Matt Parker

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68% of film and TV workers are currently without work and the number of people planning to leave the industry is rising... In a survey last September, Bectu (Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union) found 80% of the film and TV workforce had been directly impacted by last year’s SAG-AFTRA industrial action in the US. In February, they conducted another survey to see if things had improved but found that more than two-thirds of respondents are still out of work and it's the industry’s freelance workforce that is bearing the brunt. In this article, Mike Thornton shares the shocking statistics from the survey and the recommendations Bectu makes...

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POINTS MEAN PRIZES PBC is going back to its roots and taking a look a show (and format) we'd really like to see more of in podcasting. What can we learn from the quiz show 'Lateral with Tom Scott'? Why should more podcasts use the quiz show format? What are the pitfalls of making a video podcast? Why are we so obsessed with points??? Check it out!! https://lnkd.in/etYpWtk3

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Join us in just 10 days for BREAKING INTO SCRIPT READING, B2W's flagship Zoom course 👇👇👇 www.scriptreading.co.uk 📲 [PIC] - SCREENWRITERS: I really wish I knew how to get past the script reader. ME, A SCRIPT READER: Here's how, based on 2 decades of literally reading & sifting spec scripts for industry pros. SCREENWRITERS: whaaaa----that's just your OPINION! It's not law!

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A tad of shameless self promotion.. I've published a book!! Well, not quite a book and it certainly won't be an audiobook. However it could be a handy little thing for all audiobook editors, producers et al. It's called the 'Audiobook Production Log'. It's as it says. A diary for all of the productions you work on. Having worked on so many titles over the years I really wish I had kept a log. In this diary you can log titles, ISBN's, session dates. producers, editors, notes on specific pronunciations (helping you build a nice little keepsake for all of those pesky words) and any other notes specific to sessions. It's available now on Amazon UK https://lnkd.in/ePCBVMjw Amazon.com https://lnkd.in/eN-XfhNT

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Depressing fact: the UK creative industries lack diverse and working-class talent. Research released by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre last month shows just 8% of film, TV and radio industry professionals come from working-class backgrounds. That's compared to over 60% of culture and arts workers from middle-class backgrounds—the largest class divide seen in a decade. Three reasons why this is happening: Fewer entry points: Initiatives like Channel 4’s Random Acts and the BFI’s First Light project once helped newcomers break into the industry. Their cancellation has closed off important entry routes. Less funding: Money for new talent has become scarce, meaning many rely on independent trusts or wealthy donors to get started. Job cuts: Recent job losses and cuts across the industry, like those announced by ITV and Amazon’s Prime Video, make it even tougher for underrepresented groups to build and sustain careers. As one of the few female leaders of a production company operating in the Middle East and the UK, I know all about the barriers that underrepresented groups face in the industry. Surely we need to be doing all we can to attract diverse perspectives to our sector? If we continue down this path, the stories we tell won't exactly reflect the wider human experience—they'll only resonate with the select few. #FilmIndustry #WomenInFilm #DiversityAndInclusion #VideoProduction #FilmMaking #208Films

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Noting Red Flags from a Scammer Pretending to be a Client When a potential client reaches out for a voiceover (or freelance) job, there's no absolute way to find out if they are trying to scam you; however, these are some red flags to take note of: - If they ask you to install an app via "a link" for the live directed sessions (when you can use Zoom, Source Connect, Google Meet, or any verified app from the app or Google Play Store, - If they "insist" you to trust them (when trust should be established for them FIRST since they are the paying customer) #voiceover #voiceactor #scammer #tips

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Casting Networks No Good Very Bad Year! As most of us in the industry know, Casting Networks recently changed its business model from having a set number of photos and videos a talent could upload to having a set amount of storage space a talent could use for their reels and photos. Unfortunately the storage space also housed their self tapes making it hard for some actors to stay in the boundaries of a free account. I had guessed the change to storage based was a way for Casting Networks to show they aren't asking talent to pay for auditions, they're asking them to pay for storage. I was very recently complaining that some of our represented talent weren't able to submit for auditions that we had gotten them because of this new tiered storage system. It doesn't look like actor's are buying it either, and now the courts will get to decide. In the past, actors spent thousands of dollars a year snail mailing headshots and reels (actual physical tapes) to Casting Directors. Agencies spent even more on messengers and mail services to send packages of actors and models to Casting Directors. This cost was then passed on to the talent. When these online services showed up it was a pretty welcome development for a lot of people's bottom line. Many actors and models today are far removed from that time so their world view on the cost of being an actor and model is understandably different. I'm torn because Casting Networks makes it so easy to get talent in front of Casting Directors for projects, we can track auditions, we can see who's booking, who's getting callbacks, etc. I also understand that Casting Networks has to pay a full staff to run the site, they pay for website, they have payroll taxes, insurance costs, licenses, state and local taxes, utilities, etc. If the service was 100% free with unlimited storage, who would pay to run the company? On the other hand, with the amount of talent currently using the site, the fees are pretty high and I believe that self tapes should not count toward storage totals. There's also the issue of non union projects. These don't fall under SAG rules and there are a plethora of non union projects on Casting Networks and ohter casting sites. If the lawsuit is successful, will CN just stop listing union projects or does the California law prevent that too? Where will talent find union auditions if casting sites stop listing union projects? iActor is only available to SAG talent. If Casting Networks falls, is Actor's Access next? This is in CA right now, will NY be next? Will Casting Directors have to go back to emailing individual agencies asking for submissions? This could really hurt smaller and new agencies and the talent they rep. What do you think? Is this going to help or hurt actors/models in the long run and how? I would love to hear from actors as well as casting directors to get a view from both sides. #castingnetworkslawsuit

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So what do you do when you're working class, have very little money, a burning desire that won't go away to create, and have no real contacts in the film and TV industry? The first thing you realise is that no one gives a shit, and the only thing stopping you is money. Money has always been the key, and more so than ever, as art seems to be these days only for the privileged or the good-looking. So, I've decided to use my credit card and work harder to complete season two of my web series, Rebecca Gold. The plan is this. Work, put some money aside, shoot a segment from the series, and repeat until I complete the whole thing. I've given myself until the end of this year to finish it. This means asking actors to commit, finding locations for free or for very little money, and praying that my main actors stay the course and do not get a long-term job that scuppers my plans. I can't lie; it's been tough, and I've shot 75% of it so far. I am still trying to figure out how to get social media attention and wonder every day whether it's worth getting in trouble financially. Why did I write all of this? To get a little attention on my project and help, being poor sucks! Looking for distribution and finance, I could turn this into a feature film. Anything is possible. If you can help and want to see what is shot so far, just drop me a line. Rebecca Gold season 2 is hopefully coming to a YouTube channel soon—well, maybe. Thanks for reading. Kirk out! PROJECT TITLE: REBECCA GOLD WRITER: Ian David Diaz MAIN GENRE: Action SUB-GENRE: Comedy SETTING: UK PERIOD: Modern day LOGLINE: A gay, lonely, geeky, highly skilled assassin goes rogue when she encounters her high school crush.

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Me: "Please don't bother me I'm doing very important work." The very important work... Sound effects (SFX) are a crucial part of the post-production process, but building soundscapes is definitely one of those 'please don't listen until it's finished' phases for me. Lots of trial and error, wondering if something will fit, and (my personal favorite) when that one sound surprises you with how it brings a moment perfect clarity. Up until then, it's a lot of very funny noises. #soundeffects #sfx #postproduction #audio #audiopost

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"YouTube in talks with record labels over AI music deal" was a headline in yesterday's FT, picked up on the BBC today. #YouTube are offering cash up front to major record labels for access to their catalogues to train their #AI #music generation tool Dream Track (which they released in 2023 framed as "an experiment"). On Radio 4's Today this morning DJ, Electronic Musician and Producer George Fitzgerald said: "I'm struggling to see the positive in this for musicians and creatives ... I don't want to seem like a Luddite here but if you let YouTube do this then the horse has bolted forever". I wrote here a while ago (AI and Heart & Soul https://lnkd.in/exxzkK4e) about what aspects of music creation were beyond the capabilities of AI and the conclusion was depressingly little. The night before the FT report was published Patti Smith started her world tour here in #Brighton at the elegant Dome venue. I go to a lot of gigs and I can honestly say that I have never heard a reception like the one she received as she came on stage, before she said or sang a word. It was rapturous and absolutely thrilling and made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck (really). It was the opposite of AI and #digital because it is unreproducible, a unique moment in a particular place with particular human beings. Digital, by contrast, is all about copying without variation. When she sang a cover of Lana Del Ray’s Summertime Sadness in memory of her late husband Fred Sonic Smith she broke down at points - it must have been that little bit too resonant, especially with a totally engaged and communing crowd joining in. AI can never know or understand that depth of feeling, only try to emulate it. Earlier that crowd had joined in with Ghostdance and when she heard that participation across thousands of people full of energy she cried. That kind of emotion and heart-connection is beyond the realm of AI. As we watch the emergence of this key new #technology, it is important to step back from time to time and remind ourselves that there are vast tracts of humanity beyond the reach of AI, which remain as important as ever, indeed more so. It’s a game-changing technology capable of great good but it’s not the be all and end all. Experiencing that artist, that reception, that communal connection was humanity at its visceral and glorious best. #artificialintelligence #livemusic #humanity

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Have you seen the movie Cabaret? Even better… have you seen the stage show at the Playhouse Theatre in London, which they’ve transformed into the Kit Kat Club for this run? That’s where I was on Wednesday. A friend treated me to tickets, which I am so grateful for because a) it was a lovely gift and b) I probably wouldn’t have realised Cabaret was on or chosen to see it if I had. It was stupendous. We were up in the gods with a wonderful view, because this show was in the round (meaning a round stage in the middle, with the audience seated all around, 360degrees). If you get the chance, go and see it. I’m writing about it, though, because I wanted to show you an example of where creative inspiration comes from. In November I’m taking part in a trapeze competition — Aerial Art. The idea is to tell a story with a performance, and until this week I’ve been drawing a creative blank. But on Wednesday, watching Cabaret, an idea started to form — and I know what I’m going to do. Ideas are everywhere. Inside our heads, but outside of them first. You’re full of amazing ideas and opinions and thoughts, you just have to recognise them… and that can be difficult to do when you’re in the middle of them. If you’d like an endless stream of ideas — your ideas — and daily direction and accountability to write about them, I would love to invite you to Write Every Damn Day on Easy Mode. Here’s how it works: 1️⃣ 91 minutes on Zoom finding out what’s getting in the way of your voice, your motivation, and your writing; pulling amazing ideas out of your head; and showing you how to find more ideas, all the time. 2️⃣ 30 days of personalised, unique-to-you writing prompts delivered in a way to suit you, every weekday morning — get up every day knowing exactly what you’re going to write, why, and how, and get a little feedback from me, too. 3️⃣ 30-minute celebration call at the end of the 30 days to ask me anything, celebrate your achievement, and create a plan to keep you writing. A month of writing coaching, helping you to write on easy mode, for just £499 + VAT. By the end of a month, you could have: 💥 Launched a product 💥 Started a newsletter 💥 Sold out your coaching spots 💥 Connected with your perfect clients 💥 Got the kind of confidence you see in others… but weren’t sure you could get for yourself Stop struggling to write, and start writing now! https://lnkd.in/esvSwkEF *** Hi I’m Vicky and every Friday I share a Goodie Bag roundup of cool things I’ve seen or done this week, that I think might inspire you to be creative. You can read it and subscribe if you like. I’ll drop the link in the comments.

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The box office flops this week: or are they? Okay... so let's talk numbers... or more the industry... Yes none of the films this week did well in the US and my thoughts are: ABIGAIL: it's spring! This was released at the wrong time, that should have been released in the fall around Halloween, when we want to see horror. - my only thought is a streamer will pick it up for Halloween, and it will make it's money back that way. But on a good note, no big cast, so cast are not a factor in making money anymore. -plus this was shot in Ireland so I am proud of it! Civil War... a big bet for A24. Except I have no real clue what it's about. They pumped out AI imagery which got people talking...but not really about the film, saying that because of A24's marketing, this will break even and even do a profit because they haven't spent twice as much of the budget on marketing it and it will trickle in. G×K has done well, this is 4th week they always try and come across as big cinema pieces, but the nostalgia feel is well gone now and I or anyone else really don't care! Also though, no massive names cast! TMoUW ... (As Dave Noll says, 'a show needs a great title' - and this one really doesn't, I couldn't even remember it and had to look at the pic) This is a Guy Ritchie... his TV show 'The Gentlemen' has done well, he is known for making what he wants... he's a gamble director, some stuff he does turns to Gold many flop. Money makes money and there is so many tax rightoffs, after sales to streamers etc, and dodgy deals in this game that its hard to really work out what is making a profit and what is not. I am sure Guy is on a picture deal where he can make 4 films 3 can be what he wants and 1 has to be commercial that pays for the rest! The optics are that 3 of these films are original... 1 is a franchise... and the originals are holding up against the franchises. Which people will be watching. Yes they are all big budgets, or more mid budgets in the film world, but studios are waking up to original content and that is great news!

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Thinking of applying to the BFI NETWORK Short Film Fund? One of the questions we get asked most often is ‘Where Do I Find a Producer?’ so we’ve put together some advice on what a producer does, where you can find them and how best to approach. Read more at: https://bit.ly/4b23ycQ

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👤Client: I love your work, and you’ve been highly recommended, but we just don’t have the budget for your rate, unfortunately. Me: Okay, that’s absolutely fine. I’d be happy to put you in contact with some freelancers who might be able to work within that budget! 👤Client: Well, the thing is, we really like your work, and this is a great opportunity. This production could really be something big! You might get a lot of work off the back of this, as the exposure will be huge! Me: 1. Opportunity doesn’t pay my bills ❌ 2. I get enough work to charge the rate I do, which means I can turn down low-budget productions like this (politely and respectfully). This also means I don’t need more work off the back of this. 😂🤦‍♂️ 3. Never use exposure as a selling point for videographers. 🤣 To anyone on the outside seeing this for the first time, please don’t take offense. I get inquiries every week that look like this, and it gets old very quickly. 🥱 I’ve spent years and a lot of money perfecting this craft. To do it properly—it costs. 💰

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*actual PSA to all aspiring screenwriters* Anyone who gives you advice on how to get a manager, how to formulate a "perfect" logline, how to pitch yourself in a meeting, or how to send out query emails, is essentially full of shit. Anyone who speaks like that has no actual experience in the industry. There's one piece of advice that actually matters: write really awesome shit. Don't spend time worrying about anything besides getting better as a writer. Read a ton of screenplays, good and bad, and write every single day. Don't listen to anything else. That's all that matters. Good writing always finds its way into the right hands.

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I have good news.. It has been a very rough time for TV production in the UK and across Europe these past few months. I have witnessed first-hand the struggles of production companies, with the lack of commissions, uncertainty in the industry and cost-cutting across the board. This isn’t just about programmes not coming back - it's about the talented and hard-working freelancers and production staff at the heart of TV production not being re-engaged through no fault of their own. But back to that good news. In discussions with production company and studio clients in the last few weeks, I’m seeing definite signs of positivity and optimism, as more commissions start to come through and the networks find new innovative ways to fund programmes. I am not saying we’re fully on the road to recovery, but there are definite green shoots there. I am proud to work on a casting product that helps productions save money, meaning more of the budget can be spent on other parts of the show. Those clients who have worked with Cast It Reach, and dealt with me over the last two years will hopefully agree that we aim to be as flexible on price as possible, and always look to provide a cost-effective solution. We can’t commission shows, but we can help productions get more out of their budgets. Let us help you make great TV. Let's give my dog something to watch.

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