Preproduction

Stories are

Shaping us in every moment of our lives

COGNITIVE BIAS

is a mistake in reasoning, evaluating and remembering. Often occurring as a result of holding onto one's beliefs regardless of contrary information.

What is a producer?

Producers initiate and manage the creation of movies, tv, webseries, and many, many other forms of content.

Producers might be self-employed, work for a production company studio or streaming service.

Producers are involved from inception through delivery, marketing and release.

Executive Producer

Person responsible for supervising one or more producers, who in turn are responsible for individual movies.

Producer

chief of a movie production in all logistics (scheduling, financing, budgeting), hires key personnel for cast, crew, director, and manages production from start to finish

Line Producer

the individual who makes sure the equipment and personnel are there when they are needed

The Producer is responsible for

Everything and everyone, Saftey Financial, Creative

What does 'locking your script' involve?

Budgeting, Scheduling, Hiring, Locations, etc.

Will the script change after it is locked?

Yes, the script will change.

What will remain the same even if the script changes?

Page numbers and scene numbers.

NEW PAGES AND CHANGES ARE DISTRIBUTED BY THE…

PRODUCTION OFFICE.

POC Prod office Coordinator

Crewing Up

Hire the Best

Start with Department Heads

Get a Second Opinion

Deal Memos

Project Sourcing

Finding new ideas from various sources, including agents, writers, books, articles, or original concepts.

Talent & IP Management:

Identifying and engaging with writers, producers, and securing rights to existing IP (books, games).

Pre-Production Timeline

1. Proper prois planning prevents poor prefomrance

Stratgic Planning

Developing the overall content strategy and managing the pipeline of projects, ensuring they fit the company's brand and target audience.

Team Leadership

Managing and guiding development executives and creative teams.

Creative Guidance

Working with writers on script revisions, providing notes, and shaping the creative direction of projects.

Pitching & Selling

Developing pitches and selling concepts to broadcasters, distributors, or streaming services.

Market Awareness

Keeping up with current trends, audience demographics, and the international TV market.

By your capstone, you should…

Open a bank account for your films.

Exclusive/nonexclusive

Option/purchase

A contract giving the optionee the right, but not the obligation, to buy property owned by the optionor at an agreed-upon price during a specified period.

Copyright

the exclusive legal right, given to an originator or an assignee to print, publish, perform, film, or record literary, artistic, or musical material, and to authorize others to do the same.

Fair Use

The ability to use a small amount of copyrighted work without permission, but only in certain ways and in specific situations (schoolwork and education, news reporting, criticizing or commenting on something, and comedy/parody).

Public Domain

property rights that belong to the community at large, are unprotected by copyright or patent, and are subject to use by anyone

Option Agreement V.S. Attachment agreement

Chain of Title

The succession of conveyances, from some accepted starting point, whereby the present holder of real property derives title.

Worldwide film Rights

mean a distributor or sales agent controls the film in all territories

Proposal Pitch

who are the buyers

4 Criteria for Evaluating Fair Use

1- Purpose and charachter of use

2- Amount and substantially of work used

3- Nature of the copyrighted work

4 - effect of your use on the market

SHOPPING/ATTACHMENT AGREEMENT

• Free

• Shorter time frame to cover round of pitching, 3-12 months

Fixed period, relationship ends if not set up during the time frame

• Can be renewed with both parties' agreement

OPTION

• Small (comparatively) amount paid from buyer to rights holder

• Longer time to develop a script, attract director/cast, 12-24 months

2 fixed periods, buyer can purchase outright during either period

-Buyer has sole choice to continue after first option period, both parties agreement required to continue after second period

PURCHASE

• Large amount paid from buyer to rights holder

• Purchaser owns outright in perpetuity, except……

• if there was a reversion in the agreement. If buyer doesn't startshooting a movie after X years, author can purchase rights back

What does 'sold outright' mean in terms of rights?

Purchased, no longer controlled by the original rights holder.

What is the typical duration of rights when something is sold outright?

Most often in perpetuity.

Why might rights not revert to the original holder after a sale?

There was no reversion clause in the deal.

CO-AGENT

Agent who specializes in selling subsidiary rights to a book (film/tv, foreign, audio)

REMAKE RIGHTS

When an adaptation is produced, the book's film/tv rights become entwinedwith the film or tv show's remake rights and controlled together

What is the Package-Unit System?

A system where producers put together packages of material and creatives.

What may begin a package in the Package-Unit System?

A spec script, a piece of intellectual property, or an idea.

Why is the quality of a package important in filmmaking?

It is vital to a movie's financing.

A Star

Get a recognizable actor involved.

What does pre-sales refer to in the film industry?

Pre-sales refers to a studio selling the rights to distributors before a film is completed.

What is required for a studio to get significant money from pre-sales?

The product needs to be very bankable.

What is Gap Financing?

A studio takes out a loan based on the anticipated sales to distributors.

What advantage does Gap Financing provide to a studio?

The studio doesn't have to rely on a distributor's perception of their film's worth.

What is Negative Pickup?

Funding that happens before a studio gets its hands on a film.

Who signs a deal in a Negative Pickup?

An independent producer.

What does a Negative Pickup deal guarantee?

The studio will pay a fixed amount for a movie upon its completion.

What is bridge financing?

A means to an end.

What type of loan is provided in bridge financing?

A short-term loan.

What is a common use for bridge financing in film production?

To secure an expensive attachment, like a big-name actor or director.

What is Slate Financing in the context of movies?

Slate Financing refers to funding multiple film projects together.

What is the benefit of having more movies in a slate?

More movies increase the potential for blockbusters.

How does Slate Financing mitigate the risk of duds?

Duds can be offset by much larger successes within the same slate.

What is co-production in the context of film and studio collaboration?

A studio may work with another studio (or studios) to fund a single project.

What do studios do in a co-production?

They divvy up the rights.

What is product placement?

A marketing strategy where brands pay to have their products featured in movies or TV shows.

How much money can a movie make from product placement?

Millions of dollars.

When does a brand typically pay for product placement?

After the project is shot.

What is a potential downside of obvious product placement?

It can take an audience out of a movie.

What are grants?

No-strings-attached packages of cash gifted by governments or nonprofits.

Who can find success with grants?

Filmmakers with a unique point-of-view and distinct message.

What is the purpose of a film festival?

To showcase any and all films.

How can awards at a film festival affect potential investors?

Awards can make investors more likely to support a film, as they indicate artistic merit.

What is a private equity firm?

A private equity firm is a company that manages pooled investments.

Can private equity firms fund movies?

Yes, private equity firms can fund movies.

What is the potential upside for private equity firms investing in indie films?

The potential upside is that the return on an indie film that hits it big can be huge.

What is a downside of investing in indie films for private equity firms?

The downside is that investing in indie films can be risky and not always profitable.

What is the role of a bond company in film financing?

A bond company acts as a guarantor for investors, providing assurance for their financial investment in a project.

What type of bond do bond companies typically create for films?

Completion bond

What does a completion bond outline?

The film's completion date and budget.

What happens if a film is not finished on time according to the completion bond?

The bond company is given the rights to the project.

What is self-financing in filmmaking?

Self-financing is when a filmmaker uses their own funds to finance a project.

What is the risk level of self-financing for filmmakers?

Self-financing is the most risky option for the filmmaker.

What is deferred compensation in filmmaking?

It is a deal where a filmmaker forgoes some or all of their salary in return for backend points.

Who can opt for deferred compensation deals in filmmaking?

Both directors and stars can opt for deferred compensation deals.

Why might a filmmaker choose deferred compensation?

To shrink their budget.

What might motivate a star to take a deferred compensation deal?

A passion for a less-commercial project.

Tax Incentives

are another great way to keep a budget down. Ever wonder why so many movies have started shooting in Atlanta?

Logline Formula #1

Inciting incident + Protagonist + action + antagonist

Logline Formula #2

Protagonist + Action + antagonist + goal + stake