PRESS RELEASE
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts: S. Ill. Univ. Press at 800/346-2680
                Rivas Canyon Press 310/454-6525
                Author at 310/477-6842
 
        FILM INDUSTRY CRITIC TARGETS
        MAJOR HOLLYWOOD STUDIO BUSINESS PRACTICES
        Los Angeles--The fourth book in a series by Los Angeles
securities/entertainment attorney John W. Cones on the Hollywood- based
U.S. film industry has been published by Southern Illinois University
Press (SIUP).  Cones' fourth book is entitled THE FEATURE FILM
DISTRIBUTION DEAL--A Critical Analysis of the Single Most Important Film
Industry Agreement.  His earlier book titles include Film Finance and
Distribution--A Dictionary of Terms (Silman-James Press), Film Industry
Contracts (Rivas Canyon Press) and 43 Ways to Finance Your Feature Film
(SIUP).
        Each of Cones' books about the film industry have been
progressively more critical of the manner in which the major studio film
distributors conduct their business.  It is the primary contention of
this fourth book that the pervasive market power of the major
studio/distributors in the United States (their films generate about 92%
of the domestic theatrical box office gross each year) has been gained
and is maintained by engaging in numerous questionable, unethical,
unfair, unconscionable, anti-competitive, predatory and/or illegal
business practices.  Cones states that the feature film distribution
deal is one of the major vehicles for the implementation of the shared
business strategies of these major studio/distributors (i.e., Paramount,
Warner Bros., MCA/Universal, Disney, Columbia/TriStar, MGM/UA and 20th
Century Fox), whose operations form an anti-competitive oligopoly.  A
companion volume How the Movie Wars Were Won, explains the many other
business practices, also regularly used by these same major
studio/distributors to keep a small narrowly-defined group of Hollywood
insiders in control of the U.S. film industry for its nearly 90-year
history.
        In addition to his specialized law practice and his book
writing, Cones actively lectures about film finance and related topics
for such sponsoring organizations as the USC School of Cinema & TV, the
UCLA graduate level Producer's Program, American University (in
Washington, D.C.), UCLA Extension, the USC Cinema & TV Alumni
Association, IFP/West, Women in Film, the California Lawyers for the
Arts, California State University, the Charleston and Houston
International Film Festivals and others.  He also has a World Wide Web
site that includes an online question and answer session relating to
Investor Financing of Entertainment Projects
(http://hollywoodnetwork.com/Cones).  His E-mail address is
[log in to unmask]
        Cones ultimately hopes his research, analysis, writing and
lectures about Hollywood will serve as a catalyst for helping to bring
about long-term and lasting film industry reforms that will permit
greater diversity in film.  Other titles in his book series include
Patterns of Bias in Motion Picture Content; Motion Picture
Biographies--The Hollywood Spin on Historical Figures; A Study in Motion
Picture Propaganda; Who Really Controls Hollywood; Legacy of the
Hollywood Empire; Politics, Movies and the Role of Government; Hollywood
Corruption and Motion Picture Industry Reform.  These latter titles are
currently available in manuscript format direct from Rivas Canyon Press
at 310/454-6525.
 
        The Truth About Hollywood
        by
        John W. Cones
 
        "The most incredible series of books ever written about the
Hollywood-based U.S. film industry!"
 
        BOOK DESCRIPTIONS, PRICE LIST AND ORDER FORM
 
Books Available Through  Publishers, Local Bookstores or Online at
Amazon.com:
 
FILM FINANCE & DISTRIBUTION--A DICTIONARY OF TERMS--Definitions of some
3,600 terms used in the film industry in the finance and distribution of
feature films.  In addition, to the definitions, examples of usage and
commentary are provided for some terms.  ISBN # 1-879505-12-6  Published
by Silman-James Press; Distributed by Samuel French Trade; phone
213/876-0570
 
566 pages--$24.95
 
43 WAYS TO FINANCE YOUR FEATURE FILM--A comprehensive overview of film
finance with a discussion of advantages and disadvantages of forty-three
different ways to finance feature films and other entertainment
projects.  ISBN # 0-8093-1968-3  Published by Southern Illinois
University Press; phone 800/346-2680 or 618/453-6619
                                207 pages--$14.95
THE FEATURE FILM DISTRIBUTION DEAL--A provision-by-provision critical
analysis of the single most important film industry agreement.  The book
clearly demonstrates why it is highly unlikely that anyone will ever get
a "good" feature film distribution deal.  The book also  provides
samples of five different film distribution agreements in its appendix.
 ISBN # 0-8093-2082-7  Published by Southern Illinois University Press;
phone 800/346-2680 or 618/453-6619                      380
pages--$34.95
 
Books Available in Manuscript Format Through Rivas Canyon Press at
310/454-6525:
 
FILM INDUSTRY CONTRACTS--A collection of 100 sample film industry
agreements relating to acquisition, development, packaging, employment,
lender financing, investor financing, production documentation,
distribution, exhibition, merchandising and licensing.  Also available
on computer diskettes (in Word Perfect and Mac).
                                640 pages--$89.95
HOW THE MOVIE WARS WERE WON--A comprehensive analysis and discussion of
hundreds of the specific business practices used during the nearly
90-year span of control of the Hollywood-based U.S. film industry by the
so-called Hollywood control group (or traditional Hollywood management).
                305 pages--$22.95
 
PATTERNS OF BIAS IN MOTION PICTURE CONTENT--A survey of the reviews of
thousands of Hollywood films, which shows that in addition to the
Hollywood preferences for graphic sex, gratuitous violence, offensive
language and anti-authority themes identified by others, Hollywood films
also consistently portray whole populations of our diverse society in a
negative and/or stereotypical manner.  The book also argues that such
portrayals have an anti-social effect on our society.   230
pages--$18.95
 
A STUDY IN MOTION PICTURE PROPAGANDA:  Hollywood's Preferred Movie
Messages--A re-examination of the ways in which Hollywood movies clearly
were used during World War II as propaganda vehicles, and a
demonstration that such techniques have merely been modified slightly
for use in contemporary movies for less blatant but similar civilian
purposes.  This study also provides a description of the populations
that are consistently portrayed in Hollywood movies in a more favorable
light and argues that such portrayals actually rise to the level of
movie propaganda.
                390 pages--$28.95
 
MOTION PICTURE BIOGRAPHIES--The Hollywood Spin on Historical Figures--A
study that shows how Hollywood has selectively provided positive and
negative portrayals of historical figures through motion picture
biographies throughout the history of the Hollywood-based U.S. film
industry right up through the '90s.
                                283 pages--$21.95
 
POLITICS, MOVIES AND THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT--This book provides an
historical look at how the Hollywood-based U.S. film industry has
manipulated and influenced the U.S. government throughout much of the
industry's nearly 90-year history, and shows how that abuse of influence
continues today.  It therefore annihilates the notion put forth by some
that there is no role for government in legislating or regulating the
conduct of the U.S. film industry.  This book also examines the nearly
90-year relationship between the development of U.S. antitrust laws and
the movie industry.  In addition, it raises serious questions about
whether the famous Paramount consent decrees accomplished their purpose,
and whether the federal government has now been captured by the powerful
film industry, at least with respect to the enforcement, or the lack
thereof, of the U.S. antitrust and employment discrimination laws in the
film industry.                                  298 pages--$21.95
 
WHO REALLY CONTROLS HOLLYWOOD--A re-examination of the question raised
earlier (but not completely or accurately answered) by Neal Gabler,
Michael Medved, Pierce O'Donnell, Joel Kotkin and others with respect to
who really controls the Hollywood-based U.S. film industry, and is
therefore primarily responsible for the decisions made with respect to
which movies are produced and released, who gets to work on those movies
and the actual content of such films.
        211 pages--$17.95
 
LEGACY OF THE HOLLYWOOD EMPIRE--A review of the long-term effects of
allowing excessive power to be held by a small narrowly- defined group
in the Hollywood-based U.S. film industry.  The author points to a
deterioration in the quality of films as well as significant economic
and human losses.  He goes further to speculate about the motivation of
the Hollywood control group.  This book also makes the argument that a
motion picture is much more than merely entertainment, (a claim commonly
made by film industry executives).  It demonstrates that the motion
picture is, as stated by the U.S. Supreme Court, a significant medium
for the communication of ideas, and goes further to point out with pure
logic, that since ideas influence human behavior, all movies therefore
have the potential for influencing human conduct.
                                                335 pages--$24.95
 
HOLLYWOOD CORRUPTION--A revealing study of various forms of corruption
that have permeated the environment of the Hollywood- based U.S. film
industry from its earliest days.  This book goes on to point out there
is really no reason why anyone should presume that even more
sophisticated forms of corruption continue to be practiced at all levels
of the industry today.
 
205 pages--$15.95
 
MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY REFORM--A discussion of various techniques,
strategies and methods that may be useful in bringing about the
long-term reform of the U.S. motion picture industry, which is
considered by the author to be one of the most significant media for the
communication of ideas yet devised.
                                208 pages--$17.50
 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR--John Cones is a Los Angeles-based
securities/entertainment attorney who maintains a private practice
advising, film, video, television and theatre producers about investor
financing of entertainment projects.  He lectures frequently on the
subjects of film finance and distribution, and, of course, has written
extensively about related topics.  Mr. Cones also maintains a World Web
Site that includes a Q&A session on investor financing of entertainment
projects at-- http://hollywoodnetwork.com/Cones.  His E-mail address is
[log in to unmask]
 
 
 
=================================================================
        ORDER FORM
        (for books available through Rivas Canyon Press
        in manuscript format)
=================================================================
Qty                             Title                   Price/Item
Total/Item
 
_____           Film Industry Contracts         $89.90  ________
_____           How the Movie Wars Were Won     $22.95  ________
_____           Patterns of Bias in Motion
                        Picture Content                 $18.95  ________
_____           A Study in Motion Picture
                        Propaganda                              $28.95
________
_____           Motion Picture Biographies      $21.95  ________
_____           Politics, Movies and the
                        Role of Government                      $21.95
________
_____           Who Really Controls
                        Hollywood
$17.95  ________
_____           Legacy of the Hollywood
                        Empire                                  $24.95
________
_____           Hollywood Corruption            $15.95  ________
_____           Motion Picture Industry
                        Reform                          $17.50  ________
                                                        SUB-TOTAL
                ________
Discounts:20% off for the purchase of all
                        self-published titles
________
                10% off for the purchase of
                        3 or more titles
        ________
                                        DISCOUNTED SUB-TOTAL
________
                        Tax:    LA County residents add 8.25%
________
                        Other California residents add 7.25%    ________
        Shipping & Handling: $2.50 for 1st book;
                .50 for each additional book
________
        Add $15.00 for shipments outside the U.S.               ________
                                                        TOTAL ENCLOSED
        ________
 
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Send Payment and Order Form to: 1324 Marinette Road, Pacific Palisades,
CA 90272
 
Order Will Be Shipped To (allow 2-3 weeks for delivery):
 
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Direct questions to Rivas Canyon Press at 310/454-6525 in Los Angeles.
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