The state of the Film Industry: The rise and fall, fall will rise again.

The industry is changing...dramatically. Indies are not making the making the same impact as they're being swallowed whole by the huge marketing budgets of studio films. The internet has opened up a tremendous marketing channel, but technology has opened the door for so much product the market can barely stand the strain. Those pushing to make their mark in the industry are finding themselves between a rock and a rock. How to break into big budget. Or how to get your name out there in a seemingly endless galaxy of product.

Well I tend to think that (and this is not such a poplar theme in other markets) that the market will correct itself. The music industry went through a free for all (or free fall depending on how you look at it) a few years ago. Did everyone become a hit music artist or producer overnight just because they had access to the equipment and the means to get product out. No. The cream rose to the top. And in some cases sunk very fast. Some of it was of course whipped cream and you know how long that lasts. So I tend to think the same way. Good content will rise, bad will fall and there will be a middle ground in between.

As far as marketing budgets that have ballooned out of control. We need the engine that drives the industry, but the machinery will change over time too. Less money from wall street= less money to compete. The cycle will repeat and indies will rise again. Not that there haven't been great ones that have happened despite the change. A list of fav's will be posted soon.

The Law of Reciprocity or Social Responsibility

Haven't posted in a while as our resources have been spread thiiiiinnnnn. This had to be posted though. It exhibits a view that could change the world. I don't know what this law is called, as it is interpretative, but it is incredible nonetheless. I read it on a Starbucks cup:

If you've got a dollar and you spend twenty-nine cents on a loaf of bread, you've got seventy-one cents left. But if you've got seventeen grand and you spend twenty-nine cents on a loaf of bread, you've still got seventeen grand. There's a math lesson for you.

Steve Martin

Terminator vs Rambo Can it be true?

O.K. Believe it or not the two biggest action heroes of the 80's have never done a movie together, but one is in the works. Check it:

Terminator and Rambo

Guess Ahnoold has been too busy politikin' and Sly has been too busy doin'...

Anyway, We've been busy here in SoFlo putting together a non-profit organization to promote film and filmmakers and fell off the radar...again. We feel it was well worth it considering the looming Screen Actors Guild strike check it out here:

SAG strike

So we're back and will post more regularly now. Till then...

Been slacking, but here's INDY...

Once again we've been slacking on posts. Blame it on the incredible Iron Man, which has been viewed multiple times. Here's a holistic review on the the new Indiana Jones. Could you not expect them to play it safe $ ?

here

Writer strike- loss so far

This has been a result of the writers strike.

here.

But maybe there's new material on the way.

...and to our unsung heroes the stuntman

They make our media real, more real. CG be damned. These men and women make us feel the curves, the heights and the pain. Thank you very much.

faster than the speed of light

wow, the internet jacked up on gamma radiation. here's the future and it's coming soon to a cpu near you. very cool.

Writer's Strike

We've received a couple of comments on the writer's strike, so although we're not in an official capacity to comment we would like to give our take and on a more personal note my take on it. The writer's strike is officially over, but the ramifications I feel will be long lasting. I sat in on a panel when I started film school and one of the speakers was a huge director (won't name any names at this point). He said the most important people in filmmaking are the writers and the actors. The actors because they portray the vision and because they have the ability to have a project immediately "green lit" (the go ahead to have a project made). He went on to explain that the writers are vitally important because without them there would be no project to create. A bad script can never be a good movie no matter what director helms the project. Well that comment truly hit home when the writers went on strike and production came to a halt. TV shows finished showing what they had left in their reserve and that was it. Even now many shows have not been able to start production because the writers have to build up story lines. So what the director said was true, no writers, no projects.

That being said, since the internet has become more of a force, viewership on television has gone down quite a bit. Television is driven by advertising dollars. Advertising is driven by companies that want to address specific audiences to take notice of their products or services. If the viewers have shifted, the advertisers and more specifically companies want to shift the budget to where viewers will see their products or services. Writer's have a union that over the years have worked out deals that guarantee writers get a rate according to the whether a show gets picked up and how many times the show is broadcast. There was no specific deal set up for internet and since the internet has become a stronger force (they're broadcasting entire shows over the internet now), writer's wanted some of the revenue that comes from advertiser's that have committed or reallocated budgets according to internet viewership. Since this trend is increasing, the writers wanted to take advantage of the fact that their contracts were up for renewal and look after their future as the revenue stream shifts. The producer's countered that since the internet is not a proven revenue stream (without 3-5 years of market research) there should be a time allotment taken to study the shift before a deal is made.

Our take is that since the writers work is being broadcast, wherever it is being broadcast, they should get a slice of the pie. And since we have a company full of writers and we are also producers and directors we are fairly educated on the process of what it takes to complete a project. Thank goodness in the end they resolved the strike, because one of our favorite shows "HEROES" has been off the air for too long. (shameless plug) Please check out "HEROES" actor Jimmy Jean Louis who plays "The Haitian", in our documentary about Haiti. He was the guest of honor at an event we held in Miami:

Sove Event featuring Jimmy Jean Louis

We feel it is a very important project.

And thanks all for your great words about our blog. Please let us know what you think. Take care.

the water's cold at first...and IRON MAN

It took a while to get the rust out but posting once again. Speaking of minerals, can't wait IRON MAN. All the trailers look great. No cartoonish C.G. Robert is in rare form. Would like to see more of Terrance's chops in the teaser's, but all in all so far it's a winner in the books this way.

IRON MAN

we're back.

We took a break in support of the writers strike. Back now for mas, mas, y mas.

12.28.07 Daniel Day Lewis

He has power to bring tears, joy, fears, on the screen and in life. His win and tribute to Mr. Ledger is and can only be as unique from such a star as brilliant.

gone too young....

Gone too young. Heath Ledger was one of the most promising. We'll miss you. And the others before you.

Heath Ledger

River Pheonix

James Dean

Heroes "The Haitian"

Jimmy Jean Louis is one of our favorites. Here's an interview on the powerful Hero in French. Look out for our exclusive interview coming soon.

For now you can also check him out on our network KTV here.

star trek first look....oh yeah

star trek first look....oh yeah

slippery slope

We knew it was coming sooner or later. Entropy. energy-sun-plant-animal. Whenever I make a copy of a copy of a copy, somehow I always blur peoples faces.