In the pantheon of viable choices for getting your film seen, film festivals continue to thrive (seems there’s a new one born every minute, right?), and that’s because, putting aside economic factors for the moment, film festivals still provide the perfect environment for the cultural, communal celebration of cinema, where films can be presented in context, with optimal picture and sound, and where audiences can yield, uninterrupted, to the original experience created by the artist.
Interesting article on film festivals. The opening graph mentions event-style films, which is the way I think more films should go.
Instead of keeping a film in a theater for a week were it does mediocre business, make it a Friday night event with cast and crew, charge more for the tickets, and in one evening you’ll have made more than an entire week and have a more satisfied audience.
As I said in summation, driving Geoffrey around brought me a lot closer to Paul Cohen, an independent distributor1 who is the business side of show business in one man.
I guess I did a good job with Geoffrey because Paul really seemed to like me. Over the next few months (the Geoffrey chauffeuring was back in February), we met and had coffee a few times and finally had a ‘thank you’ dinner.
Paul moved to Tallahassee not to leave the business but to move to a less expensive town, so he’s starting up a new distribution company in conjunction with the school to serve as a learning environment for the business side of filmmaking.
He asked if I wanted to intern and work on distributing and marketing real movies. How about ‘yes.’
So to skip a bit, and because we’re under non-disclosure agreements so I can’t talk about it much, there’s about eight of us interning, working in a separate building virally marketing the Germs biopic What We Do Is Secret.
You can see some of my handy work if you search for the What We Do Is Secret group on Facebook (over 400 members) as well as some write-ups on music blogs.
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):
Not writing name and phone on DVD
Go for best quality you can afford. Sometimes stuff is turned down because quality doesn’t meet standards.
Picking subject that doesn’t sustain the length.
Not pushing hard enough. Push the subject.
Being too long
Subject covered a lot of times before
Unrealistic expectations with music licensing.
Not enough stills for Press Kit
High Quality (True HD) if possible
Follow the delivery schedule companies have. Missing a few elements can make a film unreleasable.
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.
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