Director's Tips

Most major companies have a Twitter, Facebook or some kind of social network account. Major entertainment industry companies are no exception. MTV Networks is one of them.

MTV Networks is a division of Viacom and some of their networks include MTV, VH1, CMT, and Nickelodeon. But for MTV network in particular they have a major social media presence. Some of the reasoning behind this can be attributed to their young target audience and the greater ability to reach them through social media.  Their Facebook and Twitter page contains current updates about things on their network. These social media accounts, Facebook in particular allows for discussion boards and comments on various posts.

With more and more companies using social media it has morphed them into more customer friendly companies. With the ability for unhappy customers or viewers to freely air their frustrations, a lot more companies have become aware of that and try to correct their error if they can. For the viewer or customers it creates a sense of connection with the company that would not have happen without the use of social media.

For MTV their social media efforts have been successful. There is not much I would change about it. They add updated content on their pages regularly.  Most of it relates to upcoming programming. They could use individual’s comments from twitter and Facebook and use that to integrate more into their programming. I think doing exclusive contests through the social network platform would help increase their social network presence.

For all of the television fans this post will interest you. Today most scripted television shows have a storyline throughout the season called a story arc rather than a season of self-contained episodes. This could either keep viewers hooked throughout the season or make more viewers ready to give up on the show if they miss an episode. However, with the availability of many past episodes available online that may not be an issue either. Non-the less most shows use story arcs not just dramas like “Lost” but sitcoms like “Modern Family” as well. Just a few decades ago story arcs were used for soap opera shows. Story arcs also make syndication a bit tricky since the episodes would need to run in sequential order to make sense to a new viewer. There are shows that have story arcs as well as episodes that could be stand alone while barely grazing the arc, some might call those filler episodes. Shows with running storylines gives more dimension to the character and often involves a more darker and serious show.

In the last 20 years the world has seen technology change in ways unimagined prior.  Technology including the wide spread use of the Internet has altered almost every industry. This includes the entertainment industry, film and television to be specific. With this huge convergence to the digital realm comes the prevalence of digital marketing. More and more ads are being put on the Internet compared to print or television. Companies are also creating viral ad campaigns to attract new customers in different ways.  Most television shows not only show on air but online as well. Most of this has to do with people in society wanting things on demand. Now it is so easy to keep up with two different shows that air at the same time on different networks. Viewers have the option of recording them both on their DVR or watching them online at a later time. Movie trailers are now shown on the Internet.  Ads are very prevalent on web sites with a lot of traffic. Major business model for many websites is to make it free to the subscribers and charge for advertising. For statistics on online advertising visit: http://www.grabstats.com/statmain.asp?StatID=342. This shows that digital marketing is very heavily relied on for many companies especially those that are trying to reach a younger audience. In addition to pop ups, ads on the side of the page or ads during a video there is email spam. It is the digital version of mass mailing people. And just like those flyers people throw them away, in this case they delete them or put them in spam folders. Companies try to get patrons to sign up for an email news letter or something similar that way the individual receiving it is more likely to view it. Expanding even more into the digital marketing realm is the world of social networks that consist of the major ones like Facebook and Twitter. Not only do you have companies paying to advertise on those sites you also have them creating accounts and creating a fan base to interact with. Creating yet another layer of digital marketing.

I was recently reading an article about an interview with James Cameron on www.oregonlive.com.  James Cameron has directed such major motion picture hits as “Titanic”, “Avatar” and “Aliens”. During the interview the interviewer said that Cameron’s major achievement in this film was that he had crossed the uncanny valley. The meaning of that term is explained in the article but it basically means that computer generated character are very close to looking real but are seen as artificial because the subtle eye movements that we see in living people are not present in these characters.  Cameron said that first set of shots done with CG was bad but after weeks of tweaks they had the first scene finished. James Cameron was asked if the technology has changed since the film was complete and he answered by saying yes and that the technology was changing during the production as well.  He said some of the little details that they had to put in are now automatic but also saying that there is not a huge advancement in technology. When asked about lessons he has brought from Cameron’s days of working for Roger Corman, Cameron mentions that the technical process of filmmaking has changed. Cameron said, “We don't shoot on film any more. We don't do any in-camera effects. We don't use opticals. The entire process has been fundamentally rewritten.” He does however say that the essence of film make is the same when it comes to the concept of conveying your story and gathering your cast.

            This interview is very informative and talks a lot about Cameron’s perspective behind doing his movies. It gives an incite about how he sees some issues like the BP oil spill. In the interview it says that Cameron got a few scientists and officials to brainstorm ideas about solving the issue. They ignored the result until two months later. Cameron goes on to explain that this issue relates to “Avatar” because it is basically about how people see what humans do environmentally to be an improvement but that in reality it is just making it worse.

Recently I found a film website for film news called Showbizdata.com. On this website it has the current box office numbers, market share of major distributers, synopsis of movie reviews and more. The website has numbers on top grossing directors, writers, producers and executive producers. It also has a section called the wire in which it directs you to current news articles. There is a wire page for film, TV, games, digital media, music, tech and gossip. This website has several packages with different advantages. The first membership package is free and that allows you to access the news and post your resume. The next member ship is called Job market and that is $9.95 per month. This member ship allows you access to the job listing and the employer’s contact information. The executive plan member ship is $34.95 a month and with that plan you get everything in the previous plan and access in the in development board, box office archive data, Info about major film marketed including major festivals.  The final package is the premium financial plan this costs $69.95 per month and gives you access to everything including financial records for those who need them for analysis purposes. For the average person looking for news and information about upcoming movie projects you may only need one of the first two packages and could probably get some of this information elsewhere. You can use some of the information listed in the section regarding projects in development and look up the contact details elsewhere like IMDB Pro instead of using one of these paid memberships.

Showbizdata.com is a very good website for researching figures of how much a film is grossing or what money has been made based on an industry professional’s catalog of work for the previous year. If you are willing to have a paid member ship on this website then you could very well look for projects you may be interested to work on from this website.

When you begin working on a film you will most likely work with some people you haven’t worked with before. Establishing a good relationship with the crew will reduce conflict allowing for, hopefully a smooth production. It is especially helpful to have a good relationship with the ones you will be working with the most. If you are the director that will be the actors, assistant directors, director of photography, camera crew, and editor in post production to name a few; if you are the production manager that would be the production key positions. Because of this reason some may choose to bring a colleague that they have worked with before and get along with. This may be different than a friend in the industry because working with a likeminded; dependable colleague is different than working with friends. However, you may not always be in the position to work with the ones you choose. A good way to start creating a positive relationship with the ones you have not worked with before is to introduce your self to them before you start shooting. Another way is to acknowledge their good work; by doing this it shows that you have confidence in their work and judgment. Trusting each other is what makes a good team and a good film. As a director dealing with talent some may be more demanding than others. You may want to speak with the actors before hand to see if they would rather be called by their real name or their character’s name on set, since some actors may have a preference. In addition you can find out what other preferences they may have and account for them before hand so that hopefully during production the actor is not late because of this. In conclusion establishing a positive relationship with everyone on a production is most desired when doing a film. It eliminates conflict and helps the production run smoother. Knowing that what you are doing is business and nothing personal helps keep a good relationship as well.