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Mark Andreessen says long guild strikes & current web developments could lead to Hollywood being rebuilt in the shape of Silicon Valley

Check out the article here , very interesting. Here is a lil' bit of it: "This is not a difficult thing to envision. And in fact, it's already happening. Will Ferrell's Funny Or Die , in which I am a minority investor, is one early existence proof of this model. And there are a ton of other such new companies either already underway, or currently being incubated, or currently being negotiated." Read the rest here . Hollywood labor & owners/studios issues aside, the article has some ideas that can apply to the independent film world RIGHT NOW, specially those of us who are slanted towards the DIY/real indie side of things; those of us interested in owning our creations, having final say on how our movies are made at each stage of production & controling the distribution of same. - Sujewa

Perhaps a quick way to explain to the general public why residuals are an essential part of screenwriter compensation?

To put it relatively briefly, is it accurate to say: Screenwriters get residual payments because the total value of a script cannot be determined at the time the script is sold to the production company. (by total value i mean what a movie based on a given script makes upon release, year after year. and that value cannot be known at the time of sale of the script because no one knows how a given movie will perform in the market place until they actually release it; they may have rough ideas at the moment the script is purchased, but those estimates can be way off) So, people who know a lot about this issue, what do you think? :: [Some background: I posted the above in a couple of discussion threads at a couple of WGA strike related blogs ( Artful Writer , John August - check those sites out for even more background on this issue). They are having long (or at least very involved) discussions re: residuals - as in; do screenwriters deserve them?, how to best explain to the general public

Strike Swag

check 'em out here . bracelets & t-shirts. site says profits go to "WGA's union solidarity fund". - sujewa

New Indie Film Movements waiting to happen?

As some commentators believe at the moment, the Mumblecore film movement is over. So what's next, American indie film movements wise ('cause it's fun - at times - to read about low budget indie film movements)? Here are some possibilities - possible ways to organize new indie films, makers, & market them as film movements: 1. The Elderly In Indie Film film movement; lots of new indies are made by people in their 20's - 30's, featuring actors/friends in the same age group, so how about a group of low budget indie films that deal with the comedy & drama of being older - like about being in your 50's, 60's, 70's or so? 2. Hip Multi-Ethnic Suburban Non-Creative People film movement; I live in the suburbs and there is a lot of ethnic diversity out here (at least in the DC suburbs), and a lot of these people are not creative professionals or aspiring creatives but rather hold more traditional jobs (attorneys, bankers, teachers, etc.), and are pretty mu

A Thousand Years of Good Prayers & The Princess of Nebraska reviews at Variety

Didn't know Wayne Wang recently completed two new movies. Here are the Variety reviews of A Thousand Years of Good Prayers and The Princess of Nebraska . Of the two Nebraska sounds more interesting to me, so here is a little bit from the review: "Whereas “Prayers” is anchored by formal, quiet compositions, “Princess,” which was shot and co-directed by Richard Wong (“Colma: The Musical”), goes wild with hand-held, off-the-cuff-style shooting. Approach is mannered in the way it apes current fashion, and yet pic builds a certain interest via the shorthand fashion in which it presents its protag. Sasha (Ling Li), a student from China who’s recently started college in Omaha, arrives in San Francisco with the idea of aborting the fetus conceived on a one-night stand back in Beijing. Her text messages to the man responsible go unanswered, however, and she’s got to deal locally with a gay Yank, Boshen (Brian Danforth), who was also her lover’s lover." Read the rest here . - Sujew

Bigger than Texas & California combined, only about 11 million people, peaceful, got gold, uranium & oil (& giraffes :): NIGER

Took a cab from Silver Spring to Kensington tonight & learned about a country in Africa that sounds like a great candidate for some kind of a development project (mostly due to its low population, peacefulness, gigantic land area, etc.). The name of the country is Niger ( wikipedia ). I hear it is one of the poorest countries in the world, yet it has uranium, gold & oil. I think the place needs a new management team or something. Anyway, it is nice to hear that there is still a lot of uninhabited land in this world. The cab driver Ibrahim said that Niger has a lot of desert, but that it is arable. Also the people there are said to be very friendly. Maybe eventually I can make a movie there or buy a bunch of cheap land & start Sujewaland there :) Read more about Niger here . - Sujewa

awesome, a new Jim Jarmusch movie! :)

regardless of how it turns out, a new movie by Jim Jarmusch is a recent to celebrate ('cause his Stranger Than Paradise got the ball rolling in a big way on this current US indie film wave & 'cause he made my favorite American movie: Mystery Train), get all the info. at Movie City Indie . - sujewa

Full Movie - SNEAK PREVIEW - Cosmic Disco Detective Rene And The Mystery Of Immortal Time Travelers

NEW - COSMIC DISCO DETECTIVE RENE (2023) - TRAILER!

The Secret Society For Slow Romance (2022) - available to rent as a new release starting January 1

Werewolf Ninja Philosopher at Vimeo VOD

Reading Material

Indie Film Blogger Road Trip