by Justin Morrow

 

Are you a writer who finds themselves staring at a blank page for hours on end? We're here to help. 

While some people believe writer's block isn't a real thing ("Have you ever heard of plumber's block?"), it has been subject of a great deal of writing and filmmaking. Kind of ironic, no?

What to do? We recently found the site Pantomime Pony, a treasure trove of resources for writers (stuck or not). There's a Plot Twist Generator, as well as one for Ideas, First Lines, and Characters.

I tried it out and got everything from the mundane—"An investigative reporter has 24 hours to find the evidence"— to the cryptic—"A disinterested train driver and a thief get together to solve a mystery."

Another great resource is Stone Savage's massive Seventh Sanctum, with everything from the so-called What-If-inator to a Writing Challenges page: "The story takes place a century into the future. During the story, someone turns another person in." Or: "A character opens a chest. A character is hungry throughout most of the story. During the story, a character becomes pregnant." 

Screenwriters will find particular delight in the Action Film generator, which produces gems in the style of "in-a-world" trailers, e.g.: "In a crime-ridden kingdom, in a time of ghosts, two smugglers try to find the truth." 

According to famed artist Chuck Close, “The advice I like to give young artists…is not to wait around for inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work. If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you are not going to make an awful lot of work. All the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself.”

If that's not enough, this list of Ted Talks for writers is great; here, Tracy Chevalier, author of the novelGirl with a Pearl Earring (adapted into the film of the same name) discusses how creative works spawn more creative works, including her own:

Always remember that, in the end, creative work is play. An advanced form of play, maybe, but play nonetheless. There's no reason it can't be fun.

So, shake off the dust, take a walk (lots of writers are inveterate walkers, by the way), and remove yourself from your comfort zone; you might be happy with what you find there. If not, at least you'll have a new perspective. Sometimes that's all you need.

Check this out on nofilmschool.com

By Brent Lang,Cynthia Littleton

 

NBCUniversal has set a deal to buy DreamWorks Animation for $3.8 billion in cash, giving the Comcast-owned media conglomerate added heft in its effort to compete with rivals like Disney, Time Warner and Viacom, all of which cater more directly to kid-and family audiences.

The deal values DreamWorks Animation at $41 a share, a rich premium over the company’s recent trading levels. The total equity value of the deal, including debt, is $4.1 billion. Shares in the smaller company surged nearly 25% in earlier trading after the announcement was made.

DreamWorks Animation will become part of NBCUniversal’s Universal Filmed Entertainment Group. Chris Meledandri, head of Universal’s Illumination Entertainment animation wing, will oversee operations. The DreamWorks Animation brand will remain intact as an imprint.

After the sale closes, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg will become chairman of DreamWorks Animation New Media, comprising its ownership stakes in AwesomenessTV and Nova, which will be part of NBCUniversal although it’s unclear where the unit will be housed within the company. Katzenberg will also serve as a consultant to NBCUniversal. Though he remains committed to his work with Comcast, those close to Katzenberg expect he will remain active in his own business endeavors independent of that cable giant.

DreamWorks will help us grow our film, television, theme parks and consumer products businesses for years to come,” said NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke. ” We are fortunate to have Illumination founder Chris Meledandri to help guide the growth of the DreamWorks Animation business in the future.”

The deal is expected to close by the end of the year. There is a $200 million breakup fee if the pact falls apart and does not receive regulatory approval, according to public filings. DreamWorks Animation marks the latest investment in a major entertainment content engine by NBCUniversal parent Comcast, the cable giant that took over the Peacock from GE in 2011.

“This agreement not only delivers significant value for our shareholders, but also supports NBCUniversal’s growing family entertainment business,” Katzenberg said. “As for my role, I am incredibly excited to continue exploring the potential of AwesomenessTV, NOVA and other new media opportunities, and can’t wait to get started.”

The deal marks a significant up-charge over DreamWorks Animation’s $2.79 billion market cap and allows the studio behind “Shrek” and “Kung Fu Panda” to become part of a sprawling media conglomerate. It struggled in recent years to operate as a publicly traded, pure play studio, with its stock given to rise and, more often, fall following every film release. Rivals, such as Disney and Warner Bros., are all parts of heavily diversified media conglomerates that enable them to be less dependent on box office results.

“It’s gotten difficult to be an independent studio,” Tuna Amobi, an analyst with S&P Capital IQ, told Variety shortly after reports broke that talks were taking place between the companies. “Wall Street doesn’t like the uncertainty. This allows DreamWorks to be part of a larger company. The access to the huge resources helps it given the importance of scale today.”

Katzenberg had been trying to sell the company for years. Toy company Hasbro had been in talks to acquire the studio in a deal worth at least $2.3 billion, but talks collapsed in November 2014. Japanese conglomerate Softbank also kicked the animation company’s tires in September 2014, but no deal materialized.

He has also worked to broaden DreamWorks Animation’s offerings, snapping up AwesomenessTV, which is a major force in digital video, and Classic Media, the makers of “Casper the Friendly Ghost” and “Lassie.”

The acquisition bolsters NBCUniversal’s family entertainment offerings, potentially allowing them to plug in DreamWorks Animation’s cartoon characters across Comcast’s array of theme park, children’s television programming and merchandising holdings. Combined with Illumination’s output, the studio could release as many as four major animated films annually, challenging Walt Disney Studios in the animation space. Fully integrating the studios may take a few years. DreamWorks Animation has a distribution pact with 20th Century Fox the runs through 2017.

In terms of other high-profile acquisitions, the DreamWorks Animation deal is slightly more than the $4 billion Disney paid for LucasFilm in 2012 and the $3.96 billion it shelled out for Marvel in 2009, though it trails the $7.6 billion that Disney paid for Pixar in 2006.

In filings, Comcast said that the deal will not impact its plans to repurchase $5 billion worth of common shares this year.

Check this out on variety.com

by Andrew S. Vargas

 Remezcla

As Brazil’s political establishment teeters on the verge of collapse, it seems filmmaker Jose Padilha has found inspiration for his next incisive sociological drama in the morass of corruption and intrigue surrounding Petrobras’ so-called “Lava Jato” (Car Wash) scandal. The director of Netflix’s critically acclaimed original series Narcos will apparently spend this year juggling the production of Narcos second season, with a Brazilian-produced series inspired by Operation Car Wash and written by screenwriter Elena Soares.

For those unfamiliar, the Lava Jato investigation uncovered millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks surrounding contracts with Brazil’s massive state oil conglomerate, and has implicated high ranking politicians from across the political spectrum. Padilha’s own predilection for intricate plots involving political power, corruption, and moral ambiguity seems to be tailor made for the subject matter, while Netflix is a logical home for the series in light of Brazil’s otherwise highly politicized media landscape.

Check out the rest on remezcla.com

 

 

Univision and NALIP have had a long and successful partnership over the years in forging efforts to create programs which have a huge impact on Latino filmmakers, writers, directors, and producers. Together we are paving the way for the next generation of Latino media makers, by providing the necessary resources to strengthen their access and representation across the industry.

“UCI brand embodies the spirit and innate values of Hispanic culture:  passion, courage, ingenuity, tenacity.  We have an opportunity and a responsibility to evolve with our community, broaden our input and our output, expand our possibilities.”

Check out Univision HERE

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If you have questions regarding your sponsorship or would like to know how you can support NALIP, please email Karla, NALIP’s Outreach Coordinator, at [email protected]

by Mannie Holmes

 Stewart Cook/Variety/REX/Shutterstock

Endemol Shine North America Co-CEO Cris Abrego’s book launch party brought out the who’s who of reality television Thursday night at CAA headquarters in Century City. It was even offhandedly dubbed the “prom of reality TV” by CAA’s Christy Haubegger.

“What would be a reality get together without a lot of booze?!” Abrego quipped during the launch party of his new book, “Make It Reality.”

Those who came out to support included Abrego’s partner and Endemol Shine’s other Co-CEO, Charlie Corwin; Monami Entertainment CEO Mona Scott-Young; and Bunim/Murray Productions co-founder Jonathan Murray. The latter was given a warm thanks during Abrego’s speech, which detailed how his big break in reality television came after being promoted from camera assistant to production coordinator on the set of “Real World/Road Rules.”

“The way that I got promoted was that the show was going to Mexico, ‘Road Rules,’ and out of over 100 employees, I was the only one who spoke Spanish,” Abrego recalled. “It was like the one time being Mexican paid off.”

Eva Longoria noted their similar cultural background during the evening, stressing that the entertainment industry needs more Latinos behind the camera. The actress also joked about how they bonded as friends, in part, by being part of a very small club of Mexicans in showbiz — adding that Mario Lopez and George Lopez rounded out their minority representation.

“I have been so honored to work beside him as a great producer, but he is also a great leader in our community,” Longoria stated. “It’s so important for young Latinos to see your story because we can’t be what we don’t see.”

That disparity in particular is one of the reasons why Abrego decided to write down his Hollywood success story in the first place.

“The timing of the book became not so much where I was in my career, more about where I was in my life in terms of philanthropy,” Abrego told Variety. “With the kids that I’m working with in El Monte at my old high school, I felt like there was a need to go wider with that story and let these kids know that it was very much a possibility to pursue their dreams — especially in entertainment.”

Additional party guests included America Ferrera, Exec VP of Endemol Shine Latino Flavio Morales, as well as Keith Cox, TV Land’s exec VP of development and original programming.

 

Check this out on variety.com