Let's Make a Movie

OVERVIEW

'Lets make a Movie!' gives players (1 to 8 can play) the opportunity to show their skill at producing films that please both the critics and the public (and make a mountain of money in the doing) in their capacity of Studio/Producer. The game is set in the Hollywood of the 1950's, the Golden Age of cinema, and costs and rewards approximate to the values of that era. Like most business games, and movie-making is amongst the most ruthless of businesses, the aim is to make money, and the players have at their disposal a host of stars and lesser actors, directors and scripts, all the tools they will need to put their films into production and then sit back and wait for the box office receipts to pour in - or not, as the case may be.

The available Scripts are classified into twenty-one different genre, Comedy, Western, Melodrama, Sci-Fi, etc., etc. Fashions change quickly in cinema-going, and however good the film, the director and the actors, if the particular genre isn't in public favour when it is released the box office returns will be disappointing, so players need to be aware of which genre are high on the public opinion ladder and which are not. As each game is started a quick procedure sets up the Public Opinion Ladder (the genre are pre-set into six groups and these groups are positioned on the Ladder with a single die roll for each). Every month one of the groups will move up one place, and one will move down, so players need to keep a careful eye on the Ladder and plan accordingly.

To produce a film players take on the role of a studio/producer (in this game those roles are merged into one for convenience) and then have to buy in Scripts and place under contract Directors and Actors (the term covers male and female of all ages including children), paying an Annual Retainer when they do so, and at the start of each year if the Contract is to be renewed. In addition both Directors and Actors are paid a fee per film made (no annual salaries are paid beyond the Retainer).

Scripts have a one-off cost and show the film title, the genre and the Cast List which you, as producer, need to fill. Each of the characters in the film has two or three Role Requirements (henceforward referred to as RRs) which indicate the particular acting abilities that the role demands, and the extent to which that particular ability is relevant to the role. The Actor Cards list all these Role Abilities (henceforward referred to as RAs) with a numerical value from 0 to 12, with the high values being the best. By successfully matching up the actor with the role (making the best use of the actor's abilities) you will maximise the success of the film and the Box Office receipts, as well as maybe putting one of your actors in line for an Oscar for their performance.

The Directors also have their preferred genre and as their input into the final quality of the film is a major factor you will need to find the right Director for a particular Script - or maybe reject the Script if you cannot do so.

Actual production time varies with the film, from 2 to 8 months, and Actors and Directors 'in production' are unavailable for other productions, so plan carefully !