Operation Home Base: Combing MASH and The Waltons with NCIS

Operation Home Base
We've got your back.
Theresa Chaze
One of The Red Cross’s functions is passing messages to and from military personnel. However, they are limited to the passive role of sharing information. What if there was an organization that could do more? Facing their own demons, veterans and civilians come together to actively make a difference with legal, medical and logistics help for military personnel, veterans and their dependents? Their motto is “we've got your back.”. What if in their dedication to help, founders of Operation Home Base stumbled upon an international cover up, which puts a target on their own backs? Do they shrink away in fear or do they damn the torpedoes and face the challenge with a Gung-Ho mentality?

A medic in Nam, Martin Flying Crow returned home only to find the war followed him. By helping others, he was able to quiet the ghosts in his head. He gained national attention and the friendship of retired Lieutenant Colonel Elaine Reynolds after he talked a Marine out of committing suicide. Together they pulled enough resources together to achieve a non-profit status and were able to move Operation Home Base from Martin's garage into a small office building.

The organization once again gained national attention when they used their connections both in and out of the military to investigate the disappearance of PFC Hank Bogley and his squad. When they start to unravel the lies and misinformation, they suddenly become the targets of a national smear campaign. Although their personal and professional motives are brought into question, the board refuses to back down.

Unable to deter them, their lead detractor, Valhalla does an about face and offers to support them with endless financial, political, and logistic support. There is one catch. Operation Home Base must accept their representative as the new head of their organization. Valhalla chooses a man who knows Martin's secrets. He knows because the same ghosts haunt him. Is he the distraction to keep Martin busy, while they use the money, influence and access to classified information to destroy Operation Home Base from the inside out?

Operation Home Base combines MASH and The Waltons with NCIS to create a family of man drama about forgiveness and second chances. From the senseless murder of a therapy dog to two teens stealing a tank to a Native American's family having to fight for their loved one's last wishes to be honored, Operation Home Base intertwines real life situations with a fictional international conspiracy. From World War II to the current conflict, the stories will show military personnel and veterans as real people, not just disposable parts of the war machine. Its tagline is helping others heals our own wounds.


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Making the Most of Advertising and Marketing Dollars

Product placement has been a blessing as well as a curse for the entertainment industry as it both financed and controlled television programming. Over the years the advertisers role has changed from sole sponsorship of individual programs to rotating commercials that have little or no connection to specific programs. Instead of content, advertisers use ratings as the yardstick as the deciding factor as to where to spend their marketing budget. However there is a third option available that would be advantageous to both program producers and advertisers. Products properly embedded into programs will not only positively market products and services at a lower cost, but will also subsidize production budgets thereby allowing the executive producers and the networks to air a higher quality of scripted programming.

In the early years of television, advertisers sponsored individual shows. The program quality and the product reputation were intertwined. The mutual branding gave the sponsor more control over the content of the program and to some extent the network that aired it. Texaco Star Theatre is an example of successful product sponsorship. It was a comedy-variety show that originated on radio in 1938; however, NBC picked up it up the June of 1948. Not only was the brand name featured in the show title, but Texaco featured its products and services throughout the show. It was blatant in your face promotion, but it was also done within the context of the show format. Texaco was taking credit for presenting good entertainment. In 1953 Texaco dropped its sponsorship, but Buick picked it up, changing the name of the show to The Buick-Berle Show. In 1954, the name was changed to The Milton Berle Show, which it was known by until it ended in 1956. Buick changed its sponsorship at the beginning of 1955-1956 season to the Jackie Gleason Show. In both cases, Texaco and Buick paid production cost to insure their products left a lasting positive impression on the viewers by embedding their products within the context of the entertainment.

Throughout the decades, single sponsorship dwindle to the point that it is currently nonexistent. It has been replaced by commercial breaks, making the advertising completely separate from the entertainment. Although initially the change has made it less costly for advertisers, it has also created a competition for placement for shows with higher ratings. With the diversity of products and the time limitation, networks and local stations not only charge on a sliding scale according to the ratings, but they no longer guarantee exclusivity during commercial breaks. In the current system, there is virtually no connection between the programming and the products. Sponsors buy ratings and demographics, nothing more.

Each system had both benefits and pitfalls. Embedding products takes advantage of the positive aspects television marketing, while eliminating most of the drawbacks. Implanting products within the entertainment will once again blurred the lines between content and advertising, but it will also more honestly reflected not only the product but its use in real life. By appropriately embedding the products within the context of action, the show looks and feels more realistic. Instead of drinking no named sodas, the characters would openly drink Coke, Pepsi, or another name brand. While continuing with the natural flow of the plot, characters could be shown shopping or dining at specific national chains. Nothing in the conversation would be directly promote anything, yet the natural movement of the camera would catch the distinctive logos of both the individual products or the national chain. If the characters needed to buy a coffee pot, they could be seen going into Walmart, walking through the store and choosing to buy a Mr. Coffee. The conversation would be about topics which furthered the plot until it came to deciding which Mr. Coffee they were going to buy. Once the decision was made, they would revert back to plot developing topics. It would be natural and reflect a real life situation.

In addition, by making the product or business a natural part of the scene, it not becomes an effective marketing tool, but also it becomes permanently embedded into the episode. No matter what time slot, network or products slotted for the official commercial breaks, every time that episode airs the embedded products will once again be marketed without any extra cost to the sponsors.

The major pitfall is if the product doesn’t fit the situation, character or plot. If it is forced into the program instead of seamlessly fitting into the scene, it will not only distract the viewer from the program but also create negative backlash for the product and the sponsor. One soap opera placed a woman’s magazine into the action of a scene. A male character was injured and a female friend gave him a copy of the women’s magazine to read to help pass the time. The two of them proceeded to spend time talking about the benefits of the magazine. If it had been done properly in the context of character and the situation, it could have been very effective. However, instead of being an effective marketing tool it came off as a badly written ad. The situation would have worked for another product such as the TV Guide. The female friend could have given him a copy as a way of him finding programming to keep his mind occupied while he recuperated. In addition, the writers could have easily added dialogue to generalize about the information found in the articles, which would have kept the piece timeless. As long as the dialogue was kept short and within the framework of the situation, scene would have been effective.

Products could be embedded at two levels: episodic and series. The only difference between the two would be the length of service of the product in the series. Episodic products would be short term, being found in one or two episodes, while series products would run an entire season or as long as the series aired. Whether short term or long, the effectiveness will depend solely on the how well the product fits into the plot. The key is to write in the product without over-shadowing the entertainment or slowing down the plot development. Clever blocking of both the actors and camera angles would eliminate the need of promotional dialogue, thereby limiting the negative impact of over exposing the products.

The executive producers and writers of Operation Home Base intend to embed both series and episodic products within their new military series. In the style of MASH and NCIS, Operation Home Base has a strong ensemble cast that will appeal to a broad demographic base that includes gender, ages, and ethnicity.  MASH focused on the effects of war and NCIS concentrates on  criminal situations involving military personnel. OHB will incorporate both while revealing the challenges military families face daily along with the conflicts that originate from involvement with civilians.  OHB could be best described as a family of man drama, which will show the best and worst of the human condition, whose broad base appeal will give it nearly unlimited product placement potential.

Who is responsible for buying the donuts will be one of the long standing jokes among the characters on Operation Home Base. It would be very easy to promote Dunkin Donuts within the show by simply showing the logo on the box as the characters choose their favorites. Non verbal cues such as seeing the character enjoying the donuts or the multiple empty donut boxes in the trash would promote product more than any dialogue that could be written. In addition, if they are lucky enough to sign on Tom Selleck to play the part of Deek, orange juice will be added to the morning staff meetings along with the coffee, tying in OHB to Selleck’s voice overs for Florida orange juice. In addition to the civilian promotion, OHB will show the sense of belonging and personal satisfaction to be gained through service in the military, not through heavy handed ads, but revealing what it means to be military through those who have lived the life.

Short term promotion will be handled with equal grace. The fundraising episode will not only help raise awareness for therapy dogs, but it will also be a fabulous opportunity to promote restaurants, musical groups, soft drinks, and real-life veteran’s organizations. Stella’s engagement presents a chance to showcase the rings from Kay Jeweler or another national chain as the couple chooses their rings.

As a non-profit agency, which helps military personnel and their dependants during crisis situations, there will be limitless opportunities to discreetly promote products and services. Whether it is home repair, telephone service, or in the case of the pilot episode, emergency support in the form of prepaid charge cards after a family who looses everything to a home fire, OHB will be able to effectively promote a diverse number products and services, while still being able to produce quality entertainment.. Sponsors will not only gain effective marketing for their products, but they will also gain the additional benefit of showing public support for the military, veterans and their families.

Michigan-Tax Credits for Movie Makers

Will movie law boost last?



LANSING (AP) -- Six months after Michigan began handing out the nation's most generous moviemaking incentives, results are surpassing lofty expectations.

Studios that had planned to shoot elsewhere turned on a dime and flocked here, bringing stars such as Val Kilmer and Drew Barrymore with them. The number of scripts approved by the state film office is up 20-fold over last year. Hotels, caterers and other businesses are cashing in on new economic activity.

Somerset Inn in Troy hired 15 to 20 extra full-time workers to handle film crews after Clint Eastwood's Malpaso Productions booked office space and close to 90 rooms a night for most of the summer while filming "Gran Torino" across the Detroit area.

The hotel has welcomed smaller crews, too, and has solid leads on more movie industry clients for next year at a time conference hotels are losing dollars because of cutbacks in automotive sales seminars and the poor economy.

"It's incremental business we certainly wouldn't have had if they didn't sign this legislation," said Duane Swanson, Somerset Inn's operations director. "You couldn't ask for a better hotel guest to come in. They're not afraid to spend a buck."

Neither is state government -- to the chagrin of Republican lawmakers who are having second thoughts about the measure signed into law by Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm in April.

To entice filmmakers to choose Michigan over other competing states, the Legislature passed bills creating refundable tax credits of up to 42 percent for in-state movie production expenses.

Giving businesses tax credits is nothing new, and such credits can reduce a company's tax bill to little or nothing.

But refundable credits go further. They're more like a rebate for production expenses and can require the state to cut the moviemaker a check.

The Senate Fiscal Agency estimates the state has approved $394 million in production expenses that will cost the government $122 million after accounting for the sales and income tax revenue generated by film crews.

That's six times the increases of up to 2 percent the state gave public universities and community colleges this budget year.

Sen. Jud Gilbert, R-Algonac, said traditional Michigan businesses are paying higher taxes while "we turn around and send a check to somebody from Hollywood, some Pee-wee Herman type. I think that's very hard to justify."

Michigan Chamber of Commerce lobbyist Jim Holcomb said lawmakers should reduce the Michigan Business Tax -- to which a 22 percent surcharge was added to fill a budget deficit -- and "stop handing out unaffordable tax breaks to out-of-state Hollywood filmmakers who are unlikely to make Michigan their permanent business location."

But not every filmmaker is from Hollywood, and there's no doubt the incentives are bringing movie companies and jobs to the economically sluggish state.

Cinepro Pictures Studios was set to film "The Steam Experiment" in Florida because that's where the company is located. But it shot the independently produced thriller in Grand Rapids after hearing about the incentives.

"The decision was purely financial," said Karinne Behr, an executive producer of the movie starring Kilmer and Armand Assante. "Michigan's incentives are definitely the strongest. Hopefully that will be a great success story for the state. It's better to spend the money here than overseas."

Behr said $3 million of the movie's $7 million budget was spent in Michigan.

The Michigan Film Office has approved tax breaks for more than 60 movies this year and next. Just two or three films were made in 2007.

The question, it seems, is whether a truly lasting industry is being hatched in Michigan.

Critics depict the business as fleeting because other states may increase their incentives to keep pace. They say moviemakers like to bring in people from California and elsewhere to make the movies, and add that filmmaking accounts for a minuscule portion of Michigan's overall economy.

But in a state that has shed 479,000 payroll jobs -- 10 percent of its work force -- since state employment peaked in June 2000, anything that brings in jobs and new businesses is seen as a plus by many.

And while the state has nowhere near enough infrastructure to support all the new films, it's further along than Louisiana, New Mexico and Massachusetts were at this point when they began luring the industry, said Anthony Wenson, chief operating officer of the Michigan Film Office.

He pointed out that Michigan once made more commercials and industrial training films than anywhere in the world, and said existing studios are being transformed to welcome the motion picture business.

"Not only are we finding many people getting into the business for the first time but we're also seeing people who left the state to get into the industry moving back into Michigan," he said.

So far, the GOP-controlled Senate has been unable to get enough votes for a bill that would cap film credits at no more than $50 million a year. Granholm, Democrats and some Republicans fiercely oppose the measure and say the bipartisan law approved by all but one of 148 legislators needs time to work, even if it could cost the state.

Job training classes are being held for people interested in the business, and producers qualify for more tax breaks if they hire in-state grips, camera operators and other "below the line" crew.

The film office expects to talk with Michigan State University about potentially developing a film program. Anticipating more work, some smaller sound studios have announced plans to expand.

The state still is awaiting the arrival of big new soundstages that provide more efficient one-stop shopping for the production of movies and TV shows and could allow Michigan moviemaking year-round rather than seasonally.

But Wenson said the state is talking frequently with interested investors.

"The true measure will be two years into this," he said. "It's taken Louisiana almost four years to really pull together ... and be able to say, 'This is a true, viable industry in our state.' Michigan is in this for the long haul."