Tag: Peter Broderick

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Truly Free Film

Peter Broderick’s Distribution Bulletin

Few have done as much to articulate the new paradigm as Peter Broderick.  Step by step he’s been laying it out clearly for filmmakers to walk away from the corporate grip and make it work for themselves.  If you want to be free to tell stories on any subject in any manner, you have to change your way of thinking.  A regular dose of Peter’s wisdom helps us all keep a clear head.

My only complaint is Peter doesn’t publish his Distribution Bulletin as frequently as I would like to read it.  Luckily, a new edition just hit the internet so we can all calm down for a day or two.  This issue Peter tells us of the The Age Of Stupid and the their crowd-funding model.  Don’t miss it.
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Truly Free Film

Jeff Lipsky: WHY SO SERIOUS? Part 2

Jeff Lipsky continues what he started…:

6. I predict the death of mumblecore movies by 2011. Independent films will once again boast strong scripts and, as such, will reach a broader audience. This is probably as good a time as any to reiterate to critics who invoke the name of John Cassavetes in their reviews of so-called mumblecore fare: John’s only improvised film was “Shadows.” Suck it.

7. Wonderful myriad primers about self-distribution are available in current issues of magazines like FilmMaker, MovieMaker, and at this link provided by DYI guru Peter Broderick (http://www.peterbroderick.com/writing/writing.html). Such detailed first-person reporting, including specific anecdotal detail and how-to information is worth its weight in gold to independent film producers. This shared information will become much more prolific and abundant and available in the months and years to come. We don’t need more filmmakers, we need more knowhow about gaining access to audiences for the all-too-few great independent films that still manage to get made.

8. Just when digital projection saturation in all cinemas across the U.S. was about to be a tangible thing, a reality, looming not on the horizon but happening TODAY, banks aren’t lending money to anyone. That’s where the billions of dollars for this wholesale transformation was going to come from, from banks. Fewer digital screens (for a while longer, anyway – I know it’s still coming) will mean fewer bad digital movies. Audiences will be happier, critics will be happier, incisive and insightful bloggers will be happier, and more people will return to the movies, especially to good independent movies.

9. Praise the Lord, the studios became fed up with so-called independent distribution in 2008 (just as they did in the early to mid 80’s) and everyone began biting their fingernails. But let’s look at what else happened in the distribution world in 2008 (and January 2009). Two new indie distributors hung out their shingles and laid down their gauntlets during Sundance this year, Senator made a bold statement with its acquisition of “Brooklyn’s Finest,” and Summit broke through with its first $100 million grossing film (yeah, it was “Twilight,” but that shouldn’t blunt the impact of that encouraging watermark). Relatively obscure indies like Oscilloscope enjoyed a succès d’estime with “Wendy & Lucy,” Overture rode the wonderful “The Visitor” to a (nearly) $10 million gross and a Best Actor Oscar nomination, and Music Box cashed in on its rock ‘em, sock ‘em success “Tell No One.” Studio boutiques were never independent distributors anyway; by definition they were dependent on the support of their parent company. Every ten years or so that support dries up and (most of them) go away, clearing the way for a brace of new, innovative, distinguished upstarts. Even with the demise of ThinkFilm there are a greater number of pure play independent distributors now than there were one year ago.

10. Kodak continues to produce thrilling new film stocks (Vision 3, 5260) which just might encourage more independent filmmakers to dabble in this antiquated art form for just a bit longer. After all, it’s kinda nice when you don’t have to have to worry about whether the pattern of your leading lady’s costume is going to wreak havoc on your wave form. (I know, I know every film will be shot digitally someday, but that someday, I suspect, is still farther off than some people would like to think.)

A final prediction and admonition: as soon as newspapers and magazines fold up their tents for good the World Wide Web (2.0) will be longer be free. And then even more people will return to movie theatres.

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Truly Free Film

The Sundance Panic Button Panel

Todd Sklar tipped me to the video of the panel I participated on at Sundance, and now you can decide: push or ponder?  

Part One:
IndieWire has covered it and condensed it, if you prefer your news in print and not to take an hour to digest — but me I like the whole story, warts and all.
The panel was supposed to be on the future of film, but it was a bunch of old white guys — and that’s not going to be the future.  Christine Vachon and I, with some help from IndieWire, had lunch with a much different group, that was 100% filmmakers, which IndieWire filmed and will be posted soon (so stay tuned).  
As the sole filmmaker on the Panic Button panel, I found it particularly frustrating that there was so little concern expressed about how quality film will be generated, let alone exhibited.  It is all so connected: the big films to the little films, the financing to the distribution, the exhibition to the criticism.  The dots are connected but people want only to look at their domain.  That’s not self-interest, that’s short-sightedness.  And that’s got to change, and I’m sure it will.
I get a kick out of watching/listening to these videos.  Among other things, it shows I have to work on my public speaking compared to these pros (and the control of my hair).  And it’s impressive how skilled they all are about promoting themselves and their films — and their way of doing business.  The distribs get the word out on their accomplishments, but I neglected to mention ADVENTURELAND (and did I tell you how it just killed at the festival?).  Granted, I hope to keep making films in the top indie budget range, but watching this panel, and despite some clear articulation of the contrary, it is still easy to walk away thinking there is only one way of doing business.
The important part of part one, which has gotten NO PRESS, is that Peter Broderick speaks of a number of filmmakers who have made over $1 Million on a single film on a single website.  How exciting is that?  Get your investors to talk to Peter now!  There’s hope out there for a new way.
Part Two:
It’s funny to notice as I post this that part one has about 20,000 views but Part Two is still under 1,000!  That said, I don’t think I got my points across until that second half.  I guess the next time, I have to write some notes down like Mark Gill did and deliver a whopper right out of the gate…
There are some simple things that could really change things.  Around 11:45 or so, on Part 2, I raise the possibility of the distribs giving the exhibs back Monday night for community screenings.  This simple idea would move mountains in terms of specialized production and is doable now.  Jonathon Sehring follows this by stating that IFC will provide filmmakers with the data their film generates.  If this becomes the dominant position, filmmakers can really start to be in control.
And if you are just looking for the John Sloss bashing part of the program, that begins around 15:35 in Part 2.
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Truly Free Film

Art House Theaters Unite!

In order for a Truly Free Film Culture to take hold, independent theaters have to organize and work together.  Well, guess what?  Good news!  It’s already happening.  

Imagine if a whole bunch of great theaters got together and decided they would accept bookings from independent and TFFilmakers.  Sounds logical, right?  But ask a DIY filmmaker turned distributor if they were able to get bookings beyond NYC’s Film Forum, The Laemmle Sunset, and The Walker & Wexner centers, and I will know that the filmmaker hustled and hustled some more for each and every one of those bookings — virtually to the point of collapse.  The sad truth is that currently to get bookings for legitimate theaters, most filmmakers have to hire an established booker to ink the deal — and man, that ain’t cheap.
But now it looks like that stranglehold may finally be broken.  And guess who’s shattering these chains?  Sundance!  Freedom is looming.  Three cheers for Sundance!  Truly:  hip, hip and hooray!  A convergence of art house theatres from across the nation is to be held January 13-15, 2009 in Salt Lake City, Utah.  And from the sounds of it, Indie/TFF/Arthouse exhibition is going to take a great leap forward.
The Sundance Institute Art House Project is a partnership with art house cinemas nationwide to build audiences and develop a supportive community of theatre owners committed to independent film. Wow. Not that we can relax just yet, but this project is a great thing for both filmmakers and filmlovers alike.
The Art House Convergence is presented in cooperation with the Sundance Institute. At the Convergence, Art House theatres from all over the U.S. will gather just before the Sundance Film Festival (January 15-25) providing a rare opportunity for art house theatres to network and discuss successful marketing, programming and business models as well as current issues facing independent theatres.

John Cooper, Director of Programming, Sundance Film Festival, explains “Our organizing principle is to increase the market for film exhibition by expanding the number and effectiveness of community-based, mission-driven theatres in local communities, large and small, nationwide.”

So who are these theaters?  Mark them down, and then add to the list!

BAM, New York, NY, www.bam.org
Belcourt Theatre, Nashville, TN, www.belcourt.org
Broadway Centre Cinemas, Salt Lake City, UT, www.saltlakefilmsociety.org
Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline, MA, www.coolidge.org
Enzian Theater, Orlando, FL, www.enzian.org
Hollywood Theatre, Portland, OR, www.hollywoodtheatre.org
International Film Series, Boulder, CO, www.internationalfilmseries.com
Jacob Burns Film Center, Pleasantville, NY, www.burnsfilmscenter.org
The Loft, Tucson, AZ, www.loftcinema.com
Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, MI, www.michtheater.org
The Music Box, Chicago, IL, www.musicboxtheatre.com
Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma City, OK, www.okcmoa.org
The Palm, San Luis Obispo, CA, www.thepalmtheatre.com
Pickford Cinema, Bellingham, WA, www.pickfordcinema.org
Rafael Film Center, San Rafael, CA, www.cafilm.org
Ragtag Cinema, Columbia, MO, www.ragtagfilm.com
Railroad Square Cinema, Waterville, ME, www.railroadsquarecinema.com
The Screen, Santa Fe, NM, www.thescreen.csf.edu

The conference will include a keynote address by John Cooper, Director of Programming for the Sundance Film Festival, as well as panel sessions on:
– How to use the not-for-profit business model to grow audiences for Art House films
– An exploration of new film distribution paradigms (participating in these panels will be Bob Berney, formerly of Picturehouse and Peter Broderick, Paradigm Consulting, Ted Hope, This Is That Productions — that’s me!)
– Innovative marketing and showmanship techniques
– Tutorials on emerging film exhibition and Art House theatre operations technology