Category: General

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Distribution Item of Interest The Business of Production

Ed Burns talks about independent distribution

Ed Burns talks about independent distribution http://bit.ly/97iy0n

More than “the” new model, one of many new models of financing independent film. Both this post and the one I did earlier on ‘Freakanomics the Movie‘ harken back to the connection with fans and giving them some reason to buy.

What he’s done over the past few years is essentially strengthen his commitment to indies, but with a twist: instead of making films that require studio backing or extensive financing, Burns’s latest film, and the scripts he has in development, will be produced without studio interference, and instead of chasing after the promise of theatrical distribution, he will only pursue a theatrical release if the situation calls for it.  In other words, he’s the poster child for digital distribution, fully embracing a landscape where audiences can download his movies on the portable device or cable box of their choice.  And that’s where our conversation began.

The disruption of old models is normal in any industry as technology affects it. I feel confident that we will find enough new models that we’ll have a healthy film and TV industry for many years in the future. (Yes, I do believe that there will be fewer outrageously wealthy filmmakers and TV producers, but there will be many more people making a decent living, like what has been happening in music.)

Categories
Assisted Editing Item of Interest

Designing an icon for a new Utility for Final Cut Pro

Designing an icon for a new Utility App for #fcp users. @comebackshane is going to like it. #assistedediting

Once again our genius programmer Greg Clarke has created a great utility that incorporates some ideas we created for a custom software project and some that have been requested by Shane Ross.

But when the software is done, there’s the icon, website copy, help guide… There’s a lot to do that’s nothing directly to do with the software.

We’re going to release another little utility we created months ago but never got around to putting up for sale. These will be our sixth and seventh utility – Sequence Clip Reporter, Transcriptize, Matchback Magic, miniME and Sync-N-Link being the others.

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Distribution Item of Interest Monetizing

The marketing of ‘Freakonomics’

The marketing of ‘Freakonomics’ http://bit.ly/aKTPXj “

Eamonn Bowles, president of Magnolia Pictures, who are the US distributors for the film says:

“The business model for independent film has collapsed, and anyone who thinks otherwise is basically borderline delusional,” … “So we try to stay open-minded about the commerce of film.”

I agree that developing a market for independent film (and future independent TV projects) is difficult so every approach that someone tries is a case study for all of us to learn what works now, and what no longer works.

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Distribution Item of Interest

How to Create Marketing That Makes you Rich and Famous

How to Create Marketing That Makes You Rich and Famous http://bit.ly/9V6Oqj

We’re all marketing all the time, whether it’s our opinions in the organization, selling our ideas to producers when we edit, or developing a marketing campaign for a film or TV project.

Amazingly, most people haven’t even got to the 1940’s era concept of “Unique Selling Proposition” and applying it to their business, so maybe they can leapfrog to an updated view.

Original Mad Man David Ogilvy called it a “big idea.” He applied it specifically to advertising—but it works for all kinds of marketing platforms, especially websites. He said:

You will never win fame and fortune unless you also invent big ideas. It takes a big idea to attract the attention of consumers and get them to buy your product. Unless your advertising contains a big idea, it will pass like a ship in the night.

Read the article for the answers.

Categories
Business & Marketing Distribution Item of Interest

Five ways to build Unique Value for Paid Digital Content

Five ways to build Unique Value for paid digital content http://bit.ly/aqDLKi

Techdirt.com originated, and I use it in my “Growing and Monetizing a Audience for your Independent Production” half-day seminar, the equation CwF + RtB = profit: Connect with your fans, give them a reason to buy (something) and you’ll profit.

This article specifically points out that you need to offer “unique” value, that isn’t just about content:

  • Unique Content
  • Unique Convenience
  • Unique Usefulness
  • Unique Experience, and
  • Unique Packaging.

You can’t sell abundance – and digital copies are abundant and virtually free – but you can sell something that’s unique. Unique value is at the heart of monetizing and audience in The New Now.

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Item of Interest

My first music video – broadcast in 1981

My first music video – broadcast in 1981 http://youtu.be/KofUP7jPkMc TNKs to school friend Paul Fogo for pointing it out over drinks last PM

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Item of Interest

Just how ridiculous will the RIAA get? [Updated]

Just how ridiculous will the RIAA become? http://bit.ly/blyLQj

Over the years the RIAA and MPAA spokespeople have made some ridiculous statements in order to push their agenda that their (obsolete) business models should be enshrined in law instead of adapting and changing.

Well, now they’ve become even more ridiculous over the COICA legislation – a Bill that should not pass into law because it lacks checks and balances and no-one involved has even considered the “unintended consequences”. (Oh, and removing sites from the DNS entries won’t help since the IP address works just as well.)

Mmm, idiotic and ineffective legislation that won’t achieve its stated goals but will help the RIAA and MPAA stay in their executive chairs a little longer. Kill the COICA legislation and let’s get rid of the industry lobby group’s outside influence over the Congress they’ve bought and paid for.

But the really ridiculous part is the claim that, without this law, “foreign sites that put Americans at risk are allowed to flourish.” Just what are these sites, and which Americans are “at risk” from them? So, let’s see if the RIAA can tell us which Americans are put at risk by which site — and I’m sorry, but your inability to adapt your business model to a changing market does not put you “at risk.” So, once again, it’s time for the RIAA to answer a straight question: which sites are putting Americans at risk, and how will this law protect them?

TechDirt lists a whole bunch of technologies that would have been blocked had this appalling piece of legislation have passed a few years back: YouTube, Music Lokcers, Music search engines…

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Item of Interest

IMDB refuses to list a film because it’ll be distributed free? [UPDATED]

IMDB refuses to list a film because the producer *wants* to share it via Bittorrent? http://bit.ly/bKcPdo It appears that’s the case.

Seems rather odd that Amazon-owned IMDB would refuse to list a film simply because the producers plan on giving it away free via Bittorrent.

Tedeschi said the production team is raising money to give away the film for free by selling single frames from the movie at $1 each online.

In six weeks, they managed to raise almost $12,000, and hope to sell a total of 135,000 frames.

 

Update: Apparently IMDB have reconsidered.
http://torrentfreak.com/imdb-relents-and-allows-bittorrent-movie-the-tunnel-a-listing-101005/

 

Categories
Item of Interest

The Terence and Philip Show Episode 10

The Terence and Philip Show Episode 10: Limitation of Avid AMA and a gripe about news slanting. http://bit.ly/bAwqxc

Once again, Terence and Philip are joined by Howard Brock as they consider the limitations of Avid’s AMA. Plus a little gripe about the way companies present their news.

Categories
Item of Interest Presentations

Some nice comments from my “New Now Part 2” Presentation in OC last week.

Some nice comments from my “New Now Pt 2” seminar in OC last week. http://bit.ly/aRONBQ Based on the New Now Book http://bit.ly/d5fzTJ

Twice in OC in two weeks: initially for MCA-I OC with part one of The New Now presentation then back last week for part 2 at OCCMA. OCCMA got part 1 about a year ago.

Philip Hodgetts will join us again for part 2 of his presentation for ways to increase your income in today’s environment. Last year he covered:

* Defining and creating a brand, 
* Your Selling Proposition and how to phrase it Social Marketing.

The New Now, Part 2 goes on to cover:

* Getting more customers and more sales; 
* Advertising (Display Ads vs Search; Adsense, Adwords) 
* Cutting Costs – Producing less expensively (Lower cost, same income equals higher profits) 
* Working smarter, using the Internet better to get paid faster, and 
* Finding your own income.