FILMMAKING 2.0–DAY TWO AT THE MARKET
With six panels and a full day of screenings at the Angelika starting today, the second day of the market heated up with many people buzzing around, checking in, having a bit of breakfast and setting meeting schedules for the day in the lounge.
I attended the 11:30 keynote of the day, a conversation with Tony Liano of Crackle. Interviewed by our own blond Scott Macaulay, Liano held forth on all things content and distribution on the web. Liano is the head programmer at this Sony Pictures Entertainment Company-owned, San Francisco-based online entertainment network and distribution pathway company.
Liano, who started in advertising, followed that by a stint at Microsoft as both a creative and a techie. When the Canon XL1 came on the market, he and his producer brother looked at it and thought, “No excuses—time to create.” And so he directed a documentary and became a filmmaker for the first time. He also has an MBA and started to explore distribution scenarios for content that had nowhere else to go.
He says that Crackle (the revamped, re-launched Grouper) wanted to marry the bottom-up approach (where there’s no real context for anything and few rules as to how the site is structured or what kind of content they showcase, a la YouTube) to a top-down approach (where content has a branded destination and clear distribution pathways with specific audiences in mind). Crackle consists of several designated channels with their own branding, look and content strand.
Clips from the popular Mr. Diety were shown. The company discovered the director online, acquired 10 episodes and are producing another 10. Liano says, “Traditional content development is dying a slow death in the industry.”
When asked why more independent filmmakers aren’t using services like Crackle, Liano admitted that there might be a downside, but probably a small one, and that due more to less-than-intelligent strategies on the part of the filmmaker than the pitfalls of uploading your content on the site. Short, specific content can have a lot of impact and the branding of your film can start in earnest by using this strategy. Because the service is not really fit for finished feature-length films, chances are the content you put up on the site would just be a “teaser” anyway. And as Liano says, “We all have 10 bad movies in us; get them out on the web! We [Crackle] are acting as a sort of Farm League for Sony—we’re constantly looking for up-and-coming talent. Sony’s watching Crackle and they’re noticing what’s good and who’s getting attention.” Sony development deals can be the prize or FAME award for top content on each channel.
So, there is great potential for audience building. Positive revenue streams and other financial “success” for the filmmaker, as with most companies like this, remains to be seen. No one’s making a lot of money yet.
And if you do have a finished film, you’re probably thinking more along the lines of film festival strategy and luckily enough (ah, those wily conference programmers), there was a panel that followed this conversation with some of the top festival programmers in the country right now. I popped in after securing an interview with Doc Spotlight head, Milton Talbott. I’ll be talking to him more on Wednesday.
Moderated by Sharon Swart of Variety, panelists included the ubiquitous Matt Dentler of SXSW, David Kwok of Tribeca, Sarah Diamond of Slamdance, David Wilson of True/False (an increasing fave among filmmakers) and David Courier of the Sundance Institute. I also spied Tom Hall and Holly Herrick of Sarasota and Mark Rabinowitz in the audience. Now that Toronto has wrapped up, many film journalists are making their way back to New York for the market, the New York Film Festival and several other functions and premieres happening this time of year. In the spirit of helping the first-time filmmaker, advice was very straightforward and practical, since navigating festival submissions is one of the first steps you take once your film is nearing completion–time to get it out into the world and, like everything else associated with being an independent, learn the ropes as you go.
Next up was the Creating Content for New Platforms panel moderated by Shooting People‘s Ingrid Kopp, another programmer extraordinaire. Her words of wisdom, right off the bat: marketing and distribution strategies, which these new technologies and platforms can provide, should be part of the creative process of making your film. Again, a lot of wild west, huge potential, we’re all still figuring it out kind of talk from heads of companies that are taking advantage of a huge technological push in how original content is produced and marketed. You can check out iThentic, Without a Box, Panasonic’s new film initiatives, and MTV New Media (really not in existence yet). It behooves filmmakers to try and keep tabs of who’s cropping up where, and which company is morphing which way to keep up with it all. Go on these sites or contact a representative of the company to see whether it’s a place that makes sense for you and the kind of content you produce. These companies are searching for good content, so help them find you.
Next up, a subject near and dear to our little blogger hearts: 21st Century Film Journalism moderated by Jason Guerrasio with Dennis Lim (Cinema Scope), James Israel (indieWIRE), Jonathan Marlow (Cabinetic) and Jody Arlington, whose PR agency works with major festivals like AFI/Discovery’s Silverdocs in Maryland. The discussion centered on what best strategies filmmakers can use these days to reach out to the film press. Media is relationship-based, just like all things in this business. Be specific about who your contacting and why, and make sure they know they’ve been hand-picked by you because you know that they are the type of people who write about your kind of film. Sounds very elementary, but a lot of people get to the festivals and that’s where the work ends for them. What these folks are saying is that that’s just the beginning and should be used as a good launching pad to promote your film in all the right places. Arlington recommends getting a press agent or publicist when your film does go to a major festival to help navigate the terrain, and, of course, to work with the festival press office. Pay attention to what they need from you and get it to them on time and in the manner they’re requesting. With a little diligence on your part, you can help a good PR department or liaison help you get notice for your film even beyond the festival’s run.
Okay, panel-ed out.
Uptown we go for a screening of John Sayles‘ Honeydripper near Lincoln Center, followed by a party hosted by Filmmaker at Providence, formerly Le Bar Bat–tres glam. The bottom line is that John Sayles and his producer/partner, Maggie Renzi, are still doing things their way, just like they’ve always done, from casting their films with some of the finest actors of our day, to telling Sayles’ stories exactly in the way he wants to tell them, critics and everyone else that think their opinion matters, be damned. So that’s very admirable, indeed. Dubbed “The King and the Queen of Independent Film” by Michelle Byrd, Renzi and Sayles were just thrilled to have a lot of family and friends in the theater supporting their latest endeavor and getting to show their work in front of an appreciative audience.
Post-screening, walked the few blocks downtown to the party in the company of Scott Macaulay and S.T. VanAirsdale, two charming gents, who escorted me to the afterparty for the film and a celebration of the 15th anniversary of Filmmaker Magazine. Scott said, “Ah, the 15th is easy; it’s the 2nd and 3rd ones that should be celebrated the most!”
AJ Schnack bought me a glass of Cab at the bar (he’s in town doing some press junket stuff for the theatrical release of his beautiful film Kurt Cobain About a Son), and I finally met Mr. Jared Moshe, in person (someone I’ve only emailed and spoken with on the phone). I also met in person, for the first time, filmmaker Jesse Epstein months after I posted an interview with her on my blog (which was brand new at the time), and talked to some filmmakers with projects in the market. Just your typical crowded, noisy New York party–fun.
Happy birthday, Filmmaker.
