Spotlight #13 – On Relationships
Another Sunday, another Spotlight. Next week is also the first Advent, meaning it's less than five weeks till Christmas – and if you did not see Love Actually this year yet, now is the time (for those who are not such fanatics like Donika is, the story of this movie starts 5 weeks before Christmas, so she and her friends have a little tradition to watch it every year one week before the Advent starts). So, let's get into it.
This Week's Bullets
- There is a biopic boom in the industry, and writing one is one of the toughest jobs for screenwriter there is. Life is not written in a 3-act structure, so pick a period in their life and find the core theme
- Fincher would like to revisit Mindhunter at some point, finish the show with the FBI knocking on BTK Stranger's door, but he acknowledges it is an expensive show, and even with such passionate audience the numbers don't justify the costs
- Taika Waititi shot a Christmas commercial for Coca-Cola and people love it!
This Week's Curated Articles
Walking the Wire: A Conversation on the Director Producer Partnership
When asked what the secret to a long-lasting relationship between Producer and Director is, one of the first answers was "self-awareness". If you're feeling lost, it will impact the set. But don't worry, we all feel lost sometimes, just push through.
More tips include honest communication, trust and similar values both of the members (especially when it comes to involving commerce in the art). And what about the balance of power, decision-making? For some, it's based on what topic is the issue about, for others the key to it is the order of arrival to a project. Anyway, there is much more to see in the article, so get to it!
Homophobia Still an Issue on Film Sets, Argue Panelists at Camerimage
Heteronormativity, toxic masculinity and lot of prejudice - these are experiences of a DP Michael Filocamo not just from a film set, but also from Camerimage Festival in Poland. Linked to the events happening in the country now, he and other filmmakers opened up this topic during the online IMAGO Roundtable and the discussion continued with the #whoisinyourcrew and the crew diversity. We are still not there, guys, we still have a long battle for equality ahead of us.
I Am Not An Easy Man | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix
Speaking about gender equality, there are also rom-coms on this topic. This one you can find on Netflix, it’s French, and it will give you an image of how the world would look like when the perception of men and women would swap. Check it, think about it.
Script Development 101: Option Agreements, Development Deals, etc.
We already spoke today about Producer–Director relationship, now let's take a closer look at Producer–Screenwriter. But in this case, more from the Screenwriter's POV.
There are 4 different ways the script development can go – outright purchase (not happening), option agreement (standard), spec development deal (not so common) or show of interest (you don't want that). Learn what each means, get some tips on how to manage the writing cycle, how much should you ask for, and how many rewrites is too many.
Black Friday Deals!
Black Friday Post Production Deals 2020
Black Friday is in 5 days – November 27. And for those of you (well, us) who are a little strapped for money right now, let's take advantage of it! Jonny Elwyn put together a nice, comprehensive list of deals that covers (mostly) post-production – software, hardware and courses – and saves hundreds of dollars.
This Week's Recommendation
Giri / Haji | Netflix
I saw the show back in the Spring of 2020, and I feel this is one of the most underrated TV Shows of 2019 (that's when it premiered on BBC2). It's a cross-cultural multi-genre show about Japanese gangsters, British cops, about self-realization and struggles within a family brought to life by the same team that gave us Chernobyl.
What I loved about this show is the fact they speak Japanese, they filmed in Tokyo & London, and that you see Japanese culture clash with the British. And if you think "it seems like too many ingredients in one cake" – I promise you, it is not. Joe Barton did an excellent job, and this limited series is worth the time.
Trailer of the Week
Chaos Walking (2021)
Originally planned for Spring 2019, this movie was pushed back because of reshoots. Now, we can finally enjoy another dystopian movie (well, technically just a trailer of a movie), where every thought a man has is put on a display for others to see.
Both Tom Holland & Daisey Ridley are known for their roles of Spider-Man and Rey (Star Wars), so I'm thrilled to see them in something different. Also – Mads Mikkelsen? Hell to the yeah!