Month: January 2011

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Truly Free Film

DEALS & DIY: A Film Distribution Duet

Today’s guest post is by Orly Ravid of The Film Collaborative(TFC), the first non-profit, full service provider dedicated to the distribution of independent film.  Orly was featured as one of HFF’s Brave Thinkers Of Indie Film, 2010.

*This is Part II of the “If I Were a Filmmaker Going Sundance…”

*Part III to will be written in the aftermath of the glow of the fest.

Sundance 2011, insofar as distribution was concerned, saw a spike on both the traditional sales and the DIY front.   26 deals were done so far and more to come. One difference between this year’s Festival and those of recent years is that several acquisitions were done prior to the Festival and more deals occurred right at the beginning of the Festival rather than taken several days or weeks to materialize. In addition, some of the acquisition dollar figures were bigger than in recent times. There was a definite sense of ‘business is back’  (though mostly still for bigger films with either name directors or cast or both – and this we address below).  And DIY is seeing a new dawn with directors like Kevin Smith announcing a self-distribution plan and Sundance’s solidified commitment to helping artists crowdfund (via Kickstarter) and market their films (via Facebook for example) access certain digital distribution platforms (in the works and TBA).

Starting with the deals. So far I counted 26 (one at least was a pre-buy / investment in production) and two so far are remake rights deals.

I only list the deal points that were publicized… meaning if no $$$ is listed then it was not announced.

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Truly Free Film

HopeForFilm Named 1 of 10 Top Sites For Filmmakers

Thank you Raindance!  It’s great company to keep!

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Truly Free Film

Indie Film Lives, Thrives, Blossoms & Blooms!!!

It is no longer the dawn.  We are now officially in the new era of a Truly Free Film Culture.

Yes, the business of indie film is back.  The rapidity, volume, and consistency of deals blossoming ($30M and counting!) at Sundance should give investors more confidence that you no longer have to rely just on foreign; the US acquisition climate seems quite robust again.  Whew.  But the good news does not end there.

Indie Film has been infected by a new breed that — like those that came before them — refuses to ask for permission.  But unlike the earlier wave, their go-get-them attitude doesn’t stop at production, it extends into all the pillars of cinema — from discovery and participation on through production, distro, appreciation, and presentation.  The content, the form, the plans of cinema are not only for re-examination, but the rules have been thrown out.  Time to get out of the way, and let the fresh air disrupt the stale space.

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Truly Free Film

Sundance Teams With KickStarter & Facebook For New Initiative To Connect Artists With Audiences

Official Press Release:

PARK CITY, UT — Sundance Institute today announced a new program to connect its artists with audiences by offering access to top-tier creative funding and marketing backed by the Institute’s promotional support. These essential services will act as building blocks for future program components which aim to provide filmmakers access to a broad and open array of third-party digital distribution platforms. Adding to the nonprofit Institute’s acclaimed programs for Screenwriters, Directors, Film Composers, Producers and Theatre artists around the world, the new services were developed based on research and input from filmmakers, industry advisors, its Technology Committee and its Board of Directors, including President Robert Redford. The creative funding component was announced today with Kickstarter, the largest platform in the world for funding creative projects.

A new way to fund and follow creative projects

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These Are Those Things

Clear Case For An Open Participatory Culture

Everything old could be new again.  I never truly liked this song, but now I have watched this video multiple times.  Thank you Ye Li.

(and thank you Geralyn Dryfous for the tip!)

 

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Truly Free Film

Ambition In The Best Sense (aka Lance Weiler)

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Lance Weiler for maybe two years now.  I love how he thinks.  I love how he takes that thought and transforms it into action.  Process is more key to what he does, than virtually anyone else I have worked with.  The journey is the destination.  He is willing to walk without knowing where it all might be going.  He is collaborative to the Nth the degree.  His vision for cinema truly knows no limits.

Wired Magazine singled him out this summer as one of the fathers of transmedia.  BusinessWeek credited him with changing cinema alongside Thomas Edison, The Warner Bros., and James Cameron.  Between his features, The Workbook Project, & DIY Days, the man is profoundly generative.

If you were in Sundance this past week (and even if you weren’t), you probably witnessed how he infected Park City with

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Truly Free Film

The Polite Ways They Pass On Your Project

A “polite” pass is quite contrary to substantive notes.  When they are polite, they don’t want to see you again.  If they really liked you and your project they’d be cruel.  Or something close to it.   So how do you know they never want to see you again?

  1. It’s too close to what we are already committed to.
  2. We can’t wait to see what you do/have next!
  3. We’d be interested if you beef up the comedy/action/horror/penis jokes.
  4. Our slate is too full to pay it the attention it deserves.
  5. We have very defined focus these days.
  6. It doesn’t fit our model.
  7. We love it, but
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