Says Wachtel, “We know the web series medium is not the most popular. But to date there has never been a serialized, online show about the entertainment industry created by the insiders themselves. We want this to be branded as a show made by Hollywood assistants, for Hollywood assistants. And because we want to direct in the future, this is a way we can hone our skills and stay busy. Anyone can make a short film – why not make many short films, and make them for a specific audience?”

The series is expected to satirize many fixtures in Hollywood – the producers are taking liberties with the humor and are apparently not concerned with how offensive the show may be at times. The first episode is said to feature a mockery of Michael Bay.

Wachtel and Copeland plan to release episode 1 entitled “The Voice” online October 2nd, which is the anniversary of the first ever airing of Rod Serling’s “The Twilight Zone” television series. The two see this as a fitting homage to a filmmaker who gave them inspiration for their own series. Wachtel sees serialized entertainment as an asset to companies like Funny or Die, College Humor, Break.com and even Deadline.com who rely so heavily on relevant content. His short term goal is to co-produce Season 2 of the series with said companies while pooling from their access to celebrity talent. Wachtel and Copeland are looking to involve as many entertainment professionals as possible in the process.

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Ed Helms in "The Hangover: Part II"

Everything about this new script is just plain lazy. A monkey was substituted in for a tiger. Gunshot wounds replaced tazer wounds. A tattoo on Stu’s face took the place of his previous dental deformity. Alan’s roofies were switched out with muscle relaxers and ADHD medication. Justin Bartha’s character was once again a plot device – why isn’t he allowed to have fun with the other guys? Oh that’s right, he’s not funny. The film itself wasn’t all that funny. Ok it was kind of funny. Sort of. So-so. Isn’t it frustrating how the film never lives up to the buzz? That being said, the film will likely creep towards $1 billion international grosses. So tell me, how long will this already franchise drag on? I’m guessing it’ll make it to seven films. The eighth will be straight-to-DVD.

Kevin Smith speaks about his film "Red State" at Sundance 2011.

In what distributors considered a self-aggrandizing, eulogistic rant, Smith snubbed buyers when he revealed at this year’s Sundance Film Festival that his new film Red State wasn’t even up for sale. He has instead decided to release the film on his own on the 17th anniversary of his 1994 Clerks release. Emphasizing a reactionary approach to indie filmmaking, Smith explained how he believed his film would generate more profit if distributed by himself and without the burden and price-tag of involving a studio.

“It’s not enough to just make the movie. We have to learn how to release the movie because true independence isn’t making a film and selling it to some jackass. True independence is schlepping that shit to the people yourself. And that’s what I intend to do.” At this point of Smith’s speech, most of the crowd welcomed his words with a lengthy applause while others (namely distributors) felt slighted and prematurely walked out.

Smith is convinced that if his film can successfully generate a profit without the middle-man distributor, that he will open the doors for the masses to bring their films to a theater near you without the requirement of having deep pockets. The question then becomes, is it appropriate or even wise for the designated entertainees to take part in the actual entertainment that is intended for themselves. This is a little bit of a Haily Mary for Smith, that will either leave him looking like a genius or a fool. We’ll check back later to see how his plan holds.

Charlie Wachtel is a Senior Writer for The Film Crusade and Founder of www.filmcrusade.com.

Now for the highest hurdle. (Between you and me), I’m not so sure Congress is enthusiastic enough about film futures to embrace them for the long haul. Nobody wants another Bernie Madoff on their hands. And I bet film futures isn’t “top of the list” for these guys. Take a gander at the shady insider mess going down at Disney and you’ll see just how problematic this whole film futures idea may be. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the  F.B.I. intercepted an attempt of an assistant to Disney’s head of  corporate communications, who tried to transmit Disney’s early quarterly reports in return for cash.  Shortly thereafter, unreliable reports blitzed the internet that Disney had plans to sell ABC.

This is before the Film Futures Era. Just think of the potential magnitude of corruption and fraud this new kind of business can breed after the fact.

Film futures could very well turn the Tinseltown tradition into a trigger-happy, every-man-for-himself proverbial war-zone. Think about all of the possibilities for corruption that exist. It takes hundreds of people (more often than not) to put together a theatrically-distributed film. These people all have a stake in the process and are therefore all empowered to contribute to the success of a film. That being said, these people may as well be termed Hollywood day traders–their work and involvement in the film will largely determine whether the American public sees their film, which in turn determines how much money the American public will profit.  So think about the possibilities here, folks.  For all we know theatrical exhibitors can become the NBA-equivalent of referees, being paid off to allow or bar certain films from being shown in their theaters.

With these ideas considered, it is still impossible to physically make someone pay for a movie ticket. Though I doubt there isn’t someone out there already figuring out a way to conquer this.

Film futures has its merits. By directly involving the American movie-going audience into the process, the industry itself is bound to garner a lot of interest and attention, potentially resulting in another golden revival for Hollywood. The audience with the highest cinematic IQ can now apply a financial perspective to the business (again, for better or for worse). But admittedly, there’s no country better prepared and more experienced in movie-watching to take on this kind of challenge.

Stay tuned for more commentary on film futures. I’m not quite sure how this will all go down, but I guarantee there will be drama.

Charlie Wachtel is a Senior Writer for The Film Crusade and Founder of www.filmcrusade.com.