Video Blocks Archive Service - Filmmakers Pay Attention

Recently Video Blocks Archive published their service encouraging filmmakers to "free download all their archive for 7 days" We noticed at one of the documentary forums a filmmaker published this -

Just got burnt by this archive company, Video Blocks, which advertised a 7 day trial period, instead of asking whether I would like to use their service, they just began to charge my account. Obviously a way of collecting money, its not illegal as it says in their small print they can do this, although it should be illegal. They won't return the money, I'm considering taking it further, its not a huge amount, but its just the principal of the thing. It's not right to take money without an authorization after a trial, a trial is a trial. Has anyone else had this experience with this company?

So filmmakers, be careful and make sure you get feedbacks on online services, and please share information.

Luis CK is going DIY

Update: Louis C.K has gotten a million dollars already! That's brilliant news for all you filmmakers who are still debating whether to offer download files copies of your movies, he was told by others that it would be ripped of.

No, Luis CK is not making a documentary, but he's one of our favorist comedians out there, and well, we feel that his message and bold move can inspire many indie filmmakers. Louis CK decided to make his own stand. The comedian rented New York City's Beacon Theater, hired his own production crew and filmed a brand-new one-hour comedy special out of his own pocket. The aim? To offer it one month later as a $5 Internet download. In his sharp way he stands up against torrents users:

"To those who might wish to "torrent" this video: look, I don't really get the whole "torrent" thing. I don't know enough about it to judge either way. But I'd just like you to consider this: I made this video extremely easy to use against well-informed advice. I was told that it would be easier to torrent the way I made it, but I chose to do it this way anyway, because I want it to be easy for people to watch and enjoy this video in any way they want without "corporate" restrictions.

Please bear in mind that I am not a company or a corporation. I'm just some guy. I paid for the production and posting of this video with my own money. I would like to be able to post more material to the fans in this way, which makes it cheaper for the buyer and more pleasant for me. So, please help me keep this being a good idea. I can't stop you from torrenting; all I can do is politely ask you to pay your five little dollars, enjoy the video, and let other people find it in the same way."

Sincerely,
Louis C.K.

We know we will be supporting CK, and we hope this will make a small step toward making DIY a popular chocie for both filmmakers and viewers.

DocMovies is on Tribeca 15 Twitter Feeds Every Doc Filmmaker Should Follow!

"Covering topics including, DIY, Digital Distribution, and New Media, @DocMovies provides updates on the state and evolution of filmmaking in the digital age, thus making it a valuable resource for any filmmaker. The feed also publishes news regarding major film events such as festivals and award ceremonies" Read The Full Article

REGISTRATION FOR GREENHOUSE'S 2012 DOCUMENTARY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: February 20th 2012

Greenhouse is an advanced contemporary development program for documentary films aimed atMediterranean Cinema School Graduates & Emerging Filmmakers from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Syria &Tunisia.
Greenhouse is a yearly program hosting 10-12 projects each round.
The selected filmmakers are invited to participate in three seminars in which they will develop a fullinternational production package and a professional trailer which will be presented in a pitching forum in front of international commissioning editors, film funds directors, producers and distributors from the documentary international market.
Greenhouse is supported and funded by the European Union in the framework of EUROMED AUDIOVISUAL III program and managed by the New Foundation for Cinema and TV – Israel, ESAV Marrakech - the Marrakech School of Visual Arts– Morocco, The Ankara Cinema Association – Turkey, Zebra Productions – Spain APPEL & HONIGMANN – Holland and CFI, France.

Digital Millenium Copyright Act

From the IDA newsletter- this is important

In July 2010, documentary filmmakers won a three-year exemption from the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA). This exemption allows a filmmaker to take materials from DVDs and use those film clips for criticism and commentary. But this exemption is in no way permanent.

Documentary film is critical to our culture and our democracy. The DMCA undermines filmmakers' ability to utilize fair use with the footage in their films by making the act of ripping footage from a DVD illegal. The IDA and Kartemquin Films together will be requesting that this exemption be renewed to allow all filmmakers to obtain the film clips they need under protection of the law. To do so, WE NEED YOUR HELP.

WORLD PREMIERE FOR BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH - WATCH FOR FREE

An important documentary by Wendy Ma, Between Life And Death, winner of the Hugo Television Award is now available to watch for free on filmDIY. The film documents the surge of organ transplants in China, beginning about 10 years ago and boasting a super short waiting period for wealthy patients to have their organs and tissue matched. The investigation focused on the undisclosed origin of the organs. By analyzing the Chinese government's officially published numbers and media reported cases; interviewing many investigators, professionals, and witnesses; and citing the testimony of a principal criminal apprehended by Israeli police, the film documented how the Chinese Communist Regime systematically built up a large organ and tissue database of Falun Gong practitioners and other political dissidents and then harvested their organs while they were still alive to sell to patients for huge monetary gain.

filmDIY in partenrship with NTD telvision is brininging viewers all over the world for the first time the brutal account of organ transplant in China.
NTD is the only independent Chinese TV-channel, it provides censored free information from China, NTD mission is

* To provide truthful, uncensored information to
Chinese people around the world
* Revive tradition Chinese culture
* Facilitate relationships between the East and the West

 

FilmDIY —The Filmmaker’s Guide To The Interweb

DocMovies is excited to present a new initiative filmDIY, our new baby.

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Since 2002 we've been writing, interviewing, and collecting news about the indie community, and since we came from the documentary world, we shared our passion for documentary through DocMovies website. A few months ago we departed from DocMovies' sister site – DocTrailers. The site was pre YouTube era, where we made it possible for filmmakers to upload their trailers and share their stories online (A revolution technology at the time) Thanks to DocTrailers, we got a chance to meet filmmakers from all over the globe and we were excited to feature their work to the wide public. We knew that there was no money to make, but we spent our time and no energy to share the platform with any indie artist who needed it. Of course now with YouTube revolution, we just had to say goodbye.

In recent years we paid attention to the ever growing evolution of digital distribution, understanding the impact its going to have on all of us filmmakers. And so, we opened a Twitter account where we are continuing posting news about the new technology distribution tools that are now available for filmmakers, and of course news about documentary, because it's really “All about documentary”. We have gathered together DIY tools and resource for our readers,  and started gathering all available services that are out there for you to use. And that kept us thinking, we saw a lot of great projects, but something was missing. So  instead of writing about the tools, we dived in and created a platform that will fully provide filmmakers with an ultimate solution to digital distribution and marketing. And that's how filmDIY came alive. Two filmmakers with zero budget tackling what is it the community can use to its advantage, and we think we have the solution with filmDIY.

We would love to invite you all to join us at filmDIY, the service is free, but we need to sustain financaily so we are thrwoing the split payment method where you make 70 perecent of all income from your movie and we keep 30, we don't make money if you don't, simple as that. Filmmakers get roylties immediately with every transaction straight to their PayPal account in full trancpercy within seconds when a transaction is made. We have more great stuff, you can read all about it in a blog host Yoram Scheffer and Kobi Shely wrote for indieWIRE - Hope For Film, here is the full blog guest on filmDIY

As always, it all started from my own personal experience and an eagerness to overcome frustration. I’ve been producing and directing films since 2000. Many of them were broadcast in TV channels around the world, some of them won prizes in film festivals. But my true love, both as filmmaker and viewer, was movies made for niche audiences.

I used to rely on public funding, which is quite developed in Europe, especially compared to the system in the US. Receiving $60,000-$100,000 for a movie just by preparing a written proposal and a short trailer can get your movie project started, but there are drawbacks: competition is fierce, and you have to abide by implicit tough rules regarding both your movie topic and the way you make it.

When I chose not to obey, the answer from film funds was always negative.

There’s not much one can argue about when trying to define ‘artistic considerations’, even when you know that art is a personal choice. But since I owned a post production facility, and a production house, I could allow myself to make my own movies from time to time, even without public support.

Then in 2007 I decided produce a film about Apple fanatics, a DIY effort that I’ve put to the test. I wanted to make a movie I was passionate about knowing it will never get government support. Finally, we produced MacHEADS totally independently from pre-production to distribution. Back in 2007 it was not the traditional route to skip film festivals and go straight to digital distribution. The stigma back than for going digital, was “straight to DVD” strategy, admitting you couldn’t find a distributor to buy your movie, not something every filmmaker wants to be associated with. iTunes movie service started only in 2008. We knew we could get more audience to see our movie the digital way, so we went for it, and we were right.

From  my studio apartment I was marketing and distributing MacHEADS to the world. No film festival could have achieved the same buzz created on the Internet. At some point I made a decision not to apply to film festivals, paying $50 to a small film fest didn’t make any sense.

We premiered the movie on iTunes and MacHEADS became number one in its category and number 8 at the 2009 top 50 documentaries. Hulu made 285,867 views (and still counting) And also became number one top movie in all categories/ Than the Netflix deals came and Snagfilms, and was finally broadcast on CNBC.

My personal experience with digital distribution was quite a learning experience. A lot is unknown to filmmakers even today when stats are coming out and the “wall of fear”, as I like to call the terror that agents and distributors are putting on filmmakers not to share information (They do that with contracts signed for secrecy) Is slowly overcome by many filmmakers who

Selling Your Film Without Selling Your Soul

A Discussion With Orly Ravid From The Film Collaborative- What Chance An Indie Filmmaker Has These Days?

Orly Ravid and her partner Jeffrey Winter have formed The Film Collaborative (TFC), a non profit organization which offers a full range of affordable distribution, educational and marketing services to independent filmmakers looking to reach out to traditionally underserved audiences. TFC is the first non-profit, full-service provider dedicated to the distribution of independent film, including narrative features, documentaries and shorts

What lessons filmmakers need to learn in order to stand out?

Filmmakers can look for a free digital book that we are producing – SELLING YOUR FILM WITHOUT SELLING YOUR SOUL. It's a case study of filmmakers who half or all gone through distribution DIY. Mostly it's a combination of hybrid traditional and DIY. At the end of the day you're talking about different stores so if your film is very known, if it's available on iTunes it will do some business, if your film is not know being on itunes isn't going to do better for you than distributing on your website. And if your film is already known and they have fans, they are not going to be unhappy buying from your website. Under Our Skin, a documentary about lyme diseases sold 25,000 units a month.The topic was not covered before.

The key is that your film does not sell itself unless it has big names or something very commercial and popular. If your film is a small film it's going to speak to some people and not all people, and I think that's a lesson people will have to learn which that they have to be engaging their community, the people who are interested in their film, while they are making their film and once it's finished for the whole time. So that when they make their film available on their own site and on their own Facebook page, which they can do now,  people will actually care and choose to rent it or buy it. The one thing you can always do is make your film available, if you done your job, people will be happy to watch it from your website.

"The question is do I do digital distribution with the festivals? and with Sundance, I have to admit the money was terrible, but you know what? Had they tried it with their bigger films, of course it would have worked better"

What do you think about the window system that is now changing?

THE FUTURE OF THE  DOCUMENTARY - A DISCUSSION  WITH BRIAN NEWMAN ABOUT DIY

Brian Newman is the founder of sub-genre consulting, focusing on business development projects in the entertainment and cultural industries as well as helping filmmakers, artists and organizations to distribute content and connect with audiences through innovative uses of new technology.

Brian was most recently CEO of the Tribeca Film Institute (TFI), where he conceived and launched the Reframe project, a unique initiative to digitize and make available thousands of films for DVD, streaming and video on demand. He speaks regularly on new media, audience development and the future of the industry, and contributes irregularly to a blog on these subjects at Springboardmedia.

DocMovies caught up with Brian for an insightful discussion about DIY and Indie documentary filmmakers

Thank you for taking your time to do this interview. Let's start off by telling us about yourself

I studied film both in undergraduate and graduate, I was always disappointed that I always heard about thousand of films form all over the world that I heard about,but never seen. As a student I always wanted to have films and study it frame by frame. At the time I lived in NY and I used to go to the Anthology, and I was infuriated that I couldn't have them. When I was working on Tribeca, I've noticed that many films that were made years ago were stuck on a shelf and filmmakers don't have the money to transfer them to digital. So we did a program where we digitized a few thousand films and made them available for iTunes and Amazon, and Hulu. The idea is that filmmakers reserve their rights, and the program still goes on today. So I started working a lot with digital distributors, at the same time during my time in Tribeca, when we were giving filmmakers grants to do their films, and every single filmmaker I would talk to would give me 4 stories of their distributors. And it wasn't so much that they were stealing or hiding money, a few did, but after one year that the film fell, they stuck it on their catalog, if the filmmaker could, they would have taken it on a tour or doing other things to promote it.

"In the US and Latin America Cable VOD is becoming a lucrative dream for many filmmakers"

We are curious to know your take on filmmakers who are saying that they want to focus on the art not the business

Artist want to impact the world through their films. There is a big dichotomy around the world of artists saying "I want to focus on the art not the business" The reality is it's a myth. Shakespeare not only had to think about his audience but his audience screamed at him and throw things at him when they thought they didn't see something good. Theatre was much more participatory back than. The famous artists of our time had to worry about the church to get audience for their work. If you have the auteur like Godard, they were very conscious about what audience want. They were pushing boundaries being artistic, and the fact of the matter is that there was period of time where you could focus solely on your art, get a state funding and the distributor done a good job. The reality is that many of them not all, aren't doing their job of finding their audience.

The second thing is, we now disrupted globally, that paradigm shift, and when you look at a TV set you don't expect to talk to it, but with your computer you expect to talk and get a response as a consumer. Film audience are more content driven, and if you are bothering to look for someone's film online you would want to engage with it. It doesn't mean that every audience member want to interact with you or you film, but if someone wants to engage more you should look them up. Another thing you can do is build your audience and than go with a distributor, it doesn't hurt to have a 30,000 fan base on facebook.

UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION FILM FESTIVAL - UPCOMING DEADLINE SUBMISSION

Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, San Francisco, & Stanford - California - USA

October 21 to 30, 2011

One of the oldest documentary film festivals in the United States, the 14th Annual UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION FILM FESTIVAL (UNAFF) presents a program of thought-provoking non-fiction works that explores cultures, delves into human rights and social issues, and documents the world's problems and triumphs.

Touted by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Dr. James Orbinsky as "not only the greatest documentary film festival in the U.S., but in all of the Americas," UNAFF was originally conceived to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Festival has since presented some of the world's most talked-about documentaries, including 19 Academy Award nominees and 5 that went on to win the Oscar: PANAMA DECEPTION, THOTH, THE BLOOD OF YINGZHOU DISTRICT, FREEHELD, and TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE.

Exhibiting filmmakers vie for five honors: the UNAFF Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary, UNAFF Grand Jury Award for Best Short Documentary, UNAFF Youth Vision Award, UNAFF/Stanford Video Award for Cinematography, and UNAFF/Stanford Video Award for Editing. These awards include cash prizes and will be presented at the Festival.