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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 25 - Budgeting Continued”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 25 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

To conclude 2 weeks of crew tips – a reminder that it is best to be able to pay these crew people. While sales agents should work on commission, lawyers, web designers, PMDs etc most likely will not. You should create a budget that is as detailed as a production budget. In Think Outside the Box Office I created such a budget with detailed explanation, using my budget and several others as examples. Raising the money at inception will help avoid potentially costly P&A finance rates and last in’s first out requirements. If you have a tax rebate due you, don’t bank it, use it as a large portion (or all) of your distribution and marketing budget.

Here’s a list of what you will need to include in your budget:

-Distribution Crew including those who I have discussed and whoever else you need for your specific release: bookers, publicists, community engagement consultants, social media strategists, graphic designers.

-Marketing creative and materials: including trailer, poster/key art, press kit.

-Print and other delivery materials: Various masters, authoring, replication, digital cinema files etc.

-Media buys from print to Google

-Travel expenses.

-General office supplies – especially shipping.

And anything else your release needs – the above is a very quick summary.

Let me know what you think! Follow me @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book and workshops here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on May 25, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 24 - Webdesigners Part 2”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 24 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

Oftentimes the best designer is not the best programmer, and vice versa. You may need two separate people: one for the look of the site (which hopefully is integrated with your key art), another to do the actual programming. If you have to choose to pay one or the other, go for the programmer. It is easier to find good designers for a reasonable rate (i.e., someone needing to build their portfolio) than programmers.

Let me know what you think! Follow me @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book and workshops here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on May 20, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 23 - Webdesigners Part 1”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 23 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:



If you are not a technically-oriented person, you need an IT person to set up your website. Chances are they will know a lot more about search engine optimization (SEO) than you do. Ask them to set up a site that you can regularly modify on your own, so that you are not spending thousands of dollars over the course of your film’s life. If you can get a qualified person to do it for free, great — but you should be able to find someone to set up a simple site for $500 to $1,000 ($2,000 tops!). Maintain your relationship with this person so you can ask them to come back from to time to time to tweak your site (like when you want to sell DVDs, merchandise, etc.).

Let me know what you think! Follow me @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book and workshops here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on May 19, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 22 - Create a Grid of Rights”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 22 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

It is important that you or someone on your team keep track of who has the rights to what. Most lawyers will never have the time to do this for you. You should create a grid and track it, because it can get confusing. Orly Ravid of The Film Collaborative who handles the legal on my deals has created such a grid for the rights on Bomb It. She will be posting it on The Film Collaborative’s site soon – so stay tuned.

Let me know what you think! Follow me @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book and workshops here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on May 19, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 21 - Lawyers”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 21 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

A good lawyer who is familiar with split rights scenarios and the vagaries of new distribution models is essential, although hard to find. If you cannot find one, I suggest using a consultant in tandem with a lawyer. The consultant negotiates, the lawyer goes over the language. Find someone who is open to working in new ways. Lawyers will either work on a per-hour fee ($175 and up) or for a percentage of the deal(s) (5 to 7 percent). Since the field is changing so rapidly, you may have to train your lawyer regarding certain items that you will demand. One new alternative is The Film Collaborative – a non profit entity that can go over your agreements for a very reasonable fee and are very knowledgeable.

Comment here or on my blog, or @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book and workshops here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on May 19, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 20 - Television Sales Reps”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 20 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

Television is a market that is hard to monetize if you DIY. You should get yourself a TV sales agent if you can. These agents/reps deal with television buyers all the time; they also go to specific television sales markets throughout the world.

Like foreign sales reps, foreign television sales reps typically take 25 percent of the sale as a fee, less expenses. Make sure you limit the foreign or TV rep’s expenses in your agreement. At most, you should be paying a percentage of their market expenses (split with the other films they represent on a proportional basis). At best, you should not be required to reimburse them for market expenses, since they attend these markets with a large slate of films.

Posted on May 18, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 19 - Foreign Sales Reps”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 19 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

These are reps/agents that are relatively established in the split rights world and specialize in the sales of foreign rights. Generally they take a higher percentage (25 percent) than producer’s reps for domestic deals and many of them charge expenses as well. However, it is much harder to get a foreign sales advance because overall deals in foreign territories are diminishing, just like overall deals in the United States. The reasons for this decline in overall deals are the same as well. Television sales however remain the strongest of the traditional rights sales in foreign territories. Tomorrow we will address television sales reps.

Join me in Cannes on May 15th at the Producer’s Network Breakfast at 9am and on May 16th where Liz Rosenthal and I will be doing a presentation at the Short Film Corner from 4pm to 5pm. Comment here or on my blog, or @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book and workshops here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on May 13, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 18 - Don't Despair”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 18 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

Since sales reps generally work on commission, they will be choosier about the films that they select. Hence more and more films will end up not being represented by a sales rep or will not have a sales rep for each right. So don’t despair if you don’t have one. If a sales rep is helping you obtain and negotiate split rights deals, they are helpful, but you can function without them. If a sales rep requests a large up front fee to represent your film, I strongly recommend doing your research before paying large up front fees to a representative. You must talk to filmmakers the rep has worked with to make sure that it was worth it.

Join me in Cannes on May 15th at the Producer’s Network Breakfast at 9am and on May 16th where Liz Rosenthal and I will be doing a presentation at the Short Film Corner from 4pm to 5pm. Comment here or on my blog, or @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book and workshops here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on May 13, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 17 - Before Bringing on Principal Crew”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 17 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

If you have one or more sales representatives interested in your film, certainly talk to them. But have your distribution and marketing strategy ready before even talking to sales reps, then present it to them to determine to see whether or not they feel that they can help implement that strategy. This is so that you can put their recommendations into context for your film. Remember, your strategy will evolve, so at least have the first draft before you take these meetings. In general you should go to any meeting with the following:

1. Knowing what you want from the meeting or person.

2. Having researched the person you are meeting with so that you know what they want, or can provide for you.

Leaving for Amsterdam tomorrow. Then to Cannes. Check out the TOTBO site for more information. Comment here or on my blog, or @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book and workshops here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on May 11, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 16 - Producer’s Reps Pt 1”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 16 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

In honor of the upcoming Cannes Film Festival – I will take this opportunity to explore other crew people that you might want to engage on your film and whether or not they are right for your project. There are several types of sales representatives/sales agents. Today the topic is Producer’s Representatives. A classic sales representative or producer’s representative, as has been known to the independent film world for the past 20-30 years, is someone who will broker your film to the various distribution entities, generally in search of an overall deal. The main advantage of sales reps is their relationships with the various companies that buy films, from full-service distributors to DVD companies to cable companies, etc. In the old model, it was almost taken for granted that an unsold independent film would engage a sales rep. Not anymore. Whether or not to engage a sales rep is one of the first decisions you need to make in the execution of your overall distribution strategy.

The London TOTBO Workshop went amazingly well. Onto Amsterdam this week. Then to Cannes. Check out the TOTBO site for more information. Comment here or on my blog, or @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book and workshops here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on May 11, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 15 - Hiring PMDs in these early days”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 15 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

I look forward to a near future in which filmmakers/directors will be able to put out calls for PMDs just as they do for DPs and Editors – and that they will get an equal volume of applications. Directors will develop long term relationships with PMDs that “get them” just as they do with DPs, Editors, and Producers etc.

The most natural PMDs initially will be from the ranks of unit publicists and social media strategists. They already have many of the skill sets needed to do this work. If you can’t hire one full time, you should at least have them consulting and advising on the project.

But there is a lot of work to be done and even if you have a PMD they will need help. Don’t just bemoan the fact that you are in distribution and all your producers have had to go onto other work (if that is the case). Go out and get some more producers involved in the project. Again if you have limited means get a social media strategist and perhaps a distribution consultant to advise you and your new distribution and marketing team on how do this right. If you have limited means, you can offer some kind of producer credit in exchange for money – just as you did on the rest of your film(I know in the future you will properly budget for this work).

Two of the Co-Producers on Bomb It started working on the film six months after we premiered the film at Tribeca. I couldn’t get them on the credits of the film – but they are on the credits of the PAL DVD, and I will back up their credit on IMDB and in references any day – and that is ultimately what matters – a verifiable credit to someone coming up.

Posted on May 10, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 14 - Responsibilities of the PMD”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 14 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

Responsibilities of the PMD include:

1. Identify and engage with the audience for a film.
2. Development of a distribution and marketing strategy and plan for a film in conjunction with the entire team.
3. Create a budget for said plan.
4. Assemble and supervise the necessary team/crew elements to carry out the plan.
5. Audience outreach through organizations, blogs, social networking, online radio etc.
6. Supervise the creation of promotional and (if necessary due to the lack of a separate transmedia coordinator) transmedia elements: including the films website script and concept for transmedia, production stills, video assets – both behind the scenes and trans media, promotional copy and art.
7. Outreach to potential distribution and marketing partners such as sponsors, promotional partners, various distribution entities, publicists.
8. When appropriate, engage the distribution process as designed.
9. Supervise the creation of deliverables.

My workshops start this week in London and next week in Amsterdam. Check out the TOTBO site for more information. Comment here or on my blog, or @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on May 7, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 13 - Introducing the Producer of Marketing and Distribution or PMD”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 13 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

As a filmmaker, I have thought a lot about complaints from filmmakers of all these new tasks that we are responsible for in distribution and marketing. And this is how I came up with the concept of the Producer of Marketing and Distribution or PMD. Just like you most likely did not make the film on your own, you should not be distributing and marketing the film on your own. I would argue that from now on, every film needs one person devoted to the distribution and marketing of the film from inception, just as they have a line producer, assistant director, or editor. I gave this crew position the official title of PMD since we need to train people to do this task, give classes in it, write books about it, just as people are educated (or learn on their own) to become DPs.

My workshops start this week in London and next week in Amsterdam. Check out the TOTBO site for more information. Comment here or on my blog, or @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on May 5, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 12 - The New 50/50”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 12 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

Distribution and marketing can take as long and cost as much, or more than you spent on your film. The new 50/50 is not a revenue split but the mental shift that filmmakers must make about the filmmaking process. This is not a hard and fast rule, remember all films are unique. It is essential to match the budget of your release to the kind of film that it is, your goals, and where it fits in your career. As budgets go up the proportion might be less, but it is a good guideline when embarking on a project. It is far better to have $50,000 to release a $50,000 film than to make a $100,000 film with no way of getting it to an audience.

My workshops start this week in London and next week in Amsterdam. Check out the TOTBO site for more information. Comment here or on my blog, or @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on May 4, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 11 - Developing Organizational Relationships”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 11 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

Last week I spoke about connecting with audience, creating a dynamic website and blogging. Today’s tip is how to create relationships between your film organizations that should be interested in your film. This is an especially useful strategy for documentaries that naturally have a wide range of potential issue-oriented sites to connect to. But with a little outside-the-box thinking you can probably find relevant sites for your narrative film as well.

Ways to create a relationship with other sites/organizations:

1. Blog about their sites and link to them.
2. Request that they link back to you.
3. Send them your film and ask them to blog about the film and/or review it. (This also helps your search engine rankings — search engines will improve the rankings of sites that other sites not only link to but also write about.)
4. Go one step further: Create an affiliate relationship with those sites or organizations.
5. Use this relationship to generate community screenings.

My workshops start this week in London and next week in Amsterdam. Check out the TOTBO site for more information. Comment here or on my blog, or @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on May 3, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 10 - Blog”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 10 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

Blogging helps in two ways: First, it drives traffic to your site as you link to new and interesting stories that are related to the subject of your film (For Bomb It, we post news about graffiti around the world.) And second, your blogging activity will help your site’s SEO (search engine optimization). This will result in higher search rankings for your film in relevant categories. What to blog about? Of course you should blog about your film, your filmmaking experiences and your screenings, but you should also consider blogging about subjects that relate to your film and your film’s audience. This will make your project relevant to them on a broader level and keep them coming back to your site. One simple way to come up with information to blog about is to use Google Alerts. We received a weekly Google Alert about “graffiti” and “street art” and select a few top articles to blog about.

I want to know what you think! Comment here or on my blog, or @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on April 30, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 9 - Create a Dynamic Website”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 9 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

Create a dynamic web site and do it long before your film is done. Old-style film web sites are out — blogging and a constant flow of information are in. Blogging and tagging is what the little bots out in cyberspace will recognize and bring you up in the rankings. Thanks to my wonderful friend and web site savior Michael Medaglia and a lot of great blogging by producer Tracy Wares, we were near the top of Google search on “graffiti documentary” even before our world premiere at Tribeca. A great web site also helps you cultivate your niche audience and further allows the theatrical to fuel your DVD release.

I want to know what you think! Comment here or on my blog, or @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on April 30, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 8 - Engage Organizations to Promote Your Film”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 8 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

Step 2 of Audience Engagement is: Know WHERE your audience derives information/congregates.

Many niche’s have organizations that support those specific topics and interests. Engage those organizations early in your filmmaking process (as early as conception and prep). It is important to have the proper attitude toward your audience and these organizations. You need to think, “What can I give them?” instead of “What can they do for me?” If you think of the former, the latter will flow. People are very busy. You need to give them an incentive to be involved with you. The film is not enough. How will the film service their organization, their lives and the lives of their members? In turn, they will help you promote your film to your direct audience. This has been used by great effect by documentary filmmakers. Narrative filmmakers need to follow their lead.

Posted on April 28, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 7 - Differentiating Core and Niche Audiences”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 7 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

The terms Core and Niche are often used interchangeably and this is a mistake. The niche audience for your film is that slice of the population that has a particular interest in your film or an aspect of your film. The core audience for your film is those people within each niche that are your most ardent supporters. Those people who will spread the word about your film to not only their networks, but to the rest of that niche. You can have multiple niches’ that are interested in your film, and within each niche there is a core who combined adds up to the core of your film.

I want to know what you think! Comment here or on my blog, or @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on April 27, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 6 - Identifying and Engaging Your Audience”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 6 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

Here is the Jon Reiss TOTBO three step approach to audience development and engagement:

1. Know WHO your audience is. This is not 18-25 year old boys/men. Or 35 – 55 year old women. As an independent filmmaker, if you cross over into a mass audience great – but you need to be much more specific. Tomorrow’s tip will discuss niche vs core audiences.

2. Know WHERE your audience derives information/congregates. In other words how you can contact them, engage them, communicate with them.

3. Know HOW your audience engages media, or HOW they will support you.

I want to know what you think! Comment here or on my blog, or @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. Check out the book here. I look forward to hearing from you.

P.S. I was going to address budgeting this week, but I have shifted that topic to next week.

Posted on April 26, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 5 - Budget for Distribution and Marketing”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 5 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

In order to successfully execute a marketing plan for your film, a budget must be developed in tandem with your production budget. This is not an optional expense to be decided at the end of post production. A marketing and distribution budget is a tool that balances what needs to be spent against what can be afforded, and helps make choices about which methods will be priorities and which ones cannot be implemented due to cost. A well analyzed, affordable budget will help to focus achievable marketing efforts without wasting time and money. Doing this will also make it seem that you have a sense of how you are going to make your investors money back (and that you care).

Next weeks tips will expand on this topic – to help you navigate this process.

Posted on April 23, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 4 - Setting Marketing Strategy”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 4 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

Two helpful ways to think about marketing: 1) Reaching the audience that already exists for your film and 2) thinking creatively of what audiences might be interested in your film.


I recommend that you consider and conceive of a marketing strategy for your film early in the production process, even at inception. Who is its audience? How are you best going to reach them? Are there particular blogs, organizations, print media that they subscribe to? Who will you bring on to help you outreach to your audience? How does this audience consume media? Answering these questions will help to fashion your release strategy.

Posted on April 22, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 3 - Know Your Goals”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 3 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

I cannot stress this enough. I cannot repeat this enough. There are multiple goals that you can strive for in the release of your film. You must prioritize what is most important to you. I categorize the goals for the distribution and marketing of your film into the following five (with a sub goal number 6):

1. Money
2. Career launch, help for your next project, fame.
3. Audience/eyeballs to see the film
4. To have an impact on the world
5. A long term sustainable connection with a fan base.
6. A green release.

Choices that you make in service of one goal will often sacrifice another goal. For instance releasing your film for free on the internet might get you the most eyeballs, but it won’t help you monetize the film.

You must make sure that everyone on your team is on the same page and don’t have conflicting goals. At the Slamdance Filmmaker Summit, I gave homework to two sets of filmmakers with whom I did a live speed consult*. While Hunter Weeks, a very savvy filmmaker, had known for some time his goal for his current film Ride the Divide was to help him get another film made, what he didn’t know until that night was his goal was different from his producer Mike Dion which was to make money to return the investment for his investors. These goals are two that are traditionally in direct conflict (career launch normally associated with some form of traditional theatrical which in turn is usually a money drain).

What do you think?

*I had so much fun doing these speed consults that they have become an integral part of nearly all of the workshops I conduct. The first day of the workshops is a presentation of the principles of the new techniques of distribution and marketing from a very practical perspective. The second day is primarily limited to 20 films/projects and I do 20-30 minutes speed consult on each – with all the other teams present so that they can learn from each other.

Posted on April 21, 2010.
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Guest Post: “Jon Reiss’ TOTBO Tip of the Day 2 - Every Film is Different”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day.

Here is Day 2 and Click Here to read any TOTBO Tips of the Day you missed:

Each film is unique and requires its own individual distribution and marketing strategy. A comedy about stoners will not have the same audience as a documentary about AIDS orphans in Tanzania. Similarly each filmmaker has a different set of goals, needs, and resources. While the studio one size fits all model worked well for some independent films over the last 20 years – it was a disaster for others. With the new hybrid model of distribution you can craft a distribution and marketing strategy that makes the most sense for your film. You have a unique vision. Use that vision to engage your audience in a unique manner. This will help separate you from the media noise that surrounds us every day.

What do you think?

Posted on April 20, 2010.
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Guest Post: “The Launch of Jon Reiss' TOTBO Tips of the Day”

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In anticipation of hosting Jon Reiss’ workshop in Vancouver this June, we at Biz Books are happy to share with you his TOTBO Tips of the Day:

Many of you might know me from the book that I have written recently, Think Outside the Box Office (TOTBO for short). The primary reason that I wrote it was to share what I had learned while distributing my film Bomb It with other filmmakers so they could learn from my successes and mistakes. In the continuation of that mission I am launching two more initiatives – both in support of how people want to interact with this information. The first is a series of workshops around the world. It seems that the live experience is as important as the written word in imparting this information for many people. We are starting with London on May 8/9, Amsterdam on the 12/13, New York on June 5, Vancouver on June 12/13, San Francisco July 31/Aug1 with more being lined up.

The second initiative is the launching of a TOTBO Tip of the Day. This will soon be joined by Resource of the Day. In these tips, I will give not only a sense of what’s in the book and workshop, but they will be a forum to convey new tips to you as I learn them.

I want to know what you think! Comment here or on my blog, or @Jon_Reiss on twitter, or on the TOTBO Facebook page. I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on April 20, 2010.
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An Interview with STEVE KAPLAN

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ABC, Disney, Dreamworks, Paramount and others regularly send their top writers, producers and directors to his L.A. classes. Find out what the industry’s top expert on comedy plans for his upcoming Vancouver class
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Steve Kaplan has been the world’s most respected and leading teacher of comedy for over 15 years. His former students have won 43 Emmys, 6 WGA Awards and an Oscar, and have written such commercial and critical hits as, BIG LOVE, UGLY BETTY, RESCUE ME, MEAN GIRLS 2, SEX AND THE CITY, THE CLASS, FRIENDS and more. Executives from Dreamworks, ABC, Disney and others regularly send their top writers, directors, producers and animators to his classes in LA and NY, as do top production companies in cities like Sydney, Singapore and London.

Kaplan brings his class for the first time ever to the Hyatt Regency Vancouver the weekend of June 20-21, 2009. Steve sat down with us to answer some serious questions about comedy.

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QUESTION: What makes for a successful comedy?

STEVE KAPLAN: I think it always starts with characters, the honesty, the truthfulness and the specificity with which they’re created and developed. After that, it depends on the medium. In a feature, it helps to have a strong comic premise, what’s called “the lie that tells the truth.” Place your characters inside this incredible, almost impossible situation, and then follow them honestly and organically, moment-by-moment, as they try to work their way out of it. This way, the comedy-plot, complications, set-pieces-come out of character and relationship, as opposed to gags that seem forced and false.

QUESTION: Is there a difference between writing for the big screen versus sitcom writing?

STEVE KAPLAN: As opposed to features, half-hour comedies rely less on the premise, the “high-concept” as it were, and more on creating a kind of charming dysfunctional family – kind of like your own family, in that everyone (except you, the lead) seems to be crazy, but better than your own family, in that you don’t have to live with them, you just have to visit them for a half-hour every week..

Another difference is that in features, you establish and complete character arcs over a two-hour period, whereas in sitcoms, characters still change, but in very tiny increments, over long periods of time. Ongoing relationships ebb and flow, but character and character dynamics remain the same for much of the life of the sitcom. Just like in life, people rarely change and when they do, not by much.

QUESTION: Everyone has a different opinion as to “what’s funny,” so how do you teach comedy?

STEVE KAPLAN: Funny is subjective; what’s funny to you might be off-putting to me. What makes my seven-year old nephew laugh might not amuse an adult. So rather than try to teach what’s funny, (subjective) we focus on universal principles of comedy (objective). And in doing so, we focus on what comedy is, how it works, why it works, and more importantly, what’s going on when it’s not working, and how to fix it. That’s where the “Hidden Tools of Comedy” come in—tools and techniques designed to complement and support your own talent and creativity.

QUESTION: You’ve given your Comedy Intensive class around the world – the US, Asia, Australia, Europe. Why is comedy so universal or do you find yourself having to adjust the material to accommodate the audience each time?

STEVE KAPLAN: When I first was given the opportunity to present around the world, I have to admit, I was a bit concerned… Clips, which are a large part of the Intensive, are shown to illustrate the Tools. Naturally, most of the clips come from American television and Hollywood films. When I first presented in England, I thought, “Who am I to show comedy clips to the British, the land of Fawlty Towers and Monty Python?” It’s literally bringing coals to Newcastle! When I was invited to speak in Singapore, I thought, “Oh my gosh, they caned a kid just for chewing gum in public. When they see some of the clips I have, I could be executed!” But in each case I was pleasantly surprised at the response to the clips and to the Intensive in general. Customs and mores may change from place to place, but human nature is universal. Audiences laughed at the very raunchy humor of the Farrelly Brothers and Bob Odenkirk and David Cross as loudly in Bristol, England and Singapore as they did in New York and Encino. I’ve found that I’ve had to do very little to adapt the material. Instead, each place I go, my audiences introduce me to new writers and comedians from their neck of the woods. So going around the world has been delightful in the way that I keep acquiring new appreciation for the depth and breadth of the art of comedy.

QUESTION: A major Australian newspaper said, “Steve Kaplan is the funniest man NOT on TV.” Do you think you have to be funny to teach funny?

STEVE KAPLAN: Well, I’m not COMPLETELY unfunny! But yes, I’m not a performer. My background is that of a teacher, director and theatre producer, and later as a talent development executive. In that capacity, I’ve worked with literally hundreds of writers, seeing what worked and what didn’t, and helping to shape and edit scripts, screenplays and stand-up performances.

QUESTION: What’s the #1 biggest mistake you see comedy screenwriters make when starting or working on a script?

STEVE KAPLAN: Thinking that they’re superior to the characters they’re writing, not believing in the humanity of their own characters and working overtime to invent ridiculous behavior in a strained effort to “be funny.” Look around. People are already pretty ridiculous without any help from you. As Edward Albee has said, “Let your characters do the work,” meaning that if you create vibrant, flawed characters, give them their head, follow and see where they lead you to. When Tony Kushner was writing Angels in America, a powerful, but still very funny play and screenplay, he found himself stuck in the middle of the play. He’s quoted as saying, “I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing. So I thought, I’m gonna ask a character. Who’s most like me? Louis. So I sat down, and I asked, ‘What is this play about?’” The answer was got him a slew of Tonys and Emmys.

QUESTION: In your class you explain that soap operas are a great way of demonstrating and teaching comedy. Why is that?

STEVE KAPLAN: Soap operas, no matter what you think of them personally, are great comedy teaching tools precisely because they are, in many ways, the antithesis of comedy. Soap opera is an art form in which everyone – writers, directors, craftsmen, DP, actors – are dedicated to creating drama. By analyzing their choices, we can see, as if in a negative image, some important truths and principles about comedy.

QUESTION: How important is rewriting to comedy?

STEVE KAPLAN: Pretty important. Without it, the actors will be saying all the typos.

QUESTION: With the exception of possibly “Tropic Thunder,” why don’t they make more politically incorrect comedies like “Blazing Saddles” anymore?

STEVE KAPLAN: Actually, I think they still make politically incorrect comedy and satire, only they call it The Simpsons, Family Guy, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. The trouble with politically incorrect features is that it generally takes between two and a half to five years to go from first draft to distribution. Five years ago, they didn’t have Twitter, and Facebook was only for frat boys. The world changes so quickly now that what seemed like a good idea four years ago is already passé by now. Here’s a hint: dump your “Octomom” screenplay – it’s already over.

QUESTION: Complete this sentence: “Comedy is….”

STEVE KAPLAN: Dying is hard. Comedy is harder. Seriously, comedy is telling the truth, and specifically, telling the truth about people.

QUESTION: When “punching up” a script, what are the most important things to look for or accomplish?

STEVE KAPLAN: Assuming that there aren’t major story or structural problems, a punch up generally consists of “killing your darlings” by cutting weak and unnecessary gags and sequences, and sharpening your characters’ moment-by-moment perspective. It’s instructive to look at a screenplay like Groundhog Day, for instance. You can download an early draft online, and compare it to the completed film. The draft is full of jokes – in fact, in this draft, Bill Murray is NEVER at a loss for a quip, a put-down or an insult. What is revelatory is how little of it survived the final cut. The jokes might have made it “funnier,” but it also slowed down the story and undercut our belief in the characters, which ultimately hurts the comedy. The biggest laughs in Groundhog Day come not from quips, but from fully defined characters perceiving the world through their own point of view: When Bill Murray, dejected in a bar, describes his metaphysical plight by asking, “What would you do, if every day of your life were exactly the same, and nothing you do matters?” he’s answered by a trucker sitting next to him one who says morosely, “That about sums it up for me.” The comedy comes not from a quip, but from a character seeing the world through his own unique prism, and responding accordingly. While there are a number of successful approaches to structuring a joke, the first and most important thing to work on is character.

QUESTION: During your class, people get into groups to come up with a funny comic premise. What’s the best premise you’ve heard? The worst?

STEVE KAPLAN: I don’t think I can remember the absolute best. It’s only an exercise, and so the premises are all, by design, pretty raw and underdeveloped. The exercise is designed to show the power of a strong comic premise-the ability to explode the story in the imagination of the writer. One example comes from a workshop a few years ago. A group came up with this premise: “A losing college football team discovers that the only way they can win . . . is to get the nerd . . . laid.” The room gave a small chuckle, and I posed a simple question: “What are some scenes that might be in this movie?” Almost immediately, the audience started shouting out a dozen possible scenes, and coming up with the probable characters: The nerd, the team’s quarterback, his best friends, a big lineman and a speedy wide receiver; the somewhat addled coach; the coach’s daughter. The point is that a good premise has the power and potential to start writing itself. It can be a potent counterbalance to every writer’s dread: the writer’s block, and the blank screen or page that accompanies that block.

QUESTION: What’s the #1 rule to follow when pitching your comedy screenplay or sitcom script?

STEVE KAPLAN: The #1 rule? Talk to the experts, or better yet, buy their books or CDs: SELLING YOUR STORY IN 60 SECONDS by Michael Hague; SMALL SCREEN, BIG PICTURE by Chad Gervich; or Robert Kosberg’s SELL YOUR IDEA TO HOLLYWOOD.

QUESTION: What advice would you give for aspiring comedy writers?

STEVE KAPLAN: Hang around with other funny people. There are two great ways to do that. One would be to join an improv group or take improv classes. Since much of comedy is character based, the best way to get inside a character’s head is to be one. Even if you’re not interested in being a performer or stand-up, the comic skills you’ll pick up are invaluable when writing material, whether it’s long form or short form, or just a set-up and punch line. The second piece of advice would be to form or join a writer’s group. Once you’ve written your material, it’s imperative to hear the material read out loud in front of even a small group of friends and colleagues. It’s basic to comedy: the interaction between script/performer and audience. You’ve got to hear how those golden pearls play when read by humans to humans. You’re not looking for hours of rehearsal and polished performances, but just an intelligent read can tell you what’s alive and kicking in your script, and what’s dead as a doornail, only you don’t know it yet. So, in a nutshell: Funny people get funnier when in the company of other funny people.

QUESTION: The Vancouver Comedy Intensive marks the first time you’ll have given the class in Canada. What can we expect?

STEVE KAPLAN: You can expect a weekend full of fun, comedy, information and illumination. The Intensive originally began as part of a class I was teaching to actors in New York. At the time, I was working in a theatre called Manhattan Punch Line, a theatre completely devoted to comedy, where we were involved in producing plays, readings, sketches, improv shows and stand-up evenings. Some nights we got laughs, and some nights we didn’t. I began to wonder why something that was incredibly funny on Thursday night would get no laughs on Saturday. At the same time, I was teaching classes in improv. Without telling the actors, I started inventing improv games in order to experiment with comedy: what was it, how does it work, why does it work, why does it stop working, and what the hell can you do about it when it does? These experiments led to the discovery of a series of techniques, which in turn led to a forty week Master Class in comedy. When I moved to LA, I continued giving the classes to actors. But given the, shall we say, reduced attention span of the inhabitants there, the 40 week class had to be reduced to a single weekend. Since a few of the participants were unaware of some of the classic comedy references I made during the class, I started showing clips from various films and TV shows I referenced as part of the weekend. A friend suggested that I should start gearing the seminars to writers. We called it the Comedy Intensive, geared mostly to writers (many coming from top studios like Disney and DreamWorks), but also regularly attended by directors, producers, and actors.

The class retains a lot of the flavour and fun from the original days when I was experimenting – we still do a lot of exercises and activities, as well as show a healthy dollop of comedy clips to go along with the lecture part of the weekend – with the ultimate goal of giving you the tools and principles you’ll need to understand, write, direct, produce or perform comedy.

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Don’t miss Steve Kaplan’s Comedy Intensive in Vancouver the weekend of June 20-21, 2009 at the Vancouver Hyatt Regency. For details or to register: Click Here

Posted on June 8, 2009.
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