2/21/13Get an agent to represent you/send it out to studios and production companiesAgency might package actor, director clientsGet the $ from investors to produce it – route for “non-studio” filmsSell to studio(s) to produce it (studio films)Same or another studio to distributeMovie CreditsWhen you see company logos and “so and so’ and ‘such and such’ Present” at the start of film, they are the production companies that paid for the filmMany of the Executive Producers listed own or work for those production companiesIf studio name is in there, they paid for filmExecutive producer creditKick starter:What is a distributor?They get the film into the theatres, you have to convince somebody to put money up to get It into theatresCost: making the prints, cost 1000 of dollaers each, more and more it has been turning to digital which is just a file on the computer: helps reduce piracy and also cheaperAnother cost: publicity for the film, the distributor has to pay movie theatre chains to play the trailersWho makes the money?Sharing the money with the movie theatreWith a hit movie, distributor will get 90% of ticket sales, 10% to theatreConcessions help theatres make money on new moviesCoverageAgent sends out to production companiesReviewed by reader who reads your script and do a 2-page report called CoveragePass: reader feels the script fails to make the grade in most areas and that the production entity should not proceed with itConsider: reader feels the script has a considerable number of strong points and is good enough to proceed withRecommend: reader feels that the script is extremely strong in all respects and that the production entity should proceed without reservationsIf not recommended, youre pretty much dead in the water. Kiss script “goodbye”Who does the coverage?Done by unpaid internOr by freelancer who gets 50-100$ per scriptThen to development executive: looking for the new, hot scriptsThen to whomever is next up the pyramid at the production companyHave to say no 90% of the time and yes 10%, but God forbid you say no to something that gets produced somewhere else and becomes a hitD-Girls: developer girlsNeed to balance everything outNO ONE WANTS TO BE WRONGEx: Forrest Gump was passed up several times before a couple studios picked it up – made near 400$ million worldwideSamuel Goldyn: “No one knows about nothing”Tension: “I don’t want to pass up on a hit”“You and I do not have the same view point on projects”Coverage goes into a database about this script and this writerEven if script is not bought, writer might get rewrite work out of itProduction Company/StudioProduction companies are owned/run by producers or directors or actorsThey find and develop and produce films and TV shows for Film/TV studiosProduction company for film needs to find a studio to produce and then the same or another to distribute domestically and internationallyBloomhouse: does all the paranormal activity movies, would not send romantic comedy to themWhat determines whether a studio wants to buy a filmKey thing: marketingHow will it be marketed?If marketing does not life it, almost impossible to sellWhat is the poster?The 4 quadrantsMale under 25, male above 25, female under 25, female above 25How many quadrants does it hitWant to hit all 4 quadrantsInternational is equal to or larger than north American box office nowSome actors have international box officeSome genres work better internationally (action vs. comedy; baseball not big internationally)Surveys are done to figure out a lot of this stuff, marketing researchFor every 2 action movies, the woman can get the guy to see the notebookTax creditsStates compete for productionSome states give future creditsOther states rebate cashLouisiana, Michigan, North Carolina successfulSometimes for current movie, sometimes for your next movieProblem in: California & New York there are a lot of experienced and good crews, basically you be flying in 100 people for the crew to work on your movie, all of a sudden you are eating away at your rebate moneyHow an idea for TV series gets to the screenAlmost always, need to have a track record to have a series boughtThat’s because TV series writing is prospectiveTo be a TV writerNeed 2 spec scripts to get an agentThen your scripts are sent to series’ staffsYou get to pitch ideas for a freelance scriptHonest and dishonest show staffersYour script is bought and you do a good job of writing itMade staff’s work easier (grow) (golden rule)Didn’t make more work for themPerhaps sell more freelance scripts to that or other seriesGet asked to join staffWeekly/episode contradict – paid per week or episode to be on staffUsually guaranteed a script assignment for extra $, writing credit, residualsOften start with title of “staff writer”Then you receive “title escalation” which in the past was to tied to salary increasesStaff writer to story editor to executive story editor to co-producer to supervising producer to co-excecutive producer to executive producerActual job itself is unchangedIn TV you have an A story and a B storyIf your script is CRAP, you will more than likely be fired because you made their lives harder and put “more on their plate”, working around the clockIts how good you make it by, with the time youre givenGood freelance work gets you a job as a writerAfter a few years of moving up the “track ladder” you would have a sufficient track record to pitch series ideasPre-WGA strike, you might get a development deal for 2 years to just pitch and write ideas for seriesDuring the strike, many of these deals were terminatedThose that still had development deals mow had to either sell a series idea or else they would be put on the writing staff of someone else’s series so that the studio or network got something for their moneyNBC series The Event example on slideSo script is bought and revised and then a pilot is shotOrigin storySixth episode storyBudget larger than it will be for the series“Arms race” for big budget pilotseach network does dozens of pilots, yields maybe 6-10 series maybe 2-3 will get a second seasonPilot is testedLas Vegas and other citiesTesting processSome highly tested series flop and some of the lowest tested shows become hits – eventually (“Cheers”)Lowest test scores in NBC historyWill have a focus group after the screeningAsking advertisers millions of dollars to advertise your seriesSeries picks upShowrunner starts
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