Residue Ltd.Natalie Tena stars in "Residue."

While the spring of 2015 has been dominated by Netflix releasing high profile series after high profile series, "House of Cards," "Bloodline" and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" aren't the only new shows available now for streaming.

"Residue," created by John Harrison, premiered yesterday on Netflix with three 45 minute-long episodes. The genre series, starring "Game of Thrones" notables Natalie Tena and Iwan Rheon, tracks the aftermath of a devastating explosion on the city of London and the government conspiracy that might be concealing the truth. (Netflix users might expect to see it as a recommended pick if they've watched a lot of "The X-Files" or other genre programming.)

Via both phone and email, Indiewire got a step-by-step breakdown of how "Residue's" first season landed on the streaming giant, and what might happen next with the series.

Step 1: Think Up the Show

Residue Ltd."Residue."

"Residue" began life as an idea in Harrison's head. He then brought it to producer Charlotte Walls after a positive experience working with her on the horror film, "Clive Barker’s Book of Blood."

"When ['Book of Blood'] was finished and released, I went back to [Walls] and said, ‘Look, I have another idea that I really want to do and I’m bringing it to you first because I would love to work with you guys,'" he said. 

And Harrison had a huge amount of material for the idea. "The thing I had envisioned was quite a long story. The movie that I was pitching them was essentially the beginning of the mythology, and with success we would have the opportunity to do more, so television sounded really exciting to me, given how it has evolved over the past several years — the novelization of television. Also, many of the networks are really getting creatively engaged with genre material, which was not always true in the early 2000s and going back."

Step 2: Finance the Show

The actual story covered by the first three episodes of "Residue" is very different from Harrison's initial plan. After optioning and developing the material, producer Charlotte Walls came to Harrison with the idea — and more importantly, the money — for a project that would function, in Harrison's words, as "a proof-of-concept pilot."

"Whenever somebody says they have money for production, you have to take it!" he said. According to Walls, "Residue" found its funding via International Pictures Four, Screen Yorkshire and Green Screen Studios.

Because some of the money came from the UK, Harrison didn't direct — they had to make sure a certain percentage of the crew was British. "We hired a very young talented British director [Alex Garcia Lopez], who I had a great collaborative relationship with," he said.

"[Lopez] is so key to the project, which carries his signature style. He was the hook for Iwan Rheon, who he worked with on 'Misfits,'" Walls said.  

"If we get to the next group and I’m able to write them all and get them written before we get to production," Harrison said, "Then it would be easier for me to drop back into the director’s chair."

Step 3: Make the Show

Residue Ltd.Iwan Rheon in "Residue."

How do you bring on board known players like Tena and Rheon? Harrison attributed that to the script, as well as its unconventional nature. "I think the combination of the material and the creative team attracted all the talent. I think everybody knew that we had great ambitions for this as well, so they wanted to get on board."

Those ambitions included an unconventional approach to the production, which led to a the project becoming both a TV show and a film. "When we got it into post-production our distributor, Content Media, took a look at it and said, 'Let’s... go straight to television,'" Harrison said. "So I wrote some additional scenes so we could pull, into these first three episodes, some of the bigger conspiracy themes. We shot those and re-edited them into the three hours that are now airing on Netflix."

"'Residue' is quite pioneering in that it is truly multi-format," Walls said. "We scripted, shot and cut the project as a movie, which was released theatrically in the UK on March 20, 2015 on a limited release. Whilst we were in post-production, we reviewed the material and decided to create the three-parter as well, which was then sold to Netflix in this format specifically."

Step 4: Get the Show to Netflix

Residue Ltd."Residue."

How did that happen? Well, when "Residue" was completed in its newfound form as a television show, distributor Content Media brought the show to the October 2014 MIPCON, a trade show held in Cannes that serves as a marketplace for international television. They also made sure that Netflix got a chance to see it in advance.

"That really began the sales pitch," Harrison said. "We had a number of entities who were interested in it, but Netflix wanted to take it off the table."

The show is now available for streaming in English-language territories; a global launch will roll out over the course of the year. In the meantime...

Step 5: Make More of the Show

Thus the plan is to work towards a 10-episode second season, and Netflix already has the exclusive option on it. Walls did clarify that because 10 episodes is a larger commitment, there would have to be adjustments. "Any full season would always be more traditional in its financing as the overall budget would be so much greater," Walls said. "Netflix would be at the center of that finance plan from day one, hence the option."

But independent financing has some advantages, and Harrison was happy with the experience: "It’s a terrific thing for someone like me, because creatively I’m answering to my partners as opposed having to deal with a normal network structure. We made this without any interference from studios or networks. We were with the studio! That, to me, was really great."

"Residue" is now streaming on Netflix. 

Check this out on www.indiewire.com

Michelle Rodriguez has revealed the difficulties she faces as a woman in Hollywood and the lack of non-stereotyped roles she is offered.

Continuing on in our series of film financing articles — we’ll hold a magnifying glass up to the ever-changing role of the producer.

From early-day producers on Studio lots working with a team of writers, to the indie producers of today shooting guerrilla-style films for next to zero budgets — the industry has shifted and so too have the ways in which producers develop, finance, produce, and release content.

1. No longer can a producer just be creative.

Today’s landscape requires that a producer be savvy across multiple disciplines — creative, financial, technology, and relationship. Often times these elements bleed into one another, with the other argument being that one trick pony producers can band with others who have a different skill-set. Certainly these arguments are true, but the best producers we’ve worked with (both directly and indirectly) have always had their fingers on the pulse of each of the elements.

A recent example of that is a Studio level producer (credits include Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Edge of Tomorrow) who was in the office here at Buffalo 8 & BondIt for a discussion regarding his upcoming projects, and the conversation shifted to the general state of the industry.

As we chatted, this producer, who is in his mid-50s, began chatting about YouTube, Reddit, Goldman Sachs Media Fund, CAA, and WME packaging departments, and a new HBO series he had just wrapped up — all within the span of 5 minutes. This producer has continued to be a mentor to us (and was instrumental in helping us in the early days) and the conversation proved to us once again that a great producer has a generally curious and ambitious mind, seeking not only to create excellence, but better solutions to the puzzle of media production.

2. No producer can rely solely on elements of prowess for too long.

We work with literally hundreds of producers and the common theme among all of them is that they are constantly seeking financing (obviously). However, what we also find to be a common theme amongst the best-of-the-best is that they work with the same financiers time and again. Many of them have set up direct funds (hedge funds, private equity funds, bank lines, etc) and others have fostered direct relationships with investors whom they have worked with for years.

When we come across a producer who has continued to work with the same financing source for a long time, we recognize the strength of this producer across the multiple disciplines we outlined above: their financial savviness has recouped the investors capital (yielding further project investment), they have worked to uncover promising creative properties that have lead to success, and they have been able to walk the tightrope of relationships and distribution technology pivots that have come to define the ever-changing business.

Obviously not every producer can be Brian Grazer — nor do we think that should be the case — but these foundational elements of finding the right capital source, identifying the right projects, and delivering on investment recoupment and creative satisfaction can be done across any budget level.

3. No producer can rest on their laurels.

Even the best producers we work with (those with Oscars, Emmys, and box office success stories) are continually pushing the boundaries of what they will do next. Watching a big name TV producer transition to indie film (and vice versa) shows us that being multi-versed and continually passionate and curious will yield the best results. Often the meetings, projects, and contacts we least anticipate prove to be the most influential: reiterating the need to remain hungry and passionate across the board.

Another recent example from our work revolves around a project titled Old Man in France. The film, in the vein of Lost in Translation & Sideways, is a live-action production based on an animated short film that received critical and audience success on the festival circuit in the past 18 months.

As we’ve worked on the development of this project (creatively, financially, and technically) we’ve once again dug deep into our experiences across multiple disciplines to get the film produced. Working both with smaller agencies, personal investors seeking media placements, and discussing the project with new-media outlets such as Vimeo, Amazon, and MCN (multi-channel networks) proves once again that as producers working today we are forced to find flexible solutions to ever-shifting puzzles.

4. No producer can expect instant gratification.

The easiest feeling to walk through the entreatment business with is resentment. A jaded sensation that takes over so many creatives and financiers alike — because quite frankly it’s a difficult business, period.

This multidiscipline approach to producing content will yield much less of a jaded taste — given that it effectively utilizes the portfolio approach (a spread of multiple options across a given business) to lead to ultimate results. Yes, the majority of the responses will be “NO” (which we still find to be true) and the age old cliche of “for every YES you’ll hear one hundred NOs" rings true — but staying focused on the end goal of content reaching your audience, and assuming that it will take multiple roads to reach that destination, will ultimately be a rewarding realization. 

Check this out on nofilmschool.com

The Viva Latino Film Festival NYC International (VLFFI) is the newest Latino international film festival in the country. In this years feature documentary category, Viva Film Festival has announced, "Words of Revolution," as the Best Documentary for their 2015 film festival. This is a film directed by our own NALIPSTER Junior Gonzalez, who also had his film participate in the "Doing your Doc" program at the 2014 NALIP's Media Latino Summit. 

By Lesley Goldberg

The low-rated comedy was a favorite with critics.

Courtesy of HBO

After two seasons, HBO's gay-themed comedy Looking has reached the end of its road.

Rather than renewing the critically praised Jonathan Groff comedy for a third season, the premium cable network will conclude the story with a special.

"After two years of following Patrick (Groff) and his tight-knit group of friends as they explored San Francisco in search of love and lasting relationships, HBO will present the final chapter of their journey as a special," HBO said in a statement. "We look forward to sharing this adventure with the shows' loyal fans."

Season two ended Sunday with a cliffhanger that saw Patrick struggling to choose between his current flame, Kevin (Russell Tovey) and his ex, Ritchie (Raul Castillo). The decision to close out the series with a special follows a similar move by the cable network with the Stephen Merchant comedy Hello Ladies.

Looking was never a ratings hit out of the gate, attracting a small but loyal audience over two seasons and 18 total episodes. HBO stuck with the comedy about a group of gay friends living in San Francisco and renewed the series for a second season, which was expanded from eight to 10 episodes. Sunday's season two finale drew just 298,000 total viewers. But the comedy, like others on HBO, had a strong afterlife in DVR, on-demand and HBO Go. 

 

For HBO, the news comes as the cable network recently renewed niche comedy Getting Onfor a third and final season. The network's comedy lineup also includes the previously announced second season of Togetherness as well as Silicon Valley, Veep, Girls and upcoming entries The Brink, Ballers and Danny McBride's Vice Principals. 

Check this out on hollywoodreporter.com