The Conversation Continues

I spent all day yesterday at Columbia University surrounded by filmmakers, social media gurus, distribution providers and a general “we can do anything” DIY spirit personified by the Workbook Project’s Lance Weiler. I went into the event a little unsure of just how much I’d learn considering I spend almost every waking moment plugged into some form of information source, soaking up everything and anything that people are doing successfully to raise money and distribute films. I have to say that The Conversation far exceeded my expectations.
While many of the panelists and discussion leaders were folks that I am connected to via Twitter, Facebook, FilmSpecific.com or resource book, I was slightly blown away by the pure transparency, inclusivity and true “we’re all in this together” spirit. I felt that I walked away with a ton of information, a few perspective shifts and the inspiration to take everything we’re working on to the next level.

I think the things that struck me the most was this pure drive to just “do it” and see what sticks. The analogy used through the day was that taking control of your own film is like going to the moon without alerting NASA.

There was no one on any panel or discussion group that I was a part of that claimed to have all the answers. Every story was told as a single experience, a sharing of the experimentation phase. Many of the strategies that work for a documentary would never work for a narrative and visa-versa. Ryan Werner of IFC let the group know that the most successful VOD product for them was ANTI-CHRIST and he went on in a second panel to say that true genre films and controversial films have much greater success than any other type of film. He also said that the independent American drama was for the most part having a hard time finding its audience.

One of the more fascinating panels I attended was in fact one that was shared by Ryan Werner of IFC, Adam of Distribber, Scillia of Indieflix, Dave from IndieLab, Matt Dentler from Cinetic and Jim from EZTakes. All offering distribution platforms, all offering the filmmaker the ability to work outside of the traditional distribution model, all sharing varying degrees of agreement and disagreement with what the other was offering. I would not say it was tense but I would say it was interesting to watch these names in the distribution space dance around each other and not use their “competition” as an example of how their system works better or differently which is what some of them do when the other is not in the room.

As someone who has spent my fair share of time trying to pull money and reports from the traditional distributors, I do have to say that the Distribber model excites me because of the direct access into their system. You don’t wait for reports; you don’t wait for your check. You log in and access it all. Adam is in the process of growing his distribution channels and with growth may come change but as long as you have that transparency and direct access which has eluded us before, there is something special there.

Another piece of information that I found interesting was hearing from both Kino-Lorber and Steve Savage of New Video that films are on average still selling 90% DVD product and 10% digital. They agree that this percentage is changing and will potentially dramatically change by 2013.

I could probably spend hours parroting everything that I heard or talked about during the day-long event but I guess what struck me most was an embracing of our responsibility to do absolutely everything not only to get a film made but to make sure that it is watched, marketed and sold. It is up to the filmmaker to consider the audience at the same time the script is written. It is up to the team to think about audience engagement at every level of the filmmaking process. This isn’t really new information but I think after yesterday my level of attention to it is new. As we begin to talk about our new project, I have already started making my mental lists of how I would do things differently and well, it’s exciting to consider.

One of my perspective shifts came in regards to crowdfunding. There was a true and genuine enthusiasm amongst people who were using it to get their films made whether it is Indiegogo, Kickstarter or their own platform. Tiffany Shlain’s enthusiasm for engaging the audience during the fundraising process and allowing them to be the cheerleaders for your project sort of sealed the deal. I am not sure if it will work for my projects but it can’t hurt to try.

My two favorite quotes of the day (and there were MANY) came from Fred Siebert who said “if the audience does not respond to your film, it’s not because someone did something to your film" and Richard Lorber who said “Everything is Possible and Nothing is Working.”

Today, I’m going to focus on the “everything is possible” part.

Channel Midnight

Fangoria.com was so kind as to mention the debut of our new DVD label called Channel Midnight. We're excited about having our own home for movies we produce and are equally excited about having great filmmakers join the roster. It's all a little bit BETA at the moment. There will be quite a bit of trial and error but I think we have some really smart and interesting films planned.

Check out channelmidnight.com for more updates and more information on the films.

If you are looking for a good time and a great cause...

Our friends over at Situation Interactive are hosting a fundraising event in memory of Ian Bennett next Thursday. Ian was Situation's first employee and I had the great fortune of working closely with him while running the online department of Blue Man Group. Ian was really quite but really funny. He was also an amazingly talented designer, programmer and musican. Sadly, Ian passed away in a car/pedestrian accident in 2007.  In memory of Ian, Situation Interactive hosts a variety of fundraising events and there is a great one coming up next Thursday.

Even if you didn't know Ian, the money raised will go to a scholarship to help with tuition costs of talented young adults just like him. The whole Work Room team will be there so come join us for some craps or a drink.

Click here for more information on the event details.
Click here for more information on Situation Cares and Ian Bennett
Click here for more information on the fabulous people at Situation Interactive.

Murray is a Beast! A Daily Beast

Nice mention of the "Murray Hill is Mr. Showbiz" off-broadway show we currently have in development and a glimpse into what Murray is reading right now.

If you are not familiar with Murray Hill, I suggest you check out Murray's official site and even better a live show or the Bingo he hosts each week. I know Murray is hosting an Oscar party at Joe's Pub this Sunday but I am also pretty sure it's sold out. Maybe you willl just have to wait until we open our show later this year.

Check out Murray on Daily Beast.
Check out Murray's site here.