Month: September 2011

Categories
Truly Free Film

Michael Collins on “Utilizing Your First Ever Film Festival”

Toronto International Film Festival begins tomorrow. Getting you film to a festival is a dream come true for most filmmakers. But it is so easy to overlook the great opportunities that are right before you when you attend a festival. Today, doc filmmaker Michael Collins shares some of the lessons he’s learned from his initial experience at Tribeca.

GIVE UP TOMORROW (Tribeca)
Written by Michael Collins (Director/Producer)

For us, the road to Tribeca was extremely long, and sometimes quite grueling. Give Up Tomorrow is our first documentary feature and it took us more than 6 years to complete. Along the way as we navigated overseas productions, unraveled the mysteries of the funding world, and learned what post-production really entails, there are countless lessons that we learned – most thanks to a supportive community of filmmakers and advisors who have been there for us at every turn. But we quickly realized that the adventure doesn’t end when you finish the film and get into a festival, it is just the mark of a new chapter.

When we got the news that we would be premiering at Tribeca Film Festival, it was truly a dream come true. But along with all the excitement came a healthy dose of fear. We realized we still had a tremendous amount of work ahead of us, and we’d only have one chance to get this right. We immediately reached out to friends and advisors who had premiered at Tribeca in recent years and got some invaluable advice.

By no means are we experts, in fact quite the opposite.

Here are a few things that we feel made our experience at Tribeca a rich one:

We got to know everyone working at the festival
At all festivals there are so many people working tirelessly behind the scenes to give you the best possible launching ground for your film. Introductions are usually made via email, but it’s so much better to put a face to the names. Leading up to the festival make an effort to stop by the offices if you can. Say a quick “Hello” and see if you can help them out in any way. Let them know you are available and eager to participate in any opportunities that arise, such as industry panels. And get to know the volunteers and theater managers at the screening venues. When you do need their help, it will usually be under serious time-constraints, so get to your screening very early and introduce yourself.

Utilize your networks, don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Someone needs to take photos, video, hand out tickets to your guests, etc. You can easily get so caught up in all the legwork surrounding your screenings that you can’t be present to talk with press, talk with key guests, and maybe even enjoy yourself. Reach out to your network and see if you can get a few extra hands to be around at each screening to help with whatever comes up, because something always will.

Hire a professional publicist
For doc filmmakers, a photo finish seems to be the norm, and we were no exception. Finishing a film for most of us means a whole lot of post-production expenses piling up at the very end. Hiring a professional publicist was one of the best decisions we made. We were blown away by Tribeca Film Festival’s press office and all the wonderful exposure they generated for us, but the fact remains we were one of nearly 100 films they were responsible for. We chose to work with veterans Winston and David at David Magdael & Associates. They already had relationships with many of the top publications and media outlets, and they also had a great working relationship with the festival.

Turn each screening into an event
We invited high profile guests to join us, and organized a place to continue the conversation after the screenings. It was especially important to have a private reception following the premiere because we had all our film subjects with us, our family, friends, representatives from our media funders and foundations who supported us over the years. It was important to celebrate together as a way to thank them, and also to reconnect as we start planning for the next phase. Additionally, having this formal event made it easier to invite many key people such as distributers, NGOs, policy-makers, embassies and politicians who could directly impact the issues raised in the film.

A reception venue doesn’t have to be expensive. Take the time to check out the bars and restaurants within walking distance of the theater and get to know the managers. Tell them you have a limited budget and see what they can offer. Ask the festival if they have relationships with certain venues and about potential beverage sponsors. Reach out to your media funders and see if they are able to contribute. If you have a film about a particular issue or cause, reach out to organizations that might want to co-host the event. They may just give you a few hundred dollars, but it all adds up. If you have no budget at all, you can usually work something out with a local bar that would allow you to show up with a big crowd and get discounts on drinks.

Lay the groundwork for a social campaign
If you made a film that you hope will change the world, take the opportunity to establish campaign partnerships early. There is so much excitement and good energy at festival premieres, so be sure to get key people from organizations you are hoping to partner with into that theater. It was at our reception when Larry Cox, the executive director of Amnesty International, was inspired to stand on a chair and give a passionate speech about his commitment to the film and to getting justice for those involved. We had been in conversations with Amnesty ever since we participated in the Good Pitch in 2009, but having him experience the premiere definitely sealed the deal.

Bring partners to every screening
Establishing and maintaining relationships with partner organizations can be time-consuming and take expertise that not all filmmakers have. We decided to make the investment and work with Tracy Fleischman and Lisa Smithline at Cultural Front Productions on this. They helped us formalize the campaign and bring partners to every screening who would join our Q&A discussions. This elevated conversations by exploring larger issues raised in the film, and it also helped to fill seats because these partners were promoting to their networks.

Stay connected with your audiences
If you have a social issue film, audiences are going to want to help immediately. Find a way to harness that positive energy by giving them a call to action. In our case we have audiences sign a petition. We gather their email and give them the opportunity to write a note to Paco, the main subject of our film who is in prison. We now stay connected with the audiences through Facebook, twitter and newsletter updates. As our journey continues, and Paco’s case evolves, they are with us.

I’m writing this from the filmmaker’s café at Dokufest in Kosovo (excited for our outdoor screening tomorrow evening under the stars for 450 people!) and it is exactly 3 months to the day after our premiere. This is our 5th festival and we have many more lined up for the fall. I know that the success of the film today is largely due to the time, energy and resources everyone put into launching at Tribeca. We try to replicate our experience at Tribeca, on a smaller scale, at each new festival. We never just assume that audience will show up, or that the press will feature us, so we do our best to arrive early and get to work. But now we take a little extra time to enjoy these beautiful new cities that we were lucky enough to find ourselves in – because we know this chapter will soon be over as well.

— Michael Collins

Categories
Truly Free Film

Masterlist of PMDs (“Producer” Of Marketing & Distribution)

Okay, I am not truly a fan of the term “Producer Of Marketing & Distribution”, but I am even more NOT a fan of how easy we throw around the term “Producer” in general. To me the Producer of a film is the individual or team that is there from the very beginning until the very end — there is no in between — and ultimately responsible for EVERYTHING. If you were not involved in any aspect of either the development, financing, casting, production, post, sales, marketing, distribution, and reporting, then you are not a “producer” and should not take that credit. There: I said it. But a nickel is bigger than a dime, and we drive on the parkway and park in the driveway, so who am I to say that this world or a job title does not really make sense?

And frankly, if the collaboration between a “PMD” and a film works the way I dream it can, that individual is certainly there from at the very least VERY CLOSE to the beginning and all the way to the end — like a producer is.

Regardless of how I feel, at this moment in time we are calling those that work in DIY/DIWO films, the PMD, and the world knows they need all the incentives we can provide to do this necessary work, so who am I to quibble over semantics? But the real question really is, who are the people that do this work and where can you find them? Today I launch the Masterlist of PMDs. I will allow someone else to take it from here.

Two weeks ago I asked “Can We Create The Future Of Indie Film Marketing & Distribution — Or Is It Already Dead?“. Ultimately it was a plea for the indie world to take serious the training & utilization of people specializing in DIY/DIWO marketing and distribution. The readers of this column started a lively discussion (check out the comments). Many revealed themselves to be precisely the sort that is gaining this expertise from actual experience in the field. Jon Reiss kept the conversation going with a subsequent post.

If you are prepping a new film, you should budget to collaborate with them, and bring them aboard. Jon Reiss contributed a great post last week on the why and also another on the responsibilities of a “PMD”. I wrote out a list of all the services a “PMD” could utilize (now at 31!). I thought that the excuse of why I wasn’t collaborating with a “PMD” on my last production, was because I didn’t know who they were. I won’t let you get away with the same excuse. Nor will I use it in the future.

The important thing is to recognize that PMD’s are not simply for-hire service providers. They are collaborators. They are intimate with the production and can speak with an authorial voice. Community building and audience outreach are VERY personal endeavors. To do the job, not even to do it well, but just to do it, requires a tremendous amount of earned-trust from the creative heads. It should be recognized as a job that involves creativity as well as tactics and strategy.

So… Wondering who does PMD Marketing & Distribution work? This is what I found (please add to the list by posting some comments). Many thanks to Jon Reiss who provided several of these in his recent post on the subject.

I have listed contact information when I had it and when the filmmakers okayed it. The credits have not been confirmed. It is a start though…

NOTE: By request some of the names once on the list have been removed.  If I add any, I will date when they are added (05.21.13)

J.X. Carrera –

Bill Cunningham

I am a PMD who has created, developed and executed over 75 motion picture marketing and distribution campaigns (both international and domestic) for clients including Omega Entertainment, York Entertainment, Peace Arch Entertainment, and Artist View Entertainment.

In addition to my motion picture marketing and distribution experience:

I was the Associate Producer of .COM FOR MURDER (Starring Nastassja Kinski)
I was the Producer of SCARECROW as well as its co-writer.
I was the producer and co-writer for its sequel, SCARECROW SLAYER.

I have also been hired to write screenplays for several production companies here in Hollywood. In other words, I have a background that makes me useful on set, in post, and developing marketing plans to sell a producer’s movie.

My specialty is high-concept, low budget movies – horror, science fiction, action, etc…

I am well-versed in setting up promotional web media, creating exceptional, compelling marketing materials and making sure a motion picture is ready for delivery to a distributor, or ready for a producer to distribute himself. I attend the AFM every year, and keep close ties with the buyers there.

Bill can be reached at this email address: cinexploits@gmail.com
Or at the office:

Bill Cunningham
Pulp 2.0
2908 Allesandro St. Los Angeles, CA 90039
323.662.2508
skype: madpulpbastard

Stephen Dypiangco (@Dypiangco) PMD “How to Live Forever” & Oscar winning short “God of Love”
Contact: Email – Dypiangco@gmail.com
Website – StephenDypiangco.com
Twitter – @Dypiangco
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/thepmd

As a PMD, I must serve multiple functions on a film: strategist, project manager, communicator, problem solver and entrepreneur. But first and foremost, my primary goal as a PMD is to create and execute a customized marketing and distribution strategic plan (MDSP). I created this term, MDSP, to acknowledge the need for all film productions to have a concrete document from which to work. The term, “strategy,” is just too vague. This MDSP is a concrete strategic plan, a roadmap (a real physical document) of ALL OF THE WORK that needs to be done in the coming days, months and even years, before, during and after the film’s production. By moving forward without creating this roadmap beforehand, a PMD can become sidetracked and eventually get lost. If you don’t know exactly where you’re going, you’ll never get there.

Audrey Ewell –
Contact :Stay tuned for the website launch, and in the meantime Audrey can be found at audrey[at]cyborgpr.com, 347-495-1476, or at Union Pool in Brooklyn.

“I position a film so that distribution is both more likely and then more successful. As a filmmaker (and one who’s done all this for myself), there are nuances to the interactions between film, filmmaker and audience that I just get, a level of engagement that comes naturally and doesn’t reek of marketing.

I start by helping filmmakers identify and engage their audiences. Then I tailor multi-platform digital outreach campaigns that organically amplify core audience excitement to reach new and larger audiences. I strategize and coordinate transmedia elements and game/incentive-based audience development (when desired), do website consultation with an eye toward social and new media optimization, and implement social media campaigns with an emphasis on peer to peer marketing. During festival runs, sneak peaks, premieres, launches and theatrical or semi-theatrical engagements (whether booked by me or an outside party), I consult on promotional materials, coordinate their manufacture and distribution, develop and coordinate street teams, and set up co-promotions with localized partners to cost effectively access targeted local audiences, push early ticket sales, and build awareness and excitement. I seek out new ideas and avenues of engagement and exhibition across multiple platforms.

I help the filmmaker demonstrate audience support and then leverage that visibility and fan support during the theatrical engagement. Once that infrastructure is there the filmmaker can build on it, use it to drive distribution in other markets, and help leverage their success into the next project.

Laree’ Griffith
Ambient Muse Production Services
310-986-0177
www.lareegriffith.com

Specializing in social media and promotional admin services for entertainment industry.
Consulting with filmmakers and producers to create, implement and maintain an online presence for their productions.
Other services are, email campaign maintenance, promotional material handling, and event organization.

Laura Hammer
PMD @unicornsmovie http://unicornsthemovie.com/crew.html |
contact: http://laurahammer.com/contact/

As Producer of Marketing and Distribution I work closely with the creative team to develop a Marketing and Distribution Strategy translating the goals of the team into a plan; identify and engage with the film’s core audience and target markets; secure brand sponsorships; assemble and supervise all necessary specialists and consultants. I believe that a successful marketing and distribution plan enhances and supports the overall vision of the film’s director. I prefer to work with a film from pre-production through distribution but also offer a la carte PMD services. I have produced several narrative, experimental and documentary shorts that have screened at festivals, BAMcinématek, and the legendary Two Boots Pioneer Theater. At MUBI Garage I curate short films, produce interviews with established industry, and promote emerging filmmakers. I have set up and developed successful social media campaigns and web sites for individuals, small businesses, and feature films. I have additional experience in marketing, public relations, and audience outreach working with Broadway producers and Off-Broadway theater companies. I graduated with a B.F.A. in Drama from New York University Tisch School of the Arts and trained with Atlantic Theater Company. While an undergrad, I focused on Interdisciplinary Studies and graduate courses in Web Design at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program.

I am currently PMD for I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS from Student Academy Award nominated director Leah Meyerhoff (Slamdance Grand Jury Prize winning short Twitch), executive producers Allison Anders (Gas Food Lodging, Things Behind the Sun), David Kupferberg (Magic Valley) and Robin Leland (4th and Goal) and producers Heather Rae (Oscar nominated Frozen River) and Mark G. Mathis (Oscar winning Precious, Brick). I am also PMD for GRIOT, a feature documentary in post-production from Volker Goetze, Victor Kanefsky (Style Wars), and Samuel D. Pollard (Emmy winning When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts).

http://www.unicornsthemovie.com
http://www.griotmovie.com

Sally Hodgson
@SallyHodgson or sally@pipocapictures.)com, also see http://www.indiegogo.com/sounditoutdoc

Joe Jestus (via Jon Reiss’ post)

Michele Elizabeth Kafko – PMD “Revenge of the Electric Car”

Eddie Kahlish – “Happiness”

Jason Kohl – “Acting Like Adults”; currently 3rd Year student at UCLA.

Adam Daniel Mezei

About Adam Daniel Mezei’s PMD-For-Hire:

PMD-For-Hire (www.pmdforhire.com) is a full-service, full-time, 6-days/week film marketing and distribution shop.

I serve the needs of indie documentary and features clients (mostly docs, truth be told), working intimately with production crews on a strictly embedded basis as part of a minimum 3-month introductory commitment — or longer — to help get projects needed audience traction and off the ground.

The overall aim of the service is to help filmmakers brand their films accordingly. I harp on the need to develop sound traditional marketing, blogging, and social media evangelism techniques — among a dozen others — to painstakingly replicate in “micro-version” what mini-studios devote hundreds of thousands — millions, even — of dollars to achieve.

My techniques are custom-designed to inculcate solid habits from the get-go for filmmakers who are deathly serious about their long-term career prospects and who wish to harness the boundless power of the newly-democratized filmmaking milieu in true DIY/DIWO-style. Moreover, the point of the exercise is to get filmmakers generating a steady cash flow from their work so they can continue to shoot films.

The techniques I employ are varied, yet standardized because they work.

While every project’s ultimate marketing and distribution goals are indeed different, demanding a bespoke approach each time out after a critical evaluation of a project’s current marketing assets and personnel, the methodologies I leverage are similar depending upon which stage of the production process I’m parachuted in.

Several approaches I’ve applied for clients in the past include:
organizing themed live events from “soup to nuts” as a way to promote a project and sell product at the event.
conceiving of and assembling the pieces for a comedy documentary’s entire behind-the-scenes DVD Special Features section.
managing a team of half a dozen editing and marketing interns as part of a film’s post-production rapid rollout.
representing a client at a marquee L.A.-area film festival as part of that picture’s world premiere, taking potential distribution meetings in the process.
providing coverage on a spec script with suggestions for possible location improvements with the aim of potentially capturing better co-branding prospects in the future.
My rates are monthly, comprised of a flat fee, first and last’s months paid in advance (one month is always on deposit), and I no longer accept month-to-month contracts as past experience has shown not much of impact can be achieved in just 30 days. Clients wishing to sign me for 30-day periods are throwing away perfectly good marketing budget, and I tell them so. I also tell clients I can’t help projects which don’t move me personally. So if I’m not “method acting” certain aspects of the production role, there’s no PMD in the business who can help you.

PMD-For-Hire is proudly Toronto-based and to my knowledge I’m one of the few Canadians who does this for a living. Given how public funding bodies like Telefilm Canada have now committed to releasing grant money only to those co-produced projects with a clear audience engagement or transmedia strategy in place, the need for PMDs on indie production crews has never been more imperative.

Since I only work the projects where I think I can be of assistance, genres like soft snuff, horror, or certain types of foreign dramas are out of my league. Furthermore, I collaborate with only a limited number of projects each quarter, so once that quota is filled don’t take on new clients until the current period is over.

For custom requests or to find out when the next opening is, info@pmdforhire.com, or dial 416-827-4196. I answer my phone almost always. Thank you.

And of course, client references available upon request.

Errol Nayci – PMD working in the Netherlands

John Oravec –

I worked with Jon Reiss as he was releasing his film Bomb-It, helped him with flyering, distributing merch, coordinating deliverables, updating social media sites etc. I also did the same for a USC Grad Thesis film Carpet Kingdom by Michael Rochford and also for the feature documentary Danny Greene by Tommy Reid. I am based out of Santa Monica, CA and my contact info is Johnny Oravec 323 698 6900 johnoravec@gmail.com and my website is http://www.facebook.com/l/RAQCRrkJkAQDWj7UqyQgPYCC0R8M3

Diana Iles Parker PMD on “Eat The Sun”.
Spoken Media
Contact:
415.225.8121 (c)
415.388.8281 (o)
diana@spokenmedia.com
www.spokenmedia.com
www.eatthesunmovie.com
www.desertrunnersmovie.com

I am a PMD who partners with documentary filmmakers as early as possible in their filmmaking process so we can develop a strong, cohesive and well-supported launch for their film. I specialize particularly in hybrid models of distribution that focus on splitting rights and maximizing profits; festival strategy, publicity and marketing.

Amy Slotnick – PMD for “The Business of Being Born” (she received producer credit for her work); outreach for “Red State”; “Wake Up”.
Contact: aslotnick@mac.com

As a PMD I work with filmmakers to help them build, manage and optimize digital and traditional marketing and distribution, allowing them to better engage their audiences. This includes strategizing and executing marketing, publicity and distribution of independent films, often aimed to reach a niche audience or to promote a particular cause. Partnerships with organizations, brands and businesses as well as planning screenings with non-profit, student and regional groups has proved effective for raising awareness for a film. Creating and managing social networks, mobile and online promotions and overseeing online distribution, theater bookings and licensing deals are all part of the PMD position. A plan that is specific to a particular film’s subject matter and perspective can be crafted and implemented to leverage its assets and build momentum. Titles for which I have worked in this manner include Kevin Smith’s RED STATE (pre-release 15 city tour), THE BUSINESS OF BEING BORN and WAKE UP.

Lila Yomtoob
lila@yomtoob.com
Lila Yomtoob is a Brooklyn based producer specializing in marketing in distribution. She’s got 12 years in different areas of the industry, a statuette named Emmy, and has produced three features, “Hidden Battles”, “Foreclosure”, and “High Life,” which she also directed. As an independent filmmaker in her own right, she understands and respects directors’ needs, and is especially passionate about getting good films seen by their audiences.

Categories
Truly Free Film

The Costs Of Crowdfunding

Filmmakers speak of crowdfunding as if it is free money. It isn’t. In some instances it isn’t even close to being so.

In Indie Film, where filmmakers are routinely asked to take blood from a stone, you’d think the costs would leap from everyone’s tongue.

So what platform, puts the most money into your pocket? Well, the answer ain’t so easy.

As this is now the era of the six figure crowdfund raise, the answer is a combination of low fees and high user base. How many campaigns truly open up beyond the friends and family base?

The hard facts are a little easier to come by. Costs, in ascending order:

Kapipal • Currently no fee + PayPal processing fee (~2-4%), (must use PayPal, Italian)
IndieGoGo • 4% fee if you make your goal, 9% otherwise, +3% credit card processing fee
Kickstarter • 5% fee, +3-5% credit card fee (only funded if you make your goal)
Eppela • 5% fee + PayPal processing fee (~2-4%), (must use PayPal, only funded if you make your goal, Italian)
RocketHub • 4% fee if you make your goal, 8% otherwise, +3-5% credit card fee
SoKap • 5% fee, 10% fee on product sold via their marketplace, +3% credit card fee
United States Artists • 15% fee + 4% credit card fee

Categories
Truly Free Film

Tool Review: Stonehenge Mobile Apps For Films

The other day, I posted a WIP list of some of the many tools and platforms filmmakers have it their disposal these days. It’s hard to make heads or tails of them. How do we determine which ones we should use?

Luckily we have each other to help sort it out. Ari Gold takes the leap today and shares his experience on working with Stonehenge to build an app for his film ADVENTURES IN POWER. Hopefully those of you have that have used any other tools or platforms will let me know and share a post.

In marketing my movie “Adventures of Power”, I’ve said yes to every opportunity that came my way, from making collaborative videos with Youtube stars, to making a phone App for my movie, to standing on the street in costume. The Film Collaborative, which every filmmaker should work with, put me in touch with Stonehenge, a company that makes Apps for movies. Being an early adopter of new distribution technologies can be exciting because you write the rules; on the other hand it’s sometimes hard to track the return on investment. Stonehenge made a really cool air-drums and film App for my movie, and we’ve had people downloading it all over the world. It was fascinating to see where the App has done well (I never would have predicted big downloads in Jordan, for example!). Unfortunately, in a world where people like to get their digital content for free, we’ve had tons more downloads than sales of the paid-version of our App, which includes the whole movie, and it’s impossible to track how many DVD sales were driven by people getting into the App. But Stonehenge has been on-the-ball with making this experiment as good as it can be.

…///\\\…
Ari Gold
AriGoldFilms.com

Categories
Truly Free Film

Lynette Howell on “Producing Is Supporting New Talent Through More Than Just Production”

If you are a regular reader of this blog, or follower of mine on Twitter, I think you know that for me a Producer only deserves that credit when they truly commit to support the project from beginning to end. You also probably know how challenging I find the calling of producing these days, when we are required to do more and more, and are rewarded, at least financially, less and less.

It is always inspiring for me, when a Producer steps forward, embraces the full demand of the role, and does with a great attitude and recognition of the benefits that come from the commitment. Lynette Howell has not been producing that long, but she has learned a great deal, as we all can from her generosity of a guest post today.

ON THE ICE –
Supporting new talent through more than just production:

The kind of exploration into distribution that I find myself doing on my film ON THE ICE is new for me… uncharted territory and truthfully out of my comfort zone, but one that I find myself glad I am being somewhat forced into not only embracing, but championing.

As an independent Producer, I started my company with the mandate of supporting new talent. At first, this was a necessity. I didn’t have any relationships with established Directors when I entered the business. Therefore the only way to begin a career producing meant that I had to find projects that other more established producers didn’t want to take on – either because they were too challenging to make, or too small for a Producer to earn a living on. This necessity quickly turned into my true passion for discovering new voices and this passion then turned into an understanding of how crucial this kind of support is to the continued growth and evolution of the independent industry.

Since my first movie almost 7 years ago (Ryan Flecks HALF NELSON) I have produced many movies of all sizes and genres, ranging from Derek Cianfrance’s BLUE VALENTINE to David Ellis’s SHARK NIGHT 3D. But it is not the size, scope or scale that draws me towards putting my energy into a project — it is about finding stories that speak to me, and they continue to often come from new filmmakers.

As an Advisor to the Sundance Creative Producing Initiative, I continue to be a huge supporter in any way that I can of up and coming filmmakers. In 2009 I met Andrew Okpeaha MacLean, the Writer and Director of the short film SIKUMI that was the winner of the Jury Prize for Short Filmmaking at Sundance the prior year. He was at the Directors Lab with a script for his feature film ON THE ICE along with his producing partner Cara Marcous who was also a Lab fellow.

The script for ON THE ICE had so many built in challenges to it —
1. LOCATION — Set in Barrow, Alaska — which is the Northern-most point in the United States, deep in the Arctic Circle. The only way in or out during the winter months is by plane.
2. WEATHER — Temperatures can drop to 40 below with wind chill. All gear has to be winterized prior to shooting. And for some scenes crew cannot have any skin exposed because of the high risk of frostbite.
3. CASTING NON ACTORS — The script featured an all Inuit cast and Andrew felt it was crucial to work with local non-actors.
4. BUDGET — Making a movie in these extreme conditions does have a cost and so raising money for this would be extremely challenging.
5. SHOOTING SCHEDULE — The ONLY month we could shoot in Barrow was April because of weather and light issues (Barrow has 24 hours of darkness in the winter, and 24 hours of sunlight in the summer). Therefore we had a very short window to put this movie together!

But it was such a fresh script, setting and structure for a movie that I simply had to get involved despite all the obstacles

Through 5 different equity investors, a post-production deal, numerous grants, a tax credit and tons of support in kind, Cara and I managed to raise the money necessary to make the movie.

Production was such a challenge because of the above-mentioned issues (and some I didn’t forsee, such as using a bucket for a toilet everyday on the frozen tundra). But we managed to make a very special film that feels unlike anything I have seen before. The movie premiered at Sundance in competition earlier this year and went on to win two awards at the Berlinale Film Festival (the Crystal Bear and Best First Feature Film). The awards validation proved that there was an audience for this film, but we all knew that it was going to take a creative way to reach them.

All the incredible effort from so many people pushing this unbelievably challenging movie from a short film all the way to a critically acclaimed feature film found itself with an uncertain distribution future.

Given the technological advances and through social media, there is an opportunity for my support, your support and the support of many others towards new filmmakers to now transition into distribution in a meaningful way.

I have made movies that went to festivals before and weren’t able to find a distributor willing to pay a MG, or give the movie a wide, or even aggressive platform release. I have been left selling a film for a very small amount of money and then having it released in five to ten cities and ultimately no one really hearing about it or seeing it due to lack of marketing dollars or the same level of passion and commitment from the distributor that came from the filmmaking team who struggled to make the movie. Filmmakers traditionally feel more comfortable with the idea of a “real” distributor releasing a movie, even without a viable plan to release their film because there is a stigma associated with not having this branding. I believe this stigma is potentially short sighted and want to support the idea of alternative methods of distribution, especially for movies like ON THE ICE which don’t fall into the obviously commercial slam dunk scenarios for most distributors, no matter the size – but that clearly have an audience.

Through the new Sundance Initiative and Kickstarter, we are exploring a different approach to distribution for ON THE ICE. We are trying to raise $80k which will allow us to take the movie to a much broader audience than would be possible had we gone down the traditional path of a somewhat cosmetic theatrical release or a non-theatrical route. I want this movie to be SEEN by as many people as possible. The work that our team has been doing is staggering – more care and attention to detail in how to approach this audience and really use the money raised to reach a much broader number of people is incredible. It takes a lot of effort and determination. But I want to prove it can work, so that we can continue to ensure that the new voices of tomorrow’s filmmakers have a home for their movies.

If you are reading this, there’s a good chance you are involved in independent film or independent art of some kind. So, you may not be in a position to pledge much money, but I hope that you will consider passing our Kickstarter link on to the friends and colleagues in your life who might be interested in what we’re trying to do. The act of forwarding this on is incredibly powerful for us and it could mean we can release our film.

To support ON THE ICE go to our kickstarter page:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/andrewmaclean/on-the-ice-the-movie

Lynette Howell
Silverwood Films

Categories
Truly Free Film

Jon Reiss on “What Are A Producer of Marketing And Distribution’s Responsibilities?” Part 2 of 2

Yesterday, Jon Reiss explained why indie films need a “PMD” — and if words don’t work for you — just look at Tuesday’s list of all the new tools and services available that we can’t afford to miss. Today, Jon takes it further, and tries to lay out the job description for both experienced and aspiring marketing & distribution collaborators.

The responsibilities of a PMD are wide and varied. Not all films will utilize all of these elements (since every film is different and will have a unique approach to marketing and distribution), but each should be considered when strategizing and planning for the film’s release.

1. Identify, research and engage with the audience for the film.

2. Develop a distribution and marketing strategy and plan for the film in conjunction with the key principles of the filmmaking team. Integrate this plan into the business plan for the film. This should also be done as early as possible and should be incorporated into your business plan. This helps your investors, donors, potential grant committees know that you have a clear idea of what your goals are and how you will achieve those goals.

3. Create a budget for the M&D plan.

4. As needed and appropriate, strategize and implement fundraising from the audience of the film in conjunction with or in place of traditional financing which would include: crowdfunding, organizational partnerships, sponsorships and even modified versions of traditional fundraising.

5. Assemble and supervise the necessary team/crew elements to carry out the plan which can include social media, publicity, M&D production crew for extra diagetic material, key artists, web developers, trailer editors, bookers etc.

6. Audience research, outreach and relationship building through organizations, blogs, social media (including email collection), influencers, online and traditional publications.

7. Supervise the creation of promotional content and work with the development of trans media elements in either coordination with a Transmedia Producer, or in the case where the production is small – their might be one person who fills both roles, PMD and Transmedia Producer. Other elements to be created: the films website and social media sites, production stills, video assets – both behind the scenes and trans media, promotional copy and art/key art. Plus the PMD devises an organized content calendar to plan out what elements are released when and how they will disseminate online.

Just FYI – nearly all of the above and much of 8 & 9 happen before the film is finished.

8. Outreach to potential distribution and marketing partners including film festivals, theatrical service companies, community theatrical bookers, DVD distributors, Digital and VOD aggregators, TV sales agents, foreign sales agents as well as sponsors and promotional partners. The advantage of having the PMD on board is that it gives the filmmaking team many more options for distribution and marketing. No longer do filmmakers have to give up all rights just to get help in releasing their films. Filmmaking teams can create split rights scenarios that can be much more favorable to achieving their goals than many typical distribution deals. It puts the artistic team in the drivers seat instead of being dependent on taking any deal offered.

9. Coordinate, organize and supervise the creation of traditional deliverables in addition to creation of all media needed for the execution of the release as needed including:
• Live event/theatrical: Prints either 35 or Disk or Drive. Any other physical prep for event screenings.
• Merchandise: All hard good physical products including DVDs and any special packaging (authoring and replication) and all other forms of merchandise: books, apparel, toys, reproductions of props etc, and hard versions of games.
• Digital products: encoding of digital products, iPhone/Android apps etc.

10. Modify and adjust the marketing and distribution plan as new opportunities present themselves during the film’s life span regarding information about audience, market, and partnerships arise.

11. When appropriate, engage the distribution process, which includes the release of:
• Live Event Theatrical – Booking, delivery, of all forms of public exhibition of the film including all elements that make the screenings special events (appearances, live performance, discussion panels etc.)
• Merchandise – Distribution of all hard good physical products created for the film.
• Digitally – oversee all sales of the film in the form of 0s and 1s: TV/Cable/VOD/Mobile/Broadband/Video games etc.
• This not just in the home territory – but also internationally.
• Some of these activities may be handled in conjunction with a distribution partner in which case the PMD would be supervising the execution in conjunction with that partner.

12. Ramp up the marketing of the film to coincide with the release, which includes:
• Content rollout
• Additional Social Media activities such as contests, soliciting screening demands, posting press mentions .
• Publicity including feature stories, interviews, reviews
• Organizational Relationships
• Sponsorship Relationships
• Affiliate and Email Marketing
• Promotions
• Media Buys (as warranted)
• Seeding trailers and other video content.
• Any specific marketing especially tailored to the film.

This list should indicate how it would be difficult, if not impossible, to expect existing traditional crew categories to accomplish or even coordinate the work outlined above. In addition, while some of the work above is “quantifiable”, much of it is not – just like much of what a producer or even director does is not “quantifiable”. All efforts working in tandem produces the ROI.

Jon Reiss is a filmmaker and author of Think Outside the Box Office. His new book, Selling Film Without Selling Your Soul, cowritten with The Film Collaborative’s Orly Ravid and Jeffrey Winter with social media marketer Sheri Candler, is sponsored by Prescreen, Area23a Movie Events and Dynamo Player available September 13, 2011 via Apple iBooks, followed by Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, a printed edition and free ePub version.

He can be reached at:
jonreiss.com/blog
twitter.com/Jon_Reiss
facebook.com/reiss.jon
You can order Think Outside the Box Office here, or on Amazon.