The Hallowed Streets of Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow is looking to be the most promising and successful show to premiere for fall television, thus far. The airing of the pilot reigned in over 10.1 million viewers capturing audiences into its modern tale of the Headless Horseman.

What is Sleepy Hollow about? Sleepy Hollow takes place in a small town, where everyone knows everyone. When Ichabod (Tom Mison) makes an appearance into the town after being transported from the Revolutionary War, Captain Irving (Orlando Jones) and Lieutenant Mills (Nicole Beharie) investigate his bizarre presence in the town. Ichabod is linked to the recent terrorizing events that revolved around him and a headless revolutionary war soldier, Hessian. Sleepy Hollow is a strong mix of drama, mild comedy and horror. While Lieutenant Mills is attempting to discover why Ichabod is in town, Ichabod is comically trying to fathom the modern                                                                                     times and its technology.

Yes, it is important that Sleepy Hollow reigned in 10.1 million viewers, but did those viewers enjoy the show? According to Fox and other sources, the audience loved the pilot. The pilot pulled in a large 3.5 rating, with the demographic between the ages of 18 and 49. The great ratings and viewership is great for Fox. The main concern is the strong “Halloween” feel the show brings to the table. The writers will have to play their cards write in maintaining the interests of their audience so they do not lose viewers after Halloween is over. Personally, I think the show will do really well. The pilot was very strong and engaging and it made me want more. For most shows that I watch, I do not grow an interest in a show until about the third of fourth episode of the first season.

Sleepy Hollow airs on Fox, Mondays at 9PM/9PM C

View the trailer here

Agents of S.H.I.E.LD Premiere

With fall television approaching, there are new series premieres appearing in hopes of developing a strong enough following to remain on air. But one of the most anticipated season premieres from comedies such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Goldbergs to dramas, such as Lucky 7 and Dracula. Right now, comic book adaptation is creating a significant following and hype among the film industry, so why not adapt it into a television series. Marvel is changing modern television and introducing Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Will Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D make a successful run? Luckily, The Avengers movie gathered a large fan base that accumulated over $1.5 billion in revenue. According to NY Times, if twenty-eight percent eight of The Avengers ticket buyers watch the pilot episode, S.H.I.E.L.D (2) will rank as the highest rated new drama. This will be the boost that ABC needs since there has been a slight struggle in broadcasting long lasting shows within the last few years.

Since the 1960s, Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D has developed several comic books. Since 2008, Marvel has developed movie plots since 2008. Marvel and ABC are working hard to reach the demographic of the viewers on the network. Casting is playing a large role in doing so. Marvel will feature actors who are older than expected; the actor playing Mr. Gregg being 51 years old and Melinda May being 49 years old.

There are several factors that are jeopardizing television shows reaching a multiple season distribution deal. It is getting harder and harder to predict how long a show will last because of alternate ways audiences to watch television and increase the competition, mostly deriving from the Internet. ABC and Marvel are both reaching into a new realm and broadening their horizons and teaming up to create a new market.

 I am a huge fan and hope this series lasts several seasons. I am excited to see what this show has in store for the audiences and hope it holds up well to the pressure. 

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D Premieres on ABC on September 24, 8pm ET.

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Creating the Right Business Plan

I decided to conduct further research on industry experts and the advice given on creating a structured business plans, primarily in film. I came across Producer Kevin Geiger, who is most known for Chicken Little and Species. He offers several informative tips on business plan development for creating films. One tip that he offered that stood out the most is that it is good to have a production company for creating several small projects, but when it comes to creating feature length films, it is easiest to create a production company with the name of the movie. Separate the and use the production company to serve as the entity for producing a film under an LLC (limited liability company). So, that encouraged me to change that aspect of my business and use the feature film as a business within itself.

Creating an LLC umbrella for a particular feature film opens multiple doors. It provides several tax benefits. An LLC allows the company to deal with investors directly and helps balance out the types of investors that are attached to the film: the investors seeking partial creative control or the investors primarily concerned about the return on investment.

Geiger also mentions that most independent filmmakers struggle creating a strong business plan pitch. It’s important to immediately show an investor how they will make their money back. Selling movies is one of the hardest aspects about the film process. The success of a film is unpredictable in so many ways that the several questions that will always be asked are: 

• How will this movie be released? (Digital, theatrical, or DVD)
• How much money will this movie make?
• Will this movie break even? How much do you anticipating the film make?
• Within the last few years, what other movies similar to this have sold successfully within the marker?

The sections of the business plan that investors will most definitely look at are the marketing and promotion sections. They will need the visual on how the movie will reach its audiences and make sure the potential for profit. Another section of the business plan that investors will be interested in is the trends in the film industry. Trends are always shifting, so utilizing the trends will increase the chances of increasing revenue.

A business plan for a film is approached in a non-traditional format, but includes some of the same logistics as a traditional business plan. When the business plan is approached to an investor, the first aspect an investor wants to know is, "How much money will I make back?" Showing how an investor will make return on their investment. It is important to remember to always inform the investors of everything that happens with the film. If anything were to happen, and they felt they should have known and were not informed, the investment could be pulled from the project.

House of Cards: A New Future for Netflix

During the recent Emmy nomination announcements, The House of Cards wrote history in becoming the first online original series to be nominated for best drama. The actors also received individual nominations. Everyone who was anticipating the nominations for the Emmy’s were surprised that a show created purely for online streaming reached the same standards as television shows on major cable networks.

House of Cards stars Kevin Spacey in a political drama about Francis Underwood who is very sly and knows about all of the secrets that circulate the political realm. His primary motive is to use the secrets to manipulate his way into becoming the next President.

There has been tremendous hype around House of Cards. With Netflix being the leading video streaming service, the company should use the success as an advantage. According to CNET, Reed Hastings, the chief executive of Netflix, is hoping that once House of Cards has reached its third or fourth season, that the series will become a global phenomena like the Harry Potter franchise. Netflix is doing something right: evolving into a television outlet exclusive to its users.The primary benefit of Netflix producing an original series is the company does not have to worry about monitoring ratings.

All in all, House of Cards is an example of the industry expanding from its traditional ways. This changes two things. First, it gives Netflix a new edge in being a company that offers its customers new and strong originally developed content. This is definitely proving to be true. Netflix’s next successful endeavor is a new television show that was launch earlier this month called Orange is the New Black. Orange is the New Black is being called Netflix’s best original series Netflix has released. It looks like things are looking up for Netflix!

Trends in Filmmaking

There are several trends circulating the movie industry and the trends are always changing. It is important to notice and follow the trends of the movie industry to stay ahead of the game. The industry trends can assist knowing what genre of films audiences want, the type of content audiences would like to see, how movies are being distributed, and so much more.

If you are looking to write a script, it is important to recognize the script trends. A scriptwriter can write all the scripts in the world, but there is one important factor that should be taken into place. The script needs to be put in front of a producer and agent. In the industry, that is the only way a script will be seen. If the script is believed to be something that industry leaders will be interested in, push to get the script on the Black List. An intern, who worked at Leonardo DiCaprio’s company, created the Back List seven years ago. The intern originally created the listed as a Christmas holiday list, and then it became an industry honors list. If your script makes it on the Black List, it will be guaranteed that the top producers and agents will read the script.

One major trend that tends to keep resurfacing Hollywood is book to movie adaptations and remakes of old films. At this point in history, every movie plot has been created. The question now is, “who can tell the story better.” The most successful book to movie adaptations has been adapted from teen novels such as Twilight, The Hunger Games, and the new franchise: Divergent. A strong benefit from investing in create book to movie adaptations is that before the movie is even officially in pre-production, there is already a strong following from readers. It helps begin marketing with fans of the book putting out who they think should be casted for the characters and builds a lot of hype.

Another trend is the type of equipment used to create films called lo fidelity filmmaking. Filmmakers are using DSLR’s instead of large industry standard cameras. Filmmakers are even using GoPro cameras.

Films are also utilizing film festival outlets. Distributors are strategically using film festivals as a jump-start to distribute a film. If a film can generate a buzz throughout the festival realm, it has a chance of doing well in theatres. Going the festival route can prove to be a slower process, but it has been deemed successful.