Author: Ted Hope

Categories
Truly Free Film

10 Questions Every Filmmaker Should Ask Themselves

By Marc Schiller

Back in early May, I had the pleasure of attending “A2E: Artist To Entrepreneur” a fantastic lab organized by Ted Hope and the San Francisco Film Society. Over a three day period, a group of extremely talented filmmakers, technologists, marketing and distribution experts came together to explore new paradigms for film distribution.

On the first day of the lab, Ted and his team passed around a worksheet that all of the filmmakers were asked to complete. While filmmakers are often asked to submit information when applying for funding, few are compelled to explore their film from a marketing and distribution perspective as effectively and as thoroughly as the A2E worksheet demanded.

Continue reading “10 Questions Every Filmmaker Should Ask Themselves”
Categories
Truly Free Film

Film Culture Must Shift Away From A Mass-Market Focus

The Film Biz, and thus the culture it birthed, originally had no option but to be mass market.  But we now have a tremendous opportunity of an alternative method and it is right before us, ripe for creating. Shall we do it?  Or should we just sit on our ass and let this moment pass?  Although most of culture is waking to this reality, those of us who opted to first and foremost create feature films are still leaning towards the latter.

Look at where we were however, and you might just be able to see where we need to go. Back in the olden days of yore, EVERYONE had to go to the movies for the infrastructure to be built.  And they did. And it was.  And it was pretty fantastic and widely loved. But….

Continue reading “Film Culture Must Shift Away From A Mass-Market Focus”

Categories
Truly Free Film

17 Reasons Why Chicks Actually Make Better Directors

By Jill Soloway (director of AFTERNOON DELIGHT)

1) We grew up playing dolls.

No one believes me, but honestly? Making a movie is closer to playing dolls than ANYTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD. As children we sat on the floor, gave the dolls names, dressed them up in hot pants and pleather belts and gave voice to scenarios. And yes, we also smashed them together and made kissy sounds so they could make sweet, sweet, plastic love. I did that with Kathryn Hahn and Josh Radnor in my movie too!

2) We put on Thanksgiving

Women can make a space in their brain big enough to plan a seven-course dinner for thirty friends or a twenty-three day shoot for a crew of forty. Shopping list, shot list – they’re more or less the same thing.

Continue reading “17 Reasons Why Chicks Actually Make Better Directors”
Categories
These Are Those Things

Goodnight, World

Categories
These Are Those Things

When You Find That Thing That Feels Like It Is Yours

I loved rock and roll from a young age.  It was one of those things that helped me recognize that I differed from my contemporaries.  If memory serves correctly it was the same day that The Peanuts movie “You Are A Good Man Charlie Brown” and “Woodstock: The Movie” came out.  Although the former was more age appropriate, I saw the latter and managed to stay up just until Hendrix started playing.  “Kung Fu Fighting” was the number one cafeteria junior high juke box smash when Springsteen’s “Born To Run” captured me away.  I had cycled out all my classic rock for new wave by senior year in high school, but had yet to truly lock onto something until in college.  It was another party in the kitchen when X’s “Johnny Hit And Run Pauline” punched out of the radio and blew my mind.  I found much to love sonically over the next 5 years or so, but I probably saw X more than any band.  Just seeing/hearing them here brings back that rush I felt back then, the one that clarified “yes, finally, there was a music made for me”.  Know what I mean?

Categories
Truly Free Film

Four Simple Rules for Marketing Your Film (And Why Social Media May Not Be for You)

By Reid Rosefelt

4-Simple-RulesI’ve been a film publicist for 35 years and have worked on hundreds of movies.  Whether a film ended up grossing a hundred thousand or a hundred million, my approach has always been essentially the same.

1) Be Consistent With Positioning

The  most important task for a marketer is to find a description of the film that accentuates its strengths, minimizes its weaknesses, and makes you want to see it.  In the trade this is called “positioning.”

Continue reading “Four Simple Rules for Marketing Your Film (And Why Social Media May Not Be for You)”

Categories
Truly Free Film

Diary of a Film Startup: Post # 33: VoD: Frequently Asked Questions

By Roger Jackson

Previously: How to Make Your Film a HIT on Hulu

At Kinonation we get asked certain questions all the time — important issues that deserve thoughtful answers. Bottom line: the world of video-on-demand is new, developing fast, rather complex and full of nuance. Thus, there are no dumb questions. Here are the most frequently asked.

Is my film guaranteed to get on all your outlets?

No. The outlets cherry-pick the films they think will do best for them. The exception is Amazon Instant Video, who believe that curation is the job of the consumer. So any feature film is guaranteed to get onto Amazon, assuming it meets minimum tech standards.

How long until my film is distributed?

Continue reading “Diary of a Film Startup: Post # 33: VoD: Frequently Asked Questions”