Category Archives: business movies

Best Business Movies

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Movies entertain us. Movies captivate us. Movies appeal to us. But, most of all, movies inspire us. Rocky inspired us to fight for our dreams (and to take the stairs instead of the elevator). Glory inspired us to fight for what’s right. The Diary of Anne Frank inspired us to fight for humanity. ET inspired us to believe beyond what we can see. And, Shawshank Redemption, of course, inspired us to escape from prison.

Then there are business movies. These movies may bore some of us (those of us who don’t even like to work much less use it as a form of entertainment), but others find these the most inspiring of films. This article lists the best movies for people who believe that business is always a worthy production.

Boiler Room: A view into the underworld of sketchy brokerage forms, Boiler Room features a college student drop-out used to being on the brink of seediness. After running an illegal casino, he is hired by JT Marlin, a firm that creates a false demand by skyrocketing the price of shares for companies that don’t exist.. The main character Seth, played by Giovanni Ribisi, is placed in the middle when the FBI uses his father, a judge, against him. Seth is then forced to work with the FBI to uncover the fallacy employing him.

The characters in the story aren’t noble or moral – as their main goal is to scam people out of money – but, from a business perspective, they are good at wheeling and dealing. The monologues in the conference room and the scenes where they sell can surely inspire just about any businessman or women, particularly salespeople; it can inspire them not only to excel at their art, but to leave companies like JT Marlin for the fishes.

Working Girl: Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and recipient of one for Best Song, Working Girl tells the tale of a likeable but unconfident secretary named Tess McGill, played by Melanie Griffith, working for Katharine Parker, a rude, condescending boss, played by Sigourney Weaver. When Katharine breaks her leg, Tess assumes her identity. Not only is she competent at Katharine’s job, but she is better at it than her employer. A movie where it is beyond easy to root for the underdog, this film’s marketing contained the tagline, “For anyone who’s ever won. For anyone who’s ever lost. And for everyone who’s still in there trying.” Really, who among us can’t relate to that?

Jerry Maguire: Admit it, this movie had you at hello. One of Tom Cruise’s last great films before aliens took control of his mind, Jerry Maguire features Tom as, well, Jerry Maguire, a sports agent with a conscience. After his firm dumps him (“who’s coming with me?”) he finds himself with one lone client, Rod Tidwell, played by a scene-stealing Cuba Gooding, Jr.

Many people found this movie appealing because of the romantic subplot (not to mention an adorable little boy), but from a business perspective, it was also wonderful, displaying both the greed of an industry and the heart of those aiming to make it right. “The Show Me the Money,” phrase helped cement this moving into cinematic history as it is remembered as one of the greatest quotes of all time.

Glengarry Glen Ross: Based on the 1984 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play, Glengarry Glen Ross shows 48 hours in the lives of four real estate agents who are drowning in desperation. Filled with a cast of A Plus-listers, this movie stars Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey, Alec Baldwin and Jonathan Pryce. Diving into the evils of greed and the acts people will perform when hopelessness ensues, this film depicts lies, bribes, threats, thievery, and a whole lot of cussing. The title is generated from two properties discussed in the movie, the Glengarry Highlands and the Glen Ross Farms. This movie not only shows how easily the tide of business can turn, but it also shows how easy the tide can spin out of control, drowning those who fall beneath it.

Wall Street: With a self explanatory title, this movie features Bud Fox, played by a young Charlie Sheen, as a go-getter hell bent on rising to the top. He plans to get there by associating himself with corporate big wig Gordon Gekko, played by Michael Douglas.. Bud soon learns that the secret to Gordon’s success is – say it with me Martha Stewart – insider trading. He first isn’t really turned off by this, as he quickly grows rich and famous, but when Gordon decides to do a corporate raid on the company of Bud’s father, mixed emotions surface. Bud decides, in the end, to use the values his hardworking, blue collar father taught him. Though he gets indicted, it also appears that Gordon is going down with him. However, the fate of Gordon, in the end, is left up to the imagination.

Some business movies are bad, some are good, and some hit the nail right on the head (Office Space, anyone?). As with any topic, business movies can be poor, wonderful, or somewhere in between. In the end, they are unique cinematic features, if for no other reason than to remind us that there is no business like show business. At least no business I know.

 

 

Uncensored Confession of an Independent Movie Producer

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This uncensored confession of an independent movie producer is being shared with readers that want to be in the entertainment business, are in the entertainment business, or are fascinated by the entertainment business that thrives outside of the glitz of celebrity. I am only one of many independent movie producers that work hard to make movies to feed their creative passion and pay their bills. Producing indie movies is always frustrating and extremely thrilling at the same time.

One the most frustrating jobs of any movie producer is finding film financing to produce an independent film that does not have known actors attached to the project. You are asking movie investors to back a project written by an unknown screenwriter that has no bankable celebrities attached, and that is being visually guided by a first time director or one with limited credits. That is a tough sell. The world is fascinated with celebrity and film investors are no different.

You can have a dynamite script, talented unknown actors, film director with vision, and your desire as an independent movie producer on your side, but without some kind of hook chances of finding film money will not happen. I have found myself in that position as a producer of independent entertainment. What did I do?

Honestly, as a producer I knew without stars attached to a project I had to include visual elements that would translate to worldwide audiences. I kicked up the violence, sex, and nudity aspects because they fit with the two projects I was producing. Both screenplays were written to realistically depict strong subject matters, human flaws, and graphic content based on characters that lived lurid lives.

Whatever type of project you have there is going to come a point, unless you are independently wealthy, where you are going to be confronted as an independent movie producer that you are going to have to compromise on what will be shown in order to get film investor backing. In one case I had an interested movie investor tell me flat out that she wanted the project to have a European film nudity flavor. She read the script and knew it well. The on-camera nudity and sex scenes should be tasteful, but hot in her opinion to appeal to an international audience of buyers and not only US viewers. I assured her that I would and she invested with her boyfriend.

The lesson learned is to always find different hooks for your movie that makes it attractive to the film investors you are pitching for funding. It could be a film investor is passionate about something that can easily be folded into the screenplay to appeal to them. Talented screenwriters, independent movie producers, and film directors are masters at being able to work in a plug or scene for specific investors. To me it is just like product placement done in major studio movies, but at the indie level it is a more personal pitch to individual movie investors.

Once an independent movie producer secures film financing for a project there is a rush that is indescribable. Each producer has a different reaction. That euphoria and high quickly disappears because now it is time to go to work. You are already exhausted from the grinding money hunt and then all stages of production begin. Next thing you know problems start to develop on set that can range from technical issues to cast and crew difficulties. Now you are thinking, “I am screwed!” As the independent movie producer it is your ass on the line for the money invested to complete the film.

Actors and crew can quit anytime during an independent film shoot. There is nothing immediately you can do as a gutsy film producer if they are not committed to honoring their actor’s agreement or crew agreement. This is not a studio production where you have the luxury of hiring an entertainment attorney to sue. The reality is there is not the time or money to go through that. Going to film investors that have bankrolled an indie movie to tell them production has shut down and you need more money to hire an entertainment attorney will end your career early.

An independent movie producer is basically alone to fix problems and take care of business to finish a project. That is not the ego of the movie producer’s mind coming out, it is a simple reality. When everything turns out good you are a superstar to cast, crew, and movie investors. When it goes to shit, you are a dung beetle in the eyes of everyone. The life of an independent movie producer is not for the timid.

Now you find yourself with a completed movie that you want a film distribution deal for. The hot indie entertainment buzzword is digital movie distribution. That is definitely where it is going and where independent movie producers will make money for their projects. As of right now digital movie distribution still is not up to speed to include indie produced entertainment in real cash revenue. Studios are still trying to figure out how it is going to work.

Like with any new technology you are going to have companies pop up that target independent movie producers. It makes sense. Without the talent and risk taking moxie of independent movie producers there is nothing for any distributor to sell outside of mainstream entertainment. Imagine how boring entertainment would be with only mainstream viewing choices.

This is where frustration turns to the extremely thrilling part of being an independent movie producer at the best time possible. DVD is not dead, but is slowly fading out. I look at declining DVD sales as a positive for indie producers. The truth is there are movie distributors that cater to independent cinema that will try to screw producers over financially by using DVD manufacturing and marketing fees as the weapon every chance they get. Not all are like that. Many are honest and fair with their accounting practices.

But there are always crooks, liars, thieves, and piles in every business you will deal with. That is a given in life as a whole. Giving it away for free or being shortchanged on royalty payments owed is not an option for me. I read Michael Moore is suing Harvey and Bob Weinstein, alleging that the two brothers used “classic Hollywood accounting tricks” to screw him out money he was owed. I have no idea on the real truth, but it shows if a millionaire filmmaker is worried about not getting paid, any independent movie producer better watch their ass too just in case.

The thrilling part of being an independent movie producer at the right time, which is right now, is digital movie distribution is opening up indie entertainment to a worldwide audience. This leads to more viewers and more money being earned by filmmakers. Profit is not a dirty word in my producer’s book. I am not independently wealthy or can afford not to make money from entertainment I produce. I see digital movie distribution as the best platform to distribute independent content and make money for investors, as well as the creators. These were the ramblings of independent movie producer Sid Kali.

There are other how-to books on making movies, but not many are as personal, entertaining and informative as this one is. All killer, no filler! Filmmaking Tactics That Work!