I have ten Flickchart invites - the site that’s trying to find the best movies of all time.
Post a comment below for one. Be sure to include your email in the form (it won’t be shared).
Bonus points if you subscribe and spread the word.
Below are my notes from the one panel I attended at Full Frame - The State of the Doc. It’s a little more cheerful than Mark Gill’s outlook on independent cinema, though re-reading this now, some panelists seemed to be predicting what was going to happen.
It was moderated by Liz Ogilvie of Docurama Films. On the panel was Nancy Abraham (HBO Documentary), Christopher Black (Starz Entertainment), Greg Kendall (Balcony Releasing), David Laub (THINKFilm), Tom Quinn (Magnolia Pictures), Molly Thompson (A&E IndieFilms), and Thomas Zadra (Netflix’s Red Envelope Entertainment).
Q: How do you define success in broadcast TV?
HBO - Good ratings, reviews, press, buzz, recognition.
A&E - Docs are ratings challenged. We try to launch them theatrically to get the branding out there, make people aware of the film for television. Considered successful if financially we break even.
Magnolia - Bad Box Office for docs in 2007. Magnolia had three high profile releases - Crazy Love, My Kid Could Paint That, and In the Shadow of the Moon. Other outlets have proved successful. Cocaine Cowboy is one of the top selling films on X-Box. The new strategy is to marry content with distribution.
Starz - Starz makes docs for their film library. Create events to help branding. Lots of press is low cost.
Balcony - King Corn’s (doc about the farming industry) filmmakers sold the DVD through their site for $29.95 (cheaper now) and had community screenings for $300 and did very well. People want to see films with their community, not at a theater (I think this was meant more towards small towns). There’s a separate group of people that buy online than in the store.
Red Envelope - Their software can determine how many people want to watch since the films are on Netflix and determine the price. Since Red Envelope was formed, they have 125 titles. 40%-50% are docs.
Q: Do you think audiences are consuming films differently?
Balcony - Some like films in the theater, on TV, the web, community screenings. You get more coverage in the NY Times when you open on Wednesday.
A&E - If a film doesn’t get enough Box Office the theater can kick it out.
Magnolia - The state of specialized films is depressing. We’re all generally screwed. The theatrical experience is unmatched. To survive, we need to learn how to do it differently.
Red Envelope - In four months, Helvetica was seen 120,000 times. Half were streaming through Netflix.com.
Starz - Primary goal of documentaries is to pay off credit card debt and fund the next film. Theatrical release is an unhealthy obsession.
Balcony - Many films shouldn’t be in theaters. It’s a waste of everyone’s time. Not being in theaters feels like a failure, but that might be the right thing to do. Filmmakers always want it, that’s why they made the film.
Q: What do you see changing in the future?
A&E - Social networking growing. Bring people that have a common interest in films together (Facebook).
Magnolia - Theatrical experience is broken. We put a lot of Jesus Camp clips on YouTube, but that backfired, because then people didn’t need to see the movie.
Balcony - Make theatrical an event. One night only. You can make more money in one night than a week. We need to convert the theatrical system.
Audience Questions
Q - How can you get a deal in pre-production?
A - Generally depends on the subject, filmmaker, and if there’s that money shot (Antarctica for March of the Penguins). Typically docs are bought after they’re done.
Q - Thoughts on aesthetic quality. Concerned about viewing docs on iPod?
A - The ability iPods provide to watch during commute are great. One panelist saw 8 people watching content in the subway. Certain forms are better for iPod, while some are better on the big screen. More choices bring a larger audience, which is the end goal.
If a film works on a 3″ screen, you know it will work anywhere.
Q - Biggest mistake films make?
A - (Sort of a round robin of replies):
Q - Thoughts on short docs outside festivals.
A - Other options include iTunes, attachment to Op-Eds on NY Times site. Many documentarians with similar subjects/themes can ban together and offer one package with a bunch of shorts, perhaps on DVD.
Moment of Zen
Flickchart aims to answer one long plaguing question - if so many movies are rated five stars, which one’s the best?
Yes, AFI tried to answer that question. But Citizen Kane? Really? It was his stupid sled.
Flickchart’s method is painfully simple. Two movies shown side by side. Pick the one you prefer. Move on.
If you haven’t seen one, or both, just press the button and a new movie pops up. Based on which movie you prefer, Flickchart adjusts your ranking to create your very own Top 20 list.
Of course there’s a Top 20 based on all the users. This is a list I could agree with.
Each film has its own page, based on the data from users and it’s ranking over time.
And you can discuss and debate comparisons.
Though some really are no contest.
It’s simple, addicting, and a fun little site. Of course, there are a few things I wish it had. It is beta, so these could be on the white board.
That’s it. I’m sure most (at least the last two) will come in updates.
I could see their system being something that’s bought and implemented in Netflix or Amazon.
But for now, it’s a fun site to check out. I think some beta invites might be coming my way, so stay tuned.
Friday felt a lot like Thursday. Geoffrey was going to screen the mystery film again, but this time for all the film students.
The movie was The Visitor, from Tom McCarthy, who also did The Station Agent. After The Station Agent, he got the usual studio offers to do films, but turned them down. When he decided to do The Visitor, he was adamant that the lead had to be Richard Jenkins. I thought he was a fairly known actor, mainly from watching him on Six Feet Under, but apparently not.
The original financiers were going to fund the film as long as the lead was someone more famous than Jenkins. McCarthy was adamant that it had to be him, and he lost the investors. Eventually it was funded by one of the founders of eBay.
Like the casting in The Station Agent, Jenkins was great and perfect for the roll, and it touched on a lot of good issues (immigration, cultures, mid-life change). Afterward, questions were brought up about how to market this film. From the issues I mentioned, it covers a lot of topics and isn’t a straight ‘life changing story’ or ‘love story’ or ‘culture clash story.’
I feel like the trailer does a pretty good job of summing the film up, incorporating all the topics instead of just covering one and marketing it to different groups.
This is a crap year for independent films, and The Visitor will be one of the few indy films to get critical acclaim, be well received by audiences, and a decent box office.
Later that night, I drove Geoffrey and his entourage to the University President’s House for dinner. I went and got a Joey Bag of Donuts at Moe’s (I think I got the better deal, because the following day the Dean was sick with food poisoning).
It would have been neat to go inside the house, but apparently I didn’t miss much after it was noted that the interior design was kind of lacking1.
This night there was no after party, and I was successfully able to drop Geoffrey off at his hotel for the evening.
![[del.icio.us]](http://coffeeandcelluloid.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://coffeeandcelluloid.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://coffeeandcelluloid.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[Google]](http://coffeeandcelluloid.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://coffeeandcelluloid.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Email]](http://coffeeandcelluloid.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)