On Current TV Biz

When It Comes To Television Content, Affiliate Fees Make The World Go ‘Round.

"From a cost accounting perspective, a studio should allocate these fees across the content development costs, and therefore, they are not explicitly 100% GM. But as there are no significant variable costs related to the deployment of these programs to the carrier, most content owners cannot help but think about affiliate fees as 100% gross margin and therefore the key contributor to overall profitability.

"If you own a cable channel, your goal is to develop one or two key, hit programs, and fill the rest of the linear lineup with very inexpensive content. The “hits” make you a “must have” for any cable or satellite carrier – granting you the right to ask for fees."

"Why would a cable distribution network want to own content? First, it’s a hedge against rising content costs (affiliate fees). Second, it offers leverage vis-à-vis their competition."

"Why earn your customers one by one when you can get to mass volumes, and a fixed amount of recurring revenue, through a distribution partner?"

"The fox isn’t just guarding the henhouse, he designed it."

Currently Writing

I'm happy to report that I've been writing consistently over last couple of months on Trigger Digits. I originally wanted to finish this script last month, but I underestimated how much I can accomplish even for a straight-forward thriller script after my regular job. But I can see the end of the tunnel and I hope to turn it around for screenwriting contests after polishing it up.

Per usual, I started to daydream about next scripts that I plan to write and wanted to post it here for my records and references.

• Title: Wings of Desire (working title)
• Genre: Sci-Fi Drama
• Details: I decided to combine three short scripts that I've written in various stages and combine them as one feature length film. That provides more solid ground for me to make one short film, and sell it as the promotional reel to make the rest of this feature film in the future.

• Title: N/A
• Genre: Supernatural Thriller / Drama
• Details: I cannot reveal of the title of this script because this will be an adaptation of a comic book that I don't have rights to. I'm simply going to write the script adaptation of this comic book as an exercise, working with the solid narrative arc & characters in place. And I really want to make this comic book into a film if I become a viable film director.

• Title: Dark Tide Rising (working title)
• Genre: Thriller / Action
• Details: Need to research little more about deep sea & US nuclear submarines, develop character rapports and come up with big showdown for its 3rd act.

• Title: Belfast Saga
• Genre: Fantasy Action Adventure
• Details: I got the main characters, plots, and overall narrative arc, but writing in the right medieval fantasy tone is HARD! So I resulted in writing in plain modern English for the 1st draft and will polish the dialogues later, like I always do - Ha!

• Title: The Phoenix Company
• Genre: Sci-Fi Action / Drama
• Details: A 13 episode TV series about a private military company in future. This is my first endeavor in developing & writing TV scripts, an exercise to develop longer story & characters arcs as well as get familiar with TV medium. Partly inspired by awesome Battlestar Galatica series, I must admit.

There are more half-written scripts in my computer but these are the most solid ones that I'll keep myself busy in front of monitor glow for some time. I hope to update on my progress sooner than later in order to keep my own promise: keep on writing.

Getting Your Trailer on iTunes Movie Trailers

"Films need to be theatrical films that are headed for USA releases... Our primary source requirement for submission is the highest resolution source as possible- as an uncompressed QuickTime file in .mov format. We also accept ProRes QuickTime .mov files as long as they are at as high a bit rate, frame rate, and resolution as possible."

Raymond Cauchetier’s “New Wave”

Enlightening retrospectives of his career - Part One & Two.