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Studio Head Answers Your Questions About the Movie Business
You asked Larry Meistrich, head of NEHST Studios, how to get into the movie business. And he has answered your questions. So read his answers, then get off your lazy behind, pick up that digital cinema camera, and go to work!
1) IANAMM
by Jarik_Tentsu
As an amateur director and special effects editor, my work tends to be high in special effects and fancy stuff - muzzle flashes, lightsabers, explosions etc - all computer rendered. All look cool, but all of them look amateur. There's no way you can make something fancy like that look professionally done.
So my question is, if you want to make work to impress people in the industry, do they prefer simple things, done professionally, or things that have potential in being extravagant, but still have that 'amateur' feel?
A: My feeling is that simple and good always trumps extravagant and amateur. Many young filmmakers make the mistake of trying to do too much with too little. The best way to impress a producer or studio executive is to tell a story that has a credible beginning, middle, and conclusion. You never want to have to apologize or make excuses for your work and have someone have to look past the work to the potential.
My other question is how much are screenwriters/director's controlled by their sponsors/studios? How much freedom do they get in their movies?
It really depends on the studio or the production company. It also depends on the assignment. There is no simple answer to that question. The best way to have creative freedom is to find the funding yourself.
2) Hi Larry ;-)
by circletimessquare
Thanks for taking some questions.
The Internet has a number of plays out there for self-distribution and self-promotion. A lot of these avenues are relatively fresh, so it is hard to tell, but by your judgment, are there any self-promotion or self-distribution avenues that are absolutel
y must-have for an indie movie maker? I'm thinking perhaps of things like the Withoutabox system, or Massify.
I think that every filmmaker should have a web page that takes names and email addresses of the potential audiences. I think Withoutabox is a good service not familiar with Massify. Data is very important to indie filmmakers. Nothing is more important to a self distribution model.
Is it prudent to publish on YouTube before making any other distribution deals to get the word out? Or does this put you in an unattractive bargaining position with potential distributors, online or off, such that your content is already out there, even though in lo-res quality?
It is not prudent unless you are just publishing the trailer.
3) Is it possible to make a profit with union labor?
by Anonymous Coward
A: Yes. Union labor is often more experienced and gives you more bang for the buck.
The movie industry is notorious for being a heavily unionized, "closed shop" industry, with all the overhead and featherbedding that implies. Is it possible for an independent studio to make a profit while obeying Hollywood's labyrinth, payroll-padding union rules?
Yes. There is a big difference between the studio films and the independent films. If you are making films outside of the Hollywood system then you are making your own arrangements with the unions. I have found particularly on the east coast that the unions are very easy to deal with especially with the smaller films. Just call or go meet with them and be honest. They usually find a way to work with you.
4) Selling a Script
by oskard
How do you sell a script? I don't mean monetarily, but how does one pitch an idea for a script without getting it shot down?
A: There is no one answer to that. You can pitch to us through our website www.pitchnehst.com and we will give it a fair shot. One of the reasons we created this site was to give people outside of the system a chance to be heard. I do not know how to break into the industry at the Hollywood or Network TV systems these days. You need to find a way to network yourself into a position to be around people in the industry who can help you. The best advice I can give you is to make a short film and hit the festival circuit.
I have lots of ideas for screenplays, and I realize that the chance of anyone important ever reading them is about a million to one. But even my best scripts sound like crap in an 'elevator pitch.' How does one work around this?
You don't. You NEED to be able to boil your ideas down to a sentence or two log line and brief synopsis. If they sound like crap they might just be that.
5) I just have one question
by Opportunist
How does Uwe Boll keep finding people to pump money into his trash?
I mean, let's be honest here. That guy didn't make a single movie worth the time it takes to watch it, let's not talk about money. His movies are invariably in every "worst. movies. ever." list there is. And even trash movie fans won't touch his junk with a ten foot pole.
Can anyone explain the miracle of where he gets his funding? I mean, if you can solve that mystery, it should be trivial to get money just the same way. I mean, people who are willing to pump money into a movie that you know will bomb might actually finance a movie that has a slim chance to be gold.
A: Wish I could give you an answer, but I just don't know
6) How not to sell the rights?
by gnujoshua
It seems that with independent film making, the common path is: 1) get small to medium budget, 2) produce movie, 3) show movie at film festival, 4) sell rights to big producer. Is there way to get your movie to "go big" without doing this fourth step and not starting with a big budget?
A: I would change step four to a distributor and not producer. You sell films to distributors not producers. Unless you are willing to invest the time and money to self distribute the film which requires a lot of man power and money then you have no chance of "going big."
7) Getting a little camera time by McFly69
For a person who is interested in the film industry, what is the best way to get a little camera time? In particular how does a person (in Boston, MA) find out where and when a movies are going to be recorded so they be a stand-in? Perhaps even interview for a small role? Thank you.
A: If you would like to get a little screen time with us, go to www.screentest.biz and register yourself as an extra. You will automatically be notified every time a role is posted that fits your profile. Other than that, check with your local film commission office. They will have a list of all the films, tv shows, and commercials shooting in your area.
8) Documentaries?
by GeorgeK
Would making documentaries offer a superior risk/reward ratio compared to feature films, especially if someone is just starting out? What suggestions would you offer to succeed in documentaries?
A: I think the risk reward is about the same. That being said it is a really good time to be making documentaries. The best way to succeed is to pick a great subject matter and make a really good film. With docs you can do that for very little cost. Look at films such as Super Size Me, etc. If you have no experience with directing docs you should try to get an apprentice job in a cutting room for docs, which is a great way to learn.
9) Who would you trust with your first script?
by joe.terry
The question is ... do you go to the writers guild and pay them $35 bucks or whatever, first? Do you go to an agent? If you have a killer script, that you can't film, where do you go first?
A: First copyright the film with the copyright office. If you go online search the term "Form PA" and follow the directions on how to copyright your film. It is not that simple to just get an agent. As self seriving as it sounds if you really feel you have a killer script you should submit it to us at www.pitchnehst.com.
10) How's the biz changing?
by Marsala
It seems like the rest of the world is finally catching up to what we all envisioned would happen in 2000. Content producers like record and movie studios seem to have finally recognized the fact that folks want content delivered digitally and that customers are no longer willing to be chained to their TVs at a specific time, prefer to carry all of their music with them where ever they roam, and aren't necessarily interested in having to go to theaters to watch movies when they've got their own big screen setups at home.
Having listened to several directors explain parts of the movie biz in commentaries on DVDs, it sounds like the distributors are still holding on to opening weekend ticket sales as the primary metric for determining how well a movie performs financially. This, as a result, determines what movies they'll fund, which scripts they'll buy, etc.
Are things in chaos on the business side as consumers start to move away from the studios' primary metric, or are we not quite there yet? And what do you see the movie making landscape looking like if we ever do get there? Less big budget blockbuster CGI extravaganzas in favor of more character driven movies?
A: You have hit it right on the head. The metric is going to change, and the choices of films are going to be very different. I also think the method, length, and subject matters of the films are going to change what gets made and where it shows. I do believe that the theatrical experience will not go away but will become more of an event marketing experience. So it depends on where and how you want to see your character driven movies.
by Jarik_Tentsu
As an amateur director and special effects editor, my work tends to be high in special effects and fancy stuff - muzzle flashes, lightsabers, explosions etc - all computer rendered. All look cool, but all of them look amateur. There's no way you can make something fancy like that look professionally done.
So my question is, if you want to make work to impress people in the industry, do they prefer simple things, done professionally, or things that have potential in being extravagant, but still have that 'amateur' feel?
A: My feeling is that simple and good always trumps extravagant and amateur. Many young filmmakers make the mistake of trying to do too much with too little. The best way to impress a producer or studio executive is to tell a story that has a credible beginning, middle, and conclusion. You never want to have to apologize or make excuses for your work and have someone have to look past the work to the potential.
My other question is how much are screenwriters/director's controlled by their sponsors/studios? How much freedom do they get in their movies?
It really depends on the studio or the production company. It also depends on the assignment. There is no simple answer to that question. The best way to have creative freedom is to find the funding yourself.
2) Hi Larry ;-)
by circletimessquare
Thanks for taking some questions.
The Internet has a number of plays out there for self-distribution and self-promotion. A lot of these avenues are relatively fresh, so it is hard to tell, but by your judgment, are there any self-promotion or self-distribution avenues that are absolutel
y must-have for an indie movie maker? I'm thinking perhaps of things like the Withoutabox system, or Massify.
I think that every filmmaker should have a web page that takes names and email addresses of the potential audiences. I think Withoutabox is a good service not familiar with Massify. Data is very important to indie filmmakers. Nothing is more important to a self distribution model.
Is it prudent to publish on YouTube before making any other distribution deals to get the word out? Or does this put you in an unattractive bargaining position with potential distributors, online or off, such that your content is already out there, even though in lo-res quality?
It is not prudent unless you are just publishing the trailer.
3) Is it possible to make a profit with union labor?
by Anonymous Coward
A: Yes. Union labor is often more experienced and gives you more bang for the buck.
The movie industry is notorious for being a heavily unionized, "closed shop" industry, with all the overhead and featherbedding that implies. Is it possible for an independent studio to make a profit while obeying Hollywood's labyrinth, payroll-padding union rules?
Yes. There is a big difference between the studio films and the independent films. If you are making films outside of the Hollywood system then you are making your own arrangements with the unions. I have found particularly on the east coast that the unions are very easy to deal with especially with the smaller films. Just call or go meet with them and be honest. They usually find a way to work with you.
4) Selling a Script
by oskard
How do you sell a script? I don't mean monetarily, but how does one pitch an idea for a script without getting it shot down?
A: There is no one answer to that. You can pitch to us through our website www.pitchnehst.com and we will give it a fair shot. One of the reasons we created this site was to give people outside of the system a chance to be heard. I do not know how to break into the industry at the Hollywood or Network TV systems these days. You need to find a way to network yourself into a position to be around people in the industry who can help you. The best advice I can give you is to make a short film and hit the festival circuit.
I have lots of ideas for screenplays, and I realize that the chance of anyone important ever reading them is about a million to one. But even my best scripts sound like crap in an 'elevator pitch.' How does one work around this?
You don't. You NEED to be able to boil your ideas down to a sentence or two log line and brief synopsis. If they sound like crap they might just be that.
5) I just have one question
by Opportunist
How does Uwe Boll keep finding people to pump money into his trash?
I mean, let's be honest here. That guy didn't make a single movie worth the time it takes to watch it, let's not talk about money. His movies are invariably in every "worst. movies. ever." list there is. And even trash movie fans won't touch his junk with a ten foot pole.
Can anyone explain the miracle of where he gets his funding? I mean, if you can solve that mystery, it should be trivial to get money just the same way. I mean, people who are willing to pump money into a movie that you know will bomb might actually finance a movie that has a slim chance to be gold.
A: Wish I could give you an answer, but I just don't know
6) How not to sell the rights?
by gnujoshua
It seems that with independent film making, the common path is: 1) get small to medium budget, 2) produce movie, 3) show movie at film festival, 4) sell rights to big producer. Is there way to get your movie to "go big" without doing this fourth step and not starting with a big budget?
A: I would change step four to a distributor and not producer. You sell films to distributors not producers. Unless you are willing to invest the time and money to self distribute the film which requires a lot of man power and money then you have no chance of "going big."
7) Getting a little camera time by McFly69
For a person who is interested in the film industry, what is the best way to get a little camera time? In particular how does a person (in Boston, MA) find out where and when a movies are going to be recorded so they be a stand-in? Perhaps even interview for a small role? Thank you.
A: If you would like to get a little screen time with us, go to www.screentest.biz and register yourself as an extra. You will automatically be notified every time a role is posted that fits your profile. Other than that, check with your local film commission office. They will have a list of all the films, tv shows, and commercials shooting in your area.
8) Documentaries?
by GeorgeK
Would making documentaries offer a superior risk/reward ratio compared to feature films, especially if someone is just starting out? What suggestions would you offer to succeed in documentaries?
A: I think the risk reward is about the same. That being said it is a really good time to be making documentaries. The best way to succeed is to pick a great subject matter and make a really good film. With docs you can do that for very little cost. Look at films such as Super Size Me, etc. If you have no experience with directing docs you should try to get an apprentice job in a cutting room for docs, which is a great way to learn.
9) Who would you trust with your first script?
by joe.terry
The question is ... do you go to the writers guild and pay them $35 bucks or whatever, first? Do you go to an agent? If you have a killer script, that you can't film, where do you go first?
A: First copyright the film with the copyright office. If you go online search the term "Form PA" and follow the directions on how to copyright your film. It is not that simple to just get an agent. As self seriving as it sounds if you really feel you have a killer script you should submit it to us at www.pitchnehst.com.
10) How's the biz changing?
by Marsala
It seems like the rest of the world is finally catching up to what we all envisioned would happen in 2000. Content producers like record and movie studios seem to have finally recognized the fact that folks want content delivered digitally and that customers are no longer willing to be chained to their TVs at a specific time, prefer to carry all of their music with them where ever they roam, and aren't necessarily interested in having to go to theaters to watch movies when they've got their own big screen setups at home.
Having listened to several directors explain parts of the movie biz in commentaries on DVDs, it sounds like the distributors are still holding on to opening weekend ticket sales as the primary metric for determining how well a movie performs financially. This, as a result, determines what movies they'll fund, which scripts they'll buy, etc.
Are things in chaos on the business side as consumers start to move away from the studios' primary metric, or are we not quite there yet? And what do you see the movie making landscape looking like if we ever do get there? Less big budget blockbuster CGI extravaganzas in favor of more character driven movies?
A: You have hit it right on the head. The metric is going to change, and the choices of films are going to be very different. I also think the method, length, and subject matters of the films are going to change what gets made and where it shows. I do believe that the theatrical experience will not go away but will become more of an event marketing experience. So it depends on where and how you want to see your character driven movies.
Sigs are for Terrorists.
He's going to get about a million pitches in the next 24 hrs., and 99.999% of them crappy space operas with one-dimensional stock characters, stories about IT managers who save the day and get the pretty girl, and a variety of Star Trek sequels. At least five of the pitches will feature the phrase "Think Star Trek meets Lord of the Rings with a Monty Python twist!"
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Very informative. And, for the record:
FTW. 100% FTW
UTF-8: There and Back Again
How does Uwe Boll keep finding people to pump money into his trash?
He gets money because his product sells enough to be worth the investment. People WILL buy bad movies if they are interested in the subject matter. My brother in law loves zombie and vampire flicks. He will see EVERY SINGLE ONE even if he knows it will be bad. There are a lot of people out there who fit this description.
Now we get to comment on /. about the comments in regards to our comments on /..
Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
Years ago, my friends and I thought of buying an 8mm camera and some film and getting started on some of our ideas. Not so much for the purpose of 'breaking into the movie business' but more for fun. It was a full time job just planning and writing. The cost was prohibitive as our wives had(still have) most of our cash ear-marked for their pork spending projects. Now as I look at the cost of shooting a low budget film, a truly creative mind could sneak material out on the market for very little money compared to years ago. I am not considering casting outside of friends and shooting in areas that are permit crazy. Youtube is a great way to get material out there. Myspace is a tool that is great also. Computer editing has come a long way as well as processing power. I have seen some really great fan based sci-fi films out on the internet where the CGI was surprisingly good.
You don't. You NEED to be able to boil your ideas down to a sentence or two log line and brief synopsis. If they sound like crap they might just be that.
Yes! if you cant boil your script to a max 3 sentence log line that catches interest then your script or story idea sucks. Throw it away and start again.
If you hear, "that's interesting", or "neat idea" they hate it. If they tell you it sucks, then it was so bad as to cause stomach cramps.
As a Director and Senior Producer on a few films it is amazing how many writers come out of the woodwork the second they hear what you have done. Dont take to me, I dont want to read your script. If you want to piss off a director, DP, Grip, or Producer then start shoving a script at them. Ask them who they have to review scripts and you will get an answer, then thank them for their time and LEAVE.
Also do NOT ask friends or family what they think of your idea. try to find a writers group that will be brutally honest with you. you need brutal not, "Ohh it's wonderful! Ewoks in a terminator movie is a great idea! everyone will love it!"
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
First off, I don't see a lot of movies. I'm not elitist or anything, I just generally have more interesting things to do. Most movies are kind of boring, anyway.
However, the movie landscape *IS* changing, and I think a lot of the points the last question-giver, Marsala, made are very insightful. On the other hand, we're starting to get inundated with crappy movies that guys with no experience or budget made in their mom's basements, and you have to keep in mind the signal-to-noise ratio is actually getting much worse. Lots of movie snobs will go on and on about how much crap 'mainstream' movies are, and how the internet, combines with digital effects and post processing techniques available to the masses will herald some sort of new age of movie making, and it might, but for every good movie made by someone who would never get a chance with the studios there will be a couple of thousand morons with video cameras who all THINK they are genius producer/directors.
Good suggestion. I am going to put a contact info form on my film's web site
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
-1 Wrong...
We do not live in the 21st century. We live in the 20 second century.
I wish there were a card you could hand out to people that says basically
Genius! It could be in the format of the (pure genius) spamsolutions.txt,
you know the one that starts out:
Your post advocates a
( ) technical ( ) legislative ( ) market-based ( ) vigilante
approach to fighting spam. Your idea will not work. Here is why it won't work. (One or more of the following may apply to your particular idea, and it may have other flaws which used to vary from state to state before a bad federal law was passed.)
music lover since 1969
I keep reading the title as "Stupid Head" instead of "Studio Head".
Flew back from vegas on saturday, where a movie I was in premiered. It was a documentary that a crew came out to film me for, which revolved around beer pong. They did an amazing job with the film, and I'm really happy with how well it turned out. It was also pretty cool to be a part of it, but somehow I doubt I'll have movie producers banging down my door after seeing me on screen haha. Although if I do say so myself, I was probably the most attractive guy in that particular film. One positive note, if I ever write a screenplay at least I know a few people in the business I can pester to read it.
As Larry Meistrich of all people could tell you, a neat trick to selling an offbeat indie movie is to make a short version first. Or just beg, borrow, and steal to get the funding yourself; make the whole feature; and THEN seek out the distributors. A finished (or at least partially finished) product can often say a lot more than any 5-minute pitch can--especially for a quirky indie.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Use the Wiki, Luke.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uwe_Boll
that this is one of the worst interviews ever? I look for one of two things from Slashdot Interviews: 1.) If I know nothing, I look for a good introduction to the topic. 2.) If I know something, I look to further my understanding of the topic. I don't know anything about the movie industry and I still don't, and judging from the comments I would say those who do didn't learn anything new.
I hate ethics, I avoid them on principle.
you can write the next shawshank redemption, and you will still be rejected, simply because there's so much crap out there
solution: make the damn movie yourself. its cheap nowadays
i know exactly what you are thinking right now and the answer is no: you do not need special effects
if your movie has lotr$$$-level special effects, you're doing it wrong. a good story is a good story, and a bad story is a bad story. lotr told with brown paper bag hand puppets is still compelling. and i don't think i need to remind anyone of movies that have cost $100 million in special effects and still sucked ass
special effects will not save your story, your story does not depend upon special effects. so no, you don't NEED the special effects to tell your story if your story is good. if you still think you need special effects, i can tell you right now, knowing nothing else about it, with absolute certainty: your story sucks
so make the damn thing yourself. find out yourself how much you suck, or how good you are
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
That was an idea Homer pitched to Ron Howard. Later when Ron's first idea is pitched and shot down he pitches this idea and ends up with a sack of money...
You didn't even respect me enough to run it through a spell-checker
Neither did our illustrious Studio Head. There were numerous spelling and grammatical errors, and he occasionally slipped into the deeply irritating BlackBerry Shorthand.
Worse still, our "editors" didn't bother to proofread it either!
Please help metamoderate.
http://www.zombieapocalypse.tv/
"There's no way you can make something fancy like that look professionally done."
Uh, yeah you can. It just takes effort.
Oh, I noticed the mistakes. But we tell/warn/promise all Slashdot interviewees that we'll run their answers "verbatim, except for HTML formatting." And that's exactly what we do.
Those mistakes are almost always a guarantee that the person answered the questions without help from a PR department or other launderer, BTW. I'd rather see "real" answers with mistakes than perfect ones that are obviously committee efforts.
In 2000, we ran an interview with Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, and Timothy got yelled at by many readers for transcribing (this interview was done by phone) all of Lars's swear words and verbal tics. But Lars loved it. The interview captured not only information, but let his personality come through in a way no MSM interview ever would.
And to show you that Timothy's interview skills go well beyond typical Slashdot material, here he is interviewing a boxing coach and some of his fighters.
I do believe that the theatrical experience will not go away but will become more of an event marketing experience.
It's hard to enjoy a theater event when there are sticky floors, trash in seats, lousy projection, and commercials.
He's going to get about a million pitches in the next 24 hrs., and 99.999% of them crappy space operas with one-dimensional stock characters, stories about IT managers who save the day and get the pretty girl, and a variety of Star Trek sequels. At least five of the pitches will feature the phrase "Think Star Trek meets Lord of the Rings with a Monty Python twist!"
College-Pages.com - Online Colleges, Degrees, and Programs
At least five of the pitches will feature the phrase "Think Star Trek meets Lord of the Rings with a Monty Python twist!"
College-Pages.com - Online Colleges, Degrees, and Programs