SeeFilmFirst - Paying Off Teenage Film Bloggers One Free Ticket At A Time.

SeeFilmFirst.com are a company who have recently been offering free movie tickets to film bloggers. We get the privilege of watching flicks before they come out. Just this week, they gave me a free ticket to see the re-make of 'THE KARATE KID'. Hundreds of other film bloggers were afforded the same opportunity.

Word Of Mouth is such an integral part of film marketing these days. It makes sense for a studio to want lots of people to see their movies before they officially open; because it means that by time they are on general release -- we all know lots about them. Hype, buzz, whatever you want to call it: it's likely to get more of us into the cinema and loaded up on popcorn.

The unfortunate thing is that companies like SeeFilmFirst are not just innocently giving us a chance to watch a movie for free and to blog our opinions about them. They are trying to entice us to write positive spin for their client's releases, therefore helping Sony Pictures, the distributor, make a lot of money at the box office. This works because Film Bloggers are prone to underestimating the impact of their blogs. If I write a massively positive review of 'THE KARATE KID', and 800 people read it today, it's entirely possible only a handful of those will see it. But far more of them will TALK about it. Thus, word of mouth does its magic. The other day I wrote 'The Karate Kid is surprisingly good!' on my Facebook status. A day later my brother told me that his friend had 'heard that The Karate Kid is really good!' -- when my Brother told him that I had written a status about it, the friend replied with "oh yeah, that's where I heard it!" It's as simple as that. A bit of positive feedback, and we latch onto it subconsciously - word of mouth is so powerful.

You might not think it, but film bloggers are a very powerful tool for film studios. SeeFilmFirst, in essence, act as the middle-man; hooking up the studios new releases with us little film bloggers, who are generally disgruntled film lovers who are pissed off that we don't get paid while the people writing junk in film magazines do. So when someone offers us a freebie, we jump at it. It feels great, free passes! Score!

SeeFilmFirst don't just ask for you to watch the film. They ask for you to blog about it. Not only do they want you blog about it, but they ask you to blog positively about the movie. First of all, they send you an email reminding you to write a review, otherwise you risk not getting passes to more screenings.

"Please send us links to your blogs on the film after you have posted to ensure we can keep inviting you to previews!"

I can understand that. They are giving you a chance to see a movie for free, so I can grasp why they want something in return. But then more emails come.

They offer prizes for "the review which is most likely to get the most people to go to cinema to watch The Karate Kid!" which they also refer to as a prize "for the best marketer of this film outside of Sony Pictures!"

SeeFilmFirst also actively encourage under 16's to begin blogging; showing teenagers how they can blog positively for a big corporation in order to win prizes - "Best Under 16 Reviewer:
Whether it's two lines or two pages, this award is not just for quality of review, but also how it has been shared."

Tweens are encouraged not just to write reviews that actively help films rake in millions at the box office, but they are also encouraged to share their reviews "whether its through a blog, MySpace, Facebook - whatever!"

My concern is that this is unethical and manipulative to young people. It is also concerns me that the integrity of film bloggers will be tested. It used to be that film critics would get paid off to write puff pieces, now it's a free ticket and a promise of prizes and future screenings. Being lowly film bloggers, we are more than likely to accept.

I hope you guys don't mind me going off track from my usual cheery style of blogging to focus on this. What are your thoughts. Are we likely to see film bloggers writing more and more puff pieces for studio pictures? Is it okay for teenagers to be encouraged to advertise for film studios and for companies like SeeFilmFirst?

Not only are teenagers being marketed TO, companies like SeeFilmFirst are also asking kids to DO the marketing. This is a dangerous path, I fear.

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Inside The Actors Studio - Complete Episodes.

If you are an actor, a director, or a human - the Actors Studio is essential viewing. It gives a rare glimpse into the life of an actor. The best actors in the industry give amazing insight into their lives; from childhood to now. As we get to see them trace their paths-- it's amazing how similar many of their stories are. The more you watch, the more you see similar patterns, choices and personality traits. Look close enough and you may find the very secret ingredient you've been looking for on your own path to becoming a successful actor.

Seriously, these videos are un-missable. If you have any interest in the craft of acting then stop whatever you're doing now and watch these. Incredible. Be sure to share these with every actor you know, and demand they watch them immediately.


Martin Sheen


Natalie Portman


Kate Winslet


Tom Hanks


Kevin Costner


I will do my best to bring you many more full length actors studio videos in the near future. There are many out there, and they're all incredibly inspirational.

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The Power Is In YOU, Not In A Suit On A Committee.

Artists struggle. This is how it is, and it's assumed, how it always will be.

I know some incredibly talented writers, designers, composers, editors, actors, etc. They're immensely creative and their work is full of richness, but their wallets aren't. The composers I know are scrambling through job adverts for opportunities that might, in some way, somehow, suit their skills and be worthy of their talents. But when they do get paid, it's usually for running errands or handing out leaflets. Of course, this doesn't just happen to people in the arts. Right now, jobs are hard to come by no matter what your skills, talents, training, or lack thereof. They say the next crop of graduates in the UK will have a 20% unemployment rate. Focusing on Media - it turns out that on the dawning of this new era of technological advancement, of digital media and the democratisation of media as it were - everyone was convinced to go to University.

Thousands of media graduates pile out of education with degrees in their hands, only to find that the only jobs going are two production assistant vacancies on 'Eastenders' and one unpaid internship making coffee for Richard Curtis. Everyone else rams their heads against the walls as they apply on Craigslist for unpaid work experience for unknown post-production houses somewhere maybe near Surrey.

"If you think of it, children starting school this year will be retiring in 2065. Nobody has a clue, despite all the expertise that's been on parade for the past four days, what the world will look like in five years' time. And yet we're meant to be educating them for it. So the unpredictability, I think, is extraordinary." -

Ted Robinson, from his 'Schools Kill Creativity' speech at TED.com

How can so much talent be left in such a bleak, powerless position?

We have writers at the mercy of agents and producers who have no interest in who they are, we have genius DOP's whose email applications to shoot short films get missed in the sea of 763 applications. We have 20,000 people calling themselves actors, 15,000 of whom are convinced they're the next big thing and 5,000 of whom are one audition away from being evicted for not paying their rent on time.

I was mulling this over when scanning across various film websites, and job websites, whilst also alt-tabbing to some depressing news articles about the economy, budget cuts, and all the latest downer news in the film industry.

Despite the bleakness, the lack of opportunities, and the fact that everyone is waiting for a magic wand to be waved without knowing exactly who the person is that's meant to do the waving - one thing is true. There is still an abundance of creativity all around us.

History has been rewritten over and over again by small groups of people who had the sheer perseverance and audacity to try something. To come together and to use their skill, talent, hard-work and entrepreneurial spirit to begin something. I don't know what I'm really saying (you've probably gathered that by now) - but what I can see is that there is an endless supply of talent out there. And it's becoming increasingly obvious to me that most of the time this talent is not only applying for jobs that are hard to get, but looking for opportunities that don't exist in the real world. If you're a screenwriter looking for a chance to write a story about a small girl who suffers disability discrimination, there's probably not a producer out there for it. If you're an actress looking for a role that doesn't stereotype you in that role you always play, it probably doesn't exist.

We keep digging around and looking for opportunities in places that either don't care, or don't care anymore. We go looking for chances to prove our production-design skills, or our hair and make-up skills, or our poetry-writing skills, and end up applying for a job collecting money for charities we don't care about on crowded city streets we don't want to be standing on.

We're dying one day at a time when we flick around on job sites and stare hopelessly at recruitment companies hoping for the perfect opportunities to present themselves. Our dreams were built on the fantasies, illusions and infinite possibilities our childhood's promised, and from watching movies, and from believing. For them to be real, we need to step out of societal norms to achieve them. We need to step outside of the dead-end jobs and front-end criticisms; we need to create our own opportunities. We need to find the power in our ideas, ideals and our incredible ability for resilience and perseverance. And we need to start doing it now.

There is great power in making a decision. There is great power in finding like-minded souls and there is great power in deciding to be the one who has the power. Rather than wait for the perfect acting role, write the perfect acting role. Or pay a friend to write the perfect acting role. Or pick up a camera and invent the perfect acting role. Or start a Facebook campaign that tells everyone you're the perfect actor. These are terrible ideas, but one idea I do believe in is that if you think outside the box, and you believe your instincts, you can come up with something that will kick-start your career, your life, your big dreams.

We need to be inspired, we need to be fulfilled, we need to make a living, and we need to do it now. If we keep doing it by applying for unappealing jobs and begging for opportunities from people that don't care about us, we'll never get anywhere. We can go a different way. We can see there are thousands and thousands of creative yet disillusioned souls around us.

Rather than moan about the studio system, or bitch about corporate greed, or cry about big shot people in suits who hide behind giant walls; see the power in turning to the people who are sitting on the same side of the fence as you. History is made up of people who were oppressed and discouraged by systems and theories and policies and recessions and dictatorships far worse than what any of us are facing now. Let's quit emailing people who aren't listening, let's face each other, and let's begin building a new world; one where creativity takes centre stage and inspires people.

"Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead
You; the person who blogs passionately about movies every day, you; the person who spends every waking hour trying to get funding for your screenplay about disability, you; the person who has had 17 auditions this week, you; the person who stayed up till 5am sketching out set-design ideas--- you all inspire me so so so so much. You are infinitely more important to me, to society and to the world than anyone has been giving you credit for. The power is in your imagination and ideas and actions, not in some guy in a suit who decides whether to pick you, cast you, fund you, dump you or hire you. The power is in you.

Let's find new ways to make our projects. Let's believe in ourselves and believe in those who are talented and caring. Let's stop spending time hoping for opportunities from people who don't understand us. Let's find new ways.

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Today Is A New Day!

You woke up? You're breathing? Good.

You could email someone whose work you admire and try to arrange a meeting, you could throw down ten pages of a new comedy idea and ignore the notion it might be terrible, you could write and print sixty eight letters to agents DEMANDING they look at your talent, you could stay up all night watching your top three movies and totally immerse yourself in their splendor once again, you could call in sick and go sprinting through the streets feeling the freedom that surrounds you, you could make a list of 50 inspirational youtube videos, you could email your director friend and tell him that holy fuckturtles you love the fucking genius behind his last movie, you can write a personal letter to your best friend thanking them for supporting your career, you can put three hours aside to read every single word of a film magazine, you can spend all day watching old old old movies, you can phone Bill and Tommy and Maria and say "let's film some improv comedy, it must include jokes about carpets!", you can have a cup of tea, you can fight fight fight fight fight through all the self-doubt that's been pissing you off, you can kill the self-doubt within a friend in 4 seconds by saying "what you do inspires me so much," you can go out into the streets and sing, you can call that intimidating dude up and arrange the meeting you've been putting off, you can run at 50mph down the street with a live version of 'Born To Run' in your ears, you can come up with a music video concept for your friend's band's new song, you can have a day away from Facebook, you can have a day entirely on Facebook where you email fifty people asking what projects they're working on and why they're important to them, you can sit and breath, you can go out in the sun, you can go out in the rain, you can tell someone you kinda like them and then write about how great it feels, you can tell someone you kinda like them and then write about how you're going to kill yourself, you can have a Skype conversation with Antonio in New York and share ideas for a short horror film, you can phone up equipment companies and talk them into lending you equipment for free, you can sneak out of work and into the book shop and read twenty pages of something inspirational, you can watch a Morgan Freeman scene on repeat at least thirty times until you figure out exactly how he did it so naturally.Today is going to do more for your career than all the days of the last six months combined. Tell me how it goes! Do something amazing!

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Allies.

The hilarious guy in New York. The girl with the voice in Pennsylvania. The gay guy in Sydney. The actress in Melbourne. The songwriter in Ohio. The friend down the road. The girl in New Zealand who should be in America. That girl I don't talk to anymore. The woman who lets me eat all her biscuits. Some random guy on YouTube. My family.

They believe in me.

It helps.

Doing this career, you need allies. Not everyone will believe in you or support what you're doing.

But they always will, so it's okay.

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