Reversal of Fortune

Time flies. Wheels of Time stops for no one. And my lady of fate has a sense of irony. Last weekend, I was on my way to the city and I got a call from the producer I met two weeks ago. He called to tell me that I got the job. What? I was told from the line producer that I didn't get it, and two days later I got the job? So after few phone calls later I tracked him down at a deli before he went back to Philly.

The producer explained to me that among many other pressing matters before the principle photography, he wanted to take the time to choose the right candidate for the assistant editor. Apparently, the line producer liked me enough to convince the producer to choose me over the other candidate who had more credits and experience. Basically, I won over with my personality. Hahaha. And low-balling my rate. He gave me a little raise to cover my lunch, that's how bad I wanted this gig. So, needless to say, I'm very, very excited. 35mm. Feature. Avid. Learn and work with hottest editor from Spain. A chance to work in LA. A chance to work more feature endeavors from this production company. This is just opened a door for me, literally.

That very night, I come back home with an email waiting for me. A boutique post house wants to setup an interview. For the job I applied a month ago. Hey, an interview is an interview, a job is a job, etc, etc. Since I'm golden for next four months, I figured there was no harm in check out the place and find what they got to to offer, instead of what I got to offer them. Going to an interview without too much desperation for securing job eased up my game for sure.

I went there and I was on fire. The manager liked me enough to keep me her company for half hour to talk about Lost. I barely started watching it and I was afraid she would discuss finer plot points of the show, but I got over easy by just nodding and smiling while she professed her love for the show. She offered me either a freelance assistant editor position or a staff position she didn't advertise yet on the spot. Of course, I took the freelance assistant editor because my commitment to the film. Besides, I wanted to pursue other opportunities beyond her post facility. All in all, it was an awesome interview.

I was lamenting my down and out of luck, and suddenly I'm flooded with offers. You are waiting for an opportunity all the time, and when it comes head-on, you better be prepared. That's why you need to be regular and orderly in the approach to your work. That's why I dusted off my Avid books and re-reading them from the front to the back. I hope to come back with more exciting news once I start working on this feature next week at DuArt.

Have a wonderful Halloween weekend. Don't despair even Life tricks you. It comes with enough treats to keep you in the game for a long haul, if you preservere.

Watch Out Hollywood!

The entertainment industry's real threat isn't piracy, it's backyard Spielbergs armed with digital moviemaking gear. "According to analyst Chris Chute of IDC, a market research firm, sales of camcorders and editing software have exploded: 4.7 million digital camcorders were sold in the United States in 2004, and 11 million units were sold worldwide. The latest trend is toward high-definition cameras. Sony's HDR-FX1, which sells for $3700, is as popular with pros as it is with amateurs.

It's the death of a thousand cuts for the entertainment industry, and it's showing in slumping big-label music sales and this year's dismal box office returns. What's more, the amateurs are in it as much for fun as for money. Tech guru Jonathan Peterson says the problem is that the Big Media companies still see audiences strictly as consumers. They don't realize that many members of their audience want to create as well as consume.

Under Grokster, sites that are promoted purely as ways for people to share their own work are safe; it's sites that are promoted as carrying pirated works that are vulnerable. I think this will encourage the growth of truly independent Internet distribution. And it is happening just as the technology gets good enough to support the big files needed for movies. Amazon.com is getting involved by streaming short films and by acquiring DVD-on-demand manufacturer CustomFlix. Then there's AtomFilms.com, ifilm.com and thelonelyisland.com, all of which distribute films directly, online." This article is more of utopian than I personally experienced, but there's no question that there are more options and choices for creative minds and inquistive audiences who long for more than standard mainstream fair. The real question is this: show me the money. Where's the business model/infrastructure beyond showcasing your stuff for free? Recent iTune Video library is a strong contender. Judging from the online porn industry, oh yes, there won't be a blockbuster, but you will make a living out of it.

The biggest change is that it became much easier for good stories to find its audience. It's the best any storyteller can hope for, besides making a living out of it.

Bummed Out - time to hit the keyboard!

As a freelance filmmaker, I'm always looking for next gig even if I'm on a gig. I haven't made the name or connections to get steady offers of jobs, yet. After 3 years since my film school, I feel like my break is just around the corner. However, it's still elusive and so fleeting. As they say, your first million is the hardest. Sigh.

I met with a line producer, and a director who graduated Full Sail in 98 for an assistant editor job. Wow. I don't know anyone who graduated my school made it to above-the-line, but he told me there are few. No big names, but they are definitely there. The director was an European, with European money--thank god those tax breaks are still in effect, to shoot his first feature in Philly. I connected really well because I knew Philly as my parents place is in Mt. Laurel, Cherry Hill. What do you know, their production office is at Mt. Laurel. With a Venti cup of Caramel Macchiato before the interview, I projected positive vibe and bonded with the line producer and the director well enough to talk more after the interview was over.

They were shooting it in 35 mm (Yes!) and they got this top European editor (Yes!) to edit the film in NY. After they are done, they will move the post to LA (Yes!) for a couple of months. After they wrap the first, they may go for 2nd and 3rd (Yes!) depending on how well the 1st one is made. This gig sounded like a dream come true at my stage of career. And I felt I nailed the interview. Line Producer liked me. The director, although he was a bit introverted person, he chatted with me.

And that was two weeks ago. They are busy scouting locations and doing last minute pre-pro stuff that keep people awake around the clock while I was waiting for my ticket. However, the fate had a different plan. They got someone two days ago. (I'm sure you knew this coming from the title. I shouldn't give out the ending too early, damn.) Line Producer was too busy that he hasn't been in the office since he met me last time, but I guess the director wasn't too impressed with my credits, or found someone better. Rejections are now permanent part of my life, but this one was too close to the heart. Although the line producer consoled me that I was his first pick and he would recommend me if anything changes, but I'm not holding my breath. I was bummed out. Thank god I didn't take the plunge and bought the upgrade for Avid Express Pro HD. (I'm holding out for Mac version.)

I usually lose myself in writing, in my stories, when I'm feeling down. I found that allows me to come to terms with my inner feeling better. Now you know why I don't write many cheery stories, despite my happy-go-lucky attitude. Watching back-to-back Entourage Season 2 kinda picked me up but this weekend, I'll be banging out pages after pages to get over this sorry-ass depression.

Second to the Right is coming along nicely even though the pace slowed to 5 pages per day. This time, I'm not going to send out my first draft to people for proofread or feedbacks. I'm going to take time to rewrite and rewrite. Your first draft always sucks, hard. Although people generally liked my first draft because of my ideas and whatnot, they should get the whole meat, not half-baked sizzles, even when they are proofreading.

Would it be too much to ask for deux ex machina in my life? Even though I'm well aware that it's a horrible plot device? Man can't live on hope alone, but, tomorrow, the sun will rise as usual. And I will be battling with my destiny once more.

Good night, and good luck.

Reality + Show = Oxymoron

As I was prowling for next job last month, I got interviewed for a small TV production company that was working on their new season of reality show TV series. They just sold their first season to a cable network, so they were just waiting for the check and preping for next season. What I learned from my quick hi-bye first interview session was that these reality shows have great ROI--return on investment, compare to other production endeavors. Their margin of each episode was more like 250% as the interviewer threw numbers at me. (Why he chose to reveal those numbers, I don't know. I guess he was trying to boast that they are on solid financial foundation?) Wow. You won't make a fortune, but you get pretty solid returns, that keeps you in the game/business, keeps you growing, and allows you to aim higher. Off chance that the show is a monster hit, the channel gets the windfall, but your status in the business risen also. Fame and fortune roll together.

No wonder all TV productions are keep churning out more and more of these shows. However, as a writer and storyteller, I'm glad that drama series are coming back in big time. (Love 24, Lost, Desperate Housewives, anything from HBO)

Most of film/TV productions lose money, that's no secret. You could make a show out of all the failed pilots and premature death of TV series. (In fact, I think there was one show that dealt with this issue.) Like any other entertainment/media industry, it is a hit-driven market that successful ones plug the holes of unsuccesful ones--in terms of strictly financial stand point. I've not done a TV produciton, but I was willing to try anything/everything at my yet-on-going film and video produciton career. So I was invited back for 2nd interview, but I fucked up because I was hesitant about shooting B-rolls. Project confidence, is my new motto. Say "yes, I can!" Not to embelish my record or experience or anything, but I pride myself as a quick learner and eyes and taste for good visual flair. I was let down, but I got a gig at another, bigger, TV production doing ANOTHER reality show. This must be a sign.

Although I did sign NDA, however this show won't air until next year, and I'm here to talk about the mechanics of so-called "reality show." First of all, I'm working as a logger + transcriber, going through mountains of tapes. When they posted an ad, I thought I would be like assistant-assistant editor going through B-rolls and digitizing footage. Wrong. I'm sitting in front of a computer and a HD deck, watching all the footage and jotting what happened in the footage with timecodes and what the people said on the camera. Fun job as long as the people speak clear and articular manner, more on this later. Since it's not 'scripted' but people mouth off in front of cameras all the time, you can't get a sense of what you got until you sort through the hours and hours of footage. All this for a half hour show. Basically, this job entails you to find and mark stuff where interesting things happen for producers and editors when they start cutting this thing together.

I got a Sony HDCam deck and a nice HD monitor usually found in an editing suite. My coworker has the same deck, but a bigger and better HD flatscreen TV--no speaker on this baby though. I remember on my previous jobs that renting a deck was like $400 per day that cash-strapped producers rented it on Friday so they could use it, stretching over the weekend. The deck worked non-stop until early Monda morning. I can't help think there are many low-budget indie production companies out there who would kill to use this equipment like I do right now, days and nights. But this is a BIG cable TV company and there are HD flatscreens and HD decks everywhere. After working for low-budget productions and companies, it's refreshing to work under and care of a BIG coporate entity. Free coffee & tea flow like Hudson river. (Bad metaphor, I know.)

So, I'm watching a lot of footage, and it's like a revealing peek behind the big curtain of 'reality show' TV series. Although I only saw couple of episodes of Survivor or the Apprentice, but wow, I never expected this. For the sake of the show, there's not much reality left in actual production. Pretty much all the settings, the contestants/participants are scripted and staged for the cameras. Sure, they speak whatever that comes to their minds, but many of them are fed lines in order to make it more 'showy' or producers are directing them constantly to get some 'footage.' Basically regular, non-show biz people, are picked off the street and filmed before a live camera for contests and others purposes. Sure they will get ease into being filming them all the time, but most of the time, it's staged, if not faked. So much for 'reality.'

I'm firm believer that once you place a camera, you can't help but ignore the reality within and beyond the camera's frame. You can't see the whole world with a camera. A camera only shows you what it sees, what it wants you to see. There's truth and danger in a camera's perspective.

People first loved reality shows because of their freshness and rawness. Now, people got used to it, and looking for something more dramatic and stories and characters that ordinary people off the streets can't provide. I think it ultimately comes down to finding characters that we can enjoy their company, for TV at least. And that's why some people/actors are stars and some are not, as even these reality shows are making stars out of ordinary people.

I now know that reality shows only proved they are as good as the personalities and characters inhibit in their shows. I never realized 15 minutes of your fame was so consumable. And never underestimate the hunger for content in TV. It's the only thing that provides me with job security.

It's the money, stupid!

Reuters: Unions seek video iPod residuals. "WGAW continues to believe that the proper formula is the existing one covering pay television. That entitles writers to 1.2% of the entire producers' gross. DGA has an identical formula, while SAG gets 3.6% and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) gets 5.4%.

The DVD formula, by contrast, is much less lucrative for all of these guilds because it pays a slightly higher percentage based on only 20% of the wholesale receipts. The remaining 80% is withheld by the studios to cover manufacturing, distribution and marketing costs.

The unions feel the DVD model is outdated and fundamentally unfair, leading them to demand a greater share in last year's negotiations with the studios and networks. The effort was unsuccessful when the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers made it clear that it was willing to endure a strike to protect DVD revenue, which has become fundamental to the economics of film and TV production." So it begins. Since the Hollywood has been fretting about declining sales of DVDs that pillar the financial health of the studios, it is likely that the unions will get the DVD model. Plus, it makes the whole schem/math much easier.

The Goal of Making Cinema

"Make visible what, without you, might perhaps never have been seen"

French filmmaker Robert Bresson (1901-1999)

Screenwriters' Podcasts

It must be ingrained within our genes that we can't keep good stories inside but express it any way possible. Writers are the worst of bunch and it's no secret that there are proliferation of blogs of pro and amateur screenwriters' blogs as well as podcasts. Good writers are not necesarilly good performers in telling the stories, but if you are trying to learn the craft, you learn from whatever and wherever.

I'm really enjoying Sam and Jim Go to Hollywood podcasts right now, rooting for their success. Their writing sample puts my works to shame. Shame!

On more formal level, you can catch up with Screenwriters Podcast about several notable screenwriters' interviews.

There is also Verge of the Fringe, which I will be listening after I'm finished with Sam & Jim.

I won't be joining this podcast revolution anytime, but I may do videocast in future, if I find suitable materials (and enough resources). It is truly exicting time to be a storyteller in one form or another. Let the story find you.

Seeing is Believing

The tech pundit Cringely speculates that (emphasizes are mine),

"It is easy to say that Apple's deal to distribute a few ABC and Disney TV shows at $1.99 per show was motivated mainly by Disney's desire to renew its movie distribution agreement with Pixar, Steve Jobs' other company. Corporate deals aren't supposed to work that way, of course, with one public company being effectively paid for something another, completely separate, public company has done or will do. But this is Steve Jobs and his rules are different than yours or mine.

That $1.99 price is actually pretty amazing, too, both because it is so low and so high. The price is low because TV series compilation DVDs average $3 to $4 per episode. The price is high because the cost of goods is presumably close to zero (the show is already paid-for, though there may be some residual payments I am unaware of). There are no manufacturing or inventory costs. Marketing is effectively free if it is done on the network show, itself. That leaves distribution as the major cost and if Apple is able simply to match the kind of deals I've made for NerdTV, that episode of Desperate Housewives will cost just $0.15 to distribute. Double that to cover unanticipated overhead expenses and the gross profit on each $1.99 sale is $1.69. I'm going to guess that ABC gets $1.00 of that, which isn't much revenue for "Desperate Housewives," with its 30-second commercials going for $560,000. But for the Disney Channel's That's So Raven, $1.00 per episode is good money.

Five TV shows are an EXPERIMENT, not a business. The experiment going on here is all on behalf of the major movie studios, the very outfits that haven't yet signed on to distribute their movies through iTunes. The studios want to see how the market accepts these TV series distributed in this format, whether the ability to download the shows has a material impact on their broadcast viewership (ratings), and most especially whether we see a surge of pirated copies of "Lost" - copies that can be traced back to iTunes distribution.

If the experiment is successful -- if these five shows are able to demonstrate incremental revenue increases that don't harm their existing revenues or pose an unreasonably increased piracy threat -- then the studios and other TV networks will sign on and Apple will be in the movie and TV businesses, big time.

There's an outfit called DVDstation that puts video distribution kiosks in stores and malls. As its name implies, you go to the DVDstation to pick out a movie and burn it on a DVD right there. Well, DVDstation just announced that you can plug your video-enabled iPod into their kiosk and download an HD movie in 90 seconds or less.

This is a compelling model, placing the equivalent of a completely automated Blockbuster video store in a few square feet at, say, The Gap or any other retailer that doesn't presently have a competing video sales operation. The video-enabled iPod becomes the vessel for transporting movies from store to home and of course they don't have to be returned. Apple, meanwhile, can sell iPods to people who like movies but don't typically carry their music with them -- a whole new class of iPod customers.

When the Apple experiment is complete and successful, we'll see the movie studios sign on, at which point Apple will finally announce that Video Express, which is the component still required to practically link this new video system to your TV. That rash of products will also include Apple's much faster 802.11n version of its Airport access point, which suggests that the Video Express will be 802.11n as well, which figures.

And of course that's when Apple will start selling Sony flat panel TVs in its stores... They'll stick with Sony, which makes sense for a ton of reasons including undermining any thought Sony might have to competing with Apple in the video distribution business." I guess this means Sony will stick with the retail-oriented DVD/UMD sales distribution while Apple gets the digital distribution. Who wins, who loses? The retail distribution will continue to dwarf the digital distribution, but the growth will be in the digital for long time until they become equal sizes, complimenting each other. Then again, there might be another business model introduce to the market that will totally change this whole game. Fun stuff.

The Nobel Prize in Literature 2005

is Harold Pinter!

My sig in for emails is his infamous words,

"The more acute the experience, the less articulate its expression."

His words are my guiding light when I'm writing my screenplays.

I only read The Homcing in my college theater class, but I respected what he tried to accomplish in his writing in the play. I may not rise to his level of writing or narratives in exploring human conditions, but that's my bar to rise above.

This Revolution will NOT being Televised!

I anticipate Steve Jobs announcements like a big Hollywood event movie opening for couple years now, thanks to the Web. His annoucements/performances were usually not televised until they decided to broadcast on the web. I can talk hours and hours about his awesome presentation styles, techniques, and infamous 'reality distortion field' but that's not what this post is about, anyway.

Last announcement was a low-key even by Steve Jobs standard. There were few minor glitches in his presentations but it didn't announce any major products, besides minor updates to iMac line and iPod line which now emphasized true multimedia experience. iMac line is less interest to me besides its new Shuffle style remote and Front Row interface that allows you to control your media on the computer. Even new so-called video iPod with slimer design and expanded storage was ho-hum. But in typical Jobs presentation, he had one more thing...

His introduction of new business model of selling music videos and TV shows were nothing short of revolutionary and breathtaking. Sure, Apple repeatedly denied making true video iPod since people don't want to watch 2 hours movie on a small screen, on the move, and I have to agree with them based on my experience with PSP. They wisely opted that this is an enhancement, NOT a feature for this new iPod. It has the similar form factor as the old ones, not to alienate or shock people--especially one month after the introduction of iPod nano.

Previous generation of iPods were able to handle videos, and that was no big secret. So what's new? As Jobs mentioned in his presentation, his teams at Apple built an infrastructer to support this business model of digitally distributing videos over the Internet. Netflix challenged old Blockbuster rental model with advent of DVD format since it was, and still is, cheaper to move DVD quality movie data physically. However, it is no secret that the future lies in online distribution where there's no physical media, no distribution center, nothing but pure bits and bytes racing through the pipes to your home/desk/iPod.

This also signals that Jobs finally buried his grudges against post-Eisner Disney, and partnering with Disney's new CEO. (More Pixar films/merchandises will be distributed by Disney, yay!) Sure, his TV channels are grumbling but there is no turning back. The cat is out of the bag. People may pay $2 for no ads, but Jobs may introduce ads supported TV shows like old TV model. The posibility is endless, and he paved the way to become the first BIG online distributor for every conceivable media for the 21st century.

Why am I excited? This moves opens the floodgates for minor production companies to find brand new distribution channel that is immediately cost-effective and efficient. Take a look at podcasts on iTune. I forsee a Video/Movie page where it will list all the latest to smallest video content that people are willing to pay, if it is good enough for $2, or less. The idea is to entice people to try new things beyond usual Hollywood offerings, without too much risk. Sure we got 500 channels, but when was the last time you saw good content on it? Or did you care to catch it at an odd hour? Sure I can TiVo it, but can you take it with you in your new, shiny black iPod and watch it whenever and wherever you want to? If this is not a revolution, I don't know what is.

There will be more shows and eventually movies when Jobs hammers out the deals other studios. Then we will truly get a Video iPod that everyone is salivating over. Maybe it will merge with iPod Phone that everyone is ALSO salivating over. Or it would be a tiny, tiny iBook that doubles as PDA + Phone + iPod. Apple is becoming the first vertically intergrated media company of the 21st century, which Sony dreamed years ago when they bought a Hollywood movie studio. Their business mind is still stuck in 20st century with PSP-a gorgeous machine, with UMDs that are pushed through traditional retail channels, in boxes, for $20 a pop. They sold better than they expected, but it's a doomed channel until Sony finally gets off its lazy behind and starts its own online media distribution center. Come to think of it, it needs one for upcoming Playstation 3 as well. But is there a charismatic leader/visionary likes Jobs that's merging all these efforts and providing a common goal? I doubt it.

So I bought two videos: Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal music video, and the premier episode in the 2nd season of Desperate Housewives. The video were downloaded within 10 minutes via my broadban, wireless connection. Smooth Criminal is just a collage from the MJ's vanity movie, "Moonwalker." Honestly, I'm waiting for the DVD release of this movie, because I love this song, and I love the dance portion in the movie. But the music video was totally different beast and I'm a little let down. But for $2, no hard feeling. Desperate Housewives was good. Since I have no iPod, yet, I watched it on my Powerbook, full screen, and the quality was comparable to watching VHS, if not DVD. But it's a TV show, and I'm not poring over details or cinematography. I'm simply following the characters and the story that I've grown to love, as any hit TV show. It will be cost effective to buy them the whole season set, like they are offering for the 1st season, but if you gotta have your fix, you gotta have your fix. I can download the episodes free off the net, but why would I waste time doing that when I can click a button and get it in minutes? My time is more valuable than waste time to find free, bootleg versions.

I think it will be sooner than later that there will be a film or a show debuts exclusively for iPod/iTune. The numbers are there, the infrastructure is there, the money is there, and there is the novelty factor--watch the very first exclusive premier of your film/show title goes here. I want to be there before you, yes. So Mr. Jobs, where do I sign up?

Typecasting

The Use (And Misuse) of Period Typography in Movies. Yes, people care about that stuff, like my brother who is a graphic designer. It's a demonstration of how much details that are put into making a (feature) film. No wonder it's a collaborative art. (I haven't signed up for the auteur theory myself.)

How I Got Agents Chasing After Me Like Lusty Dogs

by David Hoag. "This was not all by some lucky chance. It was the result of about 18 months of very careful planning and plotting on my part. I designed a plan for how I could succeed.

First, and absolutely foremost, you have to have a script that everybody wants, like Chuck Pogue said in the other message. You have to have talent to do that. A great script isn’t an accident. My script was unlike anything else out there. How do I know this? I read a lot. I read any script I could get my hands on. I read tracking reports, development lists, news articles, you name it. I knew a lot of what was already in the Hollywood caldron. I read for a producer for about 8 months. I didn’t do it for the money (although I got paid). I did it to understand the business.

I don’t mean to sound presumptive, but my script was very good. How do I know this? Many people told me. It won several awards. It got me an agent. It got set up. It got me a lot of work. It still gets me work. I recently talked to a well-known director who read the script six years ago. He still remembered scenes and lines of dialogue. So much that’s out there is so much alike. Mine was so different than all of that; people can still remember the odd title and the odd story still today – better than I can, often.

Second, I was obsessed with succeeding. I did everything I possibly could to succeed that was lawful... Being obsessive about succeeding as a screenwriter has to have that same intensity. I became that obsessive. It was all I thought about. I made many sacrifices in my personal life to do this.

Third, I did a lot of research before I started on the gameboard. I read the trades every day. I read the entertainment pages of the LA Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times. I read entertainment magazines and trade journals. I read books about Hollywood. And I took careful notes. I kept detailed databases about studio executives, producers, writers, directors, actors, and agents. I knew who was doing what. I knew who was helping new writers. I knew who was writer friendly. I identified who could help me in the future. Now all of this kind of thing can be found for free on the Internet!

Fourth, I got people to know me and like me without them knowing I wanted them to read my screenplay. When I wanted a smart, solid quote from a studio executive on a topic, I turned to my databases. The databases of nice, writer-friendly Hollywood people I had built from my research. I made them look good in a very honest way. They had reason to like me. It was very easy to get these people on the phone.

Fifth, I told people “no” when they asked to read my script... Do you know what the power of “no” is to someone who is in the business of saying “no” to everyone? When you say “no,” that makes them want it all the more." Like he said, when I finish my scripts to my satisfaction, they will open the doors, not getting an agent, or a deal, or money. Getting an agent, or a deal, is just another beginning of long entertainment career. You game?

Wallace & Gromit is da bomb! And on fire!

Besides fabulous Corpse Bride this is the big year for stop-motion animations as Wallace & Gromit feature film finally opened to the fans' delight. I saw this movie at 42nd St. E-Walk theater where they exhibited in their big stadium theater. I was little dishearted that the seats were not filled, it was 9 o'clock show on Sunday night after all. But everyone in the theater had jolly good time. The story, the character, the jokes, and the actions were tight. Compare to clean and clear shaped models/characters of Corpse Bride, Wallace & Gromit were built with clays in curvy figures that had handprints all over them, giving them distinct texture and warth to its already adorable characters. (You can't get enough of the bunnies at the end credit.)

This is the best animation Dreamworks Animation distributed by far. And, they opened the movie with a short animation from the penguins from Madagascar, a good move stolen from their rival Pixar. Clocking over 85 minutes, the movie was a dream, and it didn't disappoint the fans or newcomers alike. I'm so glad that the movie top the box office for the weekend, now there's $20 well spent!, that it bodes well for more adventures from these lovable duo.

However, I'm just struck with the news that Fire hits Wallace and Gromit sets, nearly destroying everything.

Company Spokesman Arthur Sheriff said: "It couldn't have come on a worse day - we were supposed to be celebrating, but instead our history has disappeared in a couple of hours. Everything has gone, from as far back as Morph and all the way through to Chicken Run, including Wallace and Gromit, Creature Comforts, it's all there. Everyone is devastated."

Tragic, but I hope the studio arises from the ashes like a phoenix to produce more brilliant animations for years to come. Nothing can dampen a creative spirit, if there's willing audience abound. I'm sure Wallace would find an inventive solution and Gromit will loyally support his whimsical paths.

David Mamet said,

"No art comes from the conscious mind."

True, true dat.

Second to the Right - A Writer's High

It's suffice to say I'm always searching for an idea to turn it into a script, regardless I follow through and actually put the idea on the papers. Now that's a different story. Some would say an idea is nothing if not executed, and I agree 110%.

I woke up 5 am in yesterday morning with a flash of title in my head--literally. It was as if God endowed me with a flash of creative genius that bubbled up from my unconsciousness. The title in question is the title of this blog, Second to the Right. It's a Romantic Drama (!!!) about second generation Korean-Americans, whom I can related and have intimate knowledge of, trying to make relationships work amid living in America as well as Korea. I will elaborate more about the story/script later when I finish the script, probably around next week.

Anyhow, I couldn't go back to sleep even after I scribled the title and some ideas down hastily in the darkness. The story kept growing and the characters kept talking in my head. In order to calm my nerves down, I just gave up and boot up my computer. I proceed to write first 20 pages in flash before I can finally crash back to my much needed morning sleep.

I once wrote a script over a night after I got excited about an idea, and that was Vivre Sa Vie! (Yes, I lifted the title from the Goddard's film), which was well-received by my film school instructors and peers before going defunct after my failed attempted to produce/direct it.

However, this one is a feature and I can easily see this going over 100 pages. Would I be able to carry enough torch/interest to slug through the pages after pages to see the end? So far I've passed the 30 pages mark and I'm already sweating. I already pictured the ending, but how to get there, that will the challenge and the interesting journey no less. I put every other scripts-including the short scripts that I promised repeatly to finish, in order to finish this and hand it over to couple of friends to gauge their interest/reaction. I think this film could be made for modest 1 or 2 millions dollars if I shoot it in HD.

Yeah, every script I write is a dream that's yet to turn into reality. That's the most exciting part of working in this entertainment industry, sharing your dreams that becomes shared reality.

Truveo - a search engine for infinite channels

Truveo was recently voted the best video search engine on the web by Business Weekly. Sooner or later, all the video content will be distributed over the Internet, because you can already find anything/everything on the net if you know where to look.

Whoever finds and builds the sustaining business model to mint money out of distributing movies/videos on the Internet will be the next big content studio/distributor. And I think Apple is coming little close to my comfort because I'm bidding my time to claim my stake in that business. :-)

Basically, the Internet can cut the big cost out of distributing films and make anyone with a server farm and enough original content to start a distribution channel/company. It's already proven that people likes to watch movies at the comfort of their home with their big screen TV and DVDs. Although computers haven't invaded the living room space, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 are going to usher moves to High-Def as well as digitally distributed video/game content. Or a video version of iPod is going to fundamentally change the way people watch their shows/videos. Anywhere and anytime.

If you thought there's nothing to see on TV with 500 channels, you haven't seen nothing yet, with all the shows/movies/video clips from the beginning of time to all the latest content made around the globe at your finger tips. The market will be futher fragmented and niched beyond your comprehension. It's truly exciting time to be a creative storyteller to explore and expand this new frontier of possibilites.

Serenity Now

I made my 'trek' to see Serenity on its opening weekend. I catched an episode of the canceled Firefly and I thought it was an interesting yet off-beat show. Kinda like a Buffy series, which I adores after I sat through the first season DVD set. History repeats itself, and the fans bought tons of the Firefly DVD sets to justify the movie version. And I'm all for giving a sucker punch to Fox Network for canceling the show, depriving the money they could've had from me, if they kept the show alive.

The movie version was a lot better than I thought, although it wore its obvious root to the TV series with the look and feel of the whole thing. At one point I began to wonder if Joss shot this on Hi-Def instead of films, like Lucas. I liked the fact that there were some long tracking shots to show the characters and the environments. But the visual and the director kept me thinking I'm watching 2 hour long version of the TV show, instead of a movie. Joss is obviously talented writer and storyteller, but, there's nagging feeling that his craft works on better on the small screens than the big screens. (And there's no judgement or prejudice against working in TV worlds, as I know better.)

The dialogues and the characters were a lot better than many of the summer blockbusters I've seen. No throwaway one liner. No cliched episode. Some fresh, imaginative visuals, and setups. With it's morally ambigious lead characters and their morally quentionable tactics, I began to wonder what if Joss wrote Episode III to develop Darth Vader character. Sure, Darth won't talk/quip like Buffy, but her teenage angst, and devil-may-care attitude could've been used for our tormented Anakin to push him over to the dark side with a clever shove/plot.

This movie won't be a Star Wars despite its strength. Although it is entertaining movie, the morally questionable characters and story won't win over people who are used to seeing things black or white, good vs. evil. (Yes, I'm looking at you, Mr. President.) You are either with this movie, or not. I'm with the movie, and I'm gonna scourage the ebay to secure a used copy of the DVD set. Or I could wait till the movie's DVD release and get them all in a bundle deal that will sure to come. In the mean time, go see the movie in the theaters so that Joss can make more movies like this, even if it won't be a sequel to this movie.

The abudant choice of media content clearly gives us the fans the power to give life or death to a movie/TV franchise like this. And I'm all for it, with my time & money.

"I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."

Joy of Internet/Podcast

If you are reading my blog, you must know the hottest trend on the Internet at the moment, accoring to MY Internet watch, is podcast. I listen to a few in my commute and I recently came across Graham Hawkes's interview podcast where he talks about exploring ocean with his innovative approach to undersea exploration.

The greatest joy of Internet surfing is coming across a gem like this that fuels my imagination and provides ideas for my scripts, in this case, Dark Tide Rising--that's a tentative title until God drops few more clues toward the perfectly fitting title for this story. With burning passion, I parked my rear and wrote first 15 pages in flash, setting my heroes to explore the deep sea in hopes of retreiving a sunken nuclear submarine. A feel good start, as a writer, but now I have to make the rest of the rope, and tie its end nicely.

One of my dear friend, who regularly proofreads my scripts, told me that I have interesting ideas, but I lack overall structure that holds them together. Ouch! He also mentioned that I start off great, but he notices the pattern that I get tired at the end. Ouch! I'm working to amend those and one of the greatest challenges for me, as a writer, is to keeping the flame of my interest to the script I'm writing well alive till its satisfying conclusion. But, hey, there's always rewrites. And more rewrites.

You can learn more about this deepsea exploration at Deep Flight Submersibles Homepage. I plan to walk on the moon, and explore to the deepest part of the ocean in my lifetime. Yeah, so I got to live long, healthy lifem, and cross my fingers for latest medical advacements. (Human desires never know its limits.)

Book Reviews: Breaking In & Is There Life After Film School

If I'm not writing, I'm catching up with my enormous backlist of movies or books. My booklist is topped with writing/production books as you can see on the right side of my blog page. (This does not to include a HUGE stack of American Cinematographer magazines I subscribed after I got out of my film school.)

I recently finished Breaking In : How 20 Film Directors Got Their Start by Nicholas Jarecki and enjoyed it enormously. I highly recommend this book to anyone who's trying to MAKE IT as a film director. I liked the fact that the book canvases 20 different types of recent "name" directors who had different experience/perspectives making into the world of feature productions, NOT short films. Yes, shorts are for play/test/trial/whatever, and features are where big boys with big money with big businesses rumble in the bronx. Since the book format is in interview format posed by the author, it cuts the fat and goes straight for the meat; how did these directors got their start making features? And their answers rarely disappoint. The consistent theme and the 'key' to breaking in is that they were resilient in making their films and they were writers with their original scripts. They may not be writing anymore, but almost all of them got their start with their original scripts that attracted interests, attentions, and finally finance. Basically, if you don't own an interesting script that people were willing to bank on, you are forever working on other people's films--like myself right now. If you are short on time, just read the interviews of the directors you like or interested and skip to the valuable summary at the afterwords at the end.

I actually like this book a lot better than The First Time I Got Paid for It book since I'm more of an aspiring film director than an aspiring writer. (I know my humane limits.) Honing my skill as a writer + editor is my interim steps becoming a great director. Every aspiring director should pick up this book, in my humble opinion, and work harder honing their script/skills, because latest digital film revolution/evolution just put more people in reach of a camera and materials for cheap and less effort.

Second book I read recently is Is There Life After Film School: In Depth Advice From Industry Insiders by Julie Maclusky. It's also an interview format book for various other members of film industry, not just a director. Just over 200 pages of different perspectives from various individuals who work in the industry, not limited to a director. If you don't have your eyes set on becoming a director, but exploring to work in the entertainment industry, you should skim through over a cup of coffee. I especially like the section at the end where she interviews a Spanish producer and screenwriter Mardik Martin where he recounts his working relationship with "Marty" Scorsese and his advice as a screenwriter.

Entertainment biz is hard, but it's not impossible, demonstrated by the people on these books. That keeps me going, and going, despite against all odds.