The conversation usually goes something like this: ME: “So, what’s working now?” THEM: “If you want to do a [insert genre here] that’s working really well in [insert country]”. ME: “O.k., that’s great. I have this project that I think might work.” THEM: “Oh, tell me about it.” ME: “Sure, it’s a [log line …
Does the indie film distribution business confuse you? You are not alone. If you’re like me, you look at the world of indie films, and you look at all the platforms, the changing landscape of the biz, and you are left scratching your head. I was just speaking with a distributor of indie films, and …
The results of Beasts of No Nation’s opening weekend are in: the picture opened on 31 screens and averaged $1,635 per screen for a total box of office of $50,699. A “horrendous results”, right; WRONG! There have been several reports about this box office result which seem to strongly denigrate the Netflix initiative to that …
Our friends over at VHX do, and they are sharing it with you.
*written by Emily Buder – Indiewire What makes a good crowdfunding campaign? Is there a secret formula? Are there tried-and-true methods that always seem to bring in the green?
We honour the work of Gordon Willis, who died today at the age of 82, with our complete Craft Truck Collection from our time with him.
Recently, on our Business of Film podcast we chatted with former co-President of Lionsgate Releasing and co-Founder of ThinkFILM, Mark Urman, who now runs indepedent film distribtion company, Paladin, in New York. We felt there was so much amazing information in our time with Mark, that we’d synthesize some of the more important points of …
Recently, on the Business of Film podcast, we had the opportunity to interview Nicholas Gonda, Co-Founder of TUGG and Emily Best, CEO of Seed & Spark. Between these two companies, we get a 360 degree view of social media and the critical crowdfunding tips to both finance and distribute your film. While this post is …
1) Netflix is the Content Business; Not the Brand Business Netflix has come out and said time and again, they are in the content business. Unlike a broadcaster that is more focused on what their brand means, Netlix doesn’t have a brand. In fact, they have focused very diligently on not having a brand. On …
Kevin Smith has his fingers in a whole lot of media pies. He has films, TV shows, and podcasts – he is quite literally a franchise in and of himself. He even has his own Movie Club, which distributes up to twelve films a year in Canada and the US. Kevin’s big break came in …
Not for the faint of heart; to self distribute. First, ask yourself if you want to put yourself through-it? Yes, through it. Because it’s going to take a lot of time. And a lot of energy. Second, is this something you are good at and passionate at doing? Some people enjoy selling. Being on the …
The nominations for Best Cinematography are all very well deserved and we’re not questioning any of them. As time goes by the craft of cinematography keeps going. Here are some other pictures that are amazing achievements in cinematography and we think are worthy of looking at. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Unlike many projects …
Recently, in an interview with Jerry Bruckheimer, he said Wait? What…? Did he just say Beverly Hills Cop was $8 million? People forget that movies once cost ONLY… (yes, only) $8 million dollars. As compared to the mega block buster budgets of today. But he acknowledges, right of the bat, that its the budget that …
I was gonna put the picture of BIG ASS SPIDER from the movie here… but just couldn’t do it! Understanding the international market On financing genre films: Things we talked about in this podcast: Other podcasts you may enjoy: Mia Bruno, Acquisitions Manager, Gravitas Ventures Maren Olson, Traction Media – the sales business Producing with …
Recently we chatted with Andrew van den Houten, indie producer, and we went into depth on the art of pitching. One of the take aways that is clearly applicable to pretty much everyone is the length of the pitch. A pitch is not a monologue and it shouldn’t go on for 45 minutes. It’s not …
The studios understand this on a very very large scale – for every nine flops there is one hit. That’s always been the way. The blockbusters carry the rest. This is nothing new. The model has been around for years. Not all movies work. Maybe the ratio is a better than that… and no one …
It’s easy to get lost in a story. To meander through the creative process and tinker and tinker until you’ve come up with something that you think is great. But are you setting aside the time to do you creative networking. This is a business of relationships. Period. It’s important to understand that for most, …
Recently, on a podcast with Kevin Feige, Kevin talks Marvel’s marketing strategy and how they plan their shooting and CGI pipeline according to major marketing events. Their biggest of which is Comic-Con. Kevin tells us that they start their CGI shots and shooting schedule planning around what they need to be available to create “trailer …
There’s a difference between doing the work for the sake of the work and doing the work because it comes from a place of inspiration. The easiest comparison is when you look at the business through the lens of a distributor. High volume distributors tend to look at film as products that are moved on …
And why not? Here’s what we are promising you in 2014: 1) A new season of Through the Lens with 20 more interview with some of the best in the business. We are still shooting these and have to get them chopped. We’re gonna get these done right good! (Yes, that was on purpose, the …