Parc Entertainment - A Video Production Company - Birmingham, AL

Some love them, others hate them, but they have certainly saturated the marketplace. Since 2004, Geico has created ads featuring high-society cavemen who detest the insurance company for their slogan, “Geico.com is so easy to use, a caveman could do it.” Even if you hate the ads, they ARE memorable, and you can’t help but remember Geico’s name. Now the insurance company might be on the threshold of doing something revolutionary - using their campaign mascots in a prime time sitcom. As more and more consumers gain resources to block commercials, it becomes increasingly important for advertisers to find creative ways to get their brand out to the public. Product-placement shows could be the answer. Imagine television shows with no commercial breaks. Advertisers pay to have their products featured in an episode. “X” amount of dollars buys you “X” amount of screentime. Currently I’m developing a series of product placement shows, so it will be interesting to see if this strategy gains a foothold.

I saw this article on Cinematical today and, being a huge Indiana Jones fan, just had to share it. The writer, also a fan of the series, gives the filmmakers a little advice before embarking on production for the fourth installment.

In a previous post I shared some tips on how to develop a strong, simple story for a documentary film. Once you have a nice, tight, compelling story in place, it’s time to write your proposal. This document will summarize major points within your film and can be used in an effort to get support and funding for your project. Through it all, however, you must be able to communicate how your idea differs from other films with the same, or similar subject matter. Your proposal should have the following elements:

1. SUMMARY - In one or two sentences, describe your film’s content.

2. EXPLANATION OF SUBJECT MATTER - Here is where you define your subject for readers who might be unfamiliar with certain terms, issues, and/or events. Should you wish to produce a documentary on stem cell research, you would need to educate your readers on the stem cell issue, from the current morality debate to key items of legislation.

3. GOAL OF THE FILM - Simple enough. What do you wish to accomplish with this project?

4. EXPLANATION OF THE NARRATIVE STRUCTURE - This is where you outline the course your film will take. How will it progress? How will you get from point “A” to point “B?” How do you plan to tell the story? Some documentaries have a definite chronological order. Others are more ambiguous and rely heavily on the editing process to tell a compelling story.

5. RATIONALE FOR MAKING THE FILM - In this section you must define for your potential investor why making this film is important. For example, if you have an idea to produce a documentary about a young musical prodigy in your city, your rationale for making this film might be centered on the publicity your city and state will receive as a result of producing the project. You reasoning for wanting to produce such a documentary might also be to heighten public awareness regarding the need for liberal arts programs in our nation’s schools.

6. DISTRIBUTION - Sometimes you might find a wealthy family member or friend who is willing to support your film financially. A majority of the time, however, potential investors want to know how they can make money from this particular film. So, do some research. Find out which TV networks run programs similar to your subject matter. Investigate film festivals, DVD distribution, online sales, anything.

Sometimes, getting the idea is easy, but it will take research, preparation, and hard work to see your film through to completion.

Everyone has a great idea for a movie. Whether it be the next blockbuster action-packed thriller, the next artistic love story, or the next great political documentary, everyone feels that he or she can make their story into silver screen reality. Dreams can be enormous. Practical application of those dreams can be a struggle.

I’ve met with some people over the last year who wanted to discuss their documentary ideas with me, and get my opinion on what it would take to make it happen. In every one of these meetings, there was one constant. These individuals had an idea, but they didn’t know what to do with it. I’ve met with some exicted individuals who talked endlessly for at least ten minutes before getting to the bottom line. So, if you have an idea for the next great documentary film, let me share with you a few tips that will help narrow your focus and get your proposal off the ground.

1. FIND THE CENTRAL STORY - Remember English class term papers? Remember how your teacher always reminded you to come up with a concise thesis statement? The same holds true with your documentary. You must find the central story on which your film will hinge. Documentary subjects can be incredibly broad, so you must find a way to simplify those subjects into a concise story.

2. FIND A COMPELLING REASON FOR US TO WATCH - The story you come up with for your film has to be one that will actively engage the viewer. As you write your ideas, always ask yourself, “Why should people watch this film?” Some documentaries call the viewer to action. Some simply want to make the viewer aware of certain issues. Others want to pay tribute to an individual’s life. Whatever your angle, it must be interesting. I remember screening a documentary for the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival last year about two middle-aged women who went on a cruise. That was it. These ladies simply took their home movie of an Alaskan cruise, added some music and titles, and submitted it as a documentary.

As you continue to brainstorm, write your thoughts down in a central location. I like to keep a notebook handy in which I write down all of my narrative and documentary ideas. That keeps everything organized and I am able to revisit my notes months and years later. Some may become scripts. Others may be revised, rewritten, and then assembled into a script. In the next post, I will talk about organizing your documentary proposal.

It’s been almost 20 years since movie goers sat in the theatres to watch Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, but in May 2008 fans of the iconic hero will once again be able to watch as Harrison Ford dons the hat one more time for another epic adventure. You can read the full article here.

Now, here’s my question for our little online forum: What kind of adventure would you want to see for Indy? Another pursuit for a religious artifact, racing against the Nazis, or something completely different? Should the writers pick up where they left off and try to hide Ford’s age, or should they roll with it, and center the story on an aging Indy, past his prime? IMDB reports that Natalie Portman is rumored to be in the cast. Will we see an aging Indy and a young daughter? Who knows, but all I can say is that this is the kind of news I’ve been waiting for - another Indiana Jones film.

Just when you were getting over the excitement of yet another Rocky movie, Cinematical.com reports that there is a script review out in cyber space for the upcoming Rambo 4: Pearl of the Cobra.

Currently I am in pre-production for my next short film, entitled “Collection.” Last night we held auditions at WorkPlay and we had a good turnout. However, we are working on scheduling a second round of auditions either next Monday or Tuesday, November 20 and 21 for those who were unable to come last night. If you think you would like to audition, please read over the list of characters we are looking for by clicking here. If you would like to be considered, please e-mail a resume and headshot for consideration.

This article comes from ContactMusic.com:

Hollywood mogul GEORGE LUCAS has decided against producing any more feature-length films in the STAR WARS series, but wants the saga to continue on the small screen. Lucas and director RICK MCALLUM are aiming to wow fans with over 100 Star Wars TV episodes. British actor WARWICK DAVIS, who appeared in THE PHANTOM MENACE and is a friend of Lucas’, says, “Their plan is for there to be more than a hundred episodes and that is a lot of telly.”

In the upcoming season of Survivor: Cook Islands, set to air September 14th, teams will be divided based upon ethnic background. Past shows have divided teams along the lines of age and gender, but never race. CBS’ decision to group team members into four tribes — African American, White, Hispanic, and Asian — is already sparking an intense debate. Survivor producer Mark Burnett commented to Entertainment Weekly that the idea for the new season is based partially on criticisms that there have been relatively few minorities appear in past shows. Jeff Probst, the host, also discussed the issue with The Early Show on CBS Wednesday morning.

Jeff said: “Because, for whatever reason, we’ve always had a low number of minority applicants apply to the show. So we set out and said, ‘Let’s turn this criticism into creative for the show. I think it fits in perfectly with what Survivor does — it is a social experiment. And this is adding another layer to that experiment, which is taking the show to a completely different level.”

Others, however, don’t see it the same way CBS executives do.

“The producers of Survivor are either really clueless or really soulless, that they are willing to engage a pretty hot-button topic for ratings and feel they won’t have any problems,” says Lisa Navarette, communications director for National Council of La Raza, the Latino civil rights and advocacy group. “Knowing Survivor, and the way the game is played, it gets very ugly and setting it up that way almost propels people to go there [act negatively toward other races]. . .It borders on the irresponsible.”

Has CBS gone too far? Are they promoting racism simply to enhance their ratings? Or does the racial divide fit well with the theme of the show?

The foMads Mikkelsen will fill the shoes of James Bond nemesis Le Chiffre, sources confirmed. The Danish actor joins Daniel Craig and Judi Dench in the Martin Campbell-helmed film, which began principal photography January 27 in Prague.llowing article may be found at CNN.com.