Entertainment Formats on the RIse

A movie that you’ve been looking forward to all year is coming out in a couple of weeks. You are making a big deal about it and want to experience it in the most ultimate manner, so you go Imax.

A television you really like is coming out on a blue ray collectors set, so you start bragging about a 1080p led LCD television you just purchased.

Sorry to break it to you, but that Imax theater and that HD TV, in the words of our favorite television teens “they are so yesterday!”

Imax has the huge screens and great sound blasting from behind the screen, showing the latest and greatest digital or 3d films; how could you beat that?

A European cinema technology company  “RealD” in attempt to meet demands for premium cinemas, is launching a new large format luxury brand called “LUXE”. LUXE: a RealD experience, is aiming to become the standard for high-end cinemas across the continent before expanding to other territories. Offering high-end technological standards for screen size, brightness, sound and seating under a single logo. The screens standard will be wall to wall and floor to ceiling at least 16 meters, sound and screen brightness for 3d projections are about twice the norm. Many of the American studios are fully supporting the LUXE format, which means Imax better step their game up or LUXE may be replacing them in the states.

You may think that Imax can adapt to the times, but it’s not that simple; it’s easier to build an advance theater than to upgrade one. The funds are prepared to construct a building, but the funds to remodel are not that easy to obtain. There are permits, demolition, and construction to worry about, and if the location where the Imax is does not allow for expansion, what they to do?

If you’re thinking to yourself “who will pay for a LUXE theater in the states, we can hardly afford theaters now?” Ask the customers who pay for Imax tickets, averaging about $17 a pop, trust me there’s a market.

Now let me tell you about the 1080p 3d TV your so proud of. You went out the other day after saving up for a couple of months, or using the money you won from your bogus car accident, and you bought that High Def TV you’ve been waiting for; Iron Man 2 and Game of thrones never looked better eh? Aint that cute, BUT YOUR WRONG! There was a reason why you got such a great deal on the TV, its obsolete buddy.

Bow your heads and open the doors for Ultra High Definition, television sets with aspect ratios of at least 16:9, and two options for digital video formats. 4K that has a minimum 3840x 2160 resolution, 4 times HD TV’s now, and 8K which has a minimum resolution of 7680x4320.

Cable is not able to transmit in 4K or 8K yet, but it’s coming.

Now about that 1080p 3d TV you got for $999, don’t feel to bad, because even if you wanted to buy a 4K TV set you’re going to pay around $40,000 for one. A lot? Well I’m pretty sure the TV you got for $999 was $4999 when it 1080p first came out, so you gotta pay to play buddy.

But here’s a secret, (not really a secret) Sharp made a THX certified 70 inch 4K TV for $8000, that’s like a fraction of what you’ll be paying, and available late fall. I doubt it will be of the grandest quality, but at least you’re in the ball game.

The technology is always progressing, so don’t hesitate when you want something; like in life “its better to have tried then to worry about little things that you’ll find out don’t matter anyway”.

Dish Network can't catch a break

When you think of Sprint/ Nextel you see landlines, smart phones, and Internet service for tablets and PC’s. When you think of Dish network you see television on demand at home via satellite or away from home with use of the dish network sling and mobile app (in an area with high speed wifi of course). 

Now you may be thinking of that old Captain Planet saying “with their powers combined!” they could be something even greater. The number three Satellite/ Cable TV provider in the nation joining up with the number three mobile service provider; that idea was on its way of becoming reality, but Sprint Nextel ended conversation with Dish Network over the sale of the wireless company June 10. Sprint Nextel now supports a second bid by Softbank, a telecommunications and internet corporation in Japan.

Softbank first bid was $20.1 billion and now is $21.6 billion including $16.6 billion of it being cash (money talks). The deal with Sprint/ Nextel would give Softbank a 78% stake in the company.

The $25.5 billion dollar buyout by Dish Network was going to create the only U.S. company having a convenient and “fully integrated nationwide bundle of in and out of home video, broadband and voice service”.

Charlie Ergen Co-founder of what is now Dish Network had and still has the option to counteroffer till June 18, but Ergen stated Dish would analyze the Softbank bid and consider their strategic options(a big not likely).

With a chance to revamp the two companies into number one status, Ergen should’ve done everything he could to get the sale. Mobile technology is the wave of the future, and if Dish is the main provider of convenient usage, the masses will eventually flock to them. The problem with sprint is that their network is lacking causing bad and limited connectivity; the problem with Dish is too many technical difficulties and horrible customer service. (Dish has the satellite if you got the towers and toys). If Dish doesn’t pick up the ball before its too late, then what a waste.

Hopefully Softbank will at least bring sprint back to their previous status. The only thing sprint has going for them now is their “simply everything plan”, which isn’t as appealing as when first launched.

Dish Network has been having nothing but bad luck, losing 166,000 subscribers. Dish was not going to lose in the industry wars, so they played a trump card that should not of been played, they introduced the “Hopper”, which allowed customers to watch their television programming without commercial interruption. The device brought back all their lost subscribers plus 86,000. Good idea? NO! The film and television industry took this as an attack and all the major networks filed lawsuits against Ergen, because advertisement is they livelihood. One way or another, ads are shown which produce the revenue for networks.

So Ergen dealt his hand at the hopper and now he’s supposedly passing up on Sprint. They should just call him “bad luck chuck” because it seems like every decision never works out the way intended or maybe it is…  

Business Plan Emphasized

I can’t tell you how important the value of a business plan is, not only does it can get a startup the funds it needs, but also it’s like an instruction manual for the business, keeping the owner on track. In the last blog “want to be a business owner, make a business plan” I talked about a coupe of business plan experts. This blog just reiterates points made and adds to them. Also what I believe to be the most important section of a business plan is. I want to keep you aware of the resources and what they are saying.

Dr. Steven Gedeon is an expert business plan writer and reviewer. One very good point he makes about business plans is that they should “have creditability, and show a guide to action?” The creditability means every plan should either list all qualified management or employees, and why these particular people will add to the success of the business. Is the business owner using their capital for employees that are an asset or just working there? Also having a guide to action shows the investors that the business owner has a plan, how to go about business and what they will need to do so.

Dave Lavinsky and Jay Turo of Growthink.com are business plan developers. A point made by them that connects with Dr. Stevens’ advice is also a good action plan and being able to reverse engineer a 5-year projection. What I find even more useful though is their point on communication. They state strategies are useless if not effectively communicated. A business plan should be gone through many times, editing out any mistakes and to make sure every point is well communicated. Make sure you do not have to be in the industry to understand the plan. If you can teach someone else something you know, that means you truly understand it.

Bill Payne an entrepreneur and business plan reviewer states that business owners should research and thoroughly prepare a plan, and organizing a good management team. Nothing is better than good research and preparation, a business owner may know their business well, that’s why they started the business, but they can never know too much. Knowledge is an advantage, and more advantage over your competitors means more of the market.

If I myself were to make any changes to my own business plan it would be any additional information I have learned due to continuous research. A business plan can always be better, thinking its good enough is just plain ignorant.

The operation section of a business plan is the most important because it shows investors and banks that the business owner understands the complete production process and how much work is involved. Business owners know what kind of business they want to start and why, but knowing what it takes to keep it operational is something else. The operation section includes: where you will have your business and how much it will cost them to stay there. What does the production process entails? giving the investor a good picture of how the business owner is utilizing their time and capital. The amount of employees the business needs, what they will be doing, and how qualified they should be. Other parts of the section include quality, inventory, supply, research, regulations, legal matter, health, safety, and financial control; all that give emphasis on not what the business is, but how it is sustained.

  

Want to be a Business owner, make a Business plan

Are you a filmmaker that wants to start your own production company or maybe just an Entrepreneur looking to start or expand a different type of business?

Starting a new business is no easy task; it takes research, marketing, and a good product/service (of course), but most of all you need capital.  Capital is financial assets or the financial value of assets such as cash. That’s where that age old saying comes from “you need money to make money”. 
Capital can be accumulated from a multitude of different sources; crowd funding, savings, or a rich uncle, but the most common ways of getting capital is by business loans or investors. 

How do you get a business loan or attract investors? A GOOD BUSINESS PLAN.
A business plan is a written document that describes in detail how a new business is going to achieve its goal, from marketing expenses to expected revenue. 
A good business plan is a great tool to get the funds you need to help grow your business, but the odds of actually getting a loan or investmentor are not guaranteed, especially if your plan is not good at all. 
What makes a good business plan? I say knowing and understanding what you’re talking about, but lets hear the opinion of an expert.
Dave Lavinsky and Jay Turo are co-founders of growthink.com which is a business plan development site, where a small team of business and entrepreneur specialist help qualifying and up and coming businesses become all they can be, by helping them acquire more capital by constructing custom business plans for their clients. 
Forbes, the wall street journal, business week, and other periodicals endorse Growthink, so they must know what they’re talking about. 

What growthink believes in is the same as other business plan development firms, but what they emphasize are 5 key attributes to a successful business plan:

• The right overall value propositions

-Successful companies only need to do 1 thing really well; offer a product/service that customers really want.

• The right marketing and sales strategy

-Most business plans include merely a cursory marketing and sales plan. Successful companies have, well thought out and comprehensive marketing and sales plans.

• The right business model

-Your business model is more important than your industry.
You must think through all the possible business models. 

• Action plans developed from reverse engineering success

-You need to decide where you’d like to be in 5 years, then reverse engineer it. 

• Are communicated brilliantly

-Strategies are useless if not effectively communicated. You’re business plan is a marketing document. Who are you marketing to? Investors/lenders/employees/partners.

Growthink fees are higher than most other companies and completion time is even longer (7-14 weeks). Growthink s a great company that says to only represent business that already have a customer base or entrepreneurs with a record of success, all so that the odds of getting the capital is increased. The entrepreneurs that demonstrate key indicators of success are more likely to succeed in their book; which is good so to always show off high approval percentages.
There are many other companies that develop business plans, which can be used with banks, venture capitalist, and angel investors. 

There is a well-known angel investor named Bill Payne whom is an entrepreneur and investor that has a side business of reviewing business plans, so that they get his professional critique before you go to a bank or investor. Bill states that entrepreneur’s focus on innovation and product and loose focus on key business plan preparation and organizing a good management team. Entrepreneurs should research their competition, their market, sales channels, and required capital when constructing a business plan, it is what makes any business plan, but important non the less. Bill can review your plan in 1-2 weeks, touching basis with you and Q&A via conference call.  As for management, Bill believes businesses fail after receiving capital mostly because management teams are unable to execute plans of success. That’s when the entrepreneur needs to re-evaluate his team. 

Angel investors are your guardian angel, they come and give you money when banks tell you No- only when they believe in the success of your business, which is what a good business plan can prove to them.  
Getting a Loan is harder than ever because of high interest rates, and so many people filing bankruptcy; they Don’t trust you! But they might trust a written plan of success. 

20th Century Marketing

20th Century Fox studios have pumped out a lot of blockbusters and classics over the years, but what is the secret to their success? Yes talent, but what makes the movie goers want to spend their hard earned cash on a film they know little about?
Good marketing! 
Fox along with other companies have a wide range of campaigns used to get the consumers attention. Trailer, posters, billboards, cast appearances, radio spots, and contest. Yes we know the jist, but Fox studios have been getting a little more creative. examples...
In 2011 there was a new science fiction television show coming out on Fox, about a ravished earth and a dinosaur infested colony; called Terra Nova.

 I love science fiction and I love dinosaurs, so that’s all it took to get me hooked. Fox wanted to make sure they teased enough people that they would either check it out or at least know about the show. Taking advantage of modern media streams, Fox started an official Terra Nova app for mobile devices that allowed people to get updates about the show, info about the worlds in the show, notes from the writers, test to see if you're eligible for the 11th pilgrimage, and enter sweepstakes. Along with other websites on the show, Fox used a curiosity technique, giving people hints of what they had in-store, then making them want to know more.
If you did not see Terra Nova, it was canceled after the first season because Netflix didn’t pick it up as a distributor like they promised(grrr). It was a good show and now it is just archived.



Before it won academy awards, the Film by 20th century Fox, Ang Lee’s “Life of Pi” was marketed in a different way then tradition trailers.  In early 2012 a short clips of  "Life of Pi" was shown in front of 3D showings, in order to get people to see movies like Prometheus (double Marketing), and in order to push another type of brief early trailer.

Fox studios does take pride in their innovative ways of marketing, but sometimes campaigns come back to scratch them on the butt.
In October of 2012, 20th century Fox unveiled a poster for the 2013 film “The Wolverine”. The poster featured a sketch of the title character and posted them at bus stops around the nation. Bad News! More than half of the posters placed at these bus stations have been stolen. Yes they are cool looking and probably easy to take out, but c’mon people. Have you ever heard of fan art! Anyway replacing the posters were extremely costly with the price of material, but most of all paying for the advertising spot with no advertisement in it.

It is said some of the thieves are keeping the posters for themselves (duh!) and many are selling them online for as much as $100. What dummy would pay $100 for a movie poster you can pay $20 for from a movie poster site eventually.

But as I said before, you can have a great flick, but if no one knows about it, then it may be wasted; making another under marketed film like the Oscar film “The Hurt Locker”. Fox is making sure to keep up in the social media market, and utilizing the mobile app market as well, because they know most people are not watching commercials on TV, but the ads online.        

Children of a digital age

The Judd Apatow film “This is 40” is a hilarious film about two parents that realize they are not as young as they were, getting into mischief and arguments that drive their relationship into outrageous situations. The oldest daughter of the couple Sadie, is played by Maude Apatow, the real life daughter of Filmmaker Judd Apatow. Sadie is a 13-year-old girl obsessed with her mobile devices and the television show Lost. During the film Sadie’s parents ask her why doesn’t she put the iPad down and go outside and build a fort with friends? “What am I supposed to do with this fort?” says Sadie sarcastically before she storms off, and that is the point of this blog post.

When I was a younger boy 20 years ago, I couldn’t wait to go outside just to get out the house. If nothing was on television and my homework was done, it was time to make my own fun. Driven by creativity with neighborhood kids or solo, we would build a fort in a tree or on land, making up games to go along with the fort. Water balloon wars, slay the invaders, or what ever, it was something to build and destroy. It wasn't just for boys, girls would have a fort as well, but not call it that or they would become the troublesome invaders trying to get into the boys fort. 

Most adults might say there is something wrong with kids today that don’t want to go outside to play. I don’t think so, its just a different time and different interest. Back in the day we were limited to what we could watch, play, or do; today kids have numerous activities available to them via app or online. Why build a funky fort outside, when you could make a digital kingdom.

I can completely understand where Sadie is coming from when she gets irritated by her parents suggesting she make a fort. Kids today aren’t use to forcing their creative juices to flow, and if your friends are online instead of outside, what’s the point of going outside. They will go to school the next day and say, “hey did you see what they found in the bunker in that episode of lost”, not “hey did you see the swing we made for the fort”.

IPad, iPhone, MacBook, and android devices; sad as it may seem, these are the toys of the future. Kids grow up using and interacting with digital devices, so that’s all they know and accept.

C’mon think about it, you can stream or download TV shows and movies on demand, read a book, play games online with friends and shop, all from the convenience of your devices. why would you put your device down? Exercise, ha! Who wants that, to be a social butterfly, please! That’s what Facebook is for, to take pictures, give me a break, I have a mirror in my bathroom and I’m a master of layers in Photoshop. (Hopefully you sense the sarcasm)  

Technology is taking over; according to Nielsen.com the trend of using mobile devices to multi-task and view entertainment has become so widespread in the U.S that it could be called the norm. Over 50 percent of US homes own a smartphone and over 20 percent own a tablet. 

Times are changing and I'm not saying kids don't outside anymore, if that were true, the government would feel bad about closing public parks to save money, and there wouldn't be so many community activities for the youth.(smirk)

I believe Mobile devices are the best thing to hit the earth since sliced bread, but as with the problem with obesity; people must learn Moderation.