Hollywood Blog

Break Into Hollywood with Some Entrepreneurial Spirit

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The dream is often to break into the Hollywood scene as an actor, but there are certainly other ways to do it. A-listers have support structures thousands of people deep, and you can be in that line anywhere you want, especially if you have a little bit of entrepreneurial spirit behind you, in order to target your creative efforts and passions toward a successful conclusion. Think about combining the drive you have inside a few other perspective’s, just to jumpstart the brainstorming process.

writing for films

Fighting for Writing

Writing is everywhere, and not just as in penning the perfect Hollywood script and selling it for a billion dollars. There is advertising writing, promotional writing, entertainment writing, reviewing, proposing, and titling. Add to that, there are a ton of jobs editing that content after it’s written. Breaking into the Hollywood scene via writing is very plausible, with the right education and the right angle. If you want to approach it as an entrepreneur, find a need that is out there and create a business to fulfill it. Satisfy some aspect of the Hollywood culture that needs to be fulfilled, and do it in a way that no one else has thought of before. [Read more…]

Screen Actors Guild Still In Deadlock

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The hullaballoo over writers in Hollywood is not yet over, despite the fact that the issue has been going on for quite some time now. With the recent big movie releases and other issues that have come up, the issues that the SAG have laid on the table have seemed to take the back row. At the end of last week, though, we heard some news regarding this once again.

After a long 4 months of total deadlock, the film studios and the SAG have finally broken their silence and met together for the first time. The BBC has this report:

The two sides came together under the guidance of a mediator, but it is not known what was discussed. At least one Hollywood has figure said the deadlock could last until next year and may result in strike action.

SAG wants actors to get more money from DVD sales, plus a greater say in the endorsement of products on-air. The four major Hollywood Studios quit talks with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) in June.

So what is going to happen now? We really do not know as not much was disclosed as to what happened during the meeting. Perhaps the film studios will give way. Perhaps the SAG will settle for a lesser amount. There are a lot of perhaps and ifs here but one thing we do know – if this issue is not resolved soon, we might be facing something similar to the strike that the writers had last year. And we all know that will be damaging to a lot of concerned parties.

Wachowski Brothers

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Having recently seen Speed Racer I now feel the need to write about two of my favorite writers/ producers/ directors. The Wachowski brothers, Andy and Larry, has a pretty good list of films both as writers and producers. Although they only have relatively few films between them (15 as writers, 9 as producers, and 8 as directors) you’ll be surprised at the number of awards they have earned, although I’d say that if you saw any of their films you shouldn’t be surprised at all. In fact so far they’ve already been nominated 9 times for various awards and won 6 out of the 5 nominations.

Films and video games done by the Wachowski Brothers include:

Speed Racer (2008) – writers, producers, and directors
V for Vendetta (2005) – writers, producers
The Matrix: Path of Neo (2005 – video game) – writers, directors
The Matrix Online (2005 – video game) – writers, directors
The Matrix Revolutions (2003) – writers, executive producers, and directors
Enter the Matrix (2003 – video game) – writers, directors
The Matrix Reloaded (2003) – writers, executive producers, and directors
The Animatrix (2003) – segment writers; producers
The Matrix (1999) – writers, producers, and directors
Bound (1996) – writers, executive producers, and directors
Assassins (1995) – writers

They are also producers of a film currently filming – Ninja Assassin.

The mark of the Wachowski brothers are one-of-a-kind surreal films that somehow feel familiar and believable. From machines taking over the world to race car drivers winning a fixed race the recurring theme is changing the world despite impossible odds. Hmmm. Sounds corny? Somehow the Wachowski brothers put it together to make it far from corny. Cool beans its another Wachowski film in the making!

Writers strike gets no attention at Oscars

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If it weren’t for Jon Stewart, the Academy Awards would’ve come and gone with little said over about the Hollywood writers strike. “Welcome to the makeup sex,” joked the host, referring to the end of hostilities and (hopefully) the beginning of better TV.

“Of course, there’s some collateral damage left over from the strike — emotionally, economically, perhaps worst of all the cancellation of the legendary Vanity Fair Oscar party,” he said. “They said they did it out of, quote, respect for the writers. You know a way they could show respect for the writers? Maybe, one day, invite some of them to the Vanity Fair Oscar party. I promise — they won’t mingle.”

Unfortunately, there were very few actors who actually gave the writers what they really wanted: acknowledgment. One notably exception was Diablo Cody who accepted her trophy for original screenplay by saying, “This is for the writers, and I want to thank all the writers.”