Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2008 June 1

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June 1

Porn industry gross?

How much does a typical good-quality pornographic film gross?--Sonjaaa (talk) 03:27, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Depends on the actors involved. Most only gain a minimal 50-100k u.s. dollars, but, like I said, it depends on the actors. (Jenna Jameson, for example, would gross a lot more). Undeath (talk) 03:29, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Agreed. Some pornos are definitely far grosser than others. StuRat (talk) 13:21, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Would the gross be considered gross sales, gross revenue, gross profit or gross income for the film? --Sonjaaa (talk) 03:36, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Gross profit. Gross sales is from selling items.(i.e. walmart has gross sales) Undeath (talk) 06:15, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Going slightly off track, I think that gross sales/revenue/profit and income are all the same. They are how much money you take before you deduct any costs. Is that right? Scorpion Question Man (talk) 06:53, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Gross is all income, and profit (revenue) is what's left after costs are deducted. Julia Rossi (talk) 08:15, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

I don't think that is quite right. The pre-fix Gross basically means without any deductions and Net means something has been deducated (e.g. "Net of tax", means after tax has been deducted). This is why I think that Gross Profit, Gross Revenue, Gross Income and Gross Sales are all the same. So if you sell $10 worth of goods/services but they cost you $2, then your Gross Profit is $10 but your Net Profit is $8. Is there something wrong in this understanding? Scorpion Question Man (talk) 08:33, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

See Gross profit, Net income, Gross income (not very well explained) and Revenue. Gross profit is Revenue (turnover/sales/gross revenue) less Cost of goods sold. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 10:39, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Person who trains the actors?

What do you call the person who coordinates training for the actors, in a film production? Is there a title like training director or training coordinator or something? I'm wondering about the porn industry, but it could be any film, really. --Sonjaaa (talk) 03:38, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Training for what? I would doubt that there's much professional training in porn as the story takes a back seat to the porn in the film. Do you mean like stunt training when the actors do their own stunts? That could be done by the stunt coordinator. Or did you mean training for something else like handling weapons or trying to accurately portray a policeman, soldier, sniper, or something like that? In that case, the film company sometimes hires an (ex-)policeman or soldier to show the actor how to move, how to hold the weapon, etc. I remember watching the bonus features of the movie Shooter with Mark Wahlberg and in them they filmed the trainer that M.W. had for the shooting of that film. As I recall, he was a Marine sniper. Dismas|^(talk) 03:58, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

I imagine that at least some porn movies involve special techniques, which the cast would need to learn ... —Tamfang (talk) 23:14, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Wow, we have an article for stunt coordinator... okay... Anyway, I just skimmed through the credits for Shooter and it seems there were a few advisors and such. They had titles like "technical advisor: military" and "key military advisor". And the drivers, besides just being called stunt men, are also referred to as "precision driver". Hope this helps... Dismas|^(talk) 04:08, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Would there be a person in charge of coordinating and hiring the accent coach, the stunt trainers, weapon trainors, etc.? Some sort of training manager? --Sonjaaa (talk) 04:06, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

If I'm not mistaken, that would fall onto the shoulders of one of the producers who would likely assign it to one of their "production assistants" or "production coordinators". Dismas|^(talk) 04:09, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

coordinates the rehearsals?

Thanks, guys!! Yet another question.

Who coordinates the rehearsals? I know it's stage manager in drama. What about in film? Or are they not called "rehearsals" in film?

Maybe assistant director?

--Sonjaaa (talk) 04:26, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

The director normally does. Afterall, it's the director who knows who he wants in the film. Undeath (talk) 06:16, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

In big productions a "script" (Used to be "script girl" :-) may set up a "reading" or a "trial take". Those are not that common, though. More so for scenes where timing is of the essence for e.g. for effects. (You don't want to have to blow up the building twice.) Usually they just get everyone together and roll. That's why some scenes then require 50 takes. --Lisa4edit (talk) 11:56, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Our article Take surveys multiple takes way over that number. Julia Rossi (talk) 09:19, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

How to set up Sonar 6 (music production software)

Hi, I bought the Sonar 6 music program a little while ago, and kind of gave up on it after hours of trying to figure out how to work the program. I have my roland synthesizer connected to it, with speakers connected to it. I installed the preamp and set up the midi-cables like it says in the instructions, but I can't get the program to play from the PC (thought it plays through speakers connected to my synthesizer) and can't even get vocals to get recorded into it at all! There is nothing wrong with the mic or the cables...was wondering if there was anything else I can check. The people at customer support weren't very supportive, so I have turned here for some advice. Can anyone help?! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.22.57.231 (talk) 07:01, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

I answered on the Computer Desk, where you double posted this question. StuRat (talk) 13:18, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Pal Games -vs- NTSC games : release dates.

Why are games released much later in PAL regions than in NTSC regions? Interactive Fiction Expert/Talk to me 10:10, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

First, look at these sales numbers : VGChartz North America is the largest market for video games by a wide margin.
Second, consider that many games are created or published by USA based companies.
Third, consider that if you're releasing an NTSC game you can get away with English-only. (Though Spanish and French are occasionally included.) PAL releases need to be internationalized to work with a whole bunch of languages.

Basically, if you're trying to get your game to market, and get the money you desperately need to keep your studio alive, then you rush to get it out as soon as possible. That means targeting a single market and worrying about the others later. North America is the biggest market and requires only one language. If that's also the language that you developed the game in, then the choice is a no-brainer.

Staggering the release dates for titles that are less than a sure-hit may also give them a chance to cut their losses and give up. (ie: If it doesn't sell in USA, don't bother going through the rather significant work it takes to sell to the rest of the world.) APL (talk) 16:55, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Not just games, but many films are released in NTSC countries before PAL countries. This is because many of the the NTSC countries (US, Japan, Canada) are heavyweights in the media industry. Limetolime ^{talk to me • look what I did!} 01:35, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Which one

Out of Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, which one is more popular? Interactive Fiction Expert/Talk to me 10:10, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

According to this, Super Mario 64 is the 7th best selling video game in the United States, while Zelda didn't make the list. Think outside the box 16:54, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

See List of best-selling video games#Nintendo 64.

Also, if you're going to ask a zillion questions, please try to give them descriptive subject names. "Which one" is worthless as a heading APL (talk) —Preceding comment was added at 16:57, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

While we're at it, this question could have been answered if you'd simply read the article that you linked to. From the Mario 64 article : "Super Mario 64 has been commercially successful; it was the best-selling Nintendo 64 game."

Please try to put a little effort into finding answers for yourself before asking the reference desk. It's really supposed to be more of a 'last resort' for difficult to find information. APL (talk) 17:03, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Cedric Diggory

In HPPOA, Cedric does appear. He is in a quidditch match against Gryffindor. But on his page, it says that he first appears in Goblet of Fire. There is a hidden comment that says not to put POA as his 1st appearance. Should I do it anyway?

---Nick4404 yada yada yada What have I done? 16:24, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

It seems someone has already changed that. Dismas|^(talk) 19:02, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

---Already? Since this morning?? Gosh, Wikipedia changes quickly. Nick4404 yada yada yada What have I done? 19:24, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Romancing the stone red sports car

Does anyone know what model is the red sports car Joan's sister gets kidnapped in at the start of Romancing the stone? Thank you. 200.127.59.151 (talk) 16:31, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Not sure, but I know a Renault 4 was involved in the production. Limetolime ^{talk to me • look what I did!} 01:37, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Classic Cobra - not sure what year

music

Who sings the song "Sweet Soul Music" ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.198.235.153 (talk) 19:09, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Welcome to Wikipedia. You can easily look up this topic yourself. Please see Sweet Soul Music. For future questions, try using the search box at the top left of the screen. It's much quicker, and you will probably find a clearer answer. If you still don't understand, add a further question below by clicking the "edit" button to the right of your question title. .--Shantavira|^{feed me} 19:57, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Well, that's one possibility. If 76.198 is of a certain age (like me), however, he or she may be referring to the 1967 hit—number 2 on both the pop and R&B charts—sung by Arthur Conley. We don't have an article about it, apparently. Deor (talk) 19:07, 2 June 2008 (UTC)