tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20539850.post654478190703949512..comments2023-09-26T11:13:44.207-04:00Comments on SpringBoardMedia: My thoughts on 1 of Ted's 38 reasons indie film's failingBNewmanSBoardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07804966250954053044noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20539850.post-46860869145971466502010-05-17T16:17:46.640-04:002010-05-17T16:17:46.640-04:00Ok, some more thoughts. First, both Angelo and Bru...Ok, some more thoughts. First, both Angelo and Bruce are absolutely correct that real audience research goes far beyond collecting lists. I realize this, and know it's expensive to do, but I think some large scale projects could be interesting for the field - as well as for those film producers doing multiple projects. Perhaps some could be done by a nonprofit, for example.<br /><br />Bigger point, however, is that I disagree that you can only have artistic integrity or financial viability. I maintain that you can have both, although it may be rare. It's probably especially rare because good artists aren't often good marketers, and vice versa, but they aren't mutually exclusive. Look over art history, and you see many genius artists who were darn good at promotion and marketing. I also think it is possible, and in today's US based indie climate, even necessary to think about audience during the creation. This doesn't mean pandering to them, or leaping too far in this direction, but you can think about what might engage an audience in your story-telling and adapt it to them. Even Shakespeare did this, btw. It's also possible to start engaging them cleverly in advance and keep artistic integrity while still also serving as promotion. I guess I just don't think it's necessary to maintain this split, and I see lots of examples in the history of art, film and culture.BNewmanSBoardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07804966250954053044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20539850.post-72843249640989355012010-05-15T14:31:23.490-04:002010-05-15T14:31:23.490-04:00As Angelo mentioned, the data is valuable, not all...As Angelo mentioned, the data is valuable, not all that easy to trap in an accurate and specific fashion, and once you compile & analyze it you'll want ROI - but then it gets old fast.<br /><br />It's great information to have for marketing a film that is already made but are you implying that we should research our audience in order to make a film that they might like? If that's so, then it's a commercial film in my opinion. <br /><br />I think you've put your finger on a balance point. One end of the scale is artistic integrity (whatever that may mean) and the other end is making a film that is financially viable.Bruce DeBoerhttp://www.PermissionToSuck.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20539850.post-72730260579983843722010-05-13T14:52:13.970-04:002010-05-13T14:52:13.970-04:00I disagree that they aren't a business - they ...I disagree that they aren't a business - they aren't always a business, and this isn't usually the only concern, but that doesn't mean you can't make art and also think about business. You can think about your audience a little, and think enough about the biz side to hope you get it out to an audience and make some money back, without compromising your art. IMHO.BNewmanSBoardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07804966250954053044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20539850.post-76408241585242444572010-05-13T10:53:09.004-04:002010-05-13T10:53:09.004-04:00But that's why they are called indies. Not thi...But that's why they are called indies. Not thinking of business concerns, audience demographics, metrics, etc is why Indies are Indies: they appeal to only people who love movies as an art form, not entertainment. Indies are not supposed to do well commercially - that's not the intent. Any that break through commercially is just luck and timing.bgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20539850.post-35975574210469417072010-05-12T02:23:43.988-04:002010-05-12T02:23:43.988-04:00Good points. I guess it all comes down to if "...Good points. I guess it all comes down to if "indie film" is actually a business though. I'm not saying it shouldn't be, I just don't think it is. I have a feeling if someone put together the financial information from all indie films made in a period of time and did a cost/benefit analysis, the results would be heartbreaking. <br /><br />Indie filmmaking is an expensive art. And I do think the only solution is to treat it as the business that it should be. It's tough though since that starts with a project's inception. I doubt most independent writers, myself included, get all excited about thinking "what kind of film does the market need."<br /><br />I keep thinking of a question that comes up constantly in the documentary world, in the proposal stage: "Why this film now?" It's an important question because the answer is the first hint of a real possible audience for a film. And not just "everyone who loves indie films."Alonso F. Mayohttp://afmayo.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20539850.post-24489009000228998392010-05-11T12:05:03.654-04:002010-05-11T12:05:03.654-04:00Bang ON! Let's do it!! Who's gonna spearh...Bang ON! Let's do it!! Who's gonna spearhead the platform? Let's call it, 'cloud control'Miles Makerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13112028679870116684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20539850.post-72302289718736072032010-05-11T11:20:00.168-04:002010-05-11T11:20:00.168-04:00Funny things happen when people start collecting a...Funny things happen when people start collecting audience data: they realize how valuable the data is. Share the data? No, I see monetization in your future, lol<br /><br />Having worked for a top 5 public relations company, I recognize that collecting email addresses is NOT collecting data (as some might think), it's building a list. Properly collecting and analyzing audience "data" can be very expensive.DawkAngelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00697270776350489653noreply@blogger.com