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.”

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

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

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.


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"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. 

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

South by Southwest Film Fest starts today with a flurry of film screenings and a treasure trove of panels and discussions. Here are a few picks from the festival’s opening weekend.

Films

Second Skin. World premiere of this much-buzzed doc that looks at the lives (or lack thereof) of some hardcore online gamers. Think of it as the Cinemania of the gaming set.

Sex Positive. Docs are really where it’s at this SXSW. Sex Positive is the story of AIDS activist Richard Berkowitz and his pioneering work in “inventing” safe sex.

Films on geeks and geek culture are the rage these days. We Are Wizards looks at the culture of Harry Potter fans and the imaginative and creative ways they engage with their super-fandom.

Panels / Workshops

As well as films, the festival has a ton of panels set up that look at every aspect of filmmaking, financing, distribution, etc. All well and good, but I would go and hang out at Arrested Development‘s Jeffery Tambor’s acting workshop just to see him live.

Long the cultural beat in the heart of Texas, Austin is just now enjoying its status as Indie film capital of America. As far back as Richard Linklater’s Slackers (1991), Austin has offered glimpses of a small but vibrant film scene, one that has now fully flourished. All the stars have aligned and Austin is the city to be in if you are a young filmmaker.

Here are 5 reasons why:

1. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
Every scene needs a venue. Austin has the best. Austinites may take this theater for granted but for those of us living in Muliplex hell, the Alamo sounds too awesome for words. Food and beer, watching movies in a mature environment, with programming that covers everything form first run to eccentric audiovisual events. Want to watch Showgirls with David Schmader’s live running commentary? You can at the Alamo. Am I out for a movie, or have I died and gone to heaven?

2. SXSW
Every scene needs a festival. Austin’s South By Southwest is the little fest that could—and did. Already having proven its bankability—2002’s Spellbound broke at SXSW and went on to an Oscar nom—SXSW gets better every year and has yet to sacrifice any of its credibility. Programming at the fest manages to ride the fine line between hipness and accessibility, providing a vibrant venue for emerging filmmakers.

3. University Of Texas Film Institute
Every scene needs a draw for the local talent and UTFI may be one of Austin’s biggest as far as film is concerned. The institute has been aggressive in looking for opportunities for their students, partnering with Burnt Orange Productions and giving students a chance to work on feature length films (2005’s The Quiet was a part of this initiative).

4. Filmmaking Frenzy
Every scene needs a website. This is one of the best online sites for young filmmakers. Constant competitions are running with videos posted online. If you live in the area you can check out Frenzy events at the Alamo; if you don’t, check out the site for a dose of inspired filmic antics.

5. Congress Avenue Bats
Every scene needs its bat cave. Under Austin’s Congress Avenue bridge is the world’s largest urban bat hangout. The bats have even spawned their own music fest—Batfest. Peak seasons sees over 1 Million bats congregate and at sunset these little devils whoosh out from under the bridge, creating a spectacle that is equal parts inspiring, beautiful and a little creepy. A bat colony, it’s just so cool.

The weekend was a 1-2 Film awards knockout, with the Indie Spirit Awards running on Saturday, followed by the the Academy Awards on Sunday. Crossover nominations for both were high this year, which must have resulted in a ton of tuckered out stars and starlets by the time Sunday night rolled around.

Having the two events back-to-back highlights how great the indies have fared this Oscar season. The Coen brothers No Country For Old Men proved the night’s big Oscar winner, with Best Picture and Director nods, while the crowd-pleaser Juno cleaned up at the Indie Spirit taking Best Picture, Best Actress (for Ellen Page) and Best Screenplay for Diablo Cody. Cody was a double winner: she grabbed the Oscar screenplay, too.

In some ways the two awards seem almost a reversal: the feel-good blockbuster taking over the Indie Spirit and the more edgy, but critically acclaimed, No Country For Old Men cleaning up at Oscar. Indeed, this might have been the year when the Indies most openly embraced big box-office returns and the Oscars pretty much followed the critics point for point, even giving the Best Actress nod to Marion Cotillard for La Vie En Rose.

The sea change can be attributed to a number of factors.  A big one: the huge-grossing comedies of Judd Apatow are fun but nobody is ready to give them an Oscar nod. More crucially, the sort of Important ‘A’ pictures that usually dominate Oscar season (such as Meryl Streep’s Lions For Lambs and Rendition) have had such a tepid audience and critical response that a nomination would be simply silly. Indeed, Hollywood has failed abysmally throughout 2007 to put out a thinking-pic that also attracts an audience.

If these trends keeps up, in a few years the Indie Spirit and Academy Awards may want to combine events with one big weekend extravaganza, hosted by, of course, Jon Stewart and Rainn Wilson.

So, you have an indie film and you want to find distribution.

Never have so many options for distribution been available; never has it been so confusing to decide what is right for you and your film. The industry is experiencing a transitional moment; everyone knows online downloads are the future, but nobody knows exactly how it will play out. As well, distribution has gone online too, offering a plethora of choices for the indie filmmaker and producer. What to do, what to do.

This article is the first of a 5-part series that looks at all of the avenues open to you as a filmmaker and distributor. We’ll offer some tips on how to find your film a home.

Regardless of your film’s ultimate destination, your goal is to find a license buyer for your film. Who are film buyers? We’re talking about broadcast TV (cable, satellite, and terrestrial), home DVD companies, VOD service providers, and mobile content providers.

Let’s start this series by examining the psychology of this rare and overworked professional. Here are five things you should know about Film Buyers and 5 tips for putting the best face of your film forward.

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

Swe·ding (swee'ding) 1. verb. To express your love for something by imitating it in a way that is obviously an imitation. Especially the act of a fan remaking a beloved film with no budget. 2. noun. A marketing campaign from New Line Cinema for the Michel Gondry directed film Be Kind Rewind.

Alison at IFC Blog was kind enough to help us get the word's origins straight:


Gondry's film is about a couple of hapless VHS Video Store clerks who have to swede the inventory of their store in order to keep product on the shelves after a massive tape demagnetization mishap. The film has taken sweding one step further by using the sweding practice in all aspects of the film’s viral marketing campaign: Gondry swedes the film's own trailers, Youtube users are invited to swede scenes of their film favs on Be Kind Rewind's YouTube channel, and the film’s website stages a breakdown of the Internet and quickly swedes a site.

Sweding is basically remaking with no dollars. With a lot of love, duct tape, and well, that's about it. The joy of sweding is the gap between the lack of resources available to the sweder and the sweder's tremendous love for what is being sweded. Anyone can pay tribute with a budget; sweding is paying tribute despite the fact you don’t have a budget. That's true love.

While Gondry might be the first to put a name to this phenomenon, the practice has been around for awhile, and, if the New Line Cinema marketing team has their way, it will reach critical mass in 2008. Who are some notable sweding pioneers? Keep reading...

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"Viral Film Marketing: A Brief History Of ‘Sweding’"

Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys is launching an indie film distribution and sales company called Oscilloscope Pictures.  He has brought in ThinkFilm VP David Fenkel to run things, and David Berger from ThinkFilm is also on board. Bergel and Fenkel know film and over the last few years Thinkfilm has been the company to watch in indie film. The group will be looking to pick up documentary and fiction films from the fest circuit, as well as provide finishing funding.

The down side is Yauch wants to make this happen without any outside financing; he is looking for deals where the filmmakers can “share” the risk. What this means is not exactly clear; but anyone who doesn’t mind a low MG and a DIY ethic should look out for these guys.

Link: The Hollywood Reporter

The Sundance Film Festival, though firmly in its mid-twenties and suffering all the expected crises, is one of the world’s most important cinema venues. It’s been said that what plays well up in the mountains of Park City this year will be trickling into the Hollywood mainstream by the summer after next.  If this is true, the 2008 iteration of the festival leaves us with a lot to think about.  Here are 5 things to chew on as American movies face what is likely a pivotal year.

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"Sundance Film Festival 2008: Five Key Trends and Must-Knows for Indie Directors and Producers"

CAA? Creative Artists Agency?  The cabal of super-agents who changed the movie business in America in the 80s, introduced the ‘package deal’, drove up actor’s salaries, and have now, with their ceaseless expansion into sports and the far east, seem poised to take over the world?

Yes, CAA is so big, so ubiquitous, that, paradoxically, sometimes we don’t even bother to pay attention.

CAA’s Sundance Scorecard:

Hamlet 2 - CAA sold this one to Focus Entertainment for around $10 Million.  The big sale of the festival.

Choke - CAA managed to convince Fox Searchlight to put up $5 million for this adaptation of the Chuck Palahniuk novel.

Henry Poole is Here - CAA brokered this 3.5 million deal. Overture Films now owns the U.S. distribution rights.

American Teen - this documentary on a high school in Indiana was sold to Paramount Vantage after a long negotiation session.  Cinetic and CAA repped.  Deal is worth 1 million and includes all world rights excluding the UK.

Cinetic Media is hardly an unknown around the Sundance Film Festival, but the majority of movie goers will be hard pressed to say they recognize the name or logo.  That’s because Cinetic Media occupies the nether realm of broker, a position they occupy so successfully that Defamer jokingly called them, three years ago, the Sundance Unseen Hand.

Now in 2008, things haven’t changed much, except perhaps Cinetic are much less ‘unseen’.  The Hollywood Reporter ranked legendary lawyer/producer/sales agent and Cinetic Founder John Sloss and his partner, former CAA top agent Bart Walker, number 21 in their list of the 50 most powerful indie related execs. At Sundance, Cinetic is well known for their annual party...and for having an uncanny knack for being close to all the best deals.

Cinetic Sundance 2008 Scorecard (so far):

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired Cinetic and Submarine Entertainment repped the deal.

UPDATE (23 Jan): American Teen: this documentary on a high school in Indiana was sold to Paramount Vantage after a long negotiation session.  Cinetic and CAA repped.  Deal is worth 1 million and includes all world rights excluding the UK.

Just passed the half way point in the festival, and sales at Sundance 2008 have been a bit disappointing.  Though commentators last week were predicting loose purse-strings in Park City in response to the threat of a prolonged writers’ strike (fears mitigated last Thursday by the DGA’s deal-making), the perceived over-spending of last year has so far resulted in a more conservative buyer’s marketplace.

What’s the deal so far? Kudos to considerate and writerly spout.com blogger Karina Longworth for providing this Sundance 2008 Scorecard.  The 2008 list of sold films is notable, so far, for the preponderance of documentaries.

Here’s the link: Sundance 2008 Deals

HBO, Weinstein, United Artists, ESPN(!) – the usual suspects.  But what about the others?  Throughout the rest of the week, we’ll be profiling some of the lesser known Sundance deal makers.  Stay tuned.