Week 9 EOC: Things to do

So only a week away from my final presentation and man do I have my work cut out for me. Luckily this past week I really started to do a lot of ground work and start researching and writing out some more sections. I can honestly say that I have been eat sleeping and breathing this business plan for the past week or so. I have always really enjoyed the business side of filmmaking and this past week researching really led me to a point of no return. I finally know what it is going to take for me to merge passion and profession into one. God knows its a ton of work but if I plan on working on films one day and not flipping burgers, there is leg work to be done. This business plan is really helping me think of how to make a living and what steps need to be taken. I only have a few sections here and there along with forms that I need to print out. I will finish this project and it will be impressive. I can't and wont settle for anything less. This business plan has become more of an assignment and more of a next step of my career. Leather binder is prepped and ready for documents! Here comes phase 1.

EOC Week 8: The Producers most important role

There are many types of producers when it comes to movies. Executive, line, associate, the list goes on. But at the end of the day your supervision is key to whatever position you may have. A producers job isn't always the most creative one but it is what helps keep the production afloat. Without your executive producer you would have a hard time finding and managing the budget for your movie. A standard producer is in charge of things like helping find cast and crew along with some other logistical aspects. Line producers are actually on set and make sure that each day runs smoothly and helps coordinate. And then you could have a associate producer who could be a part of everything or nothing at all at the same time. The role of a producer isn't always the most glamorous but in order to make your film happen you better believe that there role is important. When it comes to smaller productions the perfect producer is someone who will find the funds for your film, have a strong direction and knowledge for what needs to be done to make the film, good judgment when hiring cast and crew, and be a great organizer. The producer may not be on the screen but without them you wouldn't be watching anything in the first place.

Week 7 EOC: Biggest problem creating business plan

To this point forming my business plan has been a bit of a challenge to me. I love what goes into making a production and planning for one but I never really looked into how to sustain a business doing it as a career.The most challenging thing for me is not so much making the business plan but actually being honest with myself to how I need to mold the company into something that I truly care about and what services I legitimately am good at and take interest in. Breaking my services down line by line and putting a "plan" with a price behind it is kind of a scary thought for some reason for me. Maybe its just the fact that to this point I've always done things on a whim. I have always freelanced and shot my little videos on a whim. But now I'm having to look at this as a business. When will I shoot? How much would I charge for the shoot? What kind of services can I offer? These are all things that I've honestly never really sat down, thought about, researched, and executed a plan for it. But as I develop my plan I have more confidence in my role as a individual in the entertainment industry. Getting everything up and running is going to take some hard work and time. But I'm positive once I finally get this under my belt I will have a new outlook on my career.

Week 6 EOC: How do I see my role starting in the industry?

As I've said before in a previous post I really had a late start in film. I've been watching movies and analyzing them for years but I didn't really get into the nuts and bolts of film making until about a year ago. Audio has always been in my blood, I went to school for years as a guitar player; audio was all I knew. But I believe since I've been in school my love of audio bumped me into video. For me film was really the next logical step in having a career in the entertainment business. As of now my time spent in creating is really all over the place. I write music, play, write screenplays, shoot shorts; I honestly do it all. But when I think about how I see myself starting into the industry I believe I'm really going to have to hone in on one of my skills. To this point I'm willing to bet for the time being I'm going to stick with film. I would like to be able to do enough of my own small projects over time and build a portfolio for myself that eventually other people will want to come to me to work on there projects. I personally prefer telling stories to commercial videos. Can you make money shooting commercials and doing little ads? Absolutely! But that's not necessarily what I want to focus in on. If shooting the next Honda ad is going to give me the chance to work on and fund my next film I would absolutely do it in a heart beat. But you won't find me trying to make a career shooting concerts or Tide ads. I love movies, I want to make movies, and I will find a way to work into the business to do it for a living.

Week 2 EOC: Get Some Copyright Law Under Your Belt

http://fairuse.stanford.edu/
This website, which has been up and running since 1996, is filled with many different pages all with information pertaining to copyright laws and regulations. The webpage is updated pretty regularly with new stories and examples of practices. Actual attorneys and professors are used for insight giving a balanced view and opinion about certain topics.

http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html
This page is filled with a good amount of quick and dirty questions/ myths that may have been lurking in your head about copyright. The explanations are very simple and they don't try to through the legal jargon book at you. For someone looking for a couple of quick tips and popular questions this is a good site.

http://filmmakeriq.com/category/screenwriting/protecting-your-work/
While only a subcategory to this massive online filmmaking community, this webpage is loaded with great content. Often pooling top stories from around the internet it gives you some of the most entertaining and useful information that I have come across. For someone looking for specific examples of copyright in action this is a great page.

Week 1 EOC: What sacrifices are you willing to make for your Career?

I have always been a very passionate person when it comes to doing what I love. Music, art, film, I've always done whatever it takes to get the job done. When I think about making sacrifices to be where I want to be I can't think of too many things I wouldn't do. Taking up a career in the arts I've already told myself how hard of a life it can be at times. The starving artist saying can never be more true at times. On the other side of things I must say that when you finally do get to taste the accomplishments of your hard work in this industry it is bar none one of the best feelings in the world. At the moment in my life I don't really have anything tying me down. No kids, no wife, no mortgage, no crazy bills period. So when it comes to "responsibilities", I haven't really built too many around myself that can complicate things. I would love to travel and moving around for work I would really enjoy. I've spent most of my life growing up in Vegas so getting a chance to travel and visit other places would be no problem. I see the future as full of opportunities and because of how pretty open my life is right now I would honestly take a bigger chance on things then most people would. Live in a tiny apartment, ride the bus, top ramen for breakfast, working late nights, sign me up. If that's what it takes to get there I'm more then ready for the ride.