Categories
Truly Free Film

We Need To Make Indie Film Work For Investors!

It’s pretty simple.  When people make money doing something, more money enters that system.  And it is pretty simple in the reverse: when some people make a bucketload and those that invested in it make virtually nothing, less money flows into the system.

If distributors don’t pay creators their fair share of the profits, their won’t be movies made. Or maybe the investors will get wise and stop selling the distributors the film.  After all we are at a time that you can really do it yourself (by doing it with others).  And to be clear, “fair share” doesn’t mean paying them what contract swindles them out of — it means paying them an ethical cut.  And that sure in hell ain’t 12.8% of the profits — which is what happened on one of the most successful indie films of recent times.

Categories
Truly Free Film

Diary of a Film Startup Part 17: How KinoNation Works

By Roger Jackson
Previously: Top Ten Lessons, So Far

We’re far enough along with development to have a clear work-flow for content owners. I’ve had lots of requests for this. So now’s a good time to explain the step-by-step flow for a film submitted to KinoNation. Right now we’re still in “beta-testing” mode, but expect to launch this more complete service in January 2013.

1. Human Readable: We’ve never liked those sign-up processes where you’re expected to read 10 pages of impenetrable legalese. So we’ve taken our cue from the folks at Creative Commons who believe there are humans — and then there are lawyers! i.e. that terms of use should be “human readable” with a link to the underlying “lawyer readable” text for those that want it. Here’s the human-readable stuff:

You grant KinoNation the right:

Categories
Uncategorized

Wanted Experts & Experienced Filmmakers To Help The Community

I was thinking about all the things that must be freaking out the filmmakers headed to their first film festival.  I feel them  It’s wonderful to get into a film festival, but what happens next can be panic inducing.  I was thinking about how I could help the fortunate & the cursed.  

I have collected a bunch of posts from the past that may help some, and will run them shortly; I am currently thinking Dec. 27th.  

But so many more posts on prepping for festivals and one’s career are needed.  Perhaps you know someone who’d write one for us.  Below are a few topics for suggestions.  Let me know what else we should ask for.  Would you write one?  Do you know someone that could?  Why not send them this list?  I will post what is available (and provided it is community-focused).

Audience Aggregation:

  • “How To Leave A Festival With As Many Fans As Possible”
  • “Best Practices For A Long Term Strategy Towards Building An Audience”
  • “How You Can Benefit From Free Non-monetized Content”

Career & Sustainibilty:

Categories
Truly Free Film

Ask Me Anything: Wed 12/19 at 1PM EST

In celebration of DARK HORSE’s Online VOD (via VHX) release, some of the actors & I are doing a AMA (AskMeAnything) via Reddit on Wed 12/19 at 1PM EST. Please get your questions ready and join in.

We are on the schedule here: http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/

The film will be available online at $9.99 starting Wednesday. DRM free. Perfect Holiday gift!

Categories
These Are Those Things

More Animated Sadness: Sensory Overload

If yesterday’s heartbreak didn’t quench that gaping black spot’s need to recognize how truly hard it is for some, let’s hit a slightly different note of that same sad song…

Sensory Overload (Interacting with Autism Project) from Miguel Jiron on Vimeo.

Categories
Truly Free Film

My War, Pt 2: The Glorious Beautiful Blue Sky Future

by Mike Keegan


Last week we ran My War, Pt 1: The Ugly Side. Today is the sequel.

Over the last couple of years, there has been a groundswell of theaters across the country that have used this as an opportunity to reinvent the way they operate.  Super-focused programming is an important element, as is truly engaging with your audience, programming for that audience and that audience, in turn trusting the left turns you throw in there every once in a while.  Along the way, something really neat accidentally happened—in this hyper-connected, everything-on-demand age, regionalism snuck back in to movie going.  Cinefamily in LA, the Hollywood in Portland, the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, the 92YTribeca in Manhattan—there are a lot of titles we have in common, both old and new, but we also show a lot of stuff, both old and new, that are of interest only to our particular regions.  And I think that is AWESOME.

At the Roxie, we have a couple of unofficial (and official!) guiding principals, but the one I keep going back to is

Categories
These Are Those Things

A Heartbreaking Animated Documentary: In Jennifer’s Room

“You actually have a rapist here and you are doing nothing about it”.

“I feel bad for the people who have no one to protect them”.