Film+Industry+5

Film Industry Update #5 "Dirty Dancing" remake to arrive in 2013 By: Alisa Hemmesch Variety Article Just when you thought filmmakers were done with the remakes, the most recent being "Footloose", you realize they are no where close. Do you think remakes of classic films are more of a compliment, or just a cop-out? Regardless, Lionsgate has decided to remake the 1987 film. The new "Dirty Dancing" is set to come out on July 26, 2013. The cast has not been chosen yet, but the studio is seeking help from "High School Musical" director, Kenny Ortega. The film will be produced by both Ortega and Debra Martin Chase ("The Princess Diaries") and will have more modern versions of both classic songs and new compositions. Personally, I find this reboot a means for the studio to "play it safe", but we will just have to wait and see how it performs at the box office in a couple of years.

Is it "Like Crazy" to go script-less? By: Morgan Denno [|NYT] Though a script isn't considered a technological aspect of a film, it's an important aspect. After a darling release at Sundance, Drake Dormeous' latest film "Like Crazy" won the Grand Jury Prize for a Dramatic Feature and has since been hailed as a great modern love story. The young stars Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin praised the idea of going without a script and cite it as freedom for their talent to grow. Many critics say that the film has a rawness, a realistic feel that makes it all the more heartbreaking. It's common for Hollywood to encourage ad-libbing, especially when using professional comedians in movies. Even 2008's Iron Man has been rumored to have had only a basic script with very little dialogue. So what is the fate of the script? Will more films go sans-script? Will movies start to be made with a simple concept? It will be interesting to see what will happen after the release of Like Crazy.

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Why Aren't Low Budget Sci-Fi Films Successful? By: Ivonnie Dulce [|Forbes Article]

“Star Wars” is one of the highest grossing films in the industry while incorporating a seemingly low budget compared to recent movies made today. The movie achieved the success it received with the combination of action-adventure and a well versed drama. Recently, the sci-fi films produced by Hollywood embody less drama and more special effects. According to the //Forbes// article, sci-fi films in today’s society struggle to maintain an audience and require the assistance of a heavy financial budget as well as top ranking celebrities to produce profits. This is an adequate example of how the audience changes over time and how the film industry adjusts to their viewers.

The employment of an exponential amount of funds does not secure a sci-fi movie to become a blockbuster, but it helps. The issue at hand is our changing culture. There is a whole new generation of the audience and the film industry is adapting to their needs. As the article mentioned, geek culture is manifesting in TV rather than film because it is easier to follow intricate plots through episodes. Where sci-fi movies are heading in the future is an interesting question because comedies are producing the most profits in the industry and it will be fascinating to see what comes next in the genre. All things considered, there will never be another “Star Wars.”

First Online Movie Premiere Held in Russia By: Lola Smith Hollywood Reporter

The premiere of a Russian independent film called //Vdrebezgi// (//Shattered//) was the first local film to get an online premiere before it hit movie theaters. Online video service RuTtube broadcast the film two days before it's release date at a Moscow theater, but RuTube subscribers were able to view the film for one day with their Now.ru accounts. RuTube and Now.ru distributors say the online premiere was a success and it helped generate a lot of new users to its site, but producers are feeling a bit different. According to Mikhail Kukushkin, a co-producer, the film was immediately ripped and pirated to trackers, even if the quality was poor. Kukishkin also said that the online premiere could have brought in extra viewers to the theaters, but they have to re-think the execution of an earlier release. //Vdrebezgi// cost about $400,000 to make and brought in about the same at the box office, breaking even.

Success? Probably not to American film standards. It would be interesting to see if subscription based models such as Netflix or HBO GO give this online premiere idea a chance. media type="youtube" key="uHeA4F_EDnY" height="315" width="560"

Another device you can watch movies on! The Kindle Fire Tablet By: Colleen Bordon PCWorld [|SciTech] Amazon just announced the new Kindle Fire tablet. It competes with the iPad as a tablet being more about content versus a expensive device. It's affordable at a low price of $199, it comes with a new browser called Amazon Silk and offers access to digital entertainment such as music, apps, books, and most importantly movies! With the experience and approach Amazon has with selling content of books and movies, Apple could be facing some serious competition. "The Fire will have immediate access to the 18 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, and books already available on Amazon’s easy-to-browse virtual shelves." Customers can also choose to rent where there is a selection of 10,000 books and movies that can be streamed instantly.

 =AFM 2011: Possible Relocation to Downtown Los Angeles Sparks Outrage = Posted by: Andrea Jimenez [|Hollywood Reporter] American Film Market is an 8 day event held once a year in Santa Monica. Filmcommissioners, producers, writers, directors, distributors, festival directors, financiers, and others involved in the film industry come from more than 70 countries to sell and acquire deals for film production and distribution. This year there is talk about changing the location of the event from Santa Monica to Los Angeles and many buyers and sellers from the industry are not pleased with the possible relocation. “There are many film markets around the world and the successful ones are the ones that take into consideration their participants,” reads a petition being circulated at the AFM to remain in Santa Monica. “We do not want to be packed into soulless places in the middle of a crowded downtown.” 

The reason for the quick decision to relocate was due to a fee increase asked by the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel for their renewal. But it seems that film buyers and sellers are not the only ones disappointed with the change. “According to the Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau, the AFM brings business during their off-season and Paul Leclerc, who has been managing director since September, said, “We absolutely want the film market to remain here in the Loews.”” It seems that the board will further discuss the changes and determine whether the AFM will stay in Santa Monica or if it will move to Los Angeles.