The Little Guy Will Have His Day | IndiePix Films Launches IndieFilm Site #infdist

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From the site:

Tuesday, June 7th, 2011 by Alessandro

"The plight of the independent film is an ongoing storyline that never quite resolves its core conflict. Let’s face it—it stems from the age-old paradox of “art vs. commerce”. As an independent distribution company, we make it our duty to find the films we love and support by finding the appropriate platforms to release them for the public’s pleasure. But why is our task such a difficult one? Maybe it’s as simple as “Michael Bay just kicks more ass” or “George Clooney is just too damn good-looking”.

But there are countless ways to justify mainstream cinema’s dominance over the independent, partly because it’s a multi-faceted conundrum that I have no shot of summarizing within this small article. However, what we can and are doing at this very moment is finding new routes by which to combat the system. A couple years ago I would have fervently argued against the surge of technology that was to dominate our modes of entertainment. Now, as an employee of an independent film distribution company, I realize that technology is our savior! The web gives us our “big break”—the platform we need in order to capture the eyes of independent fans across the globe. Enter Indiepix Unlimited.

We are living in the age of technology—there’s no avoiding that fact. One couldn’t start a conversation about independent distribution without acknowledging today’s ever-increasing web influence. (Will “indie” fans even go to theaters if every new release soon has an “instant streaming” option?) This is the way of the changing distribution world. Platforms such as Hulu, Netflix, Youtube, and iTunes are taking grasp of film catalogues in order to allow instant streaming access on their respective sites. Now that we have options for which platform to release our films, there’s less pressure for landing theatrical releases across the nation-wide independent cinema circuit. Still, the unavoidable allure of the big-screen keeps us motivated to push our films into cinemas per request from our ambitious filmmakers. But in this changing climate where viewing access begin to trump exclusivity, we need to consider how audience’s preferences are changing too. Will filmgoers pay $11.50 to see an independent feature, or wait a month to watch it for $3.99 on their laptop? The answer to this type of question will determine the ways in which we distribute our films in the near future."

Countdown to an ACE FITC Day // Storytelling X.1 // Tell It Like It Is w. Kat Cizek, Jason Gilmore,& Dana Herlihey

Tell It Like It Is

Developing Documentaries in an Interactive World
Interactive documentaries are quickly becoming one of the fastest growing areas in interactive storytelling. They give the creators and subjects a rare opportunity to deepen the understanding and connection they have with their audience. This panel of experts will explore this growing trend and it's impact on documentary storytelling from a Canadian perspective.

Time: 11:20 AM
Date: Monday June 20
Room: Eaton Hall

This will be a super cool panel - Kat Cizek could be giving us sneak peaks of a next phase of Highrise, Jason Gilmore will be talking about a new not-yet released NFB/PopSandBox/TVO iDoc, The Next Day - adapted from a graphic novel (which was just boosted in the NY Times Summer Book Review!), & Dana Herlihey of Stitch will be sharing on their latest projects!

J.J. Abrams Champions Sense of Mystery in Era of Information Overload |Excerpt from Underwire | Wired.com

By Hugh Hart, June 10, 2011

“The downside to living in an age of instant information is that not only do you have a sense almost of entitlement to get the answer to any question you may have at any moment, but there’s also this jaded sense of already knowing the answer,” Abrams said in a phone interview with Wired.com. “If having an answer is sort of [only] a couple of clicks away, is it even worth looking up?”

In days of yore, before Ain’t It Cool News pioneered Hollywood gossip reporting, before The Blair Witch Project taught studios how to convert online backstory buzz into box office riches and before Comic-Con International transformed into a virtual megaphone capable of blasting snippets of film content into the geekosphere many months ahead of a movie’s release date, people went to the movies knowing only what they’d seen in a single trailer and maybe a poster or newspaper article.

Studios’ top-down control of movie information was near-dictatorial, but rarely did audiences in the analog era become sick of a picture before it came out.

By contrast, today’s “need to know” mindset requires a steady stream of factoids, artistic pratfalls, unguarded remarks, DIY paparazzi set shots and often an avalanche of official production stills. Information-gorged audiences who eat the big box of buttered popcorn before they get to the theater are less likely to jump up and cheer than filmgoers who have no idea what’s coming.

Note to Independent Producers: Be More Social! | ITVS Beyond the Box

By Jonathan Archer

As part of ITVS Programming’s ongoing mission to serve the filmmaking community, Jonathan Archer has been seeking out filmmakers to provide their perspectives and experiences from the trenches. First up, The Weather Underground producer, Marc Smolowitz. He recently presented on a panel entitled The Power of Storytelling and was kind enough to share some of his thoughts and strategies with BTB.

Scene from The Power of Two by Marc Smolowitz

Last month, I presented at the Netsquared Meetup in San Francisco on “The Power Of Storytelling.” I decided to connect my remarks to two current labors of love — The Power Of Two — my feature documentary inspired by the life stories of twin double lung recipients; and The HIV Story Project — a new nonprofit that I co-founded in 2009.

Both projects are anchored by social issue filmmaking and wrapped around by global calls-to-action that are uniquely tied to story and character. Produced concurrently in less than two years, my starting point on both has always been a creative one: “What are the stories I am trying to tell?” and “Who are the characters I am trying to bring to the screen?”

From there, a well-developed engagement campaign combined with a broad range of interactive, cross-platform components has fueled funding, capacity, and the ability to execute.

Marc Smolowitz

In fact, these projects — and the strategies that made them possible — have confirmed for me that there is no such thing as powerful storytelling without some or all of the following “non-story” strategies in the mix....." Read the full post:

Jeezus - Testament to Safety Features: Horrific Le Mans Crash Goes Viral on YouTube [VIDEO]

“Great Crash :)” – really? seriously? As a race car driver I can tell you there is no such thing as a “great crash” – only fatal crashes and non-fatal crashes. And what is the smiley face for? Does destroying a million+ dollar race car truly make you smile? Why? Does someone’s life almost vanishing in a split second make you smile? Why? Your response suggests you might want to follow roundy-round NASCAR instead of highly skilled road racing. At least in NASCAR the crashes are little more “planned” (and thus safe) to help deliver on why the fans truly watch – for the crashes rather than the racing.

Grazie! Lance Weiler :: story architect of film, tv and games » Case Study – Pandemic

An overview of Pandemic 1.0

Sundance Program description:

A mysterious virus begins to affect the adults in a small rural town, and the youth soon find themselves cut off from civilization, fighting for their lives. How fast is the virus spreading? It is confirmed—the virus has hit Park City. Can you survive? Pandemic 1.0, a transmedia storytelling experience, unites film, mobile and online technologies, props, social gaming, and data visualization, enabling audiences to step into the shoes of the pandemic protagonists anytime during the day. Mission Control is the only way to learn where you stand in the face of the spreading pandemic.

WATCH THE SHORT

A short film was positioned at the center of the experience.