Return On Investment

Graphic by Resource Management Systems Inc.

Update as of 10-15-2018 -- The case has been dismissed by both parties.  As we have agreed to move forward, the dismissed case will remain confidential.

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Definition of 'Return On Investment - ROI'

A performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment or to compare the efficiency of a number of different investments. To calculate ROI, the benefit (return) of an investment is divided by the cost of the investment; the result is expressed as a percentage or a ratio.

The return on investment formula:




In the above formula "gains from investment", refers to the proceeds obtained from selling the investment of interest. Return on investment is a very popular metric because of its versatility and simplicity. That is, if an investment does not have a positive ROI, or if there are other opportunities with a higher ROI, then the investment should be not be undertaken.


Keep in mind that the calculation for return on investment and, therefore the definition, can be modified to suit the situation -it all depends on what you include as returns and costs. The definition of the term in the broadest sense just attempts to measure the profitability of an investment and, as such, there is no one "right" calculation.

--- From Investopedia.com

It is clear that if we were to calculate the ROI of the Trevino-Alfieri Story, the return on my investment would be negative. And I say the Trevino-Alfieri Story because there was more than one investment in this "story." I invested in the project, the litigation, the personal relationship with him and  relationships with other people.

Film Project Investment

There is an actual movie that is "finished and ready for distribution" according to Alfieri. As I mentioned in my previous post "Final Cut," I am reserving my personal comments about what was given to me as the Final Cut. I will disclose my opinion when the time is right.

Although there is a movie that has apparently been completed, the money I invested in this film project has not been recovered yet. In fact, there is no guarantee that I will ever see any of that money. 

It is hard not to feel upset when I think of all the other things I could have done with my money. It is really difficult not to judge myself for making such a bad investment decision... for trusting someone I should have avoided from the beginning. 

Litigation

In any civil litigation the only parties that truly receive any financial gains are the attorneys. There are instances, of course, when the plaintiff gets a good settlement. This is clearly not the case in the Trevino-Alfieri Story. The attorneys involved are the only ones who received a financial benefit from this lawsuit.

Although I did not receive any financial benefit, I do feel that I got a lot of value when I hired my two wonderful attorneys, David Hakimfar and Hass Sadeghi. They listened to my story and were willing to fight for me. They believed in me and knew how to represent my interests. Their commitment to me and my case went beyond any fee agreement I reached with them. 

I did not receive any monetary "settlement" mainly due to the fact that I dismissed my lawsuit against Bondolini Productions and Victor Alfieri. However, I did get something of unquantifiable value - Alfieri's testimony under oath on video. He gave the most outrageous justifications to "evidence" of very personal communication between us. Go to The Facebook Hacker and Premeditation if you have not read those posts yet. 

Here are the videos "The Facebook Hacker" and "Premeditation." They show Victor's great imagination and "fast" thinking.

Alfieri is certainly very creative and witty. He, himself found his own answers humorous. He believes that sexual harassment is funny and nobody should feel offended by it. After all he is Italian. "That is the way they joke," and he likes to "joke like that," Read Sexual Harassment. It is quite entertaining. 

And here's the video.

Although his creative tales were very imaginative and amusing, they were lies. He lied under oath... again and again. He committed perjury. And  perjury, as we all know, is a CRIME.  Go to "Perjury" to read about the false statements given under oath by Alfieri. The post also contains a video.

Alfieri said many things during his deposition. Because he lied so much, he constantly contradicted himself. Even though his multiple versions of "what happened" did not make much sense, he seemed really proud of his statements and imaginative tales. Watch the following video. It is MEMORABLE.

Relationships

I believe that the #1 Post "To Cast and Crew"summarizes the relationship I had with everyone involved. 

Personal Relationship with Victor Alfieri

I can say that my personal relationship with Victor has definitely been a very poor investment, costing me my life savings and three valuable years... that is, if I only consider time and money. 

On the other hand, if I consider the experience, awareness, strength and courage I have gained, then it has certainly been one of the BEST investments of my life.

Disclaimer – As of October 15, 2018, all legal issues have been resolved. This resolution was reached during arbitration. There are no pending issues related to fraud or theft. The resolution was mutually agreeable. There will be no more posts written about this story.

Final Cut

Update as of 10-15-2018 -- The case has been dismissed by both parties.  As we have agreed to move forward, the dismissed case will remain confidential.

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About three weeks ago I received a DVD with the final cut of the movie I financed. I watched it right away with a good friend of mine who happened to be visiting me.  I was so happy to finally have the chance to enjoy the long awaited completed product.  Later that day, I brought the movie over to another friend's home. I watched it again with 3 more people.

Just a couple of days later I traveled to Mexico and brought the movie with me. The reason I brought it with me was that I needed re-watch it and write down comments and suggestions for the "talented" director, Alfieri.

My sister Karla expressed her excitement to see it. She could not believe that the movie - the subject of so much scandal and drama - was in fact completed. We both sat down and watched it.

I am reserving my comments and opinion for now. I will not share what others thought of the movie either.  I do promise that I will be updating this specific post when the time is right. I will share my opinion and feelings about the "final cut" I received.

What I can share right now is this:

• This movie is 100% Alfieri. It is clear that Alfieri did not listen or consider anybody else's input when having the movie edited and completed.  
• This movie shows Alfieri's talent at its best - as a writer, director and producer.
• This movie is proof of how much Alfieri has to offer to the filmmaking industry.

Due to the great shock of my watching this masterpiece three times, I got physically ill and was in bed for several days. I was not able to write detailed comments and suggestions until just a couple of days ago. As soon as I emailed my comments to Alfieri's personal assistant, I received a response informing me that they had gone ahead with the final sound mixing and completion of the movie without considering any of my comments. They claimed that I was 4 days too late. I was supposed to submit my feedback within 2 weeks after receiving the final cut.

Why wouldn't they wait for my feedback? I am the financier of this independent film! Now they claim they want to "follow the guidelines" of the agreement I signed with Alfieri and Bondolini Productions. How convenient, right?  Bottom line is, Alfieri wouldn't have considered any of my feedback anyway. So, this independent film is 100% Alfieri made. It is the product of Alfieri's limitless creativity and directorial talent.

Update as of 10-15-2018 -- The case has been dismissed by both parties.  As we have agreed to move forward, the dismissed case will remain confidential.