If you’ve ever worked on a clip show, or any show that requires lots and lots of clips from movies or television you know the search can be painfully slow and expensive.

When producing a clip based show, you have ideas of what clips would work but unless you actually see the footage in the rough cut, it’s a gamble as to whether or not they will work in your story.  Typically, you’ll have your researcher, associate producer, or production assistant contact the studios to inquire if the footage is available for licensing, send a letter of intent and then pay for a screener.  The screener will usually arrive within a day or a week depending on how many other orders the one studio person assigned to rights and clearances has to fill.  If you’re in a hurry, be prepared to plead with said studio person on the phone hoping he or she will understand that your project is more important than any other order.

Meanwhile, back at the production offices, the producer and the editor are ‘pacing’ the edit room wondering where the heck the footage is because the story their telling depends on whether the footage will work, and of course they won’t know that until they see it.  When the screener finally arrives, it’s got the biggest visual time code embedded into the clip to ensure you don’t ‘steal’ the footage.  The clip from the screener won’t be replaced with clean footage until everyone has signed off on the rough cut, and if your delivery deadline is approaching you may just be biting the last of your finger nails waiting for the clean footage.  It takes time to get a clean copy of the footage, rights have to negotiated with the studio and with each actor that appears in the clip, contracts will need to be signed and in some cases the studio will have to pull the original footage out of a vault just to get a print made and duplicated onto a format you need.

As you can see, in a production if you’re using clips you practically need a department devoted to securing clips and obtaining the rights and clearances. That’s why I was happily surprised to see that Paramount Pictures has decided to make the process easier.  I don’t believe it was out of sense of altruism, but rather due to declining DVD sales and poor box office revenues. I’m sure someone said, “Hey we’ve got a gold mine in the basement vaults, let’s make the process easier and make some money.”

By logging onto ParamountClips.com, you can search for the exact clip you want with the licensing parameters you need.  Once you’ve located the clip, press the checkout button and you’re done. Paramount will electronically deliver the selection in the format and resolution desired. Most scenes are available in multiple languages.

I love when companies use technology to make the process easier.

What kind of technology makes your production work easier?

Surviving in the digital age as a filmmaker requires knowing the latest in lenses, cameras, shooting formats and ways to tell a story.  At 83 film director Roger Corman of Little Shop of Horrors and Pit and the Pendulum fame is most definitely changing with the times.  His latest venture Splatter staring Corey Feldman has been picked up by Fireworks International for global distribution.  His three part webisode was originally featured on Netflix in October 2009 and offers viewers the opportunity to select the direction of the series by presenting a number of alternative story lines as the episodes progress.

In an interview with SciFiPulse, Corman was quoted as saying, “We’ve come a long way from trucking 35mm film prints to the drive-in. Now, through the medium of the internet, filmmakers can reach the audience immediately, and open them up to new experiences in interactive storytelling. Viewers can now decide the outcome of the story for themselves—provided the writer and director can present all the options. The devil is in the details, and it’s a new kind of entertainment for a fast-changing audience.”

Take a look at Splatter and decide if interactive story telling works for you.  A word of caution, this series is not for the faint of heart – the title says it all.

L.A.’s New Film Commission

Film production in California has declined in 10 of the last 12 years. In 2003, 66% of American films were produced in California, most of them in Los Angeles; last year, it was 31%. Six years ago, 81% of the country’s television pilots were made here; in 2009, the figure was 57%. With the decline in production it makes sense to create a commission whose purpose is to bring back production, and in turn will bring back the production jobs.

Shooting in some NYC locations will cost you

Gone are the days of sending a production assistant down to the Mayor’s office the day before a shoot to obtain a free permit.  Not if you want to shoot in certain municipal buildings. There’s a new charge 3,200.00 charge and you’ve got to obtain the permit four days in advance. If you’re shooting in NYC plan ahead.

ESPN in 3-D

I’m not sure if I’m ready to see baseball player’s spit in 3-D but that’s really not the point.  With the launch of ESPN’s new 3-D channel, sports fans will be able to feel as though there right on the field.  ESPN promises 85 sporting events in 3-D this year, including the Summer X Games.

With 3-D production comes 3-D TV sets

You’ll be able to see the latest in 3-D TV sets displayed at this years Consumer Electronics Show on January 7th.  And to think, just a few decades ago we didn’t even have cable.  My entertainment options are growing daily.

Why do we love Superheroes?  Because they have the power to get things done.  We’re thrilled when they fly, we’re excited when they transform, and we cheer when they destroy evil.

Producers with superhero qualities create great shows and they work again, and again and again.  So what’s the trick to unleashing the superhero in you?

Never leave home without your cape
You can either scale a wall one brick at a time like a mere mortal, or you can strap on your cape and leap tall buildings with a single bound.

Let the world know you’re the type of producer that understands that nothing is impossible; in fact you eat challenges for breakfast.  You know what the goal is and nothing will stop you from achieving it.  That means making the tough decisions about schedules, budgets, hiring, firing, re-writes and negotiating with the network.  You’re willing to be the final word and take responsibility for the outcome.

Work with other superheroes
Would Batman work without Robin?

When putting your production crew together get the best.  Hire people you’ve worked with before, or those who have been recommended by someone you respect.  Hire experts who have a collaborative nature and be willing to listen to what they have to say.

Know when the production needs Clark Kent and when the production needs Superman
If everything is running smoothly, keep your glasses on, your tie in place and suit jacket buttoned up.   At the first sign of trouble be ready to jump into the phone booth and come out flying.

Always have three or four options kicking around in the event the schedule has to change, or the edit isn’t working, or the network isn’t happy with what you’re doing.  Don’t wait until the last minute, a good producer knows when it’s not clicking, trust your instincts and be ready to change on a dime.

A Superhero isn’t always a man of steel
Where would Spiderman be without his agility?

You must be able to listen and bend but not break.  Listening to what the network wants, as well as what your writers, director and editor have to say will keep the show on track.  You will deliver more than what the network expected.

Be a Superhero
If you want to be a producing superhero, then be a good producer.
•    Learn your craft.
•    Keep current with new technology.
•    Project the attitude you’d like to see in others.
•    Be kind, but be strong.

Newspapers filled their headlines with it, the United States Senate investigated it, and Robert Redford made a movie about – it was the television quiz show scandals of the 50’s.  The fallout began in 1956 when millions of Americans across the country sat in their living rooms, hunched over their TV dinner trays watching Columbia Professor Charles Van Doren answer questions on the game show Twenty One.  His final winnings totaled $129,000, the equivalent of about 1 million dollars today.  But his achievements proved false when he later revealed the producers fed him the answers to the questions before the show. The scandal not only rocked Mr. Van Doren’s blue-blood world, but wiped clean the television game show genre for years to come.

At some point America forgave and forgot, because game shows now dot the dials with every click – Jeopardy, Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, Wheel of Fortune and Deal or no Deal to name a few.  Each show features your average Joe or Jane in a mental balancing act as they try to answer questions that will take them to the next rung of the money ladder. We tune in and we root for these contestants, perhaps because they represent us.  They represent the idea that there is a level playing field where anyone can be declared a winner and take home the riches. I suppose that is what upset Americans during the 50’s scandal.  The notion that anyone could win was taken away, and they could no longer believe what they saw on TV as ‘real’ – they felt betrayed.  No one wants to be duped, no one wants to cheer and rally round anything to find out it was all false or fake – it makes us feel stupid.

Angela Rippon in the show Sun, Sea & Bargain Spotting Photo: REEF TV

So why would the BBC in 2009 present not one but two shows that were rigged?  Sun, Sea and Bargain Spotting on BBC Two is a game show featuring two competitors who bargain hunt in France and then attempt to sell their treasures in a London market for profit.  During one episode, the competitors were offered £25 for an acrylic panel from a purchaser who turned out to be a cameraman for the show.  Were they under a deadline to get the shot and didn’t have any buyers?  I can only imagine what would go through the minds of the producers who are trying finish up an episode with the clock ticking – “Just get a bleedin’ crew member to buy it, the audience will never know.”

If that weren’t enough, Trash for Cash, airing on BBC One had similar incidents of betraying the audience.  The show has regular people clear out their clutter and sell it for charity at a table outside their homes.  Here too, production staffed posed as customers.  Sound coincidental?  Well that’s because both shows are produced by the same production company, Reef Television.

Reef Television was investigated by the BBC and was ordered to pay a fine and give an on-air apology.  Like the producers of Twenty One, who later went on to continue working in television, Reef Television will continue to create programming for the British Public.

It would appear, then, you can’t get fired for lying.  The question is, would you risk it to get the show “in the can”?

TV’s are getting bigger while television productions are gearing up for the smallest screen in the arsenal of viewing devices – the mobile phone.   Albie Hecht, the man behind SpongeBob SquarePants is rolling out his latest animated series Bigby to an iPhone near you.

Animation isn’t cheap to produce.  An episode of The Simpsons can cost as much as 3.5 million dollars.  An animated children’s television series is probably in the 200 – 400 thousand dollar range.  But producing for a mobile phone application is cheaper and easier to distribute.   At least that’s what Mr. Hect, former President of Nickelodeon Entertainment thinks.  As the mastermind behind bringing Jimmy Neutron to the web before debuting in the movie theater, Mr. Hecht is hoping his new series does well enough on mobile phones  to justify bringing it to television and then to the big screen.

Albie Hecht is one of many TV producers creating programming for multiple outlets, because traditional just isn’t enough anymore.   Mobile is the next step.  In fact I can imagine a 5 minute daily mobile reality show, or soap opera, or game show designed for the lunch crowd to enjoy while eating their tuna sandwiches.

Will Bigby be a hit?  It’s anyone’s guess.  However, I think the first hurdle to overcome is finding 8-10 year-olds that own a iPhone.

A conductor’s role is to make sure the orchestra plays together and is well balanced. A great conductor, together with the orchestra makes music. And that’s really what a show runner’s job is — to make sure everyone in his or her ‘orchestra’ plays together and creates compelling television people want to watch. Achieving that goal can be compared to the various styles of great conductors.

The Happy Happy Style
The show runner is cheery creating an atmosphere of autonomy amongst all the individual members of the production team. However, if everyone is in charge, and no one is the leader,  it tends to create an atmosphere where mistakes are made and it takes twice as long to make a decision.

The Do It My Way or Die Style
Here the show runner has no time for anyone’s input or creative viewpoint. It’s solely about his vision — there’s the door, don’t trip over the carpet while you’re leaving. This is the atmosphere we all dread. This is the job where you count the days until the wrap party.

The Read My Mind Style
You’re never sure what the show runner is thinking. All notes are vague and ethereal. This creates an atmosphere of frustration and long days of constant re-writes, revisions and re-edits.

The Open Space Style
Here you receive clear direction but are also free to contribute your creative viewpoint to the production process. This is the job you wake up early for.

Which style is right? I’ve seen variations on all themes. In the end, it’s about creating a show that gets ratings. Personally, I’m also the type that feels the process needs to be just as creative and enjoyable as the final product.

Below is a terrific talk given by Israel conductor Itay Talgam comparing the conducting styles of Carlos Kleiber , Riccardo Muti, Herbert von Karajan and Leonard Bernstein and how they relate to leadership. While this video is 20 minutes long, I encourage you to watch because Mr. Talgam gives an absolutely delightful, funny and enlightening presentation that can be used in any leadership role. Enjoy!

Matthew Ostrom is the VP of Current Series and Development for Original Media. Matt and I worked together several years ago and since then he’s been busy creating original programming for a wide variety of networks.  In his current position he has executive produced a large slate of original shows including King of Dirt, Masters of Reception, Swamp People, Destination Design, LA Ink, Storm Chasers, BBQ Pitmasters and many more.  I asked Matt to give us an inside look into how a show goes from an idea to a series.

How did you get involved in production and development?
Matt: I started doing television production in college and then moved to New York City for an internship at HBO my senior year.  At the end of the internship I stayed in the city to start working in production.  I have done a little bit of everything in the television world since then – working and collaborating in reality, hidden camera, game show, comedy, scripted hybrid and talk/variety shows.  I have spent time in front of the camera and on stage as well, and those experiences helped to inform my producing style.  It is a very competitive industry and my diverse background has employed me through lots of ups and downs.

What are some of the deciding factors that can make an idea into something you’d want to develop into a pilot?
Matt: It depends on the show, but for me 99% of the time it’s character – a big, dynamic character in a unique world. So much of the type of docu-soap programming I make starts with a person at the center of a world that is the best at what they do, or is an expert above all the rest.  The type of personality that you can hang a show on. At the center of LA Ink (TLC) is Kat Von D, a compelling personality with an amazing talent.  The King of Dirt (DIY Network) is a simple landscaping show, but at the core of each episode are Gino Panaro and his brother, Ralph. The make amazing landscapes and drive each other a little nuts – in a fun, dramatic way.

Why don’t some pilots make it?
Matt: The unfortunate fact is that most pilots don’t make it.  If one out of ten goes to series, that’s considered successful.  During the pilot phase, you are trying to figure out what the show is, how it works and what the structure is, but there are lots of factors and influences that can throw your project off-track.  Sometimes you have an idea in mind, and sometimes that idea does not translate to screen as well as you hoped.  Or sometimes the network that bought the pilot sees the show differently than you do, and their changes can effectively kill the project.  Sometimes pilots come out great, but the network changes its mandate (e.g., they go from being a lifestyle channel to a cooking channel) and the pilot you made no longer fits on their network.  There are lots and lots of ways a great television show can die.

Was there ever a pilot you made that you were sure would be picked up as a series and wasn’t?  Why?
Matt: Yes.  I did a game show that everyone loved for a music channel.  The network did focus group testing (where they present new shows to large groups of people and find out what these audiences think of them), and the show did really well.  Everything looked great, and the day before the network was going to make a decision about ordering the show, the leadership of the network changed.  When that happens, a new General Manager (GM) is brought in, and when a new GM comes into a network, they often wipe the development slate clean by killing projects that the previous GM was working on.  It’s unfortunate, but a new GM is there to make their own mark with programming they develop.

When a pilot is picked up by the network what are some of the first things you need to do to create a show that will have ‘legs’ for  13 or more episodes?
Matt: To be honest, you really don’t want to do a pilot.  The goal is to walk into a network with a short tape that demonstrates what the show is so that the network development folks want to go straight to series.  This tape has to be awesome – like “make the hairs on your arm stand up” awesome.  If you make a pilot from that tape, it gives the network another chance to find something “wrong” with your show.  Networks can always find something “wrong” with a show, and once you get into a situation where they’re testing and thinking and time is passing, your chances of going to series start to go down.  With that said, sometimes you can’t avoid going to pilot, and it’s in that pilot that you want to demonstrate that the world you are making a show about has lots of stories to tell.  You can help to illustrate that by writing up paper that talks about future storylines or events that are coming up.  Anything that lets the network know that this could be a show that could last a long time with lots of possibilities, lots of exciting things to see.

How does your role change once the show goes from pilot to series?
Matt: It gets easier (hopefully).  The pilot is all about figuring out the formula, doing all the creative heavy lifting.  Once a show goes to series, I hire someone called a showrunner who handles all the day-to-day operations of running a show.  If I hire a really good showrunner than I can sit back and monitor the show from afar.  If the showrunner has trouble, or the talent on the show has problems, then I get involved.  I always say, “my phone only rings when things go to hell.”

Describe a typical day.
Matt: No day is all that typical.  I will check my fantasy football scores first thing in the morning.  Then it’s off and running.  I will screen cuts of shows, give notes, talk to my showrunners and help them problem solve….  I will listen to pitches, meet with network executives and give pitches for shows, or travel into the field to direct pitch tapes.  I spend a lot of time on the phone with network executives who are overseeing my shows.  My day usually starts off calm, and by 4pm, I find that I usually have not eaten lunch and I’m asking myself “what the hell happened to my day!”

Any advice for creatives out there that have an idea of a television show?
Matt: You can pitch to networks.  They have development departments, and they’re always looking for good ideas.  Just pick up the phone and make an appointment. Depending on your level of experience in television, it may make sense for you to partner with a production company.  I would recommend matching your idea with a production company that has a track record for doing that type of programming.  For example if you have an idea for a game show, go to a production company that has a proven track record of making hit game shows.  A company with a track record can get your idea into a high level person at a network, and maybe right to series!  Good luck!

Matt, I appreciate your time, thanks for joining us to day.

Matt’s recent series and Executive Producer credits at Original Media include:
King of Dirt – A how-to-landscaping show for DIY that mixes reality with instruction.
Masters of Reception – A docu-series for TLC set in the behind-the-scenes world of New Jersey’s most successful wedding catering company.
Swamp People – A docu-series for The History Channel set in the swamps of Louisiana.
Destination Design – A home makeover show for HGTV that uses inspirational travel to transform homes.
LA Ink – A docu-series for TLC starring Kat Von D set in and around the tattoo scene of Los Angeles.
Storm Chasers – A series for Discovery that follows a team of scientists and filmmakers as they attempt to intercept tornadoes.
BBQ Pitmasters – A competition docu-series for TLC about the world of competitive BBQ.
Tough As Nails – A docu-series for HGTV centered around one of Boston’s best female homebuilders.
Flowers Uncut – A docu-series for TLC about world-renowned florist, Jeff Leatham.
Duel Survivor – An adventure survival series for Discovery.
Be Good Johnny – An eight part series for The Sundance Channel that follows Johnny Weir on his quest to Olympic glory.

There are really only two tricks to producing on a small budget – hire the right people and do as much as you can yourself. Gone are the heady days when budgets were plentiful and the Brinks Truck backed up to your office and spilled piles of money onto your doorstep. We’re living in a time where we have to learn how to produce on smaller budgets while producing the same great quality work.  I affectionately call these minimalist budgets, “Working on the I and I tour. “ (The insult to injury tour).  Where once you had 3 production assistants at your beck and call, now you’re the beck and call girl.  No shame, it’s just people aren’t shelling out large sums of money these days.

So, to keep costs down and value high here are a few recommendations –

1.  Don’t bring people on board until you absolutely need them.

2.  Hire the sharpest production manager or line producer you can afford and have them negotiate the best possible terms with crew and vendors.  Make sure they run the production schedule as if they were directing the Rockettes – not a single mis step.  This will ensure you don’t have ANY overages.  An overage is not a friend to a minimalist budget.

3.  Hire Production Assistants who will work as Production Assistants but are really ready to be Associate Producers.  They’re smart, seasoned and will go the extra mile.  And since you’re abusing them on this project, make sure the next time you have an Associate Producer spot open you hire them.  Karma.  I’m just saying.

4.  If you can work an Avid or a Final Cut system string out the initial rough cut and then bring in the pro for the finish

5.  Farm out only those things you can’t do yourself, i.e. animation, musical score, etc.

6.  No fancy lunches, and by the way,  you’ll be doing your own manicures for the run of the production.

Keeping costs down, really isn’t that difficult.  If you run tight control, stick to the budget and the schedule, you’ll turn an I and I tour into a tour de force production.

When I hire a DP I have a couple of musts – they must have a terrific eye, they must have a personality, and they must be braver than I am.   I’ve found myself producing some unlikely scenarios over the years, and the brave qualification has come in very handy.

For a Discovery Channel series I had to shoot inside a factory that builds 150 feet tall wind turbines.  I found myself ducking and weaving under 10 tons of flying steel.  The crew wore steel toed boots, heavy duty helmets, and eye protection gear to keep our eye sockets from melting in the event a stray splat of molten lava hit us in the face.  I thought I was pretty brave just to walk in the place, but when I saw my DP hanging over the edge of the railing to get a shot, and then crawling inside the steel tube while they sliced it with lasers, I was thrilled. It was a beautiful shot and he made me look good.

In addition to my dislike of walking under flying objects that weigh more than my house, I’m not a big fan of heights.  When I had to shoot on top of a 75 story NYC city building with no railings on the edge it wasn’t my proudest moment.  While I stood at the doorway directing the shot, The DP was at the tip of the ledge practically hanging by his toe nails to capture the city from every conceivable angle.  Another beautiful shot in the can.

Add to my list of least favorite places to shoot and that would have to be the middle of any body of water.  Born and raised in NYC I didn’t get a lot of swimming in, unless you count playing in fire hydrants during the summer.  So, when I had to shoot some scenes at a reservoir for a PBS series I was secretly happy when the person in charge said we had to stay on shore.  However, the producer in me knew a static shot would be deathly.  I no sooner had the thought when I saw the DP hijack a boat and take it to the middle of the reservoir to capture a panoramic view – another beautiful shot.

And that is why brave matters.  The DP will get the shot you can’t.  So to all the brave and talented DP’s I’ve worked with over the years, thank you.  Here’s to more, strange and exciting adventures.

What’s your DP story? Come on spill.