The Wonderful Julie Taymor!

I recently had a conversation with a friend about Julie Taymor and how she was the misunderstood artist of the stage and screen. So I feel that getting a chance to talk about her TED speech she did back in 2011 was only the right thing to do.  Julie Taymor not only is a very accomplished stage and screen director but she is also is a creative visionary that turns ideas into magic.

My first Julie Taymor experience was in a theater seeing a national touring cast of The Lion King. I remember being awe struck by the way the animals were presented and how they brought an African safari to a stage in Detroit Michigan. In her speech she talks about how she breaks down her shows into the one image that can sum up the whole story. In The Lion King she talks about that image being the circle, the circle of life and the circle of certain characters masks and how they represent certain events in the show. This is what really attracts me to the creative force of Julie. She is able to really think outside of the box and tell stories in unconventional ways.

Julie talks about being on the cusp of creative success or failure, how everyone will get there at some time in there creative and professional lives. In her latest endeavor Spider Man: Turn Of The Dark there seems to be a real frustration with the way that the show is going. With treading new ground creatively you walk a fine line of is it acceptable or is it not. Spider Man pushes boundaries of the theatre and I think that Julie has created another work that will stand the test of time.

Julie Taymor is such an inspiration for me as well as other artist who want to push the boundaries of expression in their medium. We all should strive to be like Julie and just create something that not only inspires ourselves but others too.

Copyright Case Study

With the ease of technology’s ability to access information, we see today that the use of videos, music and art from others is in our digital reach. What most people do not realize is that this accessibility could open a multitude of doors that could lead someone down a very slippery legal road. There are tons of legal cases that can be found on the Internet that show the legal battle entertainment professionals are facing on a daily basis. I am going to share three cases that fall under the huge umbrella of copyright and how we can apply these lessoned learned to become a better professional.

THE USE OF AN ACTORS IMAGE

Recently there was a case of two marketing and advertising companies who had used the images of actors Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper for their own adverting purposes. Neeson and Cooper alleged that Vutec Corporation and First Impression Theme Theaters used an image from their 2010 film “The A-Team” to further their companies’ exposure. The defendants wanted documentation to show that the plaintiff’s actually had any intellectual property rights over any of the media. This brings up a bigger concern for the industry on whether the individual actors themselves own the rights to their image or if the studio/production company does. The case was settled out of court but the issue still seems to remain.

Citation referenced from Hollywood Reporter

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/bradley-cooper-liam-neeson-settle-668428

THE BATTLE OF PUBLIC DOMAIN

In recent years we have seen a slew of film, TV shows, books and other media revolving around the iconic character of Sherlock Holmes. A federal judge in Illinois was tasked with deciding if Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic character is in public domain or if the property is still protected under copyright. Attorneys for the Doyle estate claim that since the character has been changed over a period of time it is impossible to distinguish a copyright for a certain personality type for the character.  The judge ultimately ruled that Mr. Doyle’s work pre 1923 would be public domain, shedding a new light on adaptations on a certain character and how they sit legally.

Citation referenced from Hollywood Reporter

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/sherlock-holmes-judge-declares-popular-667755

OWNERSHIP RIGHTS FOR MR. BOND

The battle over the rights to James Bond film series has raged just as long as the films have been out. The author of the original James Bond books tasked Mr. Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham to write the script of the classic “Thunderball” film into a novel. The novel was released and left out McClory as a writer on the book. McClory sued in 1961 for ownership rights of the book and was awarded the right to produce the film “Thunderball” which was based on his original idea that were in the book. The controversy only continues when McClory tries to produce a film in the 1980’s that used the characters name and original story created by McClory but did not get permission from the original creator of the character. 50 years later the case was settled and the rights were granted to the studio that now owns all the rights to the Bond films. The McClory estate was awarded a undisclosed sum of money for the settlement.

Citation referenced from iplj.net

http://iplj.net/blog/archives/6673

Using these case studies could help understand that securing contracts and rights could be a valuable in the business of entertainment. We can see that no matter how big the project can get there could always be room for interpretation of the meaning of legalities. Copyright is very important to my business and could protect potential partners from legal issues like the ones listed above. Copyrighting all needed intellectual property will be essential to the successes of my business plan but also all of my future work as an entertainment professional.

Business Plans

When talking business plans its easy to get lost in all of the information that is online. There are countless websites that try to take your money in exchange for business plan self help. That’s why when I stumbled upon two great masters of their craft it was easy for me to get lost in the rich information that they were sharing.

First, is a gentlemen named Steve Blank. Mr. Blank has had his fair share of experience from fixing fighter jets in Vietnam to founding his own company in his living room.  E.piphany, which is now called Epiphany, INC, a customer relationship marketing software company that was later bought out by SSA Global Technologies in 2005. Mr. Blank and his company were semi-famous for they logo dispute with computer giant Microsoft, over the ownership of a strategically placed letter “E” and a swoosh mark. Mr. Blank also had a fair share of experience with start-ups and other well-known companies.

Mr. Blank came to the conclusion that start-ups should not be writing business plans. Mr. Blank said “A business plan is the execution document that large companies write when planning product-line extensions where customer, market and product features are known”. It seems he has a valid point, not many new companies have all that solid business information to put together. Mr. Blank says business models are what start-ups should be focusing on. They give start-ups the iterative reality startups face.

Chuck Blakeman is the CEO of a company called Crankest Group, which works with business leaders to help them make more money in less time. Mr. Blakeman is considered a very successful businessman as well as a business speaker booking 100+ speaking engagements a year.

Mr. Blakeman has made the comment that “not a single fortune 500 company started with a business plan”. It seems that Mr. Blakeman believes that pre-planning could cause expectations that won’t be meet. Having the ability to go out and act to get your business started is the way to succeed. I find this very interesting. I see his point, it seems that the more pre-planning you do the less time you are out making that sale or connecting with someone who could potentially see you in the industry. I think is safe to say that there must be some planning or you might end up looking like an idiot.

Chuck Blackeman

http://chuckblakeman.com/2013/7/texts/why-business-plans-are-a-business-disease

Steve Blank

http://steveblank.com/2010/05/17/no-one-wins-in-business-plan-competitions/

Utah A Low Budget State (For Films That Is!)

Here in Utah we have seen a surprising amount of low-budget films rolling through the valley. This uprising has been getting the attention of more notable names. Sundance Film Festival has been a major force for independent filmmakers in the state as well as the world. With more and more films coming to shoot in Utah, we are beginning to see a rise in production quality of homegrown films in the state. Films like Adam White’s “Inspired Guns” (which is a comedy about Mormon missionaries getting mixed up with the Mafia) have really given people a great look at what Utah can do. Other films like T. C Christensen’s “17 Miracles” have showed the creative talent as well as nerve for developing period films have given outside filmmakers a newfound respect for the filmmakers in the state.

Why Utah?

Like most states Utah has a film incentive program, which is designed to bring filmmakers to the state.  The state and the Utah Film Commission  has passed a resolution; which grants films to receive the film incentives that have budgets below 1 million dollars.  There are requirements that the film has to follow; the film needs to be completely financed as well as the 90% crew needs to be hired and all need to be living in Utah. Many productions have jumped at this opportunity to shoot here in Utah. Recently films like Disney’s The Lone Ranger and Columbia Pictures After Earth have used this incentive. Not only do you get a percentage of your money back you also get to have great locations that Utah has to offer. Locations are what really make this state special. Utah has everything that filmmakers are wanting.

With film budgets getting bigger and bigger states like Utah will be a refuge for low-budget filmmakers to make great films that will have a presence not only in the independent sector but as well as the mainstream film market.