Goldman's "Adventures in the Screen Trade"

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Aspiring Mogul

I've read the classic work, and I can see why no one knows anything. Even Goldman was wrong, when he said (at the time of writing) that Annie, the musical, would do some business while The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas would bomb - and, guess what, Annie bombed while Whorehouse became the highest-grossing musical of the 1980's. And Whorehouse had an all-star cast, which would make sense.

With that in mind, I'm wondering if no one really knows anything. Yes, the business is unpredictable, but can't we be, say, 70% confident that a Star Trek or James Bond movie will make money? Or we can be 90% confident that a Steven Spielberg movie will be a blockbuster.

That said, I'm flabbergasted at how unpredictable the business is. If no one knows anything, what can I do to fulfill my dreams???

Last, but perhaps not least, I'm appalled at the working conditions depicted, with the grinding hours or the outrageous actions of the industry players, which makes me wonder if I really want to get into movies - who needs this BS?

These are just my initial thoughts.
 
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hey Aspiring Mogul
you can achieve your dreams

But right set of mindset is very important,
just break your dream into steps till you have
achievable things each week,

conquer every week and your confidence
will boost,

To reach from one city to other in
night by Car, we don't need to see the whole
road till end of the city,

just see your achievable targets for the week
and do it,

Just become better, more skillfull, more talented,
and also a good person (Little things but very big results till end)
Every Day, Every Week, Every month,
become better
 
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"Mogul" is a vague term. There are big differences between Lucas and Bruckheimer.

Do you want to be a producer? An executive producer? A studio executive?

If anything, a movie's box office potential is MORE predictable now than it was 30 years ago when Goldman made his famous statement. Which is why there is nothing new under the marquee. The whole reason that studio films consist almost entirely of adaptations from successful source material - novels, comic books, TV shows, games, previous movies - is to, insofar as possible, tap into an existing fan base.

Then, once a franchise is established, all a studio really needs to do is make sure someone doesn't come along and screw it up. Given the opportunity, would you have invested in the Harry Potter series? Or the Batman sequels? That's a no-brainer for me.
 
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2001 Productions, I'll probably end up as a producer or, more likely, executive producer. But, yes, I would agree that an established franchise is a safe investment, and that leads to some thoughts I've been having about creating that franchise.

itoocq, thanks for the encouragement - I've been feeling down, and you've given me the strength to keep pursuing my dreams. :)
 
You and I are not far apart in suffering lethal blows from the bad economy.

Coming up with a game plan to climb out of the pit of financial ruins to fortify yourself to have a future is free.


Get like the A Team and work on your B plan to come back swinging.
 
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Aspiring Mogul said:
I'll probably end up as a producer or, more likely, executive producer.
Click to expand...

Well, I'll tell you, guys like me - experienced in the craft of cinematic storytelling - are always on the lookout for guys like you who are interested in the producing end. I'm serious. I would love to find a producing partner because I hate producing and I'm lousy at it. If you are serious about it and have a good head on your shoulders you should have no problem finding interested collaborators. There are a lot of us out there.

The producer is truly the one who makes things happen -- that's his job description. If you make the right things happen enough times, you will become a mogul. But it's pointless to bemoan the state of the industry, since the industry is what producers make it.

The executive producer is usually the person who secures the financing. If you have that skill you will be everybody's best friend right out of the gate! :yes:
 
2001, anyone with money is always everyone's best friend. As for being a producer, no point being one unless there's an exec producer.

Modern Myth, thanks for your encouragement - I'll get to work ASAP. :)
 
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