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Truly Free Film

16 Predictions For The Film Biz 2015 And Beyond

"Stare into the sun"
“Stare into the sun”

Okay, I did not get it all right last year.  Perhaps you think my crystal ball had a crack in it. But I did not say they would all hit this year. Check back on 2014’s predictions come the 2020’s and you might be surprised how right I am. Or not, but still if we don’t look at where we think we are going, how are we to pave the roads to take us there?

So what I do I predict this year for the years ahead? In examining this list, take in mind that I am not advocating for these developments, nor am I ranking them.  I just took the moments needed to examine where we are today, what’s been said, and where it may all lead. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this and where you think it may go too.

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Truly Free Film

Is There A Possibility For Brand & Content Collaboration?

Can we move beyond product placement for a collaboration between those that fund the production and those that create stories?  Can it be done without compromising the integrity of the work.  Steve Wax and I wrote a blog discussion about this last year and I recently stumbled across this video of Steve and I.

 

 

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Truly Free Film

Answers Needed: Airline Promotions & Quantified Impressions

C’mon gang, let’s help ourselves by helping out a filmmaker in need. Today’s question (and opportunity) comes from Chris Munch:

“Can anyone suggest reference material or a sample proposal that illustrates how the advertising industry translates theatrical playdates, DVD sales and rentals, and digital downloads into numbers of impressions? Are there industry standards that quantify a DVD rental unit sold as x-number of impressions? I am trying to prepare a proposal for an airline to furnish promotional consideration in the form of travel vouchers, and need to present them with projections of what sort of exposure (in terms of thousands of impressions) my film will have once it is done. I’m sure that these models exist, but so far I have not been able to access them. Thanks in advance for any advice or assistance.”

And although others have their faves, I think Chris’ THE HOURS AND TIMES is one of the greats of 90’s American Indie Cinema. We need to have Chris make more movies!

Categories
Truly Free Film

Brand Sponsorship: The Various New Tools

I got one of my first breaks in the film business over twenty years ago.  I walked into a production office and told them that I could raise over $100K of product placement for their indie film.  No one was doing it in those days and there was no how-to guide.  I told them they did not have to pay me unless I was successful.  I went to the library did some research on companies, and started cold calling.  It was pretty much a piece of cake.

Nowadays there are many product placement agencies that the brands contract with to seek out good placement opportunities.  On a typical indie film, you hire a rights clearance and product placement person to work with you clearing and obtaining trademarked items.  It’s a labor intensive field based around relationships and know how.
With the ubiquity of user-generated content, new opportunities have risen not only for the brands, but also for filmmakers.  Although I don’t know of any pot-of-gold stories, there are a handful of new services looking to bring efficiencies to the field by helping brands and creators utilize various online tools.  Granted no artist desires to turn their work into a walking advertisement, but brands also have an incentive to bring audiences to a work that they are featured in.  Careful consideration can yield a win-win situation.  
Which of these new services are the best?  What other ones are out there?  How do they differ?  I don’t know, but maybe some of you do.  These are the ones that I have found so far:
PlaceVine
StoryBids
XLNTads