Isn’t it about time that the majority of the films could claim that:
Category: Issues and Actions
The creation and distribution of content must have equal access for all.
Many of my former assistants are ruling the film world now. I look forward to many more joining their ranks.
And I don’t throw things at them, ever!
By Colin Whitlow
In this guest Filmonomics post adapted from his initial think pieces on the Cinema Research Institute (CRI) blog, CRI 2014 fellow Colin Whitlow explains why the film industry would benefit from a dedicated performance index – and how he is approaching building just such a valuable tool.
The film industry is weakened by the absence of an objective, transparent measuring tool for would-be film investors. Many mature industries have created an index to help the investment community get a read on the sector’s financial climate. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, a price-weighted average of 30 significant stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq, serves as a real-time proxy for mainstream financial market activity and economic health. The Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, calculated and kept monthly by the statistical rating organization Standard & Poor, are well-respected indicators of real estate performance in the U.S. Even esoteric asset classes such as fine wine and collectible art have their own benchmarks. But the film industry has no such like-for-like barometer.
What was selling? How did it compare to the years before?
Download the free report here:
Stephen Follows and his team surveyed 1,235 film industry professionals, all of whom have attended at least one of the three major film markets (Cannes, Berlin or AFM) within the past five years and asked questions on a variety of hot topics including piracy, the appeal of 3D, gender, and how optimistic industry professionals are for 2014.
To receive a free 25 page PDF containing all the results, sign up for his email mailing list at
Bad decisions are easily made. The strength of those around us offer insurance that such choices might be overcome. We all have to stand up for what matters most. Passion industries, particularly like film, are not driven by logic, or often ethics. We want to create beauty. We want a career doing close to what we love. Power appears to be in the hands of a few specific individuals and often in order to please them, we are tempted to compromise our common sense. We have to protect each other.
If you have ever made a movie, you can imagine what may have happened on the set of “Midnight Rider” when on a pre shoot day, camera assistant Sarah Jones was killed trying to get a shot. This is not the first time that a similar thing has happened on a set. We have all heard tales of bad choices made by producers, directors, assistant directors, and other crew. We all know we can do more to limit them from happening again. We have to protect each other. We can do better.
In the wake of this most recent loss, a movement has started. Please visit
Beanie Barnes has a MUST READ post up on Salon “America’s Next Wal-Mart: The Indie Film Industry“. Although Beanie primarily focuses on over-supply/grand abundance as the primary problem, the link-filled post captures many of the challenges we all now face — especially sustainability on a personal level. And the article is not just
