Coffee and Donuts for Rick Dickert...NOT!

You don't! Here is how it gets done cheaply and easily. First you need to get a filmscript written. But do not worry, you do not have to purchase film script software anymore or mess around writing your work with a Word template like the good old days of Scriptor. Instead go to Celtx and nab a free copy of film and tv production writing software. It is totally free, no catches and works across the major platforms and in fact it works collaboratively in real time. It even does storyboarding, how's that for free and that is just the start of many new features.

Now you will need a digital camera and that will require a bit of investment. Why digital? Why not! The main industry has shifted in that direction and you can too. Make sure to get a high quality tripod for it. For a digital camera there are many out there, but my favs have always been Cannon especially some of their cameras with FX. The field is wide open and a good one will set you back on sale about 500 bucks give or take. Make sure you get one that has the ability to capture higher frame rates for motion. There is nothing worse then blur in a film especially with High Definition Widescreen Plasmas. These days motion can be caught and captured digitally. Also talking about widescreen, make sure the camera shoots in that as the main shoot usually at 16.9 format or the older 23:1 format works well too.

When you wrote your filmplay, you kept it smart, simple and low budget, very low budget. You can do a story with just a few folks if they are committed as you are. There are many starving actors who would almost do it for nothing or for a share of profits. So consider carefully and also make sure you get everything in writing. Getting people in writing negates problems further down the road especially if they are to be paid. If they are doing it for nothing, then remember the old motto 'nothing for nothing', so beware if they walk out half way through a shoot you paid them nothing and have to start over so try and get things in writing, always so there is no waste and no hassles in making your very low budget flick.

Tricks of casting. The above is especailly important during the actor casting phase for your flick. If they are family or friends, then you might not have too many issues to deal with, but do cast carefully for what you will be shooting.

Locations make or break a good flick just as the editing does. Make sure you can find great locations. If they are out of the city, then no permits might be needed if they are general public areas however within many cities limits usually securing a low cost filming permit can be of great benefit. If you are a two person crew then it should be neat and fast to get the backdrops you need.

Editing is perhaps where many films have flubbed up. A perfect example comes to mind with Arnie baby in "True Lies" where he is in a jump jet chasing arabs in the back of a cargo van. One of them calls out Motzeltoff aloud. That is not an arab word at all, but it is in the film and I blame the ditor for this. Editing software is the best. I would recommend if you can afford it Vega Video by Sony software. For more professional editing if you are using Macintosh or Windows, you might use "Final Cut Pro" though be aware the costs are a bit high. A free video editor for mainly straightforward video editing with a few features that works on all the major computer platforms is Avidemux which you can download and install for free, no charge at all.

You might also want sound editing software and boy oh boy do we have a freebie for you that will allow you to customize sound files and record them with little effort. It takes Audacity to do that. For something that is so free and easy to use and wickedly powerful, you cannot beat this application.It rivals some of the many top professional recording solutions and is well work using especially since it costs you zilch, zero, zippo nada!

Once you have created and producer your first flick, it is time to create it into a streaming video. You video editor can do that for you especially Avidemux, and not only can you place streaming media online at a small charge but you can use the Avidemux app to burn it directly to DVD, just like the big studios are doing. Want fancy schmancy menus, then just go and grab DVD Styler which allows you to make just the neatest DVD menus for your custom film flick.

Distribution. The best way to distribute it is probably through Amazon.com and you can easily setup a free business account with them at any time through their Amazon Advantage account. As long as you have a business license and bank account you are good to go.

So I say, if you want a flick that badly, and it can be done for a low budget or even a nearly zero budget and done well, go for it and here I have provided you an example. This is the start in the 21st century and there are great times and things ahead technology wise for the Indie and I do mean the very small Indie to create some great work to entertain others. Like our favorite motto in TPB3D "The Future Is Ours," and it always will be when you take the first steps to make it happen.

American Author, Poet, Songwriter and Filmwriter
"Mark Paul" Sebar
The Power To Write The Best!

It is unfortunate that great artists and their work especially authors of fresh new stories to entertain and create jobs go cast aside because we are not communists as most of the Tinselturds in Hollywood are. But fear not my friends, these idiots are watching much of their anti-American crap falling in the tank and getting flushed by fed-up American's that know horrible drek when they read about it. Forget seeing it, as many in the public are doing. They all know in advance that the screen drek is just that and nothing more, and that is why they don't view it anymore. This is great news, because it stiffs the Marxist commie scum Tinseturds who produce anti-American films about hating this country and killing American men and women serving in the armed forces over seas.

These Marxist scumbags are the worst of the worst, and they don't just discriminate against conservative factions. Oh no. They discriminate against people who haven't had their bodies genetically modified with plastic in Beverly Hills, people who hit 31 years of age, since the diapered Tinseturd Junyahs are just that, little kids with gold spoons sticking out of their mouths. I could easily show half of them where they can stick their golden spoons and the sun don't shine in that place.

See, here is the problem. Just like California will cut its own financial coffers and services to the bones killing off every job, this lousy state wants Illegal ALIENS (there, I spelled it big enough for any schmucks who resent the word) including someone going around in need of a spitshine. That is what the Tinselturds are doing. These people are so stupid, I mean every one of the Tinselturds and Hollysluts are so delusional and detached from society that sooner or later when viewers stop viewing completely (and it is happening) then they might first start to wake up.

American's have given the bird to the news media papers mainly and also now are doing the same by not watching ABC, CBS and NBC like they used to, and not purchasing from sponsors on those stations. I can assure you that the Tinselturds and their phony plastic faces and idiocy are not far behind, because that is all they are...big BEHINDS.

American Author, Poet, Songwriter and Filmwriter
"Mark Paul" Sebar
The Power To Write The Best!

What is a Dummyhead you ask? Great question, they are somebody who walks around with massive egos and belittling you at nearly every turn while portraying their falsely gained self confidence. In essence they really are stupid people, why because they lack something called respect for you the blogger. So, let us explore part II of Dummyhead Instead!

Even Rupert Murdoch confirms exactly why you don't treat alternative news media including blogger poorly as Dummyhead did in his comments calling these blogs a circus and inferring that you, regardless of your political persuasion or any other persuasions for that matter are a big, big CLOWN!

See, here is the problem Dummyhead. When you look down on every one of the bloggers here and you spit your disdained venom (No correlation meant - fellow honorary blogger Ddain) upon them, they fight back. And so, here my fellow bloggers. You are vindictaed by the Big Bossman himself and someone I have admired for a very long time, Mr. Murdoch in his own words about respecting those who carry news....

"The complacency stems from having enjoyed a monopoly--and now finding they have to compete for an audience they once took for granted. The condescension that many show their readers is an even bigger problem. It takes no special genius to point out that if you are contemptuous of your customers, you are going to have a hard time getting them to buy your product. Newspapers are no exception." - Rupert Murdoch   Nov. 16th 2008, Cnet source cited.

Mr. Murdoch, your guy the Dummyhead is even less of an exception...See, the problem here is that Dummyhead walks up, puffed up (he's getting to be a fatso) chest, persnickety smile, and stomps on you because he has a news journalism degree, but lacks enough common sense to bring himself up to par. Actually, he is part of that big club that looks down on you, the blogger. It is made up of lots of Dummyheads, after all, where would they be without belittling your efforts and learning things from you, and oh, their massive egos....that persnickety little sucker, boy oh boy could I ever give a few words of my own to that Dummyhead. But instead feel free to blog here about Dummyhead Instead and let that sucker again have a piece of your mind and let me specify to you folks, prove him wrong. Don't attack each other, instead debate about the way he spits on your blogging endeavors, after all, he is nothing more than a Dummyhead Instead!

American Author, Poet, Songwriter and Filmwriter
"Mark Paul" Sebar
The Power To Write The Best!

Is it really because of a bad economy or bad business at the top? I blame it on corporate ignorance of the worst kind. Yes the economy is hurting, but during the last depression, movie theaters ran all kinds of flicks and across broad parts of the countries, those flicks allowed "American's" to escape the poor form of government implementations.

The problem here is that the big Tinselturds at the big studios have pissed monies away as well as jobs for a very long time, while maintaining a closed industry, also closed to new ideas and talents. The main issue is entertainment. It still sells when performed and produced correctly, but it fails when it no longer accepts talented people, and talented artistic endeavors and this has been my own bone of contention all along. Yes there are mediocre TV specials, some reality shows that are so-so in ratings, but those aside, the big flicks with the same commie faces and a few non-commie faces, have about worn their welcome out with the viewing audiences. What the customers want are new faces, new stories, new forms of media to especially watch at home.

But like everything else, they will blame the slowing economy, yet if big films come out or great films where everything is right, watch their profits soar and you will know that what I am typing here is right on the entertainment monies. A perfect example is the 4th Axle Foley film of BH Cop 4. If Paramount does this right, you can bet the profits will be huge. Of course if they botched it, the profits will be smaller. Just take a back seat, sit back and wait, great times ahead, when the changes occur and they are coming. Unfortunately for the Tinselturds, nothing stays the same forever.

American Author, Poet, Songwriter and Filmwriter
"Mark Paul" Sebar
The Power To Write The Best!

Okay, if I have said this before, I will say it again. Steve, when you first appear a few minutes before the GDLA broadcast only a sneak peak with Jean and Tony, please be wearing a jacket already. It looks more professional.

Jillian, you hair is awful and it reminds me of a trogladite cave woman. Get a haircut and straightening. A shorter managed hairdo that is not scraggly is best. I think your hair being dark rather then bleached blonde works best for you. Probable not much more then shoulder length is good to go, and stay dressed conservatively, not like a street walker!

Dorothy, you need a new makeup person. Do you really know what your face looks like on High Def? It looks like someone smacked a powder puff with baby powder on your face. Honestly, you must get makeup to match your arm and neckline skin tones with your face, otherwise you look like a clown in the morning. Trust me. If you get a darker makeup to better match your skin tones, this would be a great improvment.

These are my two cents comments, so good luck. Anyone else want to weigh in on the GDLA show and needed improvements go for it, but be civil this time around, as my gripes are legitimate.

"I wanted to be politically correct. I had E.T. and Close Encounters and we have Independence Day, so we made the aliens inter-dimensional. It's PC"

Mister "S", you altered work based on a guilt trip in the biz. Please, next time you make a flick, don't try to be politically correct, because you are shorting your audience, they are not that stupid! Instead, be a creative artist and go with what works. The inter-dimensional string theory was way, way out there and actually quite unbelievable. Had they been Zetas who traveled from a distant star, that would have been much better. In addition, I remember when you guys forced the "Dark Skies" people at Columbia Pictures and NBC to shy away from "MIB's" because of your movie. It was you bullying of them that made the series shy from the topic of MIB's within the series. Just so you could make your movie profits at the time, you helped kill that series and shorted viewers. Again, if it works use it, and stop trying to be nice to others before you with "That's already been done." It is that type of thinking that stifles and kills great stories.

I say, so what if it has been done before? If it works use it, and if it does not work, then change it to work. But don't, I repeat, do not short the audience with alternative garbage when you can deliver better, and you are not the only one doing this, as that brings me to my point of why Hollywood is committing suicide.

The original artistic bent to rewrite, rewrite and rewrite just to be politically correct in production storytelling is pure rubbish that pervades this entire industry, stinks to high heaven and turns my movie viewing stomach along with 12 dollar popcorn. It is time that if a certain aspect of the story has been told before, but works, then use it and stop trying to be wimps when you can be story-lions, otherwise you are shortchanging your audiences and they are smart enough to know this.

American Author, Poet, Songwriter and Filmwriter
"Mark Paul" Sebar
The Power To Write The Best!

Uses Communist Party Chinese money to slander the outgoing pariah President of the United States. Is this controversial putz for real or what. Again this industry shows you they hate America, so much so, that they now openly use Communist monies to make anti-American films. A good word of advice to many is let Stone who should add a "D" to his name and call himself Oliver Stoned, go get stoned somewhere. I honestly wouldn't watch his controversial anti-American fantasy krapp if it was the last flick on Earth, ever to be produced again! How's that, Oliver, you production putz you. You can take your flick "W" and stick it where the sun don't shine up your liberal path to nowhere.



Don't see this, let this guy starve. Show him that his flicks of anti-Americanisms have reached the end of their run in this country. If he really needs to sell his flicks. Let him go sell them to the communist Chinese and then do voice dubs and make them just as bad as some of those old dubbed karate flicks used to be where the guy speaks and the words follow about a second or two later, only the Chinese will get that pile of it, cause this production putz ain't worth my dollars for whatever they are still worth!

American Author, Poet, Songwriter and Filmwriter
"Mark Paul" Sebar
The Power To Write The Best!

Before I get started, there are some on the net saying this is a ripoff of H.P. Lovecraft's short story. It is quite different and the ending is galaxies away from the Lovecraft short story. Now on to my review...

One of the better simple scary movies on TV in the mid 1960's starred a then, young and beautiful (which case she still is this day) Carol Lynley whom I have always considered to be a very talented actress. Perhaps one of her larger roles and important ones was in the 1966 motion picture "The Shuttered Room," which also starred a youthful yet matured Gig Young as a new husband in a then, slick new Ford Thunderbird. The story is about Carol's character, a child who grew up in a home that was a large three story mill on an East Coast island near the new england area. Taking a ferry across, they drive along a road whereby they are almost acosted by wreckless local men. From there, the story builds and and the m,ystery deepens, meanwhile the men with too much time on their hands, decide they need to harrass the couple, one of the characters played by the very talented Oliver Reed insatiably looking to rape Carol's character while the wild bunch decides to take on Gig's character. Unfortunately for the wild bunch they quickly discover that Gig knows martial arts and that takes care of that group. The plot for the story is pretty straightforward with two subplots that support and merge with the main story plot, all for a controversial ending which I will not spoil. The antics of life on the small island and a peek at what 1966 looked like back then for me was quite memorable, since I lived through that era. As for the story, it has its moments and is a good hour and a half escape from today's world. Not the scariest or best movie in the world, but it works and works very well for what it was and remains. If you like suspense and mystery this should bode well. The flick gets a PG-13 rating because of content, but for October 2008, going back to the past ain't bad.

On a scale of 1 to 5 I'll give this a generous 3.75 Thumbs up. The shuttered room is packaged with another flick called "IT" which starred Roddye McDowel. Good for killing an hour or two, though "IT" is similar to the trash that the Tinselturds like to produce, only without the glitzy FX of 2008. Ironically it is one of only a few flicks that have acknowledged the biblical Jewish monster called a Golem. Considering its straightforward and almost nojn existant plot I give this a neutral 1.5 thumbs up...

The DVD as mentioned is a combo DVD and can only be currently purchased at Best Buy. If you get it, do it for The Shuttered Room, the view of 1966 was nice.

American Author, Poet, Songwriter and Filmwriter
"Mark Paul" Sebar
The Power To Write The Best!

The junior pat-themselves-on-the-Anti-American-back (Emmy) awards were the lowest viewership in the history of their ceremonies on television at 3.9 percent viewership, while celebs took political anti-American jabs which account for the public turnoff of Hollywood and its endless parties, in general. Perhaps the best highlight of the show remains the venerable old Don Rickles. What a mind, what a mind. This guy at his age spontaneously kept the audience hurting at their guts with laughter. He even ridiculed his own wife for "Sitting on the beach flashing ships with her jewelery." I laughed so hard I also shot Doctor Pepper through my nostrils and spat buttered popcorn at the hd widescreen...A costly cleanup, repair and mess, barely averted.





Perhaps one of the more major events was Paul Giamatti from the HBO series "John Adams" which I easily predicted months ago would sweep many nominations and award wins too. I had predicted right here this would be a big winner after reviewing this with academy friends and sure enough it hit big. If you have not seen it, zoom over to Amazon and nab a copy before they up the price on it. The series is not only a classic masterpiece, but a great gift from HBO of true history and heritage as well. It is a must see for every American.

The Tina Fey sweep though seemed almost fixed and as an author, I was greatly angered by her demeaning comments about fellow writers. If she felt that way, she should have brought the entire writing troop with her, which she selfishly did not do.





Also I predicted on the other end that the Conan O' Brien show would get nothing, as it did. This should come as a last ditch major wakeup call to the folks at NBC, that trading Conan for Jay is a dummyhead type of idea.





In writing, I was glad to see Stephen Colbert get the award. He has done a lot of great work and created a lot of great entertainment for the general public at large...way to go Stephen!!!

American Author, Poet, Songwriter and Filmwriter
"Mark Paul" Sebar
The Power To Write The Best!

I finally had the chance to sit down and watch our favorite Mark Thompson in action, and what action it indeed is. Hole in the wall is a raucous show filled with lots of spunk, a party atmosphere and fierce but friendly competition by two teams. Based on a Japanese type game show of similar theme, Hole In The Wall pits two teams of three players, usually men against women whereby the men are the blue team and the ladies are the red team. The object is to stand in a narrow play area and position yourself to get through a custom shaped hole in the wall. The main problem is that the holes can be almost any shape and some holes are questionable at times for the players to get in. One lady contestant said her bust size was to big to fit, and this honestly was the case. In other cases the hole types can also be played with position strategies, as positioning oneself correctly is the best yield for winning.

Oh, did I mention also that while you must stand in a narrow play area, that the wall is moving at the contestant at a fairly nice clip. The first wall is a single, then we get the double whereby two players must pass through, then the triple wall. At the end of the triple wall the team with the most points goes on to the blind wall. Now what is a blind wall you might ask? The winning team takes a player and puts blinders over his eyes. His or her two team mates must then very quickly tell them what position to face in. If they do this they win a hundred grand. While the format of the show is very energetic, this will carry it for a while, however, I believe that over time, the show will wear thin as viewers find the same walls and holes to become repetitive. That then, could spell doom for a format that honestly is quite good. So the big question thus becomes what to do to keep the show to hold interests of the viewing audience before they later wane and thin, taking television points ratings with them?

Well the base format as I mentioned isn't bad, and the spirit for the show along with a cheering crowd and a great hostess, not to mention the cute blond gal with the microphone, make for a tight package indeed. It is my belief that since the show concentrates around the wall, additional wall gimmicks could make the difference. Such as perhaps a reflective wall with a mirror coating. Actual glass mirrors would be quite dangerous if the glass broke, but a plastic coating could do the trick. A mirror of the contestants would make getting through even more challenging. Perhaps dangling silly string or objects that were harmless but attached to the wall would work.

The Play Area!

An enlarged play area would also benefit a bit more. The current area is just to narrow. I think a larger play are, longer runway that the wall travels and more speed of the wall would actually intensify certain aspects of the show.

The wall itself.

The wall as mentioned could have objects added. Perhaps another thing to make things tougher a thin cellophane film that contestants have a tough time seeing would also generate interest and excitement. So since the show revolves around the wall so to speak, add-ons pertaining to it would make the wall a more intense object to overcome.

Finally there is something else to consider. Time! The show is way too short. 30 minutes is unheard of for most game shows. The show needs an hour, more money at stake and also the aforementioned gimmicks to help boost it for a long term audience. While it works now out of newness, that over time may well wind down. The good news is that I see a cult following for this show, so if FOX ever dumped it via low ratings, it would continue on perhaps on a cable channel.

Overall out of my five stars I give this a three in a half. 1.5 for Mark, 1 for the blond girl with the mic, and 1 for the show. If I were only to consider the format for the short term my rating goes up, but since I like to look down the road and see what happens my 3.5 rating out of 5 stands for now. However with certain changes the show could go to 4.5 stars out of 5.

American Author, Poet, Songwriter and Filmwriter
"Mark Paul" Sebar
The Power To Write The Best!

While NBC rushes to commit late night suicide as fast as they can by chucking their number one in the ratings "Tonight Show Host" as fast as they can, in favor of a wannabe with limited laughter, FOX stands a chance to finally get the 11:30PM talk show ratings. All FOX people have to do is offer Jay Leno the world (nearly...) and stick him and his band onto a new late night show or an even earlier showtime and there we go. If NBC is that dumb that they will honor their commitment to a guy who isn't that funny for the number one ratings gainer who is, then FOX should snag Leno up without even batting an eyelash.

Now you ask, what inventive names might Leno take at his FOX late night show? Let's invent a few names and I am sure Mr. Leno will probably get word off this blog.

A Late Night FOX
FOX at bedtime
A FOX and Leno
Leno's FOXy show
Leno's A FOXy Guy
Leno FOX'd NBC
NBC FOX Leno

and the names go on and on and on... FOX, Leno, Kevin Eubanks, what better late night combination, especially while Conan tanks in the ratings and FOX and Leno are at number one on the American tube!

I am sure if this happens, you will see Dorothy having entertainment orgasms with Jillian in the morning, over Leno.

American Author, Poet, Songwriter and Filmwriter
"Mark Paul" Sebar
The Power To Write The Best!

So let me point it out for this industry since they don't get it. Give Americans stories about them, give them stories that show what a great country and people we really are, and most of all, give us great storytelling (writing). The problem these days is there are basically two types of flicks. The first is the low, low, low budget flick and it shows as a low, low, low budget flick, and people don't like cheap dung! Then there is the very big budget films and they are so loaded with computer FX or the same big name expensive acting talents that people have watched over and over and over again, that they are worn out. In addition with an aging US population most older folks who have the money to spend don't want to watch teenage romances again, they have seen enough, and while nearly everyone has to be a teen or a PC correct minority of some type, mainstream America isn't spending the money, and oh; while I am at it, the reason I said older folks, is because they are the ones with the funds, not a chickletts tean or post teen struggling to get by in a jobless depressed national marketplace. That my friends is why Hollywood has had a lackluster summer and will continue to decline, for all of those honest reasons I see so clearly, while the industry tinselturds remain blind to their own corporate dung heaps.

American Author, Poet, Songwriter and Filmwriter
"Mark Paul" Sebar
The Power To Write The Best!