What if today was a holiday and that instead of wearing a costume or giving a gift, we just jumped, hopped, skipped EVERYWHERE! If we ran for President on the hopping platform, would you elect The Bowl?
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Author: Ted Hope
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Facebook Killed TV
“Why TV Lost” is an excellent article by Paul Graham on why broadcast lost to the internet and computers.
What decided the contest for computers? Four forces, three of which one could have predicted, and one that would have been harder to.
Graham captures the appeal of piracy, which is not because it is free:
The third reason computers won is piracy. Users prefer it not just because it’s free, but because it’s more convenient. Bittorrent and YouTube have already trained a new generation of viewers that the place to watch shows is on a computer screen.
He states in very simple terms what misconceptions industry leaders have long held about their industry and what the internet offers as an alternative:
Whether they (the television industry) like it or not, big changes are coming, because the Internet dissolves the two cornerstones of broadcast media: synchronicity and locality. On the Internet, you don’t have to send everyone the same signal, and you don’t have to send it to them from a local source. People will watch what they want when they want it, and group themselves according to whatever shared interest they feel most strongly.
Give it read. It’s worth the visit.
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Sleepwalking Dog!
I dream of flying. I know folks who dream they can breathe underwater. I wonder if if dogs have different dreams or do they all dream of chasing things? All I can say is now I know why they don’t sleep in the center of the room: it would hurt if they got a running start.
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Citizen Media Law Project
As their site explains:
CMLP’s legal guide is intended for use by citizen media creators with or without formal legal training and focuses on the wide range of legal issues citizen and online media are likely to face, including risks associated with publication, such as defamation and privacy torts; copyright; trademark; access to government information; newsgathering; and general legal issues involved in setting up a business and finding a web host. You can access the guide here.
Knowing your legal rights and responsibilities is important for anyone who publishes online. The CMLP’s legal guide addresses the legal issues you may encounter as you gather information and publish your work. The guide is intended for use by citizen media creators with or without formal legal training, as well as others with an interest in these issues.
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Take A Lesson From The Master
It seems to be pretty much the gospel now that Slumdog could never have rewritten the rules as it has without Searchlight’s help. Everyone marvels at their marketing campaigns, and how well they work. People say they’ve trademarked color, to the point if you use a bold singular shade in your campaign, folks feel you’ve copped a page from Ms. Utley.
Titles are always a difficult thing in the positioning of a film. Posters however make titles look easy. When our films are handled by one of the top distributors we often see over 100 different mock-ups. And it’s rare that by the time a choice is made, I frequently feel we made a wrong decision, or rather never found the answer. One of the real challenges is finding a poster that not only serves the campaign in terms of positioning the film and enhancing desire to see it, but also serves the test of time and rests comfortably on the wall years later.
All the tests though are compounded when you have little or no funds like most indie filmmakers. I recently posted on TheNextGoodIdea about CrowdSpring where you offer a prize and hold a contest among designers to see who will make the best poster (or logo or whatever). It certainly is a good way to get a lot of interesting ideas. Searchlight, the undisputed master, takes up one notch with their campaign for 500 DAYS OF SUMMER. They are using the multiple images to increase pre-release buzz by holding a poll regarding four different posters, apparently pulling the audience into the process, and cementing allegiance to some degree in the process.
The contest for a final image campaign seems like something all indie filmmakers should put in their playbook. When would be the right time to run it? Seems to me that if your film has played one of the major film festivals and garnered some good attention, right before the next big festival would be the ideal time. Hey, isn’t that exactly what Searchlight is doing? 500DOS played Sundance and will soon be screened at SxSW and now the SL poster poll is go. Which basically means that if you are going to have 4 images to select you need to start to get them in at least a month prior to first fest screening.
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Indie Film Lobbying In DC
I wasn’t aware of this until it was too late, but there has been a fair amount of inquiry within the community about how we can build better relationships with our representatives. There’s probably never been a more critical time or an important one than now for a host of reasons. There are critical issues being decided. The MPAA has had it’s budget cut by $20M! Although the studios’ issues sometimes conflict with the indies, generally we have all greatly benefited by their lobbying efforts.
Lloyd Kaufman of Troma films brought this apparently annual summit to my attention (after a tip from Peri!) via Facebook. Unfortunately it was yesterday.
“Filmmakers on the Hill” –
Location: Capitol Hill – Rayburn Building Room 2203
Organized in association with the Office of Congresswoman Diane E. Watson, Hosted by the Congressional Entertainment Industries CaucusFilmmakers come have your Mr. Smith moment. Formerly known as Advocacy Day, this Forum provides leading industry, legal and government experts the opportunity to discuss key issues that impact the independent film and media industry. In the past the panels covered varied subjects including: How to stimulate independent film production in the U.S.; creative new solutions for filmmakers struggling with financing, distribution issues and copyright licensing issues; new international financing opportunities and the role of governments in film production. DCIFF 2009 marks an expanded program with prominent speakers in two consecutive interactive panel sessions. This is a unique opportunity to hear concerns about the state of the independent film industry in the U.S..
9am – Meet & Greet – Meet your government representatives and other filmmakers.
10:00 – 11:15am: Session I:
A discussion of the ways in which American independent film strengthens the U.S. economy both domestically and abroad and how it is integral to the artistic and cultural profile of the United States. This industry is also an incubator for forward-looking digital innovation and technological advances. Considering its economic impact and cultural breadth in the global digital era, can legislation protect and nourish independent filmmaking and media? Data and research will be presented.11:30am. – 1:00pm: Session II:
The challenges of making independent filmmaking sustainable by discussing options, incentives and realities under the umbrella of small business, taxes, distribution and location production costs. In particular, independent filmmaking is a potential engine of small business growth. The discussion will take on existing issues and creative ways of conceptualizing independent filmmaking in the context of state government involvement and incentives.
Thanks to IFC’s Independent Eye I have now seen my favorite film of 2009. David O’Reilly’s PLEASE SAY SOMETHING won the Golden Bear for short films at Berlin this year. It’s about ten minutes long but packs a wallup of emotion, innovation, and experimentation into those ten minutes. My day has been made.
IFC has some more information on their site, along with excerpts from an interview with O’Reilly. Check it out.
