We’re celebrating the IPEX VIEW Blog’s 11 month anniversary (good a reason as any) with a look back at some of our favourite articles.  Enjoy!

The Film Licensing Professional’s Guide to the Blogosphere: A directory of film blogs

Independent Film Marketing: 5 Tips to Impress Film Buyers

Looking for Film Buyers? 5 steps to secure indie film distribution

Sweding, Sweded Videos, and Viral Marketing

Sundance Film Festival: Trends and Insights

Sell Sheet & One Sheet Sampler

Five Common E-mail Marketing Mistakes That Film Distributors and Producers Need to Avoid

Film/Video Distributors and Producers: Make Sure You Know These Nine SEO Recommendations

A 'sell sheet' (also called a 'one sheet') is a film/video licensing industry term for summary publicity. 'Sell Sheet Sampler' is a continuing feature on our blog where we showcase fascinating clips, which, while part of a digital sell sheet, are of interest to a large audience.

Wonderful trailer from a wonderful documentary taking a personable yet clear-eyed view of suburbia.


Click here for the Sell Sheet for
'Radiant City' - Distributed by The National Film Board of Canada

The concept: every month, 1 film selected from submissions all over the world, under one minute, and a grand champion announced at the end of the year. Check out SWEEPER, the winner for March. "Astonishing" is a good word for it. You've got a minute to spare to see something astonishing, don't you?

Renderyard 1 minute Film Festival

The announcement of a new pay-TV/ VOD/ Web 2.0/ Super-futuristic-total-entertainment-experience service from Viacom, Lionsgate, MGM, and Paramount is big news, but what’s giving industry analysts pause is the idea that the lifespan of a Hollywood movie is going to get a whole lot more compressed.  Channels like Showtime and HBO aren’t make the money they used to off TV premieres--they argue that new movies aren’t worth much anymore on TV, so they don’t want to pay the high licensing fees. So studios are taking back control over the twilight years of their films (before they become catalogue titles), as well as their delivery windows.  The fact is, nobody cares about the HBO premiere of a six month old movie.  Why not put the film on TV in two months?

So what does this mean for indies?  Well, for one thing, Showtime, HBO, STARZ, and their ilk are going to be looking for content.  That’s one opportunity. But another might be with the studios themselves.  If studios get the idea that the TV roll-out is part of their overall marketing campaign (the same way that a theatrical release becomes a loss leader), studios might become a lot more flexible in their ideas about how a film can reach an audience.  More stops on the studio tour mean more places for indies to get on.  Times are changing.

We did a series of posts about Cinetic Media and its reputation as an ‘unseen hand’ at the Sundance Film Festival...well, well, well: we learn today that Cinetic has made a stunning strategic move, tempting South by Soutwest Film Festival director Matt Dentler away from sunny Austin to the cool blue-gray towers of NYC.  Clearly, this consolidates Cinetic’s position as a premiere player in the American Independent film scene.

But that’s just the beginning.

According to this IndieWire article, Dentler is joining Cinetic as part of the Cinetic Rights Management (CRM) unit, a new team dedicated to navigating the brave new digital world of distribution.  Is this the dawn of a legitimate alternative distribution network for indies, or is Cinetic poised to become the next CAA?  Very exciting times.

From IW:

“Reflecting on the tough market at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, [Cinetic founder] John Sloss cited a, “recession of revenue streams from traditional media,” while adding that the, “corresponding revenue streams of digital have not filled in the hole, but they are going to...”

“It’s a changing landscape,” prefaced Cinetic partner Rob Nathan on the iW call, with Sloss adding, “As pay TV deals recede and as the DVD revenues plateau these are the [areas] that are going to rise.”

A 'sell sheet' (also called a 'one sheet') is a film/video licensing industry term for summary publicity. 'Sell Sheet Sampler' is a continuing feature on our blog where we showcase fascinating clips, which, while part of a digital sell sheet, are of interest to a large audience.

The greatest minds in the world have thrown in their two cents on the topics, now it’s time for the kids to chime in.

In this remarkably funny and heartwarming clip from the NFB, we get to hear what children have to say about the great beyond.


Click here for the Sell Sheet for
'Kids Talking About Death' - Distributed by The National Film Board of Canada

The situation between longtime frenemies the Geeks and Hollywood heat up in 2008.  Never before has a Hollywood slate catered so vigorously to the tastes of filmgoers of the comic con, fantasy, and sci-fi set. Sure, the geeks are bad on downloading movies (they’re downloading some right now) but they are also an audience: a real live film audience that goes to the theaters and will pay money just to see how badly Hollywood has screwed up their favourite franchise.  Even better, their extracurricular hobbies, such as blogging like mad about films that interest them, have basically acted as a template for how Hollywood has come to understand online marketing.

So here’s to you geeks and here’s to Hollywood.

Let’s take a look at some of the upcoming big geek films with breakdowns, ratings, and embedded trailers!

Continue reading
"‘Geek Films’ Dominate Hollywood Slate in 2008: But Will Any of Them Be Any Good?"

It’s Monday.  I like checking in on some blog carnivals: gives me a feeling of ‘togetherness’.

Two blog carnivals we enjoy:

Observations from Missy’s Window
http://www.missyfrye.net/Hoyeya/?p=447
A fun, eclectic, but still very informative blog on the world as it appears from Missy’s Window.  Monday is movie day.

Carnival of Cities
http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Seafarer/
This is such a great concept for a blog carnival.  What’s the connection to IPEX VIEW?  Sheila linked back to our recent article on Austin and SXSW.

How do you look at the film industry and discover new needs and niches? How do you create innovative fare that will find an audience? And how do you turn your first indie feature into an online phenomenon? In this interview, Chris Elston of Three Blind Artists shares his expertise, experience, and insights into these and other questions.

3BA is dedicated to becoming the go-to company for family and commercial-friendly fare, but are doing it outside of the mainstream. Putting the indie ethos of tenacity, integrity, community, and vision to work, 3BA recently completed its first feature, Shelter. A character drama set in a bomb shelter on the eve of apocalypse, Shelter is already generating internet buzz with its intriguing trailer. With a sophomore effort already well under way, and almost a dozen equally buzz-worthy projects in the pipeline, things are looking bright for this family-run enterprise.

Click here for the One Sheet for
'Shelter' - Produced by Three Blind Artists

Continue reading
"Three Blind Artists: How The Indie Ethos Can Change Commercial Filmmaking for the Better"

Making an independent film is a huge project, and conventional wisdom has it that you: shoot your film, cut your film and then, after that’s all done, you try to sell your film. However, marketing your film should begin during the production phase. But who has the time? That’s just it— you don’t.

So...find some people who do. Marketing is a priority, but it should not be your priority. You need to beg, borrow and trade favors to find a few key people who can stay on top of your marketing needs while your film is in production. Ideally, you want to make the entire production process a marketing process too. Below are a list of five key things you do not want to forget to do, or better yet, that you do not want to forget to find someone else to do for you.

Continue reading
"Indie Filmmakers Looking for Film Buyers: 5 Reasons Why It’s Never Too Early To Start Marketing"

A 'sell sheet' (also called a 'one sheet') is a film/video licensing industry term for summary publicity. 'Sell Sheet Sampler' is a continuing feature on our blog where we showcase fascinating clips, which, while part of a digital sell sheet, are of interest to a large audience.

Man's best friend deserves a treat, so one dog lover and entrepreneur decided to open her own Doggie Daycare center, catering exclusively to the canine set. Here's an entertaining trailer on the dog dream world from Electric Sky productions.

Click here for the Sell Sheet for
'Doggie Daycare' - Distributed by Electric Sky

As anyone who is involved with the entertainment industry knows, sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands to make things happen. That is exactly what Tonisha Johnson did, starting her own company, TOMI Enterprises, in 2007. Not yet two years old, TOMI already has one successful film festival under its belt (there's a festival recap here), a second one in the works, and a wealth of resources set up to bring business knowledge to people in the entertainment industry. With a focus on minority and underground filmmaking, TOMI is setting the pace for showcasing and promoting emerging talents. Check out this inspiring and personal interview with Tonisha about the challenges and rewards of DIY business.

Click here for the Sell Sheet for
'She's Got It' - Produced by Fear No Man Productions
Winner of Best Feature at the 2008 TOMI Film Festival.


Continue reading
"The ‘Other’ Movie Industry: How TOMI Brought Indie Urban Film to the NBA All Star Weekend"

SXSW 2008 Film Festival wrapped up this weekend, leaving in its wake a single tattered, oh so earnest, snapshot of Indie filmmaking.  If Sundance is the official word on the state of indie filmmaking, SXSW is what you’ll learn going to your local bar.  Getting down with SXSW is what it takes to get your ear close to the American independent film underground. Here’s a look at the Top 5 Key Trends that emerged from this year’s diverse group of fiction features and documentaries. 

Continue reading
"The 5 Trends That Make SXSW 2008 the Indie Film Fest You Need to Know About"

South By Southwest 2008 Film Fest winners have been announced, see results at: http://2008.sxsw.com/film/

Over at Cinematical, they give top marks to Doug Benson’s Super High Me, a silly but incredibly funny stoner-comedy doc.

http://www.cinematical.com/2008/03/13/sxsw-review-super-high-me/

SXSW veteran and San Francisco native Gabriel Fleming showcased his second feature The Lost Coast to positive press. I admit I know Fleming form back in the days when we were both schlepping at the Telluride Film Fest and I’m thrilled for his success. He’s also the epitome of the sort of emerging artist that SXSW caters to.

http://www.cinematical.com/2008/03/13/sxsw-review-the-lost-coast/

Reviews of lots of SXSW films can be found at:

http://www.spout.com/sxsw

and http://www.filmthreat.com/

Final Farewell To Austin
Here at IPEX we looked at the whole sweding fad tied to the online promotion of Be Kind, Rewind. And, as you know, we’ve also have been following the blog coverage of the SXSW film fest in Austin. Now these two obsessions have miraculously dovetailed. While neither a part of SXSW nor a part of the official promotion of Be Kind, Rewind, the Austin based Filmmaking Frenzy and Austin Drafthouse have the results of their own Rewind, Kindly sweding contest online now. A bunch of sweded films of everyone’s romp favorites, the results are well worth checking out. See them at:

http://beta.filmmakingfrenzy.com/ViewFrenzy.aspx?FrenzyId=5

and start your schemes and dreams for SXSW 09.

SXSW has a pretty great blog promoting the music component of the fest, but not so for the film section. Fortunately, film and film fest fans online have taken over and the 2008 SXSW film festival is now chugging along full-steam ahead through the world-o-blogs. Here are my Top 5 blog picks for festival coverage.

1. Great set of interviews with SXSW participants, including an interview with early fest favorite We Are Wizards director Josh Koury.

http://www.indiewire.com/people/2008/03/sxsw_08_intervi_12.html

2. Probably the most comprehensive online coverage of the fest can be found at Spout. Interviews, festival news and more from their roving correspondents.

http://blog.spout.com/

3. Great coverage from the films to the parties can be found at:

http://www.cinematical.com

4. Indie film stalwarts Film Threat provide all things SXSW at:

http://sxsw.bside.com/2008/

5. Not coming to a theater near you has just a few reviews of the fest films so far, but should be building over the week. And while some of these films will be coming to a theater near you, a bunch will not, so check this out while you can.

http://www.notcoming.com/