Youtube Channel

I know that I haven't been blogging much lately. Just have been busy. Currently, I am taking directing classes at UCLA through extension. You can see my projects on my Youtube channel:

www.youtube.com/todfilm

I am just finishing up the first half next week. Then the second half begins in January and ends in March. Let me know what you think of my projects so far.

Thanks.

Asia Trip 2012

Just got back from a two week business trip through Asia and I'm exhausted. I leave in a couple of days for Cannes. So rather than write a detailed post, I'm just going to post some pictures from my trip.
The famous Louis Vuitton island in Singapore.

Me in the rooftop pool at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.


The Tin Hau temple in Kowloon, Hong Kong.

The imperial palace in Tokyo.


Home for gamers and nerds throughout Japan, the famous Akiba.

The Tokyo Tower.
Lastly, I'll leave you with some plum tree blossoms in Tokyo.

It's the End of Motion Picture Filmmaking As We Know It and I Feel Fine

Kodak just filed for bankruptcy. The venerable company was founded in 1892 by George Eastman. Much hand wringing and despair has circled on the internet as of late, including Twitter and Facebook as well as other social networking websites over the impending death of motion picture film as a medium. There is even an online petition trying to save 35mm as a projection format.

Yes, there are benefits to the medium. Film has a soft, almost magical feel to it when projected. I also can't deny the sexy and alluring nature of shooting on film. We tend to think of ourselves as filmmakers, not digital video makers. I liken it to the soft, crunchy, sweet analog sound of vinyl. There's nothing more satisfying than putting on an old jazz record while drinking a glass of wine.

As someone who has been involved in the independent film world since I started back at UCSB in the 90s, I have spent a good deal of time working with 8mm, 16mm, Super16, and 35mm. After dealing with film stock, processing, answer prints, check prints, answer prints, etc., I say "Good riddance!" Film is an expensive, unwieldy, time-consuming medium.

Actually, my relationship with film goes back farther than my time in college. When I was a kid, we'd make little 8mm films and show them to our friends and family. We also had an old 8mm projector and a couple of 8mm reels of old Disney cartoons. They were all silent of course. But you didn't need sound in order to enjoy the films as a kid.

Once I moved on to college and began making films in the late 90s and 2000's, making films was an expensive hobby. People routinely spent $30,000-50,000 just to make a short film. When I made my short film 'Coffee', I shot on Super 16mm and called in a ton of favors. Even with getting major discounts I wound up spending between $15,000-$20,000 on the film. At the time, filmmaking was the purview of the upper middle-class and wealthy. It was somewhat of an elitist institution. Most filmmakers went into massive debt and racked up huge credit cards bills. Some even mortgaged their houses to finance their dreams. When Steven Soderbergh made Sex, Lies and Videotape in 1989 for a million dollars, that was seen as revolutionary low budget filmmaking.

Digital cinema only really became common in the past 5 years. In 2005, a website called Youtube was created where people could instantly upload their videos for all of the world to see. The balance of power began to shift. Creators of content were no longer dependent on film festivals and film distributors as the gate keepers and arbiters of taste. Anyone with a digital camera could create videos cheaply using a digital camera or webcam and upload it for all of the world to see. And we had some early success stories, including Lonelygirl15, who attracted millions of views to her videos. Originally thought to be an actual girl's autobiographical video diary, it was later found to be the work of three independent filmmakers. The potential for the new medium was being explored.

Other outlets such as Myspace, CDBaby, and DeviantArt popped up. At first they were laughed off as a place for amateurs and kids with no talent. Since then, Hollywood has wised up. All the the major agencies and studios have people dedicated to finding new talent on the internet and other new media. We have begun to see the rise of internet celebrities, such as Perez Hilton, Freddie Wong, and of course, Felicia Day, whose web series The Guild garnered millions of viewers, a sponsorship from Microsoft, and spin offs including music videos and comic books. Over the past five years, digital filmmaking has become a hotbed for creativity and an outlet for creatives to display their work.

The point I am trying to make is that digital filmmaking, through ease of use, low entry point and ease of distribution is making it easier for storytellers to get their work out there and be seen. It has democratized the process. Stories that would never have been able to be told are now able to reach their audiences. Sure, there is an increase of inferior product being made. When you shot on film you had to spend time to be sure everything was right before you started filming. But it also means that as a creator, I spend less time worrying about F-stops and exposures and more time on telling the story and getting the best performance possible. Think of some of the amazing movies of the past couple of years that would not have been possible without digital filmmaking, like Restrepo, Bowling For Columbine, 28 Days Later, and Winter's Bone.

It's not just the filmmaking side that has become easier. With digital projection, distribution becomes a lot more feasible and accessible than before. It used to be that you had to spend thousands of dollars to create a 35mm print in order to see your film up on the big screen. With HDCAM and now Blu-ray DVDs, you can see your film projected in high quality on the big screen in front of an audience, which is something most filmmakers want. There is nothing that can replace that collective experience of seeing your film with a paying audience. It can be incredibly exciting and terrifying all at once.

The flip side is that the technology is advancing so rapidly that digital movies made a couple years ago look low budget and amateurish compared to films made with the latest technology. There is still a lot of work to be done. Theaters are still struggling to adapt to a standard format and set of standards for digital cinema projection.

The thing that intrigues me is the move towards a non-physical media world. You won't be using tapes, film mags, or cassettes. Everything will be recorded directly to a hard drive that can easily be transferred digitally to an editing station half a world away. No longer will we have to wait for dailies. They will be instantaneous. Corrections can be made on the fly.

It will also change the way we distribute films. No longer will we be delivering tapes and masters to theaters and broadcasters. The entire movie will be easily downloaded via Smartjog or Aspera, or some other FTP service. You will no longer be limited by physical geography. Theaters won't have to worry about costly prints, worrying about shipping expenses, film breaks, burns, splices, etc.

As a movie-goer, I will miss the experience of seeing a film projected on 35mm. There is something magical about 35mm. But I don't think all of the film technology in the world could make a film like Jack and Jill enjoyable. Rather than fearing the future and new technology, we should embrace it and explore new ways to tell stories and entertain audiences around the world. We're in the midst of a magical transformation in the movie business and I can't wait to see where this leads us.

Amateur Vs. Professional

I was recently having a discussion with someone via Twitter about the difference between amateur and professional.

My personal opinion is that if you want to make it as a filmmaker, screenwriter, or other creative endeavor, you need to think like a professional. It's also one of the first things they teach you in the UCLA screenwriting program. You need to think of yourself as a professional.

Here, in my humble opinion, are some examples of the differences between amateurs and professionals:

1. An amateur hates criticism and avoids anyone who doesn't like their work. A professional enjoys criticism and enjoys getting feedback.

2. An amateur listens to advice from anyone who gives it, especially if it agrees with their world view. A professional takes advice with a grain of salt and considers the source of advice.

3. An amateur will take anyone on as a mentor who is willing to help. A professional limits their mentors to one to three people who are successful and knowledgeable, who have been in their profession for ten years or more.

4. An amateur looks for shortcuts and ways to cheat the system. A professional figures out the way the system works and uses it to their advantage.

5. An amateur talks about the things they are going to do. A professional does them and lets the work speak for itself.

6. An amateur considers they know everything after doing something once or twice. A professional is constantly learning and growing.

7. An amateur assumes people are successful because they just got lucky. A professional knows that most people are successful because they put in the hard work required.

8. An amateur gives up after a couple of tries and assumes things are good enough. A professional tries to do everything to the best of their ability and does not give up.

9. An amateur does not plan or prepare. A professional plans, prepares and then executes.

10. An amateur is quick to take credit for others' work and thinks they can do everything by themselves. A professional is quick to give credit to others and tries to hire the best people to compensate for their weak spots.

So those are some quick thoughts on the difference of mindset between amateur and professional. I haven't even mentioned money which is a small part of the equation. I'm sure I will think up more in the future. Any other ideas on the difference between amateurs and professionals? Leave me a comment.

Day 5 and 6 - Amsterdam to Brussels

The last two days were incredibly hectic. I'll try and summarize them quickly.

Day 5 - Amsterdam

A full day of meetings in Amsterdam. Luckily, the city is pretty easy to get around.

I started out the day by going down to the breakfast buffet. In my mind, it was overpriced at 20 Euros for a basic buffet of cold cuts and croissants. I learned my lesson it wasn't worth it. Usually I try to only do the breakfast buffet if it's included in the price of the hotel room, like in Iceland.

I took the tram up to meet with SBS. It was a very nice meeting then I took a taxi over to the train station in preparation for my trip out to Hilversum. The irony is that the taxi to the train station cost more than the round trip ticket to Hilversum.

I was originally going to meet with the buyer from RTL at a restaurant for lunch. But as I was walking, I passed their offices and it was starting to rain. So I figured I would stop in at their offices and see if he wanted to walk over to the restaurant together. I was a little early, but it was fine. I got to sit in the lobby with a cup of coffee and watch RTL while I waited for him.

We borrowed a couple of umbrellas from reception and left to walk to the restaurant. The walk to the restaurant was a lot longer than I expected. But it was nice because the path went through the woods behind their office. It reminded me of growing up in the Santa Cruz mountains.

We got to the restaurant, which was a lovely Indonesian place. I'd never had Indonesian food so I had no idea what to expect. It was verry good and had elements of Thai and Chinese cuisine, but was it's own unique cuisine. They had a set menu for lunch, which involved several smaller dishes that we could share. The name of the restaurant is Spandershoeve.

After that, I took a taxi on to meet with Disney Channel. They are in a small media complex there along with companies like EOne and Endemol. I would have met with EOne while I was there, but the buyers were both in London this week. They have a lot of big movies such as Red, Machete, and Fair Game, and they have bought a couple of ours. There were standess from some of their movies in the lobby.

Coming into the lobby, the stairs leading up to Disney channel, had a huge standee for Toy Story 3 that arched over the stairway. Upstairs, there were a ton of toys and the place had an open layout, similar to the MTV building in North Amsterdam. Had a nice meeting with the buyer, then took a taxi back to the train station.

Unfortunately, the driver took me to the Hilversum train station instead of the Hilversum North train station, which my ticket was for. I got on the train and hoped that I didn't get caught or kicked off the train. Luckily, I made it back to Amsterdam in one piece. However, by the time I got there it was pouring rain. I tried to buy an umbrella from one of the shops there, but they wouldn't take credit cards, only cash. And I was out of cash. Instead I figured I would just take a taxi instead. This was a big mistake. I got in the taxi line and waited for a taxi. I was wary of the taxi from the beginning. It was a plain white van with only a small taxi sign atop.

So we get back to the hotel, and instead of the usual 10 Euro fare, he charges me 20 Euro. And on top of that he wouldn't take a credit card. So we had to drive to a nearby ATM, which wasn't working. We went back to the hotel to see if I could get cash from them. But of course they couldn't help me. But they pointed me to a different ATM. I ran over to that ATM and got cash and paid the guy. I've learned to always ask before stepping into a cab. I don't like carrying a ton of cash around on me and prefer to charge things when I can. It helps me to track my expenses easier.

So I got back to the hotel, showered and changed. I called a friend of mine who lives in Amsterdam to come over and meet me. We'd arranged to meet for beers that evening. I met him through the UCLA screenwriting program, it's just by coincidence that he happens to be Dutch. So we had 3 or 4 beers each and chatted about screenwriting and his post UCLA life. He's living here with his fiance, looking for a job. It was nice to catch up with him. Then I headed back to the room and fell asleep.

Day 6 - Amsterdam to Brussels

I woke up early as always, packed up my things and got ready to head out. I headed out in search of breakfast, since I didn't want to pay 20 Euros for the breakfast buffet. I walked around the city at 7 AM in search of anything that was open. But all of the shops were closed. But it was an interesting experience to see the empty streets of Amsterdam. The streets were littered with garbage bags, waiting to be picked up. It was like seeing the aftermath of a party before it was cleaned up. Finally, I found a Starbucks and grabbed a muffin and coffee.

I checked out and grabbed a taxi to the train station. I got there 45 minutes early because I didn't want to miss my train. I grabbed a sandwich and soda for the trip because they don't feed you in coach class and I would need something for the 2 hour train ride. The only issue is that they don't announce which platform ahead of time so you have to wait until 15 minutes beforehand and rush over to the platform. So I stood in front of the monitors with all the other tourists, waiting for the platform to be announced. Finally, we got our announcement and headed over.

Got settled into the train and enjoyed the Dutch countryside. It was still a bit cold and drizzly so the sky was a muted gray color. It was not exactly postcard picture weather. About an hour into the trip, the train stops for no reason. An announcement came on telling us that there was a problem with the signal and they would be about 20 minutes late.

Eventually, they got the train started again and we made our way into Brussels. Got out of the train station and hopped into a cab. Luckily, I had cash just in case. The traffic in Brussels is crazy! At one point we were going down a one way street and several cars were coming at us from the wrong direction. The driver had to swerve to avoid getting hit and scraped the front of the car against the curb. He had to stop and check the damage to make sure it wasn't too bad. But eventually I made it to my hotel.

Got to the hotel and of course, they have the wrong dates for me. They had me arriving on Saturday instead of Thursday. The woman at the reception sorted it all out, but she didn't have a room that was ready for check in. So she said to come back in a couple of hours. I checked my bags at reception and rushed off to my next meeting.

Hopped the tram off to my meeting with VRT. For some reason Google maps had me getting off at the next stop over and then walking all the way back. So I was about 10 minutes late. I walked all the way back to their address. VRT has a huge, industrial campus. The building is secure so I had to check in with a receptionist that didn't speak English. Finally, I got my little sticker pass and headed into the campus.

Walked over to the main building and headed up to the seventh floor. Luckily, I had his office number so I walked over to him. He was surprised to see me because the receptionist never called him to let him know I was there.

We went to one of the conference rooms and started talking. About halfway through, another group came and had to use the conference room. So we had to move to a different one. We finished up my meeting and I headed off to Central Station for my meeting in Mechelen.

So I get my ticket and the man at the ticket counter tells me to take the train on platform 3. So I head down there and get on the train. It's a lovely train with old 50's style train compartments. I felt like I was in some sort of spy movie.

Now the train keeps going and there's no sign of Mechelen. So I start to get worried. So I ask the ticket taker and he says I am on the wrong train. So I get off at the next stop. By now, I am 20 minutes outside of Brussels in the middle of nowhere. It's cold and rainy and I have no idea where I am.

One of the station attendents tells me which train to take back to Brussels. I barely miss the train and have to wait for the next one. Then the sign changes to indicate that it is running 15 minutes late. I emailed my meeting to tell him I was going to be late. Unfortunately, he is only going to be there for another hour. If the return train had been on time, I could have made it. But it was not to be. So I had to reschedule for tomorrow.

So I had to email another of my meetings to reschedule to a breakfast meeting. I took the train back to Brussels Central station, bought an umbrella and walked back to my hotel. Got into my room, took a shower and headed off in search of a bite for dinner. While I was coming back, I stopped at a corner store and got some water and some chocolate for the room. While I was waiting to check out, I spied their beers. They were selling Belgian beer for about a Euro per beer. And we're talking quality stuff like Chimay which is ridiculously expensive in the US. So I grabbed a beer as well. I went back to the room, enjoyed my beer and my chocolates and tried to forget the troubles of the day.

My last day is Friday and it's a full day of meetings. Let's see if I can pull off 5 meetings in one day in a city like Brussels with the horrible traffic.

Day 3 and 4 - Reykjavik to Amsterdam - Meetings

The last two days have been so hectic. This is where I earn my salary. It can be a lot of work running around a foreign city, meeting with different clients. But it's an important part of my job. There's nothing that can replace going to see them in their office and getting a better sense of their programming and their needs.

Here's a quick rundown of the past two days. It should give you an idea of the kind of schedule we face on sales trips.


Day 3 - Reykjavik


My first full day of meetings. In a small town like Reykjavik, there are only a handful of people to meet so it's difficult to schedule more than 3-4 meetings while there.

My morning begain with a meeting with ITC Skjarinn, a local broadcaster that recently switched from free TV to a pay TV service. After the financial crisis in the country, they were forced to switch to a pay service in order to survive. They previously aired our miniseries Bollywood Hero with Chris Kattan and were quite pleased with how it perrformed. They have about four channels, including a channel devoted soley to golf. Their main channel is SkjarEinn (Screen One). Some of their shows include The Good Wife, Survivor, and CSI. Their channel tends to be more female focused.

After that, I took a taxi to downtown Reykjavik to meet the buyer from 365 media for lunch. 365 is the main commercial broadcaster in Iceland. They have several channels and radio stations in the country. Their biggest shows are shows like NCIS and Ghost Whisperer. We went to a really nice Italian restaurant. The food was delicious. Apparently the owner is good friends with Jamie Oliver. But the weird thing is that the restaurant was completely empty but for the two of us. So it was a bit awkward.

After that, I called my next meeting to see when he would be available. I had some free time, so I went to a local coffee shop and made notes on my previous meetings. Then I walked around the town for a bit and wound up at the statue of Leif Eriksson, along with the beautiful church Hallgrimskirkja, that sits atop the hill. The national religion is Lutheran. So almost all the large churches are Lutheran.

Then I got a taxi out to my meeting with Samfilm. They are the largest theatrical distributor in Iceland and have output deals with Warner Brothers, Paramount and Disney. Apparently their offices are actually inside one of their theater complexes. It's a family business and the owner runs it with his sons. After our meeting, I met with his son Thor, who handles the theatrical acquisitions. He had just come back from seeing the new Transformers movie. He raved about it and said it was much better than the second one. His only complaint was that at over two hours it was too long. As distributors, they don't like movies over two hours long because they can only schedule so many screenings in one day. They also told me about a huge megascreen they recently built that is verging on being an IMAX sized screen.

One of his sons Bjorn drove me back to my hotel. During the drive we had an interesting conversation about piracy and the future of film content in the country. It's gotten so bad that there is no market for non theatrical movies in the country. They make all their money in theatrical and their DVD revenues have been plumeting. It's a common story I hear in every country around the world. Piracy is killing the DVD business. Of course this means there will be less and less opportunities for independent filmmakers as they can't rely on DVD revenue and VOD is only bringing in about a tenth of what DVD used to bring in.


Day 4 - Reykjavik to Amsterdam


Got up early and took the 5AM bus to the airport. Thankfully, Reykjavik buses are very clean and reliable. Made it to the airport and it was a madhouse, swarming with people. Luckily, I was flying business class, so I got the shorter line. I was checked in and through security in no time.
Had a cup of coffee and a croissant. Then spent the remaining Kroner I had on another souvenir. Iceland is in the process of joining the EU. It will be so much more convenient if they do. That was I can just use Euros, instead of having to get specific currency just for Iceland. The same problem is there in Scandinavia as well. A Danish Kroner and a Swedish Kroner are two seperate things and you have to constantly convert your currency while travelling through Scandinavia.
Icelandair is so nice and clean. It's so much better than Delta. If I come out here again, I will definitely fly them again.

Landed in Amsterdam around 1pm. I assumed that would be enough time before my next meeting at 2:15pm. Unfortunately, we had to wait about 20 minutes for our baggage. Apparently, there was some sort of snafu with the baggage, which caused the delay. I had intended to take the train when I got there. But seeing as it was about 1:45pm when I got out of there, I ran and grabbed a taxi to the hotel. Got to the hotel at 2:10pm, quickly checked in and got my key cards. The hotel is a beautiful historic hotel dating from the 1900s. They have me staying on the second floor at the end of a labyrinthian hallway up several small flights of stairs. Struggled to my room, sweaty and flustered. Had just enough time to set my bags down when I got a call from my next meeting. He was down in the lobby waiting for me.

I took a moment to compose myself then headed down for my meeting. I met with one of the buyers from Npo, the Dutch public broadcaster. They have three channels they are buying for. The first channel is the mainstream channel similar to BBC 1. Their second channel is news and sports and the third is more irreverent and younger skewed. As a public broadcaster, they don't buy a lot of American programming as it is too commercial for their tastes. The American shows that they do acquire are shows like Dexter or Boardwalk Empire. We walked to a nearby cafe. I just had a Coke because I couldn't imagine having a coffee since I was all sweaty from running around.

After that, I had a meeting with Comedy Central at the MTV building. I had to take a taxi to the building as they are across the river from Amsterdam. It took me about 45 minutes to get there. I emailed my buyer to let them know I was running late. I always love meeting the buyer from Comedy Central. Their channel is small, maybe 2% of the market. Their biggest shows are old American sitcoms like Dharma and Greg and Married With Children. They also have shows like 30 Rock and South Park, but they don't perform that well.

Their offices are in the old shipyards. The area is being converted into a media area. There are offices from other broadcasters such as Discovery and Red Bull. He showed me around their offices. They share the same offices with Nickelodeon and MTV. The building is all wood and exposed beams. It's got a very open feel as there are just desks with no cubicles or private offices. In a way, it's nice. It has a very egalitarian feel to it. He also showed me the free water taxi that will take me directly to Amsterdam Centraal Station. So I saved myself the 45 minute taxi ride.

Got back to Amsterdam, walked back to my hotel room and set off my bag. I took a shower which felt so good. Then went off and grabbed some Chinese takeaway for dinner, which was delicious.

Today will be interesting as I have to meet with SBS before taking the train off to Hilversum to meet with RTL and Disney.

Reykjavik - Day 2

Day 2 was all about doing the "Golden Circle" tour of Iceland. It's an 8 hour trip through the beautiful countryside of this country. Normally I am against doing tours because I prefer to go at my own pace. But seeing as I only had one day to do the touristy stuff, I felt like it was the best option.

I booked my ticket online, since you get a discount. I think it wound up costing about $68 for the ticket. The bus picked me up in front of the hotel at 8am, then took me to the central terminal. At the central terminal, I had to pick up my actual ticket, which is kind of weird. This also meant I lost my seat, so by the time I got to the bus, the only window seat available was way in the back.

Eventually the bus lurched off and we headed up into the mountains. As we drove, the tour guide gave information but I couldn't hear a word she was saying. She spoke in a low, monotonous, heavily-accented voice. It's just as well. I didn't care what she was saying. I just wanted to see the sights.

The first stop was a picture spot overlooking the valley. It wasn't much to see. But it was nice. We all got out, took pictures then left. The bus turned around and we headed to the first real stop.

The first stop was Thingvellir, a national park and the site of the original Parliament in 930. It also sits atop the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, so you can see where Europe and North America are separating from each other. It wasn't much to look at. But it was interesting. I guess it's more important from a historical perspective.

The next stop was the most impressive and definitely a must see, the Gullfoss waterfalls. That's me in the picture in front of them up above. The waterfalls are actually three steps where the river above falls to the river canyon below. As jaded as I am, I found this a truly spectacular sight. Pictures just don't do it justice. It's something you have to see for yourself. We also had a break to grab lunch, so I grabbed an overpriced sandwich from the shop there.

Next we saw the geysers known as The Great Geysir and Strokkur. Apparently the Great Geysir is no longer that active. But Strokkur goes off every couple of minutes. It's an impressive thing to see. At first. By the fourth or fifth time, it loses its interest. The interesting thing is that you can also see several other hot springs in the area, with the telltale smell of sulfur along with the incredibly hot water. I did stop and buy a few souvenirs for friends/coworkers/family. There are souvenir shops at all the major stops, selling overpriced, cheaply-made crap with "Iceland" emblazoned on them.

We also stopped at another smaller waterfall which wasn't nearly as impressive in comparison to Gullfoss.

After that, everything else was anticlimactic. We stopped at Skalholt, a cathedral. Frankly, it was pretty unimpressive as cathedrals go. By this point I was tired from walking around all day and couldn't wait to get back on the bus.

Lastly, we stopped at some tourist trap/local greenhouse. I assume they must have some sort of arrangement with the owners to get the tour buses to stop so they could sell ice cream and sodas to the tourists.

Overall the geysers and the waterfalls were worth seeing. I could have done without the cathedral and the tourist trap at the end.

I tried to exercise a lot of patience during the day as I have a natural loathing towards tourists. I managed to make it through. But by the end I had a massive headache and couldn't wait to get back to the hotel. The bus let most of the people off back at the terminal then drove the rest of us to our respective hotels. Naturally, I was the last stop. As the massive bus lurched around the corners of Reykjavik, I cringed every time we passed a street lamp or signal light, narrowly missing by inches.

I was thankful to finally get back into my room, where I quickly passed out from exhaustion and fell asleep. Now today is all about meetings before I head to Amsterdam Tuesday morning.

PS - If it sounds like I am not having fun, it's not true. I am enjoying my time here. It's just some of the touristy things aren't all that impressive.