Dive into the archives.
- Cultural DIY?
In the New York Times, Michael Kimmelman recently wrote about what he termed DIY Culture- sort of the positioning of local versus global commerce. There seem to be assumptions that go along with this kind of thinking that confuse global and modern or local and old-fashioned, as he writes about the prevalence of bookstores in Berlin:
This was more than just a system of distribution and sales; it was a cultural as well as economic affair. It influenced civic life and social relations in ways that browsing books on Amazon or Google can’t.
Now, I am a huge… [more]
- Hobbies are Fun- Filmmaking should be too
There has been some good feedback to the post I had up on IFP’s blog this week, “At Least Hobbies Are Fun” (the title refers to a comment made during The Conversation by Ira Deutchman about someone sort of ‘accusing’ filmmaking to be a hobby). A sample from the post:
But there is a reality, it seems to me, that is missing from the discussion. Selling independent films is not and never was a “business model” (or- if you wish- not a ‘good’ business model), in the context that making these films should be the basis… [more]
- Focusing at DIY Days
I’m excited that amid the general fun and mayhem of DIY Days this Saturday (Brian Newman has promised to make jaws drop!) I’ll be leading a short breakout session on the topic of Focus (not the car).
In a world where you make your film, and now your game, and your website and your twitter account and your facebook and you go to networking events and you apply for festivals and maybe book screenings and see other people’s films and try to make some money and maybe go for a drink or something… How do you stay… [more]
- Use Advertising to Promote Your Work- And Win?
Shooting People is sponsoring a contest that leads to an intriguing thought. Create a commercial of less than 90 seconds and you could win various prizes, including a MacBook. But maybe more excitingly, this may be one of those interesting opportunities for product placement- of your own stuff. My advice is to make a >90 second commercial that seems like an ad for Chex Mix or Kodak but REALLY (and subtly) is an ad for your stuff! If they actually use your amazing ad, that is some exposure it’s pretty hard for an indie to… [more]
- Copy Night is about copyright and coolsexyfun
OK, I don’t know if Copy Night will exactly be the equivalent of a dance party, but it will be an opportunity for anyone with an interest in the current and future state of copyright law to kick back and discuss the relevant issues in an informal and relaxed setting. We’ll be meeting at Swift Pub at 34 E 4th St between Lafayette and Bowery at 7PM on Tuesday, March 23rd, in what will ideally be the resurrection of this monthly event. Please join us… [more]
- The Main Event at SXSW
Here is the slideshow from the panel we did at SXSW. More to come!
.prezi-player { width: 550px; } .prezi-player-links { text-align: center; }
- SX So What (and When and Where)?
On my way to South By Southwest today, where there are a host of interesting film and interactive panels to cover. I’ll probably do most of my commentary/info sharing on Twitter but will also be posting video and more from the panel I’m moderating, THE MAIN EVENT: Finding an Audience for Your Film which drops on Sunday at 12:30… [more]
- Making your Media Matter, eventually
Unfortunately, Making Your Media Matter 2010 has been postponed due to Snomageddon or whatever you prefer to call the massive storms of late in DC. For the wait, here’s an interview from NPR’s On the Media with MYMM organizer and Center for Social Media director Pat Aufderheide
- Crowd Control at SXSW
I’m super excited about my upcoming panel at South by Southwest- THE MAIN EVENT: Finding an Audience for Your Film on Sunday the 14th. This will not be your typical distro panel with a bunch of talking heads bemoaning the lack of money in the digital market. NO! Instead we’ll be sharing with filmmakers and enterprising folks some of the new (and tried-and-true) tools that can get people out to your movie.
The essential theory for me is that any event that costs money has to have a way to meet people- “meet” in… [more]
