AN INNOVATIVE LAUNCH FOR “JOFFREY: MAVERICKS OF AMERICAN DANCE”

For the past four months, my company Hybrid Cinema has been working on the release of Bob Hercules’s new film Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance, about the history of the Joffrey ballet. I will be writing a number of posts outlining the unique path that I and my partner on this release, Sheri Candler, have taken to release this documentary about the history of the groundbreaking dance company, The Joffrey Ballet.

In my book Think Outside the Box Office and in subsequent blog posts, I have written about the advantages and challenges of launching a film after its world premiere festival screening. Many filmmakers have complained that they can never recapture the exposure they gain with their first festival. As a result there have been a number of attempts to launch a film in some fashion out of a premiere festival. Orly Ravid writes in Selling Your Film Without Selling Your Soul about BassAckwards, which launched via YouTube Rentals during Sundance 2009. IFC has been running its Festival Direct program to provide a promotional lift to its VOD releases for several years. For instance IFC will premiere films at SXSW and follows it up with screenings in a few cities while it premieres day-and-date on VOD with the festival. Tribeca has started using their festival as a launch for a number of films that they distribute on VOD.

The chief advantage of using a world premiere to launch a film’s release is to condense all of the publicity into one window, thereby conserving precious resources and taking full advantage of press garnered via the premiere. The approach also utilizes the promotional muscle that many festivals can muster to promote the release. The principal challenge is being prepared – having all of the necessary tools and distribution and marketing channels lined up to take advantage of the promotion. In general this has been beyond the abilities of most independent filmmakers, who are just scrambling to get their films finished in time for their first festival. Another challenge is the short window of time that films have to get everything … Read the rest

PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST (ENTREPRENEUR): CORY McABEE

By Gregory Bayne

As 2012 dawns and the conversation in the film (and greater artistic) community shifts from ‘DIY’ to the advent of the ‘artist-entrepreneur’, I find myself pondering the meaning of all this in my own career and life, while thinking about one of my most enduring inspirations to go it my own way, my friend Cory McAbee.

The bulk of this post was originally drafted in the fall of 2009 right after the release of Cory McAbee’s film, Stingray Sam, and was written simply as a fan of Cory’s work and aesthetic. I was first introduced to Cory’s work when The American Astronaut garnered some notoriety out of the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. It was a film that, after a single viewing, locked me in as a true fan. I absolutely loved it. Everything about it. From the film itself, to the accompanying music, all the way down to the DVD packaging and design. I knew immediately that this was an artist, a filmmaker, a musician, that I wanted, and needed, to support.

So, for the ensuing 8 or so years I’d click back to Cory’s site to see what was what, until finally in the fall of ’09 I was very pleasantly surprised to click through and see that Cory had a new film, and that the new film was available right then. I quickly bought the deluxe package which, for $49, I received a digital download of the film and accompanying music, and also received a DVD, CD, collector’s photo booklet, and a Stingray Sam T-Shirt. It was an easy transaction for me, made even better knowing that the revenue was going direct to the artist.

What Cory’s work represents to me is exactly what all the rest of us are seemingly trying to achieve. A progressive film culture that is artist centric and direct-to-fan driven, taking advantage of both new means of production and digital distribution, as well as available social media (Cory and I’s first interaction was via Twitter). So, as I continue forth with my current work(s), I’m decidedly looking to the guy who is a couple … Read the rest

THE MICROBUDGET CONVERSATION: THE JOURNEYMEN

By John Yost

As most of us receive our early morning Sundance rejection email (which literally makes us the 99 percenters…again.) we should all take a moment and reflect: what drove us to this? What brought us to this moment where a single email is either enormously heartbreaking, or just another bump on the dirt road of DIY/micro filmmaking? I’ve asked fellow columnist, and bi-coastal filmmaker, Gregory Bayne to shed a bit of light on his practice of treating each project as the first uphill battle of many, and how that journey is essential for the career independent filmmaker.

We have an almost perverse obsession with the idea of overnight success in this country. It permeates the network television line-up, which provides an un-ending stream of opportunities for under prepared, starry-eyed dreamers to embarrass themselves on a national (perhaps international) stage. In creative communities we constantly talk of getting that “big break,” and if the numbers are correct — 11,700 submissions this year — it appears we filmmakers still believe that a birth at Sundance is the end-all to launching our very lucrative filmmaking careers.

This obsession is like some strange disease for which the only cure, truly, is staying the course long enough that you finally realize there is no “one big success,” only a series of little successes and small triumphs, intermingled with some failures and the occasional tragedy. The brass tacks are, if you are going to make your way as an independent artist, you are committing to a life’s work that will always be, in one way or another, a sustained campaign.

I know this all too well, as I currently embark on my next film and with it another public funding-campaign to get it off the ground. The film is BLOODSWORTH: An Innocent Man (http://kck.st/vpqcgc), a feature documentary about Kirk Noble Bloodsworth, who after being charged, convicted and sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, became the first death row inmate to be exonerated by DNA evidence in the US. Even though I begin this work with some level of track record behind … Read the rest

THE MICROBUDGET CONVERSATION: “EX-GIRLFRIENDS”

By John Yost

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to take a master class with Ted Hope and Christina Vachon.  Now out of respect to them I will not reveal all that was discussed, but what I can tell you is that my perspective of things has been altered quite a bit. I first started this blog with the intention of showcasing microbudget work as the passionate filmmaking it is…and fuck the rules. (The whole series of manifestos is evidence of that.) We were making cinema fast and cheap, and we needed to completely re-write the rules; a message that can be exhilarating if not short-sided. Don’t get me wrong, the old way of making films will soon be gone forever, but there are just some tent poles that can’t be taken down. I don’t think the goal of this column has changed, but the amount I have learned from our readers and the wonderful folks I’ve met because of this column cannot go unabsorbed. This is a time for learning and growth in this industry, and my time waiting for the ground to stop shifting is over…it’s time to embrace the future with new ideas built over the skeleton of tradition. One of those beams is Authenticity. A wonderful byproduct of a collapsing industry, like the new elements formed from an exploding star, and if embraced could lead to a community of artists, audience members, and gatekeepers that could spell nothing but Renaissance.

This week our contributor is Alexander Poe, a recent Columbia graduate and filmmaker with plenty of experience under his belt. In this play by play of how he was able to “just go out and shoot” his first feature Ex-Girlfriends, Alex shows us that the “go get’m” attitude has to be mixed in with the foundations of good cinema; story, collaboration, and professionalism.

When I set out to write and direct my first micro-budget feature, Ex-Girlfriends, I tried to find out as much as I could about how other filmmakers had done it. To some degree each film requires a unique approach, but still … Read the rest

BUILDING COMMUNITY… ONE PROJECT AT A TIME

By Gregory Bayne

As the practice of ‘crowd-funding’ has come of age over the past couple years, so has the wide array of opinion about it. Some have called it a ‘game-changer’, especially when it comes to funding films, others seem to think of it as a magical place where free money simply appears from thin air, and yet others are wholly unconvinced, if not fully disdainful, of this practice of ‘organized-begging’.

I can sympathize with the latter, seeing how crowd-funding has contributed to the advent of incessant self-promotion via social media sites, and the fact that you feel like everywhere you turn someone is asking you for a dollar whilst waving the banner of “support indie (insert art form here)” in your face. It can quickly begin to turn into noise, that you’ve soon trained yourself to immediately tune out. I’ve been on both sides of this proverbial coin and completely understand the frustration.

At the same time I also see the value, and personally find value, in helping support my fellow artists. Sure, I can’t financially commit to supporting everyone whose work I enjoy, or would like to see, but I definitely do what I can because I see the writing on the wall. Over the past couple years it has become very clear that if we want to continue to see, experience or view new and innovative works across a wide variety of mediums, from visual art, comics, and music to film, we’re going to need to get involved with our pocket-books at a much earlier stage. The old days, and old ways, of discovering new artists and their new work as a passive end-user is, and has been, eroding, if not fully on the decline for some time. Direct interaction between artist and audience is quickly becoming the new normal, and direct patronage of the work is following suit.

That said, this business of crowd-funding is a tricky, difficult endeavor to pursue.

My first outing in this arena came out of sheer necessity in early 2010 when all traditional funding efforts for my documentary film JENS PULVER | DRIVEN… Read the rest

THE MICROBUDGET CONVERSATION: TIPS FROM THE MIX

By John Yost

This week I give you a bonus post and contest. In keeping with what seems to be our “Do Your Homework” theme, we have Grant Edmonds from MixMyFilm.com with some quick sound tips from a sound mixer’s perspective. Sound is always the microbudget killer, often transforming a wonderfully acted and shot film into something no one wants to see or hear. We’ve talked about its importance and ways to get good sound in the field, but we have yet to discuss the value of a great sound mix and how to prepare for it. In keeping with the Microbudget spirit, Grant is also announcing a contest of sorts for our readers. The winner gets the full MixMyFilm.com treatment for their short film of 10 minutes or less. Grant’s company works with filmmakers of every budget and skill level to take your present sound mix and elevate it to the next level. Interested filmmakers should send an email to this blog’s email below with a link to a 10-minute or less short film in progress, or already finished, but in need of a sound mix. Nothing over 10 minutes will be accepted, and you must have full rights to all of your material. I will go through the entries with the staff of MixMyFilm and we’ll select a winner. The deadline is December 1^st and we’ll announce the winner December 13^th; hopefully posting a link to the finished film at some point in the New Year. Good Luck!

Some of these tips almost come as common sense… yet everyone reading this is guilty of committing these sound crimes…it never hurts to brush up and sharpen your skills.

Sound is often perceived on an emotional level. It can be subtle, where the audience isn’t aware of some ambient background tones steering them emotionally in a particular direction, or it can be not so subtle, when it sounds terrible, and the audience’s emotional state is such that they want to leave the theater. I think most humans are visual people, so as human filmmakers we tend to create films from … Read the rest

THE MICROBUDGET CONVERSATION: DOWN AND DANGEROUS

By John Yost

In sticking with our “Do Your Homework” theme, this week on the conversation we dissect one aspect of the micro-budget equation – crowdfunding. As someone who is about to use Kickstarter for the first time, I felt it was best to leave you in the capable hands of someone who had not only successfully met his goal, but who doubled it. Zak Forsman is no stranger to the world of microbudget filmmaking and I love his advice on crafting a great campaign. At IFP week I heard tons of questions from filmmakers on how to wrestle the task of a good crowdfunding campaign. Very few panelists had a good answer, or the success that Zak has had. Perhaps this is because no two campaigns are alike. It’s always best to see what has worked for others, then add your unique take, and hand tailored strategy. This isn’t the first time we’ve tackled this ever-changing tool, but it’s the first time we in this column have been able to take one apart and see how it works.

About six months ago, I watched a video interview with Ira Glass where he put forth the notion of doing a volume of work to close the gap between one’s own good taste and an ability to execute on that level. It had been a little more than three years since directing my first feature, and this was just enough of a push for me to choose one of several half-developed ideas. I was intent on shooting this sucker before the end of the year one way or another. I wasn’t going to wait for financing, I was going to make the best damn movie I knew how and focus on the challenges that would help me grow as a storyteller. I wasn’t willing to let money be a barrier to making it, so I couldn’t rely on it being there when I did. I chose the most doable story on my slate, a crime thriller titled‚ Down and Dangerous – microbudget, no budget, whatever. I’m making a movie. But as the story developed, … Read the rest

TODD SKLAR BEGINS PRODUCTION ON HIS NEW FILM “AWFUL NICE”

By Jason Guerrasio

For our Fall 2008 issue we highlighted Missouri filmmaker Todd Sklar, who embarked on a DIY road trip with his film Box Elder and three others, screening at arthouses and colleges throughout the midwest.

Sklar is now in production on his next feature, Awful Nice, through his Range Life Entertainment company.

Shot in Branson, Missouri, the film follows estranged brothers Jim (James Pumphrey) and Dave (Alex Rennie) as they return to Branson to renovate the vacation home that their recently deceased father left them.

Sklar co-wrote the script with Rennie. Shooting begins in Branson next week and will end in mid November.

Sklar recently wrapped on a short film version of the story titled ’92 Skybox Alonzo Mourning Rookie Card (the card is behind one of the brothers’ fights) that he hopes to screen in festivals before locking picture on Awful Nice. “One thing I noticed at a lot of festivals over the years is that I’d see a really awesome short and then wanna know what the filmmaker was doing next and often times they’re wondering the same thing,” writes Sklar via email. “I thought it would be cool to be able to not just know exactly what we’re doing next, but have it tie into the short itself.”

Sklar says the short reveals a bit of the backstory behind the brothers’ relationship that will be fully formed in the feature.

The inspiration behind the story, Sklar says, comes from the relationship that he has with his brother and the one Rennie has with his. “Me and Alex both wanted to write something about brothers, and our relationships with our brothers in specific,” he says. “He’s the younger one in his family, and I’m the older one in mine, and we found a lot of the same themes and issues and bonds in our two relationships.”

Looking back on his roadshow with Box Elder, Sklar says one of the biggest lessons learned was the need to do less on the fly and have better planning, such as marketing, in place ahead … Read the rest

“CONNECTED” DIRECTOR TIFFANY SHLAIN

“Some films go deep,” filmmaker Tiffany Shlain said at the Sundance premiere of her documentary, Connected. “Mine goes wide.” Indeed, Shlain’s film does go wide — it’s like a rubber band stretching in multiple directions while not breaking. Examining the ways in which technology can productively unite our global citizenry, Connected details nothing less than the history of consciousness and its arrival within today’s always-on, hyper-wired mind. Through voiceover narration and breezy montage, Connected explores the right brain/left brain split and its effect on social and economic organization, and it highlights the transformative potential of today’s communication tools. As a modern-day David Hume might argue, the film thoughtfully and entertainingly proposes that the Internet’s power to spread knowledge and experience can create a worldwide community capable of embracing the goals needed to sustain ourselves and our planet. Connectedwants you to use your handheld connective devices for good — social improvement that even includes better conditions for the workers along the supply chains in China that produce these same devices.

Connected is in the midst of a national theatrical release, propelled by the energies of its indefatigable director, previously best known for founding the Webby Awards and for short films like The Tribe. Connected is her first feature, and it opened at the Angelika this weekend before traveling at the end of the month to Denver. For its one-week run in New York there will be a number of guest speakers at the screenings. Social media theorist Rachel Sklar will speak about the effect of connectedness on women, Meetup’s Scott Heiferman will discuss how online activity can facilitate offline organizing, producer Ted Hope will talk about new technologies and independent film distribution, and Professor Paul Levinson will discuss direct democracy and Occupy Wall Street. Visit the film’s website for a list of upcoming screenings and speakers.

Filmmaker: Tell me, how do you describe your feature, Connected?

Shlain: “An autoblogography about love, death and technology.” And, yes, we made up the word “autoblogography.” It speaks to the fact that the film is part memoir and part doc, and … Read the rest

THE MAKING OF A “GRASSROOTS” MOVEMENT: INTRODUCTIONS

By Saskia Wilson-Brown

The Making of a ‘Grassroots’ Movement’ is a series of posts that are meant to serve as a case study on transmedia marketing, social engagement and distribution for an independent film called ‘Grassroots‘.

Stephen Gyllenhaal – my boss – says that running a film marketing and distribution campaign without studio distribution is a lot like running a grassroots political campaign. I am here to tell you that the two are, indeed, very similar: You live in the realm of hope, try to retain the project’s integrity, work with called-in favors, unguaranteed outcomes, creative work-arounds and half-truths. You court official-dom, but also keep the bootstrap approach very much alive. Whereas a budding politician’s constituency votes with a tick at the polls, ours votes with a ‘like’ on Facebook and eventually a purchased theatre ticket (or its digital equivalent). And – like the best of the politicians – the film’s producers and director hope to have an impact, at the very least in the cultural sphere.

This is the first of a series of posts that will detail the process behind the transmedia marketing and distribution campaign for a film called Grassroots. Directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal and based on the book Zioncheck for President by Phil Campbell, the movie stars Jason Biggs as Phil Campbell, an unemployed journalist who unwittingly becomes the campaign manager for an oddball Seattle-ite by the name of Grant Cogswell. Played by Joel David Moore, Cogswell is an unlikely candidate for the City Council. His predilection for profanity and polar bear suits cement him as an outsider candidate, as does his one deep, driving passion: The Seattle Monorail. The film is based on a true story. These posts will be, as well.

What I hope to elucidate in these blog entries is what works and what fails in the case of this one, specific movie. The focus will be on marketing and distribution, and the murky space where DIY strategies familiar to Filmmaker Magazine readers collide with more traditional methods of getting a feature-length movie into the world.

The behemoth task of getting Grassroots distributed is … Read the rest