8th
Answered Prayers of the Caveman
Answered Prayers of the Caveman
There has been for ages a plague in our land. We Warriors have hailed our own demise through ignorance beset by our own primal greed. The need for the survival of our people is paramount! We must make this our driving factor - promoting cooperation among Tribes.
I recall, not many moons ago - foodstuffs; stalked, felled, and gathered to each of our dens in collective fashion - the most proficient of us being among the most fortunate and the most prolific. The Gods are calling us to communion; forcing us to face the darkness that dwells amidst the forest regions. The plague and the blessing are one in the same! The Shahman, our forseer has envisioned the Great Enigma - a ‘dinosaur’ that must be slaughtered so that our Tribespeople can continue to have health and prosper! A great Wooly Mamoth that has for years freely roved about and terrorized; driving away the people and wastefully trampling underfoot gleanings, to even the extent and boundaries of our nourishing woodlands…
… Okay already! .. enough with the Ancient Tribal talk! Here’s my idealistic view of what I like to call “Indie Film Yielding - a Method to Co-Op Syndicating”:
In this sophisticated world, a mediocre film will gross on average one hundred million ‘clams’ the first weekend it airs. That, my friend, is what you might call a huge dinosaur! A singular Expedition, a hunt (the film debut) taking place over the course of one collective weekend can erase all debts incurred in the making, releasing, and initial promoting of that film. Sadly but not suprisingly, the spirit of greed found in certain classes makes it so that - not everyone involved in the collaborative effort recovers a fair take on their (offerings) contributions.
Have you ever thought: What is one hundred million clams split? Well, one quarter of that is twenty-five million, which leaves seventy-five million overall. For now, let’s call that larger amount ‘Leftovers’. Let’s instead focus on just half of twenty-five million clams .. which is twelve and a half million clams. Twelve million, five hundred thousand clams divided between two hundred fifty Tribes equals fifty thousand clams per Tribe; a pretty decent mullosk collection by any individual standard ! But what sacrifices must be made to garner this kind of prestiege?
This, my fellow ‘Poo-Bahs’ is where it gets interesting! Word has it that the Oracle Class has offered a means of crafting and implementing a very special weapon; a grand Spear, envisioned by the Shahman that is certain to bring down the Beast so that all the Tribes people may once again become fat and satisfied! It has been our faith and our experience that The Dieties are best suited when petitioned by an Offering. Such a gift presented by the Oracle will be purposed to harness certain Magical Means to craft and propel the Shahman’s Spear. But the Spear alone has no chance of piercing the Beast unless bestowed with the spellbinding Spirit of the People as evoked and interpreted by the powers of the Shahman. That Spirit within the Spear shall slay the Mamoth, cleaving its heart; bleeding it out upon the hollow of its shaft in an instant, right there in the place where it stands!
Two hundred fifty Tribes are needed - each to provide an Offering of one thousand clams used to procure an arcane accelerant - the Magical Means which wholly activates the inimical secret infused within the sacred weapon! Our brothers, our Heroes, the Clansmen shall faithfully, willingly, unfailingly work together and certainly find success directing the weapon at the very heart of the beast. A gross yield of fifty thousand clams per thousand clams offered in procurement of this mighty Spear will serve as remuneration to each chosen Tribe in honor of their sacrifices!
( … i’eap! … should’a been a speechwriter for the Mayor of Bedrock!)
Let’s recap: Just one eighth of “the one hundred million clam Mamoth” is ample to feed all two hundred fifty contributing Tribes abundantly! (I mean seriously .. fifty thousand is a fabulous return on a very minimal risk investment!) If our weekend Warriors’ kill happens to be larger than expected, the overall yield automatically grows larger! Processing, preparing and launching the weapon is the catalytic action of the accelerant, the Magical Means; the prudent use of the Dieties’ blessing - that ‘four million clams’, secured and used to produce and air this! .. Our glamorous Indie Creation! In this one hundred million scenario, the yield on the four million clam advance is up to three and one eighth times that amount - coming from the unused twelve and a half million clams; the remaining portion of the twenty-five million clams we set aside to work with earlier.
This all creates several avenues of advantage for the savvy Investor. 1). Stand by the film. Invest a thousand clams as a Tribesman to claim the aforementioned fifty thousand clam yield 2). Stand under the film. Put up with initial sacrifices and modest stipends until the Spear has hit its mark and claims a victory 3). Stand for the film. Be positive, stay positive, and promote positivity among fellow filmmakers in whatever capacity they or you may support. 4). Work for the film to claim the five thousand clam stipend (a mil., {part of the four mil.} split two hundred ways covering cast & crew personal expenses) 5). Work on the film to claim a separate “sweat equity” based variable percentage of revenues through residual installments 6). Work in the film to claim a relegated and apportioned lump sum of net revenues from its three day weekend Premier 7). Work through the film to claim external profits from promotional side ventures of your choosing The Dieties shall find favor, they themselves free to choose a path to follow, as the restful smoke of the fatty pieces (the ‘Leftovers’ and revenues from successive airings, [minus any prior contractual earnings agreed upon]) wisp blissfully through the land. Should they choose to continue in their benevolence, the Dieties will be of benefit, not only to themselves - becoming the first choice of go-to Companies in this sought after and coveted ‘ideal’ - but also to all onlookers who will hail them as Leaders in a prolific, innovative, emerging new market!
Character Roles => The Dieties - grant blessings; suppliers of the four million clams used to complete and promote our film The Oracle Class - petitions Dieties for Magic Means; My current Funding Agent who has access to the suppliers of the four million The Shahman Class - interprets the Spear’s spirit, organizes Spear development; Actors, R&D Teams, Script/Screenwright, Producer, Director, Legal, Marketing The Clansmen Class - assist Shahman, and launch the Spear; Film Crew, Gophers, Stage, Makeup The Tribes Class - provide offerings and await yield; ‘one thousand clam Investors’ The Dinosaur; the Mamoth; the Beast! - an elusive enigma worth at least one hundred million clams when brought down The Spirit of the Spear - the Screenplay’s interpretation in its rendered film format The Spear - the crafted object; a finished product premiering for the first time in any mass media element capable of hailing the Beast The Offering - a thousand clams per Tribe sent to the Oracle to provide the means to craft the Spear The Magical Means - THE FIRE ELEMENT!; the four million clam gift from the Dieties used to conjure, craft and hurl the Spear The Expedition - an exclusive opportunity to embark on the journey of a lifetime!
Copyright Aug8, 2008 M. Bailey, Jr. SBGStudiosNJ PO Box 385 Rancocas, NJ 08073 contact0sbg@yahoo.com