OUR MISSION

Festival Quality Genre Films.

It all begins with the screenplay...

Recently, Summer Redstone (who owns Paramount) said in an interview: "We are paying the talent (actors) too much. Because it is not the talent that makes the movie, it is the script. The play's the thing, as someone once said. And if you have a great script, the talent rushes to appear in it and not at too heavy a price."

Screenplays are even more important after the DVD revolution. Customers today don't rent movies, they *buy them*. So the decision isn't about spending $2 on a rental, it's about spending $20 to own a DVD. That means the movie must be something they will watch again and again. More than ever a movie needs good reviews and good word of mouth from the target audience.

Some movies retain their value on DVD and are constantly reissued in new editions at full price ($20), while others end up in the discount bin for $5.99. Why is it that GHOST, a film from 1990, currently retails for $20 when GHOST DAD - a film which had a bigger star, higher profile, bigger budget, and bigger push from the studio when it was released in 1990 - is a discount bin footnote ($3.99)? Why are some low budget films prized collector's items and others discount dump bin fodder?

Many producers probably haven't figured out what Redstone *knows* - the entire movie business, be it big budget summer tentpole movies or low budget genre films - all depend on good screenplays. After almost 20 years in this business, the one thing I've seen on every level is the influx of the "suits" - producers who see films as products like any other. They don't care about films or story quality. They throw in a star or a car chase and think that's enough... and we end up with crappy films filled with stars and CGI... but no story.... and no shelf life.

There are star-driven movies and director-driven movies... but no writer-driven movies. That has to change. A good script - even on a low budget genre flick - will result in higher profits for everyone. And a good script costs just as much as a bad one.

At FIRST STRIKE we are all about the story. We don't see films as "product", we love movies. By caring about the movies we make, we are making the best films possible. Films that audiences will love, and films that will stand the test of time. We aren't just looking for an opening weekend or a quick DVD buck, we focus on making films with a shelf life. Films that people will want to see again and again.

We love movies. We care about movies. Our mission is to make movies that you will love.

copyright 2007 by William C. Martell