Episode 1: Hal “Corky” Kessler explains Sec. 181

Episode 1: Hal “Corky” Kessler explains Sec. 181.

Crowdfunding and “Hey Zach Braff STFU and pay for your own movie”

STFU ZACH BRAFF

Why is there controversy about projects such as Rob Thomas‘s VERONICA MARS and Zach Braff‘s WISH I WAS HERE going to crowdfunding for the money to make their projects?

The surge in Perks-based Donor Crowdfunding over the past few years was primarily built on the concept that creative projects dreamed up by common folks with more ideas than money could go to each other rather than impenetrable banks or brokerages. The popular site Kickstarter (one of many) started in 2009 with the premise that such ideas, ones that were still good ideas even though they didn’t have a promise of likely profitability, could be brought to the public to allow the average person to help make the ideas into reality by donating money. This is a broad concept akin to what wealthy benefactors would do in ages past, when they became “patrons of the arts” by providing money so artists could create works of art.

THIS IS THE SECOND ‘GOLDEN AGE OF TELEVISION.’

When looking at what I’ve termed “The Blended Screens” — the destruction of all the different ways that used to define what we were watching (it was a “movie” because it was shot on film and shown in a movie theater; it was a “TV Show” because it was shot on tape and broadcast by a TV station; it was “Home Video” because it was burned to VHS tape or DVD or Blu-Ray and shown on a machine in the living room; it was a “Web Series” because it was carried over the Internet and watched on a computer; etc., etc., etc.) — it becomes clear to me that THIS IS THE SECOND ‘GOLDEN AGE OF TELEVISION.’

“Story-making”

Production is morphing into … what? Is it “filmmaking” if there’s no film? Are we “taping” a program if there’s no tape? Are they “films” or “movies” it they are viewed on a smartphone? Is it “Television” if it’s streaming online on demand?

The technology of production and the delivery methods are no longer pertinent to defining what creators do. We create. We no longer create things clearly defined as “TV shows” or “Movies” or “Web Series.” What we create is now going out on all of “The Blended Screens.” Some have called it “content” but I think that term is weak and too broad.

For me, I’ve decided it’s all “story-making” and that’s what I choose from now on.

MICHAEL R BARNARD PRODUCTIONS logo

The JOBS Act of April 2012 is a Failure for America.

THIS IS A MAJOR JOBS PROBLEM AND NEEDS OUR ATTENTION:

America needs good jobs. Joblessness and low-wage jobs have crippled the survival and prosperity of millions of Americans, and are a drag on our entire economy.

The promise of the JOBS Act, signed into law a year ago and supported by the most bi-partisanship effort in recent history, is DEAD because the Federal Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has failed to enact it.

The JOBS Act established a deadline of Wednesday, July 4, 2012, for the SEC to promulgate rules and regulations for the implementation of TITLE II—ACCESS TO CAPITAL FOR JOB CREATORS (commonly referred to as the “general solicitation rule“). The SEC missed that deadline. The agency did publish proposed rules for TITLE II on August 29, 2012, but has not implemented them. There is no anticipated date for finalizing the rules for Title II of the JOBS Act.

The JOBS Act established a deadline of Monday, December 31, 2012 for the SEC to promulgate rules and regulations for the implementation of TITLE III—CROWDFUND (commonly referred to as “Equity Crowdfunding“). The SEC missed the deadline, and has no anticipated date for the rulemaking to implement TITLE III.

AMERICA NEEDS JOBS! Hope from the JOBS Act of 2012 has been *crushed* by the SEC’s inaction and dismissal of the JOBS Act!

Call your representative and complain.

Find your representative here: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

See the potential for the JOBS Act at “FILMMAKERS, IT’S 2013. DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR JOBS ACT IS?“

Demystifying color bit depth, dynamic range and linear/logarithmic scales

Reblogged from Digital Cinema Demystified:

It's been an embarrassingly long time since I've written a blog post, and so I logged in today and discovered a bunch of really good comments and questions have been left on my blog the past year or so. This one is a good one and so I want to post my response as a standalone article.

1) No question, film has better dynamic range than digital.

Read more… 564 more words

In the debate about digital versus film, Rich Lackey explains "dynamic range" ...

If You EVER Use FACEBOOK On Your Phone, They Will Always Track You!

The latest news from Facebook is that they are turning your phone into a permanent tracking device so they can sell your whereabouts to any organization or person they choose, regardless of whether you’ve turned anything on or off.

FILMMAKERS, IT’S 2013. DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR JOBS ACT IS? Part 1

1

FILMMAKERS, IT’S 2013. DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR JOBS ACT IS? Part 1 of 2

Michael R. Barnard

Written by Michael R. Barnard

Michael R. Barnard is a writer and filmmaker who has been researching the American JOBS Act since it was first proposed. Barnard is currently working on creating an independent feature film, A FATHER AND SON. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, and is the author of the historical novel NATE AND KELLY. Find him on Twitter at @mrbarnard1, Facebook at michael.barnard and LinkedIn at michaelrbarnard.

 

This article is an overview and observation, not legal advice.

 

SUMMARY: The independent film industry in America is not enjoying the growth that would be expected from the surge in the quantity of indie movies being made. The American JOBS Act, passed in April 2012, offers hope to reinvigorate the independent film industry.

 

FILMMAKERS, IT’S 2013. DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR JOBS ACT IS? Part 2

1

FILMMAKERS, IT’S 2013. DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR JOBS ACT IS? Part 2 of 2

Michael R. Barnard

Written by Michael R. Barnard

Michael R. Barnard is a writer and filmmaker who has been researching the American JOBS Act since it was first proposed. Barnard is currently working on creating an independent feature film, A FATHER AND SON. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, and is the author of the historical novel NATE AND KELLY. Find him on Twitter at @mrbarnard1, Facebook at michael.barnard and LinkedIn at michaelrbarnard.

This article is an overview and observation, not legal advice.

 

SUMMARY: The independent film industry in America is not enjoying the growth that would be expected from the surge in the quantity of indie movies being made. The American JOBS Act, passed in April 2012, offers hope to reinvigorate the independent film industry.

 

           In Part 1, we discussed the reasons behind the difficulty raising equity investment.

Facebook Rides Rough Over You AGAIN!

Forbes says, “Facebook is now recycling users Likes and using them to promote “Related Posts” in the news feeds of the user’s friends. And one more thing, the users themselves have possibly never seen the story, liked the story or even know that it is being promoted

Review of Budgeting and Scheduling programs for Indie Filmmakers

Norman Berns of ReelGrok, the website “Where Filmmakers Get It,” has reviewed several of the programs available for indie filmmakers to schedule and budget their movie projects. He reviews Movie Magic, Showbiz, Gorilla, Hot Budget, and scenechronize.

Watch “Demand A Plan to End Gun Violence”

This is from DEMAND A PLAN

WRITER’S AGENTS IN LOS ANGELES & NEW YORK CITY

This is the start of a list that will, I hope, build based on input from writers and others with knowledge of the agencies. For now, I will try to update the list and keep it focused on Los Angeles and New York City area agencies.

Please add names, contact information, the agency’s preferences, and other information that could help writers who seek representation.

Please post comments.

THE UNIVERSAL FILM ACCESS POINT

How will independent filmmakers fully embrace digital distribution for maximum value? It’s a new world, and the old methods cannot be squeezed and twisted to work in it. There will be a new approach to bringing indie films to the audience.

Old Movie Theater

I call it the UNIVERSAL FILM ACCESS POINT.

Coffee joints for Writers & Filmmakers in NYC & L.A.

This is just for writers and filmmakers! =}

Writers and filmmakers are often hauling their laptops to coffee houses for writing and working. In New York and Los Angeles, there are many such places, but sometimes they are difficult to find.

Let’s build a list of coffee joints where we like to work.

Besides, we all love the adventure of finding a new place to hang out.

I recommend that you copy the info below, then paste it into a comment to this blog posting and let us know your recommended hangouts.

I’ll start adding some that I’ve found in both cities.

Here’s the form to copy and paste.

CITY:
Name:
Street:
Phone:
Website:
Twitter:
Facebook:
WIFI: [_]Free with purchase [_]Unlimited time [_]pay
AC outlets: [_]Many [_]Precious Few [_]none
Crowded: [_]Always [_]Seldom [_]Never
Atmosphere [_]chatting [_]boisterous [_]library
Crowd: [_]writers [_]tourists [_]mixed
Menu: [_]pastries [_]sandwiches [_]full menu
Price: [_]$ [_]$$ [_]$$$!
Comment:

Google

 

EQUITY CROWDFUNDING RULEMAKING APPROACHES SOON.

I was at a seminar this week that purported to be about the new EQUITY CROWDFUNDING, but sadly, the panel was populated by finance professionals whose disdain for those of us who are not “high end, high net worth” made the panel useless.

These types of professional fundraisers, coming from the status quo investment community, are not willing to acknowledge that the true value of EQUITY CROWDFUNDING is the escape from the expense, time and headache of pursuing Reg D exemptions and PPMs (“Private Placement Memorandums”). They collect monstrous fees to create those, so they have no respect for those who pursue crowdfunding as an entry to the financial world.

URGENT UPDATE for filmmakers regarding the Crowdfunding Act of the JOBS ACT

The Securities and Exchange Commission is accepting comments on how it will formulate rules for the new equity CROWDFUNDING act that was included in the JOBS ACT. (See my story on ReelGrok.com at http://www.reelgrok.com/jobs-act-crowdfunding)

This is important for indie filmmakers, since the ability to reasonably raise up to $1,000,000 from investors could reinvigorate the indie film biz.

2012 NAB Show video reports from Reelgrok.com

Here are my video reports from the 2012 NAB Show in Las Vegas, reporting for ReelGrok “Where filmmakers get it.”

2012 NAB Show Abuzz with 3D & High Tech

This week, the fabulous NAB Show (http://NABShow.com) has taken over Las Vegas. The convention of The National Association of Broadcasters (see http://www.nab.org and http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=nationalassob) has been one of the largest events in the city for decades. The organization is for radio and television broadcasters and at the convention are nearly 2,000 venders showing all the equipment, business opportunities and techniques for creating, transmitting and distributing radio and television.

As digital cinema has taken over the filmmaking industry, the television camera, production and post-production areas have exploded and grown to include filmmakers (see http://www.nabshow.com/2012/event_highlights/for_filmmakers.asp), which now are 12% of the nearly 100,000 attendees.

== CLICK HERE to read MORE on ReelGrok ==

President Obama signs JOBS ACT; its Equity Crowdfunding may rebuild indie film biz.

Written by Michael R. Barnard for ReelGrok.com “Where Filmmakers Get It!”

ReelGrok.com “Where Filmmakers Get It”

President Obama  signed the JOBS ACT into law on April 5th, 2012. Called the ‘‘Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act,’’ the goal is to increase American job creation and economic growth by improving access to the public capital markets for emerging growth companies. It will make it easier for small businesses to raise money so they can create jobs and rebuild the American economy by amending the Securities Act of 1933. It can have a profound impact on the independent filmmaking industry.

President Obama said, “We are a nation of doers. We think big. We take risks.  This is a country that’s always been on the cutting edge. The reason is, America has always had the most daring entrepreneurs. When their businesses take off, more people get employed.”

That’s a boost the independent filmmaking industry needs. “I think we’ll see the $1 million range and down to $100,000 or so flourish with this new model,” says entertainment attorney Gordon P. Firemark.

The American Jobs Act

READ MORE AT REELGROK.COM “WHERE FILMMAKERS GET IT”

The latest on NATE AND KELLY the novel

NATE AND KELLY is a love story from a century ago, about today.

The novel has a strong, interesting narrative structure (essential for all media and what audiences now want). It is an interesting combination of fiction and non-fiction that works well with both the broad subjects of historical significance and its very specific, illuminating love story.

• By NaomiA: “…a well-written book”
• By CurtisB: “…captured my interest from the very beginning!”
• By Mouse: “A story of hope, betrayal, survival, and love…shocking truth about evil and prejudice.”
• By Phyllis L. Hinkle: “So well penned…makes you ponder the problems of society we live in today.”

NATE AND KELLY is a striking story of the type that has waned from our memories, the type of story destined for a massive resurgence –- a new take on old stories.

NATE AND KELLY the novel

1915.
A businessman and a prostitute find love.
And hate.

3D is here to stay. Links to 3D PRODUCTION information.

3D is a story-telling tool, an advancement in production just like sound (from scratchy monaural to high-fidelity 7.1 and beyond), lighting, a variety of film stock types, digital cinematography, CGI, motion-capture, rotoscoping, etc., etc., etc.

If you’re interested in delving deeper into 3-D production issues, here are some links about 3D that you might find informative and interesting:
(updated October 5, 2012)

Our chance to rebuild the independent film industry.

FILMMAKERS, this is very important:

WHAT CONGRESS DID
The house has passed the Entrepreneur Access to Capital Act which offers a tremendous opportunity to rebuild the independent film industry. The Act is designed to allow businesses to raise capital through crowdfunding. Under current securities laws, filmmakers can only ask for donations, and donors support the film without any participation in its potential profit.

WAR. UGH. WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

Here’s a macabre exercise, which could be intellectually stimulating:

Consider that France and Germany are slapping around Greece, and Greece reacted with a strong nationalistic response. (Today, Greece may rescind its own referendum on the bailout, but maybe not.)

How might historians in the future look back on today and consider this the trigger that started WWIII?