Disclaimer: I want to be sure folks understand that my overview of Black Film history is extremely brief here and I do not profess to be a film history guru.  I will fully admit that many of the things stated here are generalized for the sake of brevity, and that an entire book could be written on this subject.  I simply tackled it for the big picture affect.  This idea was sparked from my last entry regarding my review of Red Tails, and the ensuing clamor I saw happening the weekend it premiered.  Enjoy.

George Lucas appeared in various places to promote Red Tails, a film paying homage to the Tuskegee Airmen. In a viral explosion, Facebook, Twitter, blogs and various other media quoted Lucas on how he couldn’t get financial backing from major studios for Red Tails because of its all Black cast. In the minds of major film studio execs, an all Black cast for any story would not generate enough sales domestically or internationally. Lucas shared the logic of the execs with blunt terms, and said that he put $58 million of his own money to distribute the film. Lucas had confirmed the racism within the Hollywood system, and it became a rally cry to support Red Tails with its dollars to disprove “the suits”. Various other Black writers and bloggers were skeptical as to why they should see the film, even using Lucas’ interracial relationship as fodder for their criticism.  Nevertheless, the primary voices seemed to shout, “We have to show Hollywood that Blacks have a voice!  If we don’t support this with our money, we can say goodbye to high budgeted, good quality films!”  It was  a call to action to prove the power of the Black audience and their desire for positive portrayals, that all black casts were just as equal to the primarily all White films distributed, as well as pay homage to these Black war heroes. If people didn’t see the film, it would prove the studios right and we would pretty much say goodbye to all Black films.  One must ask, is Black cinema truly in danger of extinction?  Through a brief look at Black film history we see that if extinction were possible, it would be less about the restrictions from major studios and more about the Black community that has diversified in many directions.

Read the rest of this entry →

I was invited to a monthly meeting for a group called M.O.C.I.T.I. (Men of Color in the Industry.  Entertainment Industry that is).  First my friend invited me.  Then on the same day, a girl I hadn’t spoken to in some years hit me on Facebook and told me about it, because a former co-worker apparently goes there often.  Having 2 people at once, completely separate from each other, tell me about it at the same time, I knew I needed to do my best to go.  Boy I’m glad I did.

Read the rest of this entry →

Since when did consumers have less power than the business?  It seems like now the motto “The customer is always right” has changed into “The business is always right.”

Businesses serve the needs and demands of the consumer.  But for some reason it seems like customer satisfaction isn’t cared about.  As if a customer is always replaceable.

I had a situation recently with Pep Boys.  When I upload my letter on the net I will update it with links, but in short I came to them with a problem.  3 times I came to them with an issue with my car, spent $300 on other fixes, but never had my initial problem fixed.  Finally they found the problem, but I couldn’t afford to fix it then.  They didn’t negotiate with me or anything.  I had to wait a few days til I got paid to fix it.  Before I got my check, what happens?  My car stopped dead in the middle of the freeway.  Once I had it towed back to Pep Boys, they blamed ME for it, saying that I didn’t get the issue fixed.  I said by the time they finally found the problem, I couldn’t afford to fix it!

They said “That’s your problem if you can’t afford it, not ours.”

So I went to an establishment who’s job is to fix my problem, and if they don’t fix it after 3 failed attempts, then whatever else happens to my car is on me huh?

Nah son.

I even tried to call their corporate office to make sure I got a refund and my complaint was heard.  Would you believe NO OPERATOR answered the phone?  It was the biggest run around I ever got.  I even had a 20 minute debate about my issue with a person in the complaint department!  They gave me some little refund back but not nearly enough to repair my car.

When I told my friend about it, he made an excellent point.   He said…

“You know it’s funny, how these businesses act these days.  They treat the customers as if they’re disposable.  And then they don’t want you to pirate their stuff, don’t want you downloading, and all these things.  It’s all out there for people to get, and then they blame YOU for it if you take it. The business think they aren’t wrong.”

Everyone, even a lot of musicians, are blaming the consumers for taking the things that are easily available to them.  But companies such as Netflix see the trend, and fulfill the demand.  $9 a month I can order as many DVDS and stream whatever movies I like, as much as I like through my Xbox.  Why should the movie industry try to condemn me for the fault in a system that I’m not responsible for?  If I find it on the internet, I’m probably gonna watch it, because I don’t want any of my time or money wasted.  Have they tried another format?  Are they thinking of an alternative?  Netflix has an affordable alternative, which I don’t mind paying for.  Wish the music industry had that..oh wait..they do!  It’s just not legal in the US yet.

It’s been 11 years since downloadable mp3s came on the scene, and now high platinum sales have diminished piece by piece.   People know that they have the option to not pay.  It’s a optional system now.  I pay if I like it, and if I don’t, then I don’t pay.  And if I do like it, I still may not pay…unless you grab my attention in such a way that I feel so compelled that I must give you my attention and money.  THAT’S when you grab a fan.  And how do you do that?  By building their trust.

Peep what Phonte said recently on Twitter…

“Would you approach random women on the street and ask for p#**y?  No? Well, stop sendin me unsolicited links to your music….My point is that the relationship between artist and listener is built on trust; trust that could take years to build….When I get hit with unsolicited music, my first thought is: *in Hov ‘Imaginary Player’ voice* “I don’t KNOW you.”…The only way to build a following is to start slow and earn people one at a time. This will take YEARS to accomplish….Me and @rapperbigpooh started rhyming together around ’98. We didn’t catch our first real ‘break’ until 5 years later…The path was, and still is hard as hell, but those formative years gave us a solid foundation to build on. This is key.”

Everyone wants it now.  The Internet has made a lot of one hit wonders go from nothing to stardom.  Hell, it happened to Antoine Dodson right?  So now, everyone figures if they can go viral fast enough, then they can blow up!  But those who go viral don’t stay on top long.  Soulja Boy barely hung on with his 2nd album, and his 3rd has yet to come out.  But plenty of people would take the money and run.  But in the end, you may not have as much money as you think you would.  I mean, you put in all that hard work and energy for 15mins of fame?  Wouldn’t you rather it be for the rest of your life!?

This same thing applies to films.  Photography.  Acting.  Getting by with the bare basics won’t work if you expect to make people feel connected to you in such a way that they want to MAKE YOU succeed!  Need I remind you?

If Pep Boys really took their time, and seemed to really care about fixing my problem, even giving a discount, I would have gone to them over and over again, and even told my friends about them.  That would keep them making long term money.

The real money is made in maintaining relationships, not by being the star of the moment.

Artists, you are a business.  Your job is to give people what they want, and what they didn’t know they wanted.  Get to it!

And for the consumers, don’t trip.  It’s your money.  Don’t let these fools tell you otherwise.

Listen to this story.  Wouldn’t you love to be served by someone like this? !

Wouldn’t YOU like to be the person doing that serving, so people could talk about you this way?

Update: One of the guys I had issue with from Pep Boys called me while I was writing this, saying that the email I sent to all of them could be considered “blackmail”.  I said “Respond to me in writing and do not call my number.” *click*

I ain’t the one.

Let’s keep it real.  This summer kinda sucked in terms of films.  Once I saw that long awaited atrocity, The Last Airbender, it was clear this summer was on a downward spiral.  Strangely enough, it seems like cartoons and movies aimed at younger audiences have been gettin the best reviews and drawing in most adults.  What’s going on with films right now?  Why are there so many copycat formatted movies?  What happened to the original stories and the films that pushed the edge for new standards of film?  Yeah OK…Avatar.  Right.  But all that really spawned was a bunch of copy cats.  Now everything is in 3D, or 3D converted.  And the film industry seems to be killing itself slowly by overusing 3D and those terrible conversions that nobody likes.  After a while people are going to stop seeing things in 3D altogether, unless it’s clear that it will look better that way.

Sidenote- What do you do if you have poor eyesight and they give you 3D glasses?  Do you have to wear them on top of your glasses?  That’s seems wack.

Anyway, I have a new small prediction.  Call me crazy, but I think if the movie business stays on this course, it’s going to start crumbling like the music industry.

Let’s go back to about the mid-90s.  Cd’s cost nearly $20 a pop.  And a great deal of them would have a few hot singles, but the overall product was wack.  At some point, some people in the industry figured out if you have some great singles, and just put some filler material on the albums, it wouldn’t matter.  So you can drop a cd every 6 months to a year with just all your material and get back your money without puttin much time or energy into it.  After all, if the radio singles are killer, then people have no choice but to buy the album on instinct.  The CD sales would still be counted even if the CD was returned, and that was that.  The customers started losing out.  You had to wait and see if the album was really worth it.  Then Napster hit the scene.  And we know how the story goes from there.  Now you’re lucky to even go Gold.  Your album better be straight fire from start to finish if you expect anyone to actually buy all your tracks, and not just single songs off Itunes, IF they even want to do that.  It’s an option to pay.

Well think about it like this, the singles were the trailers for the album.  You hear a few good songs like seeing a few good scenes, and you anticipate it.  “Oh that’s gonna be a dope album (movie).”  You end up paying nearly $20, and then what do you get?  A bunch of crap.  2 hours of time gone, for $20.  Nothing to talk about.  Just a few flashy things, and it’s done.

Well now, a lot of films can be bootlegged online.  Torrents.  You name it.  Streaming online.  Folks bootlegging and putting parts on Youtube even.  With Twitter and other online networks the word can spread like wildfire if a movie is bad.  Last Airbender had a $250million budget overall, and over the weekend (with it’s HIGH anticipation/inflated price with 3D tix by the way) made about 60-70million.  Now of course it’s going to open world wide and etc, but some people have gone to see it because they heard it was bad (which I pray won’t become a new marketing tactic).  Then some others stayed away altogether, and saw it for free online.  My own Airbender reaction video got nearly 1,500 views in 4 days.  That’s nearly $30,000 potentially lost from 1 bad review.  And there’s a lot of similar reviews with way more views than mine.

Now films are gong to DVD even faster, which means they will appear on Netflix faster.  Going to the movies really means you want to see it immediately instead of a few months later.

Have you noticed the high amount of movies with names tied to already established followings or have a recognizable name?

Karate Kid.

Last Airbender.

Twilight.

A-Team.

Predators…

I read an article that opened up my eyes that even though they are doing Kung Fu in the Karate Kid, it still has that title because the name Karate Kid is such a recognized franchise.  But before the Karate Kid remake, someone came up with that original plot and script.  Are there anymore NEW original films that are starting their own franchises?  The Twilight  series was based on the book.  Iron Man on the comics.  The new Tron on the old 80s movie.  But many of these films still don’t capture the essence of the books, or the original films.  So as these kinds of films keep gettin released with inflated names, people will wonder if its really worth their time and money.  The films are like huge gift wrapped boxes…that YOU have to pay for!  And you have no idea what’s in there til it’s too late  Could be something awesome, or it could be a Cracker Jack prize.  But, if you bootleg it, or stream it for free, you lose a whole lot less in the gamble.

The only film I see coming so far that seems to have an original concept is Inception.  I can’t wait for that, especially since director/writer Christopher Nolan has made nothin but heat!

I really think there is going to be a point, if the film industry and studios don’t focus a bit more on story quality and move into original film franchises, where people will wait to see the reviews first, and get it for free. They will pay top dollar if, and only if, it really seems worth their time.  They may just pay for one movie, and see the others they want for free.  I’m sure that’s been happening anyway.  But I think people go to a theater for an overall experience.  Seeing a movie on your computer isn’t the same as the popcorn, soda, Red Vines, huge screen, and surround sound.  But some people may not care about that especially in this economy.

So I dunno folks.  You tell me.  Is the film industry headed in the tank like the music industry?  Is there a sacrifice on quality film that is being put out, or is this current trend so far just a fluke?

What films did you see so far this year that were great?  Let me know!  Peace.

This past weekend I started working with a friend on his film project.  He asked me to be the Music Supervisor.  He told me how he felt somewhat jaded with the process of film-making.   He said once he became truly interested in doing film he’d run into a lot of artists who complained about not having their ideas heard. The artists have big dreams that feel priceless to them.  But once he started getting interested in the business side of film, he saw another perspective that many of the sentimental filmmakers dare not admit to themselves…

My friend said “I went to a meeting and there was an investor that said ‘I don’t care how creative your project supposedly is…is it going to make me money?  Why am I going to give you money for it?’”  The part that really hit home is when my friend stated:

“Film is a high risk stock investment.”

As I said before, art to the business person is something to be sold.  You sell as many units (i.e. tickets, CDs, downloads, etc) as possible for profit.  We all love different forms of entertainment.  We praise the creators for their creativity.  But at the end of the day, there has to be some element of it that is going to interest someone to invest their money in it.  Whether it’s the private investor contributing $100K for the marketing, or the consumer giving $10 for the album, it’s an investment.

Being that I am no expert on film, I’m very knowledgeable when it comes to music.  Seeing as a lot of labels are scared to invest in artists these days, I figured why not do my own sort of  “stock” assessment on some fairly well known artists?

This week: Rap artists!

Let’s be clear:

-Yes, this is largely matter of opinion, but I provide my argument.  It doesn’t mean you MUST agree with me.

- Some of this may be my personal taste, but I’d imagine most any other business person would use their sense of taste in things to guide their predictions.

- Anything can happen and I can be totally wrong.  *shrug* Who knows!

-I’m not just using facts and figures but ALSO the level of skill and creativity to gauge this.

So, if I use my creative sense and business sense together, who would I be willing to bet would last?  If I had a label, how would I ration out a budget?  Of course an artist can go platinum today, but if they’re forgotten about 6 months later and can barely move a unit on a 2nd album, that’s not a very successful artist to me.  In my opinion there needs to be a 4 factors: reputation, skill, fan base, and potential longevity.

LOW RISK

Common

Common has a good mix of all 4 criterion.  Fairly well known actor now with a good rep.  Has strong ties with other very respected musicians.  Started by having lukewarm success since 1994, but rose further up as he affiliated with folks like De La Soul, The Roots, Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu, and Kanye West.  I don’t think his film with Queen Latifah will be that great, but that won’t stop his name from being known, and his fans are dedicated.  I don’t think his last album was that great, but that won’t stop him from getting support.  I’d invest not too hefty of a sum, but I’m sure I’d get a good return because people are willing to support him. He already has longevity in the game.

Ludacris

The guy has had a stable career for almost a decade already. He’s versatile skill wise. Has respect from a lot of circles.  His last album got mixed reviews overall, but if he were to put his mind and heart in the studio he could come with a great one. I’d invest some good money betting he’d have some great singles, and with the right budget, producers, and time he’d could come with a great album.

Outkast

Solo or as a duo, these guys have a strong grasp on musicality and what it takes to make an entirely good project.  Most labels would consider them high risk because each of them, Dre and Big Boi, are willing to take creative risks.  But at this point they have pretty much proven that they can sell an album and fans will be dedicated and know off the bat, they will come with a quality product. Since 1994 too?  I’ll bet on them.

B.O.B. aka Bobby Ray

He’s been around for a few years but still considered a newcomer.  But he can play the guitar, sing, has great song writing ability, and makes his message palpable for the whole audience.  Put more money into him and his fan base will grow and grow. I see lots of potential growth here.

MEDIUM RISK

J. Cole

He’s a medium risk in my eyes.  He has been consistent throughout the blogosphere as generally getting love.  He is hungry.  He can rap well. It seems Jay-Z might be testing the product, sending him in various places to make sure he commands the performance.  But, his depth of lyricism and wit may push him more to the side of the “underground” crowd.  It’s hard to tell these days if people really respect lyricism, but I expect him to have a fairly dedicated following and overall respect like Lupe Fiasco.  Someone who can balance their lyricism with the ability to catch people.  This is a hard one to tell, but for his first debut I’d expect his sales to go fairly well.  His 2nd album is the real test of longevity.

Lauryn Hill

Lauryn has seemed to come out of her shell a bit lately and there’s a buzz on whether or not she will come back on the scene.  Well, there’s no question that she has skill and talent on all musical levels.  The question is, whether or not she gets frustrated with the process and stops altogether.  You’d probably have to invest more money in her to give her more freedom.  It’s hard to gauge how the general audience would react to her music though, if she comes with an “OK” song.  She still has adoring fans that want her back though.  If she has just 2 slamming singles, she’ll be going platinum.

Ice Cube

This dude represents the old school now.  A lot of old school artists in Hip Hop are coming back out.  But even still he has done 2 large, packed concerts in the past year and still has love.  I mean, if Cypress Hill can still put on full on concerts and rock a crowd with classic material, so can Ice Cube.  But, will his albums sell, or are people still stuck on the controversial Ice Cube of the days of old?  Controversy used to sell, now, Cube has wound down.  But he’s still rapping with more aggression than most.  Heard his new song on the radio today too.  Not bad. But may not be enough to impress the generation that doesn’t really know his legacy.

T.I.

He has a pretty dedicated fan base, but being arrested for buying automatic weapons when yo ass shouldn’t have been there?  Fail.  People might have forgotten by now, but he can’t afford to put out any tepid material.  I think he needs to come back rhyming harder, without too much sing-songyness.  There was a point where his songs started pushing toward a Pop edge.  I think if he gets back to being a raw artist, he’ll win hearts again.

HIGH RISK

Busta Rhymes

There’s no doubt that this guy can rhyme circles around probably everyone else out.  But unfortunately, he’s spent so much time making club bangers and trying to make catchy tracks that it doesn’t feel the same.  His last album didn’t do well at all (cause it was wack), and his formula of presentation has started to get predictable.  Club banger, then posse remix of the club banger.  He said he was back on his bullshit, but bullshit is not want people want to hear.

Trina

I have yet to understand where her fan base is, or if people truly care about her.  She’s affiliated herself with other big names.  But clearly she’s not that skilled.  I can’t name you the last hit she had or “club banger”.  Maybe her base is all in the South.  I think if she got her lyrics up, got a little more classy, people could feel more dedicated to her.  But, it’s fairly well reputed that women are more likely to buy music than males and support other women more than males.  So if women find something about her to latch on to, then some sales will happen.  But, I dunno where the good material will come from.

Nicki Minaj

At first she looked promising.  Then the wigs and persona became a bit ridiculous.  It was a mix of Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, and Lady Gaga. Branding her image as a Barbie doll?   Word?  Then she changes her voice like she was possessed.  It’s kinda weird.  Listen close, and you see she has the same rap style as Drake, Lil Wayne, and the rest of Young Money.  I heard her new song today where she was singing with auto-tune.  She’ll sell some but she better come out swinging and with bangers.  Otherwise, if the first reviews of her leaked album are bad, her career is done.

Drake

Dude has been on his grind for a while.  Then came So Far Gone, for the win.  Then his Blackberry freestyle with Funkmaster Flex which had people wondering “Um…Is he a real emcee or not?”  Then his video for Best I Ever Had got clowned miserably.  Just about everything he has come out with, there is a debate on whether or not he’s really good.  Then there have been plenty of those clowning his style on Twitter with #DrakePunchlines.  If the general population can mimic your style, and even come up with better lines than you, then you need to step your game up.  He needs to change his style some, get more raw on the mic.  His label has invested too much already for him to fail so they’re gonna saturate us with his songs on the radio and music video play.  He makes some good club hits, he’ll sell well out the gate.  But once the leak of his album comes, if it’s wack?  Game over.  He also needs to get a seasoned vet on his music videos.  And is it just me or does the cover of his new album ruin your eyesight?  He can’t afford anymore mistakes.

Wale

I really wanted to believe in him but I can’t anymore.  That album he put out was not good, and his videos were very weak. Last few recent songs I heard, wack. His style, predictable.  He needs to upgrade his bars, and get back to rhymin over Go-Go.  Otherwise, I don’t think he’ll be around much longer.  I think his fans have largely abandoned him

Soulja Boy

Somehow he’s still making music I guess.  But I don’t know where it’s coming from or who’s paying for it.  Where is his fan base?  I really thought his second album was going to flop, but he held on.  Kiss Me Thru the Phone was his saving grace. He’s tried to step his lyrics up, but they’re not good.  His beats bang, and his lane is to be “Swag Music”.  Stuff to get hype to.  I think he should get a ghostwriter and just make his beats. Otherwise, after his next album, I don’t know if he’ll survive at all.

Now I expect that most industry people would say my list is upside down.  The bigger names are more bankable.  In my view, a high risk artist is “trendy”, and more about image than the music.  There is very little emphasis on whether or not they will have longevity, skill, a dedicated fan base, or potential to grow further.  A lot of artists in high risks are pushing to sell as much as possible and get the greatest return back.  The thing is, if they can’t keep up their character or influence and change the trends, then they’re disposable.  And since music is easy to download before the album is supposed to drop, music is even more disposable overall. Therefore, the actual product needs to be good to ensure that the person who downloads it free will even want to support them.  The majority of people aren’t dumb, they know when a trend is worth buying into and when it’s not.  At least, I think so.

By the way, I find it quite sad that I don’t have more female artists to put in the low risk column.  I wonder why that is…

Next week: R&B artists!