Distribution

Morning finger lickin’ fans! First up, an apology, I didn’t post yesterday because I was re-installing my Macbook. This, I realise is no excuse, but it’s all I got. This is also the reason for the limited imagery at the top of this post, I’ve still got to install CS3. Anyway, in other news, I really want an iPhone and while drooling over YouTube videos and coverflow prettiness in the O2 shop today, I got to thinking about Digital Film Distribution and decided it was about time that I gave you folks a run down of the current lay of the land in this particular area.

So, earlier this week I read that Lionsgate have struck a deal with Apple to make a digital copy of their flicks available at the same time as their DVD releases. This would mean that when their latest film hit the shelves in your local HMV you would also be able to buy the movie on iTunes. If this were to take off, which I suspect it will, it will not only do great things for lazy people who like to “click and download” rather than trudge through the rain to buy a DVD but will also go some way to reducing the film industries current impact on the planet. Less crazy plastic consumption, less packaging, no dirty aviation fuel and/or diesel pumping into the atmosphere from delivery vehicles. It sounds like good stuff but is it feasible to deliver the same range of choice and are consumers actually ready for this new development?

This move by Lionsgate, who already have digital versions of 3:10 to Yuma, Good Luck Chuck and War on iTunes as well as classics Dirty Dancing and Reservoir Dogs, is really good news for the future of digital distribution. These titles, together with their 12,000+ catalogue titles, will presumably be available via iTunes USA in the near future. However, as yet nothing has been said regarding a UK release for such digital products.

The types of devices that these products are available on is also a huge topic of debate. It’s great being able to watch a feature film on your mobile phone or handheld device, but are these really viable viewing mediums? It is one thing checking out a flick on your widescreen iMac or Macbook Pro. It’s a completely different thing watching Die Hard 4.0 on a 4″ screen. People still view the majority of their films on their television in their home. With this in mind Apple have created Apple TV a wireless device that allows you to access the iTunes film and TV show catalogue on your television. Not only can you download films and your favourite shows you can also rent films via this little silver box. However, to date, rental titles have been limited and growth has not matched Apple’s promises. So we’ll have to wait and see how that one pans out.

Finally, this expansion of iTunes and investment by Lionsgate actually bodes very well for the future for Indie film distribution. Should digital film follow the same trajectory as digital music, the major distribution companies should come on board and then based on the success of unsigned music artists on iTunes, Indie filmmakers will no doubt be able to submit their films for iTunes distribution.

If you’re looking for more information about digital film distribution or self distribution check out the links below:

Digital Film Distribution Guru Arin Crumley - http://www.arincrumley.com

Lance Weiler’s Workbook Project - http://www.workbookproject.com

From Here to Awesome - http://fromheretoawesome.com

That’s it from me,

K

Left pane: Jim Jarmusch; Top right: Bill Murray in Broken Flowers; Bottom right: Isaach De Bankolé in Night on Earth.

Gooood evening deadpan fans! There have been a number stories trundling around the Internet over the last few weeks about Mr. Jim Jarmusch, the director once described by me as the Marmite of indie film. I have been holding off talking about the story because a) I am somewhat of a Jarmusch fanboy and b) I didn’t really think I had anything to add. However, the temptation has proved too great, so here’s your Finger Lickin’ Jarmusch low down.

The reason for all the web chatter is that shooting has just got underway on Jarmusch’s first project since the magnificent Broken Flowers back in 2005. Way back in November he announced that he had secured funding and distribution from Focus Features for his new film The Limits of Control. The film will star Jarmusch regulars Bill Murray (Broken Flowers), Tilda Swinton (Broken Flowers) and Isaach De Bankolé (Ghost Dog, Night on Earth) along side newcomer Gael Garcia Bernal. As if that rip-roaring cast wasn’t enough, joining Jarmusch behind the camera is Cinematographer Christopher Doyle (Hero, In the Mood for Love) while Oscar winner Eugenio Caballero (Pan’s Labyrinth) is responsible for the film’s production designer.

Information about the exact plot outline is vague, however Focus announced that, De Bankolé plays a “mysterious loner, a stranger, whose activities remain meticulously outside the law.” They continue to explain that, “he is in the process of completing a job, yet he trusts no one, and his objectives are not initially divulged.” Sounds suitably ambiguous and wonderfully Jarmuschian to me. Cinematical Indie have also suggested that the film’s narrative will conform, in some way, to the road movie formula. An idea that is highly likely given Jim’s fervor for a good journey, both actual and metaphorical.

The film is currently in production in Madrid, Spain and will move to Seville and Almeria before the shoot wraps at the end of the month. Focus Features, who also distributed Broken Flowers, were obviously attracted to The Limits of Control because of the level of success that Broken Flowers enjoyed. This is a blessing for Jarmusch, because despite its tremendous cast, including Murray who is always a crowd pleaser, his films have had trouble finding distribution in the past, so this deadcert must be a weight off his mind. I fact, Focus Features have gone to great lengths to demonstrate their dedication to both Jarmusch as a director and this project. In a recent article in Paste Magazine Focus Features’ CEO James Schamus is quoted as saying:

“Jim Jarmusch defines what it means to be an independent filmmaker for audiences all over the world, and we’re delighted to rejoin with him following our success together with Broken Flowers.”

Paste also point out that this isn’t simple PR bullshit (they may have used a less vulgar noun) and describe Jarmusch’s impact upon independent film as being as significant as John Cassavettes, a statement with which I must whole heartedly agree.

If you haven’t sampled any of Jim Jarmusch’s work I highly recommend Broken Flowers and Night on Earth for starters.

Take it easy Finger Lickers,

K

Check out the Broken Flowers trailer:

If you’re in the UK click these links: Broken Flowers and Night on Earth

Broken Flowers
Price: USD 9.99

187 used & new available from USD 0.74

(206 customer reviews)

Night on Earth - Criterion Collection
Price: USD 35.99

50 used & new available from USD 24.99

(60 customer reviews)

Evening finger painting Finger Lickers! So, I have some great news for all you documentary fans. Buzztastic flick My Kid Could Paint That, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, has been released on DVD in North America by Sony Pictures Classics.

The film itself follows the amazing story of four-year-old Marla Olmstead who caused a huge stir in the art world when her paintings started selling for big money. Marla, who loved to paint with her father, was suddenly thrown into the media spotlight when the New York Times got hold of the story. Inspired by what he read in the press, New York documentary filmmaker Amir Bar-Lev sprang into action and gained the Olmstead’s permission to document Marla’s story.

At first all seems well, then shortly after Bar-Lev’s arrival USA TV show 60 Minutes runs a probing investigation into whether it is actually Marla or her father doing the painting. Bar-Lev, wondering what he has stumbled upon, begins to investigate the claims himself and ultimately ends up producing an unusually balanced picture. The film has, in fact, been praised for its ethical journalism, at no time does Bar-Lev demonize Marla’s parents or take a purely accusatory stance in his investigations, however, the overtone does seem to suggest that something shady is going on in Binghamton, N.Y.

So, what can you expect from the DVD? Well, in addition to the feature length documentary, you also get an audio commentary by director Amir Bar-Lev, and two behind-the-scenes features. All you British Finger Lickin’ documentary fans need to bear in mind that this is only available as a region 1 DVD from the USA. So, ensure you have a multi-region DVD player, and then check out the Amazon link below to get your hands on this critically acclaimed documentary.

That’s it from me,

K

Check out the My Kid Could Paint That trailer:

My Kid Could Paint That
Price: USD 17.99

82 used & new available from USD 5.58

(13 customer reviews)

[digg=http://digg.com/movies/Film_Festivals_just_ain_t_working_Find_out_why]I know bang on about this all the time - but just watch the video…

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTehTbT7aho]

And click some links…

From Here to Awesome - A new way forward.

Submit a Film - And join the revolution.

Arin Crumley - Democratizing Indie Film Distribution.

YouTube - Watch more of the same.

K

[digg=http://digg.com/movies/Indiepix_Film_Festival_uses_online_distribution_and_voting]US indie film festival the Cinema Eye Honors presented by Indiepix has announced that it is to add a new audience award that will utalise both online distribution and voting process. The festival have chosen the BroadRamp platform to distribute the films and is requesting that viewers cast their vote online after watching. Indiepix are said to have chosen BroadRamp’s Content Distribution System because it does not require the user to download a third party browser plugin. However, this is a claim that confuses me slightly because taking a look at BroadRamp’s site they seem to be very much utalising flash video in their player which of course uses the “third party plugin” Shockwave. Soooo… unless I’m missing a trick and I they’ve some swanky technology they’re not showing off on their website… you still need a plugin folks.

BroadRamp seem to be best known for their work in the field of interactive e-commerce video. What’s interactive e-commerce video I hear you cry. Well, the basic concept is that you’re sitting watching a video online, or wherever, and you see a t-shirt you really like. You hover your mouse over that t-shirt and a pop-up appears giving you information, price and an option to buy the shirt. An idea then that seems to be genius and utterly horrific all at the same time.S o the cynic in me is thinking, will the content from this film festival be used as a film testbed for this evil genius video creation? Or am I turning into a internet conspiracy theorist? Either way, I am delighted to see that festivals are recognising the problems in the industry and making steps to rectify it. It does however seem bizarre to me that they would not use a more well known platform, such as blip.tv, vimeo or even the big daddy YouTube. My jaded mind is still mulling over the marketing potential of the BroadRamp system in festivals to come - you’ve been warned!

Anyway, the festival selections have been made and announced, more information can be found at the Indiepix and Cinema Eye Honors websites and voting commences on March 1st.

Right, that’s enough from me. Good night Finger Lickers, I will see you in the morning.

K

[digg=http://www.digg.com/movies/Beastie_Boy_forms_Indie_film_company]Goooooood morning Finger Lickers! So, word round the interweb campfire is that rap legend MCA (also known as Adam Yauch) of Beastie Boys frame has formed his own indie film distribution and international sales outfit. The company called Oscilloscope Pictures, operating out of downtown Manhattan offices, plans to distribute up to ten films in 2008. Yauch is joined by former ThinkFilm execs David Fenkel and Dan Berger and will be looking for a combination of drama and documentary content.

Adam Yauch is of course no stranger to the world of filmmaking himself having directed some seriously famous music videos in his time including my personal Intergalactic. So, I for one really wanna see what comes outta this new company. While I’m not really an advocate for the current systems of distribution. This kind of thing is a really positive move. Having read their blurb on their website I think the future for this company could look pretty interesting. I am always keen to check out a film by a new startup distribution company because they may be taking a few more chances and delivering something a little more tasty than your average jaded outfit.

K

[digg=http://www.digg.com/movies/Zombie_2_0]Afternoon finger lickin’ fans. So I mentioned a while ago that horror legend George A. Romero was at Sundance discussing the democratization of filmmaking in a spout.com interview. However, I didn’t really get into the reason why he was at the festival. His latest installment in the “Dead” saga premiered at Sundance and, as any good film director should be, he was whoring the hell outta it. The flick is basically a Blair Witch shakey handy cam take on his other apocalyptic tales. I am a big horror fan but not especially into the living dead stuff I’m more of a slasher man, however this really took my fancy.

The trailer is ridiculous and there’s obviously some jolly good hammy acting going on, but of all the horror remake dirge out there it actually caught my attention. From what I’ve read Romero has always worked in a very independent fashion and his latest film is no different, he’s using web 2.0 marketing techniques with exclusive MySpace goodies as well as tapping into the wannabe-filmmaker You Tube revolution to inspire his craft. I for one wanna give it a chance!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MdqNr0gN4Y]

[digg=http://digg.com/movies/Calling_all_Filmmakers]Evening all. So I’ve been banging on a lot about From Here to Awesome and the wonderful things they’re doing to encourage self distribution and discover new talent. So… Arin and his cronies have started releasing vids and here’s one of their first. Have you made a film and keep thinking what next? Looking for a festival that might actually see your work getting distribution? Check out this vid. Subscribe to their channel. Join the revolution!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHUwTkbAvn4]

[digg=http://www.digg.com/movies/Give_away_your_film_for_greater_exposure]There is something sick in the film industry. We all know this. From an average DVD-buying consumer to the indie filmmaking community to the academics in their ivory towers to the disgruntled industry insiders, we all know that the rot set in a long time ago. Whether you’re a film school grad trying to get a break or a filmmaker trying to get funding or a consumer standing in the cinema with only four choices on the menu – film is hard, way too hard. Now, I’m not here to get into a discussion about the film industry creating an impenetrable bubble for those of us who are trying to get in, what I am here to talk about is giving your film away for free.

Much of this blog is fueled by the likes of Lance Weiler and Arin Crumley who are actually doing this kinda stuff in practice. My inspiration for writing this blog was the incredibly brief treatment of the “give your art away” discussion in this months Filmmaker Magazine. Arin and Susan gave another interview about their experiences in the world of self-distribution a while ago and during the course of that interview he said something way more interesting than anything Filmmaker published. He said, and I’m paraphrasing here folks, brace yourselves, that it would have been more beneficial for them to have had their movie already up on YouTube while they were doing the festival tour. It is this issue that I believe is so much more important than anything else surrounding the self distribution debate.

We’re are being constantly bombarded by people telling us not to blow our creative and commercial load too soon, excuse the analogy, but we are. For example, in a meeting earlier this month about a web tv project I have ties with, a University lecturer made a point that completely threw me. She said that you need to hold off as long as possible, launch all your content at once and hit the students with a high impact marketing campaign to ensure that they watch. What? Now, while everything else she said was brilliant and useful and insightful this just made no sense to me. Where’s the longtail? Where’s the viral tasty morsels that all those media snacking YouTube junkies wanna stuff down their faces?!?! This is old world thinking people surely it would be better to launch the site with basic content and release regular episodes to encourage stickiness? What I’m trying to say is that giving it all away in one big dollop of flash video is surely not the way forward. Arin and Susan have the right idea, give it away for free, get a sticky following, so to speak, and release the goods themselves when you’re most high-profile to your given audience. So in the case of indie film you need the viral video episodes and the film online. You’re not losing anything by giving it away, you’re not diminishing your selling power with distributors you’re gaining more ammunition to prove that this film has an audience and if you snap it up now there’s a theatrical life for this film just as much as there’s an online life.

The industry and us as filmmakers need to stop thinking of our films as precious and start whoring. How can we get people to view this flick? How can we create a revenue stream from that viewing method? How can we get our video blogs onto every video sharing site on the Internet? And how can we get the film itself onto as may of those sites too!?! Now, I’m not saying there aren’t obstacles to this - upload limits in terms of size and film length as well as average viewer attention span etc. but seriously if you play this right folks you can get that regular viewing audience that are interested enough to watch the whole film online and you can prove to the web 2.0 industries that it is viable for them to sponsor your flick and in turn the film industry must surely pay notice.

I’ve said enough… but check out the following links for further information and some inspiration.

From Here to Awesome - A alternative discovery distribution film festival.
Arincrumley.com - Arin’s personal site, loads of blogage and self-distribution info.
Tube Mogul - Distribute your video to a plethora of online sites.

K

[digg=http://digg.com/movies/Mobile_film_distribution]Take 1 zillion movies with very few commercial outlets for distribution and 1 zillion mobile phone handsets with very little use for feature length films, due to the tiny screens, limited battery life and attention spans of the average user… and what do you get?

Yes… a problem solved.

Robert Redford may have his mugshot stamped all across the BBC news website today regarding the mobile phone industries position on film distribution, but the underlying theme is.. technology, features and how to utilise them effectively for the audience they serve.

Any enthusiastic/loyal/mesmerised/hypnotised/ADHD sufferer of YouTube knows the problem with videos that drag, on, way, too, long… and that edited shorts deliver a far bigger punch to the average mainstream user, than a  directorial 90mins+ of (albeit stunning) production. Lets face it, if we’re mobile and wanting to watch something, don’t shove Spider ‘fecking’ man 3 on my N95, how about a bunch of really cool thought provoking shorts that aren’t going to take longer than a train journey and drain my phone battery down to a dribble!
 
Maybe this is where the ’short’ could come into its own?
iTunes + selected shorts + mobiles = outlet.
Its hardly rocket science is it?

Read the inspiring story here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7230906.stm

[digg=http://www.digg.com/movies/No_Community_For_Old_Media]I visited the cinema the other day, to watch No Country For Old Men. After the film, everyone I was with had an opinion on what was seen, good and bad, we spoke our words and they beamed across to each others ears, then evaporated into thin air. We then walked off to the car and each went home. How dull.

Was that it? I was thinking. I wanted to leave a comment, for the next person to find. There was no-where for me to do that.

• No number to text,
• No Kiosk to give my thumbs up or down,
• No video booth to leave a rant,
• No community cafe led by a local fanboy of the director to join in a discussion.

Sure the indie art house cinemas, have actor and director post feature discussions. But I wasn’t at one of those. I was in a multi screen complex. Where 10s of thousands of pounds exchange hands and thousands of people filter through every week… and I know these cinemas have a production line mentality, but they’re also fighting the backlash of DVD sales, illegal downloads, and online screenings. Shouldn’t they be embracing the current (forget the new) technology? Rather than putting their hands over their eyes and thinking no-one will notice.

I can’t help but think that cinemas are slow to catch on. Their visitors are used to communicating instantly and hearing, reading, seeing opinions from everyone else before them.

I don’t think it’s enough for any form of media to just deliver anymore… whether that’s books, music, films or stage shows.

How hard would it be to impliment just half of the things I’ve mentioned above? Not much I’m guessing. Maybe one day hey? Until then, there’s definitely no community for old media.

Mark

(Orginally posted by me on Mediasnackers.com, but cross posted here, due to its topic and relavance)

[digg=http://www.digg.com/movies/Filmmaking_at_10mph_in_the_fast_lane]Director/Producer Hunter Weeks co-creator of 10mph the conceptually brilliant comic-documentary that follows a pair of aspiring filmmakers as they travel across the United States on Segways. You’re no doubt wondering, what the hell is a Segway? Or perhaps if you’re a Californian police officer you know them well. Basically, these scooter devices, which you may have seen on YouTube, or TV, or around your local park go a max of 10mph. With these devices these two filmmakers travel across America and document the hilarious consequences.

Anyway, I haven’t seen this film but they seem to be generating a great buzz and I’m very keen to check the flick out. However, my reason for writing about this is to request that you all support these DIY filmmakers by signing up for ourstage.com. Just like Four Eyed Monsters, ourstage.com have been brilliant and offered to pay 10mph $1 for every sign up they get. This is an amazing model for independent film revenue generation and it deserves all the support we can give.

So, please, please, please, sign up for ourstage.com via http://www.10mph.com/ourstage to make a real difference to some great filmmakers. Likewise, please check out the video below where Hunter talks about the project and how you can help them make their next film.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdR41fe9Zeg]

[digg=http://digg.com/movies/Arin_Crumley_Talks_about_From_Here_to_Awesome]I’ve cut together a condensed version of an interview that NewTeeVee.com conducted with Arin Crumley about his new venture From Here to Awesome.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kLlBSeiibk]

Here’s some links that might be of interest…

My blog about From Here to Awesome

The entire interview on Arin’s YouTube channel.

From Here to Awesome

K

[digg=http://www.digg.com/movies/Sundance_Distribution_Issues_George_A_Romero]With reference to my last post about the lack of distribution deals going around at Sundance, this seems to be a problem that even veteran filmmakers are noticing. George A. Romero, horror legend and creator of the infamous Dawn of the Dead (1978) is attending the festival for the first time to screen his latest film Diary of the Dead. Interviewed on video, Romero speaks to Spout.com about his work and the festival. Right at the end of his interview he touches on the issues I’ve been talking about. While greater accessibility to cheaper equipment is meaning lots more great independent films are being made, there still seems to be no solid distribution model for this type of work.

Check out their video interview at MySpace.

[digg=http://www.digg.com/movies/Sundance_Deals_and_Distribution]Spout.com blogger, Karina Longworth, who’s currently at Sundance 2008 has written an interesting piece about the lack of deals being made so far at this year’s festival. Karina, speculates about a number of reasons for the relatively low number of distribution deals. Firstly, she references the mainstream press who are apparently suggesting that the buyers haven’t found that magic they have in previous years. Which is of course suitably vague and journalist speak for “we haven’t got a damn clue”.

Next, she discusses a comment by Sony’s Tom Bernard where he states that, we, the bloggers are to blame for taking the mystique out of the film buying and distribution process. According to Bernard the immediacy of blogging means that the press coverage of a film is happening too quickly and therefore they lose control of the media machine.

Finally, Karina suggests that possible the solution could be as simple as the fiftieth anniversary of Sundance has a pretty weak offering of dramatic feature-length flicks. Whether this is the case, is not for me to judge, I haven’t seen any of the films in question. Maybe next year, with a shiny Finger Lickin’ press pass around my neck. But, what these sluggish sales do make me wonder about is the value of a festival like Sundance to the filmmaker. Sure, it gets you some first rate press and sure it gets a very select audience into a cinema for 120minutes to watch your film. But where’s the real benefit? Where’s that golden ticket, the distribution deal that everyone is looking for? Has the time come where festivals like Sundance aren’t delivering the goods? It’s all well and good being able to put “Official Selection Sundance Film Festival” at the opening of your trailer but if only those three hundred ticket holders attending the festival get to see the film… where’s the real benefit to you, the filmmaker?

Distribution is key. The more I learn about alternative, exciting and innovative methods of getting your film seen and turning those views into earnings the more I believe that while there’s a place for the festival route, you need to think bigger.

Read Karina’s blog post here.

[digg=http://digg.com/movies/Comic_Book_Style_Guide_to_Copyright_Law_for_IndepeFilmmaking]This is a great resource for all DIY and Independant filmmakers out there. Copyright law is an absolute minefield of mind numbing dos and don’ts and you never quite know if it’s legit to use something or not. Whether it’s displaying a Coke can in the foreground of your shot or understanding music licensing this graphic novel guide to indie filmmaking and copyright law is indispensables.

[digg=http://www.digg.com/movies/Moonshine_3]First time director Roger Ingraham’s film Moonshine debuted at Sundance 2006 and has garnered much critical acclaim. Ingraham shot his first feature-length film for under $10,000 when he was only twenty years old. Set in small-town America Moonshine is a vampire film that focuses upon a young guy, Peter, who takes a job working in a convenience store in order to care for his dying parents. As Peter works this soul-destroying job a figure of darkness waits in the shadows to take his life. Interestingly Moonshine has yet to attract a distribution deal, which is a real shock to me given the quality of what I’ve seen so far. Yet another filmmaker finding that the festival route isn’t working?

According to online murmurings, like Four Eyed Monsters, Moonshine is due to be release in its entirety on YouTube. Ingraham’s film has also been submitted to From Here To Awesome and is currently awaiting your support on their website.

Check out the trailer below and keep your eyes peeled for Ingraham in the future because he appears to be a real talent.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmYXL-2FNhg]

[digg=http://www.digg.com/movies/Say_hello_to_From_Here_To_Awesome]In recent years, independent filmmakers of all shapes and sizes have been exploiting Web 2.0 technologies to promote their individual projects. From basic trailers on a MySpace or YouTube page to the 360-degree empire that Arin Crumley and Susan Buice, of Four Eyed Monsters fame, have built for themselves; these filmmakers have harnessed the power of some extremely powerful viral technologies for their own ends.

However, online promotion and festival buzz is all well and good but what actually matters is how your turn your film, that you no doubt ploughed a good deal of hard earned or borrowed cash into, from a flick with some online buzz to a economically viable distribution deal. From Here to Awesome is a collaborative film festival founded by indie filmmaking and distribution gurus Arin Crumley, Lance Weiler and M dot Strange. The festival is designed to allow filmmakers to submit their film for free and involve the online audience, through social networking tools, enabling them to programme the festival themselves. Ultimately the project hopes to experiment with new distribution methods and ways of reading global audiences using online, cinema, on-demand and mobile technologies.

This is a really exciting development and a fantastic way for filmmakers to make a foray into alternative distribution. Hopefully in the near future Finger Lickin’ will be able to get a interview with Arin Crumley about his hopes for the project. Until then, please go and check out the site, submit your films and take advantage of this fantastic opportunity.