Dive into the archives.
- MoMA Indie Summit: Major players, making the future
A major cadre of players from the independent distribution world net up on Friday to discuss the state of things, primarily in relation to how the new tools and technology are shaping the future of the industry. (Disclaimer- my company was a part of the MoMA conversation, though I was not in attendance).
Among the players there are some significant gaps in approach and experience, ranging from the technology-forward Magnolia and IFC to very traditional players. The resource differences among the attendees were also marked, ranging from tiny to well-capitalized. Producers and distributors were in attendance.
What strikes… [more]
- Netflix is a theatrical tool
The conventional wisdom for some time has been that having your film appear in any way to be destined for a home video release somehow undermines its theatrical viability. Theatrical bookers are known to have seen films available online for DVD purchase and refuse to show the movie.
On the other hand, sales of DVDs are shrinking in general, while rentals via Netflix are getting much bigger. And Netflix’s buys depend on how many people have queued the film, so a healthy window of opportunity before the DVD comes out is important.
Luckily, Netflix generally does not post the… [more]
- Is Neutral Free? The FCC recommends Net Neutrality
Yesterday the FCC endorsed the Network Neutrality concept, which seems to be inspiring warm fuzzies all around the net-freedom-lovin’ community. I’m no expert on the legalities, but it seems intuitive that protecting the freedom of the internet would be a good thing. On the other hand, is regulation the right way to protect freedom?
If the web is allowed to go on unfettered, the argument goes, corporate interests will run rampant and take it over, just like my formerly gritty SoHo neighborhood. Get some cool stuff going on in that there internet and before… [more]
- Independent Film Week starts tomorrow- network!
IFP’s Independent Film Week starts tomorrow and there are reams of panels, albeit many with the same basic topics and even the same panelists. I moderated a panel there last year and it was quite fun. If you purchase your pass/tickets Saturday 9/19, you will still get the early bird rate:
- Full Week $220 30 Panels
- Narrative Panels Only $200 24 Panels
- Doc Panels Only $60 6 Panels
- Day Pass (any Day) $60 6 panels
- Single Panel $20 (any panel)… [more]
- Infinicine in the top 100!
I’m not sure what this honour means exactly, but Infinicine was just listed as a top 100 film blog. Cool!… [more]
- The Free North- Fun stuff from TIFF
Some cool stuff from the Toronto International Film Festival last week:
Liesl Copland, formerly of Netflix and now with William Morris Endeavor’s Global Finance & Distribution Group, gave a keynote at the Doc Conference about the state of digital and what it means for the industry. The takewaway: theatrical still has life; filmmakers need to learn about metrics; crowdsourcing is the new focus group.
Ted Hope, as captured by indieWIRE’s Eugene Hernandez, about Hope’s Doing It With Others (DIWO) philosophy. The takeaway: Blog, tweet, Facebook your whole life- or at least your projects and… [more]
- Toronto bound? New distribution at TIFF
The Toronto International Film Festival is more about watching movie (and schmoozing at parties) than attending panels but there are a couple of things geared towards documentary filmmakers that would be worth checking out during all the glam.
The Doc Conference
Sunday, September 13, 2009
University of Toronto’s Victoria College (93 Charles Street West, behind the Isabel Bader Theatre), Room 323
An all-day meeting, with this panel a highlight for filmmakers interested in new directions in funding/sales:
1:30pm – Financing in Tough Times
Franny Armstrong, Director, The Age of Stupid
Dan Cogan, Impact Partners
Lois Vossen, ITVS*Doc Conference is open to all Guest Relations, Sales & Industry… [more]
- Transmedia and audience-building: David Bordwell
Via Ted Hope, a thought-provoking article on the idea of transmedia storytelling in film by David Bordwell. Bordwell is generally in favour of the concept, pointing out that it can bring a new dimension to the experience of the viewer.
Some transmedia narratives create a more complex overall experience than that provided by any text alone. This can be accomplished by spreading characters and plot twists among the different texts. If you haven’t tracked the story world on different platforms, you have an imperfect grasp of it.
However, he’s also cautionary about the arbitrary push to create transmedia… [more]
