Film distribution in the digital age.
- 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]
- SWSW Mag talks up VOD except… Not.
SXSWorld, the magazine of the South by Southwest Film Festival, has a pair of articles (on page 16) about the “New Distribution”– one a sunny look at the VOD sales of three 2008 SXSW films, Humbolt County, Medicine for Melancholy, and Crawford and how the filmmakers worked with distributors (IFC and Magnolia) to roll out the films in various ways. The other, a more sullen (i.e. realistic) take on the financial realities of internet sales, is by George Rush, an entertainment attorney (who also specializes in eviction defense) in San Francisco… [more]
- Variety: the digital revolution doesn’t pay
Variety reported last week that the digital distribution “revolution” is starting to seem more like the Seven Year’s War as filmmakers and distributors see little to no revenue online. While there have been a few highly-trumpeted success stories, even the most advised course of non-exclusive deals with a number of high-profile online markets can yield little in the way of revenue for independent filmmakers without the marketing and exposure of a big theatrical or television release.
There are two points to take away- number one, think about traditional media first. Don’t ignore online & VOD but make sure your… [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]
- Gigantic shows films online
indieWIRE reports that Gigantic Releasing has launched a new online distrubution service. Gigantic Digital will charge $2.99 for 3-days of online viewing of feature films day-and-date as well as free content from their library. The films will be ad-free and high quality, and possibly exclusive to this site, at least for some period of time… [more]
- In The Conversation with Ingrid Kopp
The Conversation is taking place in Berkeley, CA and Shooting People’s Ingrid Kopp (among others) is covering it by blog and Twitter. Not sure how the 2-day discussion on “the future of the entertainment industry” can be streamed or downloaded quite yet- but if that isn’t an element of the event, there would be a fundamental disconnect… [more]
- Sundance drops Mediastile, filmmakers left in the lurch
In the “what can go wrong” department, indieWIRE reports about the end of Sundance’s relationship with Mediastile, Inc., the aggregator that was placing the festival’s licensed digital content on services such as iTunes, Netflix, and XBox LIVE. Mediastile has apparently been neglecting to pay any royalties for the content they’ve sold, which is the reason for Sundance’s dissolution of the partnership. As of now, it doesn’t look like filmmakers whose films were licensed through Mediastile will have much recourse, short of legal action (and unless they can take a class action, it is probably not worth it for… [more]
- INTERVIEW- CONTROL ALT DELETE director Cam Labine
Vancouver, BC-based filmmaker Cameron Labine premiered his first feature, CONTROL ALT DELETE at Toronto this year. A black comedy concerning the onanistic joy of the computer age (and stuff), CAD has been described as “so completely originally that it defies comparison” (Slashdot) and “fun, strange, and a whole new road for geek-themed cinema” (Collider).
Infinicine [I]: Your film is about tech addiction, the internet, and the relationship between people and their computers, among other things. What do you think the relationship between people, their computers, and film is at this point– and… [more]
- Caachi Vidget snags trailer sharing
Snag Films has been out for a bit now, and I’m not sure how they are doing, though I have noticed Snag-related stories and promotion around the internets. When they launched, I wrote to them to suggest using the technology for trailers as well as full-length films. For me, the chance of making money in a scheme where revenues are tied to people watching the whole film (Snag monetizes the films with a series of interstitial ads, and the filmmaker gets something like $.10 if the viewer watches the whole film) and this is a streaming situation, even… [more]
