Check it out: THE RAVEN

Here is a brief description from the website:
A new generation of global creators and artists are emerging, equipped with other points of reference and other tools. The teachers arenʼt certified schools anymore – itʼs web sites, discussion forums and a “learn by doing”-mentality. We see the children of a digital age, unspoiled or uneducated depending on who you ask. Collaboration over hierarchy, digital over analog – a change in the way we produce, distribute and consume creative works.

PressPausePlay is the first film to capture this new ecosystem. We meet the creatives at the frontier of production, the technical enablers of collaboration and distribution, the artists, the pop stars, the film makers, the business men, the visionaries and the ones left behind. Itʼs a story from the smallest molecule to the largest corporation. Itʼs a snapshot of today, but at the same time predictions of a near future.

Check out the link: PRESS PAUSE PLAY Website

A recent LA Times article brings up some great examples of this recent trend. Check it out: Hollywood Gets Tightfisted in Deals

Check it out: Deadline

check it out: Hollywood Aprrenticeship

Let us take for example the Universal film Public Enemies. It had a physical production budget of at least $110 million. The marketing of the film cost roughly another $75 million. Finally to distribute it worldwide cost another $70 million. At the end of the day this film costs $255 million. So in order to turn a profit the film would of course have to surpass this number to be considered a box office success. According to Box Office Mojo, Public Enemies made $214 million worldwide. It’s safe to conclude this was a loss for Universal.

Now a common misconception of film budgets are that people only look at physical production costs. It’s a little known fact just how much costs goes into marketing and distribution. Therefore if you would like to roughly assess what a film is going to cost just double the number of what you believe it would cost in physical production alone.

What separates the successful from the unsuccessful?

The answer is actually quite simple: it’s all about motivation and determination. Those who want it the most and are willing to stick to it for as long as it takes will eventually win. Most people will settle for second best or the “backup plan.” It’s not that any goal is impossible, it’s just about how long a person is willing to pursue it and how hard. We’re trained as kids to think that if we follow this road map of success we’ll become rich and famous (go to school, get good grades, go to college, get a good job). Those of us who’ve been slapped with reality came to the realization that this is simply not true. All of the sudden, when people step out into the real world they find themselves lost.

You have to ask yourself, what is it that you really want? Money, family, love, power, or nothing? The only way to answer this question is to go and experience life. See what works and what doesn’t. A person can never truly discover the right answer to that question just sitting around and thinking about it. The next thing you know, years have passed and you’re still in the same place. To truly succeed, one must pick a direction and run with it. Opportunities open up along the way. The important thing to remember is that nothing is set in stone. Everyone has the capability to change their life; it just gets harder the longer you wait.  The point is always to keep your eyes on that target. Needless to say it will require sacrifice and overcome obstacles that are daunting, but these are the moments that separate success and failure.

Scripts that have sold recently are those that adapt some sort of intellectual property that people recognize. Companies deduce that this method can be a safer bet when looking at the success of films such as Transformers. Now companies are developing for “known brands” such as Battleship, Space Invaders, ViewMaster, Asteroids, Lego, and Candyland. It’s a method of filmmaking that is more like reverse engineering.

There are a limited number of brands that can be bought or rebooted, therefore writers hold on to that hope. Eventually original ideas will have to be produced in order to ensure sustainable content for the future. Remember that movies like Star Trek, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, or all these comic book adaptations are original ideas from the past.

The spec market won’t flourish as it once did since fewer productions are being made every year. Therefore it wouldn’t make sense to continue a high level of development. Less output means less input needed, pretty simple. The key is how to extend the life of original ideas among different mediums. Not just think about the film, but the TV show, video game, webisodes, etc. Strategize for bigger success then just one market.

Storytelling has been around forever.  People have always needed entertainment but the way in which people experience it changes with time.  We have live theater, radio, film, television, iPods, video games, etc.  Hollywood entrepreneurs can’t just consider themselves TV writers or feature producers.  The creative teams of the future must be able to adapt into any of these fast evolving entertainment channels.  Stories that traverse all types of media are now called transmedia.

Transmedia is incredibly important because every one of these types of media channels relies on a different kind of consumer.  The movie industry needs the type of consumer that wants to leave the house.  The TV and video games industries want the consumer to stay home.  Meanwhile, the internet distracts people from all of these.  Companies are struggling to hold on to peoples’ attention in a world where consumers have plenty of things to do with their time.  People are now spending more time at work and have higher bills to pay.  Time is becoming more and more precious.  Young people are multitasking, participating in many activities at the same time: texting, watching TV, listening to music, Facebooking and browsing around the web.

Companies now have to create something entirely new like Avatar that raises the bar and “changes the game”.  Avatar is a piece of visual entertainment that is best enjoyed in 3D IMAX, at least until 3D televisions introduced this year become mainstream.

Technology is evolving faster than ever.  If we can think it then you know silicon valley is already developing it.  How can the business use all of this new technology?  The key is to figure out how to adapt it instead of fighting it like the fledgeling music industry.

Let’s break down the basic steps.  There is development, production, post-production, distribution and marketing.

First, development: where ideas, scripts and pitches get sold.  A buyer essentially has to recognize the potential for commercial success.  It’s similar to how bankers assess a loan request.  Let’s face it, that’s basically what a person is asking for, to invest in his or her movie or show in the hopes of tremendous return on profit.

After the project is put together in development, which means cast, director, script, etc., everything needed to make it a candidate for a green light is in place. This is the moment of truth where a studio chief has to decide whether or not to move forward.  If your lucky then he/she will green light into production.  This of course is where the project is physically shot but of course closely monitored by the studio.

Once production is complete the project moves into post.  Here is where footage gets put together and combined with all the bells and whistles (visual effects, sound, music).  The creative team could realize at this point that some reshoots or re-editing is required.

Now comes a very essential part of the process: marketing!!! A huge chunk of money goes to the process of buying up TV time and ad space.  Over the last few years, marketing has gone through some radical changes.  Consider, for example, Paranormal Activity or its predecessor, Blair Witch Project.  The internet has changed the way a company can publicize a film.  With the help of the internet, word of mouth can spread faster than ever.  Consider the success of The Hangover or the failure of Bruno (dropped a considerable amount of ticket sales after just a day).  Bad tweets and Facebook updates are what people look to now instead of reviews written by film critics.  Social networking is forcing an evolution in entertainment.

Then there’s distribution, another part of the process that costs millions.  This and marketing are the two main reasons why studios are so powerful.  They have the money and infrastructure to market and distribute projects more effectively than the indie-movie world.

Each one of these stages is greatly affected by the changes in technology and modernized advertising.  This is why it’s important to understand how technology and entertainment are fused together and how the relationship is changing at a more rapid rate than ever before.