Eight professional stunt girls have decided to bare all for
children's charity 'Make A Wish Foundation' by featuring naked in a 2009
calendar.
For the very first time, they now appear are in front of the
camera naked in the UK Stunt Girls Exposed 2009 Calendar. Each month features a
photo of the girls posing with the equipment and rigging actually used in the
stunt industry. All proceeds from the sale of the calendars will be donated to
the ‘Make a Wish’ charity.
In addition to the contribution made by the stunt girls,
Pinewood Studios, wire riggers, technicians, stunt engineers, photographers,
makeup and hair artists and many others generously donated their time and
resources in support of this worthy cause.
The calendar will retail through various outlets for £10.
Copies will also be signed by international stars including
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and will be auctioned at various charity balls.
Times and locations will be posted on the UK Stunt Girls website as and when
information becomes available. The girls hope to raise in excess of £50,000.....
What others have to say about
the realities of working in the television and movie industry....
This December 4th email (seebelow)
sent to International Cinematographers Guild Local 600 members from national
president Steven Poster confirms my Thanksgiving weekend details
of the previously undisclosed tentative terms in the IATSE/AMPTP deal. And, yes,
it included
the controversial new rollback that, effective 07/31/2011, the Health Plan will
change the standards for continuing eligibility from a requirement of working
300 hours to 400 hours over a six month period. MORE...
Studios can watch Strike.TV, but they can't touch its content
The website, a product of the 100-day writers strike, lets scriptwriters own,
feature and control their work.
By Richard Verrier
November 14, 2008
Striking writer Peter Hyoguchi was walking the picket line outside Disney's
ABC Studios in Burbank in January when he had an epiphany. ¶ What if
scriptwriters launched a website featuring their work, which they would own
and control free of studio interference? ¶ That hunch is about to be
tested. After months of planning and delay, Hyoguchi and his colleagues have
turned their seemingly quixotic idea into a reality. Two weeks ago they
launched an online "network" for original programming named Strike.TV.MORE
Hollywood
Feeling Pinch Amid Economic Worries
Associated Press
October 28, 2008- Hollywood is
feeling some impact from the economic downturn, but its famous resilience to
recession is kicking in, and analysts remain optimistic.
Even between 2000 and 2001, during the downturn following the Sept. 11
terror attacks and the dot-com boom, consumers' movie spending _ box office,
rental receipts and home video purchases combined _ rose 10 percent, to $28.4
billion.
Between 1989 and 1991, movie spending rose 8.5 percent to $16.8 billion,
and between 1980 to 1982 as VHS tapes hit the mass market for the first time,
it rose a whopping 47 percent.
Consumers' movie spending has been flat for three years, but the stock
market is where Hollywood studios seem to be suffering the most, and none of
the six largest studios is independently owned so the market's censure
includes lots of factors unrelated to movie spending.
Between Sept. 12 _ the last trading day before Lehman Brothers declared
itself bankrupt, it's a rough starting point for the current downturn _ and
Wednesday, the S&P 500 fell 28 percent. Time Warner Inc., Sony, Viacom
Inc., News Corp., General Electric Co. and The Walt Disney Co. _ fell an
average of 32 percent in those six weeks.
Many other companies that rely on consumers' discretionary spending saw
their share prices drop by half or more.
As for financing, even if some outside sources fall away or turn to other
investments, executives and analysts are confident in the studios' ability to
keep churning out big budget movies, which are their biggest money makers.
"As the private money dries up it's going to be more internal sources
and internal credit facilities," said Fitch Ratings analyst Jamie Rizzo.
For example, Paramount Pictures owner Viacom Inc. also owns cash-steady
cable networks MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central, which provide a buffer to
the sometimes hit-and-miss nature of moviemaking, where revenue can vary
dramatically, Rizzo points out.
"These (cable networks) throw off billions of dollars in cash
flow," he said. "That was the whole part of bringing these movie
studios in house into a big conglomerate, to take away some of that volatility
on the movie studio side."
U.S. colleges send students to Britain for literature or Italy for art -- so
why not to Hollywood?
By Larry Gordon, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
October 6, 2008
Forget about Paris and a semester at the Sorbonne. Who needs to study in
Florence or struggle with Mandarin for just months in Beijing?
Instead, consider the allure of Burbank and the nearby Oakwood apartments.
Think about Los Angeles' Wilshire district and the chance to speak like a
Hollywood agent.
A growing number of U.S. colleges and universities, mostly from the East Coast
and the South, are making something close to that pitch for what are in effect
study-abroad programs in the Los Angeles area. And while programs in Italy
often emphasize art and those in England literature, the focus here is
squarely on the entertainment industry and on internships that might
jump-start a Hollywood career.
Emerson College in Boston, the University of
Texas at Austin, Boston University and Ithaca College in New York are among
those that sponsor year-round or summer programs that bring students to Southern
California. Others include Columbia College in Chicago, Temple University in
Philadelphia, Elon University in North Carolina and a national consortium of
Christian colleges.
The colleges enroll their students in classes on screenwriting, acting and
agentry, and get them into apprenticeships -- mostly unpaid -- in television,
movies, music or advertising.
In most cases, the programs are modeled after those for overseas studies. They
take out-of-town students to a strange, interesting and potentially rewarding
place far from home for education and fun. And like those others, the L.A.
programs encourage students to mix with the natives but usually require them to
live in university-affiliated housing, often at the Oakwood Toluca Hills or Park
La Brea apartments.
"We joke that we are in a foreign country here," said Bill Linsman,
who heads Boston University's 6-year-old Los Angeles Internship Program from a
Wilshire Boulevard office. Most of the students are from the East Coast, and
L.A.'s entertainment business "is a foreign culture" for them, he
said.
The biggest lesson for the 67 Boston University students enrolled in the program
this fall is that show business is serious business, he said. "When you
look at the surface of Hollywood, you see sunglasses and blue jeans and tans and
sitting around the pool. But dig deeper and you see it's dollars and
cents."
Generally, more than half of the students in the L.A. programs end up staying in
the area if it's their final semester before graduation, or return later,
administrators report. They join what the colleges tout as large networks of
alumni already in the entertainment field in Los Angeles.
"It really does immerse you immediately into what's going on here and gives
you a real sense of how to break into the industry," said Jeff Bibeau, an
Ithaca College senior enrolled in that school's L.A. semester. "It would be
silly of me to study four years of communications in upstate New York, cut off
from the rest of the world."
A television and radio studies major from Massachusetts, Bibeau is juggling
internships with the "Brothers and Sisters" television series and at a
movie production house. He does clerical work, fetches coffee, reads scripts and
offers opinions in story meetings.
Bibeau enjoyed a sophomore semester in London but said his Los Angeles jobs and
classes on film criticism and media law seem "much more relevant." He
intends to finish at Ithaca in the spring and may job hunt in Los Angeles.
L.A. semesters, which typically cost about the same as a term at the home
campus, aside from transportation extras, help students make informed decisions
about their futures, explained Stephen Tropiano, director of Ithaca's program,
which started in 1994. "For some, it affirms what they are interested in.
For some, they realize it's not what they want to do," he said.
The only other U.S. city with so many out-of-town college programs is
Washington, D.C., where political science and government are emphasized.
The rise of the L.A. semesters can be partly attributed to students' becoming
more vocationally oriented, said Peter Bukalski, an official with the University
Film and Video Assn., a national faculty group. Yet Bukalski, a film professor
at Southern Illinois University, sounded a cautionary note about raising false
career hopes. "It's a very, very competitive business," he said.
Administrators say the "domestic abroad" programs here are not
recruiting rivals because they mainly enroll students from their own colleges.
But they say they need a Los Angeles presence to counter the hometown advantage
of cinema graduates at, for example, USC and UCLA.
"We are saying our students are just as good as yours, if not better, and
we are going to compete head to head with you," said Philip Nemy, executive
director of the 3-year-old University of Texas at Austin program in Los Angeles.
Classes for most of the programs are held in rented offices in the Burbank and
mid-Wilshire areas. Columbia College leases space at Raleigh Studios in
Hollywood for the 200 students it trains each year.
Emerson, the L.A. semester pioneer, recently took a big step. It paid $12
million in April for a Sunset Boulevard parking lot in Hollywood where it plans
to construct classrooms, dorms and production facilities. David Rosen, Emerson's
vice president for public affairs, said the campus would show that after 20
years in Los Angeles, "we were there to stay."
On a recent morning, things were bustling at Emerson's current headquarters in a
Burbank office building.
In one classroom, veteran television writer Debra Epstein was leading eight
students she had assigned to devise plots for established TV series such as
"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." After one promising but
complicated reading involving a murdered Russian spy, Epstein gently urged a
rewrite. "It's getting too hard for the audience to follow. You need to
streamline," she said.
Upstairs, the Emerson program's executive director, Jim Lane was screening
"A Clockwork Orange," the controversial 1971 movie, for 19 students in
his course about American films of the '70s. Later, Lane lectured about director
Stanley Kubrick's bold cinematic style and detailed the film's themes of violent
youth and untrustworthy authorities.
"It is a self-conscious, aggressive film that challenges you on all sorts
of levels," said Lane, whose course also examines "Dirty Harry"
and "McCabe and Mrs. Miller," among others.
Elon University is the newest here. The North Carolina school started its Los
Angeles program this summer with 20 students and space at the Oakwood, according
to coordinator Jason McMerty. Since a growing number of graduates move to L.A.,
he said, Elon figured it should "demystify" the city to students who
knew it only from "Baywatch" or "Entourage."
Los Angeles' libertine reputation did not stop the Council for Christian
Colleges and Universities from starting its Los Angeles Film Studies Center. Its
50 current students, from schools such as Asbury College in Kentucky and Calvin
College in Michigan, work on film projects and internships. They also pledge not
to drink or smoke and must take a course called Theology in Hollywood.
Any culture shock is less about morality than adapting to a big city, said
program director Rebecca Ver Straten-McSparran. "A lot of our students come
from towns with one stop light. So this city is overwhelming," she said.
Evan Kaufman, a senior from Connecticut in Emerson's program, often bicycles
from his Oakwood apartment to his internship with film producers on the nearby
Universal lot. A writing major, he says the L.A. semester is a good way to
"dip your toe in the water" of the entertainment industry without the
risk of going it alone.
It's possible to work on independent movies in Boston, Kaufman said. "But
if you want to write the next 'Iron Man,' you have to be here. There's really no
two ways about it. And I think a lot of kids have that fantasy of coming out
here and making it big."
He too may return to Hollywood next year, he said. And if things don't work out:
"Mom and Dad's basement awaits."
Hollywood actors urged to strike
Thursday, 2 October 2008 12:37 UK
The governing board of the Screen Actors Guild is being
urged to ballot its members over strike action.
Contract talks between the actors' union and Hollywood studios are at a
deadlock, after the latest pay deal was rejected in July.
Those negotiating on behalf of SAG's 120,000 members are calling for a
ballot. They want the board to back a strike, calling it
"unavoidable".
NEW DELHI (Hollywood Reporter) - More than 100,000 Indian film industry
workers in Mumbai went on strike Wednesday, protesting low wages, late payments
and the employment of nonunion members in Bollywood.
The strike was called by the Federation of Western India Cine Employees, a
group that encompasses more than 20 affiliate unions representing the interests
of actors, technicians and camera operators, among others.
The strike was called after talks demanding better wages with film producers
broke down in August.
"It is within our rights to ask for better pay," FWICE head Dinesh
Chaturvedi said. "A film worker gets 600 rupees (7 pounds) per day, and a
television worker gets paid 500 rupees (6 pounds) per day," Chaturvedi
said.
The oil-rich emirate is launching a production company with Hollywood
partners, with more than $1 billion in financing.
By Claudia Eller and Josh Friedman, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
September 4, 2008
Furthering the links between the United Arab Emirates and Hollywood, a venture
controlled by the government of Abu Dhabi is launching a production company
with a $1-billion-plus fund to make movies and digital content in partnership
with three as-yet-unnamed Los Angeles producers and other international
filmmakers.
Abu Dhabi Media Co., through a newly formed subsidiary called Imagenation Abu
Dhabi, plans to make eight films a year over the next five years, primarily
for the English-speaking market. Imagenation will announce the first of its
production deals next week at the Toronto Film Festival. The U.S. companies
plan to open offices in Abu Dhabi..... More
August 28, 2008- Union
members say major movie production in Los Angeles has come to a virtual halt
as producers eye contract talks with the Screen Actors Guild.
The Hollywood studios scheduled most of their productions to wrap up around
June 30 in anticipation of drawn-out negotiations, and indeed, talks between
the Guild and the industry are ongoing, the Los Angeles Times reported
Tuesday. It said only one major studio film, DreamWorks SKG's
"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," is underway.
"We've had a substantial drop-off," Ed Brown, business agent for
Local 44 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, told the
Times. His union represents craft workers such as set decorators and special
effects technicians. Brown said about 3,500 of the union's 5,500 members were
working.
He told the Times that current work levels are off nearly 10 percent from
this time last year, saying that the drop-off would have been larger if not for
a substantial number of small-budget films whose independent producers have
signed contracts with the Screen Actors Guild.
But analysts say producers are ultimately betting there won't be an actors'
strike and will ramp up production next month, the Times said.
By JOHN ANDERSON
Published: July 27, 2008
Twin Hopes: Satisfying Movie, Low Cost
...Immediately after “Manure” wraps,
essentially the same crew will begin production on another film, “Stay
Cool.” “The old studio system had that factory, conveyor-belt
process,” Mark Polish said. “That was something we wanted to look into, say,
‘Hey, maybe we could do two like these, maybe three or four with breaks in
between.’ ”.... More
Hollywood actors, producers at
loggerheads over contract
LOS ANGELES, July 18 (Xinhua) -- The chief negotiator
for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) on Friday accused the latest contract offer
from Hollywood producers of falling short in the area of work appearing in new
media.
In a message sent to SAG members and
posted on the union's Web site, chief negotiator Doug Allen said the contract
could not be accepted even though the offer largely follows the framework of
deals accepted by directors, writers and a smaller actors' union.
The harsh response served as an
indication that the on-again, off-again contract talks between SAG and producers
were at a standstill. No new negotiations have been scheduled. more...
CHANNEL ISLAND
Will 'Ugly Betty' and others strike for SAG?
Films and TV sag under the $tar system.
By Scott Collins, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
May 11, 2008
"...Hollywood doesn't have a technology
problem. It has an income-disparity problem. Everyone knows it, and yet no one
talks about it..." more
TV crew members still feeling effects of writers strike
Many can't find work with production down, and their bills are piling up. Some
are facing foreclosure and bankruptcy.
By Richard Verrier, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
April 28, 2008
"...The writers strike ended two months ago. But many in Hollywood
remain on the brink..."more
The Difference Between Great and Dumbass Producers
Before I get started let me acknowledge that not all
creative teams are created equal. But in this business, most are pretty damned
competent. The creative end of things is highly competitive and the bad apples
get weeded out reasonably quick. On the flip side, anybody who can raise money
or talk a good game can claim rights as a producer. Who knows what one does for
an “assistant producer” screen credit.
That said, there are a lot of great producers and if
it was not for them there wouldn’t be much entertainment in this world. Great
producers are, without exception, hardest workers with the longest hours. They
have to an eye for both the creative and financial and able to weigh them
together and against each other.
John Tarnoff, the astute Head of Show Development at DreamWorks Animation, spent
nine years as a film producer. I asked for his impression of producers, both
great and dumbass. First he hit me with this: “There is no such thing as a bad
producer, Peter. This may sound like a syllogism, but what I mean is that a bad
producer just isn't really a producer.” And I’m thinking: ‘Yeah, but there
sure are plenty of pretenders out there.” Pressing onward John suggested the
characteristics of a great producer:
“A real producer holds the vision of the project. They're the first person to
turn on the lights in the morning, and the last person to turn out the lights at
night. They are the leader, the go-to person, the solution-provider, the
conflict resolver. They are consistent, passionate, fair and fierce. They know
how to pick their battles. They know how to inspire others, even and especially
when they are taking hits and bleeding profusely from their own battles to keep
the ship afloat. They are everyone's confidante, keep everyone's counsel, but
beat to their own drum.
Their number one client: the Director. Their number one loyalty: the project —
which brings us back around to vision.” That was a passionate response.
Clearly John has affection for producers. I think with those words, he just
defined the position as it should be. But I certainly know “producers” who
are nothing like that. Obviously they don’t work at Dreamworks.
Clearly there is a massive rift between the real producers and wannabies. The
problem as I see it is that there are more producer pretenders/Dumbass producers
out there than I like to see;. Some (mostly younger IMHO) studio execs have
clearly been sucked in by “producers” who talk a good game. Consider the
number of really bad movies getting made when there is much better material out
there being ignored. A lot of really awful TV is being foisted upon us and, to
quote Howard Beale, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it
anymore.” Thus you see the motivation for this column.
Teamwork
As we all know, film and television production takes
team work. You got your money people, your management team and youre creative
team. To confuse things, there is often overlap. When it all works right, the
money people get behind a project, raise the money and hire the right managers.
Together they hire the best creative team they can put together. The money and
management people then keep things organized and supportive while respecting and
guiding the creative and production teams to put out an entertaining show. The
Executive producer (and often the creator) is a part of it all, like a bridge.
They are the ones with the original vision, or who spotted the property and made
it a reality, the Ringleader., the Show Runner.
Gathering Input
I asked well known writer Billiam Coronel about
producers from a writer’s perspective: “A good producer creates an
environment in which the writer feels the relationship is actually helping to
make the writer's script better; whereas a bad producer makes the writer feel
like he or she is just another cog to put the producer's vision into script
form.” I have to agree for the most part – with David E. Kelley being a
notable exception I’ll talk about in a minute. I then talked with one of my
heroes, the guy who built some of the most famous star ships in the universe
along with tribbles for the various Star Trek incarnations, now he’s doing the
same but more transparently, for Chuck: VFX Guru Dan Curry. “Great show
runners surround themselves with competent people they trust and share vision
with, let them do their jobs and communicate directly with them. They keep the
approval process as streamlined as possible to minimize pointless remakes. They
have people skills, and are supportive, and they are as quick to praise as they
are to find fault. They also have a clear vision of what their show is about and
can communicate that vision to cast and crew inspiring them.” Great, but I
wanted to know about the really bad ones…so, over a really nice single malt
Dan gave me this: “Poor show runners surround themselves with "court
sycophants” that insulate them from the people who directly do the work. The
intermediaries justify their own existences with pointless remakes that
ultimately have to be done again when the show runner sees them. This results in
wasteful expenditure. Poor show runners are poor judges of character who
frequently promote the undeserving and perceptually challenged. “This results
in disgruntlement among the real workers and ultimately affects the quality of
the shows. Poor show runners frequently use the philosophy "always find
fault... it keeps them humble". This is truly counterproductive as creative
people need positive feedback to keep doing their best. Over negativity can
create docility but then the show runner is denied the collective power of many
great minds.” On the other hand, according to producer Gale Anne Hurd, the
title “Producer” is the only film credit that you don't have to contribute
anything tangible or perform any specific function, that studios often negotiate
a generic producer credit in lieu of financial compensation. Gale has been a
producer on the "Hulk" movies, Terminator, Abyss and more.
In talking with many people who didn’t want to be quoted, but have to deal
with producers; I was enlightened both on the positive and the negative. Here
are a few of the things that surfaced:
Weak show runners can become overly concerned with
"polls" and keep changing the vision of the show leaving cast and
crew confused and frustrated.
Great show runners develop a positive trusting relationship
with the studio and network that helps them to trust his or her judgment.
Weak producers let their egos cloud judgment and have a
confrontational relationship with studio and/or network that negatively
affects everyone involved.
Great show runners can see the "whole person" in
their cast and crew members. When someone can make a valuable contribution
outside of his or her immediate department it is welcomed. Great show
runners promote from within whenever possible.
Dumbass producers put their ego before the show.
Great producers know it’s all about the show, not them.
Poor producers confuse arrogance with talent and hire
political lame brains to direct and fill high positions. The cast and crew
can usually spot such individuals and sorely resent them thus affecting the
show. In addition, dumbass producers cannot perceive the "whole
person" and keep people trapped in a professional box thus fostering
more resentment and wasting talent.
Greed is a show killer
Greed is one thing you’ll always find somewhere in
the production line. It’s pretty much expected which is kind of sad in itself.
It seems everybody wants to line their pockets and the money is sometimes
distributed in inverse proportion to actual contribution to the show. It’s not
unusual to find people on the payroll who really don’t contribute much if
anything but haul down big chunks of cash per episode. It inflates the hell out
of production costs without contributing to what’s on the screen.
The cost of a project can really skyrocket when it gets
cluster-produced…that’s when you see the credits rolling for ten minutes
with the names of all sorts of producers and producing entities. One guy finds a
neat project and goes to another guy to finance it. That guy comes up with
little money and three other guys who can raise a significant amount, but then
we need to get the right people on board to grease the rails with the studio,
network and distribution etc.. Pretty soon you have a large cluster of
producers, many of whom bring little to the party except who they know. But then
they are ‘producers’ with an IMdb credit and everything and have that
business model to build on. Beware. I’d like to make a small concession here.
When you end up with a show like Mash, 2.5 men, Friends etc, that have a long
run, it makes sense for the producers to take home more money. They took the
risks, created the show and now that it’s in syndication and there are
multiple revenue streams, maybe spinoffs, the producers deserve to benefit big
time. But it’s usually only the great show runners that end up in that
situation. The bad ones get too greedy early on.
Plantec’s Producer’s Hall of Fame
You can see there are producers at all levels with
many different job descriptions. It’s probably one of the most poorly defined
jobs in Hollywood. Perhaps that’s why so many Hollywood wannabies have their
cards made up with “Producer” beneath their name. It could mean almost
anything.
So I’m going to go out on the limb and point out some people whom I believe to
be great producers. There are many more but I wanted to honor these people in no
particular order.
Chuck Lorre, creator/ writer/ and EP of many the really great comic TV
shows over the last 18 years, from Rosanne to Two and a Half Men
and Big Bang Theory. Chuck has a great sense of humor, respects his
people, especially his writers and knows entertainment better than almost
anybody. He’s truly a legend in this business.
Bill Prady, executive producer of Big Bang Theory and Dharma
& Greg among others. Bill is an other example of a great producer who
started out as a writer. He’s been a producing for about 13 years. He’s
exhibits qualities of a great producer, being mostly attached to great shows,
working his ass off and learning from those around him, especially the legend,
Chuck Lorre. He’s also a family man striving to achieve balance.
Jerry Bruckheimer – One of the most successful film and television
producers of all time, I’m thoroughly impressed with Jerry on all levels. He
spoke at a class I was taking at UCLA night film school and was sharp as a tack.
He is produces some of the very best programs starting with Flash Dance
back in 1983 to the "CSI" TV franchise. Even his reality show The
Amazing Race is one of the few I enjoy. Jerry is perhaps the greatest legend
of them all.
Manny Coto, executive producer of 24 and Enterprise among
other things has been producing for more than 12 years. I understand that he is
held in high esteem by his crew and respected by his peers.
Josh Schwartz, executive producer of Gossip Girl and Chuck.
Josh is an example of the best that our younger producers have to offer. At 26
he became the youngest show runner in network history. It was a good choice. He
has all those stellar qualities that John Tarnoff mentioned above.
Gale Anne Hurd – Gale has been producing movies since 1982. She can be
a tough negotiator, has great passion for her projects and can do hand holding
when necessary. Her academic achievements before producing were stratospheric.
This may be sexist, but I also think she brings something of the feminine to her
work; and that is a wonderful thing.
Rick Berman, executive producer of various "Star Trek"
incarnations and creator of some. Rick took over the franchise after Gene
Roddenberry passed away and did a fine job of it.
Ronald D. Moore, executive producer of many space operas from Star
Trek Next Generation to the new Battle Star Galactica. Ronald is
respected by his crew and exhibits many traits of a great producer.
Steven Bochco – For 24 years, from NYPD Blues to Raising the
Bar this creator/writer/producer has performed with style, brining to us
some of the most authentic TV drama ever created. He’s a legend.
David E. Kelley – For 19 years Dave has brought us some of the wackiest
and most entertaining shows on television, from Doogie Howser MD, Ally McBeal,
and Boston Legal, to serious shows like Chicago Hope and Picket
Fences. David is truly a legend, a family man and a great
creator/Writer/Producer.
Ron Howard and Brian Grazer – a great team, they founded Imagine
Entertainment 22 years ago. Don’t let Brian’s hair fool you, he’s a sharp
business man and an excellent producer. Ron is the penultimate example of the
actor who has all the talents needed. He’s a fabulous producer; he’s one of
our most talented directors and from my observation (only meeting him once,) a
decent guy. Imagine entertainment has brought us much of the best entertainment
on TV and in the movies over the last two decades. Ron and Brian are huge
co-legends.
Okay I’ve listed mostly TV producers. You go with who you know. And Gale Ann
Hurd is the only woman on my list. It bothers me too… chalk it up to my
ignorance. Help me find more great women producers, or is producing mostly a
boys club? I knew female film producers when I was a member of Women in Film,
but most of them were just starting out and didn’t fit this category. Forgive
me. I am willing to be enlightened.
As with all my columns, this is how I see things based on my experiences and
discussions with friends and associates in the biz. If you think I’m wrong
then you need to speak up and tell me your side of the story. Or add to the list
of what makes a good and what makes a dumbass producer in the comment section
below or email me.
"Don't Swim at the
Bottom" by Art Adams
If you’re competing on price alone, you’re
going to lose. Compete on what you can DO! .... more
from "Stunning
Good Looks by Art Adams".....Art Adams
A native of Northern California, Art Adams spent ten years in LA--first at film
school (Loyola Marymount) and then working in the film industry. He started out
as a camera assistant ... more
"What
it's really like to work in Hollywood"
"Moran
is pragmatic when it comes to his future. He views trailer editing as a way to
open doors and to gain valuable experience while also make a decent living.
'I have yet to give up my dreams, but I will probably spend more time now
pursuing more realistic goals,' said Moran... more
The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Power 100 list is our annual
ranking of influential female executives in Hollywood. Rankings reflect
professional achievements, company role, financial and green-light
responsibility and force of personality... more
Column: "Working Hollywood" by
Cristy Lytal
Creature builder Shane Mahan tests his mettle with 'Iron Man'
Robert Downey Jr. has to carry his weight and then some.
CREATURE effects supervisor Shane Mahan modestly credits much of his success
to being in the right place at the right time. Born and raised in Greenville,
Mich., population 3,000, the 44-year-old spent his childhood watching horror
films, making Super-8 shorts about Dracula and Frankenstein and writing and
directing plays.
"I think what it boils down to is the abject boredom of living out in the
country [spurs] little kids to create these fun things to do," he says.
more...
'Dexter's' bloody-minded expert
Real-life crime scene investigator Kimberlee Heale helps TV's 'Dexter' get the
job done the right way.
WHEN Kimberlee Heale was a little girl growing up in Covina and San Diego, she
used to ask her father, a firefighter, to describe traffic accidents. By the
time she took a tour of the FBI Crime Lab as an eighth-grader, she knew that a
career in forensics was for her.
"It was just the whole idea behind being able to put pieces of a puzzle
together to figure out what somebody did," she says. "It was pretty
interesting to me." more...
Robbie Penny, greensman for 'The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince
Caspian'
His job is to cultivate the lush outdoor settings.
SOME people have a window office. Greensman Robbie Penny has the great
outdoors.
"I've always been involved in horticulture," says the Auckland, New
Zealand, native. "My mother and father were both very keen gardeners, and
my father worked for a company called Turners & Growers. I've never really
been that interested in much else." more....
De Longis helps Harrison Ford crack
the whip -- literally
The bullwhip tutor teaches the actor how to get just the right snap for '
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.' more
As films' train master, he keeps period pieces on track....
Consultant Arthur J. Miller Jr. kept the railroads running for
'Leatherheads.'more
She made sure 'Sweet Nothing in My Ear' takes signing
seriously....
Linda Bove coaches the cast in deaf culture for the CBS
telefilm. more
Katie Brock makes them sit up and beg....
And her charges do plenty more for the animal trainer, who had
quite an exotic menagerie to work with for 'Nim's Island.'more
Miniatures master cuts dramatic backdrops down to size for
'10,000 BC'....
Joachim Grüninger re-creates lands and landmarks to lend
illusions of grandeur.more
She minds their Ps and Qs....
An etiquette coach's love of history helps her ensure that
'The Other Boleyn Girl's' on-screen manners are true to their era.more
Sound advice on issues of the deaf....
Deaf actress Linda Bove...more
(LA Times Archives)
He's locked in on authenticity; Percussion cap guns.
Flintlocks. Pocket pistols. Under R. Vern Crofoot, period projects
get it right....
"Your average individual at that time, even a gentleman
of that era, would have been carrying a weapon at all times," says Crofoot...
more
(LA Times Archives)
His job outlook is up in the air...
It was John Marzano's love of photography that first got his career as an
aerial director off the ground... more
(LA Times Archives)
He gives actors a sporting chance...
When he was shooting hoops on North Carolina's high school state championship
teams, he dreamed of.... more
(LA Times Archives)
Drawing on his comic book cred...
When a film's in the hands of storyboard artist Rob McCallum, action springs
to life...more
(LA Times Archives)
Breathing life into Bigfoot...
Robert Hall's job isn't just about makeup. Engineering, chemistry and more
are involved... more
(LA Times Archives)
Steering clear of troubled waters...
Daren Bailey, former derring-do British diver, does whatever it takes to
float Hollywood's boats...more
(LA Times Archives)
Coach's accent is on accuracy...
Francie Brown uses her skills as a dialect expert to help actors open up and
say 'ah' -- and other sounds -- the right way...more
(LA Times Archives)
ACTOR'S TAXES: The Great Hollywood Ripoff - Getting paid
"under the table" will end up putting you overa barrel. by Frank Wynan
"This is going to be a strictly cash deal. No one's going to know!
Right?..." more
"Have you crewed on a project whose producers have promised
that "the check is in the mail", or now actively avoid your phone
calls? This is a list of clients who promise pay, but fail to cut a check at the
end of a shoot or mail out payment..."
included
the controversial new rollback that, effective 07/31/2011, the Health Plan will
change the standards for continuing eligibility from a requirement of working
300 hours to 400 hours over a six month period. 
