Thursday, June 23, 2011

Towards A Sustainable Independent Film Community


Here's an important re-post from (of course) Ted Hope's Blog....


Guest Post: Gary Baddeley “Towards A Sustainable Independent Film Community”


Information needs to be shared. To fix this thing of ours, we have to speak up and out about what we want and how we operate. I was recently approached by an old friend, Gary Baddeley, about helping him do just that. Allow him to give you the details. Help him out, okay? - Ted Hope

Ted Hope and I live at opposite ends of the independent film world. I distribute niche-focused documentaries while Ted produces some of the most acclaimed films in our industry. Despite our operating in very different ways and with disparate budgets, we agree that we are working in an “industry” that is not adequately addressing the needs of the independent film community. We both seek to develop new business models so that the independent movement can return to sustainability.

As President of The Disinformation Company, I've been involved in breaking down some of the barriers between filmmakers and fans. For instance, in 2004 I helped director Robert Greenwald release his first two political documentaries, Uncoveredand Outfoxed via fan-organized screenings and DVD sales (both retail and direct to consumer) -- before a theatrical run. As crazy as it sounds today, the “organize your own screenings and sell direct” model didn’t exist back then and Robert and his various partner organizations, starting with MoveOn, essentially invented it. His current company, Brave New Films, grew out of that experience and is now at the forefront of progressive activism through film.

We subsequently suffered through the not-so-slow demise of DVD sales as consumers shifted towards downloading and streaming movies online, legally or otherwise. In 2008 we chose to release a movie that I produced called 2012: Science or Superstition on iTunes several weeks prior to the DVD street date. It turned out to be a good move and we’ve pushed hard to place our films on cable VOD systems as well as the various iVOD platforms. Our “digital” business is now bigger than our DVD business, but it suffers from a whole other set of problems, principally a series of gatekeepers and toll-takers.

The one constant, despite some successes, is that it is incredibly hard to market and distribute our films effectively. The level of investment of both money and effort is simply not sustainable, even for the most dedicated of filmmakers, like George Langworthy and Maryam Henein, whose documentary Vanishing of the Bees we’re releasing this month after years of effort by the co-directors in creating awareness for the film and the important issue it highlights.

For the past two years, I've engaged a variety of Internet entrepreneurs to help me think about these challenges. I've now partnered with a few of them to pursue a new venture focused on enabling filmmakers to foster direct relationships with their fans, to more efficiently market their films, sell tickets to screenings of those films in theaters and other venues, and release the films on as many platforms as possible. But we need your help. We want to hear from as many of Ted's readers as we can. We need you, the filmmakers, to let us know what your needs and priorities are so that we can build the best services possible to help you market and release your movies.

We hope that you’ll be interested in helping us to start solving some of the problems we all face in the world of independent film. If you take 5 minutes to fill out this survey, you will begin to see how we are thinking.

We really looking forward to meeting you, assisting you, and becoming part of the solution to building a sustainable independent film community for the creators, for the financiers, for distributors, for exhibitors, and for the audience.

Thanks!



Gary Baddeley is the CEO of The Disinformation Company (www.disinfo.com), producing and distributing documentary films. He is also a co-founder of Orson a new technology company that is developing software as a studio for the independent film community.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Less Than 1 Week Left For Our Crowdfunding Campaign!!...

WE ONLY NEED $15,000 BY JUNE 30TH TO REACH OUR FUNDRAISING GOAL OF $35,000.

We are in the last days of FA's FIRST CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN and closing in on our fundraising goal THANKS TO MANY OF YOU!!


However, it doesn't look like it from our Kickstarter page. Ignore it. We have raised matching funds from sponsors and key donors that will, WITH YOUR SUPPORT, bring us up to to our goal.


But they will not make those contributions via Kickstarter. So, we are pulling the campaign off Kickstarter (but still giving the donation rewards, of course) and you can now donate HERE!

WE HAVE 1 WEEK LEFT.

CLICK HERE TO BACK OUR PROJECT!!




WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE AND GUESS THE 15 INDIE CLASSICS TO WIN SPECIAL BONUS GIFT!
Details to redeem below in FAQ.

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Today, you can help us by donating, and/or equally as important - SHARE THIS PAGE with your social network friends. Every tweet, post and referral helps!

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What EXACTLY are we building?

  1. A new Filmmakers Alliance website. By and for filmmakers.

  2. A curated collection of online tools and resources to support every aspect of the filmmaking process - developing your script, funding, hiring crew and actors, finding distributors or distributing yourself --- all from our new platform --- available online, on your tablet and on your smartphone.

  3. Web resources and apps that will, among other things, help you harness the power of social networks to get your film made and build your film's niche audience.

  4. A gathering place for filmmakers - facilitating mutual support and creative collaboration.

  5. And much, much more....

Do we have the proper team in place?

  1. We have a project manager and developers to produce our apps and web resource. They've had experience heading up and producing major sites. And we have the experience of working on the ground with hundreds of filmmakers, with micro budgets as well as multi-million dollar projects.

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CLICK HERE TO BACK OUR PROJECT!!

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"Why support another filmmaking website?" CLICK HERE for the answer....and more details on the project!

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"Why Support Filmmakers Alliance?"


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Hear what Filmmakers Alliance members have to say.


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FAQs

WHY IS THIS PART 1?
Because the budget for development and production is $70k and we have it broken into two product cycles.

WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT?
Click HERE or please send us an email to website@filmmakersalliance.org and we will email you a detailed outline of what we're cooking up.

HOW DO I WIN THE SPECIAL BONUS GIFT REFERRED TO IN THE VIDEO?
When you make a donation, there is notation space provided for you to send us a list of the film titles corresponding by number number. Or, email to us directly at website@filmmakersalliance.org. In the subject line write CROWDFUNDING BONUS. We'll warn you now, the first one might be the toughest. We will confirm your submission and reveal the secret Bonus Gift.

IS MY PLEDGE AMOUNT PUBLICLY DISPLAYED?
No. Only you and FA will know your pledge amount.

IF I DONATE, WHEN CAN I REDEEM THE INCENTIVE GIFT?
All incentives gifts of any kind or size will only happen if our goal is met. You will be contacted to arrange shipment or discuss the logistics (depending on the gift).

CAN I EXCHANGE ONE INCENTIVE GIFT FOR ANOTHER?
Yes and no. We will do whatever we can to make sure you get exactly what you'd like. Obviously, you can't trade up to a higher incentive level, but we can put something together of equal value to your incentive gift from the various incentive gifts at the lower levels.

WHAT IF I DON'T WANT THE INCENTIVE GIFT AND I JUST WANT TO SUPPORT?
No problem, just let know when we contact you after the campaign has ended.

CAN WE EXCEED THE GOAL?
YES!

CAN I INCREASE MY DONATION ONCE IT'S MADE?
YES! You’d simply be making an additional donation, but we will add it to your total.

CAN I DONATE ON SOMEONE'S BEHALF AND HAVE THE INCENTIVE GIFT SENT TO THEM?
Of course! And very generous of you. If you would like to donate to the project but give the gift to someone as a gift from you, go through all the normal process of making a donation in your name.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE MONEY ISN'T RAISED IN TIME?
Now that we’ve taken our campaign off of Kickstarter, we will get our funds directly under circumstances. But we have a matching grant challenge of $15,000 that must be met by June 30th, 2011. Please help us receive our matching grant and reach our goal by donating and/or spreading the word now.

WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO?
Beyond PayPal’s fees, the money goes to the development team along with some content managers, researchers and a biz development person who will continue finding partners who can add meaningful resources and tech partnerships to the site.

IF I'M NOT IN THE US, CAN I STILL MAKE A PLEDGE?
Yes. You can pledge from anywhere.

HOW CAN WE CONTACT YOU?
Send an email about this project to website@filmmakersalliance.org

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"What would the world be like without independent film?"



CLICK HERE TO BACK OUR PROJECT!!

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DONATE $1 OR MORE

THANK YOU so much for your support. Every dollar means something important to us!!


DONATE $10 OR MORE

SNEAK PREVIEW! You get our deep thanks, your name on our site as a supporter, AND you'll be first among those to see the site in action as part of our 1-month sneak preview team! You'll know before anyone else how great the site will be!


DONATE $25 OR MORE

TAKE HOME A MOVIE! You get our deep thanks, your name on the site, a sneak preview of the the site, AND a DVD of an FA feature film or compilation of shorts (your choice). (Please add $7 for shipping to Canada and $10 for shipping Internationally).


DONATE $50 OR MORE

JOIN THE CLUB! You get our deep thanks, your name on the site, an FA DVD AND Premium Annual Membership for one year in the new Filmmakers Alliance Website! You are an now an official member of the NEW Filmmakers Alliance!! (For the DVD, please add $7 for shipping to Canada and $10 for shipping Internationally).


DONATE $100 OR MORE

BECOME A VISIONARY! This contribution earns our deep thanks, an FA DVD, Premium Annual Membership for one year, two tickets to our signature event, VisionFest, in 2012 and your name on the site as one of our VISIONaries. (For the DVD, please add $7 for shipping to Canada and $10 for shipping Internationally).


DONATE $200 OR MORE

YOU ARE A CITIZEN PRODUCER! You get all of the above benefits, plus your name on the site as a Citizen Producer AND lunch with an FA Production OR a meeting with an FA Professional! Come visit the set of an FA Production and have lunch with the cast and crew. You'll be treated like a VIP (well, as much as possible on a low-budget indie) and be a first-hand witness to FA's cinema magic. Or meet with the FA professional of your choice for one hour to get expert guidance on any aspect of filmmaking. (For the DVD, please add $7 for shipping to Canada and $10 for shipping Internationally).


DONATE $500 OR MORE

A STAR IS BORN! If you have the acting bug, we will give you a walk-on role in an FA Film (if appropriate). At the very least, we'll make you a featured extra and give you the opportunity to audition for a speaking role. (And Citizen Producer package).


DONATE $1,000 OR MORE

BRUNCH WITH FA PRESIDENT JACQUES THELEMAQUE. Come have brunch in NY or Los Angeles (transportation not provided) with FA co-founder and President Jacques Thelemaque. You can talk all things film with him, grill him for every drop of filmmaking knowledge he has or just shoot the breeze. At the very least, you'll be treated to a fantastic meal at a top-notch restaurant. (And Citizen Producer package).


DONATE $2,500 OR MORE

LIMITED REWARD 5 of 5 remaining

HOLD A SCREENING OR HOST AN FA SCREENING! We will arrange and market a one-time screening for you anywhere in the Continental US (venue cost not included). We have all the projection equipment, so you can do it in your home, in a multi-use space or in a theater (again, venue cost not included). You can choose what you want to screen or you can host a screening of an FA feature film or a collection of shorts (And Citizen Producer package).


DONATE $5,000 OR MORE

LIMITED REWARD 5 of 5 remaining

SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL, HERE YOU COME! Oh, the good things are just piling up at this point. Along with the Citizen Producer Package, of course, you get TWO Awards Weekend Passes (or comparable passes) to the Sundance Film Festival plus a guest room at the FA condo (airfare not included). Woo-Hoo!! Let's do the 'Dance!


DONATE $10,000 OR MORE

LIMITED REWARD 2 of 2 remaining

MAKE YOUR MOVIE! Or whatever you want to make! Either we provide you with a top-notch, compact, six-member FA crew (with digital equipment) including Producer, Director of Photography, Sound person, Hair/Make-up/Costumer, Set Designer and Production Assistant for up to 5 days to shoot anything you choose (in the Los Angeles area only) OR a 3-person documentary crew (with equipment) WILL COME TO YOU for 2 days (in Continental U.S. only). Be advised, there will most certainly be additional costs to you depending on what you want to shoot. But the world-class crew and equipment will be made totally available to you!! (And Citizen Producer package).

Filmmakers’ challenge from Pepsi & Chevrolet


Calling all filmmakers! Bursting with ideas? Need a new challenge? Looking for your next project? Then get out your camera, call up your friends and shoot a 60-90 second film for MOFILM Poland. In this competition Pepsi Films and Chevrolet want to see your passionate and inspired shorts.

For your efforts, the rewards are many - top cash prizes of $8,000, with $53,000 in the total prize pot, expenses paid trips to Poland’s excellent Era New Horizons festival (hosting Nick Cave and Grinderman, top indie filmmakers, and you), as well as exclusive screenings of your film. There’s also a $20k production and mentoring fund for one lucky winner.

Enter as a Shooter and you have an extra chance of winning a Flip Ultra HD Camcorder. We’ll also keep you updated with the latest news, and you can find advice, cast, and crew through our network. Not a member? We’ve got it covered, you can get a free 3 month, no catch, trial membership: shootingpeople.org/mofilm

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

THE LA FILM FESTIVAL IS HERE!!



The LA Film Festival is upon us, beginning TOMORROW, Thursday, June 16th. It's a world-class film festival, so it's an amazing place to not only watch great cinema, but to make to meet in mingle with a world-class cinema community.


I was an associate programmer for the fest this year and can attest to the extremely high quality of programming. A lot of very smart, insightful, passionate film lovers on the programming team!! But it's not just films. There is so much great stuff going on downtown at the festival, if you're anywhere near LA, you'd be foolish not to find a way to be there!!


Filmmakers Alliance will be hosting a film at the festival, so we definitely hope to see you en masse at that film's two screenings. Here's the details on the film:


Entrance

USA | DIR Dallas Hallam, Patrick Horvath

CAST: Suziey Block, Bennett Jones, Florence Hartigan, Josh Grote, Liesel Kopp, Morgan Phalen

When Suziey, a beautiful Silverlake hipster, mysteriously loses her beloved dog, a creeping anxiety begins to set in and she decides she's had enough of L.A.. But on the night of her going-away party, Suziey finds out that leaving might not be so easy.A remarkably deft blending of genres, this character-study-meets-horror-flick is a true East Side collaboration. Suziey the Silverlake barista really is Suziey the Silverlake barista (and a gifted actress) and the rambling hillside home she inhabits onscreen was director Dallas Hallam's rental during shooting. But what's most remarkable about Hallam and Patrick Horvath;s directorial debut is the unshakable sense of dread it evokes. Be warned: you may not sleep so well once you've experienced Entrance.

Fri., June 24, 10:00 p.m., Regal 11

Sat., June 25, 4:00 p.m., Downtown Independent


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Now in its 17th year, Film Independent’s Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by Los Angeles Times, showcases the best of American and international cinema. The 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival takes place June 16-26, 2010 in downtown Los Angeles. The Festival screens more than 200 features, shorts, documentaries and music videos from more than 40 countries. The Festival connects the movie-loving public to critically acclaimed filmmakers, film industry professionals, and emerging talent in the heart of Los Angeles, the entertainment capital of the world.


For passes, tickets and full Festival details, please call 1.866.FilmFest or visit www.LAFilmFest.com.


Thursday, June 9, 2011

We hit 100 backers!!!...


...and counting for our Kickstarter Campaign!

Thank you soooo much, you wonderful, supportive, generous peeps!!

Now, we're only 900 away from our goal of 1,000. And only 13,000 and change from breaking the Kickstarter record for Most Backers!! :)

Help us! (even for just $1 - we have 9 of them!!)

Thanks!!

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Monday, June 6, 2011

Crowdfunding Update 6-6-11

I hope someone is learning from this...:)

Here's the link to the Kickstarter page:http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/filmmakersalliance/the-greatest-filmmaking-website-ever-imagined-part

Why Support A (yet ANOTHER!) Filmmaking Website?!...

As you may know, our Kickstarter fundraising campaign is in full swing. And we are always looking at ways to make it more effective, so I solicit feedback as much as possible. One of the main pieces of feedback I've been getting is people asking - just filmmakers, ironically - why filmmakers need yet another filmmaking website!

They are right to be suspicious of our plans. Although, the campaign title (The Greatest Filmmaking Website Ever Imagined!!!) was meant to be humorously (or so we thought) a bit-over-the top, we do indeed intend the site to be a one-stop shop. But not because we will be creating/building everything under the sun. It's because the site will be an organized, curated repository for everything a filmmaker needs to manage their filmmaking lives. And all the tools for creating it already exist out on the web right now.

Still, why support a (yet ANOTHER) filmmaking website?!

Well, the main reason is...NONE exist!

How can I say such a ridiculous thing? There are thousands of them. Really? I suppose it is all in how you define "filmmaking". To our minds, there are thousands of filmmaking-related websites offering all kinds of different cool (and sometimes, not-so-cool) things. And there are many that offer resources for some piece of the filmmaking puzzle. But there are no sites that we know of that help you manage the actual filmmaking process - from start to finish. But that's just a part of what the site is about. There's so much more.

However, it's clearly tough for people to have enthusiasm for something they cannot even conceive.

So, let's break it down, then. First of all, on a practical level, the very fact that there are so many websites for filmmakers is why ours is so necessary! Yes, you can grab bits and pieces of what you want/need all around the web, but that means you have jump between numerous sites, numerous logins, incompatible apps, unexportable content and data and docs and many more issues that make seamless management of your filmmaking work very challenging.

Secondly, as you know, I'm a filmmaker and Filmmakers Alliance has been around since 1993 providing resources and education to filmmakers. We've worked with many, many filmmakers over the years who've never been shy about articulating their needs. Through them, we've developed a pretty strong sense of what filmmakers need and how they need it. There are some very basic, intuitive ways to structure support for filmmakers that we're just not seeing in other sites. Even the good ones are incomplete. Our site will support the full spectrum of the filmmaking process - including distribution. The site will have an abundance of resources organized intuitively and for maximum ease-of-use, allowing filmmakers to access them easily and manage their projects. And we will be acting as curators for what is up on the site, insuring that everything there will be the best possible option for filmmakers.

Thirdly, and perhaps the most exciting thing about the site, is the creative connectivity we will encourage and facilitate on the site. Filmmakers Alliance is a collective and bringing together filmmakers in a way that gets films made - and made well - is what we do. And we are VERY excited about bringing that spirit and energy to our website through all kinds of collaborative tools and apps. Of course the site will be a connective hub - a matrix for the best of what's necessary for filmmakers that will grow in vibrancy and relevancy due to the contributions of the filmmakers themselves. But what's even more exciting for me personally, is that it will be a home for creative collaboration on a global level, facilitating the creation of all kinds of exciting new work. All of the resources and contributions will be tracked for geographical relevancy much like sites that offer discounts and benefits are doing now.

On top of all that, we are designing mobile apps, that will allow filmmakers access to resources on the go and, among other things, help filmmakers harness the power of social networks to get their films made AND build their film's niche audience. The new site will:

Connect filmmakers around the world with each other AND their potential audiences.

Connect filmmakers with special discounts, deals, incentives, promotions and other programs to benefit filmmakers.

Facilitate the creation and management of projects, resources, connectivity, and commerce.
Aggregate online resources for filmmakers while constantly seeking and/or developing new ones.

Organize and integrate filmmaking tools, resources, networks, projects, databases, and more in an intuitive fashion that creates maximum ease-of-use for filmmakers.

Provide a one-stop informational hub for all important activity in the filmmaking universe.

Educate filmmakers about all aspects of filmmaking.

We have a project manager and developers to produce our apps and web resources. They've had experience heading up and producing major sites. So, of course, all this does take some expense. We must create a foundation for it all, then to access resources, license them, build technological bridges to them or recreate them, when necessary. And what we are raising is a pittance compared to the millions often spent developing some of the stuff that's already out there. Conversely then, you may be asking how will we do all of this for $35k ($70k if you count the back-to-back campaigns)? We won't. We'll get it started and structure it in a way that will allow for 3rd party development, "white label" tech partners and user content contribution. In short, the filmmakers/users will help it become fully realized.

But why is any of this important? Simple. It will make filmmaking easier. There are many filmmaking orgs out there (along with the filmmaking-related sites), and they are there for a reason. Filmmakers need help. Lots of it. To this day, I get tons of calls and emails daily asking me for everything under the filmmaking sun. Clearly, filmmakers still need help educating themselves and accessing resources - anything from grants, to production insurance to good crews, to good marketing tools, etc. The easier we can make the filmmaking process, the faster we can move on to a conversation about the kinds of films we're making and how they can have a social and/or aesthetic impact on the world. And that conversation, too, will happen on the site.

A website is NOT going to save Independent Film, I'm told. That is not where the focus needs to be. Perhaps, it's not - in and of itself. Great independent filmmaking that is well-distributed will do that. But education, intelligent discourse, access to funding and resources, shared creativity and inspiration are all tools to help create those great, well-distributed independent films. And a site that provides and/or facilitates all of that will indeed do it's part to create an Independent Film renaissance.

And, finally, if you're asking "why should I care about independent film?", then you shouldn't even be reading this.

Please send me an email (website@filmmakersalliance.org) if you want a more detailed overview of what we're creating. We want to track those requests. We don't want that particular document out in the world for people to view anonymously.

Finally, if any of this has stimulated more thoughts and questions, please send them my way. If you are a filmmaker or film lover, we're doing this for you, so what you say to us is very important. Perhaps more valuable than you know.

To donate to this campaign, click HERE.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Crowdfunding Update 6-3-11


FA Crowdfunding Campaign Update #1

I hate to scare you my wonderful blogger family, but I'll be doing these updates nearly every day for the next 23 days - until the campaign ends. If you want to see a lot of me, here's your chance. If you don't, well, you know where not to go. Hopefully you can offer some level of support and be done with me. :)

Thanks again to all of you for your support!
Click HERE to go to the Kickstarter page.