Dive into the archives.
- The Conversation is ongoing
Had fun moderating and ‘advising’ at The Conversation on Saturday. Lots of thoughts always arise when you get many interesting and innovative thinkers together, but I think one thing has been on my mind and only became more intensely so after a day of discussing various kinds of viability for media creation.
There are some basic realities in an economic context that are altering the fundamental possibilities for filmmakers now. When I was focused on the distribution end, I saw this as largely troubling. I do think there will be things I currently love that may not… [more]
- Sundance New Frontier’s Ian Calderon on Indie Digital
Interviewed by CinemaTech‘s Scott Kirsner:
New Directions for Independent Cinema: Ian Calderon from Scott Kirsner on Vimeo.… [more]
- RiP, Snag, Friends, and Followers: Quick Hits
Some recent news of note:
RiP: A Remix Manifesto premiered at SXSW and has been ‘picked up’ in the US by B-Side, whose DIY model will presumably avert some of the bigger copyright issues that might be a problem for regular distributors.
Snag! Films has made a deal with Hulu to place films on that site. This begs the question for filmmakers of whether, when they license their film to one online market, they are permitting that company to resell their film elsewhere (presumably cutting into whatever revenue there might be). It’s probably a good idea… [more]
- What’s Next? Panel at Sundance on new distribution today
The lovely and talented Scott Kirsner hosts a panel today at noon at Sundance described as “In today’s brutal marketplace, filmmakers and distributors are forced to think outside the box. From DIY theatrical to multiplatform releases and viral marketing, there are as many new strategies today as there are successful films. Join us as we showcase films capitalizing on the newest opportunities, as well as the distribution companies articulating the clearest visions.”No surprise that panelists include Matt Dentler from Cinetic, as well as Lance Hammer, Connie White, Christian Gaines, MJ Peckos, Cora Olson and Steven Raphael… [more]
- ITVS Digital Initiative- New Tech for Reaching Audiences
I’m a little slow on the uptake here, but man-on-the-beat Scott Kirsner of Cinematech has a great resource on the ITVS site where he interviewed a number of documentary filmmakers about their experiences using new technology to reach an audience. Scott told me:
Among the folks I spoke to were Tiffany Shlain (“The Tribe”), Katy Chevigny (“Election Day”), Hunter Weeks (“10 MPH” and “10 Yards”), Byron Hurt (“Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes”), and Curt Ellis (“King Corn”). Not everyone is a filmmaker who is funded or supported by ITVS… our sole criterion was to find folks who were… [more]
- Distribution, Downloads, Democracy and Doubt
I was at a NYWIFT event the other night talking with some filmmakers about the necessity of distribution today- as in, is it time to toss the whole concept out with VHS and Pluto being a planet. It seems to me that distribution is responsible for my knowing about most of the cool films that I do- that without it people in the US might have remained blissfully unaware of the French New Wave, of Takeshi Kitano, or Down By Law. Now perhaps the magical internet has made everything different, but I wonder if some of the… [more]
- iTunes and Indie Films – Meet the Middleman
In a nifty bit of synergy, Scott Kirsner over at CinemaTech has taken on the question “How to get your indie film on iTunes?” (a somewhat similar query to the very first post in the Infinicine discussion forum). Getting your film on iTunes does seem like a bit of an apex at this stage in the digital distribution evolution, not only because iTunes sales are so commanding relative to other download services so far but also because they charge a relatively high price and share it with the rightsholder. (As with any customer, terms will vary).
The… [more]
- Having The Conversation in October
I’m super jealous of anyone who will get to attend The Conversation, not to be confused with a Francis Ford Coppola film, though it’s in San Francisco) a very cool conference on the ways new technologies are allowing filmmakers and others to connect to audiences- in other words, subject matter near and dear to the heart of this site. Hosted by Scott Kirsner from CinemaTech as well as Ken Goldberg (Berkeley Center for New Media), Tiffany Shlain (The Webby Awards), and Lance Weiler (you know, Lance Weiler)- it should be a fabulous time… [more]
