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Truly Free Film

Beyond Facebook

By Reid Rosefelt

As recently as last summer I thought that a filmmaker could do a good job with social media only using Facebook.

I’m not saying that anymore.

Back then, the crux of my argument came from my supposition that most independent filmmakers’ time was very limited.  If they had time to do Twitter, Instagram , Tumblr, etc., that would be great, but I knew what was involved in making a film and I knew that a log of people were doing DIY distribution.  Facebook was bigger was bigger than all other social networks combined.  Facebook offered unique advantages like cheap advertising.  Facebook took very little time compared to the others.

So I told filmmakers and other artists and said: “Learn how to use Facebook!”

That was then.

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Truly Free Film

Diary of a Film Startup: Post # 24: Comparison Shopping

By Roger Jackson

Previously: Countdown to Launch

Comparison Shopping

Last week I had a discussion with a Netflix executive that convinced me of the importance of online VoD guides. Sites like Can I Stream It in the US, and Find Any Film in the UK. Netflix see them as a huge threat, since these sites make it super easy to discover which video-on-demand platforms have the film you want to watch. And which ones don’t. The reality is that Netflix don’t have most films.

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Diary of a Film Startup: Post # 23: Countdown to Launch

By Roger Jackson

Previously: Outlet Soup

Countdown to Launch

We’re getting close to the launch of KinoNation, when we’ll remove the beta login requirement, open the service to all filmmakers, announce to the press, etc. Probably early April. Yesterday we released to our 100+ beta testers the latest version of the film uploader and metadata capture. It’s now much slicker and easier to upload, and we can capture a huge amount of essential metadata that’s required by the video-on-demand outlets. For example, we need four hi-resolution poster images in various sizes and aspect ratios, in order to meet the different delivery specs of iTunes, Amazon, Hulu, et al. And at the risk of sounding like a broken record: if you want people to discover and watch your film, you should be prepared to invest time (and maybe cash) on really great poster art. And it must be highly readable. That’s easy when it’s a full size poster on the side of a bus shelter. More difficult when it’s this size. Even tougher when it’s this size. Think big title, bold & arresting art — an image and title so compelling that consumers just HAVE to click.

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Truly Free Film

Forward! Online Sales, Dynamo and The Torso

By Rob Millis

Good news for filmmakers: there has never been a better time for independent distribution.

When we unveiled the Dynamo Player at SXSW in 2010, Will Coghlan and I gave an overview of every similar online rental system available to independents. At the time this included Amazon’s Instant Video, YouTube’s brand new Rentals program and — nothing else.

We always thought our greatest competition would come from companies like Amazon and YouTube, but while many startups have entered the market, these two goliaths have been painfully slow to introduce new features and improve their terms for filmmakers (Amazon still asks you to mail in a DVD!). Meanwhile, a flurry of transactional video-on-demand (TVOD) services like Distrify and Chill since launched, and even Vimeo is cautiously getting into the game this year.

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Truly Free Film

Forward! 4 Must-See Speakers at SXSW

By Rob Millis

Of more than 300,000 people going to SXSW this week, there are four whom every filmmaker should pay especially close attention to. They are easy to find if you’re going to be in Austin this week, because they will all be part of the Meet the Insiders sessions. For those of you staying at home, bookmark this list and do a little googling to keep tabs on what these four gurus are up to.

Ingrid Kopp, Tribeca Film Institute
Ingrid Kopp has been deeply involved in breaking new ground for independent filmmakers for over a decade. From her time at Channel 4 in the UK to running the US arm of Shooting People to her work with Tribeca Film Institute, she has a uniquely valuable understanding of where film has been and where it is going.

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Truly Free Film

Diary of a Film Startup: Post # 22: Outlet Soup

By Roger Jackson

Previously: Delivery Begins

Outlet Soup

It seems like every few days there’s an announcement of another video-on-demand platform. We’ve been tracking them since we started 6 months ago. I have a spreadsheet listing them all — where they are, what type of films they want, deal terms, ownership, traffic ranking, etc. As of today there are 163 on my list, and I’m sure I’m missing a few. What does this mean? How is it possible for even a fraction of these platforms to thrive and prosper in a VoD ecosystem dominated by large incumbents with established brands, pre-existing audiences and deep pockets? Netflix has 27m subscribers in the USA and is rapidly expanding in Europe and Latin America, with 6m+ non-US subscribers already. Amazon has a multi-billion dollar VoD war-chest and has gobbled up LOVEFiLM in the UK and Germany.

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Truly Free Film

What Happens After Sundance?

Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson’s film American Promise screened at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Below is part 3 of 3 of an interview with them discussing what it was like to attend Sundance.  Prior sections included what it was like to get the confirmation call and  preparing the film for Sundance.

Joe: This has certainly been a roller-coaster ride for us.  We were accepted into our dream festival and left Park CIty, Utah with an amazing outcome.  We were honored with a special Jury Prize for achievement in documentary filmmaking and we received amazing reviews from the critics.  Yet, there is a cloud of worry looming over my head and I cannot pinpoint why.  It is not the 12 inches of snow outside my Brooklyn doorstep nor the cough I acquired from our nightly Sundance celebrating.  My concern is that our Sundance storybook beginning was just that – a beginning.  What happens next?

 

Michèle: I guess the concern (or fear) is that this

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