by Ted Hope.

Until the double whammy of Toronto 2010 & Sundance 2011, it looked like the US acquistion market for feature content had fully collapsed.  No reasonable P&L would have shown more than a modest six figures for US acquisitions.  Hybrid & DIY models have not been developed yet to consistently deliver returns in excess of this amount (or even at these figures).  Perhaps this is now changing, but it would still be foolish for any filmmaker or investor to expect this and we can’t budget for such expectation.

How many of the 7500 films produce in the US annually return 20% of their negative cost from US licenses?  Although it puts emerging filmmakers at a great disadvantage, I think the surest determining factor for predicting US acquisition potential is the filmmakers’ track record.  If you have found buyers previously, you are well suited to find them again — and even still exceeding that 20% is the exception and not the rule.

Read the rest of this article from Truly Free Film.

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by Ted Hope.

This past Wednesday I screened Andrew Haigh’s WEEKEND for my HopeForFilm/Goldcrest Screening Series.  It is a truly romantic film.  It may be a gay love story, but in it’s tale of a one night stand that could become something more, Haigh’s has tapped into a longing and hope that I never feel in any corporate filmmaking and is entirely universal.  It makes me wonder if when creators are forced to think first about the market, if their work will be deprived of love and romance.

Read the rest of this article from IndieWire.

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from Ai Insite.

It takes guts to make an independent film. Unlike big budget studio flicks, independent films are self-financed with the hope that they’ll be picked up for distribution. And while working in this industry may present unexpected challenges, independent filmmakers see it as a true labor of love – one that allows them to create visionary pieces that create buzz and capture audiences’ imaginations.

“Independent films have the freedom to work with niche content without worrying about answering to an investor. This is why indie films have a stereotype of being controversial and experimental,” says Eve Okupniak, department chair for Digital Filmmaking at The Art Institute of New York City.

Story, characters, and craft are the three areas that make an independent film stand out from the sea of films being made, she asserts, adding that successful movies contain characters people can relate to.

“Filmmaking can be compared to a large puzzle. There are several thousand pieces that make up the whole picture,” Okupniak says.

Read the rest of this article from AI Insite.

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This article was written by Dan Seitz.

“I’m a filmmaker, and have been for more than a decade. Seriously, I’ve got an IMDb page and everything (it’s less impressive than you think; they’ll give those things to a dog). I spend sickening amounts of money on gear and graduate school. And at this moment, I’m as qualified as anybody else to say we really are about to see doors open to artists who never would have been able to afford filmmaking, and also open the floodgates to a tidal wave of crap unlike any outside of sewer workers playing with dynamite have ever witnessed.”

Read the rest of this article from UPROXX.

This article was written for Free Web News.

“Hollywood has had a stranglehold on movie making since the early 20th century but since the late 60s more and more mavericks have taken independent film making to greater heights. Movies like Putney Swope and The Graduate were innovative when they were first released and paved the way for future generations of independent film making students and directors.

Who can forget the young, fresh-faced Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate? This movie not only introduced us to Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft but also brought us the great song from Simon and Garfunkel Mrs. Robinson.”

Read the rest of this article from Free Web News.

This article was written by Neal Tolani.

“I have devoted a significant part of my life’s work in support of the independent artist — independent referring not to the size of a project, its funding or subject matter; rather, to the singular vision and voice of that artist. I founded Sundance Institute 30 years ago out of the belief that it is vital to ensure that the artist’s voice remains vibrant, valued and heard in civil society at large.

It is with this in mind that I ask you to join me in bringing wider attention and broader support to a critically important case currently in play in U.S. courts.

On May 6, 2010 Judge Lewis A. Kaplan ordered filmmaker Joe Berlinger to turn over to Chevron Corporation all raw footage — some 600 hours — from the making of his documentary, Crude: The Real Price of Oil. Chevron has sued to use this footage to bolster its legal proceedings in the very same case that is the central subject of Berlinger’s film. The potential ramifications of this for the journalist community, film world and society in general are both shocking and profound.”

Read the rest of this article from USA Trends.

This article was written by Kidane Mariam.

Haile Gerima, the internationally acclaimed director of Teza, Adwa, Bush Mama and Sankofa, hosted a discussion on the challenges of independent film-making last week here in New York.

The public discourse was part of a series of events designed to promote the release of Gerima’s latest film Teza.

The Q & A session, moderated by Tigist Selam, was held on Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute.”

Read the rest of this article from Tadias.com

This article was written by Jennifer Girling.

“Doom and Gloom. That’s was the pervasive feeling at the last AFM in Santa Monica. As someone who made my small urban movies on the fringe, I never really felt the pressure as most of my mainstream counterparts. The urban genre always had a built in audience, and not just black people as you would think.

Because the African-American audience and to a large part the “Hip-Hop” generation is normally under represented as far as selections at the multi-plex, home video has always been fertile ground for black filmmakers. In fact is been something we depended on.”

Read the rest of this article from Script Shark.

This article was written by Jennifer M. Wood.

“After introducing now-iconic indies like Steven Soderbergh (Sex, Lies, and Videotape), Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs), Wes Anderson (Bottle Rocket) and Kevin Smith (Clerks) to mainstream success in the late ’80s and early ’90s, the Sundance Film Festival became the world’s greatest showcase of low-budget moviemaking. In more recent years, however, it has been criticized for being more glitz than grit, complete with celebutantes and gifting suites.”

Read the rest of this article from Moviemaker.

The Ten Commandments of Filmmaking
How to Work (and Survive) in the
Film and Television Industry
by Peter D. Marshall

“Your first movie is the toughest. Even more so when dealing with smaller budget movie projects. It’s a creative fight where you’re nose will get bloodied and you’ll learn what humility means. To go from movie idea to treatment to script to completed movie is an accomplishment at any level. I make movies under the banner of Slice of Americana Films that go straight-to-DVD.

Many of us have read or heard an Hollywood backed movie getting bashed for not making it into theaters and going straight-to-DVD. The straight-to-DVD label is a meant as an insult. I guess considering the amount of cash spent a well funded movie with name actors going straight-to-DVD isn’t a victory. There’s also viewers that put down straight-to-DVD straight away. Which is cool. When you make movies you’re putting yourself out there for people to say your movie, “sucks.”

Read this article from Screenwriting Basics.

The Ten Commandments of Filmmaking
How to Work (and Survive) in the
Film and Television Industry
by Peter D. Marshall