a new playground

9 months ago

"It looks like yet another filmmaker has realized that obscurity is a much bigger threat than piracy. Matthew Krum lets us know that the makers of the movie BLANK have decided to release the movie on all torrent sites, while also offering up a DVD version and a donation offering on their site. While I’m not a huge fan of give it away and pray business models, you have to like the attitude these filmmakers have: “No one should have to pay for a film they did not like. No one should be denied the right to enjoy the art of film. … Basically the consumer pays what they think the film was worth to them. They will also have the option to sign up for a newsletter for our next film. In this newsletter there will be a username and password to a web forum so they can follow us through pre production, production and post production of our next film."

Mike Masnick @ Filmmaker Releases Film Via All Torrent Sites, Says Pay If You Like It | Techdirt

another ballsy experiment.

9 months ago

"With limited theatrical options for getting their films in front of audiences today, numerous filmmakers have explored (or at least pondered) the Internet as an outlet. … The challenge, of course, is balancing the widespread awareness afforded by the Internet with still emerging revenue models. “This isn’t where we are going to be making money now,” “Super Size Me” director Morgan Spurlock told a large crowd on Monday at SXSW. “If you are looking to pay your rent, not so much, if you’re looking to pay your phone blll, you have a chance.” Later, when the discussion shifted to panelists’ reluctance to talk about the hard traffic numbers, Spurlock offered a line that has already been picked up by media and bloggers: “The reason numbers aren’t releaed is because the numbers are pathetic.” … Spurlock also noted, optimistically, “The fact that it continues to garner eyeballs is the most important thing…the exposure is gigantic.” And he later predicted, “Down the road, [revenues] will grow."

Eugene Hernandez @ Digital Distribution: ‘Gigantic’ Exposure? ‘Pathetic’ Revenues’? - indieWIRE

everybody’s watching, but people aren’t getting paid. for now at least.

"I agree that the traditional distribution model is broken,” concurred (“Helvetica” filmmaker) Gary Hustwit, “But I feel that the way to fix it is to go directly to the audiences,” he continued. “Why are we building other people’s businesses when we could be building our own business.” Seated in the audience, an industry insider answered the question aloud, “Because not all filmmakers want to be businessmen."

Eugene Hernandez @ Digital Distribution: ‘Gigantic’ Exposure? ‘Pathetic’ Revenues’? - indieWIRE

will everybody have to become a mini distributor? i hope to god not.

9 months ago

"Loyal fans are the lifeblood of artists and essential to sustaining any creative career. Now, with online tools that enable direct connections, filmmakers can reach out to their fans for support in the early stages of project development. Whether aiding the funding, production or distribution of a film, crowdsourcing is a collaborative way to overcome barriers in the filmmaking process."

Liz Rosenthal @ POWER TO THE PIXEL » Crowdsourcing: Using Audiences to Bankroll Projects

examples of projects with audience fundraising participation & the online tools that facilitated it. nothing close to massive success, but could be a viable option for certain projects.

11 months ago

"Community, collaboration, and appreciation. These tools are the new tools. These are the good old tools. These tools are where our marketing money also now needs to be spent."

Ted Hope @ Truly Free Film: Art House Convergence Closing Keynote Address

a masterful essay on the specific ways indie filmmaking needs to evolve.

1 year ago

"Before the discovery of the New World, the Old World of Distribution reigned supreme. It is a hierarchical realm where filmmakers must petition the powers that be to grant them distribution. Independents who are able to make overall deals are required to give distributors total control of the marketing and distribution of their films. The terms of these deals have gotten worse and few filmmakers end up satisfied. … Many of these (Old World) executives seem unaware of the larger structural changes threatening their world. They recognize that video-on-demand and digital downloads will become more significant revenue streams but seem confident that they can incorporate them into their traditional distribution model. These executives do not understand the fundamental importance of the internet or its disruptive power. … The Old World executives who do acknowledge the New World can be as dismissive as record industry executives were when they first noticed the internet. Their usual condescending response is the internet may work for “little” films with “niche” audiences. After admitting that the internet represents added competition for eyeballs, they are quick to point out that little money is currently being made from digital downloads or online advertising."

Peter Broderick @ FIRST PERSON | Peter Broderick: ‘Welcome To The New World of Distribution,’ Part 1 - indieWIRE

more @ FIRST PERSON | Peter Broderick: ‘Welcome To The New World of Distribution,’ Part 2 - indieWIRE

peter broderick lays out the rules for the new indie distribution.

1 year ago

Lance Weiler @ EXTENDING THE STORYWORLD - fromheretoawesome on blip.tv

more @ culture hacker » Extending the media experience

not just aggregated content, but expanding a film’s story universe. a case study.

1 year ago

Matt Hanson @ The Audience is Obsolete - fromheretoawesome on blip.tv

more @ ‘A Swarm of Angels’ crowdsourcing film production | The Social Web | ZDNet.com

audience as part of the film process, not an afterthought. a case study.

1 year ago

"The future of independent film is not in content aggregation, which is quickly becoming commoditized, but in audience aggregation. Filmmakers need to find ways to create an ongoing conversation with potential viewers. … One that will start early in the process and continue long after the film is finished."

Lance Weiler @ Filmmaker Magazine | Summer 2008: WHEN THE AUDIENCE TAKES CONTROL

indie film needs an audience.

1 year ago

"Film enthusiasts vote at the box office on which movies succeed or fail. The idea behind a new Web site, Massify.com, is to give them a vote on which films are made in the first place, along with some say in the script and the casting. … In theory, the notion of empowering people who are trying to break into the movie business by allowing them to contribute to the filmmaking would seem to provide a crack in a long-closed Hollywood network, where entrance is not always predicated on talent but access. “It’s a new way of thinking,” said Eugene Hernandez, co-founder of IndieWire.com, … “It’s exciting — all these things happening at the same time. Maybe the dream of democratization can become a reality.” Practice is another matter, however. It remains to be seen just how effective a cluster of people in their 20s can be at reinventing what the French critic André Bazin once called “the genius of the system,” referring to Hollywood films made during the classic studio era … During those years, and still today, power flowed from top to bottom in vertically integrated studios. But Massify wants power to flow the other way around, to give the people at the bottom of an organization an opportunity to be involved in the decision-making."

Charles Lyons @ Giving the Outsiders a Say on Movies - New York Times

more @ massify site

audience participation in development process.

1 year ago

"A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author - in other words, anyone producing works of art - needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans to make a living. A True Fan is defined as someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce. They will drive 200 miles to see you sing. They will buy the super deluxe re-issued hi-res box set of your stuff even though they have the low-res version. They have a Google Alert set for your name. They bookmark the eBay page where your out-of-print editions show up. They come to your openings. They have you sign their copies. They buy the t-shirt, and the mug, and the hat. They can’t wait till you issue your next work. They are true fans."

Kevin Kelly @ The Technium: 1,000 True Fans

cultivate the base. love the base.

1 year ago

"By taking an in-development movie project online, a film can attract a community of people who are interested in the subject matter before it is even made. And ultimately this fan base is not only a source of funding, but a marketing tool as they will promote the film among their own social networks. … The end result is that contributors and fans of a movie feel like they are part of the team as they have been involved with the project from concept through production. They have a vested interest in the film so when it hits theatres they want to go see it, and they publicize the film in their social circles."

Cheryl Minning @ How to get your film made using IndieGoGo | National Screen Institute

more @ IndieGoGo site

more @ CinemaTech: IndieGoGo: A Social Network for Filmmakers Raising Money (and Their Backers)

audience participation in the fundraising process.

a new playground

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