Author: Social

So to start off, please introduce yourself and share some of your career moments that you’re most proud of.

 

Koji: I’ve written 12 feature films and served as a producer on 9 films. My recent projects include a film on Hulu called “Ruthless”, starring Dermot Mulroney, and another film called “Damaged” starring Samuel Jackson. I also was a staff writer on a Hulu show called “House of the Owl”. But one of the favorite things I do is a podcast called, “Unofficial Official Story” where we look at the weird things in the world and make up our own stories about what happened.

 

Now as it relates to Lady Samurai, what attracted you to this project and what excites you most about it?

 

Koji: I have always loved samurais and samurai culture. There is something so elegant and beautiful about it. As a kid, I practiced a martial art called Kendo, which is the martial art that samurais used to train to fight with swords. I did it for almost twenty years and ended up as a black belt. My time doing that made me really appreciate how elegant and dangerous fighting with swords really is. 

 

Is there any aspect of Lady Samurai or the history around Tomoe Gozen that you can’t wait to see represented on screen?

 

Koji: I can’t wait to see Tomoe fighting on screen. She’s one of the most badass fighters of all time and to see her taking on some of the greatest warriors of all time is something I look forward to seeing. 

 

You’ve mentioned your appreciation for samurai culture and lore, and even made a comic book about another famous samurai, Yasuke, an African samurai. Between Tomoe and Yasuke, there’s a pattern here around you choosing characters that are outside the conventional understanding of who can be a samurai. Could you elaborate on why these characters inspire you to the point or developing projects around them?

 

Being a fourth-generation Japanese American, I have sometimes felt like an outsider in Japan – despite the fact that my mother is from there. I often see the country as a place that is familiar but also foreign, a place that I am drawn to but also a place that I don’t necessarily belong to. Because of all that, I have always been drawn to outsiders in Japan and their stories.

 

Given your experience, what challenges or opportunities do you see when creating a film project about a historical figure?

 

Koji: One of the challenges with telling any story about a true person is trying to tell a story that is historically accurate. The good thing about Tomoe is that there just isn’t a lot about her, so I was able to use my imagination to fill in the details. That takes a lot of the pressure off of me. 🙂 

 

How did you first learn about Tomoe Gozen and what aspects of her life or story made you realize you needed to develop a film about her?

 

Koji: I learned about Tomoe Gozen while watching a YouTube video about the toughest women warriors in history. I had never heard of Tomoe before that video, which led me down a rabbit hole into her life.

 

What are your hopes or aspirations for how Lady Samurai is received by audiences? Any lessons you hope they take from her story?

 

Koji: I would love to see Lady Samurai inspire a new generation of girls and boys—maybe in the same way I was inspired to learn about sword fighting from Luke Skywalker! 

 

If there’s anything I missed or anything you’d like to add, please do so here:

Koji: One of the things that isn’t mentioned a lot about this story is that it’s really a love story. But it’s not your traditional love story. It’s Tomoe learning to love herself! If I had a daughter, this is the kind of story I would not want her to watch–rather than a princess story about a girl who gets rescued by the prince!

So to start off, please introduce yourself and share some of your career moments that you’re most proud of.

 

Luna: I came from the business/startup world. In the past, I successfully built and exited a few companies. Now, I have brought my business background to the entertainment world, helping independent filmmakers to make their dreams come true. 

 

I strongly support women empowerment in business and entertainment. I set up a short film fund self-funded two years ago,  supporting women and non-binary filmmakers with social consciousness/true storytelling that speaks for minorities.  

 

So far, I have funded six short films all done by female and filmmakers from LGBTQA+ communities. One of the milestones is a short film I financed that was screened during the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, won the Culture award talking about Indigenous women gone missing at their native reservations (there have been more than 6,000 Indigenous women/men missing at native reservations since 2016). We are continuing with our festival circuit with this film, and just got selected by the Academy Award qualified Indy Short Film Festival.

 

I also do hands-on producing for passion projects. It has to be based on true story/events, speaking for minorities and women empowerment. Besides Lady Samurai, I am producing an Iranian woman’s journey, a filipino female with her special needs kids, and an anthology that tells the stories of how America changed through decades.   

 

Now as it relates to Lady Samurai, what attracted you to this project and what excites you most about it?

 

Luna: She’s a badass woman. That’s what attracts me the most. She turned the impossible to possible, to reality.  There is so much about her that needs to be told to the world. 

 

Is there any aspect of Lady Samurai or the history around Tomoe Gozen that you can’t wait to see represented on screen?

 

Luna: Yes, there are historical records about her in Japanese history. There’s a statue of her standing next to Lord Kiso at Tokuonji temple in Japan.

 

Given your experience, what challenges or opportunities do you see when creating a film project about a historical figure?

 

Luna: Hollywood is so creative. But nowadays, audiences want more and more authentic storytelling. It’s very challenging to balance the authentic part of this project with creativity. But we are confident we can do it right. 

 

When you were doing your due diligence on this film project, are there any fun facts or unique tidbits you discovered that made your decision to sign on easy?

 

Luna: Reading stories about her online has already been fascinating to me. I cannot wait to do location scouting and find out more about her.

 

Additionally, what attracted you to Mogul Productions and why are you excited about collaborating with Mogul to produce Lady Samurai?

 

Luna: We are super excited working with Mogul. Not only because they are the experts on NFT communities, they are professional, but also they are so supportive to this project. You always want to work with people who are like-minded and have synergies working together.

 

What are your hopes or aspirations for how Lady Samurai is received by audiences? Any lessons you hope they take from it?

 

Luna: I hope they will enjoy the movie. I hope Tomoe’s story can inspire them that no matter who you are at the beginning, you can dream big and make big things happen.

 

If there’s anything I missed or anything you’d like to add, please do so here:

 

Luna: I just want to express my gratitude to all of you supporting us. I cannot wait for the world to see this incredible project that we all work together to create.

There’s a variety of reasons for why less people are going to the movies these days, whether it’s the abundance of home entertainment options and tech or simply concession prices being too expensive.

 

In some ways COVID certainly played a role, but movie ticket sales were steadily declining prior to the pandemic, even if they only recovered to half of pre-pandemic levels since.

 

Barbie was probably the most successful movie in theaters in recent years (other than Top Gun), and part of that certainly was due to smart marketing but also because it allowed people to have fun with the theater experience. We’ve seen it with superhero movies and things like Star Wars, where if the subject of a film is culturally significant in a broad way, there’s usually more engagement from audiences in the form of well attended midnight releases by fans in costumes and in character.

 

Even then there’s lessons there for films or IP that might not have similar cult followings (yet).

 

Ultimately, the way to get folks back into theaters, especially for new releases, is to sell more than the ability to watch a movie. Theaters and movie makers have to sell an experience or at the very least give audiences something they can’t get at home.

 

While some film purists view the silver screen and the theater experience as a necessary aspect of movie viewing, it’s fairly clear most people will settle for the comfort of their own home the majority of the time.

 

So reframing the problem from that perspective will be helpful towards finding ways to get people into theaters again.

 

With that in mind, let’s explore some possible solutions.

 

1. Benefits For Costumed Attendees

 

Film studios and their theater partners should look to get movie goers personally invested in the theater experience. One area that certainly is low hanging fruit, is to offer opening week perks for any movie goer who gets into the spirit of the film and shows up dressed as a character in the movie.

 

While this may not be possible for every movie, since you know, some movies just have characters who dress like normal people, there’s still plenty of movies that this is possible for. And if some of those perks happen to be free or discounted concession items, it creates an additional incentive beyond having fun, as concession prices are a pretty big reason people choose to stay home.

 

That said, it wouldn’t be fair to not acknowledge that movie ticket prices haven’t exactly kept up with inflation and movie theaters have operating costs they need to cover. So it’s difficult to be too hard on theater owners for using food and beverage to keep the projectors running.

 

2. Unique, Limited Edition Collectibles

 

Surely most people have seen promotions around special promotional cups or suggestive popcorn buckets, but despite their novelty they also tend to be cheap, low quality items.

 

One way theaters and film studios can up their collectible game is to include QR codes on tickets that allow movie goers who attend on opening weekend to have the opportunity to unlock digital tokens such as a branded NFT that can either be resold online or be used to claim a limited edition physical collectible tied to the movie.

 

These can be anything from movie props or thoughtfully curated and well made collectibles that are only produced once in limited quantities. With only so many available, attendees who catch the film on opening night all but guarantee they’ll be able to secure their collectible token and item.

 

It’s certainly one of the ways Mogul is thinking about how Blockchain tech can enhance the overall experience for the audience while also ensuring strong opening nights.

 

3. Creating More Symbiotic Value via Membership Programs

 

As noted above, theater owners do have unique challenges and tight margins to work with. They’ve responded by offering higher prices on concessions, which has had a deterrent effect for audiences.

 

And while some theater brands like AMC have tried to build out membership programs, they under delivered by offering underwhelming or unrealistic perks. While being able to see 3 movies a week for $20 a month sounds good on paper, not so much in reality given the time commitment and only so many new movies to see.

 

If the goal is to get butts in the seats, there needs to be options for members that encourage them to bring a friend or two. 

 

Again, it isn’t exactly a new preference that people would rather stay home than go to the movies. Going back a decade to 2014, before the expansion of streaming options and affordable home theater setups, 58% of people would rather stay home.

And while some do enjoy the experience of attending solo, going to the movies is largely a social experience. Creating membership benefits that offer discounted tickets and concessions based on the number of people a member brings might help move the needle as it relates to incentivizing people to choose the theater over their home.

 

To tie this option into the aforementioned suggestion, these membership programs can also have opportunities to earn outside the theater through strategic partnerships where there are better rewards based on members who enjoy movies in theaters more frequently.

 

These can be anything from collectibles, apparel, props, gift cards, and even one-of-a-kind experiences like getting to visit the set or be an extra in an upcoming film (similar to perks Mogul offers).

 

At the end of the day, the way to get people going to movie theaters again begins with getting them excited about going in the first place.

 

A big screen and booming sound system are no longer enough. More comfortable theater seating and enhanced food and beverage options also haven’t been able to make much of a difference, not even the ability to catch a buzz.

 

Some might bemoan the state of things as a sign that consumers are spoiled and impossible to please, but that’s a cynical view and one that doesn’t solve for the problems theaters are facing.

 

It’s also easy to say studios need to make better movies, but when they do, folks would simply rather wait until it’s on streaming platforms.

 

That’s why the only reasonable approach is for theater chains and studios to collaborate in order to find ways to make audiences feel like there’s more value to going to theaters than sitting at home. Fortunately there are ways to do that, some we mentioned above.

 

Nevertheless, we encourage our readers to share the things that would get them out to the movies more often in the comments, in the Mogul Telegram, Discord, or on our Twitter/X.

 

 

Please introduce yourself, your role with Mogul, and some of the things you’re most proud of as it relates to your career.

 

James: Thanks for the interview. My role with Mogul is Head of Film Production, which involves overseeing the development and production of Mogul’s films. There have been some great moments for me, and I feel fortunate, including winning The Beyond Hollywood Int’l Film Festival, winning Best Director at Cannes Film Awards, Best Actor at the Fox International Awards, and winning Best Actor at the Los Angeles Film Awards. Before moving to Los Angeles, I also won Australia’s Top 5 under 35 in Entertainment in 2019

 

As for Mogul, what are the parts of the job that you’re most excited about?

 

James: I’m excited to help filmmakers get their projects greenlit and open up more ways to make films. The last 5 years have been a disruptive period in Hollywood, first with COVID, then the rise of streaming cut out a lot of cinema distribution, and then last year the SAG strike shut down a lot of productions. However, right now in 2024 is a tremendous opportunity for filmmakers to start to look at making their own films and push to have more creative input in what gets made. The cost of cameras, for example, right now is the lowest it’s ever been, so combine this with the ability to edit and color grade your own footage means some films which would have cost one million to be made 6 years ago can be made for under $50k.

 

Before we get into your career in film, gotta ask, but could you please elaborate on your time as an Auctioneer and how you managed to be a 4-time winner of the Australian Real Estate Auctioneer of the Year award?

 

James: That was a great experience back in Australia. One of the highlights was doing the world’s first cryptocurrency auction in April 2019. We combined Binance Coin, Bitcoin, and cash for a luxury house.

 

In regards to film, how did you get your start in the film industry and what made you interested in pursuing a career in film?

 

James: I studied acting at an acting school called NIDA after finishing high school, but my first taste of filmmaking happened not long after I graduated. I was out in a small outback town in Australia and made a two-hundred dollar short film using the wheat fields and local surroundings. The short was selected as part of the Universal Shorts Film Festival in California That year. This propelled my journey as NBC expressed interest in acquiring a feature version of the short and I started to get more opportunities in Los Angeles.

 

You’ve been involved in many of the key roles in film, as an actor, producer, and director. What role is your favorite and why? And what is your favorite aspect of the different roles you’ve had in the film industry?

 

James: I just love telling stories telling so for me being part of the process is the reward.

 

What are some Mogul projects you’re looking forward to seeing on the screen?

 

James: City of Dreams, in which Mogul was an early investor in, the film directed by Mohit Ramchandani is poised for a US cinema release over the summer, in partnership with Roadside Attractions distribution. The cast includes Ari Lopez  alongside Golden Globe nominee Diego Calva (“Babylon”), Alfredo Castro (“Karnawal”), Paulina Gaitan (“Narcos”), and Renata Vaca (“Saw X”).

 

Are there any types of projects in particular that you hope to see Mogul help develop?

 

James: I’d love to see more of what the audience wants to see made and films  which give people an escape while watching them, something they can watch more than once and enjoy.

 

In 5 years, where do you envision yourself and Mogul Productions? What would you like to see happen in that time?

 

James: I’d love to see those filmmakers now who are having trouble making their films being able to make their own films using Mogul and share their stories and talent for a global audience.

 

The Cannes Film Festival of 2024 unfolded against the backdrop of the French Riviera, offering a captivating display of international cinema at its finest. This year’s festival was a true testament to the enduring allure of the silver screen, with a lineup brimming with captivating stories and heavyweight industry leaders.

 

At the forefront of the festival were the remarkable journeys of filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola and Mohammad Rasoulof, whose industry passion shone through as they presented their latest works to the world. Coppola’s “Megalopolis” and Rasoulof’s “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” captivated audiences and served as powerful reminders of the transformative power of cinema to inspire, provoke, and challenge.

 

Roberto Minervini, Rungano Nyoni, and Coralie Fargeat were just a few of the other deserving recipients who brought their unique voices and perspectives to the forefront, enriching the festival with their creative vision and narrative prowess.

 

Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez” and Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine as Light” were among the standout films that captured the audiences and critics attention, earning accolades and praise for their compelling storytelling and stellar performances as well as Sean Baker’s “Anora,” which dazzled audiences with its raw emotion and cinematic brilliance, ultimately taking home the coveted Palme d’Or.

 

Mogul Productions President of Production, James Pratt, remarked, “ It was tremendous to see some of the legends of Hollywood getting recognition this year at Cannes , in particular seeing George Lucas  being awarded an Honorary Palme d’Or by his colleague and friend, filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola.”

 

In an industry constantly evolving, Cannes serves as a beacon, reminding us of the enduring power of storytelling and the profound impact it has on shaping our cultural landscape. 

 

As the curtains close on another remarkable edition of the festival, anticipation builds for the cinematic wonders that lie ahead, igniting our collective passion for the art form and reaffirming its place as a cornerstone of human expression.