This Saturday we lost another legend, a household name – Larry King. He died at the age of 87. Over the span of his career he clocked in more than 6 000 shows! During those, his trademarks were RC2 microphone, suspender and his specific humour. Some of the classic examples of interviews are Marlon Brando, Beatles reunion or Lady Gaga.

In the past week, we've also witnessed an emerging app called Clubhouse, an audio drop-in, taking over the internet! We have to confess we're already there and we would like to explore the app, host weekly shows there, and invite you to join us! Hit us up on the Instagram @behindtheslate.co (or @iamjirifusek) if you'd like to get an invitation!

This Week's Bullets

This Week's Curated Articles

Personalise Film Advertising : PR tricks

We all know that having a well done project is not enough nowadays. If you want to succeed, you need to learn how to sell it properly. And if you want to be well-versed in it, here are some tips.

To not just survive, but to survive with honour, the trick is to personalise your film advertising campaigns. Social media is a great tool because it is (relatively) cheap and notes that no one knows the project better than you.

personalise film advertising : PR tricks | Raindance Film School
To survive in the film industry, the trick is to personalise film advertising campaigns to reach the widest audience. More people see you.

Top 25 Original Screenplay Box Office Hits of All-Time

Have any of you thought about writing a screenplay which will one day turn onto the big screen? I guess most of you, because it’s natural. And this is not just a screenwriters’ thing, every filmmaker wants to be part of such a success. But to have a perfect result, you need to have a perfect base.

“Original screenplays matter. They’re important, no matter what anybody tells you about the odds of original screenplays getting produced.” Check out some advices and the list of 25 box office hits based on original screenplays! Psssst, you can also read them.

Top 25 Original Screenplay Box Office Hits of All-Time - ScreenCraft
Here we share the top 25 box office hits based on original screenplays.

On Director–Editor Relationship: Sofia Coppola & Editor Sarah Flack

You hear all the time about the importance of the director-editor combo. The synergy of those two could be a blessing or a curse. The director Sofia Coppola and editor Sarah Flack had the luck to find each other on the 'Lost in Translation' movie and are putting films together ever since.

Flack says:

As we worked on ‘Lost in Translation,’ it occurred to me that we had a great similar of taste and artistic rapport. A friend of mine said to me after ‘Lost in Translation’ came out, ‘You’ve finally found a home for your sensibilities.’ I thought that summed up about how I felt about it.
Sofia Coppola & Editor Sarah Flack
Influencers: Coppola has relied on her long-time editor to carve out the unique rhythms and tonal balance of her films, while giving her the confidence to follow her distinctive voice.

Producer Roundtable: Andy Samberg, Ashley Levinson, Charles D. King and More on the Streaming Rise Amid COVID

Just as last week, we got you a Roundtable in this one. But today it's a producer's one! Get ready to listen from producers of Chicago 7, Dune, Mank, Palm Springs, Minari, Pieces of Woman or Malcolm & Marie. Most of them had to adapt to a new normal and they haven't enjoyed a theatrical release.

Producer Roundtable: Andy Samberg, Ashley Levinson, Charles D. King and More on the Streaming Rise Amid COVID and Their Awards Contenders
Dede Gardner, Marc Platt and Eric Roth also discuss adapting to a year of seismic changes in the film industry: “We started rethinking everything.”

They talk about the challenged, things they'd like to fix in the industry, what actor would they love to cast in the movie (and couldn't) and so on. Don't read this for long, go and watch the video!

Awards & Festivals Window

28th Czech Lion Awards: Nominations

The Czech Lion Award is the highest award of achievement in film awarded in the Czech Republic. It all began in 1993 and this year it will be the 28th year! Let’s confess, who wouldn’t want to have this unique crystal statuette designed by Rony Plesl at home? The nominations are here, check them out.

Unfortunately, nowadays there could be lots of pieces which would rather deserve The Stuffed Lion for the Worst Film award, but let’s hope it’s because of the pandemic. So, what are your favourites?

ČFTA
ČFTA

Cannes Film Festival Likely to Be Postponed Until July

Cannes Film Festival might be postponed again – this time from May to July, somewhere between 5th and 25th. Organizers are also considering a slight extension to the festival due to the plethora of strong films in the pipeline. Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Fremaux suggested that one possibility is to start the festival one day earlier and end it one day later, which could mean that Cannes would start on a Monday, and end on a Sunday.

Although a Cannes bow in late June had been discussed, it appears this slot will be taken by the Cannes Lions, the annual advertising market, which is still scheduled to run June 21-25. A source at the Cannes Lions said there are no plans in place to postpone the event to October, as it did last year before it was cancelled altogether due to the pandemic.

With the Cannes Lions still on track to run June 21–25, it’s feasible that the Cannes Film Festival could be assembled in time to roll out in early July. One industry insider says it would take only a few days or roughly a week to set up the film festival.

Cannes Film Festival Likely to Be Postponed Until July
The Cannes Film Festival is set to announce by the end of the month whether it will keep its May dates or postpone to the summer. The festival is currently looking to take place sometime between July 5-25, Variety has learned. Although a Cannes bow in late June had been discussed, it appears this sl…

This Week's Recommendation

Sundance 2021: 15 Must-See Festival Films You Can Stream at Home

Ever wanted to visit Sundance Film Festival? This year it will visit you at home. Not much of a surprise, right. This year the lineup includes of course some familiar names like Betsy West and Julie Cohen, Sion Sono or Ana Katz, but more than a half of the participants will be newbies.

2021 Sundance Film Festival
Join us for the 2021 Sundance Film Festival

So, if you are clueless where to start and what films to see, check the article. There is a guide on how to get to the tickets, too. See you there!

Sundance 2021: 15 Must-See Festival Films You Can Stream at Home
The annual festival has rolled out a streamlined edition, complete with a variety of hot titles primed for home consumption. Here are the best of the bunch.

Trailer of the Week

Fake Famous (2021): Official Trailer | HBO

This just might be a ride! A social experiment exploring social media influence and turning nobodies into an internet-famous somebodies. By buying fake likes, comments and followers, the 3 protagonists are flooded by eager brands, offering them free gifts and money for advertising.

At the same time, we watch how the new lifestyle affects people who, in the beginning, had only a small social following. Premieres February 2, 2021, at HBO Max.