Dive into the archives.
- Fox Searchlight Searchlab catches film talent early
Fox Searchlight has managed to have some stunning successes in the world of “independent film” in the last few years, and they are staying on the curve’s head with their website, which features lots of value-added material for their feature films like interviews and lectures in addition to trailers and other marketing info. They also offer short films, from the Searchlab imprint, which comprises both commissioned and user generated content. Very intelligently, they have created a community where filmmakers can get script advice, connect with others, and add this to your Facebook. And they will… [more]
- Content is King?- Panel at DIY Days takes on the outlets
Highlighting the eternal “this is my art” versus “this is a product” tension that is only getting more acute as online markets grow (and do not necessarily make more money per film), this discussion from the recent DIY Days isn’t exactly new info, but it does give a sense of what some issues are for filmmakers.
The somewhat deer-in-the-headlights initital reaction of the audience to Arin Crumley’s demand to know what filmmakers need in the digital distribution realm I think is pretty reflective of where we’re at right now. Also, small point, I don’t think Current TV
- 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]
- Know Your Digital Rights-Panel @ IFP September 17
I’ll be moderating a panel at the IFP “Independent Film Week” next week and I hope you’ll come out and and join us.
Know Your Digital Rights
How much are digital rights worth to producers and filmmakers? And which rights should filmmakers consider retaining or exploiting in this proliferation of new distribution outlets? Learn the deal structures and benefits for independent filmmakers from the experts.Wednesday, September 17th, 10-11 AM
FIT, 7th Ave between 27/28th, NYC
Panelists:
Steven Beer, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig
Janet Brown, COO, Cinetic Rights Management
Charles Choi, Founder, Caachi
Karol Martesko-Fenster, Head of Film, Cinelan
Joe Swanberg, Director… [more]
- Indies get tactical, but is self-distribution the answer?
Anne Thompson’s recent post on ‘changing tactics’ for independent film distribution shows how tenuous things are in the game these days and how much digital is becoming a part of all distribution strategies. She proposes that self-distribution is becoming increasingly attractive and/or viable, with films like BOTTLE SHOCK and GOOD DICK entering into service deals rather than going the straight distribution route.
But the idea that “filmmakers don’t have to give away the store with DVD deals anymore” seems a little premature, at best. Especially for independents, revenue on digital download and streaming is not even in the… [more]
- INTERVIEW- D-Word Founder and Doc Director Doug Block
The D-Word is an essential resource for documentary film folks- an online community of filmmakers, writers, and broadcast/distribution types. Doug Block, the founder and co-host of the site, is an experienced filmmaker whose breakout film 51 BIRCH STREET, a personal documentary about family relationships, benefited from a grassroots marketing campaign that included utilizing the internet. Infinicine asked him about the transitioning state of distribution for documentarians.
[I]nfinicine: In your experience, are independent filmmakers making a transition to online forms of distribution? Are streaming and/or downloading viable revenue sources for a filmmaker who has essentially self-financed… [more]
- INTERVIEW- Educational Market- Rachel Gordon, Energized Films
The educational market is an often overlooked source of revenue for independent filmmakers, and has a lot of models that may be used by more “commercial” vendors in the future. Rachel Gordon has a background as a director, producer, ad writer. Her consulting business, Energized Films, helps filmmakers access the educational market.
[I]nfinicine: How are streaming/digital downloads changing educational distribution?
[R]achel Gordon: The process of change in education is pretty slow, but what is happening is that some colleges and universities have been able to experiment. They’ve
started licenses to stream on servers they’ve created and maintained… [more]
- INTERVIEW- DIY Filmmaker Sujewa on DIY digital approaches
DIY Filmmaker Sujewa is the the blog of DC-based low-budget filmmaker Sujewa Ekanayake. His current project is a film about Indie Film Bloggers.[I]nfinicine: What do you think the biggest challenges have been for filmmakers in the past in distribution and getting their films out to the public and making money in the process? Sujewa: I think the challenges for indie (working outside of Hollywood) filmmakers, when it comes to distribution, have always been pretty much the same; it takes a lot of money and a lot of work to properly or widely distribute… [more]
- Are digital downloads "good" for indie filmmakers?
Are digital downloads “good” for indie filmmakers? It could be the title of a panel discussion (and may well be one in the future)- it should certainly be a topic for discussion in the forums when Infinicine.com launches properly (8/8/8!).For now, though, let’s start off the conversation with some basic pros and cons. For the sake of simplicity, I am limiting this discussion to downloads specifically, though some points may overlap with concerns and delights of streaming, VOD, or other kinds of online distribution methods.On the good side:
- Terms of a lot of these deals seem quite favourable to filmmakers
