Pay no attention to the story behind that explosion

This past weekend was a busy one. My three boys, Noble (6), Royal (5) and Knight (3) were invited to a birthday party for a friend of theirs. The party was at the local movie theatre and because we were in the process of moving, I almost didn’t go.  I changed my mind because movies always make me feel better when I am stressed out.

The party was great. Friends, family, pizza, cake and popcorn were on the menu. What I didn’t order was the poor acting in the film. I am passionate about acting. I teach it, I do it and I watch it. This particular movie was EPIC. It was said to be visually stimulating and with celebrity voice talents. Well, regarding those two issues, they were right. 

This is where I had my problem. I can describe it in one word, Beyoncé. Listen, I don’t mind Beyoncé performing at the super bowl or at the VMA because that's what she does.  I do have a problem and what was very disturbing was her performance in this film. She is not an actress. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love when actors can do it all. The triple threat is the ultimate goal, but I only love it when it is done right. When you are good at something, do it, when you are not, take some lessons. Her voice is not good for animation or live action films. Her voice has no inflections, different pitches or even emotion in it. I was disappointed.

I then thought about, WHY? Why was she chosen to be this character in this film? Then I had an answer. She was cast to attract the black population to watch this film. Hollywood thinks that if they attach a famous black name to something then their profits will go up. Well, they might just be right about that, but for the small minority of the population that still value performance over just a name, this type of casting is insulting.

I titled my blog, “Pay no attention to the story behind that explosion," because that is all that movies have turned into. Movies in this century have become, big blockbuster expulsions with lack luster stories. 

Oh, did I mention that I didn’t really like the film. I didn’t really hate it either. 

Enrika M. Sissle 

What is, "Save the Cat?"

What is, “Save the cat?”

For as long as I can remember, I have been taught the three-act format for writing a screenplay. It is what works and that’s how many insiders write their screenplays in the business.

I know this because I took a course a long time ago on screenwriting and then Syd Fields was the all-time favorite. He wrote the book called Foundations in Screenwriting, that everyone was using. I studied that book and felt that I had a handle on how to write for the screen. I didn’t think that I was an expert by any stretch of the imagination but I felt I could easily point out the format in any screenplay with a good degree of certainty.

Recently, I had a story meeting about a screenplay that I am writing and to tell you the truth, I saw how uncomfortable one guy was in his chair. I saw and felt his frustration with the story. His dislike exuded through his pores. It was a foul smell of, “What the heck is this?” in the air.

So instead of beating around the bush after the presentation, I asked what needed to be done to strengthen the story. After all, that is all that matters. The gags don’t count, the characters aren’t really that important. The audience has to fall in love with the story.

One of the guys mentioned the book, “Save the cat.” I had not ever heard of it. He went on to talk about not just looking at story in three acts but in beats. He said 15 beats to be exact.

Save the cat, is written by Blake Snyder. It claims to be, “The last book on screenwriting you’ll ever need.” I am hopeful that this statement is true. So, with hopes of turning this storyline around, I am purchasing the book along with a few others that Snyder has written and maybe my story will be, “The greatest story ever told.” Well except for the bible.

Here’s more info:

http://www.blakesnyder.com/services/

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/book-review-save-the-cat/

Start again: Finding the strength to finish that book

Start again: Finding the strength to finish that book

I live a busy life. I have five children; I run a small theatre company; I am writing a movie script; in school full-time; moving; home schooling; volunteering at a community center; and a few other things. Now, I am trying to write a new graphic novel that is in my head.  Most of the time I am tired and burned out from life and when will I have time to complete all that I feel I need to?

Your life may look a bit like mine. We all have lives that may look like any minute will just explode. Maybe some of you have an even busier schedule than me. I know that there are days that none of us want to even get out of bed let alone write a book. What I have found out is that creative people always have ideas but those ideas will haunt us until something gets done. 

With this in mind, I am always on the look out for strategies and ways that can help me organize and finish my work.  I don’t want to turn around and nothing is done and I am 30 years older. This is where organization and goal setting plays and important role in finishing that manuscript in your head.

The Fitness expert network is a reference that I found that gives tips on making big goals smaller? I chose them because I have a huge fitness goal that seems insurmountable. You could even do a simple search on the web to find help with goal setting. The fitness network is what I use for my weight loss challenges. I find that I can apply it to other areas of my life.

If you are writing a book now, it may seem like you will not ever finish it and that life is slowly taking over. You can't let that happen. You have to find those moments that you can write. If you have five minutes, then write one paragraph. A little each day goes a long way. When you use those moments to write, you find that your book or novel is getting closer to being finished. One paragraph turns into three and then a page. Pretty soon you will have a chapter completed.

Try not to look at your book or novel as one big project. Break each page down and just focus on that. There will be days, weeks or in my case even months when I didn't write a thing and get so frustrated that I am letting my dreams pass. Try not to beat yourself up about those times. Start again. Remember you can always start again. Just find the strength to not ever stop. 

Here are some other sites to help you finish:

Finishing that novel

Timothy Hallinan

Writability 

To obtain the rights, or not to obtain the rights

While listening to several podcasts for my entertainment business course, I noticed a common thread that pertained to my focus on theatrical productions. The use of others written works without permission is illegal. This of course seems to be common knowledge for music lovers that download unlicensed work or for those who find just released movies to download on the Internet. This practice is called piracy and it is illegal for those who don’t know. However, this is not so black and white in the theatre world. Although, it is still illegal to produce a theatrical work and charge for admission if you do not have permission, it is acceptable if you “purchase the rights of performance.”

While listening to Lawrence Lessig’s podcast, Laws thatchoke creativity, for TED.com, I was stuck by a thought that I have conflicting emotions on. How do you draw from the past, and inspire creativity while creating and re-creating something new and not break the law of copyright?

As a theatre director, I would not even consider doing a show without finding out who owns the rights and how much does it cost to get it? Sometimes this can be an extreme hassle because you can’t easily find the owner or it’s too expensive. A problem could also arise because of the inexperience of your actors or company, in turn permission may not be granted.  This means that if you have a three-month-old company with a $1,000 budget, you probably can’t produce Titanic: The Musical. Your company is then turned down for the rights to perform.

Then what do you do without the risk of being sued? Can you change the script but have the same names of the Titanic characters? No, you can. That is still and issue and a possible liability.

Lessig discusses that there are two extremes when it comes to the license of creativity. He tells three stories that all lead to one understandable conclusion. How can today’s creators create or re-create with so many licensing and copyrighting infringement possibilities? To be honest, he gives no clear resolution. Lessig explains that he tried to tackle this head on through the legislative process but that battle was lost before it even started. Who then do you take this issue?

My answer to this is to create your own works. Just recently my new company, Church Girlz Productions is about to produce its first stage show, Time Travelers: An American Experience. Before writing one word, I spoke with my fellow writers and told them that every line in our play will be original. With regard to certain music used in the shows, we do have a certain license to use in our show’s transitions. We are limited to a short amount of time but can still use the music without purchasing a license.

Copyrights and permission to use others works is a big concern in the theatre when there is a demand for theatrical works that are not available in all parts of the country. Everyone can’t travel to California and/or New York to see a popular show. Local theatre companies love these works and want local communities to see the valve of investing in the arts. The only way to do this is for those local communities to see the works of others.  There is a solution to limiting these liability issues and still being able to produce popular works. It is a good idea for smaller companies, as well as larger ones, to invest in memberships like the Musical Theatre International (http://www.mtishows.com ) offers. These types of companies, do not owns the rights to the work but have be granted permission to license the works based on company size, operating budget and reputation. It could be pricey but in the end, it is an investment worthwhile. 

For more information please visit the following links:

http://www.ted.com/talks/larry_lessig_says_the_law_is_strangling_creativity.html

http://www.mtishows.com

https://www.facebook.com/ChurchGirlzProductions

New in Entertainment News

Recently, I saw an interview with Julia Roberts and George Clooney.  Julia was asking the questions and eventually asked if Clooney had ever had any “work done.” This of course is asking if he has had any plastic surgery or has altered his look in any way. His response was, “No.” Then he turned it around and asked her. Her response was that she hadn’t done it yet but would consider it. This was a surprise to me, but then I thought about it.  Youthfulness is really important in the film and theatre world. It could make or break you.  So an actress might not always want to reveal their age.

This was the case for Huong Hoang who ended up suing the online website IMDb about revealing her true age on their site. In her favor was the Screen Actors Guild that also agreed that the site reveals too much information about stars. Huong’s argument was that her actual age listed on the site might deny her opportunities in the business. She argued that there was a misconception about age and talent that is perpetrated in Hollywood. Huong tried several times to get the company and its parent company Amazon to change the information on the site but to no avail. Her claim was that the company used her credit card information to obtain the factual age and that was a privacy issue. The courts later agreed with IMDb. IMDb claimed that they were only interested in telling the truth.

As part of my business plan, I want to include local actor’s headshots and resumes. This issue reminds me that I should not to offer up too much information about my actors.

Click here for more info from my source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/imdb-wins-lawsuit-actress-age-437828http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/imdb-wins-lawsuit-actress-age-437828

Three of my favorite movies are The Borne Trilogies. I just love spy thriller movies. While watching them, I had no idea that the rights and profits of those movies have been debated for years. I will try to simplify what the lawsuit is about. The author, Robert Ludlum owned the rights first, and then sold them to the Windwood/Glen Production Company who then sold it to Orion Pictures, who is the parent company of Warner Brothers. Warner brothers sat on the novel and then let it go back to the original owner, Ludlum. Ludlum then sold it to Universal Pictures and now we have The Borne Trilogies.

Now that the Borne Trilogies have become the highest grossing trilogies ever, one/half of the Windwood/Glen wants their money. But here’s the kicker, that one half, Anthony Lazzarino, passed away in 2012 after fighting for his chance to be heard in court. His widow is now suing Warner Brothers over a film that they do not even own. The rights are now owed by Universal.

Yes, this was all complicated. This tells me that it is very important to maintain your records and always get the rights to whatever you want to create.

Click here for more info from my source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/warner-bros-fighting-lawsuit-universals-436911

As a former singer, it has always been confusing when it comes to sampling in songs. I hear so many different stories about how much of a song an artist can use before it is a rights infringement. Six seconds to thirty seconds, it really is confusing.

A recent lawsuit against, rapper, Kanye West about the phrase, “Get Down” in his Gold Digger song comes from the family of David Pryor. David Pryor was an artist in the 1970’s with a hit song, “Bumping Bus Stop.” In the song, performed by Pryor's band, Thunder and Lighting, he repeats the phrase “Get Down.” It turns out that the sample is from the song, however several legal sources says that there is not enough of the song present in West’s song to constitute an infringement.

What this teaches me is that gaining the rights to anything creative is a first step and should not be an after thought.

Click here for more info from my source: http://www.ipbrief.net/2013/04/14/kanye-west-sued-for-unauthorized-sampling-in-gold-digger-was-he-messin-with-someone-elses-song/

Forget the recording contract.

I was reading this article about being your own artist manager, when it occurred to me that there was a time when an artist’s ultimate goal was to get a contract. An artist would spend all of their money trying to make a good demo and sell himself or herself to an executive. As a young artist, I would see hundreds of guys running backstage with their demo tapes in hand. They were just trying to give it to whoever might be important. Then the evolution of sound happened and the game was changed to compact disk.

My question now is, WHY? With the invention and easy access of the Internet, you tube, iTunes and more, why would and artist try to enslave themselves and literally owe thousands and sometimes millions to a company. We have all heard the stories of artist who gets signed are asked to change their hair, weight, name and what is worst their music to appeal to a broader audience. An artist has to ask themselves if they really what to be told to change their names. It is a form of modern day slavery.

When an artist does get a contract, there are so many documents that they have to sign to appear loyal to the company. They have to agree to a certain amount of records in a certain time and are forced to give it even when their creativity may not be speaking a tune.  We all understand that it is called the music “business.” These companies are only in it to make money. They don’t really care about an artist’s inspiration or desire to even put out an album every two years. It’s all about the money.

I also recognize that there are some artists who only want to record for the same reason as the companies. The artist sees becoming a recording artist as a way to become famous, rich and powerful. I know that I am going to get in trouble for this but I going to say it anyway. This is how I feel R&B music is today. I can’t even listen to the radio without wanting to take a bath. I am so disgusted by the themes. The artists only want to make music about sex, crime, game and themselves. It is a sad state. These kinds of artist have no heart to me. They have sold themselves to the companies and have become ponds to the system. They have no creativity and hopefully they will eventually die out in the business.

My message to a true creative spirit and artist is to, “forget the recording companies.” Find and keep your own voice. Record your own music and never, never sell out! Vivia la artist!!!