Tag: FH2A

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Truly Free Film

NYC DIY Days Dinner

A whole bunch of us got together for food, drink, and lots of blab about the way this world of film is changing — and now you can join us!  

The good folks at The Workbook Project made this happen with a little help from their friends of course.  Come join Lance Weiler, Arin Crumley, Susan Buice, Lance Hammer, Faye Dunaway, Paul Rachman, Stephen Rapael, Slava Rubin, Joseph Marin, Jennifer Kushell, and of course myself.  This is just the intro segment.  Two more to come.  

I was mentioning this dinner to my friend Christine Vachon, telling her how I thought it was a good idea it was, a lot of fun, quite informative, and how well it was shot.  Christine’s response was “Did anyone get a word in edge-wise?”.  In this episode I don’t start to rant until the 27:27 mark, so you be the judge.   

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Truly Free Film

Competition Is THE Problem

Lance Weiler gave an excellent presentation at Power To The Pixel in London a few weeks back.  As he points out: competition is the problem.

He boils it down and provides the antidote (collaboration!) in a short powerpoint presentation here:
From Here to Awesome

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: models new)

And if you want to hear and see it all with Lance actually presenting it, catch it here — he provides a great context for it all:

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Truly Free Film

Non-theatrical RULES! Send Us Your Venues

Another post from Jon Reiss:

I had the opportunity to see Lance Hammer’s Ballast on Sunday night at the Laemmle Sunset 5. It is a wonderful film and as you probably know – Lance eschewed the standard distribution deals he was offered and decided to self distribute. I had a chance to talk with him after the screening to compare war stories and we both agreed that there needs to be a paradigm shift on the definition of ”theatrical”.

“Theatrical” is the industry term for the first “window” of a release normally in movie theaters where they are screened for at least a week starting on a Friday night. This is a very limiting notion of what a theatrical experience should be and has the potential to constrain our own imagination of what constitutes a theatrical experience. 

I feel that any screening in front of a live audience in which the film is projected in the dark with good sound – approximating the way in which the filmmaker originally intended (so long as they intended to screen it for such a live audience) should be considered a theatrical screening. This should include not only Hollywood’s definition of a typical theatrical run – but should also include festivals, museums, clubs, colleges, film societies or anyone else who will set up a screening of your film in front of a live audience in a manner acceptable to you. This should include Brave New Films network of Living Room Theaters (which are often much bigger than a living room – many of the screenings are in community centers).

Lance and I both agreed that some of our best screenings were in non-theatrical venues. Usually the film is screened for one or two nights and is promoted as a special event – which helps to pack the house.

We also agreed that we as filmmakers need to create a database of such venues similar to the Workbook Projects Theatrical Mapping Project. Eventually we should combine theatrical and non theatrical lists – but currently they need to be approached in slightly different ways – so I feel it is best to keep the lists separate for a little while.

Lance and I have agreed to cull our own information but we could use your help.

If you know of any non traditional venue that has screened films on a regular basis – such as museum, film society, college student or screening association, please send them to me at:

jon@jonreiss.com 
and I will add them to the list (And of course post them here at TFF via a simple comment!)

We will post the list here at TFF for a start within the next couple of months.

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Truly Free Film

Make The DVD A Different Experience

I understand why some directors want the DVD to be a “pure” copy of what the feature film is.  It is what it is and that is where the effort went.

Yet from another perspective, why not make the DVD a true extension of the film altogether? Or several extensions that is. By extension, it could be anything that heightens our appreciation of the film and its narrative.
If one of the roles of a DVD is to maintain awareness of the film throughout time, shouldn’t we construct the DVDs precisely to do this?  We should think deeper as to how this can be done.  Maintaining awareness, extending the narrative, and increasing the appreciation of the film are all linked.  The power of the DVD is still locked, even as others are anticipating its death.  Perhaps more life can be found in the DVD if we think in a truly free manner.
What are all the ways we can make a DVD more than the experience of the theatrical film? Some of these solutions are being used by the mainstream distributors today:
  1. A Different Cut: usually this is the “Director’s Cut” but in TFF this would always be the same version.  Sometimes this is an “Unrated” cut when changes are made for ratings purposes.  Can more be done with though.
  2. Commentary: This is often just the director and other crew collaborators.  There has been an increased openness to having other directors make commentary too.  Sometimes they have been using opposing critics which can get kind of fun.
  3. Additional Scenes: This is usually limited to scenes that were shot to include in the movie and later removed in the edit process.
  4. “Added Value” Content: Generally this is elements used in the filmmaking process: script, storyboards, preliminary visual effect mock-ups.
  5. Publicity & Marketing Elements: Trailers, Posters, Stills, Electronic Press Kits (interviews).
  6. Behind The Scenes/Making Of Documentary: so-called B-roll of filmmaking process.
One of the benefits of being free of corporate restraints is the freedom to experiment.  Truly Free Filmmakers can go far beyond the current limits of what a DVD can do.  I got a hefty dose of inspiration from reading  Adrian Martin’s Moving Image Source article of DVD chaptering  and all that might be able to do if we truly embraced all it can do.  
Give it a read and share your thoughts.  I will share my additional ideas for what can be done more with DVDs on a future post, but it would be great to include yours with it.  Maybe I should wait until you get me some of your thoughts…
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Truly Free Film

The Mainstream Is Waking Up

The LA Times and NY Times have each run their requisite articles on DIY Distribution.  Now Screen International is speaking up on the need to bring the films to the audiences (vs. bringing audiences to the films).

The trick now is to mobilise audiences, market and increasingly distribute to the places they want to watch the film. And, of course, set the budget accordingly.

But it’s also vital to ignore the orthodox – surely the mission of independent film. It is, for example, snobbish and self-defeating to suggest that no one outside an educated elite wants film that challenges. If that’s true, then why make films? Music and books don’t seem to share that view. And the big film franchises from Batman to Bond have done their very best to apply as much shade as possible.

The indie film-maker needs to take on the fight. This is the time for a little less “we’re doomed” and a little more “yes we can”.

I am really curious if we will see this “yes we can” spirit invade Sundance this year, or will filmmakers keep believing in angels and demons.

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Truly Free Film

Film Publicists List

I promised a list of whom to talk to to handle your publicity when your film gets into a major festival.  With a little help from some friends, here is that list.  You will have to dig up the phone numbers yourself.  Check out their websites first.

I would love some help in creating similar lists for Film Bookers, Collection Agents, Public Speaking Tour Agents, Trailer Makers, Poster Makers, Postcard Makers, Study Guide Creators, Film Website Designers, and all the like.  We have to get the information readily available.
Here’s the publicist list:

15minutes
(www.15minutes.com, 8436 W. Third Street, Suite 650, Los Angeles, CA 90048,
115 West 29th Street, Suite 810, New York, NY 10001)
Offices: New York, Los Angeles

42West
(www.42west.net, 11400 W. Olympic Blvd, Suite 1100, Los Angeles, CA 90064,
220 West 42nd Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10036)
Offices: New York, Los Angeles

Acme Public Relations
(1016 Pier Ave., Suite 2, Santa Monica, CA 90405)
Offices: Los Angeles

B|W|R.
(www.ogilvypr.com/en/bwr, 5700 Wilshire Blvd., #550, Los Angeles, CA 90036,
825 8th Avenue, #15, New York, NY 10019)
Offices: New York, Los Angeles

DAVID MADGAEL & ASSOCIATES, INC.
(www.tcdm-associates.com, 600 W. 9th St., Suite 704, Los Angeles, CA 90015)
Offices: Los Angeles

DISH COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
(www.dishcommunications.com, 10000 Riverside Drive, Suite 5, Toluca Lake, CA 91602)
Offices: Los Angeles

dominion3 PR
(www.dominion3.com, 6464 Sunset Blvd., Suite 740, Hollywood, CA 90028)
Offices: Los Angeles

Donna Daniels Public Relations
(20 W. 22nd St., Suite 1410, New York, NY 10010)
Offices: New York

Falco Ink.
(www.falcoink.com, 850 7th Avenue, #1005, New York, NY 10019)
Offices: New York

Fat Dot
(www.fatdot.net, 87 Bedford Street, Suite 1, New York, NY 10014)
Offices: New York

ID-PR
(www.id-pr.com, 8409 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069,
150 West 30th Street, 19th Floor, New York, NY 10001)
Offices: New York, Los Angeles

inclusive pr
(http://inclusivepr.com, 6646 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 205, Hollywood, CA 90028)
Offices: Los Angeles

Indie PR
(www.indie-pr.com, 4370 Tujunga Ave., #105, Studio City, CA 91604)
Offices: Los Angeles

International House of Publicity
(853 7th Ave., Suite. 3c, New York, NY 10019)
Offices: New York

Jeremy Walker + Associates, Inc.
(www.jeremywalker.com, 171 W. 80th St., #1, New York, NY 10024)
Offices: New York

mPRm Public Relations
(www.mprm.com, 5670 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 2500, Los Angeles, CA 90036)
Offices: Los Angeles

Murphy PR
(www.murphypr.com, 333 Seventh Avenue, Fifth Floor, New York, NY 10001)
Offices: New York

PMG
(www.platformgrp.com, 8265 Sunset Blvd., Suite 106, W. Hollywood, CA 90046,
1359 Broadway, Suite 732, New York, NY 10018)
Office: Los Angeles, New York

PMK/HBH
(www.pmkhbh.com, 700 San Vicente Blvd., Suite G 910, West Hollywood, CA 90069,
622 Third Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10017)
Offices: New York, Los Angeles

Rogers & Cowan
(www.rogersandcowan.com, Pacific Design Center, 8687 Melrose Avenue, 7th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90069, 919 Third Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10022)
Offices: New York, Los Angeles, London, Beijing

Sophie Gluck & Associates
(124 West 79th St., New York, NY 10024)
Offices: New York

Susan Norget Film Promotion
(www.norget.com, 198 Sixth Avenue, Suite 1, New York, NY 10013)
Offices: New York

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Truly Free Film

A Filmmaker Friendly Fest

What makes a film festival truly “filmmaker friendly”?  I want to explore this.  To kick it off, a filmmaker sent me this which he received from Joe Cultrera of the Salem Film Festival in Salem, Massachusetts:

FILMMAKERS FIRST:
I pushed to make this a filmmaker-friendly event. Here’s what we did last year and are sticking to:
#1) No entry fees (we are not looking to make money from our filmmakers).

#2) Each feature-length film will be sponsored by a Salem business and the filmmaker will receive those sponsorship dollars as a screening fee (last year this was $250). This created a real community feel to our 2008 event – allowing small businesses to be active and visible sponsors and giving filmmakers the rewards of that participation.

#3) Attending feature filmmakers will receive free accommodations in our attractive and historic downtown (we want as many filmmakers as possible to participate).

#4) The Audience Award Winner receives a run at CinemaSalem – including a share of the gate.

#5) Attending filmmakers will have a great time (free food and drink, passes to Salem museums and parties, good attendance, intelligent dialogue, great swag; new friends).

I think this is an excellent start and hopefully other festivals will follow  Joe’s lead.