Have We Not Been Saying This For Years Now?!!!

Utilizing one of the most stupid article headlines ever, Variety reports:

Internet influences film audiences

Seriously. Is this where we are at now? Where once-respected entertainment industry publications state the obvious? Here's the whole shebang with my orange highlights on the things the guy on the street already knows:

-------------------------------------------------

If marketing mavens want to reach younger moviegoers when promoting their films, they need to embrace social networks or risk being ignored.

That was the overall message of Moviegoers 2010, the first report on moviegoing habits produced by Stradella Road, the entertainment marketing firm founded by former New Line Web guru Gordon Paddison that hopes to assist film marketers in determining how to reach consumers over the next decade.

The study found that teens and twentysomethings are especially focused on being able to customize entertainment and are quick to share their opinions with others digitally -- especially as usage of the Internet, mobile devices and DVRs has become more widespread. An estimated 94% of all moviegoers are now online.

The younger demo is especially key in spreading word of mouth, with 73% of moviegoers surveyed having profiles on social networking sites.

It's a point that's been made a number of times as sites like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter have grown in popularity. But the study is one of the few to break down specific age groups and how they consume movies and the marketing messages leading up to their releases.

• Teens (age 13-17) are "all about sharing information and group thinking," the report said, with social networking a critical communication tool. They go to movies in large groups and are heavily influenced by their friends' opinions. They also prefer texting over having phone conversations. More than 70% also surf the Web and text while watching TV, and 67% of them socialize with friends online.
• Twentysomethings (age 18-29) "are digital natives that have grown up with technology" and are more likely to go online for movie info and to share what they think about movies via social networks (58% socialize with friends online). They use the Internet to find any kind of information and place a high value on online consumer reviews and sites that aggregate reviews.
• Auds in their 30s are time-constrained, with parenthood dominating their decisions. They split their moviegoing trips between their children and their spouses. They "spend the highest number of hours online and rep the highest use of technology (Internet, broadband access, DVR ownership and cell phone)." They also view the most recorded TV and skip the most ads via their DVRs.
• Those in their 40s embrace traditional media like magazines and newspapers, with moviegoing dominated by special family occasions and influenced by teens.
• And fiftysomethings avoid crowds, prefer matinees and "skip ads because they think there are too many commercials on TV."

Given the increased influence of websites on which consumers buy movie tickets, AOL, Facebook, Fandango, Google, Microsoft, MovieTickets.com and Yahoo were enlisted to supply data for the study.

Study was conducted by surveying 1,547 moderate-to-heavy moviegoers over eight days in July, with an additional 2,305 questioned by phone or online during July. Nielsen NRG managed the research fieldwork.

Although many moviegoers are going online to get info on upcoming releases, TV still dominates as the leading tool to generate awareness for films, with 73% of those surveyed saying they first heard about a movie by watching a 30-second spot. In-theater trailers were close behind with 70%, followed by word of mouth (46%) and the Internet (44%).

Most films are now considered critic-proof, especially among the younger set, with 84% of moviegoers saying, "When they make up their mind to see a movie, it doesn't matter what the critics say about it."

It may depend on who's giving them the thumbs up or down, however.

Of those surveyed, 75% said they trust a friend's opinion more than a movie critic; 80% said they were more likely to see a movie after hearing a positive review from other moviegoers, while only 67% said a thumbs up from a professional critic had the same weight.

Yet only 40% said negative reviews from their peers would dissuade them from seeing a movie, while an even lower 28% would be kept from theaters because of a critic's opinion, meaning that at the end of the day, negative word of mouth doesn't have as much influence.

While 62% now get their reviews online, only auds over 50 rely on newspaper reviews.

The results hardly give Hollywood anything to worry about. The box office is so far up this year and looks like it will be strong for years to come despite the current recession, the study said.

That is mainly because 79% of those questioned said, "Going to the movies is a good escape from everyday life."

-----------------------------------

The next phase of this big research project MUST be a survey of what OTHER forms of web entertainment do these moviegoers enjoy? Do they play games, read books, order merchandise, and so on --- all OUTSIDE of the general Hollywood Studios sphere of influence. While it doesn't say so, I have a sneaking suspicion that we'll find that most people equated the questions regarding movies and "moviegoing" as "getting out of the house and going to the theater" instead of actual MOVIE-WATCHING.

We need to know their movie-WATCHING habits. Because big, multi-million dollar studio releases will be in the theaters, but many indie releases won't (and shouldn't be). Where are audiences watching MOST of their movies? Does peer opinion affect that viewing segment ? How?

These are the questions we need to ask in order to understand and capitalize on the future that's coming.

Millions of Fans Not Millions of Dollars and That's Okay...

From Wired.com - an interview with the freckled face of online entertainment, Felicia Day:

Wired.com: It’s strange that you’re watched by millions but are completely off Hollywood’s radar.

Day: It would be nice to get a few guest stars here and there. They’re very busy making huge, multimillion-dollar shows. It really is two different worlds. That’s why there aren’t a million web series out there that are watched by millions of people. I think that’s changing. The fragmentation of the audience will encourage people to seek other forms of entertainment. But like I said, we still shoot in our garage. There’s no paradigm for it and I think Hollywood is reluctant to see things outside the normal way of doing things. Independent film is kind of on the wane and it used to be huge. Maybe the web series can be that place where new talents and voices can be found.

Wired.com: The YouTube generation is stepping up to fill the role of the film-school generation. The Guild is a bit like Clerks in the way. Can your success inform the future of web video the way Kevin Smith informed indie filmmakers?

Day: I would hope that. L.A. does have a thriving community of people who are doing web series. The funny thing is, with web series it’s not just that you need to be a filmmaker and a producer and get good content. The format of the web series is still being invented. There’s no, “This is how you do it.” I feel like there’s still a format issue — people are open to experiment, but at the same time the sheer power that you have to have on the internet to get the word out about something is something that even huge studios with millions of dollars in marketing have figured out.

Yippee! PRIMEVAL Coming Back!

From The Futon Critic:

The groundbreaking deal between Impossible Pictures Limited (IPL), BBC Worldwide (BBCW) and ITV, will deliver 13 new episodes in 2011. It will also ensure that the spectacular special effects that have made Primeval such a huge success will continue throughout the new season.

Original co-production partners ITV, ProSieben and BBC Worldwide return to co-fund the new series, with BBC Worldwide becoming the majority funding partner. BBC AMERICA, takes on a full co-production credit for the first time and UKTV becomes a first-time investor.

Jonathan Drake, MD of Impossible Pictures Ltd says: "The dramatic changes in the business of broadcasting in the last 12 months have meant we have had to completely rethink how we put the funding together for a top-end series like Primeval. The fact that the series is so well established and loved both in the UK and overseas has meant that everyone has been willing to do their best to give us the backing we needed. With the continued enthusiasm of co-producers such as ProSieben and the fantastic support of the team at BBC Worldwide we have stitched together a ground-breaking clutch of deals that will guarantee Primeval's ongoing success."

Before You Upload That Video...

Read this free e-book right here.

A lot of it applies to movies and books too! Pay attention, gang!

From your pals at 1Timstreet.com

International Rights: Going the way of the Dinosaur?

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES INUYASHA THE FINAL ACT

SCHEDULED TO STREAM IN THE U.S. SIMULTANEOUS TO AIRING IN JAPAN

Final Episodes Of Smash Hit Anime Based On Rumiko Takahashi Manga To Be Available On VIZ Media’s SHONEN SUNDAY

Web Site Mere Hours After Episodes Air in Japan

San Francisco, CA, September 28, 2009 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, delighted anime fans at New York Anime Festival yesterday with an announcement of the near simultaneous Japanese/American simulcast of the action-packed conclusion to the INUYASHA animated series-INUYASHA THE FINAL ACT.

Beginning on October 3^rd, INUYASHA THE FINAL ACT (subtitled) will stream on ShonenSunday.com/anime and Hulu.com mere hours after it airs in Japan. A new episode will air every Saturday thereafter. INUYASHA THE FINAL ACT anime is rated ‘T” teens.

INUYASHA is a hit TV anime series based on the manga by famed creator Rumiko Takahashi, who won the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award for INUYASHA in 2002. Many of the Takahashi titles have been adapted into other media such as anime, live-action TV series, and film. Takahashi’s manga, as well as the other formats her work has been adapted into, have continued to delight generations of fans around the world. Distinguished by her wonderfully endearing characters, Takahashi’s work adeptly incorporates a wide variety of elements such as comedy, romance, fantasy, and martial arts. Rumiko Takahashi is an artist who truly represents the very best from the world of manga. Please visit the new official North American web site for all Rumiko Takahashi-related news and information located at www.TheRumicWorld.com.

When an enchanted well draws her into the past, Kagome, an ordinary modern schoolgirl, finds her destiny tied to the doglike half-demon Inuyasha and a mythical gem called the Shikon Jewel, or "Jewel of Four Souls," of which the smallest shard can grant the user unimaginable power.

Throughout their quest to restore the shattered Shikon Jewel, Inuyasha and Kagome have never faced an enemy more deadly or more cunning than the demon mastermind Naraku. With the Shikon Jewel nearly whole and in Naraku’s hands, the race to collect the remaining shards intensifies and a battle of epic proportions is brewing on the horizon...

Featuring the works of some of the top shonen manga creators in the world today, Shonen Sunday magazine in Japan provides the content for some of VIZ Media’s most impressive new titles. The magazine recently celebrated its 50^th anniversary since its first issue arrived on newsstands in March of 1959. RIN-NE is the brand new Shonen Sunday manga series by Rumiko Takahashi and the first series ever to be published simultaneously in Japan and North America.

“INUYASHA is one of the longest running anime series in North America and we’re very proud to present the final episodes of this epic adventure to fans in the U.S. mere hours after episodes air in Japan,” says Ken Sasaki, Vice President Strategy & Business Development, VIZ Media. “Rumiko Takahashi created a classic with INUYASHA, and ShonenSunday.com/anime will be THE online destination where INUYASHA fans can watch all 167 previously available episodes, as well as follow the newest episodes from INUYASHA THE FINAL ACT!”

VIZ Media publishes multiple series by Rumiko Takahashi, including her brand new manga series RIN-NE, the INUYASHA manga, INUYASHA ani-manga and THE ART OF INUYASHA. For more information on the INUYASHA anime please visit ShonenSunday.com.

This heralds a future when "TV shows" and other media are broadcast simultaneously around the world via the web. No borders or barriers to be thrown up by government interests. International media commerce.

About VIZ Media, LLC

Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga (graphic novel) publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan’s largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa and is a global ex-Asia licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including the popular monthly manga anthology SHONEN JUMP magazine, graphic novels, and DVDs, and develops, markets, licenses, and distributes animated entertainment for audiences and consumers of all ages. Contact VIZ Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546-7073; Fax (415) 546-7086; and web site at www.VIZ.com.

NO EXPLANATION REQUIRED: ASSAULT GIRL 2 / ASSAULT GIRLS

Huge tip of the hat to Warren Ellis who posted these this morning. Films from Mamoru Oshii.

First - the short film ASSAULT GIRL 2:



Then, the trailer for the feature version ASSAULT GIRLS:



As Bellware said earlier, "Awe...some."

Another 7D Video: Beijing

Shot with available light and three lenses. From DslrNewsshooter Dan Chung by way of PrepShootPost's Eric Escobar:



I want a pulp feature shot with this camera...But I want an action sequence done with it first - a chase, a fight, a shootout.

Available light.

Edit to rant: You guys who are always saying you need more money with which to make your TV shows? You don't. You guys who say you can't make webisodes with TV quality? You can. You want to make a show that changes things? That makes an impact? That redefines things?

Don't think big. Think small.

Get Emotional

Shawna posted something via Google Reader the other day regarding that 100 pages is the new '120 pages when it comes to screenwriting.

I'm glad to see that Hollywood is finally catching on. Those of us toiling in the bargain bin arena have held that 95-100 is the new black for a long time now. That particular page count usually yields a 90 minute movie before title crawls and opening graphic design animated title porn.

But what this new 100 pages isn't telling you is that you're required to do double-duty with the emotional content of your script. That is, characters' words must mean something when they speak, but they should also point to other possible meanings through the story. It adds another level of tension to an otherwise exciting story.

This is layering, and it's especially important in pulp stories where the plotline is straight as an arrow (until that point where it isn't) and you need that emotional, character-driven pepper to come through via the dialogue and actions.

I'm going through right now and marking up my own notes in FLY BY NIGHT as production starts designing the look above and beyond what I've outlined in the script. I've tagged a lot of areas in the PDF where I'm going to go back and rethink aspects of a line here and there , the true undercurrents to a scene...

Staying within that 100 pages, but sharpening the dialogue and the characters so we can make a 'narrative pipeline' look and feel as exciting as Monica Bellucci nude.

This sort of thing is going to be especially important as more and more movies are going to debut as webisodes first. Giving the scenes the emotional content that makes the audience go "damn"or "hmmm, what could that mean?" can keep them coming back to your show and even go back to the beginning of the series. Giving your story a once over for its emotional content also allows you to play with your characters in different ways - picking up the rock and looking at all of the creepy crawly things underneath.

Like I did here with Fascinax.

This story wouldn't have happened if it hadn't been for me looking at the wonderful absurdity of a Victorian-styled superbeing and digging underneath to find out what's really going on there.

Dig into your character's emotions, and when you scratch something that hurts then you know you're on the right track and can add that next level of meaning to your work that makes it memorable - even when your writing craft isn't (yet) it's best.

Men's Pulp Mags

Right here.

Found by Curt.

They Are Designing My Movie...

Here.

Though I suppose that since it's moved into the design phase it's OUR movie.

We still need a lead actress to play a master thief who can fly.

Inspirational images here.

Shooting in New Jersey.

(Wait! Don't run away!)

And Who Didn't See This Coming?

From our friends at Tubefilter:

The Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog sequel rumors have been flying since days after the web musical premiered online last summer. Still, despite strong desire from fans and the cast themselves, there wasn’t any movement on the ‘Dr. H 2‘ mostly due to creator Joss Whedon’s primary commitment to his FOX series Dollhouse. But this week there’s new confirmation that the project is moving forward.

During a conference call to promote the new season of Dollhouse, Whedon somewhat officially confirmed that a sequel is going to happen:

The main question, he says, is whether he does it “on a shoe string again” or goes bigger budget and “invites other people into the process.” Either way, he promises that it won’t affect the storyline. (via TV Guide)

In terms of those “other people in the process,” we do hear that Whedon is shopping a digital studio proposal around Hollywood, including to the major studios, looking to raise investment in the $5 million range, according to sources. The unnamed Whedon studio will apparently look to produce four original web series a year, two of which will be directed by Whedon himself. One of those two will be the above mentioned Dr. Horrible sequel.

Hell - Might as well just paste it all up:

By Tubefilter Research estimates, the Streamy-winning show grossed just under $2.5 million, a number that was later reported by in a recent Forbes feature on Whedon. With a production budget just over $200,000, that’s not a bad return on investment (12x). But the question remains can he strike web gold again?

The revenue was largely driven through digital download sales at iTunes partly by accident as the initial release took down the free streaming version on the Dr. Horrible site itself. This, and the short initial window on Hulu caused thousands of fans to pay the $3.99 for the full season. Then there was the highly touted DVD release right in time for the holidays that featured the artfully crafted musical cast and crew commentary. The business model proposed for the new studio would follow that same paid-download and DVD model.

As for the title of Dr. Horrible’s new season, it’s anyone’s guess at this point. The NY Post unsuccessfully tried to sneak it out of Nathan Fillion during an interview about Castle, though Fillion did say he knew what it was.

Also to be determined is whether or not web star Felicia Day will return in some way after her character Penny was killed in the show’s surprising finale. This is Whedon we’re talking about here and who knows, it’s possible Penny could return, as one fan postulates, as Dr. Horrible’s evil clone/robot girlfriend.

A good first step.

But what's interesting are the recent opposing articles articles by the Hollywood Reporter and by Variety. HReporter taking the position that the "Long Tail" isn't working, and Variety showcasing Whedon as someone who caters to a niche.

So which is it? If the Long Tail isn't working and you can't make a profit from a niche (or rather people don't flock to niches as previously thought), then how does Whedon, who Variety characterizes as never having a "hit tv show" able to make his niche work and find financing? How is he able to make $2.5 M from a $200K investment and share that with everyone involved?

I think that what needs to happen is a lot of discussion as to the methodology of the study HR sites in their article, and a redefinition of what constitutes a "niche." I personally think that someone could make a lot of good money from creating content for specific niches - superheroes, steampunk, splatterpunk, alien invasion porn, etc... and spread that content out across many different platforms and revenue streams.

We live in interesting times.

Wanted: More Comics Like These

Masked wrestlers, three-piece suits, pterodactyls, flying reptile women... Does it get much better?

Oh wait... yeah, because you can go down to the local amphitheater and see your favorite masked luchadore in person!

Edit: Forgot to mention I saw these here.

Are You In Business or Not?

I recently came across an interview with Francis Ford Coppola in Moviemaker magazine and was not surprised at his remarks regarding the "business of movies" which you can see here.

I say I'm not surprised because that was the old way of distributing movies and entertainment. It's a very suspicious business to be in - with a lot of risk and rolls of the dice...

Unless you're smart about it - as he alludes to in his reference to Corman (his former boss).

But he's dead on when he says this - an old school adage that still applies:

"The movie business is not a good business to be in. You can have the money to finance your own movie, the actors can all love you, and if you don't control the distribution, you're dead."

Thankfully, that aspect of the business is changing.

Ten Principles of Hybrid Distribution

From Peter Broderick via Indiewire:

(I'll run the list down - go to the source for the details - MPB)

1. Design a custom distribution strategy.
2. Split distribution rights
3. Choose effective distribution partners
4. Circumscribe rights
5. Craft win-win deals
6. Retain direct sales rights
7. Assemble a distribution team
8. Partner with non-profits and online communities
9. Maximize direct revenues
10. Grow and nurture audiences

While hybrid distribution is the state-of-the-art model for the New World, it is not the best approach for all independent films. Some movies are better served by an Old World all-rights deal with an experienced distributor. The best distributors have resources, relationships, and expertise, which can be essential to a wide theatrical release. They may also have advantageous deals in place for VOD, DVD, and digital rights. If filmmakers do due diligence (by speaking with other filmmakers involved with the distributor they are considering) and are able to negotiate a fair deal, their best choice may be an all-rights deal. Higher budget, more mainstream features are better suited for an Old World approach.

Hybrid strategies are ideal for most documentaries. Lower budget, more distinctive features, like “Good Dick,” may also be better off splitting up their rights in the New World. Features with strong core audiences can also do well implementing a hybrid model. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” used a theatrical service deal to gross over $241 million domestically.

Just as the development of digital filmmaking tools in the ‘90s meant that no one could stop determined independents from making movies, the evolution of hybrid distribution in this decade means that no one can stop tenacious filmmakers from bringing their films into the world.

John August weighs in here.

Pulp Legionnaires! Atten-hut!

This is to inform you that the latest edition of the Pulp Legion Electrogram has gone out via the interwebs.

It features my take on Mike Curtis's wonderful notes from the 2009 DGA Digital Conference from awhile back. (Yeah, I finally got it out the door...)

For potential recruits into the Legion - if you sign up (see sidebar) and email me with your name, I will forward you this latest issue outlining some of the ways entrepreneurial pulpsters are overcoming the distribution hurdles facing us in the 21st century. If you jump on now you'll be in line to benefit from some of the changes we will be undertaking leading us into the new year.

(Image courtesy of Golden Age Comic Book Stories)

"Indie Film Is Dead. Long Live Indie Film."

From Anne Thompson via Indiewire:

I saw one movie after another that was unreleasable in the current climate. As lovely as many of them were, they weren’t commercial enough. (Anthony Kaufman, Todd McCarthy and Karina Longworth weigh in.) It costs too much money these days to make a dent, a mark, an impression that will create enough urgency in filmgoers to make them go out and see a movie. While Ted Mundorff insists that business is up at indie-branded Landmark Cinemas around the country, and Apparition’s Bob Berney is hopeful that exec changes at Cinemark and AMC will bring a new awareness to booking the right movies in the right locations, the indie market needs help. “Movies that rise above like A Single Man or Bright Star will have a theatrical life for quite a while,” insists Berney. “For financial reasons, not enough good films were for sale for buyers. A lot of films were misses. If a film is not really special, there is no in between. It will not get a theatrical release. If it’s a half-way movie, audiences will skip it and watch it at home.”

To paraphrase the great Lee Falk regarding his creation, The Phantom:

"Indie Film is Dead, Long live Indie Film."

Yes, the days when companies bankrolled movies of $10M or more about rabid masturbators living in their mother's attic who just happen to be artistic geniuses sculpting rat feces are dead.

Yes, the days when you just make the movie and don't actually think about who's going to see it and why are dead.

Yes, the days when you put a film in a theater and pray for a good review while going into hock are dead.

Yes, the days when a distributor paid nothing upfront for a movie and took all rights are gone.

Gone. Dead. Stick-a-fork-in-them over.

We have no more time for festival "darlings" (Filmmakers, Distributors, Films) who are living a lifestyle that we can't afford.

The (R) evolution is declared. And it's time to choose a side.

And for those of you thinking that this is going to a bloodless revolution? Sorry. No. Some of you are going to lose your jobs. Many of us already have.

But if we win...

You'll live in a world that's real. A world where you can make a movie or a tv show and make money from it. Where you can make a living entertaining people in all sorts of ways and means and from anywhere in the world.

All you'll have to do is be good (and responsible).

Danger: Diabolik - Behind a Pulp Movie Smash

By Your Command: Emma Peel

Emma Peel (whose name stands for "M" appeal - as in man appeal) rocked the spy-adventure world in the 1960's.

Now you know where Echo gets it from...

Move Over Emma Peel!

Echo's in da houuuuse!

(Gotta say I love the tagline too)

Curiouser and Curiouser...

So - in looking at the post below - we find that XBox is poised to become part of (as in 'major league player') the multi-billion dollar download to own business.

However this post from Chris Albrecht at New TeeVee says that we shouldn't "expect more web series" from XBox anytime soon. The assertion being they are having a tough time inserting ads into their video content and they need material that "moves the needle" for them in terms of viewership.

"Honey made it pretty clear that Xbox isn’t in the web video acquisition game, but didn’t rule it out entirely. Based on our talk, we can offer up this tip from him for those who absolutely gotta be on Xbox: “Gamers love watching things about gaming.” Honey says that the two most popular TV shows on Xbox are South Park’s Make Love Not Warcraft and Guitar Queero. Having a gamer bent is, in part, why Microsoft was so aggressive in obtaining The Guild on an exclusive basis. It also didn’t hurt that The Guild already had a sizeable audience and its star, Day, basically became a spokesperson for Xbox."

This is not a problem.

Indiana Jones Circa 1950

Courtesy of Boing Boing.

From The Mad Genius Who Is...

Donald F. Glut come these wild wonderful pulp films courtesy Tempe DVD.
















COUNTESS DRACULA'S ORGY OF BLOOD (DVD)
UPC #827912081114 / $19.99 SRP
Order Date: September 11, 2009 / Street Date: October 13, 2009

What does a vampire do when he can only drink blood that first passes through another vampire's veins? Lord Ruthven revives his lesbian sister in this horror-erotic sequel to Frontline Entertainment's cult hit THE EROTIC RITES OF COUNTESS DRACULA! Remastered edition with a coffin-load of new DVD extras, featuring international horror icon Paul Naschy in his first American movie!


THE MUMMY'S KISS: 2nd DYNASTY (DVD)
UPC #827912081121 / $19.99 SRP
Order Date: September 11, 2009 / Street Date: October 13, 2009

Eternal youth can be a curse as well as a blessing. That's what an aging beauty discovers after making a pact with an Egyptian goddess involving a revived Mummy and the stolen kas of three sensuous female victims in this horrific sequel to Frontline Entertainment's cult hit THE MUMMY'S KISS! Newly remastered with additional bonus features!

Now You Know...

What are you going to do about it?

ITunes Xbox Dominate Downloads to Own

From Video Business:

DIGITAL: Market will grow to $2 billion in 2013, Screen Digest says

By Marcy Magiera -- Video Business, 9/15/2009

SEPT. 15 | DIGITAL: LOS ANGELES—Apple’s iTunes clearly dominates purchases of digital movies and TV shows in the U.S., but when it comes to Internet video-on-demand or digital rentals, Xbox Live is a strong challenger, said Screen Digest analyst Arash Amel, speaking today at the Entertainment Merchants Assn.’s Digital Media Pipeline conference.

Amel, Screen Digest’s research director for digital media, forecast that global revenue for digital formats will grow to $2 billion in 2013, from about $500 million this year. U.S. revenue in the first half of the year was about $140 million, he said, with “significant growth in electronic sell-through.”

In EST, or download-to-own, Apple dominates in the U.S. with 82% market share in the first half of 2009, down from 86% a year earlier. In VOD, or digital rentals, however, Apple claims only 52% market share, with Xbox Live at No. 2 with 31%. Amel predicted Xbox will gain more market share when it refreshes its service this fall. No other service has a significant share, though Amazon and Blockbuster are among those at the head of the trailing pack.

Both EST and digital VOD are overwhelmingly driven by new releases, Amel said.

Hmmmmm.....

Dushku "Echoes" Merits of Shooting HD

From her Twitter feed:

elizadushku Shooting HD this yr, lightning fast-- really amazing. And the look/texture: goofy cool.

Soon - people will be duplicating that "goofy cool" look / texture for their indie movies / webseries.

Embrace technology. Innovate. Export to others to add to the innovation.

Mad Pulp Media Logo Madness

No Explanation Required: Amazing Mask !

The Other 90 ...

So, as I often do on Friday afternoons, I spent awhile trying to catch up on some of the more interesting articles and news bytes that I 'star' in my Google Reader. This allows me some time to clean house before the weekend and gives me some inspirational business ideas that I may be able to apply.

While I may not be ahead of the curve, I at least try to stay within it so I know where it's going.

Anyway, I was reading this. Which prompted me to do a search and I found this. and this. Now as I often do I started putting things together to see if they fit. Sometimes they do - sometimes they don't. But for me, it always leads to interesting questions.

So - if Polak is correct and “Ninety percent of the world’s designers spend all their time working on solutions to the problems of the richest 10 percent of the world’s customers."

And if Joy Marcus is correct and "We’re seeing a lot of people moving from high-level, squeaky clean Hollywood stuff to more gritty “Pro-tail” stuff, which is semi-professional, long-tail content."

And if Iger is correct in his figures: "Iger opened by mentioning that TV took thirteen years to reach 50 million people. It took Facebook nine months to get 100 million members. 400 million videos were streamed on Hulu last month. YouTube offers more than 100 million videos... "

Are we seeing the trend toward media for the other 90%? Are the movies and TV shows geared toward just 'the rich?' Is that why we're seeing more and more consumers going online to consume "Pro- tail" content? What does media for the other 90% look like?

• Where does that media come from? - From us, obviously.All kinds.
  

• How is it built? - as cheaply as possible (open source production?) . "It" in this instance being the production, marketing and distribution apparatus in order to get product to consumer.(See Netbooks)
  

• What does that mean in terms of production, distribution, cast, crew, etc...?
  

1. Production and development would be dependent on the tech involved. Thankfully it is getting cheaper and cheaper to attain a higher quality product.
2. Distribution is to the masses outside the theater system who can't afford high ticket prices (or cable, or Netflix fees, or BB fees. See: Redbox, Internet, Other TBD)
   
3. Cast would be new. No names. You make names. Story is the star.
   
4. Crew minimal as possible.
   

• How does the 90% support it (and you)?
  

1. By tying the media to a low cost - high volume product already in use by the 90.
2. By keep the sales volume high and margins low.
3. By making it so accessible it's too easy to get. Free even.

Things to think about. Especially in light of articles like this.

Edit to add: No sooner do I post this up than I read this from Cousin Trevor :

"Jim Jarmusch once told me “Fast, Cheap, and Good… pick two. If it’s fast and cheap it wont be good. If it’s cheap and good it won’t be fast. If it’s fast and good it wont be cheap.” Fast, cheap and good… pick (2) words to live by." -- Tom Waits

INDIE FILM TOOLS: 7D, MAGIC BULLET MOJO

Eric Escobar over at Prep Shoot Post has a great post up about two indie film tools you can use to make really cool looking movies:

The Canon 7D -- $1700 for the basic camera

Magic Bullet Mojo -- $99 bucks

And here are the results when you mix the two:

Perya Colored from PrepShootPost on Vimeo.

The ability to shoot and color correct a film for less than $2500?

That's the win.

Or as Eric put it:

Does this mean we're going to see a whole slew of films at festivals and on-line shot with Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 lenses with perfect skintones and greenish shadows?

Absolutley!

Is that a bad thing?

Who cares?

I, for one, love shallow depth-of-field lensing with poppy color contrast processing that separates people from backgrounds.

The look I went for on the "Perya" footage was a 35mm slide film cross-processed type image. Punchy, vibrant colors with an emphasis on gorgeous skintones.

It's a great time to making images that move.

I, for one think that this is what's been needed in indie film for a long time - someone to put some color into it. Nothing sickens me more than when I see these grey blobs of meat puppetry moving across screen. I want some sharpness, some color, some sense of lighting design and sense of production value.

And at these prices there's no excuse not to color correct and enhance the storytelling capabilities of the images you are capturing in your camera. I talk to so many filmmakers every day who tell me they want their film to look indie , grainy and so forth.

They think it's edgy, experimental (emphasis on those last 2 syllables) or counterculture.

Do you know what are they really telling the buyers overseas who purchase these movies?

That their movie is cheap.

Links To Use

I frequent the website CHANGE THIS because it's nice to get an essay every now and then dealing with a different perspective on a subject you're dealing with yourself. Here's some of their recent "manifestos" (PDF Links)

Downsizing

Dealing with change

The Importance of a Plan B

There are all sorts of subjects covered in the site so give it a good review and choose the ideas that you think you can incorporate into your own life.

It's About Time! Roger Corman is Getting an Oscar!

From CHUD:

I cannot even believe I am typing these words but:

Roger Corman is getting an Oscar.

The maestro of cheapie genre films is finally being recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for a lifetime of work that I guarantee to you is more influential than probably ten other random Oscar winners put together. If you just want to go 'serious,' Corman started the of people like Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese (and Joe Dante, Ron Howard, Alan Arkush, Jim Wynorski, Jim Cameron, Gale Ann Hurd, et al - MPB) (both of whom will hopefully be on hand) (and distributed films of Bergman and Fellini - MPB) but if you want to go 'film geek,' Corman is a giant, churning out low budget feature after feature that blazed the imaginations of generations of kids.

Were all of these films 'good?' Hell no. But they were all Corman.
-------------------------------

This has been long overdue...

I Gotta Say I Kind Of Dig It

Plan 9 Teaser Trailer from Darkstone Entertainment on Vimeo.

I mean, remaking the worst movie ever? No where to go but up...
Adding the requisite zombies ala Night of the Living Dead?

Weird kind of genius.

I'm Thinking of Opening A Pulp Filmmaking School

It would be run a bit differently than other schools you may or may not have attended.



But you would know the film business as if your life depended on it.
Because it does.

Indie Film's Survival Strategy: 2009 and Beyond

Ted Hope over at Truly Free Film has a Top Ten List here outlining what it's going to take to survive the next couple of years:

(Note: I'm going to tweak it a bit here and there)

1) Cut all your budgets by 60% -- but recognize your fee is going down by an even greater percentage;

2) Meet all the marketing, distribution, publicity, social network, widget & app designers, web strategy, & transmedia story world builders you can possibly meet, because "producing the marketing and distribution" of all your films under $4M has become part of the producer's job description -- but recognize that is going to be a major time-suck on your schedule;

Develop contacts above you in the financing and venture capital sectors of the business. Meet people outside of film. Learn.

3)Aggregate viable projects under $500K to build a new media distribution apparatus, recognizing the lack of fees and time suck involved -- but that the low budget is required to experiment with new platforms with unproven financial models and a multitude is necessary to learn;

Experiment. Learn. Repeat what works. Publicize the results. Build the audience for the next one.

4)Continue to try to get one of 10 or so available slots for prestige specialized film budget over $10M so you can actually earn a fee, but recognize the odds are really really low that yours will be the one out of 500 or so that are competing with you;

Yes. The odds are low, but keep submitting anyway because it builds your contact base every time you pitch a project.

5)Do everything you can to get a studio picture and/or television series since they are the only ways to legitimize yourself in the industry's eyes, the quickest ways to promote your brand to potential new fans, and the most likely ways to earn enough money to sustain yourself;

I would also say that a successful web series would do the same thing. If promoted well to the right people it will have the same effect.

6)Spend some time every day building your own audience and deepen their level of commitment to you by you giving back to them regularly -- so that ultimately they will follow you and help promote your work, because you aren't going to be doing it alone;

Blog, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube muthafucka!

7) Find some other way to earn money on a regular basis since the film industry will remain unstable for a very long time and we all need to pay the bills;

Something like this. Low commitment high return.

8) Fight for affordable health care and education because if you have to go into substantial debt to pay for what should be available to all then you will never be able to consider a career in the arts to begin with or ever again;

Use the resources you have - the internet, local services that are free, etc... Save, save, save. Be thrifty and frugal and learn that you don't need to spend to have fun. Use the library to rent movies and read helpful books.

9) Try to give back to a younger generation who are much different than you (other than their interest in film) because if things don't make some substantial changes soon, their won't be a film industry for you to work in either (i.e. we've all done the same things for too long and the system is broken and we don't seem to know how to fix it) and besides, maybe you will learn something;

Draft these people into service. Put them to work. I would have killed to work on a film set or with one of my mentors when I was a young student. Give them the benefit of your hard-earned experience.

10) Keep your overhead as low as possible forever and ever and ever, as you will need to remain very flexible in the days and months to come.

It's the pulp way isn't it?

RedBox and Netflix = Majority

Scott Kirsner over at Cinematech made a discovery today after reading this article from the NY Times.

RedBox and Netflix together represent 54% of the
DVD rental business in America.

These two companies - whose mottos advocate bargain DVD rentals and convenience (so much so that Netflix added a download to rent program) represent the consumer wishes when it comes to their rental entertainment.

I can only imagine that the current lawsuit outlined in the article will only spur consumers to find more RedBox locations near them or open a Netflix account. The Studios are in the unenviable position of having to argue that they aren't making enough money on their movies...

And when the figures are trotted out as to how cheap it is to actually manufacture and replicate a disc - the average consumer will wonder why they couldn't just make a rental version of the movie and a retail version (as some studios are doing).

The studios that are fighting RedBox have a much higher hill to climb. If they actually trot out numbers as to how much it costs to make Hollywood blockbuster movies then we'll all get a peek at how much fat there is built into the Hollywood machine. No one will argue that they have to recover their production and marketing costs.

But when they open the books and people see what the costs are - what was actually charged to the movie's accounts on the studios books - well there's going to be an outcry... Especially from hedge funds that have invested in Hollywood movie making.

This is a can of worms. Squiggly, epileptic worms.

My Birthday is in February...

I'm just saying...

Courtesy X-Planes.

Roger Corman Kept the Plates Spinning...

As all pulpsters know, you have to have a lot of ideas in the pipeline, ready to be pulled out polished and sent out to fill a market need. You never want to be in a position where you don't have a concept to sell to a producer.

Pulpster: ...and then we find out she's a robot!

Producer: (puffs cigar) Naw! Already have something like that in the pipeline. Ya got anything else, maybe something like [Redacted]?

Pulpster: (looks a notes)... why yes! Yes I do...(launches into pitch)

Well look at all the projects Roger Corman developed in some way, shape or form.

(courtesy Temple of Schlock)

ACAPULCO (1980)
Screenplay by Frances Doel

ALL THE BRIDES CAME BLOODY (1971)
Starring Jerry Talbert and Melissa Miles.

ALTAR OF BLOOD (1971)
Corman's company during the 1970s and early '80s, New World Pictures, was set to release the French horror film MIDI MINUIT (MOON AND MOONLIGHT) as ALTAR OF BLOOD, but that apparently never happened.

AVALANCHE (1974)
Written and directed by George Armitage
"A tale about an avalanche at a ski resort," this project was later assigned to director Corey Allen and uncredited writer Gavin Lambert. The finished movie was released in 1978.

A BULLET FOR EVERY AMERICAN (1974)
Co-produced with Mark Damon Productions
Written by Michael Wakely
Directed by Joe Dante
"To be filmed in Rome"

And note in many ways he had art created before the movie was shot or even before the script was written!

High and Lowbrow: Co-Dependent

Been doing some research on the web, figuring out a bit of this and a bit of that. I sure am glad we have the internet and people are allowed to share their research and creativity and so forth. In years past it would have taken me weeks to accomplish what I've been able to assemble in mere hours.

Love that.

One of the recent finds is this, an article by Peter Swirski of the University of Alberta regarding Popular and High Brow Literature: A Comparative View. You can download a PDF of the article from the page. While the article compares and destroys the myths of the literary forms of "popular literature" (read: pulp) and more "pure art" projects, he notes many similarities and more importantly needs between the two. In other words, you can't have successful "high art" without a populist counterpart(ner).

Take a moment to read it and wherever it says "Book, novel or work" feel free to insert "Movie, comic, TV or web series" and you begin to see the broader implications of Swirski's analysis. An excerpt below:

The Pure Art myth wants us to believe that high art abides in the realm of creation untainted by the cupidity of its lower caste cousins. Like Disney's Seven Dwarves, who typically hang out in a troop, this myth does not dwell alone in the forest of literary and cultural misconceptions. On most days it can be seen having cocktails atop the Ivory Tower with a small but influential coterie: the myth that the Novel Is Dead, the myth that People Don't Read Books Anymore, the myth that the Paperback Is a New Kid on the Block, the myth thatReading Pulp Fiction Is Bad For You, and the grand myth that We Can Ignore Popular Literature.

In what follows I would like to take a closer look at some of the ways in which highbrow literature and popular fiction relate to each other. My aim is to take stock of select sociological data and aesthetic arguments that have accrued between the birth of popular literature -- the term I will use interchangeably with fiction -- in the eighteenth century and its drosophila-like explosion in the twentieth century. Its career may be all the more remarkable in that, for the most part, it has taken place without the sanction of the "eliterati" or literary scholarship in general.

Like a backyard fungus, mass fiction conquered the world without the benefit of a gardener's pruning knife (in the shape of systematic criticism) or clods of fertilizer (art grants, writer in residence funds, poet laureate stipends, government subsidies, etc.) which midwife the efforts of highbrow littérateurs. More than two hundred years of fruition in all corners of the world warrants the examination of popular literature as a literary phenomenon, rather than as a mere cultural nuisance.

Give it a read.

Honey - Let's Have a Few Friends Over for My Kind of a BBQ!

BATTLE JITNI : The Danger Element

This looks fun and features latex actor Doug Jones (HELLBOY, ANGEL OF DEATH)in a steampunk-ish, Road Warrior, alt history adventure. It needs better, tighter editing and less self-indulgent directing. It is however over-the-top so...

I've Been In A Funk...

Physically ill for the last two days, feeling like I can't catch up to my workload and just mourning the loss of a pal and feeling guilty over what I could or couldn't have done (I know...I know).

But that's gotta stop.

So I'm asking you all - and you know who you are to bear with me. I'm building stuff. I'm clearing the desktop. The Mad Pulp Scientist's lab has a Do Not Disturb sign out on it.

In the meantime - go here.

Then watch:

Some things never go out of style or charm.