by Nat Mundel | Oct 20, 2017 | Blog post, Entertainment Business, Font Page
Yes, absolutely. He is 100% responsible for his actions (as we all are). But there’s also a whole lot more at play… I woke this morning and, as in every day leading up to this one, Harvey Weinstein is in the news. And now, as you may know, Roy Price, the head of Amazon Studios, has resigned as a result of a sexual harassment firestorm that’s come out as a result of women in Hollywood finally feeling like they can have their voices heard. Much has now been said on a culture of harassment in Hollywood, and the complicit behavior that goes along with it. BEAUTIFUL GIRLS scribe Scott Rosenberg articulated it clearly in his ‘everybody knew’ letter you might have seen on Deadline. In it, Scott paints the picture of Harvey as ‘a goose laying golden eggs’ that everyone coveted (and therefore kept their mouth’s shut even though they knew what was going on). What I want to address is how the ‘old’, centralized Hollywood model created the inevitability of all of this. When so much power resides in the hands of a few select people – the power to make (or break) a career, the power to greenlight (or kill) a project on a personal whim, the use of implied (or explicit) threat that results in 1000s of voices forced into silence (over decades!) – bad stuff is going to happen. Actors feel like they have to endure unacceptable (and in some cases illegal) behavior lest they not be able to fulfill on their dreams and calling. Writers who give ‘voice’ to so many great and inspiring...
by Voyage | Jul 7, 2017 | Blog post, Entertainment Business, Font Page
By: Dan Benamor, Voyage Producer In film, there may be no key creative more marginalized than the screenwriter. Screenwriters are fired and re-hired, rewritten and written out, and generally cede power to the director, producers, studio executives, and so on in the filmmaking process. If you are fortunate enough to sell a screenplay, once you as the writer have signed on the dotted line, you relinquish control. The writer is often on the low end of the totem pole in the film world, but it’s a reality screenwriters usually have to come to terms with. As tough as it may seem sometimes to break through and maintain a creative vision of your script as described above, there is an exception to this rule… You can decide to produce a micro-budget screenplay. Taking this journey will require a screenwriter to utilize skillsets more akin to a producer, and/or (if so desired) a director. But by taking control of your own career in this way, you can guide the process, both creatively and pragmatically (there’s no one to blame but yourself if the film is not made). Micro-budget films can be made for extremely low budgets with the modern state of film technology. Crowdfunding has become a valuable resource to the micro-budget filmmaker, and on the back end of the process, VOD has democratized everything. A case in point here is a film I co-wrote, INITIATION. The film was released on just about every VOD platform last August. That means that if you are scrolling through VOD titles on ITunes or Amazon or any other VOD platform, you could easily find my film...
by Voyage | Apr 28, 2016 | Blog post, Book to Film, Font Page, Pitching, Presentations
A guide to understanding and mastering the logline Maybe you’re an author who has been working on perfecting your logline for months (or years). Or perhaps you’re familiar with what a logline is, but aren’t quite sure how to write one for your own story… Or perhaps you have no idea what a logline is or the first thing about writing one… Whatever the case may be, we are here to help break it all down for you! An effective logline is a critical element of attracting producers and buyers to your book or story… What is a Logline? A logline is a one or two sentence description of your story that boils down its basic premise in a way that’s concise yet evokes emotion in your reader. It should not only convey the basis of your book, but also give your reader some poignant insight into the story as a whole. Here’s an example of a great logline…. Blacksmith Will Turner teams up with eccentric pirate “Captain” Jack Sparrow to save his love, the governor’s daughter, from Jack’s former pirate allies, who are now undead. (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN) Loglines are an essential component to packaging and marketing any project – you can even think of them as the basic DNA of storytelling. If you have a compelling logline, you’ll have a much better chance of hooking potential buyers and leave them wanting more – and that’s what you want! Tell your reader exactly why they should take time out of their busy schedule to read your story…. Work on answering the question, “What sets my story apart from...
by Voyage | Feb 1, 2016 | Book to Film, Entertainment Business, Font Page, Pitching
Your guide to choosing the right people to be on your team If I had a dollar for every time an author asked me, “What’s the difference between Agents vs. Managers vs. Producers?” I would have a ton of dollars! Seriously, I could go on a tropical vacation 🙂 But instead of going on vacation, I’ve decided to break it all down for you right here… So I’ll start off by saying that each of these types of dealmakers exist in their own way to make arrangements that kickstart the process of creating movies, TV shows or webseries from conception to completion. But that’s pretty much where their similarities stop… Agents I like to think of the Agents as the gatekeepers to Hollywood… They control what projects high-end talent take on… They also do all they can to protect / improve their clients’ value by making it tough for a newcomer to break in. Typically, agents work for actors, directors or writers and are highly transaction focused. As a rule, Agents only seek out known talent with pre-existing track records. They are interested in sales and final-products which means that they very rarely take risks on ideas that ‘aren’t a sure thing.’ And while this mindset is necessary to keep Hollywood running smoothly, it can be frustrating to newcomers like self-published authors who don’t have a preexisting reputation. Managers Managers are ‘in it for the long haul’ in terms of their clients’ careers. They are generally more focused on the long-term overall career development of their clients (whereas agents are more short-term-transaction focused). The good news for you is that...
by Voyage | Jan 6, 2016 | Blog post, Font Page
It’s been a successful year here at Voyage and we have a lot for which to be grateful. First and foremost, we want to thank you for being a part of our incredible family of creators! Without you and your hard work, none of these wins would have been possible. Before we get swept up in 2016, we want to take a moment to reflect and highlight some of our wins from 2015. BREAKING NEWS We’re thrilled to announce that our Original scripted feature, THE GOD HELMET, has obtained 50% financing (yes, actually in the bank) and fingers are crossed it goes into production in Q1. Also, our feature documentary, VALLEY UPRISING, had a huge run theatrically screening in over 45 countries with total attendance in excess of 100,000. It also attained a primetime release on Discovery, and is now available in a premium Vimeo window. Finally, it attained over 5 Grand Prizes at all the major adventure festivals including the prestigious Grand Prize at Banff. THE NEW WEBSITE We set some lofty goals for 2015, and none bigger nor more important than building our new website. The goal was to create an online platform where you could Get Connected with experienced producers such as yourself, Get Educated with over 400 video trainings on how to create marketable projects that will sell, and Become an Original. The site is a huge success! Hundreds of creators like you are ordering, booking, and uploading materials to the website for their strategy sessions. And hundreds more have have enrolled in our LAUNCHpad program, a monthly subscription service where you get on demand access to all...
by Voyage | Dec 15, 2015 | Font Page
It’s that time of year again! And this year is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of all that downtime you’ll have (between eating and decorating, of course)… After all, a creator never rests! The time off work and away from other commitments that comes with the holidays can and should be utilized to help advance your career and get your project noticed. One of the easiest (and most effective) ways to do this is to improve your online presence. It’s free and can only help your cause… So we’ve come up with a checklist of all the things you can be doing online to improve your reputation and social following. Before you begin to tackle this checklist during your holiday break, make sure to zero in on your goals of creating an online presence…. Do you want to sell more books? Do you want to connect with screenwriters in your area? Are you hoping to get the attention of a key Hollywood player? Do you want to establish a local writer’s circle? There are so many different things that can be accomplished by setting yourself up with an online image, so it’s important to hone in on what you want, and why, so you can focus on that goal. o Build a Website Your website should be the heart of your brand and the message you want to put out to the online world. Your website should to be easy to use, explain who you are and what you do, and have a clear message. Wix.com is an easy-to-use, free website hosting platform and a great place...
