Archive for August, 2009
Welcome to the Real Film Career Forum for What I Really Want to Do!
Posted by: admin in General Industry News on August 31st, 2009
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780823099535
Go Hollywood—with a complete, insightful look at the biggest jobs on the movie set. What I Really Want to Do on Set in Hollywood is one-stop shopping for anyone who wants to work in film. It’s the only behind-the-scenes title that offers a detailed look at the industry explores more than 35 jobs from around the film industry. A must-have for anyone interested in Hollywood.
Random House, Inc.
Disney Buying Marvel For $4B!
Posted by: admin in Studio/Network News, United States Industry News on August 31st, 2009
http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/shocker-disney-buying-marvel/
11TH UPDATE: Here’s the list of characters included on Marvel Island — Spider-Man (also attraction), Dr. Doom (also attraction), Hulk (also attraction), Storm (also attraction), Captain America, Cyclops, Green Goblin, Rogue, Storm, Wolverine, “and lots more if you include stores and dining,” a Uni exec tells me.
10TH UPDATE: I get the impression that Universal lawyers right now are scrutinizing their theme park licensing and merchandising contracts with Marvel. Universal has just updated its earlier statement to me to say this, “Marvel Super Hero Island at Universal’s Islands of Adventure and the Marvel characters are an important part of the Universal Orlando experience. They will remain so. Our agreement with Marvel stands for as long as we follow the terms of our existing contract and for as long as we want there to be a Marvel Super Hero Island.” So privately Universal execs tell me they’ve got the Marvel characters “until the end of time if we want them” and use phrases like “in perpetuity”. But here’s the rub: a Universal insider tells me the studio only retain the existing characters it’s already made use of. Sure there are Spider-Man and Hulk attractions, but what about all the other characters? Do those revert to Disney?
9TH UPDATE: Let’s not forget the still active lawsuit that clouds the Disney-Marvel deal. The usually insightful THR, Esq does an excellent job boiling down the outstanding legal dispute involving Stan Lee and the rights to many of Marvel’s most valuable characters. Presently, the defendants in the case have filed motions to dismiss, but the federal judge hasn’t made a ruling yet:
“The executors and shareholders of Stan Lee Media, an online comic site created in the 1990s, are unhappy with the way that Lee parted ways with the company that bears his name and took his intellectual property to Marvel. In 2007, Stan Lee Media filed a lawsuit against Marvel Entertainment that claimed that Lee assigned the rights to his creations to SLM in a 1998 “Employment Agreement/Rights Assignment” contract. In the lawsuit filed in New York District Court, SLM claimed 50% of all income, proceeds, and profits realized by Marvel’s use of the characters. Then, this past January, shareholders of SLM filed a separate lawsuit in California claiming $750 million in damages after a District Court denied Lee’s claim that he properly transferred assets belonging to SLM…”
“…Here’s another twist of fate: Five years ago, Marvel sued Disney after the Mouse House bought the Fox Family Channel and rebranded it as ABC Family. At the time, the channel aired an animated series that featured Marvel characters. Marvel claimed that Fox couldn’t transfer the copyright license to these characters to Disney. Ironic.”
And here’s still more irony courtesy of one of DHD commenters: “What’s hilarious is that years ago, when Disney was looking for new direction, Stan Lee had a meeting with the board and said he had the solution to all their problems – “Me!” (meaning Stan Lee and Marvel). They thought he was crazy then.”
8TH UPDATE: Paramount just issued this statement to me: “Paramount Pictures has enjoyed a productive and fruitful relationship with Marvel Studios from the start of our distribution agreement in 2005. So much so, we announced a five-picture slate distribution deal last year which includes worldwide distribution rights for upcoming films: Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America, Avengers, and Iron Man 3. This distribution deal will be unaffected by today’s transaction. We look forward to continuing to work with Marvel and, with today’s announcement, to working with Disney to replicate the incredible success of Iron Man on all our future collaborative projects.”
7TH UPDATE: Bob Iger on CNBC: “We’d like love to attract more boys, and we think Marvel’s skew is more in boys’ direction. Although there’s a universal appeal, we think, to a lot of their characters and a lot of their story. Just look at Spider-Man and Iron Man films. This is a great fit. But we obviously know Disney has a lot of products that are more girl-skewed than boy. And we’d like the opportunity to go after boys more aggressively.”
6TH UPDATE: Did Disney overpay for Marvel? Well, here’s the argument for a resounding “Yes!” In both November 2008 and March 2009, Marvel’s stock traded below $24 per share. And the run-up of the stock since March of this year has been +58%. If Disney was interested in buying Marvel, why didn’t Bob Iger do it when he could have bought it at a far cheaper price? Meanwhile, in today’s trading, Marvel stock is up more than 25% (+$9.75) at midday, while Disney shares are trading down almost 3% (-$.75).
5TH UPDATE: Paramount still has a 5-film distribution deal with Marvel, and Bob Iger has confirmed in his press remarks that Marvel’s upcoming films will be released by Paramount.
4TH UPDATE: I’m told that Sony’s deal on Spider-Man motion picture right is unaffected by today’s announcement and not subject to renewal. In fact, Sony is currently developing the next three films in the franchise.
3RD UPDATE: No official word from Paramount yet about how this affects the lucrative distribution agreement with Marvel, or Sony and its Spider-Man franchise. But Universal just issued this statement to me about the future of their theme park licensing pact with Marvel: “Marvel Super Hero Island at Universal’s Islands of Adventure and the Marvel characters are a beloved and important part of the Universal Orlando experience. They will remain so. Our guests are going to get to meet Spider-Man and all our other Marvel characters. We believe our agreement with Marvel stands and that the Disney/Marvel deal will have no impact on our guest experience.” Hmm, interesting how there’s a “we believe” in there. Sounds unsure.
But it’s important to note that the Disney/Marvel deal statement today does not mention Marvel in connection with Disney theme parks. In fact, Disney may not be able to use the 5,000 Marvel characters to freshen its theme parks for some time. Because Universal theme parks have a long-term licensing deal with Marvel that gives them the rights to the characters, and Universal not only has Marvel attractions (like the Spider-Man ride) in Orlando and Osaka but has also built them into future theme park plans. “We have a license deal that goes on for a long time,” a Universal insider tells me. Or do they?
2ND UPDATE: Wow, was this kept secret. I knew something was up all weekend when a tipster told me that Disney had arranged an unscheduled investors call this AM and the art department at Disney Online went into a “lock-down” to create a logo. But the best guess by some of the experts I contacted was Disney buying Electronic Arts. Marvel seemed outside the realm of possibility. Yet I’ve learned that this was a deal which Bob Iger told intimates he’d been pursuing for a long time!
With the whole deal worth $4 billion in cash and stock, a little math shows that Marvel CEO Ike Perlmutter, who owns 37% of his public company, stands to reap $1.5 billion in cash and stock. With so much to lose, and the SEC casting a watchful eye, Perlmutter had every reason to keep this negotiation secret from everyone, even intimates who described themselves to me as “completely blindsided”. But they tell me that this sell-out has been the strategy all along of this no-nonsense Israeli. “Ike is the real story here. He’s really operated like the Great Oz behind the scenes, not accessible to the public but always mindful of shareholders. This was always an acquisition play for Ike,” one insider explains to me. “The bottom line is he turned the whole thing around after he fought tooth and nail with Ron Perelman for the company. Today he runs a nifty company that’s tidy on expenses and has no cash flow issues. This deal with Disney just ups his game and creates shareholder value and lets him walk away a billionaire.”
With this morning’s announcement, Bob Iger today finally steps out of Michael Eisner’s shadow and earns his keeps as Corporate America’s 3rd highest paid CEO. Because everyone knows that Eisner, when he ran Disney, had to be pushed kicking and screaming to make acquisitions like ABC. (Believing that Disney did best when it grew its businesses organically.) But Iger, first with Pixar, and now Marvel, is showing himself to be the boldest Big Media CEO with an acquisition that “highlights Disney’s strategic focus on quality branded content, technological innovation and international expansion to build long-term shareholder value”. Now the question is whether the other moguls can keep up with him, especially Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes who’s sitting on a pile of cash after the spinoff of Time Warner Cable and needs to start making acquisitions and adding value to the company instead of just buying back the company stock.
That Marvel would be a prize worth having is a foregone conclusion: the entertainment company’s aggressive exploitation of its comic book heros in movies and toys and licensing is so far unparallelled. In fact, some believe Marvel Studios is moving too fast and about to flood the comic book film market with product. Yet the public has shown an endless appetite for superhero fare. Nevertheless, marketing all those movies, when P&A costs for tenpoles average $60+M these days, was going to prove costly for Marvel. Now it can rely on the Disney distribution and marketing machine, especially around the world where Marvel was weakest.
On the other hand, there’s a real possibility that the fanboys may not want their comic book fare “Disney-fied” by the Magic Kingdom. It undermines the cool quotient. But that hasn’t hurt Pixar and it probably won’t hurt Marvel, either, as long as Iger and his team are smart enough to keep their hands off Marvel and just count the money about to come in. But can they? Considering how dark some of those Marvel comics have become — the sex, the gore? Yet that’s the stuff that addicts those fanboys crucial to Disney’s strategy here because the company is weakest attracting teenaged boys. And the merchandising possibilities are endless given that Disney does something like $1 billion a year sales with Wal-Mart alone. Meanwhile, the deal puts Marvel on much the same footing as the DC Comics/Warner Bros relationship. But to date Disney has been much better at building synergy with its brands, and Iger emphasized that ad nauseum in his investors call this morning.
Here’s the official Disney/Marvel announcement:
August 31, 2009
DISNEY TO ACQUIRE MARVEL ENTERTAINMENTBurbank, CA and New York, NY, August 31, 2009 —Building on its strategy of delivering quality branded content to people around the world, The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) has agreed to acquire Marvel Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:MVL) in a stock and cash transaction, the companies announced today.
Under the terms of the agreement and based on the closing price of Disney on August 28, 2009, Marvel shareholders would receive a total of $30 per share in cash plus approximately 0.745 Disney shares for each Marvel share they own. At closing, the amount of cash and stock will be adjusted if necessary so that the total value of the Disney stock issued as merger consideration based on its trading value at that time is not less than 40% of the total merger consideration.
Based on the closing price of Disney stock on Friday, August 28, the transaction value is $50 per Marvel share or approximately $4 billion.
“This transaction combines Marvel’s strong global brand and world-renowned library of characters including Iron Man, Spider-Man, X-Men, Captain America, Fantastic Four and Thor with Disney’s creative skills, unparalleled global portfolio of entertainment properties, and a business structure that maximizes the value of creative properties across multiple platforms and territories,” said Robert A. Iger, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company. “Ike Perlmutter and his team have done an impressive job of nurturing these properties and have created significant value. We are pleased to bring this talent and these great assets to Disney.”
“We believe that adding Marvel to Disney’s unique portfolio of brands provides significant opportunities for long-term growth and value creation,” Iger said.
“Disney is the perfect home for Marvel’s fantastic library of characters given its proven ability to expand content creation and licensing businesses,” said Ike Perlmutter, Marvel’s Chief Executive Officer. “This is an unparalleled opportunity for Marvel to build upon its vibrant brand and character properties by accessing Disney’s tremendous global organization and infrastructure around the world.”
Under the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of Marvel including its more than 5,000 Marvel characters. Mr. Perlmutter will oversee the Marvel properties, and will work directly with Disney’s global lines of business to build and further integrate Marvel’s properties.
The Boards of Directors of Disney and Marvel have each approved the transaction, which is subject to clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, certain non-United States merger control regulations, effectiveness of a registration statement with respect to Disney shares issued in the transaction and other customary closing conditions. The agreement will require the approval of Marvel shareholders. Marvel was advised on the transaction by BofA Merrill Lynch.
By Nikki Finke on Mon, Aug 31st, 2009
Workers take action to launch film careers
Posted by: admin in State/Government Production Incentive News, Training & School News, United States Industry News on August 23rd, 2009
http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2009/08/19/workers_take_action_to_launch_film_careers/
With 2 Mass. studios planned, training programs expand to teach production skills
By Johnny Diaz
Globe Staff
CAMBRIDGE - In the second-floor offices of Future Media Concepts, where framed movie posters line the hallway, students hunch over rows of computers and learn the latest in digital and video editing.
While some students are learning to upload their own videos for personal use, the majority of them are brushing up their skills in the hopes of working in Massachusetts’ flourishing film industry.
“There’s a tremendous amount of positions for people in the film industry in Boston,’’ said Adam Greene, a former student and current instructor at Future Media Concepts, which recently moved into a new 3,000-square-foot facility - double the size of its former site. “You are seeing a lot of Massachusetts residents taking advantage of becoming assets to the film industry.’’
Two proposed studios, tax incentives for in-state productions, and a booming film industry are combining to create more opportunities for local workers who can edit and help in post-production aspects of the film, television, and digital media industries. As a result, local businesses and schools such as Future Media Concepts and Powderhouse Productions in Somerville are expanding their facilities or programs to help folks fill those jobs.
“The more movies we get, the more workers are required, the more infrastructure is needed and, therefore, the more jobs are created,’’ said Nicholas Paleologos, executive director of the Massachusetts Film Office, which estimates $452 million was generated from movies filmed here last year.
Indeed, Massachusetts has seen a wave of films produced locally since 2006, when only two films were made here. In 2007, that number jumped to eight. Last year, there were 13 made-in-Massachusetts movies including “Shutter Island,’’ starring Leonardo DiCaprio, and “The Surrogates,’’ with Bruce Willis.
Film industry executives attribute part of that growth to the 2006 tax credit for local film productions. The program underwrites a quarter of a movie production company’s costs with the idea that the filmmakers will hire Bay State workers and spur economic growth. However, production companies aren’t required to hire a certain number of Massachusetts workers. And according to a report released last month by the Department of Revenue, Massachusetts only gets 16 cents for every dollar spent on the incentives.
Officials are hoping two proposed film studios will boost the local film industry even more. Plymouth Rock Studios, scheduled to break ground later this year, is billed as a $282 million project with 14 soundstages and plans for as many as 28. Production buildings and back lots are also included in the plans. Another studio is planned for 30 acres at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station and is estimated to cost $147 million. That facility would be used for movies, television shows, and video game production.
“Most projects that come to Massachusetts don’t want to hire people from out of state because it’s more expensive,’’ said Paleologos.
Even though companies and schools are training local talent, more work may be needed to create a critical mass of workers. One estimate from the Massachusetts Film Commission puts that number at 3,000 to 10,000 workers, if the two film studios were built right away. Meanwhile, membership in the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 481, which represents 400 film technicians in New England, has doubled since 2006.
“We have some workforce that can do the movies and the TV shows,’’ said Peter Forman, president of the South Shore Chamber of Commerce in Plymouth. “We don’t have enough workforce to do several of them all at the same time, and that’s where we have to do more recruitment and training.’’
That’s where local schools and production companies are stepping up. Last May, the New England Institute of Art launched “College On The Lot,’’ a weekly series of workshops that introduce people to the local film industry and the potential jobs, as well as to courses available at the school. The workshops are held on the lot where Plymouth Rock studios are proposed to be built.
“There’s this great general interest, in what does this all mean because Massachusetts doesn’t have any film studios,’’ said Susan Lane, president of the Brookline-based college. The school expanded the workshops for fall. So far, 200 students have participated.
Back in Kendall Square in Cambridge, Future Media Concepts added five digital media training suites to teach people the latest in post-production and broadcast editing applications such as Apple, Adobe, and Final Cut Pro. “I didn’t have the room to schedule all the classes in our previous location,’’ said Keri Wilson, Boston branch manager of the 11-year-old company. “People are more technology oriented now. They are finding that they need more training.’’
At Somerville’s Powderhouse Productions, executives recently expanded their 5,000-square-foot offices to 14,000 square feet to take on more projects. “I like to refer to the tax credit as Miracle-Gro for our company,’’ said Tug Yourgrau, cofounder of Powderhouse, whose clients include the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and TLC.
Yourgrau said his company has hired four people full time to develop ideas and pitches for TV and film companies. The projects have also helped Yourgrau hire 37 interns from local schools such as Emerson College and Boston University this summer.
“Think of all the colleges and universities who pump out all these kids in television and [they] go to Hollywood and New York to start out,’’ said Yourgrau. “We have given them a reason to stay in state.’’
A time of reckoning for Bollywood
Posted by: admin in India Industry News on August 23rd, 2009
By Surekha Kadapa-Bose
It seems like the time of reckoning has come for the Hindi film industry. Every second day some director, music composer, storywriter, scriptwriter or the other is being sued for lifting an idea or, in the worst scenario, lifting scenes from Hollywood films without so much as mentioning the source in the credit lines.
The latest to come to limelight is of course the B.R. Chopra production house with their yet to be released film, Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai. Directed by Ravi Chopra, this Govinda-Lara Dutta-Tabu starrer is supposed to be a remake of the 1992 Hollywood movie My Cousin Vinny by 20th Century Fox (TCF). The Chopras have agreed to pay $200,000 to TCF for the illegal move, whereas News Corporation — the parent company of The Times — has an 82.1 per cent stake in it.
The buzz at B.R. Films is that there was some misunderstanding with TCF. The permission to remake the film was acquired long ago but TCF says they had granted rework on the basic idea or to adapt the story idea, and not to remake the film.
In the same week Vipul Shah, maker of the film Namaste London sued Shree Venkatesh Films in a plagiarism case for making a Bengali film called Poran Jaye Joliya Re which, according to even the ruling judge, is a carbon copy of the Hindi film. The film released in the last week of July in Kolkatta and was a whopping success. Even the original Hindi film with Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif was a super-hit. The compensation deal has yet to be finalised.
But the question being raised is what is so new about copying? Hindi films have had a glorious history of remaking, copying, adapting, lifting, inspired by or whatever other name one wants to give to the act for several decades now. If the idea is not copied from Hollywood films then it is done from South Indian films. They say the golden era of Hindi films was till 1960-70 when remarkable films with equally melodious music were made. Perhaps after the ’70s storywriters almost stopped coming out with original story ideas.
The first case that comes to my mind is the film Pareechay by Gulzar starring Jeetendra and Jaya Bhaduri (now Jaya Bachchan). The film was a remarkable remake of the famous film, Sound of Music, including the song Sare ke sare ga ma ko.., which was a copy of Doe a deer a female deer. His Koshish too was inspired by an earlier Japanese film. Of course, Gulzar has made several other films with great storylines and scripts which have catapulted him into a world-class category. But the fact remains that once even he too was ‘inspired’ by the Hollywood brigade.
Another film that comes to my mind was made by the late Feroz Khan. Dharmatma was a direct lift of the famous The Godfather. The only desi touch to it was the inclusion of songs shot in picturesque locales. In fact, several later Hindi films such as Vidhaata, Mashaal, Hatyar, Nayakan, Dayavan and the newer Sarkar were also remakes of The Godfather.
Several hit films of Amitabh Bachchan have also been either remakes or were inspired by Hollywood flicks. Zanjeer which launched his angry young man image in filmdom was adapted from the film Death Rides a Horse. Then came Abhiman where Amit was pitted against wife Jaya and the story idea came from the original film, A Star is Born. Till today the common man quotes the plot of the film when the wife outdoes the husband in her profession. ‘Aray unka ‘Abhiman’ film ka problem hai,’ is pointed out at most failed marriages due to ego clashes. Several other films like Satte pe Satta (Seven Brothers for Seven Brides); Aaj ki Awaz (Death Wish); Sharabi (Arthur); Mohabbatein (Dead Poet’s Society); Agnipath for which Amitabh was awarded his first National Award (Scarface), Black (The Miracle Worker) Nishad (Lolita) and others. Sanjay Gupta’s Sanjay Dutt-starrer Zinda was a scene-by-scene lift of Park-Chan Wook’s blood and gore flick, Old Boy. Gupta’s films’ Kaante was a so called ‘inspired’ by Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs and Musafir of Oliver Stone’s U-Turn.
William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has been the best source of inspiration to almost all debut actors’ films — Bobby (Rishi Kapoor-Dimple Kapadia); Betaab (Sunny Deol-Amrita Singh); Qayamat se Qayamat Tak (Aamir Khan-Juhi Chawla), etc.
These are just few films that come to my mind here. It is not as though the Indian film industry doesn’t have good storywriters. A couple of years ago in an interview, film-maker Shyam Benegal (famous for his alternate film movement in the ’70s) had said, ‘There has never been a greater story teller than Sage Ved Vyas who wrote the epic Mahabharata. Any modern-day storyteller has never surpassed the romance, mystery, scheming and rivalry or fight scenes written in this epic. All the stories being churned out at present are the combination and permutation of this.’
The problem after 1970 was that film production houses and directors were in a hurry to make films. Any storywriter needs time to think and create and the easiest way out for such film-makers was wholesale copying from the West. Also fortunately for them, those days the Internet had not yet made an appearance nor was the market open for DVDs sale. So they weren’t caught copying.
I remember interviewing the late music composer Naushad saheb who had sadly expressed, ‘Present-day directors get a music cassette of some obscure musician from the West and ask us to either copy it or make something similar to that music. So where is our creativity in this?’
The same applies to storywriters. It is said that many production houses pass on a couple of successful Hollywood film DVDs to them to watch and churn out a story within a fixed period of time.
Writer Kamlesh Pandey of Rang de Basanti fame once said that no one wanted to touch his film script for five years as no one had heard of such a story plot. ‘Today, few appreciate an original idea. They don’t want to experiment with new ideas. Copying a successful foreign film ensures quick success.’
With B.R. Films facing the music, slowly things may change for the better. Also true is the fact that many Hollywood production houses have set up offices in India, with the result that they can easily spot any imitation. Even the Indian audience has matured and is exposed to foreign films. So wholesale copying will not go well.
Maybe in the next decade or so Hindi films will once again taste the glory of the period of 1940-70, and get back to making films with original story ideas and musical score. All that the film-makers have to do is peep into our magnificent regional literature to get better ideas. But for that they need to get away from viewing habit and cultivate the habit of reading.
Investors eye Mesa for movie studio
Posted by: admin in State/Government Production Incentive News, United States Industry News on August 23rd, 2009
by Angelique Soenarie
Mesa could become a destination for filmmakers if a plan for a production studio can come to life, but a proposed power line and the expiration of the state’s motion-picture incentive program could kill it.
A Gold Canyon developer and a private investment group have filed plans with Mesa to build a $70 million production-studio complex, Gateway Studios, near Hawes and Germann roads in east Mesa. The 55-acre campus would be the first major production studio and soundstage to be built in Arizona in decades.
Vince Stark of CBC Inc., which builds churches and luxury homes
, said he and his investment partners hope to cash in on the film projects that are leaving Los Angeles because of high costs.
“A lot of the film industry is trying to expand outside of California and looking for other avenues other than Los Angeles. That’s what you’re finding in Michigan and New Mexico,” Stark said.
“I saw it has a niche. My company is part owner in the land, and that was part of the driving force.”
Stark said a future luxury resort and the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport make it a prime spot for movie makers.
“This is something we think is necessary for the state. I don’t think the state has taken advantage of the film industry.”
He said the economic impact of New Mexico’s film industry is 10 times that of Arizona’s.
Construction of Phase I of the complex is scheduled for next fall, Stark said, depending on approval from the city. Stark said he is scheduled to go in front of the zoning board in October or November. Plans include four soundstages, production facilities, storage buildings, an auditorium, a day-care center, a gym, a spa, a medical-services building, large back-lot production areas and street-production sets. The studio would generate 250 direct jobs and 300 indirect jobs, he said.
“We feel that Arizona, due to its proximity to California, should be the first to benefit from the expansion of the film industry,” Stark said.
Scot Rigby, Mesa’s economic-development project manager, said the project has potential.
“I think he stands a good chance to get through the city process. We think it’s a great location and a great project. I think Arizona stands to benefit from this,” said Rigby.
There are potential pitfalls, however. Salt River Project is proposing a major power-line route near Hawes and Germann roads, which would cut across Stark’s property.
The utility wants to install four power lines to serve Pinal County and Queen Creek, and the lines could interfere with sound-recording equipment.
Mesa is opposed to the power line because it threatens development near the airport.
“We’re not willing to threaten the viability of the airport,” said Rigby, adding that potential development of Gateway Studios is “a great case in point of why we’re opposing the power line.”
Another potential obstacle is that the Arizona Motion Picture Production Tax Incentives Program, which provides tax breaks for movie-industry projects in Arizona, expires in 2010.
Last year, productions that participated in the program spent an estimated $44.9 million here. That’s not including direct expenditures of $67 million from productions that did not participate in the program.
“When the projects come in here, it’s about location. But the incentive is the Number One driver. It is the most aggressive tool in our toolbox. If that goes away, we’re going to see a dramatic drop in future film production,” said Ken Chapa, program manager of the Arizona Film Office.
Lobbyists are trying to get the program extended.
Layoffs at state film office will leave revenue deficit
Posted by: admin in State/Government Production Incentive News, United States Industry News on August 23rd, 2009
http://www.starbulletin.com/features/20090823_screen_time.html
When layoff notices circulated to nearly 1,100 state workers recently, the entire four-person Hawaii Film Office was included. Pending labor negotiations, people will be out of work Nov. 13.
So where would that leave the film industry in Hawaii? Because, really, what does the film office do?
Quite a lot, it turns out.
Since 1978, when it opened, the film office has courted potential productions and answered questions about everything from tax credits to culture. Essentially, the office attracts business and takes care of production companies when they arrive. Duties are wide-ranging, affecting many sectors of the economy, including helping to procure caterers, technicians, rental cars and hotel rooms (5,000 room nights each for the mid-range “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Tempest” productions, for example), crew, talent and more. Securing deals that have brought between $150 million and $200 million in income to the state sounds like a bargain when the office runs on an annual budget of a little more than $454,000. And how do you calibrate the economic impact of the constant, inherent advertising shows like “Lost” provide?
Since 1968, Hawaii has provided the setting for 23 major TV series, and more than 700 episodes of other major shows that typically film in Los Angeles. And that doesn’t include the feature films. In addition to “Lost,” about to start its sixth and final season, the last two years brought major productions to every island, including “Tropic Thunder” (Kauai), Indiana Jones” (Hawaii island), “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (Oahu), “Pirates of the Caribbean” (Maui, Molokai) and “The Tempest” (Lanai, Hawaii island).
“(Hawaii State Film Commissioner) Donne Dawson was indispensable to us during the three years of shooting our film ‘Morning Light’ in the islands,” executive producer Leslie DeMeuse wrote in an e-mail response to the news. “She was our main resource for production contacts and logistics. She also educated us on all the financial advantages of doing business here in Hawaii, including the Hawaii state film tax credit.
“She was the one who convinced us to shoot our movie here in the first place. We assumed it would be too expensive, but she firmly pointed out how we could actually reduce our production expenses by shooting in the islands … not to mention improve the quality of our production because of all the scenic locations and production people with the expertise of shooting here.”
“Morning Light” executive producer Roy Disney agreed: “Without Donne, we might well have made a decision to shoot on the mainland.”
The potential abolishment of the office is already affecting business.
“Word has gotten back to constituents in Los Angeles,” Dawson said. “They are going to think twice when they realize the film office won’t be there to support them.”
Despite the infrastructure available here, Hawaii has plenty of competition and it’s easy for production companies to go elsewhere. The recently released “Perfect Getaway,” for instance, is set on Kauai, but was shot primarily in Puerto Rico, where the tax credits are reportedly larger.
“If we were to be contemplating another production here in Hawaii, and if there were no longer a film office, we would have a far more difficult time,” Disney continued. “Closing it would be the ultimate in false economies.”
In addition to negotiating details with the state — parking a wide body airplane on a public beach doesn’t just happen — and administering tax credits, processing nearly 1,000 filming permits each year is another component of the staff’s responsibilities, as is playing watchdog for Hawaii’s culture and environment. Film and TV companies don’t travel lightly. Who teaches them respect for the culture? Who makes sure they leave Makapuu cleaner than they found it?
And, there’s more than just money at stake. It’s also about perception, and those effects are too broad to be calculated in economic analyses. As DeMeuse and Disney noted, “Because of our positive experience doing business here in Hawaii, we have decided to make Hawaii our personal home base as well as our production and studio base.”
YouTube strikes a deal with Time Warner for content
Posted by: admin in Studio/Network News on August 23rd, 2009
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/
“Gossip Girl” is headed to YouTube — legally this time.
Time Warner Inc. has signed an online video distribution deal with Google Inc.’s YouTube to furnish clips of movies, television programs and news content from Warner Bros. Television, which produces numerous shows including “Gossip Girl” and Ellen DeGeneres’ daytime talk show, and Turner Broadcasting, parent of CNN, Cartoon Network and other cable channels.
The agreement deepens the relationship between the dominant online video site and the media giant, which has been programming an HBO-branded channel since early last year to promote “True Blood,” “Hung” and “Entourage.” Time Warner will be able to create separate channels for its brands and work with YouTube to woo brand advertisers.
“We’re always happy to get a big media company on the platform,” said Jordan Hoffner, YouTube’s head of premium content partnerships. “They’re hitting our sweet spot with short-form content.”
“We expect to improve our ability to monetize this short-form content through new and creative advertising initiatives,” said Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes.
Both Time Warner and YouTube hailed the agreement as representing an opportunity to cash in on video clips, which has long presented a challenge for the site Google acquired in 2006 for $1.65 billion. Google Chief Financial Officer Patrick Pichette said on a recent earnings call that YouTube would be profitable in the “not too distant future.”
– Dawn C. Chmielewski
Hollywood Health Report
Posted by: admin in Studio/Network News on August 19th, 2009
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2009/08/18/hollywood_health_report/
Each day brings more news of a troubled company needing debt restructuring or a management overhaul. The Weinstein Co. and MGM are just the latest examples. All the studios face pressure from their corporate parents in a grim recession amid declining ad and DVD revenues. Sales are down across the board, including classic rereleases, and less precipitously, specialty titles.
Each of the six media behemoths is rocked to some degree by horrid ad sales, which account for 30 to 70 % of their income. News Corp and Time Warner are coping with reeling publishing empires. NBC/Universal parent GE is dragging its troubled financing division. Disney’s Robert Iger frets about ABC and theme park attendance. Sony’s hardware divisions are getting slammed. All are trying to stem their losses by cutting management, production and release costs and reducing talent outlays.
On the agency side, as a sign of the new order, WME is feeling the pinch to such a degree that they’ve decided to pay their support staff $9.50 an hour. That’s little more than minimum wage.
When this many deck chairs are about to be rearranged, folks in Hollywood start speculating. Already, with Disney’s production head Oren Aviv and Universal co-chairmen Marc Shmuger and David Linde still in place, talk is swirling about who could replace them. The question is: who are the experienced players with heat right now? Names in play are Fox 2000’s Elizabeth Gabler, Screen Gems’ Clint Culpepper and producer Marc Platt ( Wanted ). Meanwhile, Mary Parent is responsibly fulfilling her mandate at MGM (presumably collecting several millions before the place is buried in a mountain of debt). But could Ron Meyer pull back her ex-partner Scott Stuber to run Universal?
Here’s a Hollywood health report:
In Crisis Mode
MGM
The Weinstein Co.
Experiencing Upper Management Distress:
Disney/Miramax
Lionsgate
Universal/Focus Features
Under Performance Pressure
Overture
Paramount
Sony/Screen Gems/Sony Pictures Classics
Stable and Steady:
Twentieth Century Fox/Fox 2000/Fox Searchlight
Warner Bros.
On the Rise:
DreamWorks
Legendary
Oscilloscope
Summit
SAG reaches deal with AMPTP
Posted by: admin in Motion Picture/Television Industry Contract News on August 19th, 2009
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118007439.html?categoryId=18&cs=1
Duo set agreement on contracts for voice actors
By DAVE MCNARY
The Screen Actors Guild has reached agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers on a pair of two-year contracts covering voice actors working in TV animation and basic animation.
The contracts go into effect immediately and are retroactive to June 10. They replace pacts that expired over a year ago and had been extended until last Jan. 15.
“We are pleased to have concluded these negotiations and to have arrived at a fair deal that delivers solid economic gains for our members,” SAG said in a statement. “Screen Actors Guild members working in these areas now have the benefit of negotiated compensation increases, an improved pension contribution rate and a template for compensation in new media.”
The agreements will expire concurrently with the feature-primetime agreement on June 30, 2011. They include effective annual wage increases of 3 % in the first year and 3.5% in the second; a .5% increase in pension contributions; and new media terms reflecting those negotiated under the new feature-primetime deal.
The contracts were approved by the guild’s national executive committee and will not require a referendum.
Cape Town set to experience influx of Bollywood productions
Posted by: admin in Africa Industry News, India Industry News on August 19th, 2009
http://www.filmmaker.co.za/readarticle.php?article_id=5528
In another significant step towards cementing its role as one of the leading global film industry destinations, Cape Town could soon become home to the lucrative Bollywood film production market.
| And according to the Western Cape Minster of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Minister Allan Winde, “The time is now ripe for the Western Cape to take full advantage of the current global economic crisis by actively marketing your service offering to new markets like the Middle East and India.”
Minister Winde, accompanied by the CEO of the Cape Film Commission, Laurence Mitchell, on Monday 3rd August 2009, visited the film set of the latest Bollywood Blockbuster, No Problem, which is currently being filmed at various locations in Cape Town. “No Problem” is a Bollywood police action movie with stars such as Anil Kapoor (Slum Dog Millionaire), Sanjay Dutt and Suneel Shetty. “The fact that Cape Town and the Western Cape has been able attract some of the most influential and leading men and women of Bollywood is to a large extent due to the fact that we are now truly recognized as a global film industry destination”, was said by Minister Winde. He also added that with the major Hollywood films that have been shot here during the past year and given the fact that Cape Town hosted several Oscar Winners and A-list actors and actresses, this has further amplified the fact that the film industry has come of age and has become a key contributor to the economy of the Western Cape. Minister Winde also said that our service offering, whether it is in tourism or film, needs to be exceptional and unsurpassed anywhere in the world. In addition Minister Winde stated that the successful hosting of the IPL earlier this year beamed images of our country into the homes of millions of Indians and this has provided the Western Cape with a wonderful opportunity to access this huge Indian tourism and film markets. Mr. Laurence Mitchell (CEO of the Cape Film Commission), said that “The Cape Film Commission has over the past 5 years worked tirelessly to attract big Hollywood and in particular Bollywood productions to Cape Town, and we are now truly recognized as one of the leading film industry destinations worldwide.” This particular production of “No Problem” has already had significant spin offs in our Tourism sector and has contributed to 2000 bed nights, many local people were employed as crew and cast members and the service industry has been able to provide catering, transport and security services. Mr. Mitchell further added that the CFC is already leading discussion with the Department of Trade and Industry to look at a restructured film rebate system that would see a much more seamless distribution of these funds and a system that would make it much easier to enter into co-production treaties with a specific focus on markets such as India. The CFC will also be engaging with the DTI to look at increasing the subsidy that local film production companies could access. Anil Kapoor who plays a cop in the movie expressed his satisfaction at how production has progressed and said that he beliefs Cape Town has the right service offerings within the film industry to be able to attract large Bollywood productions. He remained confident that with big productions such as No Problem, Tasveer, Seasons Greetings and others, Cape Town has become the home of Bollywood films in Africa. According to Anil Kapoor Cape Town have remarkable locations, diverse cultures, wonderful weather and even world class services that is able to compete with the best in the world. The Cape Film Commission will later in the year undertake a mission to India to cement this relationship with Bollywood and directly present the film industry`s service offering to the huge Indian film market. |