Sleepless in Hollywood: Tales From the New Abnormal in the Movie Business

Home > Other > Sleepless in Hollywood: Tales From the New Abnormal in the Movie Business > Page 28
Sleepless in Hollywood: Tales From the New Abnormal in the Movie Business Page 28

by Lynda Obst

and Chernin, 34–36, 52, 106–7, 117, 200

  international presence of, 4, 65–66, 74

  and market share, 209

  and Oscar season, 254

  Searchlight, 92, 104

  yearly schedule of, 223

  Fox 2000 (Little Fox), 47

  Fox Broadcasting Company, 36

  Fox Filmed Entertainment, 51–53

  Fox International Productions (FIP), 63, 64, 71

  franchises, 5, 8, 12, 18–19, 46, 192, 220, 245, 250

  Frasier, 209, 211, 214

  Freston, Tom, 141–44, 145, 148, 150, 154–56, 159

  Friedkin, Billy, 142

  Friedman, Rob, 138, 142, 143, 145

  Friends, 209, 212, 223, 238

  Friends for Life, 251

  Friends with Benefits, 198

  Fringe, 156

  Funny or Die, 233–34, 262

  Gabler, Elizabeth, 47

  Gaghan, Steve, 119–20, 121–22

  Game of Thrones, 214

  Gansa, Alex, 196–97

  Garfield, Andrew, 5

  Garner, Jennifer, 46, 80

  Gelfond, Richard, 71

  Germany, film market in, 62, 65

  Gervais, Ricky, 46, 80, 190

  Get Rich or Die Tryin’, 145

  Gianopulos, Jim, 51–53, 54–56, 58, 59, 62, 63, 64, 74, 77–78, 106

  Gibson, Mel, 3

  Gideon’s Crossing, 201

  Gigli, 15

  G.I. Joe, 5, 111

  Gilliam, Terry, 9, 257

  Gilligan, Vince, 205, 220

  Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The, 203

  Gladwell, Malcolm, 190

  Glee, 228

  Glory, 24

  Godfather, The, 126–27, 246

  Godfrey, Wyck, 229

  Goetz, Kevin, 14, 18–19, 90

  Golden Girls, The, 211

  Golden Globes, 186, 198–99

  Goldwyn, John:

  on craftsmanship, 130–31

  as head of production, 134–35

  leaving Paramount, 137, 139

  and Paramount, 109, 110, 113–17, 120, 124–26, 129, 130–31, 133–37

  Goldwyn, Samuel, 113

  Gone with the Wind, 92–94

  Goodman, Adam, 160

  Google, 233

  Gordon, Howard, 196–97, 205

  Gordon, Larry, 146, 148

  Gossip Girl, 204, 235

  Graduate, The, 10

  Grant, Hugh, 140

  Great Contraction, 37–38, 41, 43, 46–47, 106, 189

  Greenblatt, Robert, 222

  Greengrass, Paul, 146

  Green Lantern, 5, 82, 149, 244, 249

  Green Zone, 146

  Grey, Brad:

  and author’s contract, 193

  and Berman, 148, 150, 158

  and Brillstein-Grey, 143

  and De Line, 138, 147–48

  and Freston, 143, 145, 156

  and Lesher, 159–60

  as Paramount chairman, 57, 108–9, 110, 143, 144, 145

  and Redstone, 111, 154

  in Russia, 57

  and Spielberg, 160

  Grey’s Anatomy, 183

  Hangover, The, 11, 16–17, 58, 69, 82, 85, 100, 249

  Hanks, Tom, 3, 88, 153, 198

  Harry Potter, 3, 5, 12, 80, 129, 130

  Harry Potter sequels, 11, 33, 245

  Harwood, Sir Ronald, 153

  Hasbro, 5, 12, 60, 244

  Hawthorne, 202

  Hayes, Sean, 213–14

  HBO, 4, 236, 239

  Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich, 248, 251, 262

  Hello, He Lied (Obst), 15, 240

  Help, The, 16, 21, 47, 254, 259

  Hemsworth, Chris, 18

  High Definition (HD), 43–44

  Hill, Debra, 60

  Hill Street Blues, 220

  Hipster (production exec), 120, 131, 133

  history, dialectic-driven, 248

  Hoffa, Jimmy, 174

  Hoffman, Michael, 124

  Hollywood Reporter, 9, 146–47

  Holmes, Katie, 124

  Homeland, 196–97, 203, 205, 215n, 235, 236

  Hong Kong, financial market in, 70

  Hope Floats, 47, 53, 88

  Hopper, Hedda, 169

  hot-burning series, 233

  Hot in Cleveland, 211–12, 213–14

  House, 150, 199, 201

  House of Cards, 203

  Howard, Terrence, 145

  How I Met Your Mother, 209

  How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, 2–3, 4, 88, 99, 101, 124–27, 210

  Hudson, Kate, 2–3, 8, 125–27, 131–32, 140–41, 153

  Huffington Post, 28

  Hulk, The, 102, 103, 138

  Hulu, 209, 233, 262

  Hunger Games, 5, 28, 62, 89, 130, 242, 244–45

  Hunnam, Charlie, 124

  Hurt Locker, The, 7, 47

  Hurwitz, Mitch, 204

  Hustle & Flow, 145

  Huvane, Kevin, 152

  IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees), 180–83

  Ice Age, 76–77

  Ice Storm, The, 102

  ICM, 126

  Identity Thief, 34

  Igby Goes Down, 125

  I Love Lucy, 238

  I Love You, Man, 149

  IMAX, 57, 67–68, 71, 74, 76

  Inception, 47, 63, 69, 79, 82, 83–85, 99

  Indecent Proposal, 109, 110

  India:

  Bollywood, 64, 66

  film market in, 56, 59

  Informant, The, 80, 81

  intellectual property, marketability of, 130

  international market, 4–5, 12, 23, 74

  comedy not viable in, 58–59

  coproduction deals, 69–74

  distribution offices, 63–66, 69

  emergence of, 51–56

  and IMAX, 67–68, 71, 74, 76

  in New Abnormal, 7, 32, 39, 50, 51–54

  and Old Abnormal, 150–51

  and P&Ls, 40

  and sequels, 76–78

  and 3D, 66–68, 106

  what doesn’t travel, 58–61

  women, 61–63

  Internet, 258, 259, 262–63

  alternative venues, 45, 233–34, 239

  profit model, 233

  and word of mouth, 99

  and writers’ strike, 38, 163–64, 165, 166, 185

  Invention of Lying, The, 46, 80, 81, 190, 206

  iPad publishing, 234

  iPhone apps, 5

  IPs, 246–48

  Ipsos (OTX), 83

  Iron Man, 5, 70, 88, 110

  Irons, Jeremy, 43, 199

  Italian Job, The, 138

  It’s a Wonderful Life, 246

  “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp,” 145

  iTunes, 39

  Jack and Jill, 103

  Jackman, Hugh, 211

  Jacobson, Nina, 245

  Jaffe, Stanley, 109, 112, 116, 130

  Jane Eyre, 230

  Japan, film market in, 56, 59, 62

  Jesus of Nazareth, 250

  Johansson, Scarlett, 133n

  John Carter, 14, 244

  Johnson, Dwayne “The Rock,” 8

  Jolie, Angelina, 59–60, 62, 151, 203, 245n

  Jovovich, Milla, 62

  Judd, Ashley, 211

  Jules and Jim, 105, 249

  Julie & Julia, 88

  Jumanji, 5

  Just Shoot Me!, 214

  Kaliningrad, Titanic shown in, 54–56

  Kalogridis, Laeta, 187

  Karmazin, Mel, 127–28

  Katzenberg, Jeffrey, 174

  Kavanaugh, Ryan, 69

  Kavner, Julie, 252

  Kelley, Mike, 229

  Kelly, Tatiana, 43, 252

  Kessler, Glenn, 205

  Kessler, Todd, 205

  Keyser, Chris, 188–89

  Kid Stays in the Picture, The, 126, 174

  Kierkegaard, Søren, 250

  Kilday, Gregg, 146–47

  King’s Speech, The, 254
, 259, 261

  Kinsella, Sophie, 131, 152

  Kirkpatrick, Nancy, 100–101, 147

  Kiss the Girls, 110

  Klein, Marc, 171

  Korshak, Sidney, 174

  Kroll, Sue, 79–81, 83, 84–85

  K Street, 202

  Kudrow, Lisa, 132

  Kunis, Mila, 198

  Kutcher, Ashton, 198n, 212

  Lange, Jessica, 199

  Lansing, Sherry:

  and De Line, 138–39, 142, 143, 149–50

  foundation of, 136, 142

  and Goldwyn, 136, 137

  last days at Paramount, 142–44

  at Paramount, 2–3, 4, 108–13, 117, 120–21, 124–28, 130, 133–34, 145, 150

  and previews, 96

  Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, 151

  Last of the Mohicans, 229

  Lautner, Taylor, 26

  Law & Order, 18, 220

  LA Weekly, 209

  Lawrence, Jennifer, 61, 245, 250

  Lee, Ang, 6, 47, 102, 138, 254

  Lee, Paul, 228

  Leeves, Jane, 214

  Legally Blonde, 15, 88

  Legendary Pictures, 69

  Leno, Jay, 186

  Lesher, John, 159–60

  Les Misérables, 254

  Letterman, David, 186

  Lewis, Damian, 196

  Lewis and Clark, 202

  Libatique, Matthew, 123

  Life of Pi, 6, 47, 254

  Lifetime TV, 87, 239

  “lightning in a bottle,” 17

  Limato, Ed, 126

  Lincoln, 6, 254

  Linney, Laura, 203

  Lion King, The, 89, 262

  Lionsgate Studios, 69, 100–101, 242, 245

  Looper, 73, 74, 75

  Lopez, George, 203

  Lopez, Jennifer, 15

  Lost, 156

  Lost in Thailand, 73

  Louis C.K., 46

  Lourd, Bryan, 133, 137–38, 175–76, 186, 193

  Love Story, 126

  Lucas, George, 11, 44, 108

  Lucky Numbers, 132

  Lynton, Michael, 255–58

  MacFarlane, Seth, 242, 249

  Machinima, 262

  Mad About You, 209

  Madagascar, 89, 262

  Mad Men, 196, 205, 232, 236

  Magic: The Gathering, 60

  Malcolm in the Middle, 150, 238

  Malik, Wendie, 214

  “Man” movies, 8, 29

  Marion, Frances, 174, 190

  marketing:

  advertising and publicity, 81, 98

  and audience power, 103–5

  and commodity fetishism, 105

  costs of, 44, 243

  creating buzz, 14–15, 84, 101–2

  Definite Interest Intensity (DII), 99–100, 101, 102

  and the “everything” number, 95–97

  in-house, 82–83

  and playability, 103

  and preawareness, 79–81, 106

  quadrant-think, 86–89, 90, 99

  selling Inception, 83–85

  test previews, 89–94

  Married … with Children, 221, 235

  Martin, Suzanne, 211, 213

  Marvel comics, 247

  Master, The, 92

  Matrix, The, 138

  MCA, 174

  McAvoy, James, 5

  McCarthy, Melissa, 17, 34, 199, 249

  McConaughey, Matthew, 2, 125–27

  Memento, 216, 218

  Mendes, Sam, 254

  Men in Trees, 210

  Mentalist, The, 209

  Meredith (girlfriend), 30–31

  Meyer, Stephenie, 100

  MGM, 254

  Microsoft, 233, 234

  Mike and Molly, 17, 199, 209

  Mildred Pierce, 199

  Miller, George, 251

  Milliner, Todd, 213–14

  Mirror Mirror, 5, 171

  Miss America, 223

  Mission: Impossible, 5, 75, 110, 151, 154, 200

  Mitchell, Joni, 36

  Modern Family, 212

  Moguls (AMPTP), see writers’ strike

  Moneyball, 47, 60, 254, 257

  Monroe, Marilyn, 62

  Monty Python and the Holy Grail, 9

  Moonrise Kingdom, 258–59

  Moonstruck, 10

  Moonves, Les, 128, 142, 208–10, 215, 234

  Moore, Rob, 145, 150, 156, 160

  Moore, Ron, 231

  Moran, Patrick, 228–30, 231–32, 233

  Morgan, Kathy, 58, 59

  Mortal Kombat, 61

  Movie People:

  blending with TV People, 200–206

  and the future, 255–58

  vs. Television People, 198–200

  vs. TV profitability, 235–36

  movies:

  based on video games, 60–61

  box office stability, 242–43

  marketing, see marketing

  microbudgets, 43, 45

  multiple investors in, 42

  original, 106

  parallel worlds in, 48–49

  pitching ideas for, 12–13, 16, 22–27

  playability of, 103

  Prints and Ads costs, 43–44

  profit margin in, 37, 39, 46, 243

  standardization of, 105

  test previews, 89–94

  tight schedules of, 44

  tracking reports of, 13–14, 28

  movie studio heads, 48

  as Moguls, see writers’ strike

  movie studios, 11–12

  artists under contract to, 47–48

  and blockbusters, 192

  indies, 13, 44, 46

  and marketing, see marketing

  minimajors (without lots), 69

  P&Ls in, 39–40

  and transition, 241

  MRC, 46

  MTV, 141–42, 145, 156

  Mud Pie quadrant, 88, 90, 99

  Mummy, The, 118

  Murdoch, Rupert, 36, 52–53, 68

  Murphy, Eddie, 109

  My Name is Khan, 64

  MySpace, 154

  Mystic Pizza, 126

  My Week with Marilyn, 198–99

  narrowcasting, 260–61

  National Lampoon’s Animal House, 118

  National Treasure, 104

  NBC, 209, 221, 223

  NBC/Universal, 222

  NCIS, 209

  Neeson, Liam, 26

  Netflix, 11, 39, 203, 209, 232, 233, 239, 262

  Nevins, David, 196

  New Abnormal:

  birth of, 1

  casting in, 20–21, 22

  culture changes of, 19–22, 27

  day in the life: online, 27–29

  formula for, 11–12

  “friending” in, 30–32

  and Great Contraction, 41, 46

  international market in, 7, 32, 39, 50, 51–54

  IP frenzy of, 246–48

  “lightning in a bottle,” 17

  movie and TV people blending, 200–206

  movies that wouldn’t get made in, 9–10

  and Old Abnormal merge, 29–30

  Old Abnormal vs., 7, 240–42

  at Paramount, 4–5, 110

  pitching in, 25–27

  properties chosen in, 4–5

  sequels in, 5, 11–12, 18, 76–78, 106, 130, 245–46

  tentpoles in, 6

  transitions to, 4, 27, 130–31, 260–63

  New Regency Enterprises, 65

  News Corp., 34

  Nichols, Mike, 133n

  Nickelodeon, 157

  Nielsen rating system, 237n

  Noah, 92, 250

  No Country for Old Men, 159

  Nolan, Christopher, 7, 130, 219

  and Batman, 6, 47

  and Dark Knight, 84, 217, 254

  and Inception, 47, 79

  and Memento, 216, 218

  Nolan, Jonathan (Jonah), 204, 215–20, 221

  Norman, Marc, 168, 172, 183, 184–85, 186

  Norton, Ed, 138, 202

 
Notorious, 230

  No Way Out, 9

  Noyce, Phillip, 205

  Number, The, 94, 95–97

  Nyswaner, Ron, 153

  Observe and Report, 149

  Obst, Oly, 46, 80, 140, 153, 190

  Occasional, The, 234

  O.C., The, 204

  Old Abnormal:

  casting in, 19–20, 21

  “chops” in, 21–22

  craftsmanship in, 130

  death of, 1

  and Hello, He Lied, 240

  high-concept model, 16–17, 109–10

  and international, 150–51

  Movie People vs. Television People in, 198–200

  and New Abnormal merge, 29–30

  New Abnormal vs., 7, 240–42

  at Paramount, 2–4, 109, 117

  pitching ideas in, 12–13, 16, 22–27

  transitions from, 4, 27, 130–31, 260–63

  One Day at a Time, 214

  One Fine Day, 23, 124

  online distribution, 261

  online streaming, 163, 232, 233

  Oscars:

  dominated by independents, 13

  and writers’ strike, 186, 190

  Oscar Season, 29–30, 45

  (2012), 45, 254–55

  (2013), 6

  OTX (Ipsos), 83, 90, 99

  Ouija, 60

  Pain & Gain, 249

  Paltrow, Gwyneth, 124–25

  Pan Am, 223

  Panitch, Sanford, 63, 64–65, 66, 73

  Paramount Pictures:

  author’s contract not renewed by, 193–95

  author’s move to, 108–14, 118

  conservatism of, 2–4, 110, 121, 127–31, 150

  flops, 127, 133–35

  international franchises, 5, 150–51, 157

  and market share, 110–11, 129

  networks of, 208

  and New Abnormal, 4–5, 110

  and Old Abnormal, 2–4, 109, 117

  and Oscar season, 254

  reducing the budget, 118, 127–28

  and Scorsese, 47

  Paramount TV:

  author’s move to, 206–8

  and Central Division, 209–12

  schedule of, 215

  Paramount Vantage, 159–60

  Paranormal Activity, 60, 160

  Parker, Ol, 152

  Parker Bros., 60

  Parks and Recreation, 249

  Pascal, Amy, 47, 149, 255, 257

  Patel, Dev, 259

  Patmore-Gibbs, Suzanne, 228, 229

  Patriot Games, 205

  Patterson, James, 110

  Payne, Alexander, 92

  Pecan Pie quadrant, 88, 90

  Penn, Sean, 133n

  Perry, Katy, 210

  Person of Interest, 204, 216

  Peters, Christine, 125

  Petrie, Donald, 126

  Pfeiffer, Michelle, 23, 124

  Philadelphia, 153

  Pianist, The, 153

  piracy, 11, 39, 43, 68, 165, 233

  Pirates of the Caribbean, 8, 11, 12, 104

  Pitt, Brad, 47, 60, 111, 143, 202, 257

  Pixar, 262

  Plageman, Greg, 216

  Planet of the Apes, 5, 33, 34, 35

  Playboy, 223

  Ponte, Gideon, 123

  Pontius Pilate, 250

  Porsandeh, Cameron, 231

  Portman, Natalie, 198

  preawareness, 12, 35, 78, 79–81, 106, 192, 244, 248, 250

  Precious, 42

  Pretty Woman, 9

 

‹ Prev