By Roger Jackson
Previously: VOD Myths vs. Reality
We’re often asked what makes Kinonation different from other VOD distribution companies. While we are both a content and a distribution venture, we tend to regard ourselves as – above all – a technology company. And it’s technology innovation that allows us to do things a little differently. Here’s what we’re building for filmmakers – 9 points that define our business philosophy and operational goals.
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.
By Reid Rosefelt
You’re posting interesting content on Twitter every day. You’re blogging. You’re active in other social networks. You’re doing everything that you’ve been told to do. But you’re getting nowhere.
Maybe you have the wrong goal.
Your Goal is Not to Get as Many Followers as Possible
If you want followers, you can buy them.
By Charles Peirce
Casting is one of the obvious essentials of any film, and like all aspects of the process worth examining: the assumptions that define it and the possibilities of how it might be used to best advantage. Casting’s key place comes in financing, where attaching the right star allows raising money based on their monetary value to specific regions or demographics. Enough attached stars offer the promise of pre-sales in distribution, and enough pre-sales can then determine a base budget. This would seem to follow the simple logic of a star’s popularity guaranteeing viewers, a shortcut in the task of finding an audience.
By Roger Jackson
Previously: $45 Billion by 2018
At Kinonation we talk to dozens of filmmakers every week, and often discuss myths about Video-on-Demand. Here’s my top ten…
1. Myth: Every VOD outlet will accept my film.
Reality: Most outlets select or decline films at their discretion and rarely give reasons for a “NO” decision. In the USA, only Amazon and Google Play accept all films. (Amazon is limited to Amazon Instant Video. Amazon Prime will typically reject films that contain drug use, sex, nudity, violence, etc.)
2. Myth: Theatrical creative will work for VOD
By Charles Peirce
Originating in the thinking of Plato but finding its modern applications from the work of Carl Jung, Archetype Theory is a way of looking at and defining the world that has numerous uses, particularly in marketing and storytelling. At the least, Archetype Theory gives a structural thematic underpinning to organize ideas around. At the greatest, Archetype Theory might allow a primal, subconscious form of resonance and communication with audiences — speaking to them beyond the limits of language.
By Steven C. Beer
In the marketing and distribution of independent films, the most critical and frequently overlooked key to success is the building of an audience. Whether you pursue traditional or alternate distribution platforms, or a combination thereof, your ability to identify, aggregate and mobilize an audience base directly impacts the prospect of your project’s success. Timing your audience building campaign is crucial. According to Jason Ward of Candy Factory Productions, you must begin to target and recruit your supporters the minute you decide to produce a film. Audience building is a slow and steady process that can take many months, if not years, so a multi-step game plan that evolves over time can serve as an audience building blueprint. Here are some tips I learned while moderating the Audience Building Panel at the New York Lounge at Sundance 2014:
