Can a creative pitch alone get your script produced? Pitching the script is an art that is much talked about, put into college curriculums and lauded by the Pop Culture. But, there’s a big factor missing from creative pitches. It’s fundamental; but broadly ignored by key creative people.

For over 20 years I’ve been hired by Film Financiers (Studio Exec’s, Bonding Companies, etc.) to watch over their investment during the film’s production. I’ve also had more than a few independent filmmakers ask me for help in getting their film off the ground. So, I’ve been rubbing elbows with the elusive Film Financier (of one stripe or another) for some time.

Creative screenwriters, directors and filmmakers, especially when they’re new at the game of film production, conceive that the money for wonderful scripts should be found - like apples dropping from a tree. ‘Fraid not. Filmmaking is as much about the money as it is about the creative.

The person who you’re pitching may be wearing blue jeans and topsiders, but he’s still a Financier (or his immediate superior is). When pitching your script, think - I’m looking into the cold heart of a banker.

Learn to be familiar enough with the costs of your script to defend it in the language of money. Then, you’ll be able to look any Studio Exec in the eye and mean what you say in his/her language.

But, you say, I’m creative! What do I know about money, and financing, and accounting, and, and….. Take heart. It’s a heck of a lot easier than you may think.

Pitch the Script…But Don’t Forget The Money
Independent screenwriters, directors and producers are fervently connected to their scripts and can pitch them anywhere, at anytime. But can a creative pitch alone get the film made?

It’s very rare. Think about it. You’re dealing with the M word….MONEY! So, yeah, pitch your heart out. But, hey, isn’t it reasonable to learn some of the language of the person you really want to work with? To my mind, that’s the only way to be credible in the eyes of the Financiers. Remember that we’re talking about INDEPENDENT Film Financing and not about getting swept through the red carpet of the major studios.

There’s a two step process going on here:

1. Pitch the script

2. Create confidence that the film CAN be produced within defined dollar limits.

Translate Creative Ideas Into ‘Money Talk’

Being bright and creative is pretty much the norm in the film industry. But, being bright and creative, AND knowing how to translate creative ideas into ‘money talk’ elevates you way ahead of the pack.

To deliver a good pitch, have answers to these key questions about your screenplay:

- How you will achieve and produce your vision, yet still stay within a predetermined budget.

- What’s important about money in film production, and what’s not, and how to bring it up in the pitch.

- What are some of the ‘Insider’ secrets about film budgeting and reporting that YOU can use to your advantage?

- Regardless if you’re a film director/ producer/screenwriter/ crew/ film student/ etc., film budgets and cost reports have something to do with you and your goals. Be prepared to bring this topic up when you pitch your screenplay.

You get the idea. Learn to be familiar enough with the costs of your script to defend it in the language of money. Then, you’ll be able to pitch your script in a very powerful language - the language of MONEY.

Sign up for a series of seven articles - all only about 3 to 5 pages each which will give you insight into most of your ‘pitch the money’ problems, at http://www.talkfilm.biz.

Here are the article titles:

1. MAKING IT! In Film Production
2. Introduction to ‘Directing the Money’
3. Translating Ideas Into ‘Money Talk’
4. Your Participation In Above-the-Line Budgeting
5. Your Participation In Below-the-Line Budgeting

6. Your Report Card - The Internationally Recognized Cost Report
7. Presentation of the Weekly Cost Report - It’s As Important As the Dailies

(Copyright 2005)

John Gaskin

With over 20 years experience and 40+ film productions, John has worked with some of the industries top professionals, including academy award winners Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. John brings his expertise to aspiring & established film professionals.

John Gaskin is a 20 year veteran of the film industry. As one of the most sought after Film Production Auditors he’s learned a thing or two about managing films and assisting creative people achieve their visions in film. Learn more about the driving force behind all film production.

Sign up for 7 free articles at:
http://www.talkfilm.biz

Writing is easy when you leave it to your subconscious mind. Think of your
subconscious mind as your inner librarian.

Colin Wilson, in his book Access to Inner Worlds, says: “The (inner) library contains
detailed recordings of everything that has ever happened to us, and these can be
recombined in any order… We catch a glimpse of this inventiveness in dreams… but
these are obviously some kind of a random selection. Our inner librarian does his
best work when we ASK FOR his cooperation.”

This is a useful insight. Try it out — ask your inner librarian to help you with a
specific writing task, and he/ she/it will happily do so. You’ll find that there’s a time
lag when you do this. It’s best to leave at least a few hours between your request,
and the writing. Barbara Cartland famously used to ask for the plot of her next book
as soon as she finished one, and A COMPLETE plot was ready for her the next day.

=> The pro writer’s secret to accessing the subconscious: use improvs

You can access your subconscious on command. Each morning, sit down, and
whether you feel like it or not, start writing. In the morning, you’re close to your
unconscious, and it’s got a lot to say.

Improvs give you an idea of how this works. With an improv, you’re not struggling,
you’re not straining, the words just emerge, and you write them down. Improvs are
easy writing exercises.

Here’s an improv:

Write 100 words using these three words: Card, Bikini, Run.

Choose three words from that, then write another 100 words including those three
words.

Keep going, if you like, and pick another three words from your improv.

Easy, wasn’t it? That’s because your subconscious mind did the work.

=> Improvising your way through writer’s block

Improvs are a sure cure for writer’s block.

If you’re blocked, spend 21 days writing a short (no longer than 200 words) improv
each day.

You’ll feel ready and raring to write long before the three weeks is up, however the
key to this process is to keep it going for at least 21 days.

The idea of the 21 days is that you’re developing the habit of sitting down and
writing to order. You’re training your unconscious mind that when you say “write” to
yourself it sends up the words immediately.

Turn words into money! Subscribe to copywriter and author Angela
Booth’s new free ezine, Write For Cash.
Discover how to turn your own words, or someone else’s into money. The
new Web boom is upon us, so content has never been more important, or
more valuable. Each issue contains a strategy and a product:
information you can use immediately. If you want to build a global
business from the comfort of your easy chair, subscribe today.

If you thought Las Vegas was out of your price range you may need to think again. In fact there are a large number of discount Vegas hotels , so cost needn’t be an issue. Try looking online or speaking to your local travel agent, and once you discover just how cheap some of the accommodation is there’ll be no stopping you. Once you’ve arranged somewhere to stay you’ll need to start planning your activities, and when it comes to tourist attractions you’ll be spoilt for choice.

If you’re a live music fan then you’re definitely going to be in the right place, with a great selection of live concerts and cabaret acts to watch during the evenings. Naturally you’ll want to try your luck with the slot machines, and possibly the card tables too. Vegas is probably the most famous gambling city in the world so it’d be a shame to visit without having at least one game of Blackjack or Poker. During the daytime it’s nice to get out for a bit of exercise, and for something slightly different how about a spot of indoor karting? Get behind the wheel of one of these zippy little motors and you can race around the track at speeds of up to 45mph. It’s great fun for all the family, and once you’re exhausted from all that rushing around you can chill out with an ice cold drink while the children burn off a few more calories at the amusement arcades.

If this sounds like your idea of fun then why not see if you can pick up a few airline tickets and start planning your vacation? If you haven’t already decided where you’re going this year you could do worse than spend a week or two in Vegas. It’s more than just a gambling city, and there really is something for everyone to enjoy.

What you need to break into the industry is a well produced demo; this is a demonstration of your potential performing various scripts. It shows producers & voice agents what you sound like and what you are capable of; it is, in effect, your portfolio or ‘audio CV’.

Your demo should include the following: commercials, trailers (or promos, as they are sometimes called), announcing and narration - which is anything from audio books to a documentary read, via an on-hold telephone message.

Voice-overs are made up of three elements:

1) the sound of your voice - its ‘timbre’

2) the way you interpret a script and

3) marketing.

All are important, but your first priority should be to record that demo (in CD and/or mp3 format) and showcase your natural voice quality, along with the unique way YOU bring a script to life. But hey, what if you are not used to reading aloud?

Practice at home and read anything and everything; news articles, magazine pieces…..even children’s stories. Try and match your voice style to the appropriate scripts - it’s no good a soft, gentle voice being used for a powerful, hard sell ad! Ask yourself: “what do I sound like? Am I posh, urban, or light/deep voiced?” It is what you sound like that is important, not who you are.

When it comes to experience, you have to bear in mind that each job you take on will be new; I attend sessions where I have never seen the script before and am completely unfamiliar with the style of reading required. All voice-over artists have to rely on the audio producer to guide them in the right direction to achieve the desired performance. Experience in this business is learnt on the job, but you have to start somewhere and that is why it is a good idea to have a demo, showcasing your potential. You could even make it at home using your computer, a mic and a sound card.

‘Voice-over’ is a broad umbrella term covering many different jobs from voicing ads, TV announcing, narrating documentaries and corporate videos right through to voice prompts and on-hold phone messages, interactive media, podcasting and everything in between. So the range of work is highly diverse and the job of an agent, producer or production company is to match the voice with the project; your voice demo effectively becomes your audition piece in this process. You will be successful at some, but not others; it all depends on what they are listening for.

Then start marketing. It’s all about the blood, sweat and tears of sending your work out to as many agents, production companies and producers as possible. It is no good having a fantastic demo if it just sits on your bookshelf!

So now it’s time to get recording and let the world hear what you sound like. Good luck!

With over twenty years experience, Gary Terzza is one of the UK’s best known voices. His clients include Channel 4, BBC, Channel Five and ITV. He also runs a popular voice-over masterclass.
http://www.vomasterclass.com

When you have a business establishment to furnish, getting the finest office furniture will be difficult. You will certainly need to work out what basics you need such as desks, and if you want to buy new or second hand furniture.

The greatest thing to do is to initially begin looking at your budget and working out how much money you have to spend on incredible office furniture. Once your office furniture budget has been set out your company should budget for the must haves such as computer desks. Once the essential office equipment has been bought then your company will begin acquiring the more decorative items such as couches and plants.

Some of the best offices find and employ an interior designer who will consult with your company to ascertain your themes that you desire in your place of work. An interior designer will certainly be there to visualise and plan on a computer the furniture theme before going out to the furniture stores and picking magnificent furniture. The very idea of a designer picking flowers for you might well be a bit difficult to swallow if your company are a control freak.

The influential thing is that your company acquire the right office items for your organisation to operate and that are pleasing to yourself and your clients. Search online for Monitor Arms from ComputerFurnitureWarehouse.com

As website owners or Internet Marketers, we are always on the lookout for the best, effective yet non-expensive way of promoting our business/websites. However, the best online promotion tactic may not be the most expensive of all. Here’s why.

Having a website on the Internet without any traffic is just as good as a dead duck lying on the road. Traffic is our passion. The more traffic that we get, the more probability for increased sales/ conversion to your opt-in lists.

The problem with the online promotion is that the more traffic that you want to get the more time and money that you should be willing to spend. Think of pay-per-click war, search engine optimization or even banner advertising, which of these online site promotion tactics, you or beginners out there, are willing to commit to get long term and constant free traffic to your website?

The only best solution for this matter has always been article writing and submitting them to online article directory(s) or article submissions services. Sure this may cost a little bit of time and money to you, but at the end of the day the results you’ll get are simply better than all other online marketing tactics that you’ve heard of.

Here are the top 5 reasons why you should write articles and submit your free reprint articles to article content directory(s).

Increase link popularity
Link popularity of your website simply means the number of external websites which are pointing to yours. Higher number of websites linking to you will make the search engines, such as Google, to look at your website as the authoritative content for your niche market. Eventually, your website will have better chance of ranking up higher in the search engines.

Sure, you can fire up your reciprocal link exchange campaign to request backlinks from other website owners, but in reality this will never work out as effective as you would expect to be. How article writing may help you to increase link popularity of your website is by way of putting your short little “About the author” bio of yourself and the url of your website at the bottom of the article. After submitting to articles directories, once approved, you’ll instantaneously gain increased of websites (article directories) pointing to your website through the url in your bio.

Bring in Tons Of Traffics
Having multiple article directories pointing to your website is one thing. Imagine if your article is interesting enough to be picked up by a webmaster who probably has hundreds of thousands of mailing list subscribers, your article will not only end up getting posted on the website for surfers to view, but also to the mailing list as well. Fact is, you can possible have tons and tons of potential readers of your article and could bring in free traffic to your website just by having your article picked up by only one webmaster with huge subscribers list.

Increase Your Reputation and Web Presence
Let’s face it. The Internet has definitely revolutionized our way of communication and lifestyle. But it has certainly brought in lots of potential competitors, spammers and nonsense jokers who simply brag about just how good their products/ services are. Your article writing is simple your only way to brand yourself as an expert and increase your reputation as well as your web presence.

The hardest part about doing business on the Internet is simply to gain trust from your prospects or customers. The more great and informative articles you write, the better you are in positioning yourself as an authoritative expert in your field.

Get Indexed In Search Engines Faster
Pagerank is the Google technology to rank just how good or authoritative a website is. The higher the ranking, the better the website is and the more frequent their spiders will visit their websites. If your any of your articles got featured on their website, you’ll definitely get to lure the search engine spiders to index your website much faster. But remember though, you should remember to put in your website links at the bottom of the article.

Free Advertisement
Nothing beats the satisfaction of having your advertisement read by hundreds or even thousands of potential prospects, for free. You can always opt to but text links from highly-visited websites, but expect to pay around USD100-150 dollars worth of your pocket money every month.

The beauty of writing articles and submitting article to free article directory(s) is that you could write a little promotion through the “Author’s Resouces” or “About the Author” area at the bottom of the article. If you are launching a new book or doing a site promotion for your new websites, this is the best and free method to use.

Article writing and distributing to online article directory(s) should always be in your traffic toolbox. It’s a darn smart marketing, simple yet effective way of boosting the traffic to your website. Best of all, it helps you to generate the most important traffic there is: targeted traffic!

About the Author
Sunny Tan is the man behind http://www.tips.com.my, a
free web site content and reprint article directory for multiple topic categories. Submit your articles now for free RSS syndication and gain wide exposure for your business at no cost. If you drive a car, head on to Sunny’s free newsletter where he debunks the myth and truth to increase gas mileage at http://www.extragasmileage.com

If you are looking for help with your term papers, then the best thing to do is consult the experts who will not only help you get your facts right, but also help you give them the perfect expression to enable you to sail smoothly through your assignment.

The Internet is often the first place to start any research. When you do so you will find a wealth of sites offering you free or customized term papers. While free term papers may seem a tempting option, do consider that research has shown that most free term papers provided by these websites are mostly plagiarized. We are sure you realize the consequences of submitting a plagiarized paper to your instructor for evaluation.

In order to avoid this at best embarrassing state of affairs, try opting for an alternative — a customized term paper. First of all, it is important that you choose a website that provides professional writers or research experts to write for you. Again, it is better to choose a subject specific writer or researcher. The subject will depend upon whether your research project is based on literature, arts, or science. In this way you will be certain that a qualified expert writes your term paper.

After choosing the right person for the job, your next step should be to provide the guidelines or specifications as to what should be covered in the perm paper. Your involvement with the term paper is absolutely necessary. This will ensure that you get exactly what ordered, as well as making it more likely that you’ll learn from the experience. Your specifications will provide the yardstick for comparison while judging the work. While providing them the specifications, you can also provide any sources or research work that you may have done. And while you are at it, also specify the style, expression and tone that you require. Having said that, we would like to once again emphasize that there is no substitute for original work and no sense of achievement greater than that of doing your own work.

Term Papers provides detailed information about term papers, custom term papers, free term papers, and more. Term Papers is affiliated with Book Binding Equipment.

Medical professionals term an enlarged prostate benign prostate hyperplasia, or BPH. In layman’s terms this means the prostate gland, a mass which encloses the urethra and is situated just beneath the bladder, enlarges this can reduce or even block the stream of urine. As some men age, their prostatic gland swells and may produce several symptoms such as difficulty passing water, diminished urinary stream, and the retention of residual urine within the bladder. Frequent nighttime micturition and inflammation of the urinary pathway are a few of of the further symptoms that may arise due to a swollen prostate. Benign Prostate Hyperplasia - Medical Therapy: - A swollen prostate is supposed to be a frequent condition of males in their sixties. Annual exams are highly recommended for all males in their 50’s and beyond, regardless of the presentation of symptoms, to help maintain improved prostate gland health. Inability to urinate or blood during urination is a sign to seek medical intervention immediately.

Surgical operations or drug therapy are common interventions for prostate enlargement. However, surgical procedures can lead to more troubles for example sexual dysfunction or incontinence. An alpha blocker or medicines to shrink the abnormal prostate gland can also be given for better prostatic wellness, however, medication will often have negative results. Which holistic choices are available? Prostate Gland Enlargment Troubles? Natures’s Way to Achieve Better Prostatic Health: - To encourage better prostate gland function and also alleviate the symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate, various herbal remedies may offer ease. African pygeum reduces inflammation, alleviating a lot of the symptoms. A product of the fruit of an African evergreen plant, African pygeum has been tested extensively by the Europeans as a natural therapy for better prostate health. Dietary changes such as a decrease in the intake of fats can also improve symptoms, and in addition excercising more, an increased frequency of ejaculations may alleviate pressure in the prostate gland, and avoiding sitting for a long time. Symptoms are frequently worsened thru the consumption of anti-histamines or decongestant drugs purchased over-the-counter, so use these with care. Further hints include to cut down on any drinking within a few hours of bedtime to cut down urination at night, and reducing alcoholic beverages and coffee, tea and cola intake may also be useful. Prostate Gland health can additionally be improved with other natural remedies e.g. the herb saw palmetto, starflower oil capsules, selenium, and also lycopene, which can be found in tomatoes. Before you begin whichever natural treatment regime take care to talk about your plans with a physician.

While there are many effective ways to promote your e-zine and gain subscribers, the one I’ve had the MOST success with is to write and submit articles for use in OTHER people’s e-zines.

“But wait a minute,” you say. “Aren’t I supposed to be creating great articles for MY e-zine?”

Yes, you are! AND after your article appears in your OWN e-zine, you should then submit it to others. This past fall, I quickly learned that this is by far the BEST, FASTEST, FREE way to promote an e-zine for three reasons:

1. Instead of just advertising your e-zine, you’re giving others a hearty taste of it! And by sharing these useful articles, you emphasize your expertise in your particular subject area.
2. You have the right to plug yourself, your biz, and your e-zine at the end of every article! And anyone using your article must keep this information intact. (More on that in a minute.)
3. You can quickly gain exposure to THOUSANDS of untapped prospects at a time. For example, last summer, a popular Internet marketing e-zine featured my article “Avoid These 5 Web Site Blunders.” I was overjoyed to learn the publication had more than *10,000* subscribers! Since this was a great article, and all of these readers saw my ad for my e-zine right after it, I gained hundreds of new subscribers by the end of that week.

HERE’S HOW TO GET STARTED

1. PICK A WINNER

   Browse through your archives and pick an insightful article that really showcases your expertise. Make sure it’s one that you featured in your e-zine several issues ago. Why? It’s a courtesy to make YOUR subscribers feel as if they’re receiving unique information from you, BEFORE you offer it to the rest of the world.

2. POLISH IT ‘TIL IT SHINES

   Since you probably haven’t looked at this article in awhile, do another proofread and clean it up if necessary. Publishers will not be interested in your article if it contains typos, misspelled words, grammatical errors, or inactive Web links these goofs would compromise the integrity of their publications.

3. ADD A COPYRIGHT NOTICE

   At the end of the article, insert a copyright notice, dated when you first published the article. Example: (c) 2001 Alexandria K. Brown

4. WRITE A JAZZY “RESOURCE BOX”

   In exchange for your letting other publishers reprint your article, it’s customary to require that they include the contact information you provide. This is usually called the ‘resource box’ and it should come RIGHT after your copyright notice.

   Here’s where you can ham it up! Take about five lines and promote your E-ZINE!

   Don’t waste time promoting your *business* in the resource box. Why? You’ll gain MORE potential clients by first getting them to subscribe to your e-zine. THEN you’ve got them! You will then be in front of them REGULARLY, and that’s when they’ll understand what a genius you are and why they should hire you.

   Don’t forget to mention if your e-zine is FREE!

5. SUBMIT YOUR ARTICLE TO ONLINE CONTENT DIRECTORIES

   There are dozens of ‘free content’ Web sites and announcement lists where you can submit your articles for other publishers to use. Some even let you include a picture, which I love because I’m a ham at heart. ; )

   Here are three to get you started:

   • http://www.ideamarketers.com
   • http://www.marketing-seek.com
   • http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aabusiness
6. SUBMIT YOUR ARTICLE DIRECTLY TO APPROPRIATE PUBLISHERS

   For best results, take the bull by the horns and contact publishers directly. But not just any publishers ones with e-zines that would be perfect for the articles you write and the type of readership you want to attract.

   I STRONGLY recommend that you become a member of the Directory of E-zines. This list is by far one of the most credible and reliable ones on the Web. It costs less than $40 to join for the year, but it’s well worth it your membership lets you search through hundreds of other e-zines. You can search by all types of factors: topic, readership, subscriber numbers, etc. Learn more here:
   http://www.1automationwiz.com/app/aftrack.asp?AFID=44985

   When you have your personal list of publishers ready, craft a friendly note to send along with your article. Here’s an example of what I use:

   “Dear Editor:

   I see from your e-zine that you occasionally accept articles from outside authors. Would you like to use my article titled [article name here] in a future issue?

   You’re welcome to use the article for FREE, provided it remains intact and unaltered, and you retain my entire resource box at the end of the article. If you’d like to publish it, just send me a copy of the issue it appears in.

   If you have any questions, feel free to write me back at [e-mail address here] And if you do not accept articles, I apologize just let me know and I’ll remove you from my editor list.

   Best, [name and contact info here]”

   Simple, yes? Then just paste your article right underneath your message. Do NOT send it as an attachment it likely won’t get read.

   TIP: Your article will get picked up by MORE publishers if you format it to around 60 characters per line with hard returns after each line. Many publishers don’t want to do ANY formatting work to guest articles, so the more “ready to go” yours is, the better! : )

(c) 2000-2003 Alexandria K. Brown. All rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alexandria K. Brown, “The E-zine Queen,” is author of the award-winning manual, “Boost Business With Your Own E-zine.” To learn more about her book and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://EzineQueenTutorial.com/

“The greatest thing a human soul ever does in this world is to see something. . . To see clearly is poetry, prophecy, and religion, all in one.” ~ John Ruskin, Painter

Visual communication involves our eyes, heart, and mind. By the time we reach adulthood, we have millions of visual images stored in the dark recesses of our minds. Our memories serve us and ground us. Our minds reminiscence and recall visual messages during our waking and sleeping hours; which in turn, visual imagery form our thinking, attitudes, and personalities. Since visual messages are penetrating our hearts and souls, take a moment to learn what visual literacy and visual communication actually mean.

According to Google’s online dictionary, *visual literacy* means:

“Visual literacy is the set of skills involved in the interpretation and criticism of images. It is a field of study in academia, drawing on art history and criticism, information design and graphic design, and computer interface usability. It is also a goal of education paralleling linguistic literacy. The basic skills of visual literacy include the vocabulary of concepts necessary for understanding and discussing images.”

Then again, according to Google’s online dictionary, *visual communication* means:

“Visual communication is the communication of ideas through the visual display of information. Primarily associated with two dimensional images, it includes: alphanumerics, art, signs, and electronic resources. Recent research in the field has focused on web design and graphically oriented usability.”

Since the invention of television and the Internet, visual communication has bombarded the world. The average person is showing preference to learning and being entertained through visual media as opposed to printed material. No doubt about it, we are living in a visual world! (revised 2/15/2006)

Debbie Jensen, Graphic Designer and Photographer http://www.debjensendesigns.com