World of Law

Within the world of film, the production company needs to be surrounded with attorneys and a constant update on the world in the industry. A great place to find some of these updates is in podcasts by Gordon P. Firemark or Article 3.

The first that they talk about within episode 35 is the talk with James Taylor suing Warner Brothers Records. A big part of this is the fact that with a previous case with Universal, it was decided that digital downloading is to be treated like a license that should be treated with royalties, etc. How does this affect the film world? I feel that you download much more than just music these days between TV shows and movies that that court decision could heavily affect how much money production companies should be getting from the downloads themselves.

Within episode 30, the first thing they discussed is how the JOBS Act has affected crowdfunding. Crowdfunding will play a huge part in any start up production company using sights such as Kickstarter, IndieGoGo and other sites. It is suppose to help make it easier for regular people along with professional entrepreneurs however discussed in this podcast is that there are predictions that as it is implemented there will be lots of changes. How has this affected these websites however? The money is seen as being donated but the bill is officially saying it is ok to be doing that and have expectations to have returns and won't be affected very much at all. This leaves the platform open for production companies as long as the sites just follow regulations. However a special regulation has been adjusted to take out the solicitation where you could only go to those you knew (friends and family) for film productions. You can actually put an ad on the Internet and get money from it.  Bad news is, if you get up to 1/2 a million dollars, you must have an audited financial statement.

 

On another website, Article 3, there was a discussion of the film The Decedents within episode 46. The film surrounds legalities of real estate and a good tip that could help in writing the script and in pre-production is doing what the producers did; they consulted a law professor to help make sure everything they were talking about was true to point. This was a big step with going outside of their own legal team in order to make sure where they were was also being told in a true light.

Overall, attorneys can be a lifesaver whether it is to help solve problems the film has stirred up, current laws that may affect funding your project or just getting legal advice to make your movie true. 

In Other News...

Being in the entertainment industry, surprises are always around the corner and as being a producer, you must be prepared for anything that can and will happen. Some things include artist fraud, employee issues, breach of contracts and many more things.

One of the things that have recently happened through the industry is Aronson vs. Dog Eat Dog Films. This case is a perfect example of copyright infringement and what is really right in the world of the film industry. A man had sent in a video to the company after hearing that the company was going to do a film about the United States healthcare system. Dog Eat Dog used part of the video in their film and the Aronson said it was against his privacy rights. The federal judge claimed that Moore was in the right as the emailed waived rights and he had the First Amendment on his side.

Another good law case is that of the actress Cindy LeeGarcia more recently known for her performance in Innocence of Muslims. She is currently suing the creators and YouTube after the film rocked riots in the Middle East and North Africa. At first, she simply wanted to film removed legally from YouTube. She feels fraud has ruined her career and now wants copyright ownership so that she can have the rights to who sees the film. Something that is even worse is that the actress is suing everyone on YouTube that has reposted the video; a little excessive for an actress.

Lastly, a case that has hurt television shows, TV spots and publishers is fraud stories. It is nothing new that someone makes up a story for money but a recent story that could have an affect on future movie deals is companies like Penguin Group have obtained a copy of breach of contract demanding their advancements to authors back. This is devastating in many ways considering one of the authors in the mix has already had a movie deal for previous novels and was in light of making more.

Things like this as a produce affect many different areas of production. Whether it is in pre-production like with the author movie deals, after the film has been released and the actors aren't happy or even when a bystander of sorts wants claim to your film because of an image he sent you. When things like this occur, it is always handy to always have lawyers present before, during and after your productions to make sure precautions have been put in place for any time. 

Cruise as a luxury, as a service

Entertainment is a broad topic that could mean very different things to many people. For some, it's a trip to the movies or to others it is a night at their favorite club. In the world of luxury however, cruise lines is the competitive market. Today I got the chance to meet a manager of the cruise line Seabourn and also a past representative for HollandAmerica.

Within the world of cruising and being part of the staff, he explained that everything is an experience and essentially a show for the guest. Coming to Full Sail, he had a very clear mind of what type of people he was looking to hire along with what needed to be said about the ships.

The main difference between the two companies is not the service they provide but in the manner they provide it. Holland America, being a bigger ship based company, is determined to put on bigger and better shows simply because they have the space too. Seabourn however is all about intimacy and the feel being on the sea brings to the guest.

A big service that pulls the two companies apart from so many other cruise lines is the fact that they pay immense about of detail to everything. The crew is very spot on, the plates are just the right placement and nothing goes unturned without someone knowing about it.

The same goes for the ships technical crew, as the manager explained. Since the Seabourn is so much smaller, it only has 2 tech members while the Holland has at least 6.

Another service they provide the guests is the promise of a safe voyage. Every technical crew goes through days of training from everything to putting out fires to tying knots properly. They also perform drug tests on the crew to make sure another cruise ship accident does not occur.

Overall, the manager brought with him the same poise and manner that is resembled within the ships and I feel it would be a great experience for anyone to work on whether it be as a technical member or as a waiter. The ships are beauty gliding across the sea. 

Artist Manager

Being in the film industry, artist management tends to occur more within the actor realm. There are two types of actors in the industry, those who can direct themselves and those who need direction. The more professional ones know how to direct themselves and do it correctly. The others are more inexperienced and require a better manager or director to help push their limits.

Not all inexperienced actors are bad however. There is the classic story of how Marilyn Monroe who was too shy to become the sexy idol we know today. To help her, managers pushed her to show more emotion, more sex appeal and to block the audience overall. Blocking is a big part of an actors life because it gives them cues where to go and mentally blocking allows them the time to become the character themselves.

The manager’s job is to fully understand that actors are on a different planet emotionally. Some managers’ baby their actors while others push hard to get what they want. A good example of a pushy manager is from the recent movie 'Rock of Ages' where Tom Cruise has a manager that is in it for himself. Granted this is a music manager but in a sense they fill the same kind of emotional role for their client. 

Overall it is important as a manager to embrace the talent that you have in front of you. If you help and guide them to their potential, you will always be successful. If you take away their pride, you will only dig a whole for yourself.

As an artist, you must be willing and confident in your art and pushing it to the limits. People will criticize no matter what your profession so you stick your head up high and listen to your gut. If you have chosen the right manager, they will make the decision that they know will help you and make you happy. 

Negotiation Station

Negotiations are apart of everyday life and within a producer's job, negotiations are the main reason for your job. Producers approach or are approached by potential clients that have an idea and want it made into something. Together, they come up with a solution that will give both parties what they want. How do you know what techniques to use in a negotiation? Going to our friend YouTube and Google, there are some great videos that can help.

The first video that I have found that I really enjoy is actually a webinar, something that is being used more and more everyday to communicate with more people at a 'real' time basis. To get to the goods, please for to the time 5:48 as the speakers take time introducing themselves first. The video uses the example of the bank system and how contracts are used within a bank, however these concepts can easily be substituted for anything. I find it really interesting within the video that they break down the meaning of contracts and how to effectively use vendors.

Within this next video that is from Ted helps show how to take the personal aspects out of a conflict. You should go to the balcony of the discussion and keep your focus on the prize. This speaker has traveled around the world to help solve conflicts and brings together stories of everyone's culture showing that our stories guide our emotions and our reasoning for our negotiations. He describes that we need to become mediators in everything we do to understand others and calls it the third side to life. This is a powerful speech that can change the way negotiations are conducted, the way humans see one another.

In this last video, it is set in a classroom where the professor discuss how good cop, bad cop works within a negotiation chamber. He starts out by saying that in the police handbook, it is said to use this technique in interrogations because it worked every time. Like in a negotiation however, it caused confusion with the other party and caused them to break down. When it goes to 23 minutes, he starts to talk about how to make it better for both parties instead of one party being short changed and how to react if someone is doing it to you.

Overall, I learned a few different techniques to how to handle negotiations from a 3rd party or mediator. Also I feel that when someone tries to play good cop, bad cop to play it back to them and tell them you know what is going on. I think the best think I have taken away from these videos is always being on the balcony and being calm and honest with who is in front of me. No matter what kind of negotiation I am in, to be cheerful and kind and optimistic.

Light that Yeti!

LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!

How many times have we as a whole heard this saying. Way too many in my opinion but it does hold that sense of real movie making. Within this blog, I've already covered camera although I'm sure I will quite a few more times as new things develop. But lets take a second and talk about lights. I know it's not the most fascinating to most of you but you'd be surprised what you can get out of your money.

Lets talk packages; Kino Flos vs. Arri Kits. The easiest way to tell the difference between these lights is that a Kino Flo has those grim bulbs that probably remind you of your high school days or your bad cooking experience in the kitchen. Incase you didn't have one of these, here is a picture.

What a beauty, right? Not so much. However the one thing that I love about Kino Flos that give them a second glance in my book is that the bulbs come in different colors. So if you wanted to go for a Matrix look, you could do that, granted you would need a lot of Kinos. It will cost roughly $600 for a nice yellow glow package (which includes 4 bulbs) only lasting 5,000 hours. That is $0.12 an hour! You may think that is a smoking deal but 5,000 hours on a film set will go by quickly. Will you be prepared for that?

Another one of my favorites is the Arri Kit. Unlike the 1 ballasts deal with kinos, Arri comes with a lot more tools. An Arri Compact HMI 200W Fresenel Light includes compact 200W Head, 125/200W AC Ballast, Filter Frame and Barndor- 200 Total Watts. What did I just say? Let me break it down...small light, lots of power. It even comes with its own power box to help you out. Arri is a great company that provides well crafted lights. However it is only one light that you get. The picture below has different sizes for you to build your own kit with if need be. 

Are you sitting down? I hope so for when I tell you the price. The price for this simple kit is $3,056.95. Yes, you read that right. You could buy a new car for that price but being part of a production company you have to understand that price is something you have to work for and with.

Eco-Yeti

Being an eco-friendly business maybe a tough call for most owners; either they have already started their business and it's too difficult to switch or they are scared of the price of going green. Granted, Baby Yeti Productions is still a home production company but that doesn't mean I'm not looking out into the future.

 One thing that I would enjoy having within the work place once owning an office with employees is a garden that will supply the kitchens with the fresh ingredients that is needed. A great example of this in the workplace is at Google Headquarters. Having a large garden such as this requires people to harvest, train employees and also a chef to prepare the food. As Google has not released an exact price for what it cost, one can only imagine. However I do give them props for having such a great space and helping the environment. I would like to have a community garden with the employees at Baby Yeti so that it is everyone's garden rather than just mine. This video is of one of the main men leading the Growing Connection Gardens at Google.

 Another way that Baby Yeti wants to be eco-friendly is with the packaging in which we deliver to clients. We have recycled old DVD cases and also started using recycled paper as sleeves to house the films. When buying small quantities of the paper, it may seem to be more on the expensive side. However if we shop knowing we will need lots more in the future, the more the merrier and the price tends to be cheaper that way. Adobe was big on making sure it's packing for all their software was also going green.

 One thing I have personally noticed while being on movie sets myself is the amount of plastic bottles lying around everywhere. I would like to give every crewmember their own reusable water bottle with our logo on it so that they can bring it to work everyday. Something like this would be costly being about five dollars a pop. However, that would reduce the amount of trash and recycling that would be needed, the amount of water needed to be bought each production.

 There are some more great production tips that have been released by the Producer's Guild of America.