beach. Signs posted on the house warn people to stay away because it’s dangerous. The town council has decided to tear down the house because it’s an “eyesore.”
By law my friend is not allowed to return to her family’s village to resume residency in any dwelling anywhere, much less her family’s historic home. However, as an American citizen, theoretically at least, she could return to her homeland and take up residency if she converted to Judaism.
On our final day, we took the highway from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem dubbed “The Apartheid Highway” by many. It’s easy to see why. Only some of it runs along the so-called Green Line. Most of it runs inside the West Bank, well inside Palestinian territory. Much of the road is lined on both sides by tall fences and razor wire. Feeder roads to Palestinian villages are blocked and sealed. Occasional tunnels under the road link Palestinian villages on either side. Entire villages and towns are encircled by walls and barbed wire, the movements of citizens in and out entirely controlled.
On leaving the country we were held and questioned again. Despite one extremely thorough prior baggage check and two Xrays our bags were searched yet again by hand. When I asked why we were singled out for this I was told we were chosen at random. My friend was strip searched.
Many Israelis we spoke with argued that creating a Jewish homeland after the Holocaust necessitated taking the land and homes of Palestinians. Though many of my family perished in the Holocaust, my father and grandfather were survivors. My father always taught me two wrongs never make a right.

Frederick Marx is an internationally acclaimed, Oscar and Emmy nominated producer/director with 35 years in the film business. He was named a Chicago Tribune Artist of the Year for 1994, a 1995 Guggenheim Fellow, and a recipient of a Robert F. Kennedy Special Achievement Award. His film HOOP DREAMS played in hundreds of theatres nationwide after winning the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival and was the first documentary ever chosen to close the New York Film Festival. It was on over 100 “Ten Best” lists nationwide and was named Best Film of the Year by critics Roger Ebert, Gene Siskel, Gene Shalit, and Ken Turran and by the Chicago Film Critics Association. Ebert also named it Best Film of the Decade. It won numerous prestigious awards, including an Academy Nomination (Best Editing), Producer’s Guild, Editor’s Guild (ACE), Peabody Awards, the Prix Italia (Europe’s top documentary prize) and The National Society of Film Critics Award. The New York, Boston, LA, and San Francisco Film Critics all chose it as Best Documentary, 1994. Utne Reader named it one of 150 of humanity’s “essential works,” the Library of Congress recently added it to its prestigious National Film Registry and the International Documentary Association named it the Best Documentary Ever.

Tyler @ Pulp Tone: FRINGE - Walternate!

2010-05-07T10:20:00.000-04:00

by Tyler Weaver. Follow me on Twitter.

Wow.

Just. Wow.

This episode was a long time coming for several reasons. The first is that Joshua Jackson actually got to have a whole episode to himself. I had always hoped that we would see a FRINGE episode from Peter’s past, as a “doer of many things” in seedy parts of the world, but this will do nicely. Jackson makes a highly watchable protagonist, once freed up from his standard FRINGE duties as Walter’s sounding board and guardian.

On a journey to find himself after the revelations of “The Man from the Other Side,” Peter ends up in a small Washington town. Someone’s killing people who have come into contact with Peter, and Peter sees Newton at the first crime scene, leading him to suspect that they’re after him. Overtired and paranoid, it’s not necessarily the case – until Newton and “Mr. Secretary” show up in Peter’s hotel room – revealing the “Secretary” to be the Walternate!

Click the link below to read the full review at Pulp Tone dot com:

FRINGE: Walternate!

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 15 - Hiring PMDs in the Early Days

2010-05-07T08:03:00.000-04:00

by guest columnist Jon Reiss. Follow him on Twitter.

I look forward to a near future in which filmmakers/directors will be able to put out calls for PMDs just as they do for DPs and Editors – and that they will get an equal volume of applications. Directors will develop long term relationships with PMDs that “get them” just as they do with DPs, Editors, and Producers etc.

The most natural PMDs initially will be from the ranks of unit publicists and social media strategists. They already have many of the skill sets needed to do this work. If you can’t hire one full time, you should at least have them consulting and advising on the project.

But there is a lot of work to be done and even if you have a PMD they will need help. Don’t just bemoan the fact that you are in distribution and all your producers have had to go onto other work (if that is the case). Go out and get some more producers involved in the project. Again if you have limited means get a social media strategist and perhaps a distribution consultant to advise you and your new distribution and marketing team on how do this right. If you have limited means, you can offer some kind of producer credit in exchange for money – just as you did on the rest of your film. (I know in the future you will properly budget for this work).

Two of the Co-Producers on Bomb It started working on the film six months after we premiered the film at Tribeca. I couldn’t get them on the credits of the film – but they are on the credits of the PAL DVD, and I will back up their credit on IMDB and in references any day – and that is ultimately what matters – a verifiable credit to someone coming up.

My workshops start this week in London and next week in Amsterdam. Check out the TOTBO site for more information. Sign up for London HERE. Comment here or on my blog, or @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book here. I look forward to hearing from you.

The ReTweetables - May 5-6, 2010

2010-05-06T22:14:00.001-04:00

by Tyler Weaver. Follow me on Twitter.

Two days worth of interesting links and assorted fun straight from the Multi-Hyphenate Twitter account.

Enjoy!

RT @ScrivenerApp: RT @haebben: Adding a Character table to Scrivener http://bit.ly/cV7kY6

RT @iscamedia: ...applies to business too: Procrastination, perfectionism & superiority http://su.pr/8eneDr via @MakingMeMag

RT @iscamedia: RT @Robin_Dickinson: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: street-smart business building tips that work > @jimconnolly http://bit.ly/bxfNwD

RT @ArtsJournalNews: -How The Critic Vs. Cleveland Orchestra Battle Got So Ugly http://bit.ly/aR4IQA

RT @chickenkate: mASSter your a**hole! "Watch Web-ASS-ode 5"
http://www.rockethub.com/projects/4-the-a-hole-in-my-head

RT @quicksilverwest: @livingspiritpix | The Production Office ... film making, for film makers, by film makers… http://bit.ly/cROmke

RT @grking: RT @davidpbaker: Like disturbing horror? Trying to kick start @DEATHMOVIE. http://bit.ly/ai95Ri http://www.deathmovie.co...

RT @GalleyCat: As overall revenue dips, digital publishing now composes 7.9 percent of Simon & Schuster's revenue: http://bit.ly/cMNcDz

RT @heyuguysblog: Brad Bird Will Direct Mission Impossible 4: http://bit.ly/c8eY5s

Things I'm Currently Obsessed With - THE ROOM

2010-05-06T09:33:00.000-04:00

by guest columnist Michael Wendt. Follow him on Twitter.

For the past decade or so one thing has remained a constant every Friday, I get the new issue of Entertainment Weekly in my mailbox. On one particular Friday in December of 2008, EW had a lengthy yet entertaining article about a movie entitled THE ROOM, a film that was virtually ignored upon its initial release and received several scathing reviews, but now had become the hottest midnight movie in Los Angeles. The article told of several celebrities such as David Cross, Jonah Hill, and Kristen Bell are known to frequent the sold-out screenings to the film, which are also attended regularly by cast and crew members from the movie.

Needless to say the article got my attention. It must have gotten the attention of many other independent theatres because soon I was reading of Room screenings all over, including one in the Cleveland area. Shortly before watching the film, I decided to view the trailer and to be honest it gave me mixed feelings about it. The trailer gives quotes such as “A film with the passion of Tennessee Williams” and “It’s a riot!”, and my personal favorite “The best movie of the year!” It shows people arguing and yelling and it didn’t seem to be a “comedy” as they were claiming, so I personally wasn’t sure what to expect. I couldn’t convince anyone to go with me the first time, I mean why pay money for a movie that one person said was the “CITIZEN KANE of bad movies”? However, not too long into my first viewing of THE ROOM, I quickly understood why people go to see the movie time and time again.

The movie is an absolute train wreck on so many levels; it features amateurish acting, pedestrian dialog, and sub-par camera work (that often in screenings causes people to yell “FOCUS!”). But despite all of its flaws, THE ROOM is one of the most entertaining experiences one could hope to have at the movies. It causes one to howl with laughter, and encourages audience participation that includes yelling certain lines, singing along with the cheesy music, and throwing spoons (I’ll explain that later).

The movie’s “plot” or lack there of for those unfamiliar with it tells the story of Johnny (played by actor, writer, producer, director Tommy Wiseau) and the people in his life, most specifically his fiancée Lisa. Lisa, who doesn’t really seem to do anything but sit in the apartment all day, is attracted to Johnny’s best friend Mark(the point they are best friends is stated several times). Denny, is a college student for whom Johnny has taken in as a father figure and pays his rent and schooling, Denny appears to be immature for his age. The last main character is Claudette, Lisa’s overbearing mother who has a cynical outlook on relationships and insists Lisa stay with Johnny cause he provides for her, and she may not have security if she leaves him, to which audience members at screenings yell, “Cause you’re a woman!”

The plot isn’t the important part when watching THE ROOM; it’s the dialog that I love the most. First off, when ever someone sees each other, they always have a surprised look or a surprised expression for example check out this montage...

Sometimes sub-plots are introduced and then never mentioned again, such as Claudette telling Lisa that she “definitely has breast cancer” and it never comes up again, also Denny at one point is confronted after his run in with a drug dealer and yep never mentioned again.

There is a scene later in which Johnny and Lisa get drunk and the next day Lisa accuses Johnny of hitting her which leads to some of the most laugh inducing scenes

Yes it gets better, there are several lengthy awkward sex scenes involving Johnny, Lisa, and Mark (not all together). Now I will spare you those videos but the great part about those scenes is the music that accompanies them, songs such as “You’re My Rose”, “Baby You and Me”, and “Crazy” sound like they are straight out of a cheesy 80s romance. I couldn’t find good videos of those but I suggest seeking them out as those songs were sadly left off the Oscar short list that year.

The other thing that I enjoy when viewing THE ROOM is to throw plastic spoons at the screen. The reason for that is there are a couple scenes in which we see framed artwork. For reasons unexplained, one of the pictures is of a spoon. So when you see it, you yell “Spoon!” and then throw the spoons. It happens often so if you plan on seeing it I suggest getting a economy size pack, and pick them up after the screening so you can save them for next time.

But then the grand finale of the movie, and where it might get its “CITIZEN KANE of bad movies” rap is from this scene after Johnny finds out Lisa is leaving him for Mark.

Orson Welles would have been proud right? Well this is just a taste of what to expect when watching THE ROOM. To date I have seen it on the big screen 8 times and that in my opinion is the best way to view the film. Yes I’m sure you could instant watch on Netflix or rent it but if you do make sure you do it with a few friends because watching it alone wouldn’t have the same effect.

It is up for debate whether this movie was purposely made bad or if it was a movie that intended to be a serious drama that just so happens to be funny (Wiseau insists that it was intentionally funny, some cast members insist the opposite), but the movie has obviously made its mark on pop culture and appears it will be playing in theaters everywhere for a long time.

For a listing of areas where The Room is playing near your city or town visit theroommovie.com

Michael Wendt is a Cleveland-based Actor, Producer, and Director. His recent works include the documentary The End of the World As We Knew It which has played at several Film Festivals, as well as acting in the romantic comedy The Bride & The Grooms which had a limited release around the country last year. When not working on film projects, you can probably find him frequenting the movie theater or hitting a karaoke bar!

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 14 - Responsibilities of the PMD

2010-05-06T08:55:00.000-04:00

by guest columnist Jon Reiss. Follow him on Twitter.

Responsibilities of the PMD include:

1. Identify and engage with the audience for a film.

2. Development of a distribution and marketing strategy and plan for a film in conjunction with the entire team.

3. Create a budget for said plan.

4. Assemble and supervise the necessary team/crew elements to carry out the plan.

5. Audience outreach through organizations, blogs, social networking, online radio etc.

6. Supervise the creation of promotional and (if necessary due to the lack of a separate transmedia coordinator) trans media elements: including the films website script and concept for transmedia, production stills, video assets - both behind the scenes and trans media, promotional copy and art.

7. Outreach to potential distribution and marketing partners such as sponsors, promotional partners, various distribution entities, publicists.

8. When appropriate, engage the distribution process as designed.

9. Supervise the creation of deliverables.

The Lost Art of Surprise

2010-05-05T21:40:00.005-04:00

by Tyler Weaver. Follow me on Twitter.

On my Facebook page this morning, I posed the following question to my fans (or like-ables, or peeps, or faces, or whatever they're called now):

Seeing the plot synopsis for Christopher Nolan's Inception, (and not clicking because I want to go in fresh) got me to thinking - do we know too much about movies before they come out? Has the Internet lessened our willingness to be surprised? Or, has it made us smarter consumers of entertainment products?

Several people chimed in with some great thoughts, so I'd like to further pontificate on the notion here.

First, "the lost art of surprise" can actually apply three ways.

1.) As a slam against the lack of originality in the modern wave of "filmmaking."

2.) As a slam against the Internet, making leaks commonplace, and ruining the theatrical experience by giving away the good bits in the trailer.

3.) As a combo drop kick against the overload of surprise twist endings that made the surprise so common place that it wasn't a surprise - it was an expectation.

Let's take these piece by piece.

Lack of Originality

Let's face it. Every story has been told. It's just that now instead of every story being told with a personal and unique spin, it's rehashed with the latest pretty thing of the month.   To call the current wave of "mainstream" flicks cookie cutter is a disservice to cookie cutters. Even the guys who made their careers with "the twist" and surprise, such as M. Night and Bryan Singer, have yet to reclaim any sort of the competence or grandeur of old.

Perhaps it's me, but I don't think so. Maybe I've been doing this filmmaking thing for so long, analyzing so many things, that I've forgotten how to let myself be surprised.

But I've yet to see a film lately that has the same element of surprise as say, a novel, or a television show on AMC, HBO, or Showtime. And how do they surprise? By sucking people in with such rich characters, engrossing storylines, and rock-solid craft that the edge of our seats are rubbed raw with butt imprints.

Is it any wonder that many actors, who long avoided the small screen and viewed it as an inferior art form are now making the transition? Glenn Close. Jackie Earl Haley. Kiefer Sutherland. James Cromwell... the list goes on.

The Internet

Anything we want, whenever we want it. Real time news feeds, an unending stream of movie news websites with exclusive behind the behind the scenes photos and conceptual art, all throughout every stage of the process. By the time we get to the actual movie, it's like loads of foreplay with no orgasm. The Internet has now turned the movie into the end result of a long and drawn out investigative report, marketing scheme or PR campaign.

I understand why they do it. Have to heighten awareness and make money. I'm a filmmaker in this wild, wild west, and I'm not an idiot - I know how it goes, and I do it too with my projects. But still - in the mad rush to be seen, we show too much sometimes - be it DIY or Kick Ass or Iron Man 2. Sure, I still want to see Iron Man 2, but I wish I hadn't seen all of those images, trailers, TV commercials, etc.

Remember the Michael Keaton as Batman announcement? People went ballistic. I miss those days. I miss the days when it was an event to see the trailer premiere on Entertainment Tonight.   And it heightened the fever pitch leading up to the film's release.

Movies used to be magical, an event. Now, they're a forgone conclusion. They're disposable pieces of entertainment. Utilitarian.

Some filmmakers, such as Christopher Nolan, of Batman Begins and the aforementioned Inception, keep an extraordinarily tight lid. JJ Abrams is another example. The recent announcement of an unknown trailer called Super 8 premiering with Iron Man 2 has everyone talking.

But now, movie websites are irritated that they didn't know the trailer was coming, or that Nolan is so tight-lipped. We've become information carnivores - sucking the meat off of every bone of every single thing we can get our chubby little fingers on. And like when Colorado closed down Cartman's beloved KFC in a recent episode of South Park, we flip.

We're info addicts. New. Now. Right Now. Yesterday. Gimme. Gimme. Gimme.   Hard. Fast. Quick. Easy. Gimme.

Chill out info addicts. We're too damn impatient nowadays. Slow down. Appreciate. Enjoy. Or here's an idea - accept surprise as a GOOD thing. Why don't we want to be surprised anymore?

Why do we have to know everything before we see anything?

Twist Ending Overdose

The big one. The death knell of surprise. Everything was a twist ending ten years ago. Everything. From Crying Game to Sixth Sense. Usual Suspects. Nothing was what it seemed. Even the idea that nothing was what it seemed was called into question.

The Internet changed that. Spoilers. Major surprises. So why do people want to know spoilers? Because they don't want anything bad to happen to the characters. They want to be secure. Film has again become a manufactured industry. Pity the cookie cutter.

The surprise has become expected. And what's the fun in that? There's a sense of not only the lost art of surprise, but the lost sense of fun in moviegoing.

It is no longer an event. It is as utilitarian as a red tipped, wooden handled toilet plunger. It does what it's made to do, but offers nothing in the way of sensory pleasure, beyond the occasional "huh, cool" stupor.

Too much leads to expectation. Expectation leads to indifference.

We're being taken for granted.

A Fix

A read through of the 37signals team's book, ReWork brought up a great point that I'd like expand on here.

We should think like the great chefs. Where ReWork spoke of sharing knowledge, I'd propose another spin.

Every night, chefs tantalize taste buds. Food has now become not a utilitarian necessity of life - it has become a pleasure. And the artists behind the counter have turned it into that, by offering their patrons not what they want - but what they don't know they want.

The great chefs don't pander - they engage. They take old favorites, and put an incredible new spin on them. Being in Cleveland, I've seen this happen. A native Ohioan, I was here for the first time when food was Hamburger Helper and restaurant food was Hamburger Helper with Velveeta at the local Applebees. But now?

Lola. Lolita. The Greenhouse Tavern. Melt. They have all taken everyday, ordinary foods and turned them into works of art. And they do it night after night, day after day, week after week, and so on and so forth.

And every night, people from every walk of life pay to eat it. The soccer moms. The Hamburger Helpers. The foodies. The hoodies. Everyone, everything.

So why the hell can't we do that one film at a time?

How do we bridge the gap between film for idle watching, like most of it is now, and a deep involvement? How do we become the great chefs of the film world? The Flays? The Symons? The Morimotos?

By giving the audience what they don't know they want. As the great chefs tantalize the tastebuds, we must tantalize the eyes, the ears, the brain.   We must not cater to the information addiction.

Control the appetizer portions, and give them one hell of a main course.

Tantalize. Surprise.

Om. Nom. Nom.

Tyler Weaver is a filmmaker, writer, contributor to the pulptone.com website, and is the founder and EIC of Multi-Hyphenate... which you're reading right now.  He's currently making new things and yaks about that and more on Twitter under the creative guise of @tylerweaver.

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 13 - Introducing the Producer of Marketing & Distribution

2010-05-05T08:30:00.000-04:00

by guest columnist Jon Reiss. Follow him on Twitter.

As a filmmaker, I have thought a lot of about complaints from filmmakers of all these new tasks that we are responsible for in distribution and marketing. And this is how I came up with the concept of the Producer of Marketing and Distribution or PMD. Just like you most likely did not make the film on your own, you should not be distributing and marketing the film on your own. I would argue that from now on, every film needs one person devoted to the distribution and marketing of the film from inception, just as they have a line producer, assistant director, or editor. I gave this crew position the official title of PMD since we need to train people to do this task, give classes in it, write books about it, just as people are educated (or learn on their own) to become DPs.

The ReTweetables - May 4, 2010

2010-05-04T22:41:00.002-04:00

by Tyler Weaver. Follow me on Twitter.

All the day's interesting links and assorted fun straight from the Multi-Hyphenate Twitter account.

Enjoy!

RT @karenquah: RT @jeannevb #Scriptchat TRANSCRIPT UP! Talking Kaufman's ADAPTATION script http://bit.ly/dCNSHJ

RT @bakerpictures: RT @kobre: DSLR video just a fad? Videojournalist Cliff Etzel says yes. Here's why: http://bit.ly/c7p00a @justinleighton

RT @christydena: RT @jcmeloni: RT @ev: The future of book reading is clearly collaborative. http://bit.ly/9ST2gJ

RT @ebertchicago: We live in the Golden Age of Movie Criticism. My blog entry. http://j.mp/bq4PmB

RT @JustinWHedges: The 3 a.m. Screenwriter: Screenwriting Essential Websites & Blogs Supplemental http://bit.ly/c0K8el

RT @ugodotcom: NBC orders a new series for J.J. Abrams to work on for ten minutes before he gets his next gig http://ow.ly/1GIqd

RT @Merrynell: "Instead of being a marketing expense, videos can be a profit center."...: Internet Killed the MTV Star http://bit.ly/newmtv

RT @yeah_write: 10 commandments for screenwriters (works for novelist too) http://tinyurl.com/ygstzdo via @jeannevb

RT @Criterion: Our friends @theauteurs have won a Webby! Congratulations! http://ow.ly/1GUw9

RT @davidspies: RT @ScreenplayTips: RT @ScreenwritingU: Unforgettable Character Introductions http://bit.ly/cYctAX #screenwriting

RT @slashfilm: Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class Set For June 2011 Release http://bit.ly/dr52Wx

RT @pulptone: PULP TONE: Sacrifice Comes With Watching Smallville http://tinyurl.com/2g23k...

RT @Jon_Reiss: My interview with Nat Mundel from Voyage Media http://bit.ly/afUtLN

The A**hole in My Head

2010-05-04T10:33:00.002-04:00

by guest columnist Kate Dawson. Follow her on Twitter.

I don’t know about you, but everytime I start a new project… I’m terrified. It’s really f*cking annoying to be frank…. because as an artist, I crave to work and to be self-expressed, and yet… there’s always so much fear! Like this piece you’re reading right now. I’ve been stressing about it for a week. A WEEK I say! I keep hearing that voice in my head saying things like, “What will I say? What if it’s stupid? What if people think it’s boring and pointless? What if it just plain sucks.” That voice pisses me off. It drives me crazy! Because it’s ALWAYS there… pointing out my shortcomings, telling me I’m dumb, and making me doubt myself. That’s why I like to call that voice, the a**hole. Do you have one of these?

Okay I’m going to assume that you do, because come on, we all have an a**hole in our head… but even though we have that, we still have the overwhelming ache to create (cre-ache?), so that’s where courage comes in. --- Oh courage… where can I purchase more of you? --- Cuz look, that a**hole is LOUD. It’s debilitating sometimes, but I accept that it’s there… and here’s a new way to look at it. Ready? Try this on: what if it’s actually there to MAKE. ME. BETTER…? (Did I just blow your mind!??) Because look, I want to create stuff that moves people. I want to create something that makes people open their minds to new ideas. But mostly, I want to create so that I can feel connected to other human beings. The world is a lonely place – but art makes me feel less alone. So. Every day – every single day – I have to summon up all my courage and stare into the eyes of my a**hole and say, “Look… I will try to please you – but for the next couple hours – just back off. I WILL listen to what you have to say… but later.” Because part of being an artist is also allowing yourself to do some crap first. You don’t have to share the crap with anyone (free advice: don’t share the crap with anyone)… but you do have to let yourself vomit out all your thoughts, all you dreams, all your ideas, all your hopes, and all your fears… because you have to start some-where. If you only listen to that a**hole, you’ll never get past the first few sentences… cuz it will NOT like anything in the beginning. But later… after your done vomiting (gross)… go back over it. And now, listen to the a**hole. Let it edit, let it add details, let it guide you, because you know what… it may actually have some helpful ideas and thoughts. Because really… ultimately… I believe the a**hole is actually rooting for you. Maybe… we NEED our a**hole. I mean… it will be harder on you than ANYONE else. But I’m going to start thinking of it as my partner – not my enemy. Because if I can make a deal with it to just shut the f*ck up for a little while, and then listen to it later… well shit – we’ve actually done some great work together…

Okay… so right now this is what my a**hole is saying, “Kate… what is your point?” Well a**hole, and fellow artists… here it is: Don’t let the voice control you. Don’t let it stop you from creating. Be brave. You aren’t going to die, but you might feel like you’re dying if you don’t listen to that calling. You know the calling I’m talking about, don’t you? The one that says write, paint, sing, dance, direct, be… that calling is from a divine place. And IT believes in you… and so does your a**hole.

Kate Dawson lives in New York City with her husband Jed, and their dog Sophie. She worked as an actor/singer on Broadway, Off-Broadway and Regionally for 11 years… but grew restless telling other people’s stories. In 2008, an idea came to her and so began this new phase of her life… as a writer (who still acts and sings). Last summer Kate wrote, produced and performed her one-woman show, “The A**hole in My Head” at The Triad Theatre in New York City. Much to her surprise, people related to her story and her struggle. Even more surprising to her, the show was listed in the Gay City News as one of the Top Ten Best Live Performances of 2009. Kate is currently getting her shit together in order to produce more shows this summer… and with that in mind, she has developed a web series called “Web-ASS-odes: Further Tales from the A**hole in My Head.” You can view the “Web-ASS-odes” on YouTube or Facebook. She hopes they make you smile.

Tyler @ Pulp Tone - HOUSE: The Longing Stare at a Bottle

2010-05-04T10:30:00.001-04:00

by Tyler Weaver. Follow me on Twitter.

Open up your mouth and say “Ah,” HOUSE. Looks as though your “BoringMetoDeathodosis” is on the mend. Great. We’re going to amp your medication with a dose of Andre Braugher for next week, some dramatic interest, and give you something interesting to do. Take it once a week, and get back to me.

A groom-to-be collapses at his wedding, thanks to denying who he really is through one of those crazy “we’ll medicate the gay out of you” conversion camps. Drama ensues. Wilson and Sam have a morning quickie. House wakes up in a four-year-old’s bedroom and is becoming an alcoholic. Wilson pays Team House to take House out and show him a good time. Taub is maybe but not really (and I don’t care) boinking the cute intern. Cuddy wants to be friends, and set up the best line of the show: “The last thing I want is to be your friend.”

Read the complete review at Pulp Tone Dot Com:

HOUSE: The Longing Stare at a Bottle

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 12 - The New 50/50

2010-05-04T08:52:00.000-04:00

by guest columnist Jon Reiss. Follow him on Twitter.

Distribution and marketing can take as long and cost as much, or more than you spent on your film. The new 50/50 is not a revenue split but the mental shift that filmmakers must make about the filmmaking process. This is not a hard and fast rule, remember all films are unique. It is essential to match the budget of your release to the kind of film that it is, your goals, and where it fits in your career. As budgets go up the proportion might be less, but it is a good guideline when embarking on a project. It is far better to have $50,000 to release a $50,000 film than to make a $100,000 film with no way of getting it to an audience.

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 11 - Developing Organizational Relationships

2010-05-03T08:40:00.003-04:00

by guest columnist Jon Reiss. Follow him on Twitter.

Last week I spoke about connecting with audience, creating a dynamic website and bloggin. Today’s tip is how to create relationships between your film organizations that should be interested in your film. This is an especially useful strategy for documentaries that naturally have a wide range of potential issue-oriented sites to connect to. But with a little outside-the-box thinking you can probably find relevant sites for your narrative film as well.

Ways to create a relationship with other sites/organizations:

1. Blog about their sites and link to them.
2. Request that they link back to you.
3. Send them your film and ask them to blog about the film and/or review it. (This also helps your search engine rankings — search engines will improve the rankings of sites that other sites not only link to but also write about.)
4. Go one step further: Create an affiliate relationship with those sites or organizations.
5. Use this relationship to generate community screenings.

The ReTweetables - April 30, 2010

2010-04-30T20:47:00.000-04:00

by Tyler Weaver. Follow me on Twitter.

All the day's interesting links and assorted fun straight from the Multi-Hyphenate Twitter account.

Enjoy!

RT @screenrant: Superman & Batman 3 Release Dates in 2012 http://screenrant.com/RO

RT @fastcompany: Does Privacy on Facebook, Google, and Twitter Even Matter? http://su.pr/1XslhN

RT @storytellin: Cindy Chastain-Thinking Like a Storyteller: Presentation on Interaction Design and storytelling... http://vimeo.com/9686849

RT @heyuguysblog: What do we all think of the first official Thor image released? http://bit.ly/bZV45W

RT @grking: RT @KageyNYC: Great ideas & tips! RT @Merrynell HOW TO: Pimp Your Film's Facebook Page http://post.ly/dIWH

RT @Jon_Reiss: The article from Screen Daily for all to see. http://bit.ly/cKBurA

RT @MikeElrod1: http://ow.ly/1FkcS My review of #Supernatural #THEDEVILYOUKNOW is up at Pulptone.com now!

RT @TheWrap: Spielberg, Scorsese, Coppola, more sign petition urging Iran to release imprisoned filmmaker http://ow.ly/1Foq7

Tyler @ Pulp Tone - FRINGE: All That Jazz & Brown Betty

2010-04-30T10:05:00.001-04:00

by Tyler Weaver. Follow me on Twitter.

When reviewing a “musical” episode of anything, the first question asked is “yes, but can the stars of the show sing?” Yes. The cast of FRINGE can. Moving on.

I’ve long ragged on the FRINGE done-in-ones. They either pop up at inopportune moments, like pulling the e-brake instead of lightly depressing the footbrake in a car, or they’re just not that good. This episode was actually how a done-in-one should be… done, reminding me of the recent HOUSE done-in-ones, “5 to 9,” featuring the HOUSE formula from Cuddy’s eyes, and the recent “Lockdown” episode directed by Hugh Laurie. The done-in-one should provide a different perspective on the established show formula, especially when the show is as mythologically-oriented as FRINGE, or steeped in character, such as HOUSE.

This episode succeeds admirably.

Click the link below to read the full review at Pulp Tone dot com:

FRINGE: All That Jazz & Brown Betty

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 10 - Blog

2010-04-30T08:01:00.001-04:00

by guest columnist Jon Reiss. Follow him on Twitter.

Blogging helps in two ways: First, it drives traffic to your site as you link to new and interesting stories that are related to the subject of your film (For Bomb It, we post news about graffiti around the world.) And second, your blogging activity will help your site’s SEO (search engine optimization). This will result in higher search rankings for your film in relevant categories. What to blog about? Of course you should blog about your film, your filmmaking experiences and your screenings, but you should also consider blogging about subjects that relate to your film and your film’s audience. This will make your project relevant to them on a broader level and keep them coming back to your site. One simple way to come up with information to blog about is to use Google Alerts. We received a weekly Google Alert about “graffiti” and “street art” and select a few top articles to blog about.

I want to know what you think! Comment here or on my blog, or @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book here. I look forward to hearing from you.

The ReTweetables - April 29, 2010

2010-04-29T22:05:00.001-04:00

by Tyler Weaver. Follow me on Twitter.

It's day three of the MH news experiment - "The Retweetables." All the day's interesting links and assorted fun straight from the Multi-Hyphenate Twitter account.

Enjoy!

RT @ScrivenerApp: RT @jrstrang: Blogged: Scrivener (Mac) as a blog management tool @ http://jrstrang.ca/?p=138

RT @ThereseWalsh: ... today's article on pitching story by @jchutchins today at Writer Unboxed. Fab x100. http://bit.ly/cdTE3Q

RT @mashable: Steve Jobs: Flash Is No Longer Necessary - http://bit.ly/auaDzU

RT @EitherOrFilms: Great articles on film at Iscamedia.com, .. http://ht.ly/1EPRX (@iscamedia)

RT @the99percent: Time management, money management & a D.I.Y.W.O. mindset – the 3 keys to creative professionalism: http://bit.ly/bqbNeI

RT @zakforsman: I'm devouring the archives of Jeff Steele's blog Film Closings. http://is.gd/bNF3M

RT @mashable: Google TV to be Unveiled Next Month - http://bit.ly/aKdoph

RT @ebertchicago: Alfred Hitchcock's forgotten silent films have been restored, will play UK in summer, tour world. http://j.mp/arkhUm

Breath, Wood, and Optical Fibre

2010-04-29T10:30:00.001-04:00

by guest columnist David Partridge.

It all started with a monkey.

Not an actual monkey. I don’t get a lot of musical inspiration from the residents of the Metropolitan Toronto Zoo. The monkey to which I refer is the online avatar for a singer songwriter who goes by the name of Ayewrite. Ayewrite, or Monkey as he is often called, is an online friend of mine. He’s passionate about music but he’s not a man who bestows praise lightly. But some time ago he told me that I owed it to myself to check out a singer songwriter named Dolores Dagenais.

Monkey, who resides in Europe, also said that she was Canadian and lived in Pictou, Nova Scotia. He did not ask me whether, as a fellow Canadian, I knew Dolores. Monkey’s a smart guy. He knows that there’s some distance between western Nova Scotia and southern Ontario, maybe thirty, forty kilometers, by his reckoning.

But in fact, the music that had my friend excited was significantly closer than that. It seems that Dolores had a very generous album’s worth of songs, freely available for download on the web. And the web, as fortune would have it, connects directly to my house. Hmm, I thought, this Dolores Dagenais writes interesting songs. And she can sing. That monkey is on to something.

Not long thereafter, I was participating in an online “open mic” event -yes, there is such a thing- and who should make an appearance from Pictou, guitar in one hand and champagne glass in the other, but Dolores Dagenais.

She sang and, even in that informal and almost lo-fi circumstance, it was clear that she had something to say and an affecting way of saying it. Plus, she seemed to enjoy the posted recordings of my band Postcard Comets, so you know she had taste

Dolores was in the process of assembling material for another album. She had produced and played her previous releases by herself. She was looking for a change. She approached me to see if I was interested in producing the album. Now, there is some speculation that she was at least as interested in securing the multi-instrumental talents of my co-Comet Robert “Buck” Wilburn. Buck doubts this. He maintains that she was only interested in him. This may well be true but you’ll never get me admitting it on the record and certainly not in print.

But it doesn’t take a joke from our friend Ayewrite to determine that Pictou, Nova Scotia is a long way from Thornhill, Ontario. Dolores was in the former and I in the latter. But Dolores is web savvy. A frequent poster to the social media sites, her many YouTube pieces were the foundation of our collaboration. Here’s how it worked: Dolores wrote the songs and recorded a performance for YouTube, or MySpace, or her own website, or all of the above. She also sent the clips to me. I stripped the audio from them and imported it into the recording program in my beloved Mac.

Using her playing and singing from these clips as our guide, Buck and I worked up accompaniment for each song and tracked our parts into the recording software. This way, Dol’s vision and performance dictated the architecture, the key, the tempo, the feel of the accompaniment. We sent our accompaniment sketches back to Dol at some point, got feedback and revised and polished the tracks from there.

Now, anyone who has ever captured any event with a camcorder or modest audio setup knows that the sound is not professional quality. Sonically, it’s fair to say, Dol’s recordings were not top notch. But the performances were and we tracked dobro, drums, bass and any other additional instruments to those original vibrant performances.

Then we threw Dol’s contributions away.

Now, now, don’t panic. It’s all part of the plan. You can’t make Big Girl Art without the grownup, female artiste now can you? Dolores and her husband Ross were coming to Ontario, making the thirty, forty kilometer trip from Nova Scotia to Ontario, ostensibly to see relatives but really to see Buck and me. Please don’t tell the relatives that they spent almost two full days of their two-week trip with us. No need to inflame unnecessary jealousy.

So I had two days to track Dolores’ vocals and guitar, replacing any sonically substandard elements of the original Pictou tracks Dolores did in what she calls her “gaffer tape studio”. Was the meager, two-day window scary? Only until I heard Dolores sing the first song. She’s a pro; all the work got done with time left over for Buck to eat multiple desserts at the local Mandarin buffet.

This is where technology dances tenderly with the good old ways. Yes, we traded tracks through online servers and built the tracks in software. But legend has it that the Beatles cut their first album in a single extended session. When you’re prepared, you can do that. Homework had been done in Pictou and Thornhill alike. Buck’s and my tracks were adapted to Dolores. And Dolores was prepared. She showed up, sang, played and left. And when she did, I had everything I needed. After all, she wrote these songs. But songwriters everywhere know it’s not that easy. Dolores is not just a songwriter but an accomplished performer as well. And for 2 days, she performed admirably. The result is Big Girl Art.

Not to overstate the theme of this site but Dolores is truly a multi-hyphenate. Buck’s a multi-hyphenate and as the producer/accompanist, I reason that I am too. But allow me to push the definition and suggest that the methodology used to create Big Girl Art qualifies for multi-hyphenate status of its own. Acoustic, electric, solo, band-based, online, face-to-face analogue, digital– at some point in the process it was all of the above. Big Girl Art is the sound of digital files posted to online servers, downloaded into software and mixed with the sound of a human voice and a wooden instrument, captured through an analogue tube mic that further warmed the room on those two stiflingly hot summer days.

I’m glad I had the opportunity to be there. From Pictou to Thornhill, it was a very human process. Even if it did start with a monkey.

David Partridge is an entertainment software consultant, writer and composer. He is the producer of Dolores Dagenais’ CD Big Girl Art and is a member of his own band Postcard Comets. Their music can be found at postcardcomets.com and is available through iTunes, Rhapsody and amazon.com. David is also a film buff who refuses to believe that there are living humans who prefer Lugosi to Karloff.

Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tip of the Day 9 - Create a Dynamic Website

2010-04-29T08:04:00.000-04:00

by guest columnist Jon Reiss. Follow him on Twitter.

Create a dynamic web site and do it long before your film is done.

Old-style film web sites are out — blogging and a constant flow of information are in. Blogging and tagging is what the little bots out in cyberspace will recognize and bring you up in the rankings. Thanks to my wonderful friend and web site savior Michael Medaglia and a lot of great blogging by producer Tracy Wares, we were near the top of Google search on “graffiti documentary” even before our world premiere at Tribeca. A great web site also helps you cultivate your niche audience and further allows the theatrical to fuel your DVD release.

I want to know what you think! Comment here or on my blog, or @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Next weeks tips will give expand on this topic – to help you navigate this process.

The ReTweetables - April 28, 2010

2010-04-28T21:32:00.000-04:00

by Tyler Weaver. Follow me on Twitter.

It's day two of the MH news experiment - "The Retweetables." All the day's interesting links and assorted fun straight from the Multi-Hyphenate Twitter account.

Enjoy!

RT @filmutopia: A collection of info and resources for DSLR camera movie makers, now on #lgm http://tinyurl.com/38u5x...

RT @zaffi: "It's really hard to consume and create at the same time" http://bit.ly/cRHG7R (via @gapingvoid)

RT @fastcompany: Choose Your Own Adventure: The Gizmodo iPhone Saga. The long & short of it. [Infographic] http://bit.ly/9GMEoU

RT @2cre8: The 5 Old Blogging Rules Killing Your Readership @lisabarone - http://ow.ly/1E5xZ (h/t @jeremymeyers @swoodruff)

RT @LanceWeiler: The interview I did yesterday w @getstoried is live -http://bit.ly/cQz5fa topics covered #transmedia #storytelling #design

RT @WarnerArchive: Torchy Blane, the newsgal who inspired Lois Lane on the NY POST http://bit.ly/b9A2TB

RT @the99percent: Marketing & storytelling tips from Kurt Vonnegut: http://cot.ag/c5aZjn

RT @Variety: scribe Scarpelli dies: Obit: Oscar-nommed writer of 'Il Postino,' 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' -- ... http://bit.ly/bqlwWa

RT @livingspiritpix: some footage... where @shericandler and @Jon_Reiss talk about the new models of film... http://bit.ly/bOojZr

RT @pulptone: PULP TONE: Supernatural Hammers the Gods http://tinyurl.com/2cdgw...

RT @JasonThibault: RT @eljoseff: RT @ShermCohen: Cartoonists Guide to Speed and Productivity http://bit.ly/dxoLAB

RT @TheWrap: Are J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg working on a movie together? http://ow.ly/1Etx0