The general thread for members of The Ankler family to check in, tell us how they are getting through these times, share your thoughts on what all this means for the industry, what’s the future, the way out. Also - idle gossip, rank speculation and most of any bad virus jokes! Share it all here while the crazy times last.
Another question - love to hear thoughts on. Was considering doing an Ankler book club during the semi-quarantine. Books about Hollywood we can all read and discuss together. Maybe one a week. Would folks be interested in that?
Similarly off-piste, the current Commentary has a review of the memoirs and biography of a lady named Salka Viertel -- exile, screenwriter, friend of Garbo and Dietrich -- who seems like someone we could well do to know better.
It's a little off-piste, but I greatly enjoyed 'Hitler in Los Angeles: How Jews Foiled Nazi Plots Against Hollywood and America' by Stephen J Ross. Apart from the fascinating spy stuff, the parallel between how the Germans controlled Hollywood movie content and casting back then and how the Chinese are doing it now is impossible to ignore.
I'm not normally a non-fiction reader, but I've been on a bit of a run with "about hollywood" books the past few months.
I second the recommendation of The Big Goodbye about the making of Chinatown. The making of that movie is well known but that book tells the story well AND reveals things I'd never known before (Robert Towne had a secret writing partner?!)
- Reading that book led me to The Devil's Candy, about the making of Bonfire of the Vanities - I've never read a book that more clearly captured exactly how it feels to work on a production, from the very beginning to the very bitter end (in this case).
- And THAT led me to get a copy of Hit & Run about Guber and Peters and Sony. I'm in the middle of that now. Also highly recommended.
Does it have to be non-fiction? If not, THE GIRLS IN THE PICTURE about Mary Pickford and Frances Marion is a great historical fiction read about early Hollywood.
As one of the idiots who was entertaining the idea of going to a movie this weekend (just assuming no one else would be there)...probably. If A24 wants to give me access to FIRST COW I will gladly pay for it from home, though!
That would be my recommendation - just push (and/or go to streaming immediately). I think it’s going to be a moot point In the next week or so, though, as more theaters are asked to shut down.
Yes, especially for limited releases. NYC is closing all movie theaters this week, and this is after a couple specialty theaters (Lincoln Center and BAM) already closed. Wouldn't be surprised if the same applies to LA soon.
Do filmmakers and distributors want/expect the cinemas to be there once this shitstorm has died down? How will the exhibitors (large and small) be expected to weather this? Totally get that there are important health questions that need to be urgently addressed, and that not attending the cinema is potentially vital for public health. Doesn't mean we can't think how the longer term business questions will be addressed by the industry as a whole.
They can tape over alternate seats or whatever the Alamo Drafthouse said it was going to do to reduce theater capacity, but what about crowd control on the concourses and the popcorn line? What theater, which generally has trouble keeping the bathrooms clean and stocked, is going to be able to handle a large group of people for anything remotely popular? Who is going to want to open an arthouse film, where the audience skews older, in a time when older = more at risk?
Be interesting to see if this is an aberration (a la The Interview) or the beginning of the new way. If something like Black Widow went to streaming... then it's the new era.
I am cooking some really good comfort food to help me thru the bleak times and trying not to think about everything as we know it seemingly melting down.
Live action shows have taken a huge hit, but so far a lot of animation and games are still on track with artists switching to work from home since it's all done on the computer anyway. Motion performance capture and rear projection stages like Stagecraft (used for the Mandalorian) are expensive to set up, but once they're running they only need a small crew, talent and crew stay mostly local, and probably a lot better for the environment.
If I may, for the listening pleasure of people bored at home, briefly and hopefully not too obnoxiously plug my movie podcast, NitrateVille Radio, which interviews people, Fresh Air-style, who've done something to do with vintage movies (defined as pre-1980s at least, but most often silent and early sound). A lot of authors, occasionally folks involved in restoration at MoMA, the Academy, etc. I would have said festival reports (TCM, Pordenone, etc.) too, but not this year!
A lot of marketing and advertising are just gone. I think the stock prices for studios and exhibitors will continue to drop. The biggest lesson that the industry can learn, once it finally recovers is to try to "Blumhouse" their production costs for certain films for a better chance at profiting through the domestic box office. Especially, in the science fiction genre and after the success of Joker without a Chinese release.
I think more screenwriters need to embrace prose, like me. Sell books and sell rights and licensing. Producers need to look at richer and cheaper stories until they rise out of the hole. Ticket and concession prices may have to go down for awhile because audiences will need to recover financially.
For me, I will be taking another pass at a short script while doing some art direction on it. I will finally try to finish Schuyler M. Moore's The Biz. And finally, work on a novelization from a pilot I wrote last year.
I'm in the comics biz (non-creator side) and I'm seeing more than a few screenwriters expand into funnybooks, which in turn are getting optioned a lot more frequently. There's a vast world outside Marvel and DC and "creator-owned" comics (eg. Image books) are both easier to get printed and cheaper to option, plus the Kickstarter route which allows almost anyone to do it for practically no risk.
Interesting. Before 2020 commenced, I started to think less of screenwriting as a path and more as a overall creative writer. I looked into adding video games, prose and now that you say something, comics and graphic novels to my repertoire. I just want to tell rich stories and create rich worlds.
Worldbuilding is pretty much the sine qua non for creator-owned comics titles -- for the established comics writers, it's a chance to show what they have outside the Big Two's canon, for the newbies it's a chance to get attention and possibly a gig with the Big Two or a Hollywood sale. What's been optioned has been a mix, honestly, in terms of creator experience. Image is the 'big one' for independents and does really solid packaging and there are a few other small presses doing respectable work, but I've seen some tremendous Kickstarter productions -- gilt-edged, hardback, full-color jobs -- by creator teams with good backing.
Comics are mainstream and respectable now as both fiction and non-fiction, so if you've got the capacity to write a script, go for it.
Show older films, if they have any and lean in to dining. Limit each auditorium to 50 people and serve discounted concessions. It may ease the strain. For example, show both Blade Runner movies back to back in a premium setting.
That's the one book I insist young people read when they ask me for advice. However, I haven't read it in 25 years either. Glad to see it still holds up.
My edition has an essay from Budd Schulberg about how, by the 80s, Sammy Glick was being taken as a role model. And you can see why - the narrator is simply fascinated by him. Another interesting thing is that in the book, set in the 30s during the time of the organizing of the Screen Writers Guild, the narrator has to take some very principled positions. In real life, in the 50s, Schulberg named names. Which his narrator, I think, would not have done.
Well, it's official. All movie theatres in LA are closed by executive order. Guess the choice is now taken out of exhibitors' hands...hopefully some of them reopen when all this is over.
Wouldn't this be the right time for the video streaming services to start a price war or free admission offer for a vast captive audience? Competition should be fierce right now to get subscribers.
One would think! But I guess one doesn't want to look like they are...taking advantage of the situation. My thought was Netflix should say - join now get 3 months free...Get the whole world in during this time and in a way that you're doing a public service.
I think for some of these chains with them all being on such shaky ground, there must be the knowledge that when they close their doors, that's it, They are never opening again..> So I imagine, that's not a step they'll take until they absolutely have to.
I know my 3 year old was wanting to see Onward. It sounded like a good movie to me, too. We have a Kindle for him too and it has been a great purchase.
Thanks for all the recs so quickly. Adaptation is one of the best. I remember BJ Novak had it as his favorite film back when I was Office-obsessed. Watched it then
Cool! For books, I always recommend "Writing for Fun & Profit" by Lennon and Garant, "Adventures in the Screen Trade" and "Which Lie Did I Tell" by William Goldman, "The Devil's Candy" by Julie Salamon, "The Studio" by John Gregory Dunne, "Easy Riders and Raging Bulls" by Peter Biskind, and "Picture" by Lillian Ross. They may not seem like they directly correlate to what you do or want to do but they're all super helpful (and fun) to read. Especially Lennon & Garant's -- that is a sheer delight to read and helpful for the feature film development process.
The Agency was excellent. Also recommended in similar vein is The Mailroom, by David Rensin. (Caveat that they were published a while ago, so many of the key players are elsewhere now.)
Another question - love to hear thoughts on. Was considering doing an Ankler book club during the semi-quarantine. Books about Hollywood we can all read and discuss together. Maybe one a week. Would folks be interested in that?
Considering the new Barry Sonnenfeld memoir for starters.
It's a wild ride. It's positively sodden with self-loathing, and it's way more focused on the horror of his childhood than I expected.
Also, you will never forget the chapter about his porn career. Even if you try.
Wow. Could I be sued for asking the group to read this?
Just finished The Big Goodbye about the making of Chinatown. I recommend it.
https://www.amazon.com/Big-Goodbye-Chinatown-Years-Hollywood/dp/1250301823
Halfway through that one, good stuff.
Please give me an excuse to finish 'Adventures in the Screen Trade'
Here here.
Similarly off-piste, the current Commentary has a review of the memoirs and biography of a lady named Salka Viertel -- exile, screenwriter, friend of Garbo and Dietrich -- who seems like someone we could well do to know better.
Life isn’t everything — Mike Nichols remembered
It's a little off-piste, but I greatly enjoyed 'Hitler in Los Angeles: How Jews Foiled Nazi Plots Against Hollywood and America' by Stephen J Ross. Apart from the fascinating spy stuff, the parallel between how the Germans controlled Hollywood movie content and casting back then and how the Chinese are doing it now is impossible to ignore.
That sounds fantastic.
Just bought it!
Whoa. Never heard of it. Going to find it now. Thank you.
Victoria Riskin's book on her parents-- who happened to be Fay Wray and Robert Riskin (It's a Wonderful Life)-- is a particularly good memoir.
Wow never heard of this. Many of the prominent filmmakers were those who escaped the war so this seems like an odd angle
Love this idea.
i would love that. may I suggest "You'll Never Eat Lunch In This Town Again."
YES. I also think it might be time for the annual re-playing of The Kid Stays in the Picture, read by the author.
We maybe should make that a live streaming event
I'm not normally a non-fiction reader, but I've been on a bit of a run with "about hollywood" books the past few months.
I second the recommendation of The Big Goodbye about the making of Chinatown. The making of that movie is well known but that book tells the story well AND reveals things I'd never known before (Robert Towne had a secret writing partner?!)
- Reading that book led me to The Devil's Candy, about the making of Bonfire of the Vanities - I've never read a book that more clearly captured exactly how it feels to work on a production, from the very beginning to the very bitter end (in this case).
- And THAT led me to get a copy of Hit & Run about Guber and Peters and Sony. I'm in the middle of that now. Also highly recommended.
Hit and Run is awesome. I’d be stunned if anyone on here has NOT read Disney War but if haven’t go do so....
I haven't! I'll add to my stack of books.
Does it have to be non-fiction? If not, THE GIRLS IN THE PICTURE about Mary Pickford and Frances Marion is a great historical fiction read about early Hollywood.
Love this idea!
Count me in. Just finished Ed Catmull's uplifting Creativity Inc.
Co written by the great Amy Wallace
Yes!!
Don’t think it’s available yet but I’ve been looking forward to reading Chris Fenton’s memoir on the Hollywood/China of it all.
Oh yes, Hadn't hear about it, but sounds a must read
One question - given the weekend's box office: is it time to just scrub all releases? Is it not only a doomed mission, but irresponsible as well?
As one of the idiots who was entertaining the idea of going to a movie this weekend (just assuming no one else would be there)...probably. If A24 wants to give me access to FIRST COW I will gladly pay for it from home, though!
I don't know how they can do these limited releases anymore...Not as if people were knocking down doors for specialty cinema as it was
That would be my recommendation - just push (and/or go to streaming immediately). I think it’s going to be a moot point In the next week or so, though, as more theaters are asked to shut down.
Yes, especially for limited releases. NYC is closing all movie theaters this week, and this is after a couple specialty theaters (Lincoln Center and BAM) already closed. Wouldn't be surprised if the same applies to LA soon.
Do filmmakers and distributors want/expect the cinemas to be there once this shitstorm has died down? How will the exhibitors (large and small) be expected to weather this? Totally get that there are important health questions that need to be urgently addressed, and that not attending the cinema is potentially vital for public health. Doesn't mean we can't think how the longer term business questions will be addressed by the industry as a whole.
They can tape over alternate seats or whatever the Alamo Drafthouse said it was going to do to reduce theater capacity, but what about crowd control on the concourses and the popcorn line? What theater, which generally has trouble keeping the bathrooms clean and stocked, is going to be able to handle a large group of people for anything remotely popular? Who is going to want to open an arthouse film, where the audience skews older, in a time when older = more at risk?
Yeah it seems a very uphill battle. And a week from now it will be much more uphill
It seems a good time to not go to the movies, judging by what's out right now.
Uni breaks the window. Trolls straight to streaming. The war is over!
Be interesting to see if this is an aberration (a la The Interview) or the beginning of the new way. If something like Black Widow went to streaming... then it's the new era.
How on earth does Thierry think Cannes go on? What planet is he on?
Thats a very good question although ivevread that the french in general have been in deep denial on this up to nnow
I am cooking some really good comfort food to help me thru the bleak times and trying not to think about everything as we know it seemingly melting down.
Fed ex some over to us!
Live action shows have taken a huge hit, but so far a lot of animation and games are still on track with artists switching to work from home since it's all done on the computer anyway. Motion performance capture and rear projection stages like Stagecraft (used for the Mandalorian) are expensive to set up, but once they're running they only need a small crew, talent and crew stay mostly local, and probably a lot better for the environment.
Very interesting. I wonder how long people are going to be able to bring in small crews even.
I love this idea. Keen to go with whichever book is agreed upon.
I saw a seating chart for the Arclight and they cordoned off every other row, but still had people jammed together side by side. Uhm....
Thats brilliant. Why don't they just auction off each show to the highest bidder? But really, at what point are people risking the public health here?
If I may, for the listening pleasure of people bored at home, briefly and hopefully not too obnoxiously plug my movie podcast, NitrateVille Radio, which interviews people, Fresh Air-style, who've done something to do with vintage movies (defined as pre-1980s at least, but most often silent and early sound). A lot of authors, occasionally folks involved in restoration at MoMA, the Academy, etc. I would have said festival reports (TCM, Pordenone, etc.) too, but not this year!
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nitrateville-radio/id1218406758
Zanuck: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood's Last Tycoon by Leonard Mosley. Good old Hollywood days. What happens at 4pm every day at the studio.
total bummer that people can’t see Never Rarely Sometimes Always. such and amazing and important film.
Very sad for the smaller films that got crushed under this
I live in Brentwood--not a lot of social distancing here! Brunch and Farmers Market were in full swing this morning.
That said, the booze section of Whole Foods has been plundered and all that's left of the soup aisle are two grim cans of low-sodium lentil.
The Brentwood mart red-i-chik shall not be daunted
Somehow I'm an even bigger fan of you Mr. Rush! xo Matta
Plagues always have that effect
Looking to add some Anklites to my twitter feed — drop @‘s below. I’ll follow first and you can check out my stuff from there. @bradybrendan1
I'm @pmjeepers
Can’t wait to read Woody Allen memoir.
You better be able to wait...long one ahead.
Hey, plot twist on this one!
A lot of marketing and advertising are just gone. I think the stock prices for studios and exhibitors will continue to drop. The biggest lesson that the industry can learn, once it finally recovers is to try to "Blumhouse" their production costs for certain films for a better chance at profiting through the domestic box office. Especially, in the science fiction genre and after the success of Joker without a Chinese release.
I think more screenwriters need to embrace prose, like me. Sell books and sell rights and licensing. Producers need to look at richer and cheaper stories until they rise out of the hole. Ticket and concession prices may have to go down for awhile because audiences will need to recover financially.
For me, I will be taking another pass at a short script while doing some art direction on it. I will finally try to finish Schuyler M. Moore's The Biz. And finally, work on a novelization from a pilot I wrote last year.
I think you're right, its a moment to fall back on plans C through z...
We will see if the industry will this time to reassess the lending/spending habits or will continue down the path towards in the red spreadsheets.
I'm in the comics biz (non-creator side) and I'm seeing more than a few screenwriters expand into funnybooks, which in turn are getting optioned a lot more frequently. There's a vast world outside Marvel and DC and "creator-owned" comics (eg. Image books) are both easier to get printed and cheaper to option, plus the Kickstarter route which allows almost anyone to do it for practically no risk.
Interesting. Before 2020 commenced, I started to think less of screenwriting as a path and more as a overall creative writer. I looked into adding video games, prose and now that you say something, comics and graphic novels to my repertoire. I just want to tell rich stories and create rich worlds.
Worldbuilding is pretty much the sine qua non for creator-owned comics titles -- for the established comics writers, it's a chance to show what they have outside the Big Two's canon, for the newbies it's a chance to get attention and possibly a gig with the Big Two or a Hollywood sale. What's been optioned has been a mix, honestly, in terms of creator experience. Image is the 'big one' for independents and does really solid packaging and there are a few other small presses doing respectable work, but I've seen some tremendous Kickstarter productions -- gilt-edged, hardback, full-color jobs -- by creator teams with good backing.
Comics are mainstream and respectable now as both fiction and non-fiction, so if you've got the capacity to write a script, go for it.
The two most amusing and instructive links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CCW4Xnp_sQ
https://bit.ly/2xxN3YD
And this clearly explains the exponential math: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/10/coronavirus-what-matters-isnt-what-you-can-see-what-you-cant/?wpisrc=nl_undefined
Thank you do these. I found this very helpful too https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/03/coronavirus-what-does-social-distancing-mean/607927/
We couldn’t get our usual groceries. Husband just told me, “Times are hard, you might have to eat meat.” -Stacey, Los Feliz
How's the quinoa holding up on the eastside?
Wiped out. Switching to farro.
What a tragedy. It's come to this.
The CDC recommended that no gatherings of more than 50 take place. So how can theaters stay open? And studios release movies? At this point, aren't they risking the public health? https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/03/15/coronavirus-latest-news/
Show older films, if they have any and lean in to dining. Limit each auditorium to 50 people and serve discounted concessions. It may ease the strain. For example, show both Blade Runner movies back to back in a premium setting.
Books - I finally read 'What Makes Sammy Run?' and it's stunningly unaged. Some of the restaurants are still around and ALL of the personalities.
It's been 30 years since I read.. That might make a good selection. Where did they eat?
Musso and Frank! (The big action's at the Brown Derby, but still...)
Ben Stiller had been trying for years to create a film adaptation of “WMSR”.
That's the one book I insist young people read when they ask me for advice. However, I haven't read it in 25 years either. Glad to see it still holds up.
My edition has an essay from Budd Schulberg about how, by the 80s, Sammy Glick was being taken as a role model. And you can see why - the narrator is simply fascinated by him. Another interesting thing is that in the book, set in the 30s during the time of the organizing of the Screen Writers Guild, the narrator has to take some very principled positions. In real life, in the 50s, Schulberg named names. Which his narrator, I think, would not have done.
NETFLIX will win the CoronaVirus with Amazon and Disney+ battling for runner-up!
Well, it's official. All movie theatres in LA are closed by executive order. Guess the choice is now taken out of exhibitors' hands...hopefully some of them reopen when all this is over.
Wouldn't this be the right time for the video streaming services to start a price war or free admission offer for a vast captive audience? Competition should be fierce right now to get subscribers.
One would think! But I guess one doesn't want to look like they are...taking advantage of the situation. My thought was Netflix should say - join now get 3 months free...Get the whole world in during this time and in a way that you're doing a public service.
I received an offer yesterday for 2 free weeks of Disney+ and decided now is the time. I've been wanting to watch 'The Mandalorian'...
Ah ha. Someone senses the moment! But two weeks...they could do better!
Are theater chains waiting for the first big chain to announce a month shutdown then everyone else can?
I think for some of these chains with them all being on such shaky ground, there must be the knowledge that when they close their doors, that's it, They are never opening again..> So I imagine, that's not a step they'll take until they absolutely have to.
Have the Chinese or South Korean theaters reopened?
I think not yet...But someone may know better than I
I know my 3 year old was wanting to see Onward. It sounded like a good movie to me, too. We have a Kindle for him too and it has been a great purchase.
It makes me sad indeed not to have taken my kids to it yet...But hopefully we'll have a chance on the other side.
23yo agency assistant with aspirations of being a creative content exec one day. Any must-watches or must-reads for me while I quarantine?
The Big Picture is the most important film about modern Hollywood. I think they have it on YouTube for rent?
Back issues of The Ankler, to start
Listen to The Kid Stays in the Picture by Robert Evans and read You'll Never Eat Lunch In This Town Again by Julia Phillips. And watch The Player!
For movies, I highly recommend Swimming With Sharks, Sunset Boulevard, Barton Fink, and Adaptation (as well as The Big Picture, which Richard rec'd)
Thanks for all the recs so quickly. Adaptation is one of the best. I remember BJ Novak had it as his favorite film back when I was Office-obsessed. Watched it then
Cool! For books, I always recommend "Writing for Fun & Profit" by Lennon and Garant, "Adventures in the Screen Trade" and "Which Lie Did I Tell" by William Goldman, "The Devil's Candy" by Julie Salamon, "The Studio" by John Gregory Dunne, "Easy Riders and Raging Bulls" by Peter Biskind, and "Picture" by Lillian Ross. They may not seem like they directly correlate to what you do or want to do but they're all super helpful (and fun) to read. Especially Lennon & Garant's -- that is a sheer delight to read and helpful for the feature film development process.
Yes. Writing for Fun and Profit is excellent. It tells you everything down to how to dress for pitch meetings.
Ooh I want to read The Studio - I'm also curious about "The Agency" by Frank Rose about William Morris, anyone have thoughts on that one?
Strong recommend for The Agency - I read it back when I was an assistant ICM. Equally inspiring (at the time) and informative.
The Agency was excellent. Also recommended in similar vein is The Mailroom, by David Rensin. (Caveat that they were published a while ago, so many of the key players are elsewhere now.)
The Mailroom was fantastic -- and believe me, I did some similar things they did during my few months spent there. Loved every minute of it.
Ben Fritz’s “The Big Picture” (no relation) is a strong recommend, too. Post-Marvel modern Hollywood through the lens of the Sony hack.
One day in I bought my daughter a laptop
Ive ordered my son a kindle...Thats not going to get us there though, is it?
No. Gotta get something that lets them type emojis. They can do that for 3 hours.
I panicked and bought a Switch for...myself.
Same here. Been holding out for a good reason and there's no time like the present!