I've been here in London, doing some consulting and speaking at Shooting People's "Short-sighted" event at BAFTA. It was a great conference and I highly recommend that filmmakers check out the line-up of speakers and (eventually to be posted) the videos of the day. They gave out many resources for indie filmmakers, especially short filmmakers, and I learned a lot. More soon, but there was a fascinating discussion about advertisers/sponsors and indie films, inspired by a dialogue with MoFilm. They've got an interesting model for short filmmakers working with brands. Check out their page for some details on how they work, and the contests they are running. Many filmmakers have benefited from the program, but some in the audience took issue with the corporatization of indie filmmaking, as well as their deal structure and payments. I'll have more thoughts on this soon, but for now a note to festival and conference producers - this is the conversation to be having going forward and it's much more interesting than new distribution yadda yadda stuff. The biggest change to indie will be how we work with advertisers, sponsorships and corporate support for media (or don't). Especially in Europe as state subsidies dry up and corporate support becomes one of the only viable options. What are the ethics, the best practices, horror-stories, etc. What do we think about this as indie filmmakers and what is our stance? More soon....
I'm very excited to be speaking soon at several cool events. Check out the following websites, not just to see me speak, but because the other speakers are pretty great and there's bound to be some great conversations. I look forward to learning more about the future of the business at each of them:
First up on March 27th is "The Conversation." Scott Kirsner has been running this excellent event in a few cities for a couple years now and I'm excited to be part of the line-up in NYC. Check out the schedule and sign-up soon.
The following week on April 3rd is "DIY Days NYC." Lance Weiler is putting together an excellent group of speakers, and what I like about this is that he's looking at innovation beyond just film - in music and other arts as well. This one is free, so consider this and the Conversation and it's like a 2fer1 special!
Later this Summer I'll be participating in a new Lab from Power to the Pixel - a full week of intensive training and discussion around trnasmedia and the future of the business. As the organizers explain -
"The Pixel Lab, a ground-breaking new residential course centred in developing, producing and distributing cross-media stories – stories that can span film, TV, online, mobile, gaming. The Lab is open to anyone with a strong track record in the European film and related media industries."
You have to apply soon, so check the website asap. And, if you need a cool job, they are hiring a producer for the event, so look into that as well.
I'm booking some other talks and projects soon and hope to report more in the coming weeks.
1 comment:
Most indie filmmakers are understandably wary of the concept of sponsorship, but truthfully, it's what allowed us to retain full rights and creative control on my last two projects. On an artistic level, once they're on board, I've been surprised to find brands more hands-off and willing to trust directors than traditional film financiers.
On the business side, sponsors don't necessarily ask for ownership or distribution rights - as long as you can think creatively and show there's enough value for their brand just through association with the film or related content, events, etc. Crafting alternative distribution by partnering with sponsors is another way forward....If the deal is done right, it can be empowering for indie filmmakers to use these non-traditional resources to their benefit.
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