podcast 2

The Business of Film (Podcast 2):

* There are 6 million different types of producers.

* Every film production company will have to build their products up from the start. Some of these startups can exceed so dramatically that they become their own businesses., for example, the Harry Potter Franchise, but most are just one-offs.

* Film companies in America are only interested in making movies that appeal to people in all different countries. They are looking to create brands that they can expand and exploit worldwide (through other products like amusement parks and game shows)

* However, in the independent film scene, most of the British film market,  the main focus is on trying to get the film made and then about how they are going to distribute that film.

* Films are made in the UK, such as Star Wars and the Harry Potter films, to benefit from the UK's benefits tax rebate system. However, they are owned by Hollywood Studios, who take the majority of the profit.

* Screenplays are known to be re-written numerous times.

* Development Hell: This is when a film is developed beyond a reasonable and sensible bit of development

* In this time actors and directors come and go, each wanting to put their own imprint on the property. Therefore, something that was hot might become cold the next week. It might then be put back into development and a new cast and directing cast will be attached to it. This causes a loss of money.

* An example of this loss of money comes from Warner Bros. and the unreleased Superman Lives. They paid $10 Million to Tim Burton and over $10 Million to Nicholas Cage to keep their schedules free for the project. But it was never made. However, all in all, it is actually cheaper to not make a film.

* If a film is tent-pole movie then it might cost $200 Million. This is another reason why development hell is so evident in Hollywood as they are constantly bringing and paying new screenwriters to see if they can come up with something else.

* There are around 50,000 screenplays submitted to the Writers Guild a year. There is a superabundance of films and no effective way of filtering it down.

* Blacklist - Films that aren't picked up are put on the list and passed around in order to be picked up
* "It is easy to make a bad film from a good script but hard to make a good film from a bad script"
* 970 scripts have been on the blacklist
* 270 of the 970 have been made
* Argo was found by Ben Affleck on the Blacklist
* The 270 films from the Blacklist have made 23 billion dollars in Blockbusters
* Production companies are less likely to pick films from people they don't know causing a blockage
* Casting also makes films
* Casting started with people who had Rolodexes and connections
* The list can be created by finances
* People may come with a fixed idea of people they want to star in the film