Categories
Truly Free Film

1+1=2 How To Get Distribution For Your Film

Okay, this isn’t the only answer, and I don’t have the energy to do a comprehensive list, yet… but as I sorted through my various AM emails, a saw a common theme in two of them.

One: A B-Side email blast reminded me that Todd Sklar’s Range Life Fall NW Tour kicked off last weekend. I have found Todd’s taking-it-to-the-people traveling film fest in a van truly exciting. If I could do that list of exciting developments in the truly free ring this would be one of those things. I for one was particularly intrigued to see that MYSTERY TEAM was one of the films in the tour.
Two: In an overview of Brit DIY for The Guardian today, the UK DIY hit MORRIS is compared with other unseen DIY films and it is pointed out:

What saved Morris was a trip to the countryside: they organised a tour around the village halls of south-west England, where their film became a word-of-mouth hit. That allowed its makers to bypass the distributors and go straight to the exhibitors. Morris was finally picked up by the Picturehouse cinema chain, which agreed to roll it out on wider release, beginning last week.

It makes me wonder what would happen if a filmmaker, either on their own or working with a grassroots community film organizer, acted immediately after hearing they were invited to a major festival to book their film in small community non-theatrical venues without waiting for that never-to-arrive distribution offer — you know: instead, take it directly to the people and prove the film’s playability. In fact, as Todd has shown such playability with his own film BOX ELDER, even without that major festival acceptance.
The math here adds up: Know your audience. Bring the film to that right audience. Don’t subscribe to a passive discovery process. You are the fuel. Light a match.
Additional Note: via Facebook, director Tom Quinn informed us:

We just booked a week-long theatrical run in Philadelphia through Landmark for The New Year Parade and are going to see how that community-based release works for us. Will keep you posted!”

Categories
Truly Free Film

Audiences Are Key To Cross-Media Creation

Lance Weiler has a nice, albeit short, piece in Screen Daily on the audiences role in crafting cross-platform narratives (aka transmedia). Here’s a taste, but check out the whole thing:

Pre-production, production and post are melding ― so why do most producers wait until the film is finished to engage their audience? The art and craft of how stories are designed, delivered and shared must catch up with the realities of how audiences are consuming them. This points to a number of new and exciting storytelling possibilities. The audience is telling us what they want, we just need to start listening.

Lance will be at Power To The Pixel, along with yours truly, Brian Newman, and a host of other fantastic folk that I can’t wait to meet.

Categories
Truly Free Film

Competition Is THE Problem

Lance Weiler gave an excellent presentation at Power To The Pixel in London a few weeks back.  As he points out: competition is the problem.

He boils it down and provides the antidote (collaboration!) in a short powerpoint presentation here:
From Here to Awesome

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: models new)

And if you want to hear and see it all with Lance actually presenting it, catch it here — he provides a great context for it all: