Baseline Blog

Give Me Back My Rabbit Ears

2012-02-01T18:20:44+00:00

Check out this great blog post from Baseline Intelligence on how television is no longer television and lacks quality shows. Neely Swanson, formerly Senior Vice President of Development for David E. Kelley Productions, is presently an adjunct professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts in the writing division, where she teaches “The Entertainment Industry Seminar.” Neely also writes a blog about writers and wonderful scripts they have written that have never made it to the big or small screens.

"Television is no longer television and who in their right mind would want to be put through any of the aforementioned tortures."

Story - Story - Story

2012-02-01T18:15:55+00:00

Check out this fascinating blog post from the ScriptJournal Blog on the importance of having a notable story. Paul Chitlik’s writer-producer credits include "The New Twilight Zone," "Who’s the Boss," "Brothers," "Amen," "Perfect Strangers," "Small Wonder," "Los Beltrán," "V.I.P.," "Beyond Belief," "American Playhouse," "Ringling Brothers Revealed," and the made-for-television movie "Alien Abduction" for UPN. He produced and directed numerous episodes of "U.S. Customs Classified" and "Real Stories of the Highway Patrol." Mr. Chitlik has created several pilots as well as written feature films for Rysher, Nu Image, Mainline Releasing, and Promark.He has been nominated for a WGA Award and a GLAAD Media Award and has won a Genesis Award.

Chitlik has taught screenwriting at UCLA; Loyola Marymount College; ESCAC, the film school of the University of Barcelona, Spain; UNIACC University in Santiago, Chile; and EICTV in Havana, Cuba. His book, REWRITE: A Step-by-Step Guide to Strengthen Structure, Characters, and Drama in Your Screenplay, published by Michael Wiese Productions, is in its second printing.

"Yes, I’ve harped on the fact that it all starts with the story, the definition of which is simple: There’s a person. She or he has a goal. There’s a rock between him/her and the goal. She or he has to go over, under, around or through the rock to get to the goal. Simple as that."

Dilemma of a Serious Screenwriter

2012-01-25T21:11:54+00:00

Check out this interesting blog post from the ScriptJournal Blog on the dilemmas of screenwriters. Steven Fechter is a playwright and screenwriter. His theatrical works have been produced throughout North America and Europe. In his film work, Steven co-wrote the screenplay for the 2004 film "The Woodsman" (based on his play), starring Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick. For that work, he was nominated for the Humanitas Prize in screenwriting.

"Writers are more sensitive to the crass commercialization of the Oscars show. It creates a tension that can set pitfalls for the unprepared."

Debt Versus Equity in Film Finance

2012-01-25T21:06:41+00:00

Check out this great blog post from Baseline Intelligence on film finance. John Cones is a securities/entertainment attorney who has practiced in Los Angeles for 22 years, advising independent feature film producers and others on matters relating to investor financing of feature film and other entertainment projects. He now resides in Austin. He has prepared or participated in the preparation of investor documents for more than 250 such offerings. Mr. Cones has lectured on film finance topics more than 350 times for a variety of film industry organizations. In addition to numerous articles, he has authored seven books on those same topics. He also hosts a Q&A Internet site about investor financing of entertainment projects.

"In my work with independent film producers in the area of film finance over the past twenty years or so, I have often observed that many such filmmakers do not have strong opinions about what form of film finance to pursue."

Now Oscar-Winning Producer Edward Saxon Can Be Your Film Mentor

2012-01-19T19:48:04+00:00

Check out this interesting blog post from the ScriptJournal Blog on Oscar-winning producer Ed Saxon. After working in the executive search industry for many years, Patty Fantasia transitioned into her life-long goal and began pursuing a new career path in film and entertainment. Patty is currently co-producing an indie short, titled "Accused," which is now in final editing, as well as implementing the promotional campaign and film festival submission strategy for it. In the summer of 2009, Patty launched her film blog, "Filmmakers Notebook," and it became syndicated on Openfilm.com in January 2010. Recently, Patty also became the Marketing Director for NOMOSA, an e-commerce and social networking platform for independent artists. Finally, Patty will be handling promotion for a new short that is scheduled to shoot in August. All of these activities dovetail perfectly with her primary interests, which are producing, marketing and distribution.

"The great debate regarding education for filmmakers has continued to draw both pro and con opinions as to whether or not it’s better to attend college or try some form of self-education, and several options have become available for anyone who wants to learn more about the movie-making business. "

Indie Box Office Beats the Odds with 3% Gain In 2011

2012-01-19T19:45:41+00:00

Check out this great blog post from Baseline Intelligence on the Indie Film Box Office. Louise Levison, President of Business Strategies, has been a strategic planning and financial consultant in the film industry for more than 20 years. She is the author of Filmmakers & Financing: Business Plans for Independents, currently in its sixth edition and recently published in a Mandarin edition in Beijing, China. She also is publisher-editor of The Film Entrepreneur: A Newsletter for the Independent Filmmaker and Investors. Levison’s clients have raised money for low-budget films such as "The Blair Witch Project," the most profitable independent film in history, and for companies raising as much as $300 million.

"The independent business is looking good. For those of you who want to write business plans and raise money from investors, it is the best news of the year."

Indie Film Box Office Springs Forward as Clock Falls Back

2011-12-21T20:36:48+00:00

"The independent film box office sprang forward, as the clock moved back an hour. The annual numbers are looking good for business plans."

I Know How It Feels to be a Sardine

2011-12-21T20:36:16+00:00

Check out this fascinating blog post from the ScriptJournal Blog on how sometimes, when placed in the most uncomfortable work settings, we can still find inspiration. Pen Densham, co-founder of Trilogy Entertainment Group, considers himself a triple-hyphenate: writer-producer-director. He writes for both television and feature films and is responsible for reviving "The Outer Limits" and "The Twilight Zone" to TV. His personal favorite is "Moll Flanders," which he wrote and directed, starring Robin Wright and Morgan Freeman. Pen also teaches as an adjunct professor at USC Film School and is completing a book on Screenplay writing for publisher Michael Wiese titled Riding the Alligator: Strategies for a Career in Screenplay Writing...And Not Getting Eaten.

"For 20 days, I helped shoot a movie called Phantom. It all took place inside a retired Russian submarine, docked at the San Diego Maritime museum. Some days we had two crews filming back-to-back inside this amazing head-banging, cramped, low-tech diesel leviathan."

Film Offerings to Foreign Investors

2011-12-14T23:36:35+00:00

Check out this great blog post from Baseline Intelligence on the type of film offerings that are available to foreign investors. John Cones is a securities/entertainment attorney who has practiced in Los Angeles for 22 years, advising independent feature film producers and others on matters relating to investor financing of feature film and other entertainment projects. He now resides in Austin, Texas. He has participated in the preparation of investor documents for more than 250 such offerings. Mr. Cones has lectured on film finance topics more than 350 times for a variety of film industry organizations. In addition to numerous articles, he has authored seven books on those same topics. He also hosts a Q&A Internet site about investor financing of entertainment projects.

"Regulation S allows U.S. issuers to sell securities to foreign investors without regard for the sophistication, number of purchasers or dollar amount of the offering."

How to Get Representation

2011-12-14T23:35:32+00:00

Check out this fascinating blog post from the ScriptJournal Blog on tips on how to get representation. Rhonda Bloom is a dynamic and successful entertainment executive, manager and producer. In 2003, Ms. Bloom launched her boutique literary management company, Plumeria Entertainment, with an emphasis on discovering and breaking new talent. Prior to opening Plumeria, Ms. Bloom was a development executive and producer, with a special focus on television and cable films. Her executive experience includes tenures as Vice President of Television for Paula Weinstein’s Spring Creek Productions, Vice President of Development for Producer’s Entertainment Group, The Larry Thompson Organization, Dan Blatt Productions, and story editor for Zanuck-Brown Productions. Producing credits include CBS telefilms "Replacing Dad," "Separated by Murder," "Broken Promises," and the Showtime telefilm "Floating Away."

"This is a question posed daily by emerging writers and writer-directors, as well as those who have had some success but whose careers aren’t flourishing."