Monday, January 30, 2006

The "Pixar" Effect (or How-to-become-a-media-contender-overnight)

A link below to an interesting NYT's article. Highlights below.

"More than a few business pundits have drawn parallels between the flat, decentralized "corporation of the future" and the ad-hoc collection of actors, producers and technicians that come together around a film and disband once it is finished. In the Hollywood model, the energy and investment revolves around the big idea — the script — and the fine print of the deal. Highly talented people agree to terms, do their jobs, and move on to the next project. The model allows for maximum flexibility, to be sure, but it inspires minimum loyalty and endless jockeying for advantage.

Turn that model on its head and you get the Pixar version: a tightknit company of long-term collaborators who stick together, learn from one another and strive to improve with every production... 'The problem with the Hollywood model is that it's generally the day you wrap production that you realize you've finally figured out how to work together.'"

Full Article:
How Pixar Adds a New School of Thought to Disney
By WILLIAM C. TAYLOR and POLLY LaBARRE

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

WTF?

The 18th century runs head first into New Order?
Sofia Coppola's trailer for her new biopic Marie-Antoinette has been out for a while now, but I just caught it today. If you thought that A Knight's Tale was pretty bad, this looks even worse. This trailer makes my head sink low and want to implode.

Saturday, January 07, 2006

How to save up $7,300 for a feature by 2007.

Here's a snip from another filmmaker's blog (filmmaking for the poor) that's something anyone with a decent dayjob can do.

Here's the simple strategy:
Put $20 away in a piggy bank or a bank account or a treasure chest buried in your back yard EVERY DAY THIS YEAR. By 1/1/07 you should have about $7300.

$7300 is plenty to shoot a no-budget/ultra-low budget indie DV feature with. If you need tips on working on such a budget check out some of Rick Schmidt's low budget filmmaking books, such as Extreme DV Filmmaking At Used Car Prices. Extreme DV has tips on making a DV feature for under $3,000.

Awesome.