[B5JMS] JMS: Re: Babylon 5 Universe Novels?

[b5jms at mail.fsl.cs.sunysb.edu]

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From: "KoshN" <macthevorlon at yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 16 Oct 2005 21:51:50 +0000 (UTC)
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Re. the new novels that were (are?) going to be coming out:

Were they graphic novels or regular (all words) novels like the last
three trilogies?

Is there a chance that the new novels are still going to come out, or
is that project 100% dead?

KoshN




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From: "Carl" <cengman7 at hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2005 02:20:51 +0000 (UTC)
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<jmsatb5 at aol.com> wrote in message 
news:1129763371.988536.28150 at g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
> As a producer, my revenue from the DVDs is tied to the overall profit
> of the show, which is still showing $50 million in the red (thanks to
> creative accounting), so I get zero off the sales of the DVDs as a
> producer.
>
> As a small potted plant, I get even less.

So the accountants (who are apparently fiction writers in their own right) 
make
money on the DVDs and you don't.

After so many years of this I would have thought that the various guilds and
unions would have found away to make the process more honest.

I'm not a big fan of unions, but this makes a case for some.

Carl





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From: Jan <janmschroeder at aol.com>
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2005 03:33:43 +0000 (UTC)
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In article <7d6dnTCfnO18Y8veRVn-sQ at comcast.com>, Carl says...
>
>
><jmsatb5 at aol.com> wrote in message 
>news:1129763371.988536.28150 at g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>>
>> As a producer, my revenue from the DVDs is tied to the overall profit
>> of the show, which is still showing $50 million in the red (thanks to
>> creative accounting), so I get zero off the sales of the DVDs as a
>> producer.
>>
>> As a small potted plant, I get even less.
>
>So the accountants (who are apparently fiction writers in their own right) 
>make
>money on the DVDs and you don't.

Almost to add insult to injury, the costs of those accountants are (or were)
being charged against the show, too, I'm afraid.

Actually, as an accountant, I can tell you that it's perfectly reasonable and
necessary for expenses incurred by the studio overall to be spread amongst the
individual shows.  What I don't get, because I've never seen a set of books for
a studio, is how it can be so everlasting and ongoing (if it actually is).

>After so many years of this I would have thought that the various guilds and
>unions would have found away to make the process more honest.

I'm not sure that it is dishonest, no matter how much I might wish JMS were
getting a cut of the money brought in by the DVDs and other items.  It's not
even 'creative accounting' but standard business practice.

Put it this way...JMS has said that B5 cost about $110 million to make.  That's
what the *budget* was, though, the controllable expenses, not what it actually
cost.  Even though the B5 soundstages weren't on the WB lot, it's still only
fair and reasonable that, being a WB production, a portion of the costs of
running WB should be charged against the show as overhead.  That includes such
items as security, storage, office personnel, all those high-paid execs and
*many* other charges from striping the parking lot to loan interest payments to
taxes to paper clips (and yes, even that set burning down in Latvia).  *All* of
those charges would need to be distributed among the shows in production because
without the structure of the studio, no shows would get made.  Chances are,
that's where the huge deficit occurred starting the first day B5 went into
production.

That's why the difference between a show 'making money each year' by bringing in
more in advertising than the budgeted expenses to make the show can be hugely
different from what shows up on a profit and loss statement.

What I don't know is for how long things can be directly charged against a show
no longer in production.  If there are still 'overhead' items being charged
against the show, I'd be kind of surprised.  Items such as production costs of
the DVDs would be about all I'd expect any longer with the possible exception of
advertising and sales items.  I wouldn't know that without seeing a statement,
if then, since I'm not that familiar with the industry.

Hopefully if any of this contradicts what JMS has seen on his statements, he'll
let us know.  At any rate, this concludes the 'more than anybody *ever* wanted
to know about Accounting' portion of tonight's entertainment. ;-)

Jan


-- 
Here, gathered together in common cause 
We agree to recognize this singular truth 
and this singular rule: 
That we must be kind to one another.
                           G'Kar (J. Michael Straczynski)


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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2005 04:27:59 +0000 (UTC)
Lines: 73

And by the by...just to keep some measure of perspective on all
this...for as much as I may grump about the profit situation, and the
DVDs, the ones who *really* get screwed the most on this are the
actors.  Their reoyalty formula is even worse than the WGAs, and when
it comes to making the DVDs...

Back when they were doing the first season or so, WB called me in for a
meeting.  Very important, they said.  So I go in and sit with them.

"We have a problem," they said.  "Andreas and Peter won't do
commentaries or interviews, and Walter doesn't want to let us use his
footage from the documentary."

"Why not?" said I.

"They want to get paid."

"Then pay them," said I.

"That's not our policy," said they.

"Then change it."

You would think I turned to the Pope and said, "Who farted?"

"We can't change our policy, it's our policy."

"Of course you can," I said.  "It's not as if Your Policy exists
outside the natural realm, like some kind of Greek perfect ideal.  You
made the policy, and you can change it."

"If we pay THEM, then EVERYONE is going to want to get paid."

"And that's bad how?" I asked.  "You're putting actors on camera or
behind a mike.  Asking them to perform.  They should be paid for that."

"Well, we want you to talk to them, tell them it's important to you
that they do this."

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because they're right and you're wrong."

"Doug has said he'll talk to them."

"That's not my problem.  I won't do it."

"We're asking you as a personal favor.  Talk to them."

So I talked to them.  I called the actors in question, who said, in
general, "They won't pay me."

"I know.  So don't do it."

"You're okay with that?"

"Absolutely."

"So...why are you calling?"

"I promised I'd call, so this is my call, to say good for you."

"Oh."

And that, as they say, was that.

Which is also, incidentally, why Harlan wouldn't do the DVDs.

jms