Michael LaVoie

As someone who's been trying for a while to crack the code of working streaming revenue into a business plan, I can safely say that the obfuscation is by design and 100% intentional on the part of the major streaming platforms. None of them want filmmakers to know who is watching their films, how many people are watching or how much money your content is making them on their platform. If you knew, you could negotiate terms with an informed agenda. There are some attorneys out there who have some knowledge of the deals being struck and they've seen checks go out to filmmakers for contingent compensation packages but the length of contracts and exclusivity of the contracts determines the ROI and since that is so variable across properties, it's gonna be anybody's guess when you're pitching. Not a huge concern for the platforms like Amazon because their own original programming can cost a bundle and it doesn't matter if a single person watches. They literally burn money and it means nothing. But for anyone working outside and bringing them content, it helps to know what your content is worth when you're pitching financiers who are backing you. And right now that's the part of the equation that is deliberately kept as confusing and murky as possible. Cause the sad truth is, Netflix and Amazon, Hulu and the rest don't want their customers watching your content. They prefer if everyone watches their own.

I would think a pandemic would fall under a force majeur clause like any other disaster. But yeah. This doesn't bode well.

I think James Cameron has been asking that question every day which is why the Avatar sequels have taken 11 years and cost such a ridiculous amount of record breaking money. He's probably pushed every envelope we have and hopefully it will be worth it. Now the question just becomes whether we'll be watching the end result in our homes or if we'll even have theaters to go back in to.

I was gonna suggest The 3 color trilogy from Kieslowski. Blue, White, Red. But Piotr was actually nominated for Red.

It is hysterically difficult to grow a network of crew and job opportunities among people you haven't met already. There have been many attempts at film crew sites, communities, application boards dedicated to solving this problem but I've yet to see one actually take off with any kind of consistency. I have been curious about Productionlist and if anyone uses that and can chime in on whether it's effective for crew seeking work, great. Most film/tv job seeker sites are not and require subscription fees to apply to anything. Which is backwards and immoral. You should only pay to post jobs. Not to apply to them. That is how indeed.com functions. Applications are free. The posts are a small charge to the employer. That's normal across the board for most job sites in most industries. But in the world of film & tv, they flip this dynamic. Because there are so many applicants and the field is so narrow with no other legit obvious pathway toward landing a gig. So the specialty sites for entertainment exploit and leverage the desperation of the job seekers by charging subscription fees to apply to listings for mostly "reality & ENG based work". If you want to apply to be an attorney at Nickelodeon, look on the Viacom website. But if you want to shoot one of their original shows? Uhhhhh. Yeah. There is no place to actually apply for any crew to shoot or work as crew on anything anywhere. That's only a problem for people trying to break into the business. For those connected, this is not an issue at all. This exclusivity issue in the industry creates an incentive for the more predatory film job sites to generate fake listings which you will never be actually able to verify. They might do this just to keep you subscribing and hoping that you'll get a gig when in reality, there are none because there never have and never will be. People only hire who they or those they know have already vetted.

Not me. I'm pushing ahead full steam with a business I've been working on for a while. Question is, whether it's really the right time to look for funding. Congrats on the financing for your film coming through. That's awesome. I actually have a development company I've been pitching to VC's and angels and although a few have gotten back to me for further explanations, it's been on my mind whether pitching at this time will be seen as entirely psychopathic, oblivous and indifferent to the suffering of others. I just don't know how people are perceiving it on their ends. Also, because the industry is on pause right now, is it moronic to actually push the idea that we'll see any kind of return to the status quo for distributors, theaters and production companies? One entertainment attorney I recently spoke with said it's a great time to send out scripts because that's all anyone's doing is reading. But for the financiers, with Distributors and theater chains are going bankrupt and major cities are all rolling back tax incentives does it look idiotic to pursue development financing? That's a tough one.

I just read yesterday people are reporting a temporary reduction in taste and smell from Covid19. Reminds me of this great film Perfect Sense. The trailers are kinda meh. The movie is definitely worth watching.

Have to agree. I think it's only worth it if you have someone important whom you've already established contact with and is considering your project but that wants to see something. If you're making it to shop around, goooood luck getting anyone to even care enough to watch it. On the other hand, getting your script properly packaged by a development company for hire like Buffalo8 will cost the same as a trailer or short and they'll get you pitch meetings on top of it. Personally, if I had the cash, I'd go with them and forgo trying to make a teaser. There are never any guarantees but I agree with Richard that unless you have access to amazing resources and great talent, you're likely to make a product that does the opposite of what you intend.

SXSW was cancelled.

Just caught this today at IFC. Unusual 4:3 framing similar to Xavier Dolan's films. Hysterical headroom with odd eyelines. A new trend in cinema? After a while you get used to it but I wonder why people are doing this? Do they want everyone to watch films on their phones in a vertical position? Doesn't make a ton of sense. Otherwise the film is decent with pleasant frames and lighting. Some snappy dialogue and overall, the audience liked it a lot.

Curious about that viewfinder connection on both the FS7 and the FX9. What is that connection? I've asked Sony in Jersey if they could make an extension to that cable and they said no. But I mean, does anyone know what the connection is and if there's a 3rd party adaptor or extension possible. Sometimes the cable is just like 2 or 3 inches too short and I hate the idea that if it breaks, I'm screwed without a monitor.

I'm really curious if they'll add an ND feature to the phone. That's unfortunately the main headache with all of them. ISO never gets low enough and it's super clunky to try to attach a clip on ND filter that fits all the lenses at once. It'd be sooo much easier if they'd just give an electronic ND filter. And if the shutter actually locks and stays locked. and if the fps is truly 24fps and not a constantly shifting version of it. Can't wait to see. I just got a Samsung Galaxy S10+ and I use Filmic Pro with a variable ND clipped on the front and on a DJI Osmo it's a heavy rig. Overall it's decent but the U.I. on Filmic Pro is awful and it's very easy to screw up basic functions just by operating it. This at least looks properly laid out with controls that aren't an overlay on the image. As long as the Android camera apk doesn't mess it up. Could be awesome.

Just saying. If I had bought a Venice, the FX9 would infuriate me. Have you seen the press release today for their Xperia 1 II smartphone. It looks insane. Put that on a DJI Osmo gimbal and you easily replace much more expensive rigs. What really makes it shine is the built in software. Not having to download some crappy confusing app is what makes this work. None of the "cinema" apps for Android work that well. As long as Sony keeps support going for this app on future vers of Android this phone may be worth buying unlocked just as a camera. If only it had a removeable battery it would have really put the Hydrogen to shame.

Just wait. They'll release a successor with an 8k imager next month for half the price and you'll be pissed you bought it. That's Sony.

Watching movies became really difficult shortly after I read Save the Cat by Blake Snyder and I immediately began to notice how things unfold exactly the same way in every film based on the run time. It's like clockwork. Everyone should read Save The Cat. If for no other reason than to know what is expected to happen in their script on page 5, 12, 25, 55, 85 etc. Yes you can mix up this formula but the agents, producers and readers that will vet your script are going to fault it if it doesn't comply with these expectations. Currently reading "Bulletproof" Writing Scripts That Don't Get Shot Down By David Diamond and David Weisman. It speaks to a lot of this. The tug of war between originality and writing something that people can recognize as a movie cause it feels familiar. If you write the perfect script, you'll end up with Collateral Beauty. A trainwreck of predictability.

I can't understand why anyone would complain about digital now. It looks great. Remember when people were shooting features on DV?

Sounds like justice was served. I love stories of executives tampering with creatives and paying a hefty price. Happened on Something Wicked This Way Comes. Disney really messed with the film and despite their best efforts, it's still shockingly dark and disturbing. Enough that they refused to market it when it was released. Now it's a cult classic. Dated but worth a viewing. Some good scenes that you can't imagine being shot today. Donnie Darko is a more recent example of a studio giving up immediately on a movie they didn't understand and not pushing it out. But it was so good that word of mouth alone brings it back to theaters for midnight screenings regularly. Sometimes you can think you have a bomb when you have a hit. And vice versa.

Big Shark looks awesome. Can't wait. Tentpoles are sometimes victims of the track record of those involved. In the case of Dolittle you have Stephen Gaghan? RDJ? They are two of the highest paid Hollywood superstars. It's likely that nobody involved at the studio or on set is questioning either of their efforts or being critical of their work. This is why a lot of big films fail. Everyone involved assumes the script is awesome from the start because the writer has hit it out of the park so many times before. The reality is that prior success and track record helps but every script and every movie is totally different and still requires scrutiny of everything and everyone involved. No matter who writes it directs it or stars in it. Everyone has had misses. Clint Eastwood, Spielberg, Spike Lee. You can't assume it's going to be great because of the writer, the director or the star.

About as simple as you can get but very effective.

Did you try going through the credits and checking if those listed as crew on his films are members of the site? You could also try Linked in though it's less likely they'll be on there.

It's a combo of the angles you chose for those location photos and what the outside light is doing in them. Keep in mind that when you pointed at the kitchen, it's front lit because of the floor to ceiling window in the living room. So you will want to close those blinds in the living room when you're pointing in the direction of the kitchen to avoid the window light front lighting and washing out the kitchen when you shoot from that angle. Same thing when you point to the living room. The kitchen window isn't frontal, but the overall bounce from it is. And it's quite a lot of fill. So be prepared to knock that down with commando or big 4x4's. The reference image that you love is mostly side lit without much fill at all. That's the key. You're playing with contrast ratios here. In your case, because of the white walls. Much if it may involve using commando cloth or duvatine to make those walls and the ceiling black (when it's not in frame)

Funny, I once had an angry director literally rip the headphones out of my ears. He was a douche. Pissed off everyone on the crew. I was the only person who was totally chill around him which I think annoyed him even more. Mostly because I was always listening to music.

I usually make a playlist of music that inspires me and brings out the "tone" of the film. This way I can listen to that while I shoot and I'm not distracted by writing or acting that may be disappointing. The music will keep me on track and make sure I don't compromise my work just because other areas of the production may be lacking.

Just caught this last night. Beautifully shot by Jose Alcaine.