Recession looms, Hollywood booms

HOLLYWOOD SEES INCREASE DURING HARD TIMES

LAS VEGAS – Hollywood thrives when the economy dives.

It was true during the Depression, when Americans scraped together nickels and dimes for an escape to the movies. And as the prospect of another recession looms, studio executives say this time is no different.

As evidence mounts that people are tightening up on other expenses, movie attendance this year has been running ahead of 2007 numbers – welcome news at ShoWest, the annual convention of theater owners that opens here today.

Domestic box-office revenue went up in five of the past seven recession years dating to the 1960s, according to research compiled by the National Association of Theatre Owners.

While budget-conscious consumers in today’s economic downturn may hold off buying that 50-inch plasma television, “it seems they can always pull together the money to go to the movies,” film historian and critic Leonard Maltin said. “They’re not making a monthly commitment or a down payment. They’re just shelling out the 10 bucks.”

Economists are still debating whether the U.S. economy is headed for recession – or already in one – but closely watched indicators have been bleak, with employers shedding jobs and consumers reeling from high gas prices and tight credit.

Meanwhile, Hollywood is more than holding its own, with revenue running 4 percent ahead of last year’s, according to box-office tracker Media By Numbers.

Factoring in higher admission prices, attendance was up 7 percent over last year as of a few weeks ago, before the arrival of a few box-office duds, including the Will Ferrell comedy “Semi-Pro.” Attendance has since fallen back to a gain of 0.5 percent.

Though virtually everyone gripes about the cost of snacks at concession stands, the average movie ticket price last year was $6.88 – cheaper than sporting events, concerts or a night out bowling.

“Most people would believe that offers a very good value. It’s certainly much cheaper than a psychiatrist,” said Dan Glickman, who heads the Motion Picture Association of America, Hollywood’s top trade group. “To go into a darkened room where nobody can find you for two hours is great therapy, particularly when times are bad.”

Since the Depression of the 1930s, when a quarter or less could buy a full day’s entertainment at a theater, movies have been a refuge for the cash-strapped – as a place to forget about everyday troubles and a way to stretch tight household budgets.

Amid America’s longest and bleakest economic bust in the 1930s, movie attendance tumbled initially as investment money for films dried up. But in the heart of the Depression from the early to late 1930s, attendance shot up.

While detailed box-office figures were not released back then as they are today, as many as 4.6 billion movie tickets a year were sold in the 1930s – three times more than in 2002, the best year of modern times. And the U.S. population during the Depression was less than half of today’s 300 million.

But for all the technological improvements, the basic lure of movies is the same as it was in the Depression – the chance to get away. And that may be especially powerful in a time when economic woes are heavy on Americans’ minds.

“It’s escape from everything,” Maltin said. “It’s a chance to, like all those song lyrics, ‘forget your troubles, come on get happy.’ ”

Agent and Agency List

Any one seeking an agent should first write or telephone the agency and find out whether or not your a good match. Each agency specializes in representing certain types of material. Some agencies have specialized divisions. You should briefly — very briefly! — detail your background and describe your material. The agency will let you know whether or not it is interested in the material and to whom you should send it.

Most agencies, as a courtesy to writers, will return material sent to them if a self-addressed stamped envelope accompanies the submission. However, if you’re submission is not returned for any reason, you should know that the agency has no obligation to do so.

Which is why we strongly recommend that you register your script before sending it to anyone.

More Movie Mogul Tips

Source: Movie Making Marketing

Success in Hollywood lurks beyond luck and beyond networking in a magical black box. Demo reels show instead of tell — and that’s the secret to success on-screen and off. The digital world has made it possible to make a demo reel happen in a new way — your way. Breaking into Hollywood is daunting, even for experienced pros who have relocated from other intense media cultures.

Self Starters Win the Roles

Gather a group of talented, hand picked people around you to accomplish a specific goal — a shared reel. Making a reel can be an overwhelmingly complex, slow system of getting a reel together, as well as the high cost.

Improv techniques focus on producing art in the moment, and it bounces off the other members of the team. Performance comes out of what the audience sees, not what you plan to do.” Get your team together and interact. Share knowledge and talent to create a piece that fits all your needs.”

Launching a Cooperative Group

Gather people you know, and people they know who want to work on specific scenes. A lot of people are eager to work, so put them together to create an improv situation.

The idea is really simple —– you all need scenes for your reels. Scenes that look like they’’re out of a teleplay or feature film. Scenes that fit criteria for exactly what each person needs to show off their skills in the best possible light.

And low cost.

By gathering together an informal group who also needs to accomplish a very precise objective —– 60 second demos with high production value. Gather together a complete volunteer, mini-team for a mini-project.

This one-day shoot can produce one or more 60-second clips set in the same location.

By including scriptwriters who can write scenes to meet the volunteers needs — and a couple specs for people to sign onto — you can maximize efficiency of time onset.

Independent filmmaking with volunteer crews is notorious for no-shows. Qualify the people who are invited. Focus on results. Keep it informal and friendly. Keep costs down — way down. Keep quality high — feature level. Self-interest is the strongest motivator there is.

The trick is to bring together people who can help one another at the same time they have something valuable to gain

The goal is for every member to add a piece to their demo reel within weeks — if not a couple months. Then all the participants can take the next step in their careers.”

With the cost of technology going down, it’s possible for home-based creatives to shoot, edit and duplicate these scenes with very high production quality.

A truly professional group is more productive than volunteering for student-run projects. For several reasons — student films are longer, and production spans several months. Students aren’t accomplished at production — or business. Things get lost in the cracks — like your footage!

Having the right director for a scene is crucial — so make sure you include professional directors who want footage for their own reel. Directors frequently want to show they can cross over to a new genre, or work with a specific kind of actor or script. They can be as motivated as actors! And often are more organized and results driven. And that motivation and skill is what you need leading a project.

“When everyone is self centered, self motivated — doing it for self — you can depend on people being there for themselves more than for those who are just being nice. You can trust selfish people more than nice people.

Everyone who has been involved in projects with no or low budgets knows you have to ask for twice the crew because half will ditch at the last minute. You might have to turn down 50% of the volunteers for a shoot as you select the team who has something tangible to gain from the project.