Mike Will Downey

In my experience these are the top areas you must excel at during film production. This is just a short look into the business. I'll post more soon. Source First are you going to write your own, or are you going to go out and acquire one? If there is source material - say it's already a book or something like that needs to be adapted, then are you going to purchase the copyright of those rights, or are you going to option the rights? An option gives you a certain amount of time to make that movie before it becomes a purchase. The rights may or may not revert back to the original owner if that option is or isn't exercised. Development You need to hire your writers if you aren't already purchasing a screenplay. You need to do storyboards, package it, come up with a budget, hire a Director, and come up with a complete analysis of all costs. Now you need your financing. Either you are going to get it from a studio or you will get it independently from investors. I...

Storytelling is an art that has evolved over thousands of years. Main characters have ups and downs to shape a story. Vivid images are painted in words.  The human brain processes images 60x faster than words. the brain releases dopamine when there are emotional stories. Neural coupling activates our brain to give our own meaning to stories. Knowing this, you need quality content and a compelling story! Timeline of Storytelling The origin of storytelling goes back to prehistoric times. Cavemen told each other stories orally, and through sign language or rock drawings, for mystical rituals or before hunting. In ancient Egypt, storytelling was used for communications, entertainment, and religious purposes. The Greeks used their stories to explain natural occurrences in the form of myths. Home, the greatest of ancient Greek poets, created the Iliad and Odyssey, two epic poems that lie at the beginning of Western literature.  In Asia, there's a long tradition of s...

Where there's a Mike Will There's a Way The most successful teams contain a workable mix of vision and seasoned, successful experience. After leading many teams, studying countless legendary teams, players, consultants, coaches, and leaders here are my simple steps to great teams! Teams must develop common principles, building trust, positive attitude, work ethic, consideration, and appreciation. Vision - teams need to collectively know what they want and visualize success. Ultimate power can be achieved by putting clarity into action. Individual vision comes after combined vision. Preparation - love what you do, practice with a purpose, strive for perfection, find the confidence within. Fail - teams can take chances, fail fast, and move on. We must learn quickly from mistakes and embrace collective feedback. The best idea wins! Sometimes it's the leader and sometimes a new team member who comes up with solid ideas that are the best solutions to a proble...