Screenwriters & Filmmakers - Pitching the Cold Heart of the Banker

Screenwriters %26 Filmmakers - Pitching The Cold Heart of a Banker

(Copyright 2005)

Can a creative pitch alone get your script produced? Pitching the script is an art that is much talked about, put into college curriculums and lauded by the Pop Culture. But, there's a big factor missing from creative pitches. It's fundamental; but broadly ignored by key creative people.

For over 20 years I've been hired by Film Financiers (Studio Exec's, Bonding Companies, etc.) to watch over their investment during the film's production. I've also had more than a few independent filmmakers ask me for help in getting their film off the ground. So, I've been rubbing elbows with the elusive Film Financier (of one stripe or another) for some time.

Creative screenwriters, directors and filmmakers, especially when they're new at the game of film production, conceive that the money for wonderful scripts should be found - like apples dropping from a tree. 'Fraid not. Filmmaking is as much about the money as it is about the creative.

The person who you're pitching may be wearing blue jeans and topsiders, but he's still a Financier (or his immediate superior is). When pitching your script, think - I'm looking into the cold heart of a banker.

Learn to be familiar enough with the costs of your script to defend it in the language of money. Then, you'll be able to look any Studio Exec in the eye and mean what you say in his/her language.

But, you say, I'm creative! What do I know about money, and financing, and accounting, and, and.. Take heart. It's a heck of a lot easier than you may think.

Pitch the ScriptBut Don't Forget The Money

Independent screenwriters, directors and producers are fervently connected to their scripts and can pitch them anywhere, at anytime. But can a creative pitch alone get the film made?

It's very rare. Think about it. You're dealing with the M word.MONEY! So, yeah, pitch your heart out. But, hey, isn't it reasonable to learn some of the language of the person you really want to work with? To my mind, that's the only way to be credible in the eyes of the Financiers. Remember that we're talking about INDEPENDENT Film Financing and not about getting swept through the red carpet of the major studios.

There's a two step process going on here:

1.Pitch the script

2.Create confidence that the film CAN be produced within defined dollar limits.

Translate Creative Ideas Into 'Money Talk'

Being bright and creative is pretty much the norm in the film industry. But, being bright and creative, AND knowing how to translate creative ideas into 'money talk' elevates you way ahead of the pack.

To deliver a good pitch, have answers to these key questions about your screenplay:

- How you will achieve and produce your vision, yet still stay within a predetermined budget.

- What's important about money in film production, and what's not, and how to bring it up in the pitch.

- What are some of the 'Insider' secrets about film budgeting and reporting that YOU can use to your advantage?

- Regardless if you're a film director/ producer/screenwriter/ crew/ film student/ etc., film budgets and cost reports have something to do with you and your goals. Be prepared to bring this topic up when you pitch your screenplay.

You get the idea. Learn to be familiar enough with the costs of your script to defend it in the language of money. Then, you'll be able to pitch your script in a very powerful language - the language of MONEY.

Sign up for a series of seven articles - all only about 3 to 5 pages each which will give you insight into most of your 'pitch the money' problems, at http://www.talkfilm.biz .

Here are the article titles:

1. MAKING IT! In Film Production

2. Introduction to 'Directing the Money'

3. Translating Ideas Into 'Money Talk'

4. Your Participation In Above-the-Line Budgeting

5. Your Participation In Below-the-Line Budgeting

6. Your Report Card - The Internationally Recognized Cost Report

7. Presentation of the Weekly Cost Report - It's As Important As the Dailies

John Gaskin

With over 20 years experience and 40+ film productions, John has worked with some of the industries top professionals, including academy award winners Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. John brings his expertise to aspiring %26 established film professionals.

John Gaskin opens the door to a closed topic in the film industry -MONEY! Learn the inside tips from a 20 year pro of over 40 film projects all over the world. To receive a series of 7 free artilces visit:
http://www.talkfilm.biz

Tahiti in Fiction and Film

Over the years, Tahiti and Polynesia have provided novelists and moviemakers with colorful subject matter. Early travelers told of wanton women on tropical shores, and Fletcher Christian added drama to the plot by leading a mutiny against the tyrannical Captain Bligh.

In 1934 American writers Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall brought out the Bounty Trilogy. This three-part novel deals with Christian's mutiny on the Bounty, the escape of Bligh and his loyal crew members to Dutch Timor, and the colonization of Pitcairn Island by Christian and his fellow mutineers.

The novel was an instant bestseller, and director Frank Lloyd soon made it into a movie, Mutiny on the Bounty, starring Charles Laughton and Clark Gable. In keeping with the mood of his time, the mutiny was presented as a simplistic struggle between good and evil, and the film won an Oscar for Best Picture in 1935.

A generation later Marlon Brando flew down to Tahiti to star in a blockbuster remake of Mutiny on the Bounty. MGM's 1962 production is still considered the most spectacular film ever made in the South Pacific, in part due to the glorious scenery of Tahiti and Bora Bora. Thousands of Tahitian extras appeared in the film, and Brando married his first lady, Tarita Teriipaia.

In 1984, yet another version of The Bounty was released, with Sir Anthony Hopkins as a resolute Bligh and Mel Gibson as an ambiguous Christian. Of the three Bounty films, this is probably the most historically accurate, and it's certainly the one with the greatest psychological depth. It was largely filmed in Moorea's Opunohu Bay.

Another Nordhoff and Hall novel, The Hurricane, has been brought to the silver screen twice. John Hall's 1937 film portrays a young couple fleeing a despotic governor. In 1978 Dino de Laurentiis reshot The Hurricane on Bora Bora, with Mia Farrow and Trevor Howard. The resort built to house de Laurentiis' crew still exists as the Sofitel Marara.

British novelist W. Somerset Maugham also had close ties to the South Pacific. In 1943 Albert Lewin filmed The Moon and Sixpence, Maugham's fictionalized account of Paul Gauguin's life in Polynesia. The nonconformist painter's incompatibility with French colonial life provided Maugham with a pretext to explore the role of the artist in society. Another famous Maugham story, Rain, set in Samoa, has been made into a movie several times.

Other well-known authors who have popularized the legend of Tahiti include Herman Melville, Pierre Loti, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jack London, Rupert Brooke, and James A. Michener. Their stories, plays, and films have helped create the myth of a South Seas paradise. And even today, Tahiti and Polynesia beckon to romantics wishing to live their share of the dream.

David Stanley is the author of Moon Handbooks Tahiti http://www.southpacific.org/tahiti.html His online travel guide to Tahiti and French Polynesia may be perused at http://www.southpacific.org/text/finding_tahiti.html and his Tahiti travel photos are at http://www.pacific-pictures.com/tahiti/index.html

New DVD releases for November 2005.

As winter approaches, it is time to think about ways to entertain ourselves during the coldest months of the year. Some of you might be interested in outdoor sports like skiing or snowboarding, but I am more concerned with simply staying warm. I will be a spectator for the next few months, and luckily there are a number of awesome DVD movies coming out just in time. Let’s have a look at some upcoming releases for November:

Star Wars III – Revenge of the Sith

This is one that we have all been waiting for. If you haven’t already seen it, you should be ashamed of yourself. This is the final picture in the Star Wars saga, and the one in which young Skywalker turns to the dark side and becomes Darth Vader. I’ve already seen this in the theater countless times, but I can’t wait to watch it in the comfort of my own home. Starring Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, and Ewan MacGregor. Directed by George Lucas.

War of the Worlds

This is an adaptation of the classic H.G. Wells novel. Orson Welles also produced a radio broadcast based upon the novel that drove people to the brink of madness back in the late 1930’s. In case you haven’t heard, it is about an invading alien force from the far reaches of outer space. This a horror movie packaged as science fiction because it plays on some our greatest collective fears. Starring Tom Cruise, Tim Robbins, Dakota Fanning. Directed by Steven Spielberg.

Madagaskar

This is the smash hit children’s movie of the season. It follows the exciting adventures of a lion, hippo, giraffe, and zebra as they try to avoid being shipped back to Africa. All the hijinks and heroism you would expect from a group of animated animals can be found in this wonderful release from the makers of Shrek and Shark Tale. Starring the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, and Jada Pinkett Smith. Directed by Eric Darnell.

The Polar Express

Just in time for Christmas, another entertaining children’s movie. This one is about a young boy whose faith in Santa Claus is rewarded with a trip to the North Pole on the Polar Express. Isn’t every child’s dream to meet Santa Claus? This is a great family movie narrated by Tom Hanks. Starring Eddie Deezen, Nona Gaye, and Charles Fleisher. Directed by Robert Zemeckis.

Warren Thompson is currently obsessing over his new iPod Video. When he is not dreaming up potential iPod improvements, he writes freelance articles for http://www.hometheaterfocus.com – an independent home theater guide specializing in the latest information about DVD players, TV’s, furniture for your home theater and more.

Memoirs of a Geisha

Memoirs of a Geisha is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Arthur Golden. Brought to life by Rob Marshall Memoirs tells the tale of Sayuri Nita a young woman sold by her father to a geisha house and went on to become the most successful geisha during her time.

While I usually wouldn抰 start off talking about what is wrong with a movie Memoirs has some glaring problems. The main problem is that this story of geisha is very Japanese, deeply rooted in Japanese culture and tradition yet all of the leading ladies are Chinese and everyone is speaking broken English. So to wrap that up neatly, Memoirs of a Geisha is a story of Japanese women, played by Chinese actresses who are all speaking broken American English. It begs the question: what was Rob Marshall thinking? It抯 a little like when they had white actors playing Native Americans or Black people in American movies.

Now, if you can get past that gaffe, Memoirs is visually stunning. The sets are just breathtaking. It is filled with the most amazing settings and the most perfect flowers. I mean the blossoms on many of the trees were so perfect I just can抰 believe they were real. And the beauty of the movie didn抰 just stop with the settings but Colleen Atwood, the movies costume designer needs an Oscar nod becomes the costumes, from the women抯 Kimonos to the men抯 suits, were all stunning.

Memoirs is high on visual gratification but a little low on storytelling. While a well acted movie it was missing a little something. This something would take the movie from being a pretty good movie to a great one. Michelle Yeoh is excellent as Mameha, mentor to Ziyi Zhang抯 Sayuri. She manages to be fierce, calculating and vulnerable while maintaing a perfectly polite, respectful demeanor.

Ziyi Zhang doesn抰 quite work as Sayuri, the latest geisha phenom who lusts after a man she may never have. While her performance isn抰 flat it doesn抰 have the range of emotion this character calls for. She抯 not quite angry enough when she needs to be, she doesn抰 have the overflow of emotion that this character needs to get through her tragic and demanding existence, when she should show restraint she seems to disconnect instead. Ziyi Zhang showed us her amazing acting talent in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon but seemed to leave those talents at home for Memoirs.

The biggest disappointment of the movie was Li Gong as Hatsumomo. While I don抰 think it抯 her fault but the way Rob Marshall and writers Robin Swicord and Doug Wright interpreted the character from the novel, Hatsumomo comes across as vain, vindictive, insipid and whorish. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes Hatsumomo抯 character is vain and vindictive in the novel but there are reasons for this behavior that the movie barely touches on. They also portray her romance with a neighborhood young man as merely a fling without underscoring the isolation and loneliness of the geisha world.

The men in the movie are wholly underwhelming and don抰 bear mentioning. All in all Memoirs is a very good film that barely misses being a really great one. It is definitely worth viewing if for no other reason than to immerse yourself in the beautiful, sad and mysterious world of the geisha.

MAD ABOUT YOU – CONTENT REVIEW

From Paul Reiser and Danny Jacobson comes a long-running hit half-hour comedy show Mad About You!

Jaime and Paul Buchman, played by Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser, are already 5 months together but still don't know how to survive a married life correctly. Now living in an apartment in Manhattan, the couple is still adopting the lifestyle in the said location. Both of them find it hard to adjust because they're both screwed up on their own ways.

Jaime is a happy-go-lucky person but can be considered as an expert on the field of public relations since she fights for a space she also has a number of annoyance everyday. Paul, on the other hand is a documentary filmmaker. He is very creative and charming but thinks seriously. At their house always come visitors like Jaime's sister Lisa Stemple (Anne Ramsay), their friends Mark Devanow (Richard Kind), his wife Fran (Leila Kenzle) and Paul's cousin Ira Buchman (John Pankow). Plus they always have other unusual visitors like noisy neighbors, funny dog walker, family members, by passers, and others.

Paul Reisser, the main actor and the creator of the show, compared Mad About You in "a ride home after a party, when a couple can finally tell each other what have they been thinking all night", as the program looks for changeful moments of the people.

The mini series basically tackles how a married couple survives everyday. It’s a comedy show but for some this might be the reality. Couples live everyday differently. But what makes this very interesting is that every couple can relate to its story. Even single individual can easily catch the story since it is designed for everyone to see. It’s typical but not to the point that you’ll get bored to this fiction.

Comedy shows really has different meaning these days. A show can be considered as a comedy if the story itself is hilarious or if the actors are acknowledged as comedians even if the script itself is not funny. Still, this show exuded simplicity with its characters, scripts, sets, etc. without sacrificing its rating. It’s so wonderful how they can create shows like this.

While reading comments about this show, it really got to the point where in I’d like to watch it to know for myself if their remarks are true. I’m not being skeptic but it will really make you curious as to how the story goes with shows like this. However, ratings don’t lie. This program has an exceptional ranking so as to prove that people loved this show and their asking for more. Unfortunately, the show has got to end. In the series finale, you get to see what happened to the Buchman's many years after the previous episode. You get to see a grown-up Mabel, whose first real film is a biography, looking back at her family's twisted history.

Sure thing this series is comical but it doesn’t get away with the reality. And this are the types of show that I would really want to watch. Many movies or programs have come up today that provides either realistic story but has lots of drama on it or a comedy sitcom but is not sensible. It’s kind of frustrating if you think of it but compared to mad about you, it possessed a quality story without giving up their known for as comedic adlibs.

When people watch this kind of programs, tendency is that it relaxes their minds plus they also enjoy themselves and tends to forget their problems for a short period of time. No wonder why people still chooses to watch sitcoms rather than other shows. Will this be the solution to all our problems? Maybe not! But at least you still have reason to laugh and to grin. After all, can you still afford to smile with all the problems existing today? I don’t think so.

THE NANNY – CONTENT REVIEW

As soon as Fran Fine came into Sheffield's house to sell cosmetics, she never thought that her life as well as Sheffield's life will be changed starting from that day. Fran, a Jewish girl who is from Queens became the official nanny for Maxwell Sheffield; a Broadway producer, with three children namely: Maggie, Brighton, and Grace. Little did they knew that having Fran as their nanny brings more to their home. It was also known to the show the presence of the compulsive eater of Fran, which is Sylvia, her very noisy mother, Fran's best friend, Val, which has a low I.Q, and of course, Fran’s grandmother; Yetta. She never failed to bring joy and laughter to the family that has been sad and depressed since Mrs. Sheffield died. Fran became also friends with the butler, Niles, who knew everything that happens in the house. Mr. Sheffield and Fran's feelings for each other became visible to others as the time went by. This became a torture to C.C (Maxwell's business partner, which has feelings for him too).

Mostly, people say that The Nanny is the 90's version of "I Love Lucy”. This show started on November 1993 as a late addition to CBS's Wednesday fall line-up. It became a hit when it was moved every Monday nights and stayed there until the third week, but was returned ever Wednesday night to improve its ratings. Because of this, CBS never moved its timeslot for the first time in 25 years. Still, its ratings went down not until the fifth season. The producer decided to bring an end to the story. Sixth season was shown until March. The series finale was publicized before the remaining episodes were shown to the public later during June.

While on its 6-year run, The Nanny received eleven nominations from Emmys. They won last 1995 the title best in costume designs. Fran Descher was nominated last 1996 and 1997 as best actress. Renee Taylor also obtained nomination as best supporting actress last 1996. A Fran Descher doll, which was one of their trademarks, was also released while the show is still being played on televisions.

The comedy show illustrates how a family survives without a mother but has a nanny who does all the housework for the family. But the nanny that we saw in this show was very much different from the nanny that we meet everyday. Fran is fun, loving, adorable, and caring to the Sheffield family. She didn’t only stand up as a nanny; she also portrayed the role of being a mother to the three Sheffield children since their mother already passed away.

There’s a lot of twist in every episode but you will still understand the whole story. Whether if you’re a teen, a parent, or young at heart you can still relate to this comedy show. Viewers can pick up lessons and share it to other people. Everyone loved and will love this show. It will not bring you to a blurry conclusion. All were clear, precise, and concise. That’s how wonderful The Nanny is.

Actors and actresses in this show played their role very powerful. Its like they’re doing it naturally and you can’t even tell if they are really acting. All was done so ordinary yet the story became special to their viewers and fans. It is a comedy show but can learn something from every episode that they play on air. That’s what I find very amusing in this show. They didn’t fail to illustrate the presence of entertainment and lesson in one show.

It’s very fun to recall shows such as this. But it’s hard to get a good copy since the final episode was last played in the year 1999. We can watch many comedy shows that are being played on our televisions every single night whenever we want to. But the thing is, shows that has a story like this is only one of its kind and is very hard to reproduce. You can’t really find another comedy show that will make you laugh as same as with The Nanny.

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Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps

I came to like the BBC comedy Coupling more and more. Smart, poignant and of course laugh-out-loud funny.

There are six characters in the show (3 women: Sally, Susan and Jane; and 3 men: Steve, Patrick and Jeff) who are very much sexually-intertwined. ;) Except Jeff, obviously.

Here’s a taste of the dialogue:

She Says

Sally

I don’t want to look great. I want to look thin.

Since thirty, I’ve had to put a daily limit on facial expressions. I only ever smile at single men so I can justify the loss of elasticity.

Bottoms are our natural enemy... They follow us around our entire lives, right behind us, and constantly growing. How do they do that? I’m sure mine’s back there secretly snacking.

You’ve always got to send a man a book when you split up, to prove how you’re a caring, giving person, and how they’re going to die in a pit of their own filth.

A woman’s breasts are a journey. Her feet are the destination.

Patrick: You can’t prevent death with face cream.
Sally: Yeah? That’s what everyone thinks, but no-one’s ever used it in the quantities I do.

Susan, you are offering this man food and sex in the same place. If there’s something to read in the loo he may never leave.

As Susan's best friend I am to you a bit like Australia: very distant, largely uninhabitable and with areas of great danger.

(to Patrick) I don’t need you to think of me as 'a person' - I have women for that.

Always the same with men, isn’t it? Looks like a starter handle, works like an off-switch.

Jane

Friendship’s more lasting than love, and more legal than stalking.

I really quite like being single. Except for the bit about not having a man.

We just stood there looking at each other. There was so much electricity, you could have executed ten fat murderers!

I went on a course. Learning to love yourself. I came top.

I really thought I’d gone to his house, you know, to heal our spiritual divide. But it turns out I was just gagging for a shag. Those two are so similar.

Susan: Just out of interest, how did you pass your driving test?
Jane: Morally.

Susan

Well, you know what it’s like at the start, when they’re all fiery-eyed, and eager, and they haven’t seen you naked yet. And it’s like he’s smashing at your door with his mighty battering ram. And he’s promising to ravish you forever. So you brace yourself for man overload, and throw open the doors, and what do you find standing there? An oversized toddler who wants his dinner. And before you can say 'there’s been a terrible mistake', he’s snoring on your sofa, the fridge is full of empty bottles and the whole place smells of feet.

Jane’s breasts scare me. They’re like Mickey Mouse’s ears. Whichever way she turns, they’re still facing you.

It’s always scary when you see that final corner approaching, isn’t it? And you’re thinking: did I touch his thigh often enough? Did I stare at his mouth long enough? Did I flick my hair too much?… Yeah, I used to over-flick. So easy to cross the line between suggesting flirtatious and approachable, and suggesting there’s something living in your ear.

He Says

Steve

We are men. We are different. We have only one word for soap. We do not own candles. We have never seen anything of any value in a craft shop. We do not own magazines full of photographs of celebrities with their clothes on.

Let me explain, Patrick. Here on earth there is a gap between seeing someone you like and having sex with them, that we like to call conversation.

It’s not genetically possible for men to have opinions about fabric.

There are three things all men should know, and it’s time you did too. You’re never going to be famous, you’re fatter than you think, and most important of all, they don’t keep wearing stockings.

When man invented fire, he didn’t say, 'hey, let’s cook', he said, 'great, now we can see naked bottoms in the dark.'

Lap dancing is the ultimate nightmare of man. Porn that can see you.

Jeff

Whenever I have sex with Julia, it’s just so realistic.

Maybe women are completely different when we’re not with them. Maybe they’re not cross all the time.

Patrick

If I don’t like a woman, if there’s no chemistry, if I’m not attracted to her, then I don’t lead her on, I just get out of there... every time, before she even wakes up.

I like films with lesbians in them because it’s nice to think there are attractive women out there who can’t find a boyfriend.

Susan: Does your dick do all the talking?
Patrick: I don’t know. I’ll ask it.

Sally: What do you call people you go out with but you don’t try to sleep with?
Patrick: Men.

Patrick: I don’t have an agenda. That’s a bit offensive, actually. I’m perfectly capable of being friends with a woman without any kind of agenda.
Steve: For how long?
Patrick: As long as it takes.

Mark: Yeah, but I mean, does size really make a difference? You know what woman always say?
Patrick: Ouch?

Title song: Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps

You won't admit you love me.
And so how am I ever to know?
You only tell me
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.

A million times I ask you,
And then I ask you over again.
You only answer
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.

If you can't make your mind up,
We'll never get started.
And I don't wanna wind up
Being parted, broken-hearted.

So if you really love me,
Say yes.
But if you don't, dear, confess.
And please don't tell me
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.

And please don't tell me
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps,
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps,
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.