Best Picture or Blockbuster Status?

Excerpted from Main St article

Since the Oscars were first handed out in 1929, the most popular movie in the country has won Best Picture a scant 18 times. In the past 40 years, the only box office champions to break through to the Academy voters were The Godfather (1972), Rocky (1974), Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), Rain Man (1988), Forrest Gump (1994), Titanic (1997) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). That’s right, it’s been almost a full decade since the last time it happened, and the gulf between popularity and prestige has only widened since.

“There exists a huge audience out there that doesn’t want to think when they go to the movies,” says John Farr. Those numbers are rarely reflected in Oscar nominees from any given year.

That audience tends to vote with its ticket stubs and popcorn money. Statistician William Briggs pored through the box office receipts and found that, since 1940, 15 Best Picture winners made 25% or less of the haul of that year’s highest-grossing pictures. It’s happened four times in the past decade: Shrek 2′s $441 million crushed Million Dollar Baby’s $100 million in 2004, the final Star Wars installment’s $380 million dwarfed Crash’s $54 million in 2005, Spider-Man 3 trounced No Country For Old Men by $336 million to $74 million, while the record $750 million raked in by 3-D spectacle Avatar in 2009 more than quadrupled The Hurt Locker’s $17 million take in its opening weekend alone.

So…are you looking for your first Oscar, or to break the theatrical glass ceiling of your movie’s potential box office?

End of the year; no rants, just smiles and easy breathing

I’m closing out December with a lower back issue related to my coccyx. For the last two days I’ve taken shots in the ass to alleviate the pain. In addition, I’ve taken pills that not only knock me out, but knock me out for days. But I’m not complaining…I’m smiling.

As this year comes to a close I find myself happy. Did I sell a script? No. Not yet. Did I make a movie?  No. Not since January 2010 when I shot Resurrection of Serious Rogers.  But I’ve done a few things that I never ever imagined I would do. I’ve submitted TV series pitches to NBCUniversal and its umpteen affiliates. I have several mentors, each a specialist in niche areas. I’ve added to the team in a powerful way — an aggressive business-minded gentleman who kicks ass and lets me focus on the creative stuff.

I have no problem churning out content. And, as the first of the year will prove, there’s going to be lots of content to churn out if I have my say.

There’s lots going on, but it’s too early to mention. There have been many surprises in 2011. The most laughable recently occurred… but, because we’ve been on the ball, it really didn’t matter. The incident merely fuels the vigor with which I will attack 2012. In fact, I’ve already begun. Legend of Black Lotus, my pet project, goes out to some big seven-figure budget dawgs in January 2012. And yes, it has been…re-imagined! Lastly, we’re about to make the dreams of a young performing artist come true when she gets her own series next year (God willing, but I’m claiming it now). And last (but certainly not least) we will find a home for Resurrection of Serious Rogers.

On a more personal note: I’ve emptied my ballast of ineffectual, mofo’s who think the grass is greener on someone else’s lawn. God bless ‘em. I’ve turned away from ass-kissing social media suck-ups who merely talk a good game.  It’s clear who has stood by me, encouraged me, pushed me, and PR’d me.  They will forever be just a phone call away if not right beside me, regardless how big things get (and they’re looking huge for 2012).

Most importantly, come January 5, 2012 I will be cigarette free for an entire year. No slip-ups. No cheating. 365 days of smoke-free lungs. And for that I am truly happy.

Film vs HD

Red One

I posted a tweet on Twitter recently, asking filmmakers (indie and otherwise) their thoughts on shooting on film or High Definition) if they had a a budget of $15 million dollars. The conversation erupted into a ful-fledged debate on the merits of each medium. The reason I chose this amount was arbitrary except for two things: 1) it’s the amount I’m going after for my next project and 2) it’s enough money to where the cost of shooting film is negligible.

A big reason why indie filmmakers like myself have shot in HD is because of the cost. You don’t pay for film stock, processing, development, or final assembly. Most if not all movies shot in film have a digital intermediate (DI) prepared for editing anyway. That said, there are many indie filmmakers who have expressed an interest in shooting film if given the chance and the money to do so.

So I asked, “Suppose you’ve got a budget of $15M to shoot your film. What do you do: shoot in film or HD?”

The answers came to me on Facebook and Twitter and I posted them on my primary WP blog at  http://www.AngeloBell.com and opened up the conversation to a wider audience. After I tallied the replies it became obvious that I could have easily titled this blog, “Film vs the RED ” as most people who said they would shoot HD would shoot RED.

For the Full Story, Click here: http://www.angelobell.com/2009/10/film-vs-hd-with-15m/

The Value Factor in Indie Filmmaking

In the past I’ve blogged about the “alone” factor in filmmaking. As I look back I realize I was missing my own point. Back then, two years ago, I was pissed off at the alone factor. As the writer/director and sole producer of most of my films it was always up to me to get the film done. To finish.

I lamented the fact that I was basically stuck with my project until completion while many who had participated in the production were free to move on. I got it all wrong. I missed a very important lesson about self-worth.

Being the person who sticks with the project, finds additional money when needed, finds alternatives when money isn’t available, finds an editor, cuts and re-cuts the film, finds additional music, pays for festival submissions, deals with the rejection, solicits sales agents and producer reps, deal with that rejection, and ultimately finds a sales rep who is excited about the project’s potential, or finds an alternative distribution outlet — well that’s some pretty empowering stuff.

Aside from the sales rep piece above, I’ve done all these things for all my films. It hasn’t been easy, and I’ve definitely wanted to quit more than a handful of times. But those films are now in the can. And while I have everyone to thank for getting the individual pieces together required to assemble the film, I have only one person to thank and be grateful for, for seeing the film through to completion.

Now, hold on, this isn’t about being big-headed. It’s about recognizing value. My personal value to each of my projects. I’m certainly not the best writer or director. But the fact that I’ve held on and completed 13 films makes me a damn good low budget indie producer!

It’s about the value I bring to the table when I’m alone at night, re-cutting a film, searching for free music,  searching for DIY distribution information, chatting up other filmmakers and getting advice for my film. I am the one doing that. I am the one who has agreed to do that. And this service has value.

Success in this industry is perceived by and filtered through a value-factor. Ever notice how quickly folks will jump ship on a project that is badly organized? Folks leave because there is no value to them in staying with the project. And rightly so.

But the value-factor extends beyond that. When great project that is nicely organized becomes stalled the value factor to those involved changes. What was once a two-month commitment may now be extended to six months, or even a year, in order to get value from the project.  The participants in the project have a choice: stick with it and hope or jump ship now and cut their loses.

My value factor has changed over the years.

Back when I completed eight projects in two years (2005-2007) I was hot. There was a lot of value in working with me. Actors got work. Crew got paid. Composers got projects. And lots of people got on IMDB. Since then I’ve only completed two projects. The value isn’t the same…on the surface.

But there’s a deeper aspect to this. And this goes for actors and filmmakers. The things we learn in the process have value too. An actor learns how to separate his/herself from the crowd and standout. He/she learns how to book a job. Filmmakers should now know better how to play the filmmaking game (and all the things that entails).

I do know better. And that’s my current value: knowledge and experience. And I accept the responsibility that goes with that, which is, guaranteeing that a project is finished.

It’s actually quite empowering.

A Clear and Present Danger: Distance of Dreams

Last night I stepped out for my last cigarette for the night. As I looked at the heavens and thought about my “to do” list for the remainder of the week, for a moment, all my hopes and aspirations seemed an eternity away. I pondered that feeling for a moment. In fact I let it take hold of me and I felt myself drifting down the rabbit hole, plunging towards the ultimate death of my dreams. The phrase reality check came to mind. 

Then I snapped out of it.

While some of my aspirations seem to be quite far off in the distance, I am in the midst of my journey. What good is a journey if you travel merely half the distance only to return, the glorious wonders of the final destination remaining sight unseen? To be honest, I wanted to quit last night. I wanted to pack it all up, stow the gear away, nix the blog and get a real job. How wonderfully easier it would be?  I can do the professional suit, shirt and tie thing. Hell, I’ve worked on Wall Street for chrissakes. But would it truly be easier, knowing that in the bowels of my being, there is disruption because I would not ultimately be happy?

So I mentally slapped myself across the face and said, “Enough.”  Ironically, it became clear to me why several old acquaintances with thespian dreams suddenly fell off the planet long ago. I can only imagine how incredibly disillusioning it must have been to see other fledgling actors and actresses rise to the cream of the crop, while stagnation remains the most accurate description of their career. So too goes it for many writers and directors I know.

“Don’t believe the hype,” my mentor remarked to me when I recited a mention about Michael Mann’s commitment to digital filmmaking. Or maybe he was responding to a comment about how certain applications of digital technologies bode well for certain film genres. I don’t know because he didn’t explain — which got me thinking all the more.

Don’t believe the hype, while it is almost impossible for the everyday man to transmogrify into the next great thing — i.e. “Look at Angelo. He’s sooooo hot right now” —  it is possible to live with meaningful existence  doing something you love, be it acting or filmmaking or music. Could it be that we purposefully become caught up in the most elusive and the most heightened aspects of the dream, because it provides us with a comfortable place to call it quits?

I watched The Biggest Loser  on DVR last night. One of the contestants pissed me off when she said, “But what if I work really hard and I still get voted off?” WTF? Was she saying she’d be more comfortable getting voted off if she didn’t work hard? Maybe that’s it. Maybe we unconsciously program ourselves to ease the burden of failure by simply not working as hard as we can. Food for thought. 

My light at the end of my personal tunnel is the belief that hard work pays off. Hard work combined with education, resourcefulness, courage and flexibility is a deadly combination for the elimination of failure. And that’s really not so hard, is it?