Producing Various and Sundry

This Summer Means Hollywood is Doomed…. Again

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

Every summer –for at least a decade or more– the Hollywood film industry has been doomed. I would imagine they must get sick of all the doom, what with being doomed with the advent of television, the disintegration of the studio system, the rise of VCRs and video stores, online streaming, streaming services like Netflix making their own content — and possibly avocado toast. Nevertheless, within the traditional ‘doom’ narrative, there may be trends, so…

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Various and Sundry

Will the Oil Industry Collapse in Less than a Decade?

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

As the engines of disruption continue in the form of automation, one trend I keep following is the coming changes to transportation. No, I don’t mean the fabled hyperloop (though I’m following that too). I’m thinking of electric vehicles. Seth Miller over at an outfit called NewCo Shift hypothesizes that a major shakeup in the oil industry and our car culture is coming sooner than we might have thought — all based on replacing the…

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Various and Sundry Writing

In Which a Domino’s Patience is Rewarded

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

Some of my past few Monday posts on motivation have been a bit on the grimmer side, so I wanted to share something that was more in the “You Can Do It” vein. On Scriptnotes a couple weeks ago, John August’s One Cool Thing was a physics paper about the power of dominoes to topple bigger dominoes. In fact, the domino the size of a sliver can start a process by which dominoes the size…

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Acting Raves Writing

Many, Many Bewildered (and Sad) Breakfast Faces: RIP, Sam Shepard

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

There will be a general lack of toast in the neighborhood this morning. And by “toast” I mean theater-related joy. And by “the neighborhood,” I mean “American theater.” And by “this morning,” I mean… well, I don’t know how long, but it’ll be longer than a morning. Actor, playwright, and director Sam Shepard has died at the age of 73. I first learned about it in a piece in Broadway World, which is worth checking…

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Producing

Threat Alert Thursday: Cyber Attacks on Small Businesses

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

Since mentioning yesterday about creatives needing to put their marketing hat on and be the small businesses they are, it seemed like a good idea to share this article from The Hartford about various types of cyber attacks that can befall small businesses. Our creative endeavors often fall into this realm. The article also links to a brief guide that, in order to get it, harvests your email (again, a reference to yesterday). It’s not a…

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Producing

Russell Nohelty Wants to Help You Sell Your Soul

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

Last week, I pointed out an article about how to promote one’s film via social media. I like occasionally linking to pieces that are straightforward and give one practical tips for when you have to wear the marketing hat. Because let’s be honest: I know I’m not the only creative who doesn’t love wearing that hat. Oftentimes, it seems to involve activities which are anything but creative and pushed by people who clearly want their photo…

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Various and Sundry Writing

A Modest, Logical Proposal: “Vulcan Up.”

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

I’m working on a longer piece regarding Star Trek in advance of its 51st anniversary on the air and the upcoming premiere of Star Trek: Discovery. And while I was writing, I came up with a phrase that I think is too good not to share. In fact, I would be so bold as to suggest it should be spread to hither and yon among all your geek colleagues. That phase is “Vulcan up” as…

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Writing

A Writer Writes… and Finishes

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

Continuing my series of Monday posts about motivation, I wanted to share another favorite post about staying motivated by Terry Rossio from the inestimable resource that is Wordplay. It arguably builds off the tough love/cold water of The Speech two weeks ago. And while I’m going to focus on writers and motivation, I have observed (and been told) that this sort of motivation (and procrastination) is something that all creative folk encounter. But back to writers. There’s a notion…

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Voiceover

Threat Alert Thursday: Bad Check Voiceover Scam

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

With great Internetting comes great scumbaggery. Alas, just as email has allowed voiceover artists to connect with producers that much easier, it has allowed scammers to try make the world a worse place. This article detailing a voiceover scam was written last year, but I understand that these delightful maggots have been hitting the DC area in recent weeks. Be aware! (thanks to Steve Ray and Diane Samuelson for alerting peeps in posts elsewhere).

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Producing

Promoting Your Film on Social Media

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

Indie producers always need to wear lots of hats — and one of them is often that of marketer. And since we don’t have the funds for a conventional ad buy… Welcome to social media marketing. No Film School has a post about promoting your film on social media — and while it has some nice tips and tricks throughout, I especially like the thought given to voice and what the different channels (e.g. YouTube,…

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