Studio
My Adventure in Theatrical Self Distribution: Part 4 of 4
12/15/2009 at 1:08 PM by Jon Reiss
This week wraps up the lessons I learned releasing my film Bomb It.
This experience inspired me to write my book Think Outside the Box Office so that other filmmakers - like you would not have to reinvent the wheel like I did - and would have a resources to help you through the process.
Lesson 11: LA/NY or Multicity – I vote for multi city. I don’t know if I would have gotten a NY booking – or LA booking without my smaller market bookings without four-walling (renting the “four walls” of a theater). In NY this can cost $10-$18,000 a week.
Also starting with smaller markets allows you to learn from your mistakes before you get to your bigger cities. Second it gives you more lead time for your materials prep.
Jon Reiss Producer, Director
My Adventure in Theatrical Self Distribution: Part 3 of 4
12/14/2009 at 8:02 AM by Jon Reiss
More lessons from the trenches of self distribution.
Lesson 6: Get a publicist started early. But publicists can be very expensive. Since nearly everyone on our crew had deferral deals – why not apply this to the publicist. If you’re going DIY – people are less optimistic of their deferral happening after you recoup the costs for the whole film.
Think outside the box – someone who doesn't specialize in film is a better option. Lynn Hasty of Green Galactic who does art/music/fashion and some film had done such a fantastic job for us on Better Living that I convinced her to take me on for Bomb It. She started in October for a Spring release (most long lead press needs 5 months at least). I guaranteed her 6 months of cash (½ cash ½ deferred) and she would adjust her work depending on our release schedule. This was very helpful when we got pushed.
Jon Reiss Producer, Director
My Adventure in Theatrical Self Distribution: Part 2 of 4
12/10/2009 at 6:19 AM by Jon Reiss
Needless to say I ended up taking over the theatrical release of Bomb It myself.
Henceforth some of the lessons that I learned distributing my film – in a somewhat chronological and a bit priority order:
Lesson 1: Research Most information you need to book your film is readily on line. There are lists of theaters at places like workbook.org. Most theaters have websites with the office number.
Lesson 2: Make the call. Bookers are generally nice people who love film. If you have a compelling reason for them to look at the film – chances are they will at least listen. You can find the phone numbers of bookers of most independent theaters, go to Workbookproject.org for a list. Even though Landmark is a chain – at times they book indies – but you have to have a lot of lead time.
Jon Reiss Producer, Director
My Adventure in Theatrical Self Distribution: Part 1 of 4
12/9/2009 at 5:32 AM by Jon Reiss
Or how I “invented” the Two Month Window and spent six months wanting to kill myself every day.
Part 1
My story is not unlike most independent filmmakers these days. We bust our butts for years producing – in our minds – a great film, only to find the distribution landscape radically changed from either our prior experience or our hopes and dreams.
For a number of years now I have heard a variety of filmmaker pundits declare “Theatrical is dead, long live the long tail!” But until my own adventure with distribution – I refused to believe in these pronouncements. After a year and a half since the world premiere of “Bomb It” at the Tribeca Film Festival and six months after the film’s theatrical release – I do believe that while there still is a strong role for a theatrical release, savvy filmmakers need to lead the way to more creative ways of getting their films seen by an audience.
Jon Reiss Producer, Director
What I've Learned From The Festival Process, Part II: Making The Right Submissions
11/9/2009 at 7:50 AM by Suraj Das
Ask most filmmakers which festivals they are trying to get in to with their recently finished film, and you're bound to hear the same responses over and over; it seems almost everyone is gunning for the limelight at festivals like Cannes, Sundance, and Tribeca. But what happens if you don't get programmed at a single one of these high-profile events? What does it say about the quality of your film and its prospects for finding an audience?
Every year, scores of terrific films are rejected by the big festivals but still go on to find a passionate audience, garner press coverage, and create career opportunities for filmmakers. The key to engineering a successful festival run for your film requires that you know what your goals are for your film and your career.
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Suraj Das Writer, Director
Arranged: The Musical (2009) Romance, Comedy, Musical
Industry News: Acquisitions and Updates
7/15/2009 at 8:05 AM by Jessica Kantor
FX starts 'The League'
FX has quietly begun production on “The League,” a half-hour comedy pilot starring “Humpday’s” Mark Duplass. The semi-improvised buddy comedy revolves around a group of thirtysomething guys in a fantasy football league. Set in the suburbs of Chicago, “League” follows the group as they deal with issues of friendship, relationships and parenthood. Duplass stars along with Nick Kroll (”I Love You Man”), Paul Sheer (”Human Giant”), Steve Rannazzisi (”Paul Blart: Mall Cop”) and Jon Lajoie. Also in the cast are Leslie Bibb (”Iron Man”), Katie Aselton (”The Office”) and Nadine Velazquez (”My Name Is Earl”).
Discussing Distribution
6/23/2009 at 3:09 PM by Amy Allen
At the 2009 FIND Film Financing Conference, keynote speaker James H. Stern told the crowd of producers that “We are lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time for great opportunities,” speaking specifically about digital funding and distribution options. Indiewire has a useful summary of the lessons gained from the panel that followed those opening remarks. If you have the time, here's the full podcast.
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Expanding the Specialty Film Market
6/8/2009 at 1:47 PM by Amy Allen
A Variety article from Friday talks about two recent specialty films - Summer Hours and The Girlfriend Experience - that had simultaneous video on demand and theatrical releases. The positive response is giving hope to those who advocate for more innovative distribution models.
"The guy in Lincoln, Nebraska who reads about a movie in the New York Times is now getting immediate access to it," says Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles.
52 Reasons Why American Indie Film Will Flourish
5/26/2009 at 1:02 PM by Amy Allen
Ted Hope, always a master of the fact-packed list, just posted 52 Reasons Why American Indie Film Will Flourish. Since he asks others to add onto the (extremely comprehensive) list, I would add:
53. For those starting out, there are more networking opportunities outside of film school. While a formal program has never been a prerequisite for quality work, it's still important as a place to network. While important, film school is also expensive, and if you're only plucking those who can pay from the talent pool, the quality almost certainly diminishes. Tutorials and film theory distributed to the masses online can help everybody develop their skills. The best training is to go out and make something anyhow, which has never been easier.
54. Unions like SAG are embracing the importance of independent film. SAG Indie has an intuitive website and offers affordable contracts to movies with lower budgets, allowing everybody access to experienced talent.
55. Building on #42, while a lot of attention has been placed the falling prices of digital production equipment, projectors are just as important. As more studios pay for digital projectors to be installed in major theaters, those theaters will be better equipped to screen independent fare and indie filmmakers won't have to budget for that expensive 35mm print, allowing both small films and theatrical distribution to survive.
Ted's List is a must read. Check it out.
What's Next For Film Festivals?
5/12/2009 at 1:10 PM by Sasha Nelson
IndieWIRE's Peter Knegt highlights several fascinating quotes from a panel on the future of film festivals, held during last week's Hot Docs in Toronto. Moderated by Sean Farnel, the panel included the following festival bigwigs: Geoff Gilmore (Tribeca Enterprises), Cameron Bailey (Toronto International Film Festival), Janet Pierson (SXSW Film Conference and Festival) and Sky Sitney (SILVERDOCS). Find out what the group has to say about the relationship between festivals and markets, alternative distribution models for filmmakers, today's generation of filmgoers, and much more.
Where Does Film Criticism Fit In?
5/4/2009 at 2:01 PM by Amy Allen
In his answer to Reid Gershbein's Two Week Film Collective project, professor Chuck Tyron brings up some excellent talking points in his post, Film Criticism in the Internet Age. Among them:
"To be sure, there is quite a bit of disagreement over what counts as “self-distribution” and whether it is viable or not. If anything, the range of positions articulated during Alejandro’s roundtable illustrate that it is a “concept” marked by competing definitions and desires, and quite often it is easy to romanticize the independent artist operating outside the studio system.”
The Future of Online Distribution?
4/29/2009 at 10:53 AM by Amy Allen
A nice compliment to any conversation about indie distribution, this article by Mark Lipsky of Gigantic Digital on indieWIRE is a case study on what happens when you combine theatrical and online release. The key strategy here is exclusivity; a movie is released in theaters in some locations while being released on Gigantic digitally in other markets. Either way, viewers pay to watch ($2.99 for the ability to stream a film for 3 days). Gigantic Digital is one arm of the artist-friendly Gigantic.
Notes on Building a Fan Base
4/28/2009 at 11:53 AM by Amy Allen
Scott Kirsner recently participated in a panel about building an audience for your work, along with Brian Chirls, Sean Flynn, and Chris Holland. The complete audio is available for streaming and downloading on his blog, CinemaTech. If you don't have time to listen to the entire clip, here are the main points, as they apply to independent filmmakers.
-Since it's easier than ever to make and distribute your work, more filmmakers are doing so, which means there is a tremendous amount of noise you must break through.
-To do this, think about the marketing aspects of your film before you even begin production. As soon as you have a name, put up a website and start from there. Own that presence. Marketing today is dependent on being found if somebody wants to find you. So name your film something that is able to be googled, like a memorable phrase that you don't hear all the time. Own that phrase and start building awareness around it.
Raise your hand if you like free movies
7/18/2008 at 2:37 PM by Amy Allen
SnagFilms just launched their beta site, which contains over 270 free documentaries.
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