Hitchcock and his ladies

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The power of seduction drew me to filmmaking as a young boy. The movie that brought me to the genre of drama was the Alfred Hitchcock film: ‘Rebecca.’ Most individuals of a certain age only knew him in the early 1970s from his TV anthology series: ‘Alfred Hitchcock Presents.’ “Good Evening” was instantly known along with his rotund silhouette to open his show introductions. I bring up Hitchcock because he was a true forerunner for what has evolved in terms of the modern day multi-media director. Look at the current crop of top line directors from Spielberg to Ridley Scott, all of them owe a debt in story style, narratives lines, and visual motif to Hitchcock’s influence use of camera, sound, and use of actors.

The career of Alfred Hitchcock is one of the great enigmas in cinema history. While considered one of the top 10 directors in the history of moviemaking, his personal life and obsessions make him an equally interesting subject. Hitchcock’s near psychopathic interest in a series of his leading ladies (Joan Fontaine, Grace Kelly, Eva Marie Saint, and Vera Miles) has been well chronicled in modern media. However, in October HBO Films will take a fictionalized look at his interactions with his last starlet discovered Tippi Hedren (Star of ‘The Birds’). ‘The Girl’ is a look at the assent of their relationship, the greatness of her performances, and the descent of their pairing into acrimony.

Meanwhile, as detailed in ‘The Girl,’ offers up a more complex psychological nature of Hitchcock's frailties as a man are strongly suggested. His need to control every aspect of the women that he was enamored with whether for sexual conquest or in professional terms were all focused on Hedren. As it had been with Vera Miles (the star of ‘Psycho’), Hedren by this time to feel the full weight of Hitchcock's power and in his ability to destroy the path of her stardom.

In the end, the HBO film shows the complex level of Hitchcock’s obsession. Moreover, this brilliant man destroys himself as a director of feature films. He’d only direct four more motion pictures between 1964 and his death in 1976. This legacy to a certain generation, it would be tied to television. And as a 9-year-old, my introduction to the other Hitchcock would be tied to ‘Rebecca.’ The rest is a history tied to not only greatness, but also the frailties of behavior.

Osbourne talks finance and the Prophet...

As I previously posted regarding the possibility of gaining access to financing through networking and events like the IILFS town halls which bring investors interested in financing independent films together with filmmakers. It becomes more and more evident that the worlds and social networking, online web streaming, and film angel investors are now all clearly intertwined. The broader implications of such theories in matters will weigh heavily on the future of independent filmmaking, Barrie Osborne and the Film Angels network is a good study in these changes.

As larger studios such as Sony and Fox pulled back from their own independent branches and consolidate in regards to their own small budget productions, that means for gaining access to capital becomes a tougher situation. Moreover, the classic state of going to a studio and pitching a project may become an even tougher sell than at any time in the last 3 decades. As those broader implications play out, individuals such as IILF’s Thomas Trenker are bringing together the two sides in areas that will benefit all parties.

On this weeks blog I've included a link to a interview/roundtable with renowned filmmaker Barrie Osborne. The man behind Lord of the Rings, Big Chill and Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now walks the audience through the entire process at the event held by the investors group: Film Angels network.

The power of having someone as influential as Osborne relating the entire producing strategy and process in front of would-be investors and filmmakers is a great opportunity. Moreover, it allows an aspiring filmmaker the chance to see how pitches truly work. As Osborne makes clear in his presentation, preparation and a good product are key in any scenario. This linking of propositions is an interesting juxtaposition of seeing what is necessary to get from point A to point D.

I hope you will take the opportunity to watch and learn from Osborne and the Film Angels.

A Winning Business Plan Pulls Together

In a follow-up to our previous blog on film financing, we will look at elements of our previous perceptions regarding what makes a good business plan in such an industry. Moreover, the ideas of our chosen industry leaders Louise Levison and Thomas Trenker are examined specifically regarding issues. In further researching these 2 leaders, four key areas are immediately pushed to the forefront. In the case of Levison, writing a business plan that is thorough and contains elements of trouble anticipation comes to mind. On the other hand, Trenker’s use of networking events held around the country in the form of town hall meetings for perspective filmmakers and investors is a novel approach that is eye opening. Moreover, the need for budgeting for just such networking events in the initial start up section of a business plan is essential.

Let's look in depth at both of these processes. As mentioned in our last blog, Filmmakers and Financing Plans for Independents by Levison offers a template to any aspiring or established filmmakers on how to create and in present a dynamic project business plan. As Levinson's conjectures, the thing that sinks the vast majority of film companies is their lack of thoroughness in the creation of the business plan. People want to know where their money will be spent, and how it will be returned on their investment. Furthermore, once these numbers are established, what can be done to even further to increase the profitability and decrease area of the loss for the production company? It is these analysis skills that Levison tries to engender to the reader (Levison, 2009).

In turn, Trenker brings the keys of networking to creating an environment conducive to making financing a reality. In the vast majority of cases, the e-mail box is a wasteland generally populated with large amounts of spam and useless attempts to market. However, when an e-mail bearing the possibilities of the finance forums town hall meetings sponsored by Trenker’s Film Angels appear bearing the weight of seriousness, the opportunity brings the environment of opportunity. The power of opportunity is reflected in a manner that not just in making money, but in the profitability long-term. When placed in connection with the lessons learned from Levison’s approach, this opportunity translates into a great confluence.

So, if providing a complete oversight of the lessons learned, the following points are essential.

Levison

• Make your business plan thorough
• Show your investors that you're qualified
• Make sure your investors are repaid in a professional manner
• Plan to make your company stronger in the long term regardless if it is a single project or not.

Trenker

• Networking is opportunity
• Use your opportunities wisely
• Profitability is the result of a combination of factors

When all that these objectives are taken into consideration, the filmmaker can greatly reduce not just the risk, but chance of conflict in the long-term financial picture; the return to investors is well thought out and the filmmakers reputation is greatly enhanced. I certainly incorporated these areas into my revised business plan. 

The perfect double play: Levison to Trenker equal your chance!

Thomas Trenker and Louise Levison both carry tremendous weight in the fields of film financing and motion picture business planning for independent filmmakers. Each has been instrumental in creating some of the most groundbreaking areas regarding independent filmmaking. These distinctively influential individuals have parlayed their positions into solid long-term spheres of influence.

In Levison, who specialized in creating business plans specially designed for filmmakers in this sector; the pattern of success is punctuated by the plan for the greatest success story in independent film making history: The Blair Witch Project. The 1999 release was pitched on a business plan created by Levison. While the actual cost of shooting the film is disputed (est. $20,000-$750,000), the world wide box office for the film according to BoxOfficeMojo.com was $140,539,099. This is an amazing figure. Moreover, she has gone to develop business plans for other indie films, lectures at prestigious film festivals, and has written the book considered to be the standard for independent filmmakers: “Filmmakers and Financing: Business Plans for Independents.” Her credentials are very impressive (Levison, 2009).

On the other hand, Trenker serves at the head of the influential FilmAngel motion picture Angel investment group and as director of the Institute for Film Finance. The Swiss educated entrepreneur has taken his background in finance and has leveraged his position in order to create an influentially sizable organization of investors. This positioning of private funding has created a place which was described in the Wall Street Journal in 2009 said Saad Khan, a FilmAngels member and partner at CMEA Capital:

A lot of investors I see FilmAngels resonate for are already successful investors and very heavily weighted in other asset classes such as technology or software. This is a way to diversify their whole asset class in new areas.

So, in these two cases, the need (investors) and the product (the plan) are combined by these crafts. Levison approaches the elements needed to create business plan of attention. She especially gets to the root of their interest; they want to know when and how they are going to profit (and why)?

Financial projections show investors how and when they’ll make their money.
Vital elements investors look for are:

• Worldwide revenues and costs for comparative movies
• Projected profit
• Projected cash flow
• A detailed explanation of the assumptions underlying the financial projections for your film (Levison, 2009)

Accordingly, these are areas which must be clearly laid out before the investors. It can be the difference between funding and being stuck without the necessary capital. On the other hand, the prevailing nature of investing is to gain a return. As noted above, this underlines the importance of the four elements outlined by Levison.

Brubeck: The Two Lane Road

A Documentary Film

Brubeck: The Two Lane Road 

The Dave Brubeck Quartet

at Wesleyan College: 1963

Legal Notice:
This synopsis is for the use of the intended recipient only for communication purposes only. It may contain information that is privileged and confidential.
Neither intended recipients or unintended recipients may disclose, copy, or further distribute the contents of this communication under penalty of law. If you are not the intended recipient any disclosure, copying, future distribution, or use of this communication is prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please advise us by return e-mail, or if you have received this communication by fax, advise us by telephone and delete/destroy the document.
© Copyright 2006-2008 Imaging Limited, LLC.

SYNOPSIS
PROJECT TITLE:
Brubeck: The Two Lane Road ©
In May of 1963, a jazz quartet journeyed to the first college established for the education of women in America.
They came to a town lying in the heart of American Confederacy on the banks of Ocmulgee River. In the brewing caldron of the Civil Rights movement, the sounds of what was called “West Coast Cool” swath across the late spring air.
This is the introduction to a proposed documentary film on the performance by the legendary jazz group The Dave Brubeck Quartet at historic Wesleyan College in 1963. The private university was the site of a seminal moment in the history of the town and region.
A concept as alien to the area as that of being on the surface of Mars awaited the ticket holders, it was alien to those living in the Deep South of America: an integrated audience. Still, in a performance hall framed by Grecian columns reminiscent of the verandas of the anti-bellum homes, an audience both of Black and White listeners witnessed the same peering back at them from the concert stage, an integrated band. Moments of history are rarely chosen, they generally evolve from the moment itself; but this moment was just that, evolution...
The moment came and before the night was over, a community and lives were changed.
The story is told in documentary form. The events examined are the strange confluence of great historic moments that happened in 1963. Five great world-changing events occurred within days of Brubeck’s appearance in Macon. We see the day through the eyes of two people who witnessed the performance at Porter Auditorium. We hear about the impact of the Brubeck Quartet's “Jazz Goes to College tours:” how did it happen that the quartet came to Wesleyan to perform, and finally we hear Brubeck in his own words.
The film constitutes the vision of Jerrell Skinner. He has spent the last 17 years working in the motion picture and television production industry, and is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University’s Communications and Theatre Arts program. Having worked under numerous Academy, Emmy, and Peabody Award winning producers and directors, Skinner finally returns to his roots, his hometown of Macon, Georgia and the documentary film genre.
“The Brubeck project has been a passion of mine for over 20 years now said the project’s creator. “That’s where the title comes from, two lanes of life, people and situations passing, coming and going, divided by the two yellow no passing lines, never truly together, well not until that day.” He concludes: “It really changed the lives of many people in this area. There were groundbreaking moments, which occurred around the time frame of the performance changed lives around the world. I mean look at this way, there were so many people who’d never ever sat down next to each other but they did so on that day, after 220 years of both races living in this area that is amazing!”

Production Company:

Imaging Limited LLC.

P.O. Box 412

Macon, GA 31202-0412

478-718-4280 - Macon

818-281-9453 - Los Angeles

Writer/Director:

Jerrell Skinner

Narrator:

Cheryl Palmer

Main Title Art:

Sharon Cobb

Courtesy of:

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer Newsgroup

High definition videography by:

Clarence Thomas, Jr.

Special Thanks to:

Stuart Dodge

Michael Apted

David Rintels

Lisa Lindstrom

Jon Avnet

Beth Polson

Lisa Goodman

Updating the social media face of Upload

The story of Upload Films has taken on a life of its own. As their website notes: “update in progress” in their privacy policy; that may remain a fitting parallel for what awaits them.  In the six years since its creation, the independent filmmaking, production services, and film financing company has turned out a series of films and created a niche within the production services segment of the motion picture industry that belies its young age. There is no greater example of this consortium feel of the company then the dossiers of its six partners. Nick Thurlow, Andrew Mann, Todd Williams, John Portnoy, Jamie Donaldson, and Paul Lee each come from divergent segments of the moviemaking industry. Mann and Lee are have backgrounds in film finance, Thurlow (CEO) and Williams come from a firm background in film producing and production finance, and along with their original partner John Portnoy came from the world of film postproduction and post supervision have all combined to create a dynamic filmmaking enterprise.

In that light, Upload has yet to fully immerse itself in the Facebook or Twitter cultures in terms of daily active social media blogs or networks in relation to their projects. As is generally the nature of the established Hollywood motion picture industry, companies have varying degrees and wide latitude of how deeply or how shallowly they commit themselves to those particular platforms. It is in some ways a love-hate relationship. Whereas social media can be driving forces to promote projects that are in production for better or worse. They can be neglectful of the greater outreach that can be facilitated for their ongoing filmmaking efforts upon that basis.

·        Search engine optimization

·        Landing pages

·        Fresh updates (content and pages)

·        Social media interaction

·        Long-term social media goals and ambitions

These five segments under their overall rainbow of digital marketing as it relates to social media are easily neglected. However, Upload which now can be found in China (encompassing the broader Asian realm), Baton Rouge, Louisiana (covering the exploding feature film industry in New Orleans and surrounding sections of that state), and its birth place of Los Angeles is positioned to fully flourish if those segments are addressed. While currently linked on their website and on Facebook with back links, it will take a broad overall view of all three continents being told in a captive and provocative manner to maximize Upload’s full potential in the realm of not just social media but of promotion as well.

It will be interesting to watch which direction this young company takes as it continues to expand within the independent filmmaking marketplace.

Recognizing Key Elements of Effective Digital Marketing

What drives individuals and or demographic groups to certain content while other sites or search engine tools fail to exploit possible positions of garnering page hits? The use of algorithms in how computer science uses code to examine and then react in ranking data is a matter of consequence. The examination of any effective digital marketing plan in terms of promotion, access, and in its efficiency in drawing targeted demographics to a campaign is one of measurement, observation, and relaying of pertinent information. Therefore, the power of conveying the message and gaining the full power of the designed campaign will be in terms that one can quantify. Tools such as Google Ad Planner, Webmaster, and a series of interrelated tools connected to these devices allows for such examinations to bear fruit.

In chasing the Holy Grail of interest plotting points where it relates to websites, page views, and overall tracking of interest in such endeavors; the Google algorithm (a unique equation designed to track, evaluate, and promote the most popular sites according to search engine criteria) has become the measuring stick for those who actively promote and wish to exploit their search engine presence. This can be called search engine optimization (SEO). The whole field of website analytics has blossomed around just such endeavors.

In defining marketing strategy for effective digital media and or business, strengths and weaknesses, trends and outdated material, and proficiency pitted against obsolescence of what ones webpage and content says are a series of factors that any good analysis should take in mind and expose for the examiner. Whether in the form of random sample or in the detailed minutia of a long reaching examination, the overall analysis is bound by the criteria given. If your demographics clearly show that your audience in terms of page hits (whether in short or long visits) are reaching a certain group in example women age 24-54, then what are the underlying reasons for such a trend? The data reaches out in it embedded criteria. No amount of research and planning, marketing strategy, or an implementation of actions and controls can withstand a failure to translate these core values of a plan in one's site map. A Site map with the right mixture of effective long tail keywords and pertinent URL links that drive search engine hits and carry the right set of criteria in relation to the Google algorithm will always create a winning strategy in the digital marketplace.

In conclusion, driving individuals in selected groups to your content by way of search engine requires a high degree of marketing strategy in terms of research, analytical follow-up, the mastery of such analytical tools, and the constant refreshing of not just original material but the information that is linked to one's website, an optimization. In terms of the Google algorithm this is an effective starting place for a winning strategy.

References:

Chaffey, D. (2012, June 02). Keyphrase analysis for search engine marketing. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/DaveChaffey/keyphrase-analysis-tools-for-search-engine-marketing
Goggle. (2012, June 02). Algorithms. Retrieved from http://code.google.com/edu/algorithms/index.html



Goggle. (2012, June 02). About sitemaps. Retrieved from http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=156184

Goggle. (2012, June 02). Google webmasters. Retrieved from http://www.google.com/webmasters/

Goggle. (2012, June 02). Which websites attract target audience?. Retrieved from https://accounts.google.com/ServiceLogin?service=branding&passive=1209600&continue=https://www.google.com/adplanner/planning/site_profile?hl=en&followup=https://www.google.com/adplanner/planning/site_profile?hl=en<mpl=adplanner&hl=en 

Marketing made simple.com. (2012, June 02). Marketing plan. Retrieved from http://www.marketing-made-simple.com/articles/marketing-plan.htm
Strickland, Jonathan. (2012, January 11). Why is the google algorithm so important? Retrieved from http://computer.howstuffworks.com/google-algorithm.htm