Film locations: Luring & Lucrative

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There is much to consider in finding the perfect location to shoot a movie and the states each offer lucrative lures to choose their location. Substantial state tax credits are usually granted that for the Hollywood movie industry translates to big bucks. With a budget of $160 million The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, filmed in Louisiana as a stand-in for England, were awarded tax credits that {...Continue...}

Hollywood lawyers, or where did the budget go?

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What happens when a book author takes a Hollywood production company to court? In 2005 Clive Cussler, author of the bestselling book Sahara sued Crusader Entertainment for not respecting his right to approve the final movie script leading to a five year, $20 million dollar court battle. This is an unusual case in Hollywood law because it actually went to trial; most lawsuits in Hollywood are {...Continue...}

Movie business; history repeats

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Wide screen CinemaScope, surround sound, special effects and marathon movies are still not enough to create a large movie going audience. Sixty years ago movies were magic and the only way to see a flick was to go to the theater. In an age past, back in 1948 before television sets were common place 4.6 billion movie tickets were sold in a year; 65 out of every 100 people would go see a movie on {...Continue...}

Research and pilot testing, listen to your audience

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If you want to make successful film or TV series it is vital to know what your audience wants and likes. Do your market research and pilot testing. Offspring, the Australia TV series is a prime example of how research can make or break a show. Test audiences didn’t like the casting and the series would have certainly failed without changing a character actor and reworking the script. Instead {...Continue...}

The Hollywood Hedge

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With all the glitz and glam, in true Hollywood style, private investors and Wall Street investors are making a killing – or so they think. In point of fact Hollywood production companies are one-upping investors. Indie film makers aren't the only ones looking to fund the next project, big production studios are in the money game too. Difference being, large Hollywood studios like Paramount, {...Continue...}

From Novel to Screenplay: How Loyal Should You Be?

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Countless amounts of films begin with a good book, but few screenwriters advise heavy involvement of the novelist in the filmmaking process. Sometimes, involving the novelist can lead to great improvement in the film’s quality—after all, nobody knows the characters and the story better than the writer himself. But often, the relationship between the novelist and the screenwriter can be one {...Continue...}

How Digital Filming is Changing Post Houses

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When the consumer camera market moved from film to digital, the old film giant Kodak lost a huge share of the market to competitors like Canon. This happened because Kodak didn’t shift their business practices fast enough to keep up, and then they lost out on a huge share of potential profits. Now, this shift from film to digital is spreading to the world of TV and movies, and post-production {...Continue...}