Tag: Guest Post

Forward! Pirates Know Best

By Rob Millis

Last week Kim Dotcom — the notorious king of piracy — unveiled Mega, his new, barely legal file sharing site that is sure to be a haven for illegal video sharing. Film distributors are up in arms and a renewed cry for harsher consequences has reached the ears of Congress.

Yet there is no legislation, lawsuit or technical restriction that can stop piracy. In an industry riddled with conflicts of interest, many leaders of media companies are reluctant to speak frankly, but every single one of them knows they cannot protect against piracy in any absolute way. We can put up roadblocks, we can scramble data, but there is always a way around digital security.

So how do we defend against piracy when there is no way to secure content?

Tags Forward!, Guest Post, Kim Dotcom, piracy, Rob Millis

Truly Free Film

Google with Friends? Facebook’s Graph Search and What it Means to You

Post author By Ted Hope
Post date January 24, 2013
1 Comment on Google with Friends? Facebook’s Graph Search and What it Means to You

By Reid Rosefelt

IMPORTANT NOTE:

As I was finishing my recent post on Facebook’s Graph Search, Tom Scott’s Tumblr blog on Facebook’s new Graph Search feature, “Actual Facebook Graph Searches,” went viral. Scott searched things like others of Jews who like Bacon, married people who like Prostitutes, and current employers of people who like Racism, and more disturbingly, family members of people who live in China and like Falun Gong, and Islamic men interested in men who live in Tehran, Iran. It’s likely that some of these “likes” were intended to be ironic. I’m doubtful that that people would say they liked Prostitutes, even if they did, andGizmodo found people with dubious likes for “Shitting my pants,” as well as some creepy things that might not be ironic. But as has been noted a lot, it would be hard for people in China to say they were joking about liking the Falun Gong.

I advise all of you to go to “3 Privacy Changes You Must Change Before Using Facebook Graph Search” (Gizmodo) and Facebook Graph Search: Now Is The Time to Go Over Your Privacy Settings (ABC News). I also think it would be worth studying The Facebook Privacy information page.

Last Tuesday, Facebook introduced a new feature called Graph Search at a highly hyped press conference. Wall Street, which had been expecting a phone ,was not impressed, and the stock dived by 6.5% (it’s since recovered). On the other hand, the social media bloggers almost unanimously called Graph Search a triumph and Mashable declared: “Facebook Graph Search Could Be Its Greatest Innovation.”

What is it? Graph Search gives you the power to tap into the web of connections between you and your friends in a way that has never existed before. For example, if you type in a question like “Which of my friends like Moonrise Kingdom?” you will be shown a list of your friends, weighted by the ones you interact with the most, i.e., best friends on top. You could also ask, “What films do my friends like?” and presumably–I haven’t seen it yet–the films at the top of the list will be the ones most liked by your friends. You can also add other variables to your search like “Which of my female Los Angeles friends who speak French like Moonrise Kingdom?”

Tags Facebook, Graph Search, Guest Post, Marketing, Reid Rosefelt, social media

Truly Free Film

Diary of a Film Startup Post 19: Searching for Green Card

Post author By Ted Hope
Post date January 22, 2013
43 Comments on Diary of a Film Startup Post 19: Searching for Green Card

By Roger Jackson

Previously: New Year Update

Less of a diary post this time, more of a rumination on Hollywood, video-on-demand, and long-tail movies. Klaus and I decided to build KinoNation because we want to make it super-easy for indie filmmakers to distribute their films to the medium that is rapidly replacing DVD. Along the way we’ve come to realise there are also many well known films that remain almost impossible to watch “on demand” — fuelling consumer frustration that can often only be solved by breaking the law.

Last week was a big day for Klaus‘s wife — Malona had her final interview with the Feds for her Green Card. It all worked out, green card approved, and she wanted to celebrate that evening with a family viewing of the classic movie Green Card.

Tags Diary of a Film Start-Up, Green Card, Guest Post, KinoNation, Roger Jackson, Snag Films, VOD

Truly Free Film

Blue Potato — Things to Think About Before Production

Post author By Ted Hope
Post date January 21, 2013

By Kavita Pullapilly

As most producers know, the battle is won in pre-production. If you can’t succeed in pre-production, you’re better off not going into production. There are lists upon lists of everything that needs to fall into place to seamlessly deliver all the logistics, people and resources that will result in the creative vision of your film.

However, for the directors and producers of BLUE POTATO, they didn’t just stop there. During pre-production, award-winning filmmakers Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly along with producer Kavita Pullapilly knew that they had to think about the business behind the film and how it would perform in the marketplace.

Tags Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly, BLUE POTATO, Guest Post, Harvard Business School, Kavita Pullapilly

Truly Free Film

Be Careful What You Wish For: Prepping for Sundance

Post author By Ted Hope
Post date January 21, 2013
3 Comments on Be Careful What You Wish For: Prepping for Sundance

Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson’s film American Promise is set to screen at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Below is part 1 of 3 of an interview with them discussing what it was like to get the confirmation call and their next steps in preparing the film for Sundance, among other things. Stay tuned for the following parts in the days to come.

Joe: When we received the phone call from Sundance, we were in the editing room agonizing over how we should end our film. When the phone rang and we noticed the call was from the Sundance institute, I couldn’t bring myself to pick it up so I handed the phone over to Michèle. For a moment, it was as if time stood still. I could hear Michèle say “Hey Shari,” after that, even the sound in my head had been drowned down. I had anticipated this moment for years and the thought of hearing no was now impossible for me to come to terms with, only because of my temporary brain fix. Suddenly, Michèle went airborne, jumping up and down, pumping her fist in the air. Then the sound in my mind came back on. She was screaming the word, “YES!”

Michèle: Perhaps there was some fist pumping and jumping up and down, I don’t know, I think I was numb with elation.

Tags American Promise, Guest Post, Joe Brewster, Michele Stephenson, Sundance

Truly Free Film

Filmmakers, It’s 2013. Do You Know Where Your Jobs Act Is? Part 3

Post author By Ted Hope
Post date January 17, 2013
64 Comments on Filmmakers, It’s 2013. Do You Know Where Your Jobs Act Is? Part 3

Written by Michael R. Barnard

FILMMAKERS, IT’S 2013. DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR JOBS ACT IS?

Part 3 of 3 parts.

Yesterday, in Part 2, we learned that cash is available and that the JOBS Act is going to give filmmakers an opportunity to more easily access that cash for investment to make movies and rebuild the independent film industry.

The Internet enlarged the playing field for securities offerings, whether valid or not, and for potential investors, whether knowledgeable or not.

How do you legally and ethically access that hoarded cash and encourage its investment in your well-developed movie project so you can hire people and make your movie?

Tags crowdfunding, financing, Guest Post, JOBS Act, KickStarter, Michael R Barnard

Copyright © 2024•