Production Consultation
Every year dozens of new Production Company Start-Ups arrive in L.A. and, every year, dozens of these new Start-Ups fail. Most follow business models established by companies that are no longer in business. The hard truth is that a plan that is even 5 years old is out of date. And again, a plan for a "major" like Paramount is not going to translate into a realistic roadmap for a small company with dreams of one day becoming a "mini-major" (while we're at it, let's ignore the fact that even the largest Studio's, too entrenched to engage in the rapidly advancing digital landscape, have been pushed to the brink of financial extinction). Does this mean we have the answers, that we can show you the key to filmmaking success? No. Anyone who tells you they do is stealing your money. However, Dusa and his creative team, consult with a different approach to producing. We believe that within each entity lies the genesis of their own success and while we don't promise any answers, we strongly believe that the questions asked are critical to one's success. Based on the competition in a crowded marketplace: What is your mission statement? How is your approach different from what everyone else is doing? Do you have a unique plan or model and how committed are you to strictly adhering to it? Being nice and smart and having a "good eye for material" is a place to start but in a town flooded with newly unemployed "nice, smart people" with impressive resumes; how are YOU going to rise above the masses of predatory producers and desperate developers?
On the other side of the coin, we believe that "Content is STILL king." Witness Viacom's recent purchase of NBC/Universal - not to further expand it's extensive distribution network but based on the simple assumption that consumers won't pay for hundreds of channels if there's "nothing good on T.V…." Viacom is betting that "if you build it, they will come" hence their push to create content at all levels; film, television and web. So, if you are in the business of creating content, you're instincts have led you to the right place at the right time. Dusa and his team believe that today the successful producer must have an approach tailor-made precisely to their place in the market and that long-term success will depend greatly on one's ability to stick to their model with discipline and tenacity, lest you run the risk of being a one hit wonder. Once a producer envisions their own unique road to success, then comes the moment to implement that vision.
Dusa offers a different approach to producing through his preference system. While we can't advise you if the niche in the marketplace is right for you, or whether your choice of subject matter offers you the best chance for audience acceptance (no honest group can), what we can do is make sure your plan is focused on your strengths - based on your style of thinking and behaving - and then show you how to maximize your "in-house" and industry communications to better serve your goals. You may be thinking; "You're going to help my communication skills? That's the one thing I don't need…" The bitter truth is, the most basic building blocks to success are often the most overlooked. There is no escaping the fact that behind every "concept" - "project" or "business model" is a real, live person, steadfastly focused on achieving their own personal objectives. Career success, the difference between being a "hired gun" and "hiring the guns" is one's ability to read the signs exhibited by behavior and skillfully navigating the waters of personal relationships. Fact: Communication is the tool that establishes expectations. Expectations are the bridge to realizing one's vision.
We've all heard stories about how great, or, how horrible an on-set experience was for the cast and crew. The difference is not with which job you are tasked, or how much you get paid, but simply, how effectively did the various elements of the project interact. Simple to say - hard to do. Perfect communication, from the Key Grip to the Lead Actor, is what establishes expectations - the key to fulfilling one's potential - and, in the end, fulfilling your potential is why we're all here. This is Phase One of Dusa's approach to consultation: COMMUNICATION. Dusa utilizes his preference system to instruct the director on how to recognize specific personality traits of cast and crew. By speaking their language, a producer/director now understands why their making a hire based on more than resume, based on "a fit" with other "hires" and maximizing the effectiveness of each cast/crew member.
Maximizing effectiveness leads to Phase Two: RECOGNITION. Dusa's preference system maximizes a productions' potential by recognizing "cues" and hiring the right person for a job. Most people under-estimate the importance of hiring within one's "personal preference." People work best when they are placed properly in what they excel at - nothing is more frustrating than to hear someone rave about how excited they are to be doing a job only to find they have no skill for it. Once an individual understands their thinking-style-preferences, the door is opened to improved communication, leadership, management, problem solving, and decision-making; all critical tools required to express your best self.
Our preference determines what we pay attention to, how much emphasis we give a topic, what we learn best, what turns us on, how we communicate, how we interact within the world we do business - and influences what we are successful at. No matter what bottom-line objective you have with a person, affinity and interpersonal relationships will go a long way to assist you in a business where trust is a scarce commodity. And, like Dorothy on the road to Oz, the filmmaker will encounter a number of odd characters (called "industry professionals"), each with their own agenda's and all with their own unique approach to work (their own "preferences"). Your ability to utilize a "preference-based" approach will ease the process of your own journey.
Project selection; why this project (your preference), who are the audience, who are the buyers, how does it appeal to decision makers (marketing/distribution), appeal to actors, financiers? All with their own preferences.
Development; which writer is best for the material…or, which writer can I work with; recognizing preference means better communication which equates to a narrower communication gap and less time between "notes" and re-writes.
Cast; this means, not only appealing to actors preferences but dealing with agents/managers which have decidedly differing agenda's and preferences.
Financing,
Distribution,
Marketing,
Theater owners…all with their own ideas about your project and each with their own preference about the best way to work toward a goal. Whether we're instilling a previously unrecognized awareness in someone new to the industry or putting a different slant on the approach a "seasoned" pro takes to their work, Dusa and his team give you another tool in your pursuit of excellence.
If you want a lasting, profitable company, utilizing the strengths within your team to ensure efficiency, productivity and success, contact us at info@pierodusa.com
Back to the top