Happy Holidays from All About Indie Filmmaking

2011 has been a great year. We made movies and had fun. I'm looking forward to 2012 - establishing goals for the new year.

I know I want to:

- write and complete at least 2 new feature-length screenplays.

- grow this blog and introduce new features.

- produce at least 1 new feature-length film.

This sounds very doable. And I know these goals will grow immensely at the start of the new year. I try to start small and then I end up bursting at the seams!

But right now, I feel pretty satisfied with 2011. Here's to a great 2012! Happy New Year everyone!

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Guest Post from FindTheBest.com: Choosing the Right Video Editing Software

Choosing the right video editing software can mean the difference between an award-winning masterpiece and a back-shelved B-reel – not to mention a couple thousand dollars blown at Best Buy.

The most expensive softwaredoesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best. Still, if you can’t live without high-def green screen editing and one hundred audio tracks, get ready for a big bill. On the other hand, don’t discount downloading top rated video editing software for free; in many cases they’re just as powerful.

Here are four top rated video programs to help you make an informed decision when you’re in the market for the best.

Final Cut Studio: Everyone knows the name because it’s a consistently top rated software. Final Cut supports exporting to formats like Blu-Ray, DVD, MPEG-4, smart phones, Quicktime, Windows Media and podcasts with features like changeable aspect ratios, color correction, green screen editing, Hi-Def support and storyboard mode. The drawbacks to Final Cut are that Apple only publishes the software for Mac OS X, and it comes with a steep price tag of almost $1,000.

Blender: Blender is an incredibly powerful 3D graphics generator that’s available for all platforms. The best part of Blender? It’s Free. Plus, you won’t need a massive processor to run the software, since Blender’s requirements are much less than the average processor for other open source software. It’s versatile, powerful and consistently top rated in the industry; Blender is a great software choice if you need 3D graphics.

CyberLink: Are you a Windows user whose video editing needs the power of Final Cut with the price tag of Blender? Meet CyberLink. Moderately priced at $70, and powerful enough for the majority of editing needs, CyberLink easily meets the average consumer budget. With a large range of features like color correction, full screen playback, Hi-Definition support and storyboard mode, Cyberlink delivers speed and affordability.

Avid: Avid’s $2,124 price tag reflects its customer: high-end movie production. An extremely powerful and all-encompassing program that runs on both Mac and PC platforms (sorry, Linux), Avid includes features like green screen editing, drag and drop storyboards, changeable aspect ratios and animation tools. With Avid, users can add up to 99 audio tracks and 24 video tracks in a wide range of formats. When you’re done editing, Avid supports exporting in formats for Blu-Ray, MPEG-4, smart phones, QuickTime, Windows Media and YouTube.

About the Author:Tom Samph, a graduate of Boston University, is a Marketing and PR intern at FindTheBest. He recently moved back to Philadelphia after living in France for a year where he was teaching English, working in a bakery and freelance writing.

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The Trailer for Our New Film: The Diary of Preston Plummer

We have just completed the trailer for our new film The Diary of Preston Plummer

The film stars Trevor Morgan (Mean Creek, Off the Black), Rumer Willis (Sorority Row), Tony-nominee Erin Dilly (Julie & Julia), Christopher Cousins (Breaking Bad) and Academy Award-nominee Robert Loggia (Scarface, Lost Highway, Jagged Edge).

We had such a great time making this film.

We can't wait to premiere it! Stay tuned on the official details.

Check out the trailer here:

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Making Money from Your Short Videos

We've tested a lot of ways of making money from our short films. Some are better than others. Here are a few areas we have explored and the results:

1) Signing with a short film distributor like Ouat or Shorts International etc.

Results: If you can get a short film distributor on board, it's great for television or educational sales if your title appeals to the television and education market. This is not a lifetime solution. The work that a distributor does will only last a few years. You won't get rich off their licensing fees but every dollar counts. They are usually amenable to having non-exclusive rights so why wouldn't you do it?

2) Loading your film on Amazon through CreateSpace and offering it both as a DVD and a download.

Results: Amazon takes a large piece of your revenue but it has a wide audience that it serves so I find it's smart to have your title on it. You may get sales from random people searching on the topic of your film. Or you may not. But again, it's free to load your title so why not?

3) Loading your film on sites like DynamoPlayer or IndieReign.

Results: These sites take a piece of your revenue so no upfront fees, which is nice. And they allow anyone to embed their players anywhere on the Web. That way your audience doesn't have to leave the site they are on to watch your film. This is great for promoting your film through blogs. The film can be embedded in a blog entry and your audience can pay for it and watch immediately without much fuss. The downside is that these sites are relatively unknown to the masses so your title may perform poorly due to a lack of reaching a wide audience. These sites are good if you are making a strong social media/blog push of your film.

4) Loading your film on YouTube and collecting Google AdSense dollars.

Results: I have be honest that this may actually be the most lucrative for you if your video is very popular. The more viewers watch your video, the higher chance they will click on the ads that appear on your videos. This translates to advertising dollars that your title can earn. So even though an audience is watching your video for free, you may be making a nice chunk of change on it through advertising and perhaps much more than if you charged $2.99 per rental on another site. Case in point, our short film Gay Baby is over 30,000 views in less than 2 weeks.

5) Making DVDs and using a fulfillment company like FilmBaby.

Results: Fulfillment companies are great as you don't have to worry about handling the sales and sending out your DVDs. The downside is that you have to make the inventory that is being sold yourself, store most of it, and potentially be upside down on it should your title not perform well. As DVDs are phased out, there will be less of a need for fulfillment companies.

You could do all of the above. Again, why not?

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Your Film Can Find a Home Without a Nomination or Sundance Premiere

My head is spinning at all the nominations from the Independent Spirit Awards to the Sundance acceptances. Everything comes full circle in December when the films from the year get nominated and new films are chosen to be launched at Sundance. It's overwhelming. And such an exciting time for the indie film biz.

I am the first to applaud those who are nominated for an indie spirit award and selected for Sundance. A few are close friends and I couldn't be happier for them - congrats guys! I will be rooting for you! They deserve the accolades. Every single filmmaker whose film makes the cut deserves to be there. Making a movie is tough business and we should all be congratulated for even completing a film.

At this time of year, we filmmakers have to remember that it's tough competition and that a large number of worthy titles don't make the Spirit Awards or Sundance cut. Hang in there.

None of my films (I had 1 submitted for a spirit award and 2 for Sundance) were chosen for these honorable slots this year - alas. But I know I share the pain with about a few thousand other filmmakers, which takes the bite out of the sting. Still sucks, but it's not the end of the world by any stretch.

Why does it suck? Well, anytime your project can be singled out as something to watch, it helps give your project exposure which can lead to an easier time finding distribution and a wider audience etc. And while it's okay my title didn't make the cut, it still sucks. It makes my life harder. Does that mean my project is bad. Hell no. It just means that the programmers or selection committee felt that other films fit their mandate better.

When our films don't make the cut, we have to get even more creative about how to get our titles to stand out. But in the end, we do usually find the means to access our audience. Each film has its own journey. It's one of the things about filmmaking that I absolutely love - discovering the journey for a film.

Though my film Not Since You only played a couple of smaller festivals, it found its audience and has sold worldwide - Italy LOVES it and that's so cool. Take Me Home launched at Nashville (a great festival) and has been doing amazingly well on the festival circuit with 5 awards to date. And when I thought our festival run was over, it picked right back up with requests from more festivals. So awesome. And we are signing a domestic deal this week that includes a small theatrical.

The moral of the story is that while it would be awesome to be nominated for a spirit award or play at Sundance, your film can still have a great life if it doesn't achieve either. So don't get too sad about not making the cut. You're in good company. Use that energy to kick ass on getting your film in front of your audience in other ways.

Good luck! I'm rooting for you!

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Happy Thanksgiving 2011!

Happy Thanksgiving! My cup runneth over with love, thanks, and the joy of another year making movies.

Each year, I pinch myself that I'm able to work full time doing what I love. I'm so grateful to everyone and the stars for aligning to make it all possible.

This year we have seen Not Since You perform well in all of its channels of distribution. We have had an incredible festival run with our recent film Take Me Home and strong foreign sales and a domestic distribution deal on its way. We completed our new film The Diary of Preston Plummer and are prepping for a World Premiere in 2012. And I produced a short film about the Keystone XL Pipeline called Pipe Dreams that has been shortlisted for an Oscar. We had a wonderful LA Premiere - here's an article about it and a pic from it below. (I will also include this article from the New Yorker for background on the fight against the pipeline here.)

I will repeat, my cup runneth over. And I am thankful.

I'm looking forward to a yummy meal and wine tasting with my LA family. I hope your Thanksgiving is filled with as much love, thanks and joy!

Peace y'all!

Director Leslie Iwerks & Narrator Daryl Hannah

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How to NOT Make a Micro-Budget Feature Film

I define micro-budget features as those made for less than $200k. This correlates with SAG's definition of an Ultra Low Budget film. I have made a few micro-budget films to date and each year festivals are loaded with them.

So how should you NOT go about making them? Sometimes it's easier to talk about what not to do.

Here are areas that can be costly and what you should try to avoid when making a micro-budget film.:

1) A lot of locations - moving all around while you film takes time and money. You know how long it can take to pack a bag for an overnight trip. Imagine packing and unpacking a grip truck? Takes time, which means more shooting days, which takes more money.
2) Shooting on location where you have to fly in your actors and crew - housing, per diem, and airfare is expensive. Period. But if you have major support in a region that will give you resources and housing dirt cheap then it could be worth it. Just be careful and plan wisely.
3) Visual Effects - unless you have a friend who is able to do all of your VFX for cheap, deferred or free stay away from VFX-heavy scripts on your small film.
4) A lot of characters - actors are costly to pay and feed and house so keep the number of characters low.
5) Shots that require expensive equipment like cranes. $$$
6) Action sequences - these require time to set up shots and experienced crew who can make the shots look believable. This translates to more money needed.
7) Animals - says it all, I think: animals. And their handlers need to eat and be paid.
8) Children - says it all times infinity: children. They can't work as many hours as adults. They need a studio teacher on set who needs to be paid and their parents can be difficult. They all need to eat too. See how everything comes back to catering?
9) Stunts - again, the believability factor plays here. You want to work with seasoned stunt people on major stunts as they know how to do them safely and realistically. Experienced stunt people like to be paid well.
10) Period pieces - finding the items that indicate a certain time period can be tough and costly to buy or rent.
11) Crew - keep your crew small, which will mean keeping your equipment and lighting needs small too - which means keeping your night shoots to a minimum.
12) Night shoots - Keep your night shoots to a minimum. You tend to need light for night shoots = money.
13) Food - another reason to keep your cast and crew small. The more mouths to feed, the higher the cost to you.
14) Shooting in the water or rain or snow etc requires special equipment and crew and will slow your shoot down. And it can also increase the pay required for your actors.
15) Insurance - insurance is costly so it helps to keep your shooting days low and your risky filmmaking to a minimum.
16) Shooting days - keep the number of shooting days tight. Each day of filmming can add thousands to your budget. Don't be unrealistic though. Going over can cost you even more money than planning the proper shooting schedule.
17) Going WGA or DGA will cost you money. Micro-budget films should not be made WGA or DGA signatory. That's just my opinion as those unions will demand certain salaries and pay for pension and health and welfare for working with their members. You can find great writers and great directors who are not in the unions for your micro-budget project. Go WGA and DGA when you have a larger budget.
18) Not using pro actors. I do recommend becoming SAG signatory and using SAG actors for any sized film. It is difficult to find strong nonunion actors so save yourself a headache and time on set because they will know how to act in front of a camera and give your film a little cache by going with more seasoned and well known actors when you can.
19) Shoot any ole script - Don't shoot a crappy script because you want to make a movie. Make sure the script is AWESOME. Take your time to find the right project and make it great. That time will be extremely well spent.
20) Not paying yourself is WRONG. Even if it is deferred or as an in-kind investment or whatever. You need to be paid. You are worth it. Filmmaking is a business. Treat it so.

There are a lot more hints on how to make a micro-budget film. Perhaps I should write a book? Hmmm.

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Fighting Online Piracy

Online piracy is rampant for films. Even our small indie films can be found for free online. It sucks.

As it is, indie filmmakers struggle to earn a living making movies. With piracy, we are losing out on major revenue that could allow us to be financially stable and pay our investors back so we can keep making more films.

We aren't huge studios with deep pockets. Every film sale or rental helps us keep the lights on. Should producers of quality product be forced to find temp jobs to survive when their films could be supporting them if only they weren't being stolen?

To rub salt in our wounds, web sites like Pirate Bay actually think it's funny that filmmakers want to protect their work that they spent millions creating and now have to spend years recouping. They go so far as to ridicule anyone who sends them Takedown Notices. Here are some choice quotes from their responses to Takedown Notices (from their Web site here):

1. We would like to refer you to our Legal Threats section, on which we, while having much fun, ridicule people like you. Thank you for your contribution.
2. Hello and thank you for contacting us. We have shut down the website in question. Oh wait, just kidding. We haven't, since the site in question is fully legal. Unlike certain other countries, such as the one you're in we have sane copyright laws here. But we also have polar bears roaming the streets and attacking people. 
3. ...and I would like to refer you to the relevant court cases. Unfortunately, our legal team partied quite heavily last night, so the only reference I can provide you with is Hogsta Domstolen (the Swedish Supreme Court) NJA  1996 page 79.
4. Damnit. You got us there. Now I'm scared I pissed my pants. Where should I send the invoice for cleaning them?
5. You have scored 10 out of 10 points on our Legal Threats Entertainment scale. You win the grand prize: A lifetime of ridicule on our legal threats section (http://static.thepiratebay.org/legal/)! Congratulations!
6. Please also note that I'm not currently out of toilet paper, so you may wait a while before sending legal papers.
7. Please don't sue us right now, our lawyer is passed out in an alley from too much moonshine, so please at least wait until he's found and doesn't have a huge hangover...
8. It is the opinion of us and our lawyers that you are ....... morons, and that you should please go sodomize yourself with retractable batons.

These responses are ridiculous. A professional Web site will honestly call others morons and tell them to go sodomize themselves? Sane copyright laws means it's okay to help content be stolen? Now who's insane?

These sites mock content creators and act as if they aren't culpable in copyright infringement. That's like saying you shouldn't be charged as an accessory to murder because you didn't actually pull the trigger.

Well, it's time to fight back. I have spent hours tracking down links that offer our films for free. But recently my biz partner Jade found this site that helps us find the pirates: Muso.com.

We've signed up and so far, it's found almost 500 links that should come down. That's a lot of links!

I have no idea if this site will really work but we're giving it a try and I'll report back. All I know is we need to fight for our films and revenue. Our livelihoods depend on it. And no, we aren't morons. We're victims.

A call for change: For anyone who thinks it's harmless to use torrents and watch content for free from illegal sites, please think about the filmmakers who made that film that you are enjoying. We are just like you with bills and families to support. We can only survive and thrive and make more films for you to enjoy if you pay for our work. Independent filmmakers often work for free to make their films because we believe in entertaining the world with stories above and beyond what the studios can provide and we RELY on our earnings from rentals and sales to live. I understand entertainment can be expensive, but it's very costly to make as well. We can't keep providing entertainment if it's going to keep getting stolen. Please stop using these sites and help us survive.

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Jameson FIND Your Audience Award Now Accepting Submissions

From Film Independent - Whiskey and Film - What a great combination! This press release says it all.

Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, is now accepting submissions for the 2012 Jameson FIND Your Audience Award, which is one of the four Film Independent Spirit Award filmmaker grants. Funded by Jameson^®Irish Whiskey, the $40,000 cash grant is designed to assist a feature narrative or documentary filmmaker in building the audience for his or her film. The winner will be highlighted at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, February 25, 2012. 

The Jameson FIND Your Audience Award was established last year when Film Independent saw the need to meet independent filmmakers’ biggest challenge today: getting their films out into the marketplace. Last year’s winner was Jeff Malmberg’s critically acclaimed and Spirit Award-winning Marwencol. As part of the grant process, Film Independent will provide ongoing consultation regarding distribution, marketing and publicity. 

“Distribution models are in flux and many quality, artist-driven films don’t secure a traditional release each year. Thanks to the generous support of Jameson, Film Independent is once again able to help a filmmaker get his or her movie out into the world in a meaningful way,” said Josh Welsh, Director of Artist Development. 

“We are excited to be supporting the Film Independent Spirit Awards for our third consecutive year,” said Wayne Hartunian, Vice President, Scotch and Whisky Portfolio at Pernod Ricard USA. “Our partnership maintains the brand’s commitment to film and celebrating the achievements of American independent filmmakers. Furthering that commitment, the Jameson FIND Your Audience Award tackles the most common stumbling block for upcoming filmmakers by providing the tools to share their work with a wider audience.”

Applicants must be the director or producer of a recent American narrative or documentary feature with a production budget of $2.5 million or less that has not yet received significant distribution. The film must have screened at a film festival no earlier than September 1, 2010 and no later than August 31, 2011. In addition, applicants must be past a Spirit Award nominee or winner, Los Angeles Film Festival alumnus or completed one of Film Independent’s Artist Development programs (Labs, Project Involve or Fast Track) or by nomination solicited by Film Independent. Films with innovative, alternative marketing or distribution plans are encouraged to apply. Films that have overall North American distribution deals or that have not yet begun a film festival run are ineligible. There is no submission fee and the deadline to apply is December 2, 2011. Complete submission guidelines, applications and more information can be found at filmindependent.org.

The 27^th Film Independent Spirit Awards will be held Saturday, February 25, 2012 in the afternoon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica.  The premiere broadcast of the ceremony will air later that evening at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on IFC. 

As the first event to exclusively honor independent film, the Film Independent Spirit Awards has made a name for itself as the premier awards show for the independent film community. Artists receiving industry recognition first at the Spirit Awards include Joel & Ethan Coen, Spike Lee, Oliver Stone, Ashley Judd, Robert Rodriguez, David O. Russell, Edward Burns, Aaron Eckhart, Neil LaBute, Darren Aronofsky, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Hilary Swank, Marc Forster, Todd Field, Christopher Nolan, Zach Braff, Amy Adams, Lena Dunham and many more.

ABOUT THE FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS

Now in its 27^th year, the Film Independent Spirit Awards is an annual celebration honoring artist-driven films made with an economy of means by filmmakers who embody independence and originality. The Spirit Awards recognizes the achievements of American independent filmmakers and promotes the finest independent films of the year to a wider audience. 

Awards are given in the following categories: Best Feature, Best First Feature, Best First Screenplay, Best Director, Best Screenplay, John Cassavetes Award (given to the best feature made for a budget under $500,000), Best Male Lead, Best Female Lead, Best Supporting Male, Best Supporting Female, Best Cinematography, Best International Film, Best Documentary, and the Robert Altman Award.  The Filmmaker Grants include the Jameson FIND Your Audience Award, Someone to Watch Award, Truer Than Fiction Award, and Piaget Producers Award.

ABOUT FILM INDEPENDENT

Film Independent is a non-profit arts organization that champions independent film and supports a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation, and uniqueness of vision. Film Independent helps filmmakers make their movies, builds an audience for their projects, and works to diversify the film industry. Film Independent’s Board of Directors, filmmakers, staff, and constituents, is comprised of an inclusive community of individuals across ability, age, ethnicity, gender, race, and sexual orientation. Anyone passionate about film can become a member, whether you are a filmmaker, industry professional, or a film lover.

Film Independent produces the Spirit Awards, the annual celebration honoring artist-driven films and recognizing the finest achievements of American independent filmmakers.  Film Independent also produces the Los Angeles Film Festival, showcasing the best of American and international cinema and the Film Independent at LACMA Film Series, a year-round, weekly program that offers unique cinematic experiences for the Los Angeles creative community and the general public.  

With over 250 annual screenings and events, Film Independent provides access to a network of like-minded artists who are driving creativity in the film industry. Film Independent’s Artist Development program offers free Labs for selected writers, directors, producers and documentary filmmakers and presents year-round networking opportunities. Project:Involve is Film Independent’s signature program dedicated to fostering the careers of talented filmmakers from communities traditionally underrepresented in the film industry.

For more information or to become a member, visit FilmIndependent.org.

ABOUT PERNOD RICARD USA

Pernod Ricard USA is the premium spirits and wine company in the U.S., and the largest subsidiary of Paris, France-based Pernod Ricard SA, which employs more than 18,000 people worldwide and is listed on the NYSE Euronext exchange (Ticker: RI).  

The company’s leading spirits and wines include such prestigious brands as Absolut® Vodka, Chivas Regal® Scotch Whisky, The Glenlivet® Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Jameson® Irish Whiskey, Malibu® flavored rum, Kahlúa® Liqueur, Beefeater® Gin, Plymouth™ Gin, Seagram’s Extra Dry Gin®, Martell® Cognac, Hiram Walker® Liqueurs, Pernod®, Ricard® and Avión™ Tequila (through a joint venture with Tequila Avión); such superior wines as Jacob's Creek® and Brancott Estate®; and such exquisite champagnes and sparkling wines as Perrier-Jouët® Champagne, G.H. Mumm™ Champagne and Mumm Napa® sparkling wines. 

Pernod Ricard USA is based in Purchase, New York, and has roughly 850 employees across the country.  Pernod Ricard USA urges all adults to consume its products responsibly and has an active campaign to promote responsible drinking. For more information on this, please visit: www.acceptresponsibility.com.

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Our Short The Frolic Goes Global on IndieReign

There is a ton of activity by developers right now to offer global platforms for movies. Independent filmmakers are looking for ways to promote their content through sites without rigid rules of acceptance, like iTunes.

I own some content that I'd like to launch myself and take the aggregator fee out of the equation so I decided to work with IndieReign.

Our first title that we are premiering on IndieReign is our short film The Frolic. The site even allows us to embed the film all over the Web. So cool!

Check it out here.

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AFM Starts Today - What's Premiering?

A great way to keep up with new films is to see what films are premiering at AFM. There are some very interesting films being premiered. Here's a list of the highlights: 

Bernie

The 32nd American Film Market (AFM) AmericanFilmMarket.com will screen 395 motion pictures, including 65 world premieres and 295 market premieres.

Films making their World Premieres include A Gang Story, starring Gérard Lanvin and Tchéky Karyo (Gaumont); Bad Karma, starring Ray Liotta, Dominic Purcell and Rhona Mitra (Screen Media); Columbus Circle, starring Selma Blair, Amy Smart, Giovanni Ribisi and Kevin Pollak (Lightning Entertainment); Nobel’s Last Will, starring Malin Crépin, Björn Kjellman and Leif Andrée (Zodiak Rights); Snowflake, the White Gorilla, starring Elsa Pataky and Pere Ponce (Filmax International); Special Forces, starring Diane Kruger, Djimon Hounsou and Benoit Magimel (StudioCanal); and The Expatriate, starring Aaron Eckhart and Olga Kurylenko (Essential Entertainment).

Among the 295 films set to make their Market Premieres are: A Dangerous Method, starring Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender (HanWay Films); Albert Nobbs, starring Glenn Close, Mia Wasikowska and Aaron Johnson (WestEnd Films); Bernie, starring Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McConaughey (Hyde Park International); Dark Horse, starring Justin Bartha, Selma Blair, Mia Farrow, Jordan Gelber and Christopher Walken (Goldcrest Films International); Detachment, starring Adrien Brody, Marcia Gay Harden, James Caan, Christina Hendricks and Lucy Liu (Celluloid Dreams); Edwin Boyd, starring Scott Speedman, Brian Cox, Kelly Reilly and Kevin Durand (Myriad Pictures); Face to Face, starring Luke Ford, Vince Colosimo, Sigrid Thornton and Matthew Newton (Jinga Films); George Harrison: Living in the Material World, starring Paul McCartney and Terry Gilliam (Exclusive Films International, Limited); Hick, starring Blake Lively, Chloë Grace Moretz, Eddie Redmayne, Alec Baldwin and Juliette Lewis (Content); Killer Joe, starring Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Thomas Haden Church, Juno Temple and Gina Gershon (Voltage Pictures); Le Skylab, starring Julie Delpy and Eric Elmosnino (Films Distribution); Loosies, starring Peter Facinelli, Jaimie Alexander, Michael Madsen, Vincent Gallo and Joe Pantoliano (CMG - Cinema Management Group); Lucky, starring Colin Hanks, Ari Graynor, Jeffrey Tambor and Ann-Margret (ICAP Media); and Michael, starring Naseeruddin Shah, Mahie Gill and Purav Bhandare (Fortissimo Films).

Other Market Premieres include Peace, Love and Understanding, starring Jane Fonda, Catherine Keener, Elizabeth Olsen, Chace Crawford, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyle MacLachlan (Voltage Pictures); Rampart, starring Woody Harrelson, Sigourney Weaver, Robin Wright, Steve Buscemi, Anne Heche, Cynthia Nixon and Ice Cube (Sierra/Affinity); Seven Days in Utopia, starring Lucas Black, Robert Duvall and Melissa Leo (Mission Pictures International); Shame, starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan (HanWay Films); Shaolin, starring Andy Lau, Nicholas Tse, Bingbing Fan, Jing Wu and Jackie Chan (Emperor Motion Pictures); The Flying Machine, starring Heather Graham and Lang Lang (Distribution Workshop); The Woodsman and the Rain, starring Shun Oguri and Koji Yakusyo (Kadokawa Shoten Co., Ltd.); Twixt, starring Val Kilmer, Bruce Dern and Ben Chaplin (Pathé International); Vamps, starring Alicia Silverstone, Krysten Ritter and Sigourney Weaver (Parlay Films); Take This Waltz, starring Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Luke Kirby and Sarah Silverman (TF1 International); The Deep Blue Sea, starring Rachel Weisz, Tom Hiddleston and Simon Russell Beale (Protagonist Pictures); The Lady, starring Michelle Yeoh and David Thewlis (EuropaCorp); The Sorcerer and The White Snake, starring Jet Li, Eva Huang, Raymond Lam and Charlene Choi (Distribution Workshop); Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale, starring Lin Ching-Tai, Umin Boya, Vivian Hsu and Masanobu Ando (Fortissimo Films); and You May Not Kiss The Bride, starring Katharine McPhee, Dave Annable, Rob Schneider, Mena Suvari and Kathy Bates (Showcase Entertainment, Inc.).

For a complete list of the films and the screening schedule, visit TheFilmCatalogue.com.  This year, 27 films will be presented in 3D.

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American Film Market 2011 - I'll Be There!

The American Film Market (AFM) is almost here. It's such an awesome event that takes place in Santa Monica each year in November. This year it takes place from November 2 to 9. 


As a filmmaker, I love going to the AFM speaker panels and feeling the energy of deals being made every second during the first few days of the market. And if I have a film being sold, I usually swing by our agent's office and say hello and see our poster hanging in their suite. It's a great feeling to see your work out in the world and not only on your computer screen or in your office. 


I'm really look forward to the Finance Conference. The panelists look great: 


Ashok Amritraj, CEO, Hyde Park Entertainment; Doug Hansen, President, Endgame Entertainment; Robert Hayward, Chief Operating Officer, Summit Entertainment, L.P.; Patrick Russo, Principal, The Salter Group; Jared Underwood, Senior Vice President, Group Manager Entertainment, Comerica Bank Entertainment Group; Leon Clarance, Chief Executive Officer, Motion Picture Capital – a Reliance Entertainment Company; Bill Fay, Former President of Production, Legendary Pictures; Mary Ann Hughes, Vice President, Film & Television Production Planning, The Walt Disney Company; Bill Johnson, Co-Founder & Partner, Inferno Entertainment; Andrew Matthews, President, RKO Films and Bahman Naraghi, Chief Operating Officer, GK Films.


They also have Pitch, Marketing, Production and Distribution Conferences. I will try to attend as many as I can and report back. 


If you are new to the business and haven't heard of AFM, here is a brief description. Everyone and I mean everyone who wants to produce films should attend AFM whenever you can. It provides a great perspective on the business and gives you incredible insight into what sales agents are selling. Go if you can.   


About the AFM®
The business of independent motion picture production and distribution – a truly collaborative process – reaches its peak every year at the AFM, when more than 8,000 industry leaders converge in Santa Monica for eight days of deal-making, screenings, conferences, premieres, networking and parties.  Participants come from more than 70 countries and include acquisition and development executives, agents, attorneys, directors, distributors, festival directors, financiers, film commissioners, producers, writers, the world's press and all those who provide services to the motion picture industry.

Founded in 1981, the AFM quickly became the premiere global marketplace where Hollywood's decision-makers and trendsetters all gather under one roof.  Unlike a film festival, the AFM is a marketplace where production and distribution deals are closed.  In just eight days, more than $800 million in deals will be sealed - on both completed films and those in every stage of development and production - making the AFM the must-attend industry event.

The AFM is produced by the Independent Film & Television Alliance® (IFTA®), the trade association representing the world's producers and distributors of independent motion pictures and television programs.  More information is online at www.IFTA-online.org.

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Film Independent Forum Recap

I made it through a screening, a Q&A and two 8-hour days of sitting on my butt, listening to riveting discussions about independent film during the Film Independent Forum. It was insightful, inspiring, and oh so painful to my rear end. But I survived and I'm so much better for it - mentally that is!

I love attending seminars because I get so pumped up and hopeful about the future. And this forum definitely got me pumped.

The event kicked off with Werner Herzog saying, "You can't be a director without knowing the heart of men." Love that. And then he went on to kick butt at SAG (thank you Werner for that) and to tell everyone that you need to be serious about the money and you will survive. Werner you are a producer's dream. And then he said he's a "fluffy husband," and I realized he's a wife's dream too.

I attended a panel on documentary financing, which equates to television licensing, grants, charitable organizations and wealthy individuals. It sounded almost doable versus the struggles in narrative film financing. I also learned that there are some great organizations committed to financing the release  of social documentaries so they can inspire community action. That was really great to hear.

I listened to filmmakers discuss their successes in crowdfunding and social media. I know firsthand how challenging it is to run a crowdfunding campaign (I'm sorry friends and family for always bugging you for money) and I have to hand it to those on the panel. They raised tens of thousands of dollars. The entire audience was in awe.

Next was marketing and distribution. It's so clear that the onus is on the filmmakers to build an audience, keep them informed and entertained. One filmmaker had an ingenious idea of finding the busybodies within a 10 mile radius where his film was playing and making them the ambassadors of the film so they can rally people to go to the theater.

So instead of relying on TV commercials like the studios do, we need to rely on reaching out to individuals via email and phone calls and engaging them personally to come to the theater. It's proven to be the best and really only way to have a successful indie film run. Even a publicist said, she can get the reviews but she can't get butts in seats. We need to do that.

Then at lunch, they have these awesome networking tables with each hosted by a seasoned indie professional. The first lunch, I sat with a development exec at Lionsgate and got to pitch a horror film I am developing, and the next day, I sat with Michael Polish (director of For Lovers Only) and got to pick his brain on their incredibly successful internet release of their film(s).

All in all the entire weekend was super invaluable and I recommend it to every indie filmmaker. Thanks for putting it on Film Independent! See you next year!

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Film Independent Forum This Weekend in LA

I'm attending the Film Independent Forum this weekend in Los Angeles. It kicks off tonight with a screening of Like Crazy. I haven't seen it yet so that's great. Always happy to watch a new indie.

Trailer for Like Crazy: 


I'm really looking forward to this event. There are some great panels on financing for both narrative and docs and marketing and distribution. I'm very curious about the marketing panels and building an audience. With marketing becoming part of our jobs, we could all use a little advice. I'll share what I find out.

I think these forums are an excellent way to keep from re-inventing the wheel. As producers, we often work in a vacuum and these events allow us to hear others' experiences. That's invaluable.

I believe there are seats still available to attend. If interested, go here.

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Questions for the Founders of the Napa Valley Film Festival

The Napa Valley Film Festival is coming up to its inaugural year, starting November 9th and running through November 13th, 2011. Our film Take Me Home is in the line-up (see our schedule here) and we can't wait to attend! Movies and wine? Who could ask for anything better?

Marc and Brenda Lhormer

Marc and Brenda Lhormer are the founders of the festival and Marc was kind enough to answer a few of my questions as to why they would start a film festival in Napa:

• Tell us why you and Brenda decided to start a film festival?

We ran the festival in Sonoma for seven years, a wonderful under-the-radar experience that led to the opportunity to produce our first feature film BOTTLE SHOCK.  BOTTLE SHOCK tells of how Napa wines beat the French at a historic 1976 wine-tasting competition in Paris.  That adventure led us to Napa, as people asked us why there wasn't a world-class film festival in such a remarkable destination.

• Why do you feel Napa is a good location for a film festival?

So beautiful, great food and wine, easy to get to, and a very film-friendly audience in a setting that isn't otherwise well-served with theaters (no art-house theater in Napa County).

• What is the most challenging part of starting a new film festival? And how are you overcoming this challenge?

Financing.  We began development in the summer of 2009 in the depths of the recent depression.  Focused on private Founding Patrons rather than trying to find corporate sponsors.  It's been a long slog, but with the support of a bunch of wonderful people, and now also over 250 business partners involved, we are almost here at the inaugural NVFF ...!

• How are you setting your festival apart from the rest? Is there a festival yours will aspire to be?

Top-notch programming representing the best new independent films of the year, regardless of having premiered earlier elsewhere ... mixed with late-season previews of Oscar-buzzing films, such as THE DESCENDANTS and J. EDGAR.  Of course the outstanding food and wine ... hard to beat.  And we are professional event planners by background, and now also film producers, so we know how to throw a great party on a large scale.  

As for aspirations, we look to Telluride as a role model for a well-run and respected destination festival ... and yet Napa can handle the size and scope of what Sundance, Cannes or Toronto offer.  Bottom line, assuming we survive this extremely ambitious launch, we hope to see NVFF considered amongst the world's great film festivals some day.

• Are there certain kinds of films upon which this festival will focus?

Generally we look for uplifting stories that capture the richness of the human spirit.  Tends to go better with the wine!  But seriously, plenty of festivals showcase the seamy underbelly of humanity.  We're interested in showcasing mankind's potential ... thus stories about relationships, interesting characters, overcoming obstacles and supporting each other through dark times, etc.  And we're interested in seeing stories from a variety of cultures, both to appreciate the diversity and the commonality and universality of the human experience.

• What are some of the highlights of this inaugural 2011 Napa Valley Film Festival?

5 nights, 4 walk-able festival villages, 12 screening venues, 101 films, 125 wineries pouring ... pretty terrific.
Also gotta shout out to:
- the opening night GALA at Robert Mondavi Winery ... should be one killer party
- the Artists-in-Residence Program featuring the 10 directors of our narrative feature competition films ... pretty unique to have this in a first year festival, and how cool that TAKE ME HOME is one of the films which means writer-director-star Sam Jaeger is one of the Artists-in-Residence at Meadowood throughout the festival.
- Tribute Night Program, honoring outstanding achievement in film, with Billy Bush of Access Hollywood hosting ... and a partnership with Roots of Peace who presents its Global Citizen Awards
- Veterans Day films on Friday, November 11

So much to cover ... but we encourage everyone to hit the website at http://napavalleyfilmfest.org ... peruse the program and come join us in Napa Valley!

Thanks for the opportunity ...

Marc Lhormer, Founder
Executive and Program Director
Napa Valley Film Festival

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Our Short "Pipe Dreams" Is Shortlisted for an Oscar!

The other day I was writing emails and one hit my inbox that said "Your film has advanced to the next round." I thought, what is this spam that's hit my inbox?

Well, I opened it and screamed because before me was a letter on The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences letterhead that read: "Congratulations! I am pleased to inform you that your Documentary Short Subject film Pipe Dreams, is one of eight films that have advanced to the second round of voting. This round will determine the nominees."

I think I was dialing Leslie (the director) before I even finished reading the letter. She and I then went through every happy emotion that exists. What an incredible moment - one I will never forget. Thank you Academy - what an honor!

Leslie and I took on a controversial project that no one would finance. As Americans, we wanted to know the truth behind this proposed Keystone XL Pipeline. There were too many questions and not enough answers.

Though no one would back this project and we only had about 2 months to make the film from beginning to end (which is a ridiculously short timeframe), we decided it had to be made. We already knew pumping more dirty oil through the heart of America and precious territories like the Ogallala Aquifer and the Sand Hills of Nebraska sounded like a bad idea but then we met amazing fellow U.S. citizens who live along the proposed pipeline route whose land and livelihoods were being threatened.

These ranchers could be me or you. They work hard to feed America every day and are being harassed by a foreign oil company and threatened with eminent domain even before any U.S. permit is in place for them to build the pipeline.

We decided these landowners needed a voice. They work too hard to take care of others. Someone needed to take of them for once.

So Leslie and I set out on this journey and what a journey it has been. Thanks to everyone who helped us get this film to the big screen. Cheers!

Here's the trailer to Pipe Dreams. We will have an LA premiere in late November. Hopefully those of you in LA can come!

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Official Pipe Dreams Short Doc Trailer!

We have our official Pipe Dreams trailer. Here you go! Let us know what you think!

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Audiences Speak Out and We Need to Heed the Call as Indie Filmmakers

Take Me Home

Dear Ms. Jane Kelly/Mr. Jaeger,
I don't even remember how I stumbled across this movie online, it's been quite a while now, but at the time it had the promise of coming to the the big screen.  So I bookmarked the page so that I could keep an eye out for it's opening.
During my attempt at deleting my many useless bookmarks this one I cannot delete.  While I was looking at the website again I realized that all these film festivals, i.e., Chicago, Boston, USA, Brooklyn, Nashville, Albuquerque, Napa, etc., just to name a few had the privilege of viewing it-- why not me?!  Will it ever be made available for viewing to the general public?  Why not?  I mean have you seen what's called a movie now on TV, cable, Lifetime (yuck!) & even the Hallmark misses it--meaning that either the acting is poor or the story is weak & predictable or both. 
I confess, I am a "romance" admirer (who isn't) but can't this movie come to fruition & be available to view.  May be I haven't done a good enough search for it online...is there a way to see it legally? 
Hey, thanks for your time reading this ranting woman's plee to view great entertainment when she sees it.  Please take time from your busy schedule & shed light on this mystery for me.  Thank you.
Sincerely,
Ann Marie Busacca

I wanted to share this recent email I received and a major call to action for all independent filmmakers. It's not unlike a number of emails we receive pretty regularly about our films. And I figured it was time to share the mutual frustration that exists among independent filmmakers and their audience.

We make films for an incredible audience - a smart audience who wants more than the studios are offering. Our audience wants to see our films. But we have a really hard time getting it to them. Why?

Simple answer: Competition.

The festivals receive thousands of entries and hand-pick only about a hundred per festival, with many having already played most of them. This leaves very few slots for strong films to get their World Premiere at a major film festival. Without a World Premiere at a strong film festival, it's hard to get reviews and the word into the media that your film is worthy of being seen. Without anyone knowing about your film, how can you build an audience?

Next, there's only a handful of sales agents willing to take on independent films. It's hard to sell indie films so sales agents don't have it easy so they are picky. Even if your film is great, you may not even get a sales agent to watch it because you don't have an A-list cast in it. True story.

Then, the studios make it very hard on us. They don't want to pick up your film because it doesn't have A-list actors.

And when you finally get your deal with a distributor who agrees to take a chance on your film, you often get no advance and not a lot of help marketing your film.

So you're already down and to rub salt in your wounds, you find out the studios have a lockdown on the major retailers. For example, we can't get our film Not Since You into Redbox because Redbox has deals to fulfill with the major studios and the minimal slots that are left over are filled quickly with independent films from the mini-majors, usually with A-list actors, and larger DVD manufacturers.

To top it all off, you don't see any revenue for your film until the sales agent, the aggregator and the platform all take their cuts, which can leave you with less than 20% of each sale. Yes, all these middle men/women who complained about taking on your hard-to-sell film are making more off your film than you. Pretty crappy scenario, right?

This system needs to be fixed. I know there is a better way. Thousands of great independent films don't even get distribution and it doesn't have to be this way.

Right now, our film Take Me Home, the one Ann Marie wants to see, is navigating the film festival circuit and seeking the best distribution deals. The film will eventually make its way to Ann Marie so she can see it in her own home legally. Eventually sucks. The odds need to be way better.

We have the power to change the system. New media is giving us this power. And now we have to be smart.

I want tools that allow me to reach my audience direct. And if no one makes them for me, I need to get them made myself. And I will. We all should! We need to demand these tools and then make great content for them. One day, very soon, we will have the ability to compete direct with the studios and networks from our own servers in our own homes and offices. Let's do this!

We need to take control of our industry and make it better. No one will do it for us. Let's get our films to our audience. They are asking and we need to heed the call. Who's with me?

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Not Since You DVD Giveaway for Wonder Likes!

My production company Wonder Entertainment has re-launched our Wonder Entertainment Facebook page. And we'd like people to see it and it's a great way to keep up with our films. We always love an audience.

We'd also like to give away 3 copies of our film to three randomly chosen people who Like our Facebook page here. For my blog readers you can hit the Like button on the left-side of this page.

We will announce the winners the week of October 17th! Thanks for all your support! Your humble producer friend.

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SnagFilms Adds Narratives - Yay!

We have another buyer of narrative films - SnagFilms! Yippee! I love buyers. It means my films have more opportunities to be sold and that independent film is getting stronger. (Doing little of dance of joy.)

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For You Rom Com Junkies (Like Me): Living the Romantic Comedy Blog

If you are a romantic comedy writer or lover like me (I watch 'em. I write 'em.), you should put Living the Romantic Comedy blog in your blog roll to read. I love that this blog focuses specifically on romantic comedies. It's such a great genre.

And Billy Mernit, the blog author, does a great job analyzing romantic comedies and offering writing tips and more. So if you're looking for a place to get your rom com on, check out the Living the Romantic Comedy blog. It's good stuff.

Plus he quotes This American Life's Ira Glass, who offers some pretty essential advice we all should heed:

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Keystone XL: It's Time to Listen

Leslie Iwerks and I finished our short film on the Keystone XL Pipeline.

It's been an incredible journey. We've met so many amazing people on this film and we hope it helps shed light on the concerns Americans are having regarding the creation and route of this pipeline. We spoke to landowners, politicians, the union, and even Canada's Minister of Energy. We wanted to hear from the voices on both sides of the issue and try to understand this controversy over the Keystone XL.

Through our work, we found a major disconnect between the political and oil agenda - from the federal to the state levels - and the landowners fighting to save their property and livelihoods. A major lack of effective communication exists among all parties. Landowners aren't feeling heard and, while the government says it is listening, actions speak louder than words.

I will say that the U.S. State Dept was very responsive and did listen and seemed supportive of our efforts to get answers to our questions. Though they have already decided to support the pipeline, we did feel heard and that goes a long way.

One area with which we were not impressed was our dealings with TransCanada. Despite repeated attempts to engage TransCanada, the company behind the pipeline, in a dialogue about the pipeline so our audience could understand their perspective, they refused to speak to us. Their evasion did not make us feel that they cared about Americans' concerns over the pipeline. It only told us that they are concerned about their own agenda and I'm sure this attitude contributes greatly to this controversy.

Bottomline, people want to be heard and have their concerns addressed.

We made this film as ordinary Americans wanting to understand what was happening to the middle of our country. We had no monetary support from any organizations. This is our film, our questions and hopefully our subjects will resonate as intended: as real people with real concerns. Perhaps we can all take time to listen.

Trailer coming soon! Stay tuned!

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Take Me Home Takes Home the Audience Favorite Award at the Boston Film Festival

Take Me Home, our little movie that could, was awarded Audience Favorite at the Boston Film Festival. Yay Boston! Yay Take Me Home! Yay everyone! I love making movies and making audiences happy. Yay!

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Film Independent Forum Coming Soon with Werner Herzog as Keynote

Film Independent is putting on its 7th annual forum with "real world discussions, solutions and case studies, which reflect the reality of our industry TODAY."

It will take place from October 21 to 23 at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles. For a full schedule of events, panelist updates and to register, visit: filmindependent.org/forum.

Werner Herzog

German filmmaker Werner Herzog will be the Keynote Speaker. I know Herzog's work but I can't say that I've seen all his films. He's one of those artists that I say, oh yeah, he's a legend. His work is highly acclaimed; I need to watch his films. I really do.

So what has he done? He has produced, written, and directed more than fifty films - including Cave of Forgotten Dreams, The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans, published more than a dozen books of prose, and directed as many operas. Francis Truffaut supposedly called him "the most important film director alive."

But why? Part of the reason is that he was a prominent figure in New German Cinema, which consisted of a group of young, talented filmmakers who were discouraged by the stagnation of the German film industry. They made it their mission to focus on artistic, highly acclaimed films rather than commercially-driven product. Sound familiar? I think today's filmmakers can learn a great deal from those who struggled similarly decades ago.

The New German Cinema era lasted from the 1960s to the 80s and sparked a resurgence in high quality German filmmaking. The 1972 film Aguirre, the Wrath of God is considered Herzog's contribution to the New German Cinema. It went on to garner great international acclaim.

I haven't seen Aguirre, the Wrath of God myself but the logline sounds pretty adventurous: In the 16th century, the ruthless and insane Aguirre leads a Spanish expedition in search of El Dorado. Sounds like something I need to check out soon.

Here's the trailer. It's in German but even if you don't speak German, you can still see how great it must be. I look forward to hearing what Herzog has to say at the Forum!

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Dramas, the Lost Genre

What's not making it to the theater that we are missing?

What genre is not getting enough attention?

What kind of characters are you jonesing for?

How do we bring them back?

My opinion: Big, sweeping dramas like Terms of Endearment or Dead Poet's Society or The World According to Garp or Forrest Gump or Out of Africa or ET. The Help's success proves that dramas can do well. We need more.

I realize dramas are hard sells, especially original dramatic scripts. Dramas based on bestsellers usually win out over originals because they have a built-in audience.

It's very difficult to sell an original dramatic script. Period pieces (not including Jane Austen stories obviously) and Westerns are the kiss of death. Most times execs will pass outright on period pieces and westerns without even reading them. Perhaps if they have a big director and are based on an old movie, i.e. True Grit, there's a fighting chance.

With this in mind, writers are steering clear of drama, unless they are lucky enough to secure a writing gig to adapt a bestselling novel for which the studios have the rights. In the world of filmmaking, everyone's wanting to write the sure thing and dramas are not that.

I can't blame them. We all need to survive. Filmmaking is a business and we try to produce product that we know will sell. The more you are beaten down by a genre, the easier it is to give up the fight for its survival. And the dramatic genre has been getting a beating.

But at the same time, how can we ignore an incredible genre that has the power to change lives? Drama is the one genre that can touch a person's soul. Comedy, thrillers, action - they make great entertainment. But drama feeds your mind and body. It inspires, makes us laugh and cry, challenges us, and gets us thinking.

In fact, here's a few scenes from some great dramas that have always touched and inspired me:








We learn so much from a great drama. I hope we can find a way to resurrect this genre. The world needs some inspiration. Perhaps if we all ask for what we want, the studios will listen? We really don't know until we make that effort.

Here's mine: Please studios, make an effort to greenlight more dramas. Thank you.

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Break on Through the Writer's Block

As a writer, I have blockage almost every day - okay, not that kind of blockage - ha! Whether I'm writing my blog or a screenplay, I can be on a roll and then suddenly find myself staring at my screen and then searching for a snack and then cleaning my house and writing bills. Before I know it, I've blown the day.

Writer's block can lead to all kinds of work getting done - just not the writing. So how do you get back in the writing groove?

First, don't kick yourself for taking a break. You may need one. Sometimes it takes time away from a project to get clarity. I just took a few weeks away from an outline and came back to it wondering, what was I thinking? There's way too much going on. The time away allowed me to have clarity.

Second, don't give up. Even if you take a break, there's a reason you were drawn to the idea. Explore that original inspiration. Ask yourself if you are achieving what you originally set out to do. Sometimes it takes going back to your original idea to re-center you on your writing objectives.

Third, there's technology that can help. Check out softwares like Contour that can help you break the story down, step by step. Maybe going back to the basics will allow you to regain control of your story.

Fourth, just write. Keep writing until you can't anymore and then keep writing some more. I find just putting pen to paper, even if it's gibberish helps me work through problems.

Fifth, get creative. Put your creative hat on. About anything. But be creative and that will spread out over everything you do.

Finally, watch movies. If you write them, you love them. So watch them and remind yourself how great they are and why you want to write them. And watch the kinds of movies you are writing. Especially the highly acclaimed ones. They just might fix what's ailing.

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TheGrill Conclusion: Being Social Is Key to New Media

Boy am I inspired! After attending The Wrap's conference TheGrill yesterday and listening to its incredible roster of media leaders, including - only to name a few - Facebook's Matt Jacobson, Huffington Post's Arianna Huffington, Modern Family's Steve Levitan, and will.i.am, I left with a renewed surge of hope for the future of indie filmmaking.

It also got me thinking about how I can be a strong part of this changing landscape toward a brighter future for indie film. My wheels are turning!

Arianna Huffington
at The Grill

My biggest takeaway from this conference is that every business, including film, needs to have a social aspect to it. As Arianna Huffington points out, we need to be building platforms that are all about engagement.

We should constantly be thinking about how to improve our social engagement and create a community who emotionally (and even financially) invests in our work. The thinking is that no company can thrive or even survive without social engagement in what they are producing.

This is so true for filmmaking. Every film should have a means of communicating and engaging with its audience. These means can include a Web site, Facebook page, Twitter feed, blog and so on.

Before buying the Huffington Post, AOL knew they had Trust and a Brand. But they had no Identity. By bringing the Huffington Post into the fold, they were bringing in an Identity. How smart.

It's that kind of thinking we indie filmmakers should have. We need to build an audience that trusts that we will create quality, entertaining stories through a brand they can believe in and promote that has a strong identity that they can point out in a crowd. This is something I work at every day with my films and my company Wonder Entertainment.

will.i.am, the closing speaker at TheGrill, is also engaging. He's trying to engage young people to go into science and education. The singer is an avid googler and tech nerd himself - he said he often sits in his hotels when he's on the road and googles all day long and teaches himself about new technology.

Recently, will.i.am put up his own money to put on a TV special that would entertain our youth while showing them the sexy side of a career in science and education. And he's working to help make his hometown of Boyle Heights a better place to live. As he points out, he has an elbow and it allows him to point at himself as the one who can inspire and make change. He also reminded us that we all have elbows and we should start using them too.

will.i.am at TheGrill

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TheGrill - Let's Talk About Media Leadership, I'm Ready to Listen

Had a great time at the opening night of The Wrap's second annual media leadership conference TheGrill. Sharon Waxman, founder of The Wrap, kicked off the event with a discussion with former chairman of Warner Bros. and CEO of Yahoo, Terry Semel and co-founder of the film fund Global Eagle Harry Sloan.

Semel and Sloan seem to think that content really is king and that major media companies will be opening their pocketbooks to license material for the Web. This is great news for content creators - though I still wasn't hearing how content creators were going to afford to create content that could be licensed.

I think we are still going to need a solution for covering costs of development and production. But at least the buyers will be there. That's a step in the right direction! I'm off to attend the conference now. Up way too early for someone who sets her own hours - ha! They may find me asleep in my chair.

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Take Me Home part of first 25 films picked by the Chicago Film Festival

Take Me Home has been picked as part of the first 25 films of the Chicago Film Festival. Here is the press release. Our film plays October 7, 8 & 14. If you are in the area, please come on out!

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Take Me Home at Boston Film Festival now!

Take Me Home plays the Boston Film Festival now (7p est)! Thanks to everyone who came out for it!

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Wonder Entertainment on Facebook

We have restarted our production company Facebook page. Please LIKE our page for Wonder Entertainment if you are interested in keeping up with the films we are making! We're having a blast making movies - join us on this journey!

LIKE it here. 

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Fair Use & Copyright & Films

Fair use is a foggy arena for filmmaking. As filmmakers you try your best to license all material in your movies. It's required by law and your Errors and Ommissions policy and your distributors. And it's the right thing to do. Would you like it if someone else gained from your hard work?

However, there may be some material that is available to the world, like news reports etc, and those who own it may not want to license it to you or you may not be able to track down the owners or it may be so costly that you can't afford to clear it but it's extremely important to the piece you are creating.

In these cases, and I want to make this very clear that this is just my opinion and I am not a lawyer, you MIGHT be able to make a case that you can use the material under fair use. According to the U.S. Copyright Office Web site,

"The doctrine of fair use has developed through a substantial number of court decisions over the years and has been codified in section 107 of the copyright law.

Section 107 contains a list of the various purposes for which the reproduction of a particular work may be considered fair, such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Section 107 also sets out four factors to be considered in determining whether or not a particular use is fair:

1. The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
2. The nature of the copyrighted work
3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work

The distinction between fair use and infringement may be unclear and not easily defined. There is no specific number of words, lines, or notes that may safely be taken without permission. Acknowledging the source of the copyrighted material does not substitute for obtaining permission."

If you are uncertain about whether something would be considered fair use or not, you can consult an attorney who specializes in fair use law and he or she can write up a fair use opinion report. You could then use that report to substantiate your use of the un-licensed material.

Also fair use attorney Michael McDonald wrote a book on the subject: Clearance & Copyright: Everything You Need to Know for Film and Television.  Check it out if you want to know the gritty details about clearances and copyright. It's a fascinating topic for filmmakers.

The major downside to using un-licensed material and invoking fair use is not having access to a high resolution image for your piece - which may be the deciding factor on whether to use it or not.

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Take Me Home Playing Boston Film Festival - Sept 17

Our film Take Me Home will be playing the Boston Film Festival this weekend! Come on out and join us if you are in the area. Sam Jaeger and his costar and wife Amber Jaeger will be in attendance. 


The screening will be held Saturday night (Sept 17) at 7p at the Stuart Street Playhouse: http://www.bostonfilmfestival.org/schedule.shtml.


Here's the trailer if you haven't seen it yet:

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