It's
only the beginning of 2004, and only the Rag's fourth month
on the electronic newsstand. But the net we're casting on
the 'Net appears to be appealing to a very wide, very appreciative
audience. Filmmakers, actors, writers, even people only remotely
involved in the entertainment industry have taken notice,
across the globe. Subscribers and strangers have written from
Italy, France, Australia, Saudi Arabia, India, both to thank
us for our articles and to pitch us new ones. It's an amazing
response to our yet young periodical and we thank you. Keep
the ideas and encouragement coming, and we can all grow together.
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Joel
S. Bachar is the founder of Microcinema International,
a San Francisco-based company that exhibits and promotes the
culturally relevant work of innovative international moving-image
artists. Always original and often deeply personal, these
works are typically marginalized by the mainstream entertainment
industry.
Microcinema
recently launched The Blackchair Collection,
an online distribution catalogue of international short film,
video and moving-image arts. Along with his co-founder Patrick
Kwiatkowski, Joel has filled the Collection with titles from
indie micro-labels from around the world, as well as Microcinema's
own imprint, The Blackchair Label.
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In the past couple of years our world indeed has become a very different
place. Many of us have often found ourselves needing to be with
friends and loved ones, huddled in front of television sets as history
replays itself over and over onscreen. Human beings tend to seek
and reaffirm the need for the communal experience, and the dialogue
that results from it.
Film
festivals and microcinema venues do just that. They sponsor dialogue
via the group experience, and give voice to a filmmaker as well
as to an audience. Small-scale filmmaking and exhibition continues
to grow, and it's flourishing on a global scale. Little venues like
coffeehouses, bars and community centers are being adapted into
screening houses for creative, original and varied filmmaking. In
my opinion, there is a revolution in independent film today: it
is called Microcinema, and it is going on at even
the exhibition level.
The
most exciting thing about the Exhibition Revolution is that microcinemas
can - and do - exist all over the globe. Naturally they can be found
in major filmmaking cities like New York, San Francisco, London
and Paris. But they're also in Belgrade, Mexico City, Reykjavik,
and even McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Microcinemas are being put
together right now, even as this article goes out, in areas all
over the map, from Yakima, Washington, to Izhevsk, Russia. All of
these venues and the people organizing them seem to have one thing
in common: a love for truly independent film fare so strong that
they're making significant, successful efforts to bring it out of,
and into their communities. They love cinema, and their local Cineplexes
just aren't enough.
These
efforts of course are possible in large part because creating and
exhibiting digital media is now much easier than ever before. Accessible
and affordable solutions are available to movie producers, exhibitors
and distributors. More and more international festivals are accepting
works shot on DV; some of them are even using DVDs as an exhibition
format. As a result, the exhibition of film and video is potentially
more efficient and effective. Just as important, there is an inherent
distribution tool in the DVD medium.
Unheard
of years ago, a filmmaker, or collective of filmmakers, can now
produce a body of work ready for festival and microcinema screenings,
and immediately use that same format to offer copies directly to
their audience for sale, promotion or giveaway. This happens now,
today, at film festivals worldwide, and micro-distributors are beginning
to grow and thrive in the indie film marketplace in just this fashion.
It's a wonderful scenario I like to call "Distribution through
Exhibition."
Yes,
I'm excited about DVD and all the opportunities it can offer to
the independent filmmaker. I'm also looking forward to the future
of film and video exhibition, which I believe centers on a marriage
between digital and analog technologies. I envision powerful video
servers full of digitized films and videos, available to any festival
programmer, microcinema operator, retail owner, or consumer - worldwide.
Potent database software enabling consumer-grade PCs to search and
select programming to be delivered via broadband or satellite to
digital video projectors or big flat-panel displays. One day soon,
the efficiency and economy of these digital technologies will catalyze
and preserve the very real, very organic, and very analog communal
experience of enjoying a film or video at any venue in the International
Microcinema Network.
-
Joel S. Bachar, Microcinema, Inc.
For
more information: www.microcinema.com |
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Any
filmmaker's first feature could well be called a success upon completion.
Like all of the honestly independent films on the festival circuit
today -- particularly the lowest-budget ones -- it's a self-propelled
venture into the wilds of a treacherous and ever-changing territory.
If the goal of making a film is to get it done, and get it seen,
then it succeeds when a single audience sees it on the screen, finished
and full-length. Reviews don't hurt, either. But a truly successful
film must have a life, not just a screening.
Seldom
can new filmmakers fathom the extent of their post-post-production
responsibilities. After years of financing and production and editing,
et cetera, the film may be ready to be seen, but its makers are
exhausted. Take one step backward however, and take a look at the
whole picture. That one film is now only one of the thousands out
there, each vying to be seen amid a noisy and ambitious throng.
The film might be very good. It also might very well go absolutely
nowhere, without publicity. "Who can afford it?" you might
say, "We're all tired and broke."
Truth
is, you can't not afford it. Even a little publicity can be vital
-- postcards, posters, website, you name it. With the help of simple
but effective publicity, a film is more than just "in the can,"
it's an event, every time it screens. A press kit could be considered
a film's "life raft": without one, your film may disappear
so quickly you'll wonder if anyone even noticed the years you spent
making it.
Publicity
agents can be expensive, like any part of your movie. And like any
part of your movie, you can do it yourself. Be aware that a while
public presence for you and your film takes time to build well,
its value cannot be underestimated. Below, some fundamental elements
of DIY PR (Do-It-Yourself-Public-Relations), and by no means is
it a complete list, just a basic guide.
Believe
your own voice. If you have any doubts about whether your
film is worth it, and find yourself justifying your own hype, you've
already lost. If you don't believe your own P.R., neither will anyone
else. It takes more than positive reinforcement to bring in an audience.
Be confident and truthful when you push your film. It's your baby.
Help it to grow and stand on its own.
Be
image-conscious. Make yourself recognizable. Artwork creates
your film's mood and sets you apart from the myriad others out there.
It also attracts your audience while you're not around. Elaborate
or simple, it's your artistic decision, and the artwork should keep
its look and its message consistent on all material handouts and
whatever you put on the Web. Research other film companies to see
how they're marketing. If graphic art is not your forte, barter
with someone. Exhaust your resources!
With
tight budgets, a press kit can be a simple folder with logo containing
a cover letter, movie poster, film synopsis, all contact information,
and your movie screener (VHS is still the better choice; most businesses
possess only rental -- meaning basic -- equipment). Writing on all
materials must be perfect - don't cut corners on spelling, it's
free. If language is not your strong point, enlist a friend or two
to proofread for you.
Get
on the Web. A website is a must. Do not leave it out. A
small one costs about $20.00 monthly and will connect your film
with more people and organizations than all other communication
combined.
Enter,
and attend film festivals. Enter festivals specializing
in your genre, but don't ignore those that don't (you may be surprised).
Film fests charge $15.00 to $60.00 a submission, usually, depending
on popularity; be very cautious of those that charge more. Many
foreign film festivals waive their submission fees. Moviegoers and
distributors love seeing an "Offical Selection" to your
credit. A well-known festival's name in your publicity validates
your movie and piques audience interest. If you can't afford to
attend a fest you got into, be sure to supply the festival coordinator
with posters, press kits, photos, and contact info to answer all
questions when you're not there to do it.
Seek
published reviews. Submit screeners/kits to all trade and
industry publications and online magazines. One positive note from
a reviewer is sometimes worth all the effort that led to getting
it.
If
you don't know something - ASK! Never stop learning. It's
all about the film. Remember, you've already made it this far. You've
accomplished what others only dream about!
-
Alan Rowe Kelly
Alan
Rowe Kelly is a lifelong movie addict whose career in makeup for
film and TV led him to write, direct, produce and act in his first
feature, the award-winning horror flick I'll Bury You Tomorrow,
now screening at festivals around the world.
More
info on Alan and his film at www.illburyyoutomorrow.com
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Not
so long ago, The Festival Rag received an
email from indie-doc director Rod Murphy
asking for "some indie film props." [Cue Rod's e-mail:]
I
am (was) a first-time filmmaker... My film "Greater Southbridge"
has been out on the festival circuit for about 7 months now
and has won more than ten big awards. But despite the great
reactions and some critical praise, a lot of indie film sites
and publications won't give us the time of day... Maybe you'll
be the exception?
Our
Managing Editor Dave Roberts immediately
fired back a reply:
Dear Rod...the current time of day is 4:46 PM (Eastern
Standard Time). Please purchase a chronometer.
This exchange is a perfect example of the can-do attitude
we apply on a daily basis here at The Festival Rag.
Our shoulders are firmly and constantly pressed against the
indie filmstone. Yes, it is a tough job, but somebody's got
to do it. In this case, that somebody is Rag
correspondent J.C. Bouvier. |
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I
recently sat down with Rod Murphy and his producer/editor
Scott B. Morgan to chat with them about Greater
Southbridge, their feature documentary about the peculiar lives
of a collection of citizens from Southbridge, Massachusetts. The
film has been an award-winning favorite of festival audiences for
the last eight months, and Rod and Scott are actively seeking a
distributor for it.
J.C.
Bouvier: How important is staying objective while shooting
a documentary?
Rod Murphy: From the amount of time we put into this film
and with the precarious situations that our subjects endured we
couldn't stay objective and still feel like human beings. I don't
know how some documentarians remain objective and not feel as though
they could have helped on some level, especially if they live in
the same community and really like whom they are filming.
Scott Morgan: It's important to stay balanced and not try
to manipulate the truth of the story too much. However, I agree
with Roddy, that it's impossible and I think dishonest to pretend
you're somehow not present and involved.
JCB: How do you keep level heads from direction to editorial?
SM: You work on different coasts (laughter). Lots of emails
and phone calls. Communication is key. And you trust each other's
skills and what the other brings to the collaboration creatively.
JCB: Will you stay with the documentary format?
RM: I can't imagine trying to do a drama or a narrative
at this point, but since our success with Southbridge a lot of folks
have approached us with all kinds of projects ranging from grant
funded serious docs to sketch comedy to cable T.V. commercials.
Never say never, yo.
SM: Right. We've also talked with some folks about an animated
piece. We just want to keep working on projects that interest us,
whatever form they might take.
JCB:
Any advice for first-time filmmakers hitting the festival scene?
RM: After the after parties, drink lots of Gatorade and
eat a big bag of Funions to avoid hangovers and missing your plane.
JCB: What things would you have done differently while
on the road with the film?
RM: We've done around 20 festivals in eight months and
I wish that the whole production crew could have come to more of
them. Many of the real small ones I experienced on my own and had
a blast, but it could have been better if Jerry [Sciensnewski, a.k.a.
"Mr. Southbridge," the star of the film], Scott, Justin,
Gina, John, Kate and Ursula [of the film's crew] were alongside.
JCB: From the collaboration and success on this first work,
where are you heading now?
RM: We have two other docs in production, with a couple
other projects mulling. The one we are very excited about is a story
that has been going on for decades in the mountains of Western North
Carolina. This great old woman and her family put on a potluck dinner
and bluegrass jam every Thursday night for over 50 years and it's
a become a cultural phenomenon. Many great musicians/characters
come out of the hills and hang out every week.
SM: It's kind of like the Appalachian Buena Vista Social
Club.
JCB: What kind of research have you done exploring various
distribution options?
RM: We've met other filmmakers who've shared their distribution
experiences with us. But like everything else with this movie we've
learned by doing. By calling, emailing, sending packages, reading
and meeting distributors at festivals we understand the process
a little now. We've been contacted by various distributors - Miramax
even called us! - and we are about to make a big push. We're hopeful
that we'll get something done soon.
SM: And I gotta add, our company, 6:14 Productions,
is really fortunate to include a lot of good friends and family
that have been wonderful at contacting the press and promoting the
film. You can't underestimate the value of having a great production
team behind you.
Greater
Southbridge can next be seen in Park City during the Tromadance
Film Festival on January 21st at Cisero's. Info
on the film can be found in many places on the Web, primarily at
www.greatersouthbridge.com.
-
J.C. Bouvier
J.C.
Bouvier is a sometime filmmaker and constant wag. He is the managing
director of the F4 (Free Film Festival Fitchburg)
in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, and can be reached at kingfish@mac.com. |
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Not
every film festival can boast the opulence, the hauteur and the
excess of Sundance, now heading into its 13th
year under that banner. As independent fests go in the United
States, Sundance could arguably be called the least independent
of them. Studio backing, major stars and big budgets are often
as much a part of the program at Sundance as credit-card indebted
films from out of nowhere. Certainly, the eleven-day event sets
the benchmark for how far the independent film world can mix with
the studio world it supposedly rivals without losing its mandate
for integrity, courage and originality.
Films
can make a big splash at Sundance, benefitting from heavy attendance
and countless conversations with the help of expensive publicity
in the form of parties, advertising and marketing gambits. No
secret there. Occasionally a breakaway film will buck the odds
and make a big splash with a much more modest push, simply on
the basis of its quality; films like Whale Rider, Y
Tu Mamá También, and You Can Count on Me.
What's
not often thought of, however is the fact that festivals must
also sell themselves, in order to remain popular with attendees
as well as entrants. For Sundance, this is a tall order, and glory
to the marketer who can impress the demanding celebrity attendance
that descends upon Park City each January. On3Productions
is a New York-based marketing company that provides "Event
Production," "Gifting Experiences" and promotional
expertise to a prestigious mix of clients, and the Sundance Film
Festival is one of its more rewarding accounts.
On3
handled the well-received (no pun intended) gift bag giveaway
for Sundance last year, where participants lucky enough to snag
the bag walked away with tasty items like goosedown jackets and
iPods. This included presenters and accepted filmmakers, among
others. Samantha Milo Haft, a marketing expert
who co-founded On3 Productions, is wise to the ever-rising bar
of self-promotion. "We knew we had to outdo ourselves,"
she said, referring to this year's Sundance trove. 2004's bags
will include haute cosmetics and international resort passes,
spa coupons, wristwatches and more swag both hoity and fun.
The
contents of each bag will be worth nearly $5,000, thanks to sponsorships
and marketing alliances with trendy brands that appeal to top-of-the-heap
celebrities (who must be wooed to and wowed at Sundance each year
if the festival is to keep up its top-of-the-heap reputation).
A well-filled bag of fancy freebies will create buzz for all involved,
please constituents and make the most of corporate sponsorships,
which often make the difference between a film festival's existence
and its extinction.
Filmmakers,
too, benefit from the prized giveaways. While the usual souvenir
vinyl tote filled with maps of festival venues and program guides
is a cheap but indispensable resource during the festival, an
expensive gift bag is something they can take home and revel in
after the festival is over. "It's important to honor the
accomplishments of all the filmmakers, since they are the true
heart of Sundance," says Haft.
That's
an important point to remember. While any indigent indie filmmaker
might bristle at the idea of Sundance marketing itself to the
famous, or celebrities enjoying yet more of the good life because
they're celebrities, it's the filmmakers who will most benefit
from the effort in the end. After working their way to the top
of the festival ladder, they deserve to be treated well.
-
Perry Grebin
On3Productions
is on the Web: www.on3productions.com
Perry Grebin is a writer, director and producer of films and TV, and
a veteran of the festival circuit. He can be found at perry@acme-pictures.com. |
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FYI
on the DIY
The
unconventional DIY Convention: Do It Yourself in Film, Music
& Books will be convening this year for the fourth
year in a row, February 5-7, 2004.
As
always, the DIY will be doing it themselves in Hollywood, CA, showcasing
works from rising filmmakers and musicians while teaching even more
filmmakers and musicians, authors and entrepreneurs how to create,
promote, protect and distribute independently made film, music and
books.
The
concurrent DIY Film and DIY Music
festivals are still accepting entries through Jan. 25, 2004. Registrants
can enter at www.diyconvention.com
or call their offices at 323.665.8080. Entrants are eligible for
prizes and screenings in various cities throughout the year.
Yukon
Gold! Dawson City, Canada
Not the potato. We're talking about a golden crop of international
short films shown each spring at The 5th Annual Dawson City
International Short Film Festival in Dawson City, Canada.
Canada is the big plot of land just north of the United States,
you might've seen it on the map. This year's festival will take
place on Easter weekend: April 9, 10 and 11, 2004.
Dawson
City's Film Festival is a truly international one. Last year's fest
screened over 60 films from nine countries on four continents. As
if you needed an excuse to visit the Yukon, imagine yourself watching
movies with more than 1400 cinema buffs in middle of a gold rush,
huddling together for warmth and sucking on Klondike pops. A tempting
scene except for the fact that the gold rush ended a hundred years
ago, and Dawson City is really quite beautiful in April.
www.kiac.org
ARTIVIST:
Don't Look it up in Webster's, Just Read Below
The
Artivist Film Festival is the first festival dedicated
to addressing social, global, political, animal rights and environmental
issues through visual arts and music. This fest premieres on April
22, 2004, the internationally recognized Earth Day, and runs for
eight days at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, CA.
The
festival's mission is a noble one: to strengthen the voice of international
activist filmmakers and artists - Artivists - while
raising public awareness and funds for global social causes.
Children's
advocacy, international human rights, animal rights and environmental
issues are the worthy causes of note for 2004. The Child
Welfare League of America, Witness, The
Humane Society of the United States and Greenpeace
will be recognized and honored this year for their contributions
to these causes.
All
net proceeds from the festival will go towards supporting these
organizations in continuing their charitable work.
www.ArtivistFilmFestival.org
I Got Your da Vinci Right Here
The
da Vinci Film and Video Festival, held annually in Corvallis,
Oregon, is part of a three-day festival celebrating art, science
and technology -- something of another Northern European Renaissance,
in a way, except that it's in the Northwest, and on a different
continent.
Beyond
the usual fare of indie films, meet-n-greets, and special film-related
presentations, the festival offers music on three stages, a special
event called the Kinetic Sculpture Race, and other such diversions
that could turn Mona Lisa's smile into a toothy grin.
Da
Vinci screens a da verse selection of short films and da videos
from various genres: animation, experimental, music video, documentary,
narrative drama and narrative comedy. The Festival takes place annually
on the third weekend in July, so mark the date in your notebooks.
www.davinci-days.org
To Be Honest: Renegade '04
We
here at the Rag don't know a whole lot about this festival...
In fact, we know so little that we simply cut and pasted the blurb
below from the Renegade website. Giving free publicity
is our way of saying: here, have some free publicity.
"Created
by filmmakers for filmmakers, Renegade was founded with the goal
of increasing the exposure of creative cinema within the confines
of Hollywood. We're not underground, art-house or anti-Hollywood,
we're just film lovers who want to screen innovative shorts and
give filmmakers money, contacts, and exposure. If you've made a
highly original, imaginative, compelling short film, send it to
Renegade for your chance to compete for over $1,000 in cash and
other prizes.
We
are currently accepting submissions for Renegade '04,
which will take place in April at the Silent Movie Theater in Los
Angeles. Once again we are offering a $1,000 Grand Prize for Best
Film, and an Audience Award with a TBA prize. To be considered for
Renegade, send us a VHS or DVD screener of your short film, and
an entry form with the appropriate fee by March 1, 2004."
www.renegadefilmfestival.com |
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The
Festival Rag
wants to hear from you. We're your megaphone!
Got
a story idea? Want some exposure? Wanna get famous? Need someone
to recite the Canterbury Tales? Pitch the editorial backbone of
The Rag : Dave Roberts (dave@kemek.com)
and Gil S. Ripley (gil@kemek.com)! |
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"COULD
BE THE BEST MARKETING TOOL FOR THE INDEPENDENT FILM COMMUNITY EVER!"
- overheard, speaking
to mirror: Markus Varjo, Co-Publisher, The Festival
Rag
The
Festival Rag, a new online periodical dedicated to true
independent filmmaking and filmmakers is delivered monthly to thousands
of media-industry subscribers. If you need to reach young, tech
savvy, independent filmmakers and those who support them, let us
be your conduit.
The
Festival Rag Rate Card
Or,
if you'd like some personal attention (foot massages, backrubs,
great advertising exposure, etc), contact one of our agents:
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Kleibacker : Advertising & Sales
mitchell@kemek.com
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abe@kemek.com
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matthew@kemek.com
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rain nor sleet nor spam.
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