January 2012 – Page 2 – Hope For Film

By Rob Mills

Update: For more about SOPA please visit these links:

Uk Guardian: Sopa and Pipa would create a consumption-only internet

William Gibson Calls SOPA ‘Draconian’

Techdirt: Why All Filmmakers Should Speak Out Against SOPA

Clay Shirky: Why SOPA is a bad idea

For the past three months a couple of dangerous bills have been making their way through meetings on Capital Hill. The Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) and Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) have become famous for their dangerously reckless approach to combating online piracy. Worse yet, this legislation will do almost nothing to actually stop piracy but could cripple or crush online distribution.

According to the MPAA and other supporters of this legislation, SOPA and PIPA target “rogue” web sites and foreign entities, but the liability created in these bills is huge for U.S. companies. YouTube, Dynamo, MUBI — almost any online film distributor could be strangled by this legislation. If SOPA/PIPA were to pass, any online service even suspected of hosting any amount of copyrighted content can be effectively shut down within a week.

Make no mistake. I hate piracy. I hate that deserving artists don’t get paid for their work. I hate that studios and distributors are forced to hopelessly accept and account for theft. I hate that sales of pirated goods — from DVDs to handbags — fund some of the largest criminal networks in the world, and support cottage industries of money laundering and human exploitation.

But the proposed SOPA legislation does far more than attempt to curtail piracy. SOPA and PIPA are completely reckless, sponsored by people with no clear understanding of online commerce, online media or the current generation of media businesses. As a result, these bills are like shotgun blasts aimed at a distant fly. While the scattershot hits everything around the target, that fly will continue to be a nuisance.

Worse yet, the most dangerous impact of this legislation is the ability for major studios to crush competitors. Rather than just creating a mechanism to control copyrighted content or penalize the hosts of illegal content, SOPA gives studios the ability to shut down entire sites and systems hosting any amount of copyrighted content on suspicion alone.

Ironically, for all of the big business and quasi-conservative support behind this legislation, it is a prime example of over-regulation aimed at limiting the free market. Executives at the major studios understand that SOPA/PIPA stifles their competition in the name of defending copyright.

As usual, studio support for legislation like this is largely a consequence of corporate fear and laziness. The television and film studios have spent much of the last decade cautiously sitting on the sidelines while the investors and innovators behind YouTube, Blip, MUBI, Livestream, Dynamo and hundreds of others took on disproportionate risk to build a sustainable online media market. Now that the markets are proven and the risk is manageable, the studios are backing legislation that would change the rules of commerce and cripple their competition.

An open, competitive market has always been the lifeblood of independent film and has always been terrifying to the studios. For 100 years studio executives have consistently been too scared about losing some of their dominance to explore new markets in innovative ways. With every new distribution option that independent filmmakers have launched, studio heads have pushed for legislation to either strangle or control it. And as much as I hate piracy, I also hate to see studio executives consistently hiring lobbyists to try and fix their problems after failing to innovate.

To support these efforts the MPAA, RIAA and major studios have all behaved like scared children for so many decades that it is no longer possible to take their Chicken Little cries seriously. We were told that the VHS was going to destroy the industry, but after they were forced by the market to embrace private rentals that market grew to become the largest and most reliable source of revenue. We heard the same story about audio tapes, DVDs, radio, cable television, pay-per-view — every technology that created a new way to reach the audience.

Piracy is a serious problem that requires serious solutions, but combatting technical innovation with aggressive legal attacks has never done anything but cripple the market. The best way to combat piracy is to make it easy and safe for people to pay for what they want. Piracy will always be a risk, but studies consistently show that a majority of people who pirate film and TV programs illegally will happily pay for them when those titles are available online and easy to pay for.

Independent filmmakers understand better than anyone that successful distribution means giving the audience what they want, whenever, wherever and however they want it. As an example of the real value of online distribution, at Dynamo we see video rentals succeed at price points 2-5x higher than Redbox DVD rentals. Yet this legislation could kill the online market before the studios even begin to take advantage of it.

Perhaps the worst of all this is that many supporters of this legislation likely have no idea just how dangerous this attack on online distribution is to their own future. Fearful studio executives are holding onto SOPA/PIPA like a hand grenade glued to their own fingers, but it’s the independent filmmakers who will suffer most when it blows up.

Find out more and contact your representatives here: www.tumblr.com/protect-the-net

This past Tuesday Christine Vachon and I did a Twitter Q&A. For one hour we answered whatever questions the community put forth. We tracked them under the unifying hastag: #KHQA (which also happened to be a radio station’s call letters, but…). These sort of Twitter meet ups are not only a lot of fun but a great way to connect and share info. I think it should become standard operating procedure for any filmmaker who premieres a film or is about to. They can also then be repurposed into a blog post so it keeps generating new content!

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— TONIGHT– Ted Hope and I answering your questions from 8pm to 9pm EST here on twitter!

— Tonight’s hashtag for Ted Hope and me is : #KHQA

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— Tonight’s Twitter Q&A w me & Christine Vachon @kvpi will be using #KHQA Tweet in at 8P Eastern.

— 30 min countdown to the 1st ever Killer / Hope Twitter Q&A. Join me and Christine Vachon on #KVQA

— Oops. Typo on my hashtag. THe Killer Hope Q&A is actually #KHQA and not what I just typed on the last tweet…

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @TedHope are you tweeting under the influence???? you mean #KHQA!!!

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @kvpi Right you are. Not about the TWI but about the mashed hash tag. It is #KHQA. 17 minutes and counting…

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— ted is using 2 screens (I only have one computer) so I will be slower– sorry in advance–#KHQA

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— What if you threw a twitter Q&A and no one asked a question? 6 min until @kvpi find out! #KHQA

@Swishpan (varda the message)
— @kvpi Can we submit questions now?

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @Swishpan starting…now!

@JCle1 (Just J)
— @TedHope @kvpi Too early to post a Q? Is there still a market for an indie film that is not integrated into a transmedia platform?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @JCle1 A market yes? In fact, #Sundance is that this month. But w so many films I wonder a just-a-movie gets discovered unless they’ve got $

— Okay the Q&A has started

@Armakk (Randy Mack)
— @TedHope SUPER made me think “Yup, this is definitely how a real Batman would play out. And hence nobody trying to film this before.”

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— Yes, SUPER had some of the greatest cinema moments of 2012.

@kingisafink (King and Keck)
— Who’s in for the @TedHope / @kvpi Q&A?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @kingisafink @kvpi We are!

@JJoshua_Johnson (Jonathan J. Johnson)
— Is it at all possible to see more $500k indie films, well developed, with both seasoned and new producers, and new talent, per year?

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @JJoshua_Johnson absolutely– we’re making several right now–

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @JJoshua_Johnson see? as in screen or have more made? The trick for most is how to earn a living at that budget

@JJoshua_Johnson (Jonathan J. Johnson)
— @TedHope @kvpi See them made. Making a living is always the trick. Somehow it seems there is a sweet spot in there somewhere. Thanks!

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @JJoshua_Johnson @TedHope agreed

@brianjude (Brian Jude)
— @TedHope @kvpi Where else can one go for development funds when personal connections/crowdfunding seem to have been exhausted?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @brianjude I spend years developing financing contacts. The trick is how to supply deal flow so you educate them

@passerbyco (Passerby.Co)
— @TedHope @kvpi Better indie film scene: NY or LA?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @passerbyco What’s “better”? just different. LA has to be in Hollywood’s shadow whereas NY is the unwanted orphan

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @passerbyco @TedHope I think both are good but LA getting more interesting–

@Swishpan (vardathemessage)
— Varda the Message asks @kvpi who/where was your 1st rock concert in nyc? best concert? Thanks for fab music films! Keep making them!

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @Swishpan best concert– clash at BOND’S (6 times!)

— @Swishpan first concert: AMERICA in central park!

@JCle1 (Just J)
— @TedHope @kvpi So, is a project with a sort of “transmedia development plan” more likely to get a prod co interested?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @JCle1 @kvpi for a budget below $5M & w/o financing, I ONLY want to consider one with a transmedia plan

@FalseCheese (False Cheese)
— @TedHope What would be an artist’s best bet in getting work in a film’s art dept? Is sending a portfolio to a prod co advisable?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @FalseCheese Yeah I think having a great portfolio AND great connections is best to get on art dept. It’s what I wanted 2do but had neither!

@averagejenn (Jennifer Liao)
— Paying personnel fairly & not breaking budget: Can it actually be better to budget more days rather than know there will be crazy OT?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @averagejenn but the problem often is the financier won’t approve a budget that way. People blv you’ll hit OT no matter what

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @averagejenn yes– if you have the choice– problem is the bond co often holds you to the fewer days scenario)

@JCle1 (Just J)
— @TedHope @kvpi How do you structure a team to dev a project that is anchored in film and “grows” in diff directions in multiple media ?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @JCle1 It’s a lifelong process: surround yrself w good ppl talentd in many varied fields & sharing ideas & being willing to brainstorm

@tanktv (tank.tv)
— @TedHope @jcle1 @kvpi might sourd stupid here but what is a transledia dvpt plan

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @tanktv Transmedia development plan= how to extend story world to different platforms & forms of engagement byd core

@averagejenn (Jennifer Liao)
— @kvpi @TedHope Thank you both! Follow up: Is there anything novices overlook in what crew most appreciate when working low budget?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @averagejenn Respect, preperation, organztn, good food, good examples & leadership, personal sacrifice, sense of humor, quality

@JCle1 (Just J)
— @TedHope @kvpi What role does potential global mkt/media exploitation play in your decisions to dev/prod a project? What are key terr for u?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @JCle1 I do my own P&L and foreign estimates; compare vs. “experts” — US & the six major territories are key always

@AquariusFilmsOz (AquariusFilms)
— @TedHope @tanktv What are some good examples of excellent transmedia models for film Ted and Christine? To use as case studies

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @AquariusFilmsOz @tanktv True, we need good transmedia models and beyond TV they are few& far betwn

@cinemamusings (Cinema Musings)
— Your best advice for a producer bringing their first film to a festival.

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @cinemamusings which festival? important to set your goals, know who your audience will be there–

@myjumpsuit (Cort Johns)
— Have you looked at the reworked 2012 Michigan film incentives?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @myjumpsuit Briefly. Shame that minimum was raised but glad they brought back. Tax incentives are job stimuli

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @myjumpsuit no– can you give us all an outline?

@WZRichard (Zack Richard)
— @TedHope Any advice for a DP looking to shoot bigger budget indie features? Just bought an EPIC.

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @WZRichard Buying an EPIC is a great start. Where are you located? I am sure there are filmmkrs who need a DP!

@WZRichard (Zack Richard)
— @TedHope I’m in NY.

@reelclever (reelclever.com)
— What are 3 main questions a filmmaker should ask when looking to attach a producer to their film project? How to choose right one?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @reelclever 1) Do they want to make the same movie as me; 2) Can we eat dinner together & grow; 3) Can they make it happen

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @reelclever make sure you both want to make the same film first and foremost–

@JCle1 (Just J)
— @TedHope @kvpi Can you envision a time when you’d anchor a project on the INternet (webisode/stream) and use other media as ancillary?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @JCle1 @kvpi Absolutely. Both @kvpi & I are platform, budget, genre agnostic

@Armakk (Randy Mack)
— @TedHope @kvpi My concern: directors will “cut the corner” to marketing, create films around hype/controversy/etc & those’ll dominate

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @Armakk @TedHope the real filmmakers won’t– and audiences really want authenticity

@JJoshua_Johnson (Jonathan J. Johnson)
— @kvpi @TedHope Audiences, esp online, seem to be increasingly content hungry. Can’t get enough. Could reward prolific indie producers.

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @JJoshua_Johnson @kvpi But are audiences willing to pay for great content or even good content? I think so if they respect creator

@myjumpsuit (Cort Johns)
— What’s the best no-name approach to fundraising?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @myjumpsuit I think crime & bribery are great fundraising approaches as long as no one gets hurt or finds out

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @myjumpsuit be more specific

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @kvpi what was the most difficult decision you had to make on a film?

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @TedHope always when to walk away

— @TedHope what’s yours?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @kvpi My most difficults were firing actors, putting an actor in rehab, calling Health Dept about hepatitis outbreak

@Christina8ryant (Christina L Bryant)
— @TedHope @kvpi Emerging writer w/ list of SW labs/contests to enter, but looking at past winners, all loglines sound same. Thoughts?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @Christina8ryant Orgs generally support artists like the others that succeeded. Best to always differentiate yourself. but may not win

@JCle1 (Just J)
— @TedHope @kvpi What’s the most amount of time you put into a project before you abandoned it

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @JCle1 @TedHope Boys Don’t Cry had 7 years, Savage Grace almost 15– we don’t abandon, we just pull back!

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @JCle1 I like to see ppl stick it to the pricks & never give up

@AquariusFilmsOz (AquariusFilms)
— @TedHope @JCle1 @kvpi But aren’t revenues generally higher from other platforms for indie films?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @AquariusFilmsOz @JCle1 @kvpi Yes theatrical is generally a loss leader and ego builder

@averagejenn (Jennifer Liao)
— @kvpi @TedHope Really enjoying this Q&A! How do you gauge the readiness of the script? External reads, mutual agreement among team?

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @averagejenn @TedHope unless its very high concept I say script necc

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @averagejenn To get financing, you MUST make it “feel” inevitable. Script goes a long way + image book + attachments + projections

@kingisafink (King and Keck)
— QUESTION: What’s more valuable for screenwriters: getting agent/manager OR getting screenplay produced on an indie level?

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @kingisafink obviously getting a (good) screenplay produced!

@Rebeckakaka (Rebecka Pitman)
— For an aspiring producer about to graduate. What is the best way to learn the film industry? internship or make independent films?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @Rebeckakaka Jump in and do it. Don’t ask permission. Always b student learning. B prolific. Ask how 2 stay motivated despite haters

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @Rebeckakaka ha– both! you can’t REALLY learn the biz till you are in it, film school is a fake place for a producer-

@JCle1 (Just J)
— @TedHope @kvpi Do you think there are themes/ideas you care about personally that come through ea of your projects? If so, what?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @JCle1 Mostly I like stories that have emotional truth and take me somewhere I cant get on my own

— @JCle1 I love stories that make me care about someone I don’t think I hv much in common w

@kingisafink (King and Keck)
— @kvpi Thanks so much for answering my question! Do producers watch other ppl’s work, approach writers based on produced work?

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @kingisafink absolutely– all the time!

@JCle1 (Just J)
— @TedHope @kvpi Is it easier to pick projects since you’ve gained some success (and $$) or more difficult?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @JCle1 “easier?” I have made so many commitments I rejoice when I have the space to take on something new

@passerbyco (Passerby.Co)
— @TedHope @kvpi Biggest risk you’ve taken in your career (and outcome)?

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @passerbyco @TedHope I have taken so so many– taking some as we speak! 1st time directors, unknown actors- DPs/PDs on their first gigs..

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @passerbyco Biggest risks? Each movie is a testament of faith in artist & humankind in general

— @kvpi @passerbyco Even taking on rent and employees is a risk in this time of economic collapse!

— @passerbyco Each film is a five year minimum commitment (often MUCH longer) & world could end b4
— @passerbyco But I have claimed several times I could do things I did not know how to do in order to get the opportunity

@ Swishpan (vardathemessage)
— @kvpi I still regret missing Clash at BONDS!

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @Swishpan yeah, it was pretty awesome…

@AquariusFilmsOz (AquariusFilms)
— @TedHope @kvpi @passerbyco How do you keep the costs down but still keep up with the workload?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @AquariusFilmsOz @kvpi @passerbyco Yeah, that’s the challenge: job description increase tenfold. Billfold reduces 10x further!

@Armakk (Randy Mack)
— @TedHope @kvpi What’re the most common mistakes in thinking you’ve seen in young/new producers lately?

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @Armakk @TedHope that theatrical is the holy grail and only thing worth making

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @Armakk Common new producer mistake? Not collaborating w many, not staying prolific, not increasing skill set, not audience bldg

@JCle1 (Just J)
— @TedHope @kvpi What would you say are the key successes of your particular business model? Creatively, financially, operationally?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @JCle1 I try to make sure that I love what I do, whom I am doing it with, how I am doing it, & the terms I am doing it under

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @JCle1 @TedHope I don’t HAVE a particular biz model– different one for every movie!

@myjumpsuit (Cort Johns)
— @kvpi What did you learn producing Hedwig and Velvet Goldmine?

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @myjumpsuit how FUN it is to make music driven movies– still love doing them, LCD Soundsystem movie at sundance this year

@JCle1 (Just J)
— @TedHope @kvpi Better … what do you find are the key challenges to raising financing NOW and how are you addressing those

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @JCle1 Financiers & collaborators are risk adverse. What gets funded easiest is not what I want to invest my time in

@Groovyfokker (David Hughes)
— @tedhope @kvla If you had a Martha Marcy May Marlene-style script (The Bends) but no ambition to direct, who should you point it at?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @Groovyfokker I would definitely give it to Sean Durkin, Antonio Campos, & Josh Mond. Or Michael Heneke

@Groovyfokker (David Hughes)
— I’ve optioned an unproduced Peckinpah script, 40 years old but with many modern themes, and low budget. How do I go about casting it?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @Groovyfokker Even great projects need 2hv a coalition behind em. Get ppl to recognize it’s greatness first. You can only reveal once

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @Groovyfokker if its a great script it won’t be hard

@passerbyco (Passerby.Co)
— @TedHope @kvpi Who helped you launch your careers? Key early mentor or moment?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @passerbyco closest to a mentor was Jill Godmilow. Lindsay Law was great help. But the directors are who launched my career

@kingisafink (King and Keck)
— @TedHope: enjoyed yr talk at @FlywayFilmFest, yr mention of The Bible as greatest #transmedia idea ever. Question…

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— Thanks @kingisafink @FlywayFilmFest Thanks 4 reminding me that The Bible as greatest #transmedia idea ever

@myjumpsuit (Cort Johns)
— @TedHope @kvpi what are your feelings about seasoned producers lending their name to up&coming producers?

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @myjumpsuit we do it a lot IF we like the movie. I think its a great way to help each other–

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @myjumpsuit “lending” name diminishes everyone. Either be in or not at all I feel

@kingisafink (King and Keck)
— @TedHope QUESTION: How involved are u w/ transmedia for yr projcts? Do u bring in experts / ppl w/ good transmedia track record?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @kingisafink I am working with @LanceWeiler on one. Is he an expert?

@grking (Gary King)
— @kvpi @TedHope what are some of your favorite film fests that you like to attend?

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @grking sundance of course— love venice and sarajevo–

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @grking I like film festivals best when they have cultivated a real community w artists & audiences

@ Swishpan (vardathemessage)
— @kvpi @myjumpsuit And to have made a must-see rite of passage for teens! If it’s ok, can you tell us if G has seen Hedwig and/or VG?

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— @Swishpan she’s seen hedwig– not VG yet–

@averagejenn (Jennifer Liao)
— @kvpi @TedHope Really enjoying this Q&A! How do you gauge the readiness of the script? External reads, mutual agreement among team?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @averagejenn script is ready when the director can answer all of my questions. when it is true.

@JCle1 (Just J)
— @TedHope @kvpi Just curious … Why did you each want to do this Q&A?

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— @JCle1 @kvpi did this Q&A for those that could not attend our masterclass & because ppl give us so much. People need answers

@TedHope (Ted Hope)
— Thanks to all for joining the Q&A with @kvpi and me. It was fun and hopefully helpful. Let’s do it again sometime! Gotta go

@KVPI (Christine Vachon)
— thank you for participating!