Advertisement
Notes from Overboard: Whacked But Fact—Chronic
After the financing fell through on Box Of Moonlight for the third time I got an e-mail from one Fred Knimble. Fred had a production company based in South Africa that was looking for low-budget independent films. I sent him the script. He loved it. My producer Marcus Viscidi and I quickly worked out an option agreement that gave Fred and Uberlight Productions sole rights to the script for eight months. During that time Fred and his partner in Los Angeles, Daryl Pelts, would attempt to raise $6 million. Marcus and I were ecstatic. We’d never had that much money to make a film.
May 27th, 2009 | Category: Notes from Overboard | By Tom DiCillo
Advertisement
' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Marlett & Me: Get All Deal Points in Writing!
Rule One: Get All Deal Points in Writing!
The film biz is awash in crooks and con artists. And in this "dream factory" business, too many good and talented artists get duped. I can’t believe I gotta say this to all you smart people, but wise da f up!
There are two key elements to avoiding being stung: Get to know who you are dealing with and get it in writing. In this blog I am gonna rant a little about the second element.
May 27th, 2009 | Category: Marlett & Me | By David Marlett
Cinema Law: What's In a Title?
Q: I made a short film in 1983 and now a feature film is being made with the same title. The storylines are not the same but nobody checked with me about using my title. What options do I have? To whom would I file a complaint? Would it be with the studio making the film? The director? Or the screenwriter? Do I even have a case for suit?
May 25th, 2009 | Category: Cinema Law | By Jeremiah Reynolds
Adventures in Self-Releasing: Week Three of Our Theatrical Release
Before I forget, I wanted to mention that there’s an article detailing how the money came together for The Last Lullaby in the latest print issue of MovieMaker Magazine (Spring 2009 edition, with Seth Rogen and Anna Faris on the cover). For those of you who want to take a look, the issue is available at most Barnes & Nobles, Borders and newsstands—or you can order it online.
Okay, now on to week three of our national release...
May 22nd, 2009 | Category: Adventures in Self-Releasing | By Jeffrey Goodman
Advertisement
' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Cinema Law: Choice of Law & Fair Use
Q: I got a grant to go and make a short documentary film in India this summer, on a certain type of musical style, which I am now editing. While I was there, I did not make any of the musicians I filmed and recorded sign any type of paper. I would like to send the finished movie to festivals, and maybe distribute it, but don't want to have any legal trouble. What type of contract stipulating that they give me the right to what I filmed can I send them to have signed? And can I quote a passage of a book without asking for any authorization?
May 19th, 2009 | Category: Cinema Law | By Jonathan Steinsapir
Marlett & Me: Angels & Demons—Getting Repped in L.A.
It’s an odd state of affairs, the way Hollywood works. Agents and managers appear in control when they’re anything but. In truth, it’s the creators—the writers, actors, directors—who are the heart and soul of this town. They are the bosses, and I encourage those "bosses" to keep their reps in check, lest great projects never get to see the light of day.
May 18th, 2009 | Category: Marlett & Me | By David Marlett
Notes from Overboard: Roll Model
When I was 23 I moved to NYC and started classes at NYU Film School. As the months went by I kept waiting for the day when I would actually learn something. I knew the art of directing could not be taught. I knew the faculty was doing their best to provide the basic fundamentals of filmmaking but still, something was missing.
Some of it had to do with my classmates. They were mostly guys, all with goatees and backwards baseball caps. One freaked me out by coming to class one day with his hat so far backwards it was actually forwards. The cutting-edge spirit was reflected in their films, which were strictly divided between stories of film students trying to get pizza delivered to their dorm rooms or lovesick, guitar-playing mimes in Washington Square Park.
After three years I walked out with an MA in Directing and the profound sense that I had no idea what I was doing.
May 16th, 2009 | Category: | By Tom DiCillo
Advertisement
' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Adventures in Self-Releasing: The Lullaby Tour Continues
The Lullaby tour continues, and really it’s the start of a new stage in the process. I’m writing from the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) airport, where I just spent the second weekend of our theatrical run. Our first weekend was in my backyard in Louisiana. But now, as we move forward, the film ventures into much less familiar territory.
May 15th, 2009 | Category: Adventures in Self-Releasing | By Jeffrey Goodman
Marlett & Me: How NOT to Blow Up your Old Dog and New Truck!
Perhaps you’ve heard the "funny," awful story of the idiot who went ice fishing with dynamite, his new truck and old faithful dog? He parks on the ice, throws the lit dynamite, the dog retrieves the stick while the fuse is burning… then hides under the truck when the guy screams at the dog not to bring it back! You can imagine what follows.
May 13th, 2009 | Category: Marlett & Me | By David Marlett
Notes from Overboard: Whacked But Fact #1
Here is the first in a new series of posts under the general heading of "Whacked But Fact." These are actual incidents that have happened to me. They will appear when I remember them. For legal reasons and for physical safety, name changes are obligatory.
May 11th, 2009 | Category: Notes from Overboard | By Tom DiCillo
Advertisement
' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Adventures in Self-Releasing: Opening Weekend Recap
Our weekend results finally came in late Tuesday night. We ended up doing $16,640.75, making us the independent film with the second highest per screen average in North America (see: http://www.indiewire.com/article/2009/05/05/box_office_chart_may_5_2009).
May 8th, 2009 | Category: Adventures in Self-Releasing | By Jeffrey Goodman
Marlett & Me: Lessons on Juggling Fire—Poise Counts!
If you’re like me, you’re certain you are not a one-trick pony. Heck, the four scripts and 11 treatments you’ve got shortcutted there on your desktop prove otherwise, right? Maybe. But maybe shuffling projects is your one trick. Juggling too many fire sticks can really burn you, permanently!
May 6th, 2009 | Category: Marlett & Me | By David Marlett
Notes from Overboard: Surviving the Game
In 2007, a friend suggested I start a blog. I resisted for quite a while. Take away the ‘g’ and a blog is pretty much just blah blah blah.
But my film Delirious was about to be released and my friend felt the blog could help supplement the film’s promotional campaign. The financiers had allocated $350,000 for the film’s entire U.S. release. This figure included the cost of prints, all advertising, the distributor’s fee and the salary and all expenses of the publicist.
May 5th, 2009 | Category: Notes from Overboard | By Tom DiCillo
Advertisement
' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Cinema Law: How Far Can Inspiration Go?
Question: I’m working on a short film that was inspired by a song. I’m not including the song in the film, but some of the lines of dialogue are the same as some of the song lyrics. Do I need to seek permission to use a song as the inspiration for my film? It’s a no-budget short being made for the love of the art—not to make any money. What legal issues could come into play?
May 4th, 2009 | Category: Cinema Law | By Gregory Korn
Adventures in Self-Releasing: Indie Distribution Pitfalls
From the beginning, it’s been my goal to avoid what are perhaps some of the most common pitfalls in independent movie distribution, and in self-releasing. I haven’t really had a model to follow. I guess, more often, I’ve had models not to follow. I still don’t know how it will shake out. (By the time this publishes, it will be May 1, the date of our theatrical launch.) But I have stumbled upon a few things that I think could be useful to the next person that decides to go this way:
May 1st, 2009 | Category: Adventures in Self-Releasing | By Jeffrey Goodman
Categories
Adventures in Self-ReleasingJames Gunn: Behind the Screams
Moviemaking Contest
Cinema Law
Directing on a Dime
Association of the Week
Awards Watch
Exhibitor of the Week
Festival of the Week
Film School of the Week
I Found It At The Movies
Grassroots Moviemaker
Happenings
Just Crowdfund the $&*# Movie!
In Theaters Now
Marlett & Me
Mixed Reviews
Location of the Week
MM First Look
MM In The News
MM Remembers
Moviemaker of the Week
My Life As a Blog
News/Commentary
Notebook
Notes From Movieland
Notes from Overboard
Rus Thompson's Short Takes
Screenwriter of the Week
This Day in Indie History
Top of the Box Office
Video Views Pick
Website of the Week
Monthly Archives
May 2012April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
August 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
SITE DELIVERY OPTIONS
Advertisement
