Lights... Camera... ACTION!!: A Hollywood Quest

[Duke William of]

Hi Magoose here one of the guys helping Duke.

So we have some bad news.

The quest has been canceled as duke does not want to write it anymore.

I'm going to ask if I can take over for it, because I like this quest, and it would be a shame to kill it

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TBF, Mags, you have been doing a lot of the heavylifting for the quest, so this will be in good hands.

To be clear to everyone, this is just me burning out on imagination of the quest, since my muse has been hitting me over the head a lot with so many different ideas that I just can't find myself too interested in this.

I'll still hang out here, though, since this still does have a sepcial place in my heart.

I'd like to thank you all for making this a wonderful experience while it lasted.

I'd also like to thank @Magoose, @Fluffy_serpent, and @Martin Noctis for doing so much to help prepare and write this quest. I couldn't have done it without you all.

I'll see you all around.

With so many regards, Duke William Of.

 

[werff]

[X] Plan Get Em' Cheap if We Can...If Not Bleed Universal
[X] Plan Clean Sweep

 

[MysteryCPU]

Beyond that, all those plans would have Bruce and Lucasfilms collective wealth dwindle down to near nothing...leaving us open to further attacks by the other Studios.

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I don't think this is supported at all.

The current winning plan, Plan Looney Lucas, costs at most 331 million and pumps in 150 million dollars. The cost is 181 million to the warchest.

The second place plan, Plan Get Em' Cheap if We Can...If Not Bleed Universal, costs 370 million at most and pumps in 150 millions dollars. The cost is 220 million

So, a 39 million dollar difference.

The real difference is what we get by spending the money. In Looney Lucas, we get Warner Animation, which has a bunch of characters with cultural cache but are already past their money making prime. We get THX (which would be very difficult to get its money back at that price) and Dirty Harry (which could). And we get a large number of movies that have already made most of their money. Residuals are decades to make the money back- money we could spend now to make profits. To be honest, this plan seems more tailored for "cool factor" rather than any sort of actual plan to overcome Universal.

In Plan Get Em' Cheap, we get Warner Animation. But, we alwo get DC Comics AND the currently in production Superman Movie. A movie that could rake in hundreds of millions. And DC itself is already a profit making enterprise. We also get Dirty Harry and a nice gift for George in THX. This plan could pay for itself in a few years- not decades.

Besides DC coming with a movie and an actually profit making enterprise, we should also consider our current target audience. With all of the movies we've done, Lucasfilm's core audience are teenagers and adults. Which meshes well with DC comics. Not necessarily with Warner Animation at this time.

And waiting a decade to buy Marvel on the cheap doesn't mean that buying DC now isn't a great plan. We are talking about giving to another company a decade of merchandising, profitable comics, and two-three crazy profitable movies. Because we are tired of superhero movies? We don't need to be that personally invovled- like Taxi Driver or Rocky. Just support and rake in the profits without getting to invovled.

Skipping DC in favor of Warner Animation just isn't a good decision. (I would prefer to get both for the 39 million dollar difference)

 

[Nova_kaiser]

The real difference is what we get by spending the money. In Looney Lucas, we get Warner Animation, which has a bunch of characters with cultural cache but are already past their money making prime.

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Mind explaining this? Because this is just false.

 

[MysteryCPU]

Mind explaining this? Because this is just false.

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Sure. From what I could tell, and please correct me if I am wrong as I don't want to misstate things, the Looney Toons made most of their money from 1933-1964 through a series of shorts and films. They have not really produced much since 1964 in the form of movies. From 1970, they have been involved in TV shows and syndication. Which, the only data I could find was from the 1990's when it was considered a high point of making 8-10 million a year in syndication. Which translates to roughly 3.5-4 million dollars a year in 1977 money. They also have merchandising, but that doesn't have much information. Let's be generous and assume 3.5-4 million dollars a year.

So, you have a studio that went from filmmaking where it was very profitable until the mid-60's to syndication now. Thus, my statement: they are no longer in their money making prime. Not saying we can't get more money out of them (we can if we don't overpay). Just that they aren't the Crown Jewel of a WB purchase- that is DC.

 

[Nova_kaiser]

Sure. From what I could tell, and please correct me if I am wrong as I don't want to misstate things, the Looney Toons made most of their money from 1933-1964 through a series of shorts and films. They have not really produced much since 1964 in the form of movies. From 1970, they have been involved in TV shows and syndication. Which, the only data I could find was from the 1990's when it was considered a high point of making 8-10 million a year in syndication. Which translates to roughly 3.5-4 million dollars a year in 1977 money. They also have merchandising, but that doesn't have much information. Let's be generous and assume 3.5-4 million dollars a year.

So, you have a studio that went from filmmaking where it was very profitable until the mid-60's to syndication now. Thus, my statement: they are no longer in their money making prime. Not saying we can't get more money out of them (we can if we don't overpay). Just that they aren't the Crown Jewel of a WB purchase- that is DC.

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You are missing the point. Because they are culture icons ,they are very profitable if used correctly. That Warner fucked upe and didn't use their potential is their fault. I compare the Looney Toones IP to the Disney cast: Both are animation cultural hallmarks, but LT was mismanged and ignored so they have lackluster sales, while Disney IP only grew in value like we see now.

(sorry for any error, I'm tired and English is my third language)

 

[Orion Ultor]

Just that they aren't the Crown Jewel of a WB purchase- that is DC.

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You do realize that the Looney Tunes vote isn't about claiming a cash crop, so much as it is the farming equipment, right? The animation studio is the thing we're actually after, the characters are just cherries in the orchard. And anyway, DC means nothing without good authors, of whom we're more than likely to hire on before any competitor, anyway.

To pull from Spider-Verse, their successes are not a canon event.

 

[overmind]

You are missing the point. Because they are culture icons ,they are very profitable if used correctly. That Warner fucked upe and didn't use their potential is their fault. I compare the Looney Toones IP to the Disney cast: Both are animation cultural hallmarks, but LT was mismanged and ignored so they have lackluster sales, while Disney IP only grew in value like we see now.

(sorry for any error, I'm tired and English is my third language)

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Personally, i think the main issue with the Looney Toons going forward was that they were too irreverent, too wild, and Warner seemed to think that perhaps that wouldn't do for a respectable studio. If you see the Looney Toones going from the 70's upward it seems like they become more and more sanitized to the point that they are kind of boring.

If we get the cartoons we can create new adventure while keeping the spirit that made them unique, the ones that just did and actd as they pleased and cared not a whit about what others may say about them.

 

[Fanhunter696]

You do realize that the Looney Tunes vote isn't about claiming a cash crop, so much as it is the farming equipment, right? The animation studio is the thing we're actually after, the characters are just cherries in the orchard. And anyway, DC means nothing without good authors, of whom we're more than likely to hire on before any competitor, anyway.

To pull from Spider-Verse, their successes are not a canon event.

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You have read what @Magoose has just answered about your theory, no? DC is perfectly functional as a company and has kept most of the talent that will create the best graphic novels and limited series of the 20th century...

And why would we start hiring English comic book writers in the 80s without owning a Comic Book Company? If we want to buy Marvel in the cheap we are going to have to wait a couple of decades, and then it would be too late.

 

[overmind]

And why would we start hiring English comic book writers in the 80s without owning a Comic Book Company? If we want to buy Marvel in the cheap we are going to have to wait a couple of decades, and then it would be too late.

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You do know that right now Marvel is at one of the most vulnerable points of their history, right? Dear God, we could buy it on the cheap and then get those stories you like so much.

 

[MysteryCPU]

You are missing the point. Because they are culture icons ,they are very profitable if used correctly. That Warner fucked upe and didn't use their potential is their fault. I compare the Looney Toones IP to the Disney cast: Both are animation cultural hallmarks, but LT was mismanged and ignored so they have lackluster sales, while Disney IP only grew in value like we see now.

(sorry for any error, I'm tired and English is my third language)

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Ah. I believe we might be looking at things from a different perspective. Truth be told, Bruce and his friends at Lucasfilm are talented enough to make anything super-profitable. But they could do that without the Looney Tunes IP. I was looking at the value of the branch itself and what value it adds to Lucasfilm: what is unique to Looney Toones that brings to the table that is unique to itself and is it worth the huge amount of money it may take. And, more importantly, why is it that people think its more important than DC comics?

The fact that English is your third language is impressive.

You do realize that the Looney Tunes vote isn't about claiming a cash crop, so much as it is the farming equipment, right? The animation studio is the thing we're actually after, the characters are just cherries in the orchard. And anyway, DC means nothing without good authors, of whom we're more than likely to hire on before any competitor, anyway.

To pull from Spider-Verse, their successes are not a canon event.

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If it is about the "farming equipment"- we are buying a farm that hasn't made a good movie in over a decade and had to resort to moving into synidcation. And we are buying the farm for a lot of money and ignoring a cash mill nearby (to extend the analogy). Wouldn't it be better (if that is the real value of the product) to start Lucasfilm Animation using our own investment? In fact, I think we have a discount to do that because of an omake. Perhaps with Don Bluth.

If you're not interested in the IP- don't buy the farm. Start a new farm and hire the best farmhands. It would be cheaper and (with Bruce's invovlement) the quality would be comparable or better.

Edit:
If Marvel is at the cheapest it is in history- we can buy it cheap, too. But for DC...right now is the start of the Superman movie (it is in production and we would get it). So, it is right before DC movies could make hundreds of millions of dollars that can go into our pockets. Why are we letting another company get those hundreds of millions?

 

[Fanhunter696]

You do know that right now Marvel is at one of the most vulnerable points of their history, right? Dear God, we could buy it on the cheap and then get those stories you like so much.

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IIRC the lowest point for Marvel was the end of the 90s and the beginning of the 2000s, and another really low point was the mid 80s, so ging for the really cheap is going to take several years

And just to be sure @Magoose how much would cost buying Marvel Comics right now? Because it may not be as cheap as you think it will be...

 

[Orion Ultor]

If you see the Looney Toones going from the 70's upward it seems like they become more and more sanitized to the point that they are kind of boring.

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I think that was because of the "concerned parents". I think that Dee Snider said it best to Congress:

"Well, quite simply, as a parent myself and as a rock fan, I know that when I see an album cover with a severed goat's head in the middle of a pentagram between a woman's legs, that is not the kind of album I want my son to be listening to. ... If I read a title on the back of, say, Somebody's Ice Cream Castle, a title called "If the Kid Can't Make You Come," whatever it is, I realize that is a sexually explicit song. By just looking at the cover, looking at the lyrics, looking at, I should say, the titles, that should cover just about all bases. ... The few albums that do not express their intentions on the cover or in the song titles, I think a parent could take it home, listen to it. And I do not think there are too many retail stores that would deny them the ability to return the album for something different."

Spoiler: PMRC Hearing

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0Vyr1TylTE​

[EDIT: He essentially called parents who don't moderate content for their children (we/a)re essentially lazy, given that finding out if it was appropriate or not took about a total of fifteen minutes of consideration at minimum to find the answer.]

If it is about the "farming equipment"- we are buying a farm that hasn't made a good movie in over a decade and had to resort to moving into synidcation. And we are buying the farm for a lot of money and ignoring a cash mill nearby (to extend the analogy). Wouldn't it be better (if that is the real value of the product) to start Lucasfilm Animation using our own investment? In fact, I think we have a discount to do that because of an omake. Perhaps with Don Bluth.

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It's not about the quality, it's about the fact it's cheaper to renovate an existing company with existing connections than it is to start from scratch.

If Marvel is at the cheapest it is in history- we can buy it cheap, too.

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No, we cannot. We've pissed off enough people and do not have enough allies in the Union [as a company] to protect us from a trustbusting accusation.

 

[MysteryCPU]

It's not about the quality, it's about the fact it's cheaper to renovate an existing company with existing connections than it is to start from scratch.

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It might be cheaper to buy an existing company if we weren't in an auction and we weren't also paying for IPs. So, no, starting our own animation branch would probably be cheaper since we aren't paying for IPS and Universal wouldn't be trying to increase the price. Also, when it comes to creative endeavors, quality is always a factor.

So, by starting our own Animation department, it is probably cheaper and might be higher quality.

No, we cannot. We've pissed off enough people and do not have enough allies in the Union [as a company] to protect us from a trustbusting accusation.

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I am not sure where you got the information to be able to boldly proclaim "No, we cannot.". But, I do not believe that there is a comics union. Even if there were, that would assume the government would believe that it severely affect competition- which would be interesting as DC also competes with comics in newspapers and plain old magazines. And Bruce is highly regarded in the political sphere.

It might not be an issue.

 

[Magoose]

And Bruce is highly regarded in the political sphere.

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You do know most of mainstream holly wood hates him right?

As for politics no dice.

Warner Brothers (-10) They are almost too dead to care, and they blame you, even though you had nothing to do with anything. And honestly, good fucking Riddence.

Universal (-5) You made them a lot of money, at one time. Now they see you as one of the greatest enemies to their existence and will do anything to beat your films at the box office and the Oscars.

20th Century Fox (-2) They know your name… And they know you can beat them in the film game.

Disney (-1) So the House that Walt Built seems to like you. Or something, they are sending mixed messages.

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They are all in the negatives.

 

[MysteryCPU]

You do know most of mainstream holly wood hates him right?

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I do. But, when it comes to blocking a purchase of a comic book company by the government, I was assuming the government would make the determination whether to go foreword and sue rather than Hollywood. And I had thought that politicians would have more sway over the SEC than Hollywood.

If I am wrong, I retract that argument.

 

[Magoose]

I do. But, when it comes to blocking a purchase of a comic book company by the government, I was assuming the government would make the determination whether to go foreword and sue rather than Hollywood. And I had thought that politicians would have more sway over the SEC than Hollywood.

If I am wrong, I retract that argument.

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I only say no dice on politicians because as much as the state of California is overseeing it… that's it, they have no power in this circumstance as to where any of the properties are going and even if one company gets everything… it wouldn't be considered a monopoly.

At this particular instance, as I am saying.

It could change in the future.

 

[Fanhunter696]

@Magoose Since one of the main arguments about avoiding buying DC now is that we can get Marvel Comics for a much cheaper price... Can you clarify how much would cost us to buy Marvel in the 70s?

 

[Magoose]

@Magoose Since one of the main arguments about avoiding buying DC now is that we can get Marvel Comics for a much cheaper price... Can you clarify how much would cost us to buy Marvel in the 70s?

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It's less about the money and more trying to convince Stan and the others to let you buy it

But you have enough andblets leave it at that

 

[Fanhunter696]

It's less about the money and more trying to convince Stan and the others to let you buy it

But you have enough andblets leave it at that

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Can you at least clarify if it would cost us significantly less money than buying DC, around the same amount of money, or more than buying DC?

Because knowing that we have enough money to buy it only means that the price goes from 1$ to almost 500000000$ @Magoose ...

 

[Magoose]

Can you at least clarify if it would cost us significantly less money than buying DC, around the same amount of money, or more than buying DC?

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100 mill

And assurances. Among other things

 

[overmind]

100 mill

And assurances.

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YEEESSSS!!!!

*Cough* I mean, good.

 

[MysteryCPU]

Fair.

But, Marvel doesn't have a movie in production. DC is the better buy. Potentially the MUCH better buy if the Superman movie does even close to OTL.

 

[Fanhunter696]

100 mill

And assurances.

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Well, thanks to confirm it

Well as you can see @overmind and @Orion Ultor the price tag for Marvel is not cheap at all... So can you explain to me why buying DC is a bad idea now that we have confirmed that there is no problem with buying both DC and Marvel and the difference between buying Marvel and DC is going to be a few million dollars?

Hell if we buy DC we can recover the investment FAR quicker since we are also buying a project for the Superman movie which was fucking amazing and made 300 million IRL...

 

[overmind]

Well, thanks to confirm it

Well as you can see @overmind and @Orion Ultor the price tag for Marvel is not cheap at all... So can you explain to me why buying DC is a bad idea now that we have confirmed that there is no problem with buying both DC and Marvel and the difference between buying Marvel and DC is going to be a few million dollars?

Hell if we buy DC we can recover the investment FAR quicker since we are also buying a project for the Superman movie which was fucking amazing and made 300 million IRL...

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Dude...I'm tired, I've only responded like a couple of times and both have been brief since I don't want to get into this.

Yet you and MysteryCPU just keep pushing and pushing and pushing and it's just getting a bit tiresome.

So please, can you just...


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk

 

[Fanhunter696]

Dude...I'm tired, I've only responded like a couple of times and both have been brief since I don't want to get into this.

Yet you and MysteryCPU just keep pushing and pushing and pushing and it's just getting a bit tiresome.

So please, can you just...


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk

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Hey, MysteryCPU and I have been respecfuly arguing why we should not skip the chance of getting DC and until the QM decides to close then vote I don´t see any reson to stop... I mean, if we can convince a couple of guys to switch votes then [] Plan Get Em' Cheap if We Can...If Not Bleed Universal wins, so why should we let it go?

I was just asking you to explain your POV, now that the QM has clarified that the main arguments you two were given (the pricetag and the monopoly accusations) were faulty, but If you want I will stop engaging with you on this topic...