Industry Update
My apologies to those attending our Wednesday night Industry Update zoom call. I was traveling and the hotel clearly lost interest in me using the bandwidth of their Wifi for our zoom call. Alas. Here are a few of the things we were going to discuss. - Christine
Where are people watching films?
The recovery for the film industry post pandemic has an interesting trend. Streaming, streaming, streaming. And, getting a film on Amazon Prime for example, is a lot easier than winning the Sundance lottery of distribution.
Some Stats to Blow Your Mind from 2021
72 percent of the $99.7 billion in screen revenue - or $71.9 billion - was generated by digital delivery. Before the pandemic in 2019, digital markets generated just $45.5 billion. (Meshes with consumer spending.)
Females comprised 34% of all speaking characters, down 2% from 2020 but even with 2019. Christine’s Note: It appears to us that we are taking center stage on the screen now; apparently not. BUT, let’s take a look at some of the strongest performers on the screen and see that they are female centric. Ricardos. Tammy Faye. Croda, etc.
Only 7% of films had more female than male characters, and 8% of films featured equal numbers of female and male characters.
Female characters were younger than their male counterparts, and more likely to have a known marital status.
Nollywood
Nigerian Film Industry is now the second largest geo area for making films. In 2021 2,500 films were made in Nigeria. Food for thought. More info here.
Chicago. Great city for filmmakers.
Chicago is continuing to boom as a center for film & television production. Last summer alone, some 15 productions added nearly $700 million to the city’s local economy. This was due to filmmakers, studios and networks taking advantage of tax incentives. making it cost effective to shoot in the area.
ChicagoMade is also geared toward the public image of film and television production as an economic driver benefitting residents and neighborhoods, note a means for usurpers from LA and NY to swoop in … Check out Chicago Made to see if you should consider Chicago as a place to film, or even move.
In the news…
Not just for screenwriters, but a great read and possible posting if relevant to your brand and work. Adapting a story about outlandish characters with a last name that belongs to a fashion empire and legacy set against the backdrop of Milan in the 70s and 80s, would certainly pique any writers interest. Screenwriter Roberto Bentivegna is no stranger to adaptations; he previously adapted A.M. Home’s May We Be Forgiven and is currently adapting Jo Nesbo’s novella, The Jealousy Man. I had the great pleasure of speaking with Roberto about his approach and writing process for the adaption of House of Gucci and which characters were the most intriguing for him to write. Plus, Roberto shares advice for those interested in adapting a book or true story. Click here to read.