Month: January 2011

Categories
Truly Free Film

How I Spent My Sundance Non-Vacation

To think I once got to see movies when I went to film festivals…

I had one film to share with folks this time around, Sean Durkin’s MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE, which I had the pleasure and good fortune to Executive Produce — even still I did not plan to see any others.  I knew I was going to be too busy with the work that festivals have become for me.

The reception for the film was great — which has generated a lot of meetings (and which has yielded some nice announcements ).  I forgot to read the latest Exec Prod job description though and did not realize it now means moderating press conferences.  Check out the video here, and let me know how you feel I did.

When I wasn’t dealing and celebrating Sean’s movie, I was doing my part to aid in the promotion of indie film.

Christine Vachon and I have been doing this talk show on and off now for several years, now dubbed KILLER / HOPE.  Hulu’s got it up on their Sundance page. Please check it out while you still can (at least in all its glory). New episodes will be added daily throughout the festival.  Additionally, we were invited to talk to Eugene Hernandez for the local NPR station.  Gotta get the word out, but man does all that yapping, make for some seriously dry mouth.

But man, what a test of will power it is.  I admit I am an addict

Continue reading “How I Spent My Sundance Non-Vacation”

Categories
These Are Those Things

Stressed, But Not About Reality

I thought Distraction was the common attribute that held our culture together.  Maybe it is really anxiety.  

But my fave I Love Charts, points out that these concerns rarely are as warranted as we might think.

Then again some things we should be MORE concerned about.

Categories
Bowl Of Noses

Slo-Mo Water Sculptures

When things move at different speeds than those that we usually perceive them at, secrets are revealed.

KUSHO from Shinichi Maruyama on Vimeo.

 

Categories
Truly Free Film

Don’t Give Up The Fight

I recently met with a writer/director whom I hadn’t seen in over ten years. The decade was hard for him and he had worked only on other people’s projects — and not projects that he respected. He had written scripts and they were good, but they were not going anywhere. He was frustrated with the business.  He wanted a magic cure, but I did not have it.  I was already trying to do too much to try to help him at this time.

His situation was like that of many filmmakers I encounter. In addition to the advice I put forth on this blog, I recommended this:

Do not give up the fight. Prep even more for the battles. The film biz is neither smoke or white lies. Regardless of budget, film is an expensive labor-intensive time-suck. It requires so much from so many for so long. Everyone who collaborates on a project has little to gain in comparison with the director. The question is always how to gain others’ trust, commitment, loyalty. Demonstrating your investment and leadership is how it all begins. There is nothing better to do than to be generative and create work on a regular basis — any kind of work. Help people find and discover you.

I hope it helps somewhat.  I know it’s only words.  And I had too much on my plate to offer anything more that that.  I hope they keep on pushing through.  And that you do too.  It will be worth it, if only to show the rest of us that we should’ve when we could’ve.  But even if that never happens, I still believe that good work is worth it regardless.

Yes, I am trying to remind myself of all of this as I write.  Don’t give up the fight!

Categories
Truly Free Film

What Is The #1 Most Important Thing You Can Do For Your Film Aside From…

Today’s guest post is from IndieFlix founder and CEO Scilla Andreen.

What is the #1 most important thing you can do for your film aside from telling a good story?

It’s not what you think and it’s often taken for granted. I believe the answer is to honor your film and the people who support it by having meaningful engagement in everything that you do.

Yes, it sounds broad and vague and it falls into the category of listen to your gut, but when applied to each and every action you take it becomes a highly, customized, sharpshooting tool that prioritizes your time and money.  It will act as your compass on your filmmaking journey.

I am a filmmaker turned distributor out of pure necessity. I had to start IndieFlix because

Continue reading “What Is The #1 Most Important Thing You Can Do For Your Film Aside From…”

Categories
Truly Free Film

The 5 Most Important Questions For Producers

What do we need to know before we make movies?  What do we need to know to make movies well?  Are there questions that we can answer so that we have a sustainable and rewarding career?  Answers are hard to find, but so are the questions.When we identify the questions, whose responsibility is it to declare the answers?

I have a list.  I am sure it will continue to evolve.  Let’s start it off with the top five, and move on to more in the days ahead.  I look forward to your contributions.

1. How do I make sure that in twenty years I will feel good about the choices I make today?

2. What are the qualities of better films?

3. How do you establish trust & confidence?

4. How do you make a project seem inevitable?

5. How do I make sure all the collaborators all want the same thing, all have the same agenda, and are trying to make the same movie?

On Feb 2nd, I promise to have another 18 questions (at least)for you, but I thought these were the most important.  I would be happy to publish the answers here.

Categories
Truly Free Film

Are We Ready For The Gamification Of Film-going?

For better or for worse, we’ve already witnessed the gamification of story structure in Inception and Scott Pilgrim where narrative becomes defined by the reach into the next level. With the infection of our content, the next phase is no doubt the gamification of attendance. Will winning a virtual badge be enough to expand the audience for non-Hollywood films? The LA Times sees gamification infecting all aspects of life:

New services such as GetGlue, Miso and Philo apply the Foursquare model to watching movies and television. If you’re watching “CSI” you can “check in” to “CSI” on Miso to earn “CSI” points or badges, chat with other people who are watching the episode and eventually jump to the top of the “CSI” leader board.

Somrat Niyogi, the chief executive of the San Francisco-based Miso, says that the site builds on the sense of competition that pop culture consumption already fosters. “It’s all about the statement, ‘I’m a bigger fan than you,'” he says.

It may not be for everyone, but I do think if local theaters employed such tactics, they’d see an uptick in admissions.  People do say they would participate in more things, if we added more gaming to it.  Similarly, I would like to know more about the folks in my social network who are recommending movies — and if I knew what they saw, when they saw, it would help me evaluate their opinions, for better or for worse. Granted that’s really “social” not “gaming”, but it is all “engagement” and the film industry, across all sectors, has been neglecting it for too long. Whether we are artists, exhibitors, or production companies, it is time we gave a lot more attention to it.

Engagement is a long term process. It requires upkeep. It requires personality. It requires transparency. And the gamification of all aspects of the process will help a great deal. I am not convinced that “All the world’s a.. game.” (sorry Mr. Shakespeare) but this interview with Gabe Zicherman brought me a lot closer to accepting it.