This is the time for movies to be released and over the next few months many movies will be released, hopefully some will be blockbusters (make a lot of money). With this thought in mind, a book about screen writing was picked up called Which Lie Did I Tell? by William Goldman, Vintage Books, NY, 2000. Mr. Goldman is an active member of the screenwriter guild and has written many screenplays of movies many of us have seen. The movies include: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President’s Men, The Princess Bride, Misery, The Chamber, and a host of others. In the book, Mr. Goodman is with a producer – they connect investors to people who make movies to those who distribute movies and take a cut on all the transactions. You can imagine the Producer is someone who sees the glass half full and the potential is still, notwithstanding complications, sky high. During the conversation with an emphasis on the glass half full, the producer asked Mr. Goldman which lie did I tell? If all comes out as projected, none.

Within the book are stories about how actors are pitched, who would be perfected for the role? tips for writing for the movies, how to pitch a story, why scenes work and why they do not, and lots of stories about the movies. Often movies do not work because they try to be something they are not. Movies start off trying to do one thing, but because someone has an idea or they do not how to pull it off, the audience stops believing and the movie does not work. Typically Hollywood movies reinforce and reassure the audience. Independent films unsettle us or throw us curveballs. In terms of ideas, any idea can be a movie, but do you want to spend time writing it?

Linking to dividend paying stocks, the movies are part of our entertainment and many movies are made but only a few of them are great. The stock market has many stocks that can trade and do trade on a daily basis, but few are great. With the stock market if you limit yourself to the great ones or the best ones – profitable, pay a dividend – the market share allows for the ability to continually raise the dividend, you will not have losers in your portfolio. You may not have a blockbuster, but you would have many consistently profitable companies which over time allow you to be wealthier.

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions