Month: October 2010

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Truly Free Film

Independent Documentary Thriving in Brooklyn

Guest post by Steve Holmgren.

We are back to our regular twice weekly events at UnionDocs, a documentary arts space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. UnionDocs’ microcinema continues to be an exciting place to see important nonfiction films: from classics made by the likes of George Stoney, Rosa von Praunhiem, and Pare Lorentz to underseen crtical favorites like October Country and The Carter to boundary-pushing experimental work made by artists like Lynne Sachs, James T. Hong, and Ken Jacobs. In addition, UnionDocs presents panels and lectures, including talks last year on distribution and access (Richard Amromowitz, Todd Sklar, Ashley Sabin) and documentary criticism (Thom Powers, Richard Brody, Lisa Rosman, Ed Halter), as well as nonfiction photography, audio, interactive art, and writing. Always followed by engaging discussions with presenting artists.

We also host a year-long program for twelve emerging artists called the UnionDocs Collaborative. The participants collaborate on interdisciplinary group nonfiction production, and also attend private weekly workshops, sometimes with visiting artists. Between the collaborative, and the artist conversations, UnionDocs is a site for conversations about the future of documentary.

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Truly Free Film

Cage Match: Are the Kids Alright? Youth Audiences in the Art House – Independent Film Conference 2010

Are independent and art-house film doing enough to draw young audiences away from the multiplex and the computer screen, or is the theatrical experience for a older demographic? On September 19th I was invited to participate in a “cage match” with Jeff Lipsky as part of Independent Filmmaker Conference’s panelist speaker event last month. We were able to agree on one thing: independent filmmakers need to draw a younger audience.

Moderator:
Liz Ogilvie, Crowdstarter

Panelists:
Ted Hope, This is that
Jeff Lipsky, Filmmaker, TWELVE THIRTY

Watch it here:

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IndieWire also covered the debate in an article here.

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Truly Free Film

Co-Production Studies: Strategic Partners Forum

Guest post by Yael Bergman

A few days at Strategic Partners, Halifax, Canada and a crash course at International Co-Production Financing.

I saw Ted in Toronto a few days before heading to Strategic Partners in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He suggested I write on his blog with what went on there. I am reporting back now…

I write this as an Australian producer who recently produced a romantic comedy in Australia called I Love You Too.  It was completely financed within Australia, largely with Australian and state government investment, and the tax rebate (up to 40 per cent of Australian spend). We are fortunate in Australia to have this public funding as a resource, and whilst it is perpetually competitive, it is the way most film and television is made in Australia. It sustains the industry and ensures we continue to tell Australian stories.

My producing partner, Laura Waters, who is originally from Colorado but has lived in Australia for almost 20 years, regularly comments that she can’t believe governments actually give you money to develop and make stuff here. Well, it’s true!

To some independent American producers, this must sound like the gold pot at the end of the rainbow, but the reality is it’s a limited pool and the funding bodies (and consequently, the producers) are always trying to work out a way to make it stretch further.

One good way is via co-producing, i.e. we split the cost of making a project over two or more countries that has a vested interest, and then we can each claim it as our own as a “national film”. Arguably, the project should be culturally relevant to each producing country and there needs to be a fair split between creative elements and financial contribution, but on the whole, with a bit of juggling, it can work very well if the project calls for it.  (NB: This applies for international producers entering into an official co-production with Australia, the project becomes automatically entitled to the Producer Offset rebate as an Australian project, up to 40% of Australian spend.)

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Truly Free Film

Younger Audience & Creators Tell Old Fogies To Wake The F Up!

Guest post by Audrey Ewell

Ted Hope invited me to do a guest column about attracting a younger audience to indie film, after I commented on a column by Robert McLellan at Globalshift.org.  That column was a recap of the debate between Hope and Jeff Lipsky during a Cagematch at IFP Week.  You can read it here: http://www.globalshift.org/2010/09/19/indie-film-can-art-house-theaters-attract-a-young-audience/.)

The column’s final statement, attributed to Hope was this: “It all comes back to having a relevant and compelling story and telling it well.”  That is an oft-repeated statement, and I noted in the comments that what mattered more to this crowd was plot, subject and genre.   So who am I, and why should my opinion matter?

I’m the director and producer (along with my partner, Aaron Aites) of the documentary film, Until The Light Takes Us.  I am 34 years old, white, female, I love Antonioni, Fellini, Marker, and science fiction.  I have Gizmodo, The Huffington Post and The Economist on my Twitter stream.  I own three video games consoles and I’m currently on level 7 of Halo: Reach.  I listen to indie rock, stoner/doom, experimental, dubstep; and I am often on my boyfriend’s and friends’ guest lists when their bands play shows.  I am the audience you’re (they’re, we’re) trying to reach, + four years. But I’m immature enough to let those four years slide.

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Truly Free Film

Why Don’t Grown Ups Get How Great Animation Really Is?!!

Guest post by Bill Plympton.

I’m very excited to be given the opportunity to pontificate about the state of indie film on the wonderful “Hope for Film” site.

If some people don’t know me, it’s understandable. My name is Bill Plympton, I create animated shorts and animated feature films.  And because they’re animated, it’s very difficult to get any press, respect, or even distribution for my films. I also have two other strikes against me – they’re not family oriented films, and they’re very low budget. So there you go! That’s my dilemma. How do I get distribution for a film that no one wants to touch?

I think a lot of the prejudice is because there is sex and violence in my films, and the audience in America believes that animation is sacred territory. How dare I put raunchy material in a purified, Disney-created art form? That’s blasphemy! I’m tainting the holy art form of cartoons.

Yet Quentin Tarantino puts tons of sex and violence in his films and they’re very close to being cartoons. So, why can’t I? Why can’t the U.S. Public make that great creative leap from kid cartoons to adult animation?

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Truly Free Film

What is the hardest thing about being an indie film producer today?

I get asked this question a lot: “What is the hardest thing about being an indie film producer today?” It is worth doing a much longer post on, listing all of the problems we all face.  But as I said, I get asked this a lot, and I don’t think they are looking for 75 or more answers (I have those up here and here).  Usually folks are looking for the short answer.  This is that answer, or rather at least, how I answered it today.

The pay has dropped significantly while the job description has increased ten fold, and the demand for both services and advice have increased even more. We producers are expected to (and must) source and develop new material, package it with talent, put together a production plan, and then find a way to finance it. Of course we have to execute those plans at the highest level possible, all the while dealing with the unique personalities that flock to indie film production, but we are also expected to then put together a marketing plan, distribution strategy, social media outreach organization, and festival plan – and probably raise the funds for all of that (or figure out how to do it without funding).  We need our own community built from the start and we have to provide them with meaningful contact, satisfying information and content, and the opportunity to collaborate together.  On top of all of that, most of this is not a science and the workable business model for indie film in this day and age has not yet evolved and certainly has not been shared. To just discover the tools for this requires more hours than there are in a day. Oh yeah, and we don’t get paid for any of these endeavors until the full film is financed – and then we are asked to reduce our fees regularly. The only way to survive is too work on some many projects simultaneously, you are unable to give each project the attention you want. And I did mention that most of the folks that you collaborate with along the way adopt an approach that they must be your top priority at all times?

Not that I am complaining.  It is a good life (just not a good job).  I am not building widgets (well, okay I am building widgets to help, but I am not JUST building widgets).

That’s the short answer.  For today.  And check out the replies to this question on my Twitter feed & FaceBook page(s).  A lot of good conversation out there.  We can build it better together.

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Truly Free Film

Hunter Weeks On Three Lessons from Three Films

Guest post by filmmaker Hunter Weeks.

I’ve now produced, directed and distributed three documentary films. It’s been exhausting, time-consuming, super-challenging, but all the while, the most enriching collection of experiences I could ever imagine. I don’t know how Ted’s done what he’s done, but I’m pleased to have met him a year ago at Power to Pixel and to now be a guest on his blog.

Yesterday, I released my 3rd film on YouTube free for approximately two days (2711 minutes to be exact). 2711 minutes because the focus of this documentary is about the world’s longest mountain bike race – the Tour Divide – which crossed through 2711 miles of the rugged and beautiful Rocky Mountains when I filmed it. I’ll tell you the path that led to this strategy down below.

With each of my three films, I’ve learned a ton about how to market and distribute independent films (and by that term, I mean truly independent or as I like to say baby indies). I’ve had to learn these things because I’m not part of the elite establishment in film (and with the competition that exists to get there, I’ve found it easier to go solo and build my own audience, thereby increasing my chances of survival and growth within this industry). Looking back on the marketing of each film, I’ve gone away with one key learning from each effort.

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