October 23 Victor Mirsky gave a master class within Skill Bill Pro at FILM.UA Faculty.
Here are the key points of the master class:
- Why do not I don't shoot "Game of Thrones"? There are several reasons:
- Our buyers are TV channels, cable TV is not developed, and people do not watch stories where a lot of characters
- In the United States, such series as "Game of Thrones" or "True detective" does not appear on the terrestrial channels, their audience is watching cable TV
- American audience accustomed to paying for cable TV to watch high quality TV series, and the channel in its turn can shoot high-quality product. We as advanced users of ex.ua are accustomed to "download" and not to pay. So, you do not pay - I do not shoot.
- There are several schemes for our content. We produce it for the channel, shoot the pilot and then offer it to a channel, or shoot at our own expense and offer a finished product
- It took three years to make "The Sniffer". We've invested our own resources and shot a pilot in order to pursuade the channel that it's a worthy story
- We've replaced four composers until we found Nikita Moiseev to create music for The Sniffer
- Sometimes a logline is enough to sting to the quick
- Once I've read a 10 page treatment and it was like watching a 12 episode series. Unfortunately, very few applications are like that. Usually, one page contains detailed description of the first five minutes of the show and then in two sentences author describes the characters and their incredible adventures
- The choice of the story is often a matter of taste and language comprehension. 15 producers may consider your application uninteresting, and one will, because he/she liked it. So I always say the authors - if you are refused at FILM.UA, it does not mean you are a bad writer and should leave the profession. Try it with other studios.
