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10 Ways Filmmakers Annoy Journalists

13 May 2013

Great article, any filmmaker who tried to get his film out there by getting editors to publish your PR here are 10 dos an don'ts when approaching publishers. Via @Raindance

Journalists can be the best ally an independent filmmaker has. Many filmmakers don’t know how to treat them.

Here is how you can really annoy a journalist:

1. Lying

Telling a journalist that your story is true when it isn’t is about the worst thing you can do. The damage done to your relationship is probably irreparable. Almost as bad is insisting to a journalist that your story is newsworthy. Journalists make their own judgment on whether or not an item is newsworthy. That’s their job, not yours.

2. Bribery

Journalists can’t be bribed to include you in editorials. That’s why they invented advertorials and advertisements for which they do take money.

3. No Respect For Deadlines

Have you ever had a telephone call from someone you know right before you are trying to leave, or about to quit for the day? Do you know the feeling you get when you are trying politely to get rid of someone? This is exactly how a journalist feels when you call them while they are on a deadline. You need to understand what the deadlines are for the journalist you are pursuing. Also remember that deadlines vary according to the media you are hustling, be it print, web, TV or radio.

 

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Vimeo On Demand: 90 / 10 Split

13 March 2013

Vimeo announced yesterday at SXSW 2013  that it's  Introducing the Vimeo On Demand, an open platform that enables you to sell your work directly to your audience.

Vimeo On Demand empowers creators to sell their works directly to their audiences and retain a 90 percent share of the revenue after transaction costs. In addition to its creator-friendly revenue share, Vimeo On Demand gives creators the flexibility and control to choose their price; select country-by-country availability; customize their page design; and offer content on Vimeo, their own website, or both
vimeo

As expected most of the indie film blogosphere is cheering, however The 90 / 10 is really more of a marketing stunt, for that 90/10 split filmmakers will need to pay for uploading one movie $16 a month, $200 a year, although it doesn't sound a hack of a lot to pay for their back end, the reality is that the majority of films won't make $10 a month, so we would have been more happy with a freemium service since Vimeo also takes %10 from your sales.
Support is also questionable  who will handle costumer support? Probably us filmmakers will have to deal with costumers complaints, no way Vimeo will be able to handle this. But the main issue we have with Viemo On Demand is the user experience part, if you want to pay for content you will need to register an account with Vimeo, a long process, it's gonna filter out a lot of people unwilling to set up an account, having to input their payment info, plus profile info etc before they can watch your film.

The cool stuff: Design Vimeo On Demand will allow for people to use custom domains for the VOD page, so that you can set up your own destination site. Vimeo On Demand will be built into the ecosystem and discoverable through search, and will be part of the “following” system, showing up in feed. Any purchase goes to the watch later queue so you that it can be watched on connected TVs, mobile devices, etc.

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Somewhere To Disappear - Escape From Society

27 September 2012

 

"Somewhere To Disappear" is a new documentary by Laure Flammarion and Arnaud Uyttenhove which explores the desire to run away and escape society. This project was born during the last month of George W. Bush’s era. It captures the country during a unique period of historica change that is mixed with the torment created by the financial crisis and the hope emerging from the election of Barack Obama.



The filmmakers follow photographer Alec Soth.For his project Alec undertakes to write a manual that will provide the basic tips on how to disappear in America. The documentary follows him on his search for men who live on the margins of society. People who ran away from their natural environment, to find their own world.

How did you come up with the idea to document Alec Soth? Why did you guys choose to just direct and use Alec Soth to front it?

Arnaud and I met 7 years ago, during our final study project. It was professional love at first sight and it was obvious to us that we were meant to continue working together. We both wanted to do a project on the photographer Alec Soth, who we both admire and who has the charisma and the qualities required for a portrait. Both of us needed an alter ego to accompany us in this project,me in my second film and Arnaud in his directorial debut. Our collaboration is an intricate balance between a permanent but obvious synergy, a real mutual trust and a fruitful confrontation. For something to be created out of this collaboration we therefore need to be in constant consensus, which sometimes can be quite complex but ultimately more interesting.

We thus contacted Alec via email: we wanted to follow him in the development of his new project. We knew he was a doing another gallery of portraits across the United States and we wanted to find out more about his work methods and the different steps that he takes to find his subjects. More precisely where and how does he find them? And how does he work with them? We first met Alec when he was in France for the Paris Photo festival. During that first meeting he described his project: searching for people who deliberately choose to disappear in America, but he also expressed the fatigue and weariness he was feeling atthe time. Half–jokingly he then added :”I am actually the one who wants to disappear, I cannot take it anymore, I take refuge in my office, my assistant even calls it the “cave”!”.

It's not an easy thing to get someone like Alec with the desire to isolate himself to be follwed by two filmmakers.

Well, the meeting went very well. We came out of it happy. The photographer was generous, attractive and exciting but he felt more like isolating himself right then than sharing his life and he was therefore forced to dismiss our offer.
Following that meeting, Arnaud and I were as much amazed as we were intrigued by Alec: was he kidding? We realized at that
moment that the boundary between the photographer and his subjects is not as clear as he claimed.
A few hours later, in downtown Paris, serendipity puts us back on the path of Alec. We take this unexpected new opportunity to
try to convince him: Alec chooses to believe in this sign, and half-amused, half-intrigued, he finally accepts the challenge. A few months later we joined Alec in his hometown of Minneapolis. We embarked in his small van and started location scouting which
proved to be conclusive.



How was the filming experience? Did you get the people in the documentary to open up to you?

We undertook our journey alongside the photographer secretly hoping to confront the man on his own will to disappear. Our goal is in no way to take a voyeuristic snapshot of someone who himself observes a subject, but rather to follow a character who fantasizes about his subject and gradually merges with it. Through that journey we had many encounters: a former homeless homosexual, a repented nazi, a drug addict, a father of two, a disillusioned retired military man... But what interested Alec, the 40 year old father, American model and world renowned photographer, is nothing of that sort. What fascinated Alec Soth was how these men had achieved what he did not even dare to try: how did they gradually leave society? How’d they disappear from America as everybody knows it? He wanted to make a sort of guide, a technical manual and in order to reach that goal he approaches as a student approaching his masters.

As we collect these meetings we leave the photographer to progressively get closer to the man and his genuine quest. Alec changes before our eyes. More than just a professional pursuit this movie discovers the introspective journey of Alec Soth

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Distrify and The D-Word expand online doc partnership

01 March 2013

 

Distrify, the online leader in social cinema, announces an expanded partnership with The D-Word, the worldwide online community for documentary professionals. With a 10,000-strong membership including Oscar-winning documentary directors and producers, The D-Word is the most active online community dedicated to the art, craft and love of documentaries. The partnership makes films like Urbanized and War Photographer instantly available to documentary fans around the world.

Distrify has previously announced deals with Films Transit International, Story, Danish Documentary, and the British Film Institute. Documentaries from these companies, including award-winning films like The Monastery by Phie Ambo and Steve Jobs - the Lost Interview will form a part of The D-Word Collection.

The D-Word, founded by filmmaker Doug Block in 1999, has partnered with Distrify since June 2011, but will now run Distrify’s first official Curated Collection, as part of Muvies.com - Distrify’s new curated VOD platform launched this month with the support of the MEDIA Programme of the European Union. The D-Word has compiled a featured selection of films targeted at documentary professionals and enthusiasts alike.

Ben Kempas, a co-host of The D-Word and a producer at the Scottish Documentary Institute, says: “This is a brilliant way to share the films we like, not just our own documentaries but any film available through Distrify. They’ve made it really easy: you just click a ‘collect’ button, define a category, and it’s up there. We’re also going to curate a collection here at the Scottish Documentary Institute, where we really want to make use of the option to write personal reviews of the docs we love.”

The D-Word Collection includes categories focused on films made by members as well as featured strands chosen by editors. The D-Word earns a revenue share through Distrify’s unique automatic affiliate system, and viewers of The D-Word collection can quickly and easily join in – clicking to rent, buy, or share any film in the collection.

While the films may have different geo-restrictions, the Distrify collection is automatically filtered to only return search results that are available to each viewer, giving documentary fans a personal experience without disappointment. Viewers who subscribe as followers of The D-Word Collection will see newly reviewed films in their Distrify Dashboard on a regular basis.

“I have been a member of The D-Word since I made my first feature documentary in 2004 and love the true spirit of the community on d-word.com,” says Distrify co-founder Peter Gerard, who was also responsible for the redesign and rebuild of The D-Word’s unique community platform in 2007. “Many docs start as ideas here and are then nurtured through every phase of production and editing by the community. It’s great that thanks to Distrify, The D-Word is now a place to discover and watch docs as well.”

The D-Word collection is now available on d-word.com integrated next to the rest of the online community’s tools, including private and public discussions, member database, classifieds, and a members’ film marketplace. While members have been able to promote documentaries and provide links to purchase in the existing marketplace, the new Collection from the Distrify partnership will be their first curated platform for instant viewing of documentaries.

“This is only the beginning,” says Gerard. “Soon anyone, from a well-known critic to any film fan, will be making and promoting collections of their favourite films – with the ability for your followers to watch instantly and for you to earn a revenue share from your recommendations.”

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The 2012 Hot Docs Forum Full Report

20 May 2012

DocMovies examine all 26 feature doc projects pitched at the annual event, along with detailed judges responses and analysis. This report was written by director Eli Brown, owner of of Postbrooklyn, a production and post-production studio based in Brooklyn, NY. Made possible thanks to filmmaker and Hot Docs Pitch Fourm particpant Hilla Medalia

Watch Hot Docs pitch member Hilla Medalia acclaimed HBO documentary - TO DIE IN JERUSLAEM

1. The Audacity of Louis Ortiz. The film details the unusual life of a man who happens to look very much like Barack Obama. There is a somewhat lukewarm reception from panel. Overseas Commissioning Editors (CEs) are not that interested; American CEs are more interested, but the project can’t be legitimately called a home run for this team. ITVS mentions that they should apply for their Open Call – June 29th; mark your calendars!

2. Sand Wars. Fairly sweeping epic documentary about the fast depleting natural resource of silica sand. Trailer was very traditional doc style (pulse pounding music, talking heads, and the like). It’s an untold story, global consequences – fits well at ZDF (who was working with the production team, and was therefore seated at the table for the pitch). ZDF has a slot on their channel for projects like this. This is the second consecutive pitch that received some criticism from the CEs on the panel for not having a clearly defined story arc they could discern from the trailer and pitch. During the discussion between the filmmakers and the panel, it appears that the documentary might have a split focus (according to the panel). The panel seems to like the mafia-crime controlling the depletion of a natural resource angle, not the environmental disaster angle as much. So, maybe crime does pay. Also, they didn't show any characters in the trailer, so PBS had questions regarding that, as to which strand to place it in if they were to get on board with the film.

3. Zanta. An intimate story about a Tibetan street peddler that transitions into a family story of single mother caught between two worlds (Tibet and China) that are a bit unknown to many western audiences. The CEs respond: POV is interested in this story but want to see more of the story arc. (Wow! 3 for 3. Story arc is the single hardest thing to put together in a short 7 minute pitch, not surprisingly). Tribeca was curious as to what the role of the filmmaker would be. The trailer impressed the panel, overall. Seemed like it got the most interest of the first 3 pitches.

4. Filmmaker couldn't make it, so Britdoc Foundation supporter framed it. About a Swaziland woman's struggle.They need to get an international co-pro in order to move the project forward.

Second Round! New moderators, more people in the audience, a few different panelists. CNN is one of the new CEs at the table -- maybe reflecting their "all-acquisition" strategy for their documentary division that was announced relatively recently.

5. Holy Ghetto. Producer Chico Colvard does a pretty long preface about why he got involved. Then DER talks as "fiscal sponsor." But I feel like the clock is almost done and I haven't seen the trailer or even heard from the filmmaker. The film is about human trafficking in Israel. Their presentation went over by 3 minutes, but no one wrestled them to the floor. The trailer has some strong characters that the panel seems to respond to well. DR questions the title, as in what the "holy" part of the title means. (Editorializing: I agree with DR and the title doesn't quite work since they're not dealing with a religious construct, but rather human trafficking). Chico chimes in that he also wants to change the title, so problem solved! Again, story arc is a bit confusing from the trailer. Panel seems to encourage the filmmaker to follow the women's stories rather than a "current affairs" style of documentary, so there are some difficult choices for the filmmaker to make in bringing the project to fruition.

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