Happy Monday, Dear Listener!

This was intended to go out on Friday, but sometimes life happens so here I am popping up on a Monday. January has been a whole year long. How are you holding up?

Sundance wrapped up on Friday. Did you attend? I was not able to make it and felt only a few pings of FOMO. If you were triggered by others frolicking in the snow, you are not alone. Remember, however, that there’s always a reverse angle we don’t see.

I’m told it was a quiet year in Park City. Perhaps the emotional state of many impacted by the wildfires had something to do with that? TheWrap noted the “low sales, no standouts" while pontificating on where does independent film go from here?

Here’s a list of films that have sold so far.

While indie films continue to get made, the distribution model is essentially broken. Nothing new there. We keep waiting for a knight in shining armor to fix our distribution pipeline woes, but y’all…the prince ain’t coming. We have to rescue ourselves. I don’t have the answer, but I'm keen to be a part of the solution. 

Meanwhile, the controversy surrounding "The Brutalist" using generative AI has been on my mind. 

AI was used to refine the Hungarian accents of lead actors Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones in their Hungarian dialogue scenes. Naturally, this raised questions about the authenticity of their performances, especially as Brody is considered a frontrunner for the Best Actor Oscar.

Brady Corbet, the film's director, defended the use of AI, stating it was only used for Hungarian dialogue and did not alter the actors' performances in English. It sparked debate about the future of AI in filmmaking and its impact on artistic integrity and awards consideration.

Where should we draw the line? “Maria” used Respeecher to clone and replicate the voice of the real-life Maria Callas, whom Angelina Jolie portrays. “Emilia Perez” used AI voice cloning technology to enhance the vocal performance of Karla Sofía Gascón, helping her hit notes outside her vocal range. 

Which, side note DAMN GURL! Tomorrow’s minisode will dive deeper into the backlash over her very offensive Tweets.

My two cents is that the decision to use AI in filmmaking and to create art should be made thoughtfully, balancing innovation with ethical responsibilities.

What do YOU think? And will I see you on Wednesday? I sure hope so…

As always, thanks for doing this life thing with me!

PAST EPISODES

Ali Loewy - Executive Producer of THE SUBSTANCE

Lynnette Ramirez - President of Bassett Vance Productions

Kate Gersten - Screenwriter of THE LAST SHOWGIRL

Sara Spring - Producer and Former Studio Executive on Shooting in Spain

UPCOMING HAPPENINGS

Budgeting Workshop - You asked and you shall receive! Announcing a budgeting workshop with me soon.

AOP Mixer -  RSVP to join us Wed February 5th at 7pm.

Emerging Filmmaker Program - Applications are open to female-identifying, early-career filmmakers based in Washington state. Deadline 2/28. Apply

WILDFIRE RESOURCES

Location Managers FTW! - The Eaton and Palisades Fire Photo Project connects Location Managers & Art Directors to Homeowners, Renters and Business Owners affected by the recent fires.

GoFundMe -  Thanks to those who joined our Yoga fundraiser a few weeks ago! We raised over $500 to donate to the various crew impacted by fires.

FFireAid - L.A. Wildfire Benefit Concert - Incredible artists like Billie Eilish, Alanis Morissette, No Doubt, Green Day, and Stevie Wonder performed to raise funds. Watch on YouTube.

PRODUCER’S CORNER

• READ | Philanthropic L.A. Fire Recovery Initiative - Newsom taps Magic Johnson, Casey Wasserman, Mark Walter to help rebuild LA. -   Link

• LEARN | Future of Investing in Indie Film - Jeff Bowler and Michael Becker on innovative financing strategies, risk mitigation, and the future of entertainment. Link

• GROW | How to Stay Positive - Harvard positive psychology Link

• WATCH | Barb & Star Go To Vista del Mar - I love this movie so much. It’s silly, it’s fun fun, it’s about female friendships, and of course, culottes.  Link