remixable - posts tagged 'news'

NEW BREED: The Crowd

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:44:36 GMT

By Gregory Bayne – As some of you know, I recently completed a successful funding campaign using Kickstarter.com to raise the initial capital needed to get my new film, Jens Pulver | Driven, an intimate documentary about legendary UFC Champion Jens Pulver, off the ground.

The end result of the campaign was $27,210 pledged, my goal was $25,000, via 410 contributors, in 20 short days.

Since the close of the campaign I have received a number queries as to how this was accomplished, especially since 72 hours out from my deadline, I was still $10,000 short of my goal.

I will attempt to explain my guiding principles, and overall approach to the campaign here. I also recommend reading the Kickstarter blog post on the project. In it they outline the ebb and flow of the funding, and I answer some specific questions in regard to the effort.

* Since what I accomplished has been commonly dubbed as ‘crowdfunding’, for clarity in this article I refer to the gracious funders of our work out there as ‘The Crowd’

BELIEVE IN YOUR PROJECT

When you put yourself out there in a very big, very public way, it is (in my humble opinion) key that you believe 110% in what you are doing. This seems obvious, I understand, but if you have browsed sites like Kickstarter.com or Indiegogo.com, you’ll find it is fairly easy to sniff out those that believe deeply in what they are doing, and those who are simply hoping The Crowd will magically transfer money into their bank accounts.

If you want The Crowd to invest in you, and yes they are ‘investing’ in you, then you need to be able to go to the mat for your project. That means you need to be able to explain clearly what it is you are doing, and why others should join you in your effort. You must engage and respond, consistently and reasonably, to both the positive, and the negative. And finally, you must understand that no matter what your project, you are the entry point. If The Crowd does not believe in you, they will not believe in, nor help fund, your project. Yes, you are now in the customer service business.

KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE

When approaching The Crowd, it is important to understand that there is not just one Crowd. There are innumerable Crowds, with innumerable interests. If you know what it is you have in your individual project, what inherent, stand out elements that would speak to your crowd, you will have an easier time a) locating your crowd, and b) attracting your crowd.

Again, this seems quite obvious, but if we are honest with ourselves, objectivity in regard to our own work is often hard won.

Just like in any other type of endeavor, you will not find what you are looking for if you are consistently barking up the wrong tree. So time invested ahead of time pinpointing your crowd, will save time later when approaching your crowd. That all said, The Crowd can respond in surprising ways, so it is important to remain both focused, yet open to all opportunities when reaching out to The Crowd.

ENGAGE & RESPOND

Forget playing it coy, you are no longer an ‘artist’, you are an ‘artist asking for support’, and by support, we mean money, so proceed accordingly. When you receive an email, answer it. When someone says something positive, thank them. When someone says something negative, engage with them, and by engage I mean address their concern. You will do yourself no favors by starting battles with The Crowd, potential or otherwise.

The Crowd, remember, are people. They are not faceless, nameless dollar signs. They are your supporters, your new friends, your audience, and your community. By the very act of investing in you, someone they likely have not met in person, they are very deserving of your respect.

RESPECT THE CROWD

The advent of The Crowd, exciting in its creation of new opportunities for us creators, is also ushering in a new era of responsibility for us. To remain a sustainable mode of funding, we must not only engage and respond, but we must follow through.

At base, this means simply delivering on the initial promise, but I think it goes much deeper. If we want The Crowd to continue with us in our future endeavors, to become the all important fan of our work, then we must go above and beyond, and deliver to them an experience that says, with our deepest sincerity, “Thank You!”

With DRIVEN, I have had just as many, if not more, project updates since the funding period closed. I have tried at every point, as time has allowed, to check in with my crowd, to provide them with updates on what is happening with the project, and to let them know how much I appreciate that they decided to be part of this project by making them part of this project.

IT’S NOT MAGIC

It’s simply not. There is no such thing as something for nothing. Say it. Out loud. Then say it again. It is work. Hard work. Dedicated work, to approach The Crowd, to ask The Crowd for their hard earned dollars, to transfer to them your belief in what you are doing, and compel them to act on that belief.

If you wish to embark in this type of endeavor, prepare yourself with the knowledge it will be a 24/7 campaign, and that the work will have just begun if you are successful in your efforts.

In closing, I would just say that my experience has been overwhelmingly positive, not just in the completion of my original goal, but in many unexpected ways. My project has been in the public eye from day one, and because of that, and my continued engagement with my incredible supporters, the form, function, and focus of my film have been shaped in very profound ways based on the immediate response I have garnered from The Crowd. I think it has made the work better, as I’ve been able to approach my production with a clear understanding as to exactly what my audience is responding to most. Also, I have been able to interact with, and exponentially build that audience from day one, which is simply incredible.

I wish all of those out there engaging The Crowd the best of luck in their endeavors. If you have questions, or further interest in DRIVEN, check out www.gregorybayne.com and get in touch.

DIY DAYS is coming to NYC

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:08:12 GMT

On Saturday April 3rd, the WorkBook Project and the New School present DIY DAYS NYC. This marks the first time that the roving conference for creators will make a stop in NYC. The day will consist of talks, presentations, workshops and a special section called Incubator that matches two media startups with a think tank of experts.

BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP!

For the last 3 1/2 years the WorkBook Project has provided FREE info, resources, events and networking opportunities for those working in film, music, gaming, design and software. We now need your help. A sponsor that was slated to help with DIY DAYS NYC won’t be able to do so and we need to raise $3,000 in the next 25 days. In an effort to do so we’re turning to the community that we serve in hopes that they will help to support our efforts.

WHAT IS DIY DAYS

CHECKOUT OUR INDIEGOGO CAMPAIGN

WE HAVE SOME NICE GIFTS FOR THOSE WHO DONATE…
- Dan Goldman has graciously offered to do a limited edition DIY DAYS NYC poster
SAMPLE of DAN’s work

- Consulting Sessions to help you fund, create, distribute and sustain from your project
- Special “Social Media for Storytellers” downloadable pdf.

http://www.indiegogo.com/diydaysnyc

Registration is now open

DIY DAYS NYC is FREE but space is limited.

A LOOK AT THE PROGRAM

TALKS by

Ted Hope (producer of over 60 films – 21 Grams, Adventureland, American Splendor)
Cyndi Stivers (founding editor of Time Out New York and managing editor of EW)
Brian Newman (former CEO Tribeca Film Institute and founder of Springboard Media)
Jeff Gomez (CEO of Starlight Runner)
Molly Crabapple (award-winning artist, author, and the founder of Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School)
Bre Pettis (co-founder of NYC Resistor and co-founder of MakerBot)
Jason Bitner (co-founder Found Magazine and Cassette From My Ex)
Dan Rollman (co-founder of the Universal Record Database)
Eclectic Method (groundbreaking Audio/Video DJs)
Lance Weiler (founder of the WorkBook Project, story architect of films, tv and games)
Michael Last and Theresa Loong (CEO and CCO of Intellitoys)
Jesse Von Doom (founder of CASH Music)
Brian McTear (founder Weathervane Music)
Anita Ondine and David Beard (CEO and CTA of Seize the Media)
Alex Johnson (co-founder of WBP LABS and co-creator RADAR)
Thomas Allen Harris (creator Through a Lens Darkly)
Chuck Wendig (game writer / designer and author of 80+ gaming books)
Noah Harlan (producer and mobile app developer)

*Additional speakers to be announced

WORKSHOPS on

- How to Create a Mobile Application
- Developing and Deploying Transmedia Storyworlds
- How to Write Stories for Games
- Social Media for Storytellers
- Working with Augmented Reality and Geolocational Storytelling

DIY DAYS INCUBATOR

We’re proud to announce a new section at DIY DAYS called the INCUBATOR. Our goal is to create a think tank of experts (legal, funding, biz dev, branding, design, tech dev) to help TWO media service startups flush out their business concepts while tapping into the true potential of their ideas. At the close of DIY DAYS the two startups will make presentations in front of a live audience that detail their vision, biz model and goals. The best presentation will win a startup package that includes a variety of services and / or cash prize to help them achieve their goals.

OPEN SESSIONS

“What are you working and what do you need?”

AFTER PARTY & MIXER

Drinks, food and DJ

EVENT: Join the Conversation at Columbia

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:17:10 GMT

On March 27th The Conversation comes to Columbia University. Started in 2008, The Conversation is a look at the future of filmmaking and how advancements in technology are enabling new opportunities for filmmakers. The program for March 27th is extensive and will bring together a number of innovative thinkers in the space. For more information visit www.theconversationspot.com

We had a chance to sit down with Scott Kirsner to discuss The Conversation.

Five questions about the Conversation

WorkBook Project: Can you explain why the Conversation and why now?

Scott Kirsner: We did the first Conversation event in the Bay Area, back in late 2008. There was lots of interest in doing an East Coast version, but it was tough to find the right venue, until Ira Deutchman at Columbia got involved and suggested we do it there. The time seemed right to bring people together to talk about digital distribution, social media, and all of the ways that the Internet and new technologies are changing the business of film and visual storytelling, creating all kinds of new opportunities (and also challenges, if you’re wedded to the traditional ways of doing things.)

2008 speakers Gregg and Evan Spiridellis of JibJab

WBP: What are some of the innovations that you’re seeing in the space that excite you most?

SK: I’m personally really interested right now in the way new set-top boxes like Roku and Boxee are making it possible for anyone to create channels and deliver digital content to viewers’ televisions. That seems like it could have a really positive democratizing effect on the media landscape. I’m also interested in the experiments people are doing with episodic video on the Internet, trying to find business models that will support it, whether it’s sponsorship, advertising, selling merchandise, or eventually collecting the series on a DVD.

WBP: In your opinion what are the most pressing issues today for filmmakers or others working in the digital content space?

SK: There are three big issues, I think: what are the new forms and formats that are emerging, and how can you tell compelling stories within them; how can you continually expand your audience, and connect with audience members in meaningful ways; and how can you generate a solid financial return on what you’re doing?

WBP: What are some of the topics of discussion for the Conversation?

Using Twitter effectively as a filmmaker…creating content especially for the Internet…talking about films that have actually done well in digital channels…and Peter Broderick is doing a workshop about how to carve up the rights to your film (DVD, TV, digital, theatrical, etc.) to generate the most revenue.

WBP: What do you hope comes out of the Conversation?

SK: Well, as with the last one, I hope there’s a lot of spontaneous things that happen on the day of the event that we haven’t planned in advance. We have these opportunities to lead lunch discussion groups, so you can literally just jump up and declare that you want to talk about promoting your film at festivals, or getting lots of YouTube views, or whatever — and have a group coalesce around that. Another big goal for The Conversation is to bring together people who’ve actually been pioneers in lots of different areas, so they can share their stories about what has worked well for them — and what hasn’t. I think this event, like the DIY Days gatherings that you run, and like The Workbook Project itself, is really about giving people the information and tools to be smarter pioneers, and smarter businesspeople in this new environment we’re in.

CULTURE HACKER: The Art of Branded Content

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 06:14:28 GMT

by Peter Katz – Here’s my interview on branded content with Creative Director Tim Roper from award winning advertising agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky. We met at UCLA Media & Entertainment Week.

What do you feel are the biggest misconceptions about branded content?
The biggest misconception is how easy it is to conceive it in a fresh way and then how willing people are to consume it when it’s not fresh. Even though great branded content is a great thing, it’s extremely rare and certainly not something consumers are actively demanding.

How do you effectively balance the responsibilities of creating content that competes with the entertainment quality of popular culture, while at the same getting consumers to buy more stuff?
That’s the key: If you think about the bar for ad content as being all the funniest, most poignant, most compelling and entertaining stuff that the rest of pop culture is cranking out, then you’re going to inevitably shoot higher. Few companies are doing that. As for consumers, it’s all about truth, really. Whether they realize it or not, audiences look for truth in things. In music, film, television….They want to relate to things. So when they can recognize a kernel of truth in ANY content with an entertaining wrapper, they embrace it. So, start with the truth, set the bar high and you’ll achieve that balance you’re talking about. Hopefully.

You don’t need to name names, but what are your thoughts on mistakes people make as they try to create branded content?
You need to know going in that branded content projects involve a longer, more arduous road between conception and distribution. The brand’s commitment is so disproportionately immense that you just can’t expect to churn out these kinds of projects with great regularity. The rise and collapse of a lot of exclusively Branded Entertainment shops in the last few years is proof of that. Personally, I think that branded entertainment projects aren’t worth the time unless it’s a very natural fit for the brand and the content is just as irresistible as my favorite non-branded content out there right now. Honestly, I only have so many hours in the day and personal bandwidth. I don’t have the time or energy to consume a Coke Movie or a Walmart Music video a McDonald’s webgame unless it’s able to go toe-to-toe with all my other favorite stuff out there. And I’m IN the business.

What is your favorite example of using transmedia marketing?
The “Why so serious?” campaign for The Dark Knight recently was pretty cool.

Once most homes have Internet enabled TVs how will this convergence be worked into your strategy?
It already is..in the sense that we think that video is video. No matter where it originates from, you go at it with the same objective in mind: make everything as interactive as possible, even television-in the very basic sense that content should work hard to compel people to do, say, think or feel something. When a piece of content does that, it is, in effect, “interactive”. Now, obviously with internet-enabled TV you’ll be doing a lot more than passively watching the big box. So, you can start considering a much more rich interactive experience there, I guess. Maybe now we’ll bring back some of the crazy ideas we had 2-3 years ago that our developers told us were nuts for the average laptop, who knows?

In a couple years will more entertainment be branded content?
I imagine so. But, if it is, I sure hope people push as hard on making the content actually entertaining as they do on dreaming up the vehicles or pitching the increased spend. Because for every BMW films or overtly “green” 30 Rock episode, there’s a dozen silly, contrived videos about mayonnaise or BBQ sauce or head-scratching web labyrinths for some car company that just aren’t begging to be engaged with.

What is your favorite viral video, TV show, and movie of 2010?
Ha..well, it’s pretty early in the year, actually. Sort of reminds me of those movie ads where they flash those critic blurbs saying “Best movie of the year!” for a movie that comes out in January or February. I think I gotta get back to you on this one.

Peter Katz is an award winning filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Peter has produced genre films that have screened all over the world from the AFI Fest to the Rome Film Festival. His first picture, Home Sick, starred Bill Moseley from The Devil’s Rejects and Tom Towles from Henry Portrait Of A Serial Killer. Next Peter worked with Tobe Hooper (director of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Poltergeist) on Mortuary, which premiered on the Sci Fi Channel. Most recently he was a producer on Pop Skull, a psychological ghost film, that has received great reviews in Variety and numerous film web sites. Currently, Peter is developing projects across various mediums including film, comics, and the web.

CULTURE HACKER: An Interview with Polly Frost

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 05:19:23 GMT

CULTURE HACKER: An Interview with Polly Frost
pollyfrost

by Nick Braccia – About 5 years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Polly Frost and her husband Ray Sawhill through our mutual friend, Steve Vineberg. Immediately, we hit it off upon realizing we shared a passion for horror, sci-fi and pulp. I have to admit I was a little intimidated; both Ray and Polly have pretty intense journalistic, critical and creative resumes. Polly was featured in James Toback’s documentary The Big Bang, has written and produced plays and published a multitude of articles. Her humor pieces and interviews have appeared in mags like The New Yorker, Elle and Interview, including this fabulous one with Julia Child. Ray covered books, arts and culture at Newsweek for years and has contributed pieces to Salon, among others. But what has really been exciting to watch is how they’ve made a successful transition from being traditional media professionals to new media mavens, working on projects in as many as 3-4 mediums at a time. They’ve been especially adroit at using social networks for audience building and digital tools for distribution as well as adapting work for new channels. For example, Polly is a frequent contributor to Grin and Tonic, part of Barnes and Noble’s new, Nook-friendly content movement, as well as the ever growing online lit mag, Narrative.

The relevance to the Culture Hacker and greater Workbook Project audience is clear to anyone who has attended a DIY Days, or similar event. There is a consistent (and frustrated) population of writers and filmmakers who are struggling to make these new tools work for them. I wanted to reach out to Polly to see what they’ve done that’s different–what specific steps they’ve taken to make their work available to the largest audiences possible, almost completely on their terms.

Culture Hacker: Polly, the reason we’re excited about this interview is that you seem to be the exception to the rule. What do we mean? At events like DIY Days, we often meet filmmakers, novelists, playwrights and, for lack of a better term, “traditional artists” (I suppose we just mean pre-digital age artists) who are asking for help. New distribution systems elude them. Basic web technologies are burdens they don’t want to (and often believe they shouldn’t have to) suffer. But you not only transitioned–you’re flourishing! At what point did you begin to step into the digital space to either create or distribute your work?

Polly Frost: First, I’d like to say that I love what a pleasure it is to talk to Culture Hacker. I love what you’re doing with DIY Days and I’m glad to see that traditional artists and writers are making use of what you’re offering. I wish I’d had DIY Days when I started out.

However, I was lucky because, back in the ’90s, my husband was working as an arts reporter for Newsweek. He’d come home with this amazing information about how the media world was changing. He was right there, talking to all kinds of people involved in movies, publishing, technology.

At first I felt dizzy from the possibilities and anxious about my own lack of new media experience and expertise. But Ray and I decided to learn as best as Old Media people like us could! So we both put together websites pretty early on, at least pretty early on for writers! And we both applied ourselves to learning and studying some of the essential tools. I took Flash animation lessons from Tom Hart, a NYC comic strip artist and teacher at SVA. Ray learned video editing. It’s not like we’re professional at any of this, but just encountering it all does affect how you think about things. Developing a website is very different than developing a book, for instance.

A lot of people we know who have had impressive and productive careers in the old media have failed to move into the new world. Some of them tell me they hate everything about it. I even know a few who seem to have experienced complete personality collapses. I’m not unsympathetic; everything they knew and valued and were proud of has been yanked out from under them. It’s a very disruptive experience.

I think there are a whole bunch of reasons why so many old media people have such trouble:

1) Gatekeeping. I think they enjoyed being cultural gatekeepers. They’d worked hard to get themselves into those positions, for one thing. For another, I think they enjoyed being the prof or the critic, the person who was looked to (or who felt he was looked-to) for opinions and judgment. The new digital world is much more of a free-for-all. Puff yourself up too big and zillions of people throw mud at you. That’s not fun. Many old media people want a more dignified life than that. They want respect. But here’s how I think they should see it: this is a chance to move past the old boundaries and reach audiences you never had a chance to reach before. What I’ve discovered is that audiences are ready to take risks — even if the gatekeepers aren’t.

2) Interactivity. New media people and contemporary audiences raised on games and the web expect interactivity. People who grew up with the old media often don’t. They don’t even like it. I know a lot of artists and writers who don’t even have websites. They don’t want to be in touch with their audience or with the fans of their work. Why? Sometimes that comes from a desire to put themselves above their audience. Other times I believe it comes from the fact that many artists and writers are introverts and are more comfortable doing their work in seclusion. They don’t want to be influenced by their audience. But here’s my take on this: I love getting input from my audience and getting immediately the way you do today on the internet.

3) Free-form-ness. There’s no longer any one accepted way to do things. It used to be that there were certain definite paths by which an artist or writer’s work could achieve respect. You would strive to get into a certain gallery if you were a painter, or to be published by a particular magazine if you were a writer. These days, as we all know, a lot of that has been blown to smithereens. If you’re someone who likes established ways, it can be awful. Here’s how I see it: this is one of the greatest eras to be an artist or writer because there are so many possibilities to work in different mediums.

3) Initiative and promotion. Many writers and artists lack the desire or ability to promote themselves. It’s hard to believe, because we’re so used to Madonna, Oliver Stone, the legacy of Andy Warhol — people like that with no shyness about pushing themselves on the world. But it’s just true that many artists simply want to do their work, and wish that at that point someone else would take over — take over the “making it public” duties as well as the advertising and promotion duties. Even if you publish a book through a traditional publisher, 99% of the promotion is going to fall in your lap. If the book takes off, then maybe they’ll get on board. But so much is now up to you. That’s great, of course, but it can also be exhausting. And if you don’t have the appetite for it, it can be really depressing. Here’s my take on that: stop thinking about promoting yourself and start thinking about having a conversation. IMHO, you have to put out a lot of positive energy to get any back. And that’s a good thing.

4) New tools. Let’s face it, many writers and artists simply aren’t techies. Many of them went into the arts at least partly because they weren’t any good at math, engineering, technology. They’re more intuitive, more about feelings and imagination. The new digital tools are great but for non-techies they can be very daunting. Plus people who came up in the pre-digital world have already mastered their own pre-digital tools and methods. Now you want them to master a completely different set? It’s like being middle-aged and being parachuted into a completely different culture. You have to learn a new language, new habits, new ways of going about things. My take: don’t see it as something that’s a test, and don’t think you have to understand or do them as an expert. Let yourself venture into the unknown.

5) Everyone’s a critic. Nowadays everyone gets to have, and to express opinions and reactions. People on Amazon or on blogs sound off to their heart’s content. I think that’s great, but I may be unusual in this. I think many pre-digital creative people experience this kind of rough-and-ready handling as rude and degrading. They didn’t put in all these decades of work, study, and networking so that gangs of rubes and know-nothings could reject their work! They want to be given respectful consideration by people they themselves respect. My take on this is: Great! The more people who have opinions and write about the arts the better. Get to know these people and show them some respect and you’ll be amazed at how generous they are with what you’re doing.

But inspite of my own positive attitude about those five aspects of the digital era, I still have to remember that it can leave a lot of artists and writers feeling very unmoored and very uncomfortable.

CH: In recent years you created two major works in old media forms: your collection of stories “Deep Inside,” and a series of live evenings at New York City clubs where actors would perform your fiction. But you’ve also created two major new-media works: an ambitious webseries called “The Fold,” and an audiobook called “Sex Scenes.” How did those old-media experiences affect the choices you made on “The Fold” and on “Sex Scenes“?

PF: I’m very proud of “Deep Inside” which was reviewed and written about over 50 times. I think Tor did a wonderful job publishing it. I confess, though, that I did find the pace of old-style book publishing amazingly grinding. It was almost two years between when I finished the writing of the last of the stories and when the book actually appeared on bookstore shelves. For the life of me I can’t understand why books aren’t produced a lot more quickly than they generally are.

When it came to producing “The Fold” and “Sex Scenes,” one of the goals that was high on my list was to work much more quickly and directly than I was used to doing in the old media world. Have an idea, give it form, and get it out there, dammit.

The main way I benefited from putting on the live shows was completely different. I loved them, the hustle of it, the suspense, the scrappiness, getting to work with amazing actors, the immediacy of the audience’s response. Talk about a great way to test material! But what I mainly found myself doing was developing a kind of informal ensemble of people who I liked working with, actors whose work and spirit I loved. Many of the people we used in “The Fold” and in “Sex Scenes” were performers I’d first come to know during my years of putting on live shows.

I think it’s also fair to say that I developed a taste for working collaboratively thanks to the live shows. We writers are often fanatics about being on our own, having the last say, controlling everything, and I’m certainly prone to all of the above. But when you’re working in the theater, it’s all about working with other people. You’ve got to open to that experience or there’s no real point to being there. And I found I loved it. It’s not like I’ve lost my taste for solitary creation. But I certainly did learn to love collaboration, seeing what other people can bring to the table, and figuring out ways to partner-dance with that.

“The Fold” came about in a classic New York City downtown kind of way. I was eating regularly at the Cedar Tavern, and I’d strike up these conversations with a good looking young waiter there named Matt Lambert. It turned out he was a recent graduate from NYU in film, so we swapped works. I gave him some writing, he showed me some films. And we wound up, along with my husband, drinking a lot of wine and beer and dreaming up what became “The Fold.”

At the time, about three years ago, webseries were new and hot. And one thing the three of us shared was a love of crazy ’70s sex-trash-poetry movies. No one was really making these films any longer and we all thought that someone should. So we had the idea that we could use the webseries format as a way to project the same kinds of nutty entertainment values that the old ’70s midnight movies had peddled. Short version: there was no way to make a movie-movie that would essentially be a blend of “Barbarella” and “The Three Stooges” — who’d finance it? Which theater would show it? But using DV and the techies and performers the three of us knew, we could put on our own show. A classic case of, “Hey, kids, let’s put on a show!”

“Sex Scenes,” which is an audio project that I wrote and produced with Ray, developed a little differently. The two of us are huge fans of audio generally. We listen to audiobooks together on long trips. My book “Deep Inside” was turned into an audiobook, and I had the chance to sit in on that process, and Ray is a total Teaching Company addict.

Anyway, many of the stories in “Sex Scenes” are things that we first developed live, during those live evenings we’ve talked about. When we’d rounded the project off as a live thing, which took a couple of years, we started to think about what we’d do with the material, and we realized that it was perfect for an unconventional audiobook. What we envisioned was a collection of linked radio plays, with real vocal performances and even some sound and atmospheric effects.

We knew we wanted complete control over the project, and we knew that we wanted to do something beyond our own skills. It was a project that would need more than just a basic GarageBand production. So I went around the city checking out sound studios. Luckily for us, business was slow, so we got a decent rate at Georgia Hilton’s Worldwide Audio, where we worked with two really gifted young techies, Dan Cioffi and Casey Zanowic, who loved rocking out on “Sex Scenes.” Many of the actors we’d already worked with came in to read the characters. We spent two months and tens of thousands of dollars producing over ten hours’ worth of audio storytelling.

In the spirit of maintaining total control we also decided that we wanted to distribute the project ourselves. So we went ahead with that. We had a website created, we printed up bunches of MP3 CDs for people who’d want hard copies, and we arranged with E-Junkie to sell “Sex Scenes” via downloads too.

I learned a lot while I embraced these new formats. The main thing is that it’s a blast. So long as you’re someone who can work within limitations, you really can make what you want to make these days, and put it out there in ways that suit you.

That said, there are many challenges. One is something I touched on early on — it’s all up to you, or up to you and your collaborators. Designing the logo, the CD cover … Figuring out who to work with … Wrestling with the back end of online-money places, things like that. It can drive you nuts, especially if you have no gift for that kind of thing.

Another real problem is getting the kind of notice your work deserves. This is still major. With “The Fold” we had pretty good luck getting noticed. Our proudest moment came when David Chute, who’s one of the country’s best film critics, wrote that “The Fold” reminded him of early John Waters and early Almodovar. He wasn’t just open to watching something that wasn’t a conventional movie, he really got what we were up to. And Geno McGahee, who makes horror movies, loved “The Fold” and wrote wonderfully about it. Coverage like that helped attract tens of thousands of viewers, many more than would have seen “The Fold” if we’d made it as a movie. We were grateful for the reviewers who saw that a webseries could have the same value as a feature film.

We had less luck with “Sex Scenes.” Which is something we didn’t expect, because the live performances of “Sex Scenes” were big hits, almost always filled any house across the country and were well-covered in magazines and alternative newspapers. Yet those same media places wouldn’t spare any coverage for the recorded audio version of the project.

We’re super-proud of “Sex Scenes,” which is satirical, up to the moment, and raunchy in a way the world could really use now. It’s a funny, rowdy audio entertainment, but it also, y’know, says something about the modern world. Just between you and me, it’s a major work! It’s certainly the most ambitious thing Ray and I have ever written, and may ever write. But almost no one has wanted to cover it. People who run across “Sex Scenes” love it. Though we’re a long way from recovering our costs, we’ve sold copies of it to people in Denmark, Germany, and India as well as in the States and England. But we’ve gotten almost no help from the usual media outlets, who we’d thought would find the project interesting, if only from a cool-new-thing point of view. We’ve gotten almost no help even from the blogworld, which is maybe even weirder.

When we try to figure out why there has been such resistance or uninterest, we’re a little baffled. What’s not cool and newsworthy about a satirical, sexy, independently produced audiobook that grew out of a long-running live downtown event? If I were a critic or editor, I’d be a lot more interested in that project than I would be in the latest literary novel. So how to explain it? The best explanation we’ve come up with is that we’re ahead of the times. From a squaresville, old-media perspective, maybe it’s confusing. After all, what is “Sex Scenes”? And in what section of the magazine should it be covered? Under “Books”? “Music”? Maybe “Theater”? Meanwhile, big-budget movies and stars demand attention, and as everyone dithers “Sex Scenes” falls by the wayside.

What it has all illustrated for us is one major — and let me repeat that, MAJOR — challenge in the new-media space, which is that too many people who could write well about new media prefer to write about old media. They’d rather review the latest new movie than check out a webvideo or an independent audio production. Here’s this incredible new media world developing right under their noses — wouldn’t you think people would want to cover it? But all a lot of people want to do — and this includes many people like bloggers who you’d think would be more open — is offer an opinion about what’s new at the mall or mega bookstore.

Incidentally, it’s possible I’m being unfair here. It may not be the journalists, critics and reviewers who are the problem, it may be their bosses and editors. As for the bloggers, well, they really ought to be taking more chances than they do. There is going to be someone who recognizes what a golden era this is and they’re going to be the Pauline Kael or Manny Farber of new media.

Here’s the kind of advice would I would offer to old-media people who are just beginning to think about entering the new media world:

1) The key thing to understand is that you don’t have to wait around for validation any longer. That’s a huge change, and it’s one that takes some getting used to. Using the new tools, you can create, publish and distribute your own work. Nothing can stop you from moving forward with your creative projects. The age of the person who loafs around complaining that publishers don’t get him, or that no one’s throwing millions at him to make his movie — that’s over, and about time. If you really want to publish your novel entirely on your own terms, let me introduce you to Lulu and CreateSpace. If you really want to make your own movie your own way, scrape together $10,000 like we did for “The Fold” and just go make it.

2) You need to be very confident about the value of your work. Why? Because so much is going to be up to you. You aren’t done when you’ve finished painting your painting or writing your novel. Now you have to think in terms of arranging distribution, publicity, and finances. You really have to learn a bit about all these things, and you have to have the persistence and patience to make your way through some pretty confusing mazes. You guys who have been coding and creating digitally for ages can laugh, but to a novelist, even something as basic as setting up a WordPress blog can look terrifying. And who do they turn to for help?

Incidentally, I highly recommend the website-making service called Squarespace. Ray and I both use Squarespace for our personal websites, and we had a very beautiful website for “Sex Scenes” created on Squarespace. I don’t know why the service isn’t better known than it is.

3) As far as promotion goes: One thing I often run across is artists who’ll fasten on a “system” for promoting their work. They’ll hear that they need to create a Fan Page for themselves on Facebook, or they need to maintain a mailing list, or to cajole their friends into voting for them in some poll or other. I don’t think most of these approaches accomplish much, except sometimes on a short term basis. I mean, what’s the point of forcing your friends to join your Fan Page? They’re not going to look forward to your Fan Page updates and they’re going to resent you.

4) The one thing I have learned is to be very adaptable. I seem to have my best luck when I change the ways in which I go about things on a regular basis. I’ve had to learn to embrace the unknowable! IMHO, the age of having “a career” as an artist or writer is over anyway. As soon as you try to identify yourself in a certain way the rug is going to be pulled out from under you. You’ll define yourself as a novelist only to find that no one wants to read novels any longer. It’s best to go with your instincts and do the work you believe in and get it out there. Don’t try to define yourself in a branding way. Let history — if history exists in a hundred years! — define you.

Part Two of this interview/profile will be coming soon!

Nick Braccia is a Creative Director at G2 in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Earlier in his career, he spent 7 years developing concepts for Masterfoods and P&G clients as part of G2 in New York City. Since 2001, he’s explored his passion for immersive narrative experiences and contributed to the ARGs “Catching the Wish” and “Unnatural Selection” under the direction of author and guru, Dave Szulborski. Recently, Nick directed “No Known Survivors” to support EA’s horror survival title Dead Space and “Vroengard Academy”, promoting the Random House title, Brisingr. These projects were conceived and completed while working for Ian Schafer’s integrated interactive agency, Deep Focus in New York and Los Angeles.

NEW BREED park city part 6

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 09:23:17 GMT

The NEW BREED Park City series continues. SABI filmmakers Zak Forsman and Kevin K. Shah speak with Dan Mirvish, Brian Newman, Ira Deutchman and Ted Hope to further explore the solutions that are emerging for independent filmmakers – featuring a proposal for a new relationship between filmmakers and festivals as outlined by Peter Baxter at the 2010 Filmmaker Summit. VIDEO after the jump.

NEW BREED Park City part 5

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 02:17:49 GMT

The NEW BREED series continues as SABI filmmakers Zak Forsman and Kevin K. Shah speak with Ted Hope, Jon Reiss, Mynette Louie (Children of Invention) and Linas Phillips (Bass Ackwards) to explore the solutions that are emerging for independent filmmakers – featuring some of the insights and actions that came from the 2010 Filmmaker Summit.

VIDEO after the jump.

NEW BREED: DISCOVERING THE QUESTIONS vid

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 02:01:57 GMT

Filmmakers Zak Forsman and Kevin K. Shah of Sabi Pictures arrive at Park City with an intent to define the questions most relevant to independent distribution options. Insights from Brian Newman, Dan Mirvish, Jon Reiss and Ira Deutchman open a path toward discovering some real solutions.

Part of an on-going series from Filmmaker Magazine and The WorkBook Project.

NEW BREED Park City – an open discussion

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 19:42:32 GMT

The WorkBook Project has joined forces with Filmmaker Magazine to produce a number of daily videos from Park City. The following discussion focuses on the need for a alternative network connecting filmmakers and audiences. Featuring: Peter Baxter, Saskia Wilson-Brown, Brian Newman, Paul Rachman and Lance Weiler. Video after the jump.

from Sabi Pictures on Vimeo.

FIlmmaker Summit

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:32:30 GMT

We’re excited to announce the Filmmaker Summit, a gathering taking place online and in Park City at the Slamdance Film Festival. The WorkBook Project, Slamdance and the Open Video Alliance have come together to stage a global event that will bring delegates from various parts of the world together to discuss and debate pressing issues that filmmakers currently face. But it isn’t just the delegates who will be shaping the discussion. The Summit also invites filmmakers to share what they believe are the most pressing issues to them. In addition to discussion we hope to come out of the event with some tangible next steps.

Throughout the day, discussions will center on what the filmmaking community would like to see the industry become – a chance to focus on the future and not worry about the trappings of the past. Today’s reality is that filmmakers must now expand their role and take charge of reaching and engaging worldwide audiences across all viewing platforms. In this direct approach, the viewer becomes collaborative, less passive and more connected then ever before. New business models will emerge as a direct result of experimentation and transparency around process. The Filmmaker Summit is an experiment onto itself and we welcome comments and suggestions on how to make it more impactful.

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

OpenIndie an interview with Kieran Masterton

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 07:28:45 GMT

By Lance Weiler – OpenIndie burst onto the scene this past fall when Arin Crumley (Four Eyed Monsters) and Kieran Masterton ( a software developer) successfully raised over 12k via a kickstarter campaign to bootstrap a new theatrical on-demand model. Frustrated at the current state of distribution the two teamed up to create a service that will help filmmakers find audiences and audiences find films. I had a chance to ask Kieran some questions around OpenIndie, the importance of data and what thinks the real-time web might mean for storytelling.

WBP: What will the role of social curation play within OpenIndie? Is it important and what types of trends have you seen emerging in the area of social curation afforded by the real-time web?

KIERAN MASTERTON: OpenIndie will work socially in a similar manner to Twitter in that you will have non-reciprocal relationships with other users i.e. users you are following and users who are following you. Unlike Twitter, however, it is user actions on the site, plus a small optional comment, that is recorded in their stream. So, when a user requests a film in their area or RSVPs to a screening it is that information that will be disseminated to their followers. Meaning in terms of social curation almost every action a user makes on the site will let their followers know which films and events they believe to be valuable.

I think one of the keys to enabling the crowd to filter out the noise in these increasingly distracting social spaces is to link their ability to be part of the conversation to a positive action. What I mean by this is that I believe in the value of a positive actions within the community. Putting on a screening via OpenIndie has hugely positive outcomes: a group of film fans get to see a film and the filmmaker gets a screening and hopefully a little revenue in return. Then the reverberations of that real-world event begin to travel across the real-time web with screening specific hash tags for social spaces like Twitter, Flickr, Vimeo and YouTube. The outcome of these positive actions, I believe, should be a louder voice within the community.

The problem of how to execute personal, social and professional curation on socially powered sites is, I think, one of the most important challenges facing developers and information architects in 2010. One site that I think could be one to watch, with regard to social curation, is Stackoverflow.com, a collaboratively edited question and answer site for programmers. Their reputation system is driven by the quality of the answers Developers give to questions on the site. This system is now, in turn, being used to power a Developer recruitment site. While, obviously, their methods can’t be directly translated to OpenIndie, I think they’re getting things right and we should be taking note.

WBP: Do you have any feelings about visualizing the attention economy that is online? In the sense that there are interesting ways to hook into various social APIs. Have you and Arin discussed ways to visualize the demand for a film? Online, via mobile and in the real world?

I think some of things being done with visualisation are fantastic. I’ve been following the stuff that Flickr have been doing on their Developer Blog and also the open source software visualisation project code_swarm. And I also think that subtractive blending overlay maps like the one below from Shawn Allen on Flickr are potentially extremely revealing for mobile social activity on OpenIndie.

Naturally, Arin and I have talked about geographical mapping in a similar vein to the heart map developed for Four Eyed Monsters. However, we haven’t discussed specifically ideas around real-time visualisation which I think could be especially interesting working with OpenIndie’s API on mobile devices both before and after screenings. Filmmakers could get insights into their audience but perhaps more exciting is the potential for storytellers to work with our data to expand the world of their film.

Flickr Devs: http://www.flickr.com/photos/revdancatt/3398050524/
code_swarm: http://vis.cs.ucdavis.edu/~ogawa/codeswarm/
Overlay map from Shawn Allen: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shazbot/3282821808/

WBP: I strongly believe that data is an area that will become increasing more valuable to filmmakers. Such as the data around their films and their audiences. I’m a proponent of of DataPortability and would love to see some type of audience sharing protocol established that enables audience to be aggregated in anonymous ways. Are these things that you’re considering around the development of OpenIndie? The name and what I’ve discussed with Arin leads me to believe that you want to be as open as possible. From a programming / development perspective how do you achieve openness that will satisfy the needs of both filmmakers and audiences?

KM: I couldn’t agree more and likewise, I’m a proponent of the DataPortability Project. Arin and I are determined to bring those values to OpenIndie. Data is already tremendously important to filmmakers, and I agree, it is only going to increase in value. As a programmer it is extremely tempting to do it yourself, to establish your own standards and close your doors to the world. Similarly, in the business world, it is very tempting to look upon your data as an asset that should be protected but I genuinely believe that opportunity comes from openness.

One thing fundamental to OpenIndie, that it’s important to understand if you’re filmmaker signing up to the site, is that the data surrounding your film is not private. What I mean by this is that OpenIndie believes it is beneficial to everyone for data pertaining to requests, screenings, and audience attendance etc. to be open. A filmmaker is not the only user who is going to have access to statistical information about a film’s life on OpenIndie. This is simply because the more applications that are built to utilise that data, the more attention a film gets and in turn the audience for that film grows. Whether it’s a one-off iPhone app for a film that tells you, wherever you are in the world, where you can find the nearest screening or a number-crunching web app for market research purposes it’s all of value to the filmmaker and the audience. I think the key point to remember is that we’re not building this site just for the benefit of filmmakers, or audiences or exhibitors the focus is ensuring the same level and quality of information is available to all those groups and beyond.

Finally, I must note that we are not planning to release any private data via our open API. Users will be able to give permission to release various levels of information such as geo-specific data, but we’re not in the business of handing out email addresses. What we do want to do is provide a open elegant interface for working with the fairly large amounts of data we are going to amass and for that data to be as complete as possible.

WBP: Any thoughts on the future of the real-time web and where you’d like to see it go especially in relation to filmmaking?

KM: As a geeky type I especially excited about SimpleGeo who have developed a cloud based platform for building location aware applications. I think that the potential for this product is immense in providing context to almost any action performed in the cloud. Likewise, they will give apps the ability to perform “complex geospatial and temporal queries” on their SimpleGeo enabled data. I can see fantastic opportunities for this with OpenIndie especially in real-time mobile applications. I eagerly awaiting a beta invite.

In terms of filmmaking I’m extremely excited to see how the real-time web can become part of storytelling, especially in a theatrical sense. I’m a passionate cinephile and love the theatrical experience and would love to see real-time web applications allowing the story world and the real world to blend. I’ve love to see OpenIndie involved with filmmakers using our data to make their story more immersive and we’d be extremely interested to hear from any filmmakers who are working in this area.

RELATED:

Arin Crumley explains OpenIndie

Phase 1 Successfully Funded! from OpenIndie on Vimeo.

NEW BREED: A NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:58:30 GMT

By Zak Forsman – The last two years have been an extraordinary education. I often look back at the development process for HEART OF NOW and WHITE KNUCKLES and imagine what choices we at SABI would have made if we were the filmmakers we are today. With a new decade upon us and the promise of a community-defining year ahead of us, it is time to declare some resolutions. It is time to put the talk about broken models behind us and begin to act on it. This downturn offers a real opportunity to re-shape the way things will work.

***Inspired by recent calls to action from Ted Hope and Jon Reiss.

CURATION – SABI has formed our own distribution outfit: CINEFIST. Beyond distributing the work that comes out of Sabi Pictures, CINEFIST will also serve as a curation entity. My first resolution for the New Year is to put my resources into giving filmmakers I believe in an opportunity to exhibit their work, but also an opportunity for them to participate in the box office take. The venue will be The Downtown Independent Theater in Los Angeles and each screening will be shaped into a true event featuring Skype Q&As with the filmmakers projected on screen, audience votes on trailers to decide which film screens at the next event, DVDs for sale in the lobby, prizes for the audience, rooftop mixers, and a live internet radio show at the venue with the guys at Film Snobbery. The first film will be Tom Quinn’s The New Year Parade screening in early February to coincide with its Film Independent Spirit Award nomination.

TRANSPARENCY – This year we are embarking on our first direct-to-audience distribution effort for a pair of art house films. I will share ideas and progress here with the intent to educate, but also to seek input and guidance from the community.

INNOVATION – Learn, evolve and execute. The strategy to this point emulates the methods used by filmmakers like ZEKE ZELKER, HUNTER WEEKS, JUSTIN EVANS, TODD SKLAR and others. But we need to push forward with less emulation in the strategy and work, and more innovation. We will be fearless. We will takes calculated risks. We will experiment with ways to connect with our audience and to give them compelling reasons to buy what we have to offer.

MENTORSHIP – Last year I met a young filmmaker online named Gayle Ye who is an ardent fan of SABI’s works. She expressed an interest in cinematography and had natural talent. Throughout 2009, I was able to offer her some tips here and there, notes on her first short film’s screenplay and even sent her some gear. In 2010, I will seek out more filmmakers in the generation coming up behind me, encouraging them, offering whatever support I have to share, and maybe even produce their next work as we did with the filmmakers behind A SHORT FILM ABOUT LETTING GO.

ELEVATE – This was a tough pill to swallow but in order to raise the bar with the content and structure of our films, music and other creative endeavors I will spend the entirety of 2010 developing new projects for production in 2011 and 2012. As much as I want to be shooting a new film right now, I know its better to spend this time shaping projects that have been given time to mature.

COMMUNITY – Recent opportunities afforded to me by the good folks here at The Workbook Project, From Here To Awesome, IndieFlix, Power to the Pixel and most recently Filmmaker Magazine have introduced me to some amazing people, many of whom have become good friends. And this, more than anything, has been the most gratifying experience for me. These genuine friendships have lead to countless collaborations and discussions that hold a lot of personal value to me. Even if I were to forgo filmmaking altogether, I would still resolve to step-up my involvement in this community by going to more festivals and conferences, seeking out more like-minded people who share in my delight for the cinematic arts.

IGNORE – It’s funny, the most recent private screening of HEART OF NOW only returned three or four negative comment cards. But when presented with a new stack of cards, I inexplicably find myself flipping quickly through all the positive comment cards to find out what those few detractors had to say. Uniformly, these were responses that rejected every single inch of the film’s form and content. Despite the overwhelming praise, I find myself focused on the negative instead – even when I’m getting such heartfelt and sincere responses such as this:

Hey Zak,

‘Heart of Now’ is a terrific film. It is humbling to see good work come through the Indie. This is a film I would be honored to present another time. The issues of abandonment and the subsequent coping mechanisms people employ are dealt with in not only a tactful manner, but also respectably and thoughtfully poetic. What I appreciate even more is the seemingly endless conclusion. It can be ambiguous or sharply conclusive, depending on the beholder.

‘Heart of Now’ has a poignant message that resonates with me personally right now as I deal with similar issues. It was even more striking to hear you talk about the loss of your father as an impetus for the film. My father was taken from me in ‘95. Many of the statements made by both Amber and Gabe reverberated deeply, so it only made sense when you elucidated that fact for the audience.

Thank you for bringing ‘Heart of Now’ to this theatre. I wish you, the crew, the production company, and the film all the best as you move forward in bringing this work of art to others.

So beginning today, I will learn to ignore the ones that are unwinnable. As Ted Hope says: “There are many in the film business who are never going to help you. Many of these will never help you even after you have helped them. The sooner you identify these folks and stop wasting your time with them, the better off you are going to be.” Done.

SUPPORT – I love art house cinema. I already buy DVDs from art house filmmakers. But now, I will make it a point to seek out the avenue that puts more of my dollars into the filmmaker’s pocket. This often means buying it from their own web site, rather than Amazon. Knowing that my main portal (Netflix) doesn’t provide any per rental profit participation for the filmmakers, this also means approaching it more as a discovery engine to find works I want to support with a purchase. No more requests for DVD trades or accepting free copies. I’ll put my money where my mouth is.

NO MORE APOLOGIES FOR ART – In 2010, I will not apologize for aspiring to make art. Art has somehow become a dirty word in may circles that consider it to be mutually exclusive from entertainment. Art IS my entertainment!

I wish there were more american filmmakers that aspired to that level of work without apologizing for it out of fear of being labelled pretentious or elitist. Maybe it’s an effect of knowing intimately how films are constructed that makes it difficult for me to enjoy a film that doesn’t aspire beyond just “a good story, well told”. When I sit down in front of a motion picture I want layers of understanding, I want subtly invoked metaphor, I want social context, I want a fully-realized and artfully-executed cinematic experience. We have an overabundance of folks who can simply entertain us. But the ones that can honestly transcend the medium are so rare, so very scarce. That’s what drives me to fervently seek out art films. I buy art films, I support art film-makers whose work speaks to me. I consider myself a filmmaker who aspires to art. I won’t apologize for it. It certainly doesn’t mean I ignore the audience. In fact, I’ve amassed and incorporated the audience into the final stages of editing HEART OF NOW.

The film artists I admire take risks to be on the cutting edge by experimenting with this evolving artform. But these are the folks whose successes are what the mainstream filmmakers mimic. Many times these artists will fail and the critics will label the work as self-indulgent, but man, when they succeed it is profoundly resonant.

PARTNER, COLLABORATE & ENGAGE – This coming year, SABI will resolve to reach out to partner with a number of companies, collaborate with a variety of artists, and engage our audience/community in a very genuine and meaningful way – all in the interest of moving ourselves and this community forward. As I said at the beginning, I’m getting a little tired of all the “broken model” talk and so I look forward to taking a bold step toward defining and shaping a sustainable model for low budget filmmakers.

AND FINALLY, LOSE WEIGHT – I’m having a blast and would like to be doing this for a long time.

So in closing, I offer these resolutions for a New Year and a New Decade in the hope that they will inspire others to do the same, within the limits of their own means and resources. And thanks to everyone who has been a collaborator, inspiration and supporter in 2009. You know who you are and I look forward to joining you again in the decade to come.

NEW BREED – stories from the front lines of taking a vision from script to screen and beyond.

Zak Forsman is an award-winning American independent filmmaker whose emotionally-charged work is known for highly authentic performances and beautiful compositions. Ain’t It Cool News praised his work as “…brilliant…” and “…absolutely gorgeous…”. His stories often depict compelling human threads in a poetic and minimalist style that reflect deep sympathy for the brokenness of people. Recently, he wrote and directed the feature-length motion picture, “Heart of Now” (currently in post) and the short films, “I Fucking Hate You” and “Eloquent Graffiti”. He is currently developing two new DIY cross-media projects for production in 2009 and 2010 respectively.

TCIBR podcast: 2009 in tech and entertainment

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:11:47 GMT

For the third year running, Scott Kirsner (Fans, Friends, & Followers, CinemaTech), Woody Benson ( Prism VentureWorks) and Lance Weiler (founder of the WorkBook Project, story architect) sat down to discuss the year in tech and entertainment.

Subjects covered – the real-time web, geo locational services, emergent gameplay, transmedia storytelling, crowdfunding, augmented reality, DIY, 3D cinema investment, the impact of the Comcast / NBC Universal merger, Avatar and Paramount’s new micro budget division.

To listen NOW click the play button below.

CULTURE HACKER: Moving Filmmakers to a Transmedia Business Model

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 19:30:44 GMT

By Robert Pratten – I’ve been working with two entertainment properties and a media start-up the past couple of months and I wanted to share the business models I developed to explain where we’re heading.

Here’s what we already know: pulling in an audience is tough but pulling in finance is tougher.

The Old Days

In the “old days” – as shown in Figure 1 – raising finance was what you did first. You needed that money to make the movie and then you’d sell the movie to a distributor whose job it was to sell it to the audience. Hell, you might even get presales in which case you’d killed two birds with one stone.

The important point from this is that as the filmmaker you only had to convince a limited number of people (investors) that you had a movie worth making (because it would make money). You didn’t have to convince them it was worth watching.

One reason you didn’t have to prove you had an audience waiting to see your movie was because it couldn’t be proven. Instead, one might use (often bogus) comparisons with other movies and of course, whenever possible, outliers like The Blair Witch Project or Fahrenheit 911 or Sideways etc.

When the finished movie failed to find an audience it was the distributor’s fault. They didn’t know how to position the movie correctly. They didn’t spend enough money on P&A. The box art was crap.

Figure 1

"Old" Filmmaking Model

Having worked with our distributors in some markets and selling directly at some horror conventions, it’s very sobering to get a firsthand experience of audience expectations.

Me: It’s about love and sacrifice and how you don’t notice you’re onto something good until it’s gone.

Horror fan: Great. How much T&A is there?

The New Model

When MySpace, Facebook, YouTube etc. arrived it became possible to raise awareness of the movie and start building an audience before the movie was released. But still it felt like something peripheral to the marketing of the movie. The audience building was an industry-side activity that you could take to the distributor with your one-sheet and your reviews: look we have several thousand fans. Most of whom in all likelihood were other independents flogging a movie or a book.

Today, most filmmakers – maybe not Culture Hacker readers – but most filmmakers still have the mindset towards social media that it’s a new spam tool. Look, now I can pester people to be my “fan” and I can get them to pester their friends to be my “fan”. Please Digg me up. Please Stumble on me. It’s the worst kind of networking: “please help me” they bleat.

Worst still are the crowdfunders: “please give me money”. I’m not against audiences paying upfront – as with the Kickstarter model – so it’s not the principle, it’s typically execution I have a problem with. And I totally believe in the power of social media but I don’t like it when it’s so often used in an unproductive, disappointing way.

So enter the new model of filmmaking as shown in Figure 2:

there’s a genuine affection… nay, anticipation… between the audience and the movie
the affection is leveraged to pre-sell to the audience while still raising finance in the traditional way
when the movie is available for viewing, it might be that only a subset of the audience will pay for it. So they’ll be simultaneous free exhibition and sales.

At this time it’s hard to believe that serious money is going to be raised to finance a movie through crowdsourcing. Some money? Maybe. Millions? I doubt it. And so for expensive feature films there’s still a place for large-ticket or savvy investors. Please forget about Obama’s fundraising blah blah blah. It’s an outlier. And where’s his socially networked audience when he needs them to fight for healthcare? They’ve gone missing. Maybe Obama’s massive email list isn’t really his personal fan base? Maybe the people on that email database were fans of his first movie but don’t like his second?

What this says as to us as filmmakers is that we’re going to be only as good as our next movie. Don’t expect your 1000 mythical spending fans to follow you from movie to movie regardless of what you propose to make.

Figure 2

"New" Filmmaking Model

My point is that independents are going to have to start audience building early and prove that there’s an appetite for their movie. And so this brings me to my final model.

The Transmedia Model

Raising awareness and audience building is tough. It’s tough enough when you have a finished movie but try doing it for a movie that’s yet to be made.

And that’s why I think we’ll move to a transmedia model for filmmaking in which the filmmaker uses his own money to make some (low-cost) content to build an audience ahead of doing anything else.

There’s long been a school of thought that says to get finance for your feature you should shoot the trailer or shoot a short film based on the feature. I know this can work but I’ve never been a fan of this approach if only because I know finance is most often raised without it. Amazingly though this week, as I write, this short film Panic Attack secured a movie deal.

What transmedia storytelling offers however is not the Cinderella story of “big investor swoops to finance movie” but a genuine, low-cost, grass-roots audience building.

Right now, (online) comic books seem to be the order of the day – offering an excellent way to engage audiences in the story and show some visual flare or at worst nice eye candy to grab attention. But there’s lots of untapped potential for simple social games utilizing Twitter and social networks without the need for coding: we just don’t have enough reference cases to illustrate all the possibilities yet.

A small word of warning: the content has to have value. It can’t be a trailer or marketing fluff – you have to produce the real McCoy if you’re going to capture audiences.

Transmedia Filmmaking Business Model

In the transmedia filmmaking model, the financing, exhibition and fundraising work together in tandem with the potential for the feature film to become self-funding. Remember that it’s not all for free! Free is your loss-leader to generate the money. Even if it’s “real content” you might still effectively look at it as a marketing cost – it can help to position it in this way to investors. And note that what’s free and what’s paid will be in flux – maybe changing over time and from media to media.

So in the ideal scenario the filmmaker bootstraps the movie with the low-cost media, the website, presumably some merchandise but then it’s up to the audience to decide what happens next. The filmmaker will use a basket of financing initiatives: free, pre-paid, paid, paid+, investment and sponsorship (including brand integration/product placement) to finance the movie. [Paid+ is where buyers can opt to pay more than the base price – usually via a drop-down menu of price points.]

This model has several implications:

If you do it right they’ll be demand for more content… which maybe you can’t afford to make in the early days. Or at least can’t afford to make alone. And that’s why collaboration of all kinds is important to the indie – with audiences and with other filmmakers. Collaboration platforms like Wreakamovie are going to save the indie.
Sponsorship in the form of cash (rather than products for free) from brands won’t solely go to properties with big audiences. If your story reaches the audiences that other marketing finds hard to reach then that’s going to work too. The one significant problem I can see is that few brands want to be associated with edgy content… unless it’s “edgy” in the Green Day plastic-punk, manufactured sense rather than the raw, authentic Poison Girls/Flux of Pink Indians edgy. Counterbalancing this is fans who may appreciate that you’ve rejected the brands… maybe
Filmmakers are going to become familiar with audience needs and they’ll learn how to captivate them. It won’t be anyone else’s fault that you don’t have an audience. There’s no opportunity to finish the movie and then throw it over the wall to someone else to find the audience for it
Free media is a feeler gauge: collect comments, listen to feedback, evolve the feature to meet the audience expectations
It’s going to be a long commitment to the audience so be sure you pick a story you really want to tell. Indies that follow this transmedia model will be offering an evolving service rather than a one-off product and that means audiences become customers that need to be listened to, responded to, cared for and managed
If you perfect this evolving transmedia ecosystem you may ask yourself if you still want to make a feature after all.

A final sobering thought: I know we’d all like to believe that story is king but audiences will only discover the story if you hook them in. Don’t expect anyone to delve deeply into your storyworld looking for brilliance. You have to provide “satellite media” that orbits the core: it’s easy to digest and looks cool or fun. Celebrity cast or crew and genre are going to get attention and convey credibility – just as they always have.

I’ve illustrated this in the figure below where I’ve taken the sales funnel model and used it to illustrate how you want to pull in audiences, turning casual interest to hardcore repeat purchases.

Matching Content to Audience Commitment

To summarize then, filmmakers will move to transmedia storytelling because it’s going to be the way you build audiences. And building an audience will unlock the financing – either from fans, sponsors or investors. But it’s going to demand new skills.

For more visit Culture Hacker

Robert Pratten is an award-winning feature film director, writer & producer that has been fighting the need to return to his marketing consultancy roots since Internet piracy stole his livelihood. Robert has advised international telecoms operators and vendors such as Nokia, Ericsson, Lucent, Telia and Telmex and now divides his time between filmmaking and advising media tech start-ups and producers. Fortunately, he enjoys both. He writes a popular blog on movie production, marketing and distribution at www.zenfilms.com

WBP roundup

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:10:00 GMT

The WBP network will be growing in the coming months as we bring on additional contributors and finalize a new site design. The following are some recent posts by contributors.

Over at the New Breed

The SABI Festival Strategy

by Zak Forsman

STEP ZERO: ASK YOURSELF WHY

Be honest with yourself and ask why you want to do this. It will be a financial, emotional and physical drain to be sure. So you must define your goals and the reason why they are goals. For us, we have solidified our plans to release HEART OF NOW and WHITE KNUCKLES through our own distribution company, CINEFIST. So we are not seeking traditional distribution. And by “traditional” I mean selling the domestic rights for 25 years, for less than $100,000 in advance and a tiny cut of the profit. Instead, we ARE seeking some rather important things to support a direct-to-audience distribution effort:

* To meet new friends, filmmakers, fans and partners
* To garner laurels, prestige, press and reviews
* To announce a platform release to a larger audience
* To make a little $$$ on DVD, soundtrack and merch sales at each screening
* To get additional feedback from audiences

So, what does a modern, forward-thinking festival strategy look like? From the outside, it looks like the picture above – a bucket full of submission packets amounting to $1500 in fees for 40 festivals. I’ve come to define our festival strategy by working backwards from our direct-to-audience distribution plan. We know we want to begin the latter in July 2010 so the focus had to go toward festivals that would play between now and the end of June. The intent being that if we are accepted, we can incorporate that opportunity into the distribution road map, without relying on it “for direction”.

So how did I decide which festivals to submit to?

Doing the Wave

Dee Cook tries to make sense of Google Wave. Now that Google Wave has been out for a while, have you joined up? Is it living up to all your expectations, plus some? Or is it just something that you slobbered over because invitations were rare, but now you just keep forgetting to check in because you can’t figure out what to do with it? Read More

The First Ever Culture Hacker Gift Guide

- games, books, interactive experiences and tech are presented in a nice roundup by Haley Moore.

Missing: Since January and Evidence: The Last Ritual
Dreamcatcher Interactive, $19.99 and $29.99
These two games are actually on my Christmas list this year, because in spite of a ringing endorsement from Penny Arcade, I never got around to playing them. Released in 2004 and 2006, respectively, these games come as close as you can get to being an Alternate Reality Game in a box. Characters contact you through e-mail and solicit your help to catch a serial killer. (I haven’t played yet, but I hear serial killers have email, too! Eep!)

Uplink
Introversion Software, £10.00 – £5.00
When talking to friends about Rushkoff’s Exoriare ARG, I made plenty of mention of how much it reminds me of Uplink, only to find very few people have played this cyberpunk indie classic. If you love feeling 1337 and jamming out to fantastic electronic music, this is a must-play.

The Hidden Park
James Kane, $7.99
Granted, Bulpadok’s geocaching/augmented reality mashup game isn’t everywhere…yet. But if you have an iPhone and live near one of these parks, the game should not be missed. Unfortunately, there’s no way to gift a single iPhone app, so I suggest wrapping an iTunes gift card in a printout of one of these sweet wallpapers.

After Jump – books, experiences, swag

WE FEEL FINE – an interview with Sep Kamvar

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:26:21 GMT

By Lance Weiler – In the upcoming issue of Filmmaker Magazine I write about the value of data to filmmakers. In my column I look at a number of projects and then tie them back into how they could be used by filmmakers to aid the curation, disovery and creation of films. One of the projects that I focus on in the piece is a data harvest project entitled “We Feel Fine.” Started in 2005 by Sep Kamvar and Jonathan Harris the project crawls blogs and twitter for the phrase “I feel” or “I’m feeling” and captures the results in an extensive database. This past November “We Feel Fine” was released in book form – highly recommend checking it out. Due to word count limitations found in print magazines I wanted to share the interview with Kamvar. The following is the extended version.

WBP: “We Feel Fine” is an amazing project that puts a face on various data. What types of things surprised you most about the project? In the sense that you were able to peer into a sea of what some would consider noise and in the process you created a project that has a strong emotional core.

Kamvar: One of the things that surprised us the most is when you strip away thoughts and opinions and focus on emotions, people are much more similar than they are different. The top 10 emotions are the same for men as for women, for people in London and in Bangcock, for blacks and whites. So this project for us has been about self-exploration as much as it has been about voyeurism.

That being said, there are also some real emotional differences between people. As people grow older, they tend to get happier, and further, they define happiness differently. Younger people tend to associate happiness with excitement, while older people tend to associate happiness with calm. And women express their emotions far more often than men, and have a far more nuanced vocabulary than men to describe their emotions.

WBP: When I look at “We Feel Fine” I see the potential for collaborative storytelling that makes use of various data. Have you ever considered this? And if so how do you think you’d approach it?

Kamvar: Absolutely. We Feel Fine is a story authored by millions of people who don’t know each other. The result is a coherent, authentic story. And this is not the only story that can be told this way — the story of love, the story of hurt, the story of helplessness. There are thousands of stories waiting to be told collaboratively by millions of people who don’t know each other.

When we talk about this kind of scale, the most appropriate thing to do to tell these stories is to build tools — tools that allow individuals to tell their personal stories in a meaningful way, and tools that collect, curate, recombine, and edit these stories to form the stories of the collective.

WBP: Can you also talk to the concept of data and it’s value to not only helping to discover but to also aid emotional and social connections?

Kamvar:: Most data analysis has focused on the macro level — statistics, trends, clusters, etc. These give important contextual information and meaningful insights, but rarely do they provoke a visceral, emotional reaction. On the other hand, many individual stories provoke an emotional reaction or social connection, but lack the context that data analysis brings.

For us, it’s important not only to present the high-level data analysis, but also to present the individual stories behind the statistics, and allow for the user to seamlessly shift between the two.

WBP: Do you have any opinions around DataPortability? The open accessibility to blog posts and comments makes a project like “We Feel Fine” possible. Do you have any opinions around DataPortability and the role that open data could play in the emergence of the real-time web especially related to new forms of art and storytelling?

Kamvar:: We are big believers in Data Portability. We Feel Fine would not have been possible without the phenomenon of blogging, and we have made an open API into We Feel Fine that allow people to make artwork and do data analysis with the We Feel Fine data. People have made beautiful work with the API that we would never have thought of ourselves.

In visualizing the data around “We Feel Fine” where there any considerations in terms of the way you shaped the project? Meaning did you discover and modify the project as it has progressed and if so how?

We agonized over every detail in both the website and the book. For example, the opening movement of the website, which we call “Madness”, is meant to convey the feeling of living in a large, anonymous city, like New York, where every day, we see hundreds of people who we will never see again, just for an instant. The overall energy is exciting and beautiful, but if one person were to be removed our substituted, it wouldn’t make a difference to the landscape. The swarming colored dots are meant to reflect that energy.

However, when you develop a relationship with one of the people in the city, that person becomes important, individual, and irreplaceable. The analogy here is clicking on one of the dots on the Madness movement and seeing the emotion of the person behind it.

Another element that is central to both the book and the website are what we call Montages. When there is a photo in the same blog post as a feeling sentence, our program automatically crops the photo and overlays the feeling sentence onto the photo. The resulting composition is often moving, often funny, often a nicely told sentence about ordinary emotion. We pay as much attention to what we leave out as what we leave in. By cropping the photo and not including context to the feeling, we allow space for the viewer. The viewer can fill in that space with memory or imagination, both of which are powerful allies.

WBP: Any thoughts on the future of the real-time web and where you’d like to see it go especially in relation to art, storytelling and / or discovery?

Kamvar: One thing I’d like to see is more depth in the real-time web. People’s behavior reflects the tools that they have available to them. In places where there are more McDonald’s, people get fatter. On the web, as tools make it easy to communicate via status messages, that communication has less depth. I’d like to see more web tools that are designed for deeper communication.

On the search side, I’d like to see a broader diversity of paradigm. A list of 10 ordered results work well for navigational and informational queries, but are not as good for learning more about people or communities.

WBP: What projects or technology excites you and do you have any predications towards the way people will discover stories, content and each other?

Kamvar:: I’m excited about a lot of things. One is the trend towards open source and open data. With mobile phones, there is a very real possibility that the dominant operating system will be an open source operating system (Android). Given how important mobile computing has become (and will continue to become), this will lead to more opportunities for developers and far better products for users.

I’m also excited about how little technology entrepreneurship costs. Technology that used to cost half a million dollars to develop now costs $15,000. This will lead to more unlikely entrepreneurs, more risk-taking, and more potential for highly impactful technologies.

And finally, I’m excited about the cultural shift that has led people to be comfortable with posting lots of information online. That availability of information is useful not just for storytelling, but across all the sciences. 10 years ago, a book like We Feel Fine could not be imagined. As more information flows to the web, it will be used as a database for many other things that are unimaginable today.

NEW BREED: A LOVELY Test Screening

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 06:16:10 GMT

By Gary King For background history on the film project – visit my previous New Breed Article: “A LOVELY Filmmaking Process”

Having achieved picture lock with WHAT’S UP LOVELY, I feel that I am now able to fully cover the details of the decision-making process during the editing stage — and how engaging with test audiences affected its final outcome. Mind you, we are still in post-production as of this writing (currently getting the score and sound work done) so never say never, but I’m 99.9% sure that the edit is locked.

After wrapping production in May 2009, I began the task of putting together an assembly cut based on the treatment that I had developed with Jenn Dees (who plays the main character “Luci”). Since I was editing the project myself, I took the very unorthodox approach of not slating a single take as we shot. I knew that I was going to personally log and organize all the footage — which meant watching every single frame that was shot (in addition to already having seen it “live on the set”). Becoming very familiar with the footage — every nuance and performance — would be my goal before beginning the creative edit. Would I do this again? It depends on the project. For something with a concrete script with scene numbers — no way. For another improv-based project such as this — probably.

The Editing Begins
Here is my LOVELY Editing Roadmap. I managed to sketch it out (during about Week 6 of the editing phase) while waiting to meet a friend at a hotel in New York’s Union Square. Yes, my mind works at the oddest times which is why I try to bring a notebook me wherever I go.

(CLICK THE PICTURE TO ENLARGE — there are spoliers in there, but I wouldn’t worry about it. Good for you if you can read my chicken scratch let alone make sense of anything. I think I’m insane.)

As you can see (or more likely as you CAN’T see) — my mind was going all over the place as I ordered out every single scene of the film. I also added little notes for new ideas to try out. Then I shuffled scenes around a bit as I was sketching the roadmap as things became clearer on the order they needed to appear.

I am sure this method is pretty unusual, but it definitely helped me since there was no formal script. And having edited for several weeks I finally could feel what was working and what was not in terms of storytelling and pacing.

In early August 2009, a preliminary cut was finished and in enough shape to share with an audience for feedback. Not having access to an affordable public venue, I invited people over to my apartment. Ideally for my next project(s) – I will be able to locate someplace in New York within my budget to hold test screenings. Many non-traditional places willing to let you use their space require the projector and screen – which I do not own. Researching such venues with the necessary equipment is on my To-Do list.

Anonymous surveys were handed out to the audience members (comprised of close friends and colleagues — and friends of friends) after the screening. I also extended an invitation to stay afterward and discuss the film should they wish to share their thoughts in an open forum with others. Following the model provided by Zak Forsman, I informed everyone that I would not defend anything in the film during the talk. I was simply there to listen and address specific questions — which I turned back on them if at all possible to see how their initial reactions from the screening influenced their thoughts and conclusions about the film.

ASSEMBLY CUT SCREENING – 76 mins – Initial reactions were mainly confusions and dislikes around three specific scenes (thankfully, it was consistently these three scenes or I would have been in trouble trying to figure out where to begin). To my relief everyone liked the main character “Luci” and actually wanted more of her — even though she already occupied about 90% of the screen time. This was a very good sign we were on the right track — as both Jenn and I felt it was crucial to create a likable character if the audience was to spend as much time with her as they do. For this cut, the original ending was entirely omitted and a new (more open-ended) one was created. This film leaves much to interpretation and I was concerned it was too out there for its own good. I am aware of the motto that “It’s good to be ambiguous…but you have to be clearly ambiguous.” The good news was everyone seemed ok with the ending. It should be noted that the crowd invited consisted of people who enjoy arthouse cinema and therefore my target audience.

Before the next screening, I met with Jenn to discuss the audience reaction. We talked about the changes needed and some voiceover work that had to be revised to match the evolving storyline.

ROUGH CUT 1 SCREENING - 71 mins – Original ending reinstated (but now placed in Act 1 of the film). Shaved off a few minutes by tightening every scene in the film (removed extraneous dialogue, added additional voiceover sequences). Anonymous surveys later revealed that now only one scene (of the original three unclear scenes identified at the previous screening) still needed some work. Additionally, post-screening conversations revealed that a few viewers picked up on the story elements loosely based on a literary classic (which shall remain nameless) which I was happy to hear — but I was encouraged to be more “clearly ambiguous” for the next cut should I wish viewers to really pick up on it. The talk also sparked a healthy debate in the room regarding the film’s symbolism and themes (I just sat back and smiled knowing the film had done its job in that respect).

Before the next rough cut screening, I decided to get a few pick up shots (which was now 5 months later from the original shoot) with Jenn Dees and Aidan Kane (a supporting character) — mainly to create a newly found storyline that needed a few shots to set up. Luckily they had not changed their appearance drastically. Additionally, some major plot points in the original written treatment were not as important anymore and were dropped or trimmed down. Jenn also recorded some new voiceover material to replace previous content in light of some new story developments. We were both really encouraged in what we were discovering and shaping.

ROUGH CUT 2 SCREENING – 70 mins – Deleted 2 voiceover sequences, re-edited others. Original ending now shifted to Act 2 of the film with the newly created storyline. Added a new shot for the ending. Feedback was very positive and encouraging. Although not an all-time favorite director of mine, it was nice to hear someone say “it’s like a good David Lynch film.” I also bit my lip and held back wanting to say to the group as the film ended, “it looks like you all want to say WTF?” Maybe that’s a new genre? Instead of “arthouse cinema” it should be called “wtf cinema” — meant in a good way.

The most positive aspect of the last test screening was the questions raised were exactly the ones I wanted to hear — but did not wish the film to answer. It had achieved its goal and I was a proud father.

I went out with Jenn for a last round of pick up shots to help flesh out visually the final voiceover work. I also tinkered with swapping a few shots around — but nothing major was changed. I should also point out that in between these formal test audience screenings, I was creating multiple versions of the film and sharing them with Jenn and a few other close people for feedback.

So here we are. At Picture Lock.

As they say, a movie is written 3 times:

#1 – script (when you write it)
#2 – filming (when you shoot it)
#3 – editing (when you edit it)

For this improv based project, the whole movie ultimately comes down to the editing. Stories could be added, deleted or shaped based on the direction we wanted to go. And luckily, the way it was shot we had some flexibility to do it. We were not always locked in to one plot point. We had some options.

From the 30+ hours of footage, LOVELY has been shaped into a nice 69-minute film. You can read about how I feel regarding its running time on my blog entry titled “Size Doesn’t Matter”.

I love the test screening process. If nothing else, it gets an extra set of eyes on your film to gauge how it is working (or not). Sometimes a filmmaker can be too connected to the material and not realize that important elements can be lost in translation to others. Of course, it would be impossible to please every viewer in the room and that should never be the goal. Think of it as just another tool — a very valuable one — to help determine if you are connecting with your audience the way you want to.

Next Up: Scoring the Film With 2 Composers

Here is the Official Trailer:

WHAT’S UP LOVELY – Official Trailer from Gary King on Vimeo.

For more stories from the front lines visit the New Breed.

Gary King is an independent filmmaker based in New York whose work is recognized for powerful performances with an emphasis on a strong, visual style. He made his feature film debut with the critically acclaimed drama “New York Lately”. His ability to skillfully apply his filmmaking craft across genres led him to direct the grisly indie horror film “Dismal” from Fearmakers. He is currently in post-production with his latest DIY feature film “What’s Up Lovely” which already has film websites buzzing about its visual style and elegance. It will be released in 2010.

WBP celebrates 3 years

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:37:35 GMT

WBP is growing by leaps and bounds. We just celebrated 3 years this past November. What started as a blog has grown to into a network both online and offline. 2010 promises even more growth as we expand our list of contributors, redesign our sites, and host a number of events here in the US and in Europe. WBP is an open creative network that is centered on assisting those working in film, music, gaming, design and software with resources and networking to fund, create, distribute and sustain from their creative work. We welcome your suggestions and if you’re working on interesting and cutting edge projects please let us know as we’re always looking for contributors. And finally we’d like to thank ALL the volunteers who help to make WBP possible. Many people share their time and talents and as a result we can do much with little. If you’d like to volunteer we’d love to hear from you work [@] workbookproject dot com

A look at the past year…

DIY DAYS

a roving conference for those who create – This past year DIY DAYS made two stops. DIY DAYS Philadelphia was our largest event to date with over 40 speakers and 22 sessions! Last month DIY DAYS traveled to LA for an evening of talks and networking. The videos for the LA event are now available online.

The world of discovery and distribution is changing by the moment. DIY and hybrid distribution is becoming the A option for many filmmakers. But how do you find the strategy that’s going to work best for you? How do you reach and engage audiences while achieving a degree of sustainability? Join Jon Reiss, award winning filmmaker and DIY distribution expert as he shares stories from the frontlines, much of which can be applied to those wishing to connect their creative efforts with an audience in meaningfully ways.

site: www.jonreiss.com
twitter: @jon_reiss

RADAR

a look at the cutting edge of storytelling and creativity – WBP Labs an agency / think thank / project producer launched its first project this year. RADAR a mobile / online series and offline experience which centers on interesting and unique creative and storytelling projects. Within the last year WBP Labs has produced 24 episodes of RADAR and staged offline RADAR experiences. Season 2 is now airing on Babelgum and Season 3 is in the works.

Illustrator Sophie Blackall has read thousands of missed connections posts. A self confessed addict of these intimate, fleeting moments described in haste and posted in public, she trawls through them daily to find the most visual, humorous, lyrical or wierd confessions or pleas, before creating a similarly spontaneous illustration she then posts to her blog. We talk to Sophie about the significance of shared moments between strangers, and create the moments that might have been.

NEW BREED

– Zak Forsman oversees a number of working filmmakers as they document their journey from script to screen. The contributors of the New Breed share their process, resources, and knowledge.

Ben Hicks – A Glimpse of the Future?

After tweeting, facebooking and e-mailing everyone on my contact list I successfully reached my $10,000 goal on kickstarter that I needed to finish up post production and to manufacture our first run of DVD’s. (which we pre-sold 250 copies of)

Once the film was completed we uploaded the film onto The Pirate Bay and a few other torrent sites and in its first year had been downloaded over half a million times. These downloads also had the VODO icon at the end of the film that links to our online store and provides fans an easy way to donate or support us by buying DVD’s, tee-shirts etc. You can also stream the film for free from our website, youtube, vimeo and a host of other channels which has resulted in additional exposure which helped get our film into over 200 film festivals and even helped us pick up some rewards. READ MORE

Zeke Zelker – Indie Film Capitalism #3

We’ve all heard from Hope, Weiler, Broderick, and many other sources exclaiming that indie filmmakers now-a-days need to sell things, besides their films, to sustain themselves. Filmmakers sell posters, soundtracks, t-shirts, etc. at screenings and off their websites to make a couple of bucks. I’ve been doing this for over ten years. My peers always looked at me strangely, why was I selling merchandise for my little indie film? I was making money! If I have a captive audience why not sell them as much as I can? Remember I grew up in an amusement park. READ MORE

CULTURE HACKER

– Nick Braccia oversees a number of game designers and transmedia practitioners who document interesting projects and share thoughts about the design of stories and entertainment experiences that move beyond a single screen or medium.

Haley Moore – Ten Interactive Story Ideas for Layar

Layar, the augmented reality browser that has been creeping up on Android phone users since May, hit the iPhone App Store last month. And yet, the Layar web site lists a big fat goose egg under the heading “Games.” I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I have dreams that start this way. Surely, someone out there has to be looking into Layar as a way to expand an ARG experience. While not as ubiquitous as phone or email, Layar is free to Android and iPhone users. The API is straightforward, and getting signed up to develop content for the system is as easy as submitting a good idea. READ MORE

Peter Katz – IGC Independent Game Conference

November 5-6 I covered the Independent Game Conference where game designers peddled their wares to buyers inside the halls of the Marriott Hotel in Marina del Rey. In between all this networking my friend Don Le filmed (later edited) my interviews with notable professionals and panels that explored subjects as diverse as building personal relationships through video games to new ways to purchase digital goods with micropayments. READ MORE

WBP discovery and distribution Award

– We’re excited to announce that the WBP discovery and distribution Award will be expanding beyond a single run in LA and to multiple screens here in the US and oversees. More details will be announced soon. For full details on how the Award will help films reach screens in theaters, living rooms, online and via mobile devices visit the WBP award site.

CULTURE HACKER: ARG Takes Center Stage

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:32:03 GMT

By Haley Moore – Smoking Gun Interactive is taking its new ARG Exoriare very seriously.

Just because the game is intimately tied to the release of a new graphic novel and a planned console game, they aren’t about to treat it like an advertising campaign. In fact, they’ve been sending out press releases, writing stories for BoingBoing, and talking to The Guardian in anticipation of the ARG, rather than waiting to cover it in triumphant retrospect.

Just from looking at Exoriare, you can tell that this game is meant to be the center of an experience.

Your first interaction with the game is breaking your personal computer out of the conventional network (through an adventure game that takes its first line from Zork) and into the Darknet, a staging ground for the game’s rebel alliance of hackers. As in portions of other ARGs – recent examples include Jejune and Project Abraham – the flash components of the game represent a computer terminal in an alternate world, with an alternate set of rules.

If you manage to break into the Darknet, you’ll be given a universal username for the Exoriare forums that will also track your progress in the game, and grant you access to a slew of programs for working through the story. There’s a space-age radio tuner that delivers audio snippets, a remote server hacking widget reminiscent of Uplink, and a punishingly hard DNA game that’s used to hack your computers biometric systems. For the moment, the experience culminates in a cooperative puzzle game called Global Forager, whose ultimate goal is to pull computers into the Darknet.

The greater storyline is a mashup of ARG staples, involving the Knights of Malta, ancient temples, government cover-ups, obelisks, and a looming alien invasion.

Smoking Gun says that the ARG is just the first element of a new property that will eventually encompass a graphic novel, codenamed X and scripted by author and old-school cyberpunk Douglas Rushkoff, as well as a traditional console game. (If you aren’t familiar with Rushkoff, you should be. We have him to thank for the term “viral media.”) The three narratives will intersect and interact to create a single pervasive story. According to Rushkoff, this has led to a fluid method of writing collaboration inside the Smoking Gun team.

I build a character, and then they stick her into one of their squads in the game; or they build a weapon that I then steal for the climax of one of the scenes in my comic. If we were trying to figure out whose IP was whose, we’d be sunk before we began – which is why we’ve developed a more “communal” model of creative control and ownership.

In other words, the connection between the three will be more than skin deep. The design of the ARG’s puzzle games, which are both original and challenging, already seems to signal a strong connection between the ARG design team and Smoking Gun’s traditional game designers.

For interactive story developers, the main question is, will it take? Will we see more ARGs and other pervasive media moving to the center of large extended experiences with other, commercial branches (such as this comic)? Will that mean a final end to the “curtain” of anonymity that separated ARG creators from their players in the games that defined the medium? Will more of our work get this kind of top billing?

10 Lessons Learned – The New Year Parade

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 06:44:40 GMT

By Tom Quinn – In the fall of 2003 I began work on The New Year Parade with my co-producer, Steve Beal. Steve was a high school biology teacher with no film background and I was the building AV tech who would stop in at lunch to talk about my screenplay, which followed a South Philadelphia family through the first year of a divorce. It was loosely based on interviews I had filmed with friends about their parents’ divorces and set against the backdrop of Mummery, a centuries old tradition in South Philadelphia where the working class holds a parade on January first. The film concept was not entirely practical: in addition to the core cast we would need a hundred musicians in costume, thousands of extras, and permission to close Broad Street to film the parade sequences.

A Bit of History
The Mummers began strutting during pre-Revolutionary times and grew until the city organized an official parade in 1901. Popularity peaked in the 1960’s when thousands upon thousands would crowd the streets and bands like Quaker City and Ferko were nationally known. Like the rest of the country, the Mummers have been hit by hard times and the city was forced to cut funding in 2008. This past year, Philadelphia natives Kevin and Michael Bacon got involved with the Save the Mummers foundation www.savethemummers.com, organizing a Bacon Brothers benefit concert on December 5.

Lesson 1: Turn Your Perceived Weaknesses into Strengths

When Steve and I told friends about our script, they thought we were crazy: We had no money to speak of and could not afford seasoned actors, permits to shut down Broad Street, or props and costumes to create the parade. Inspired by Jim McKay’s Our Song we approached The South Philadelphia String Band to see if they would permit usage of their club and costumes for two weeks. Instead, we were welcomed in for three years as the band acted in the film; incorporated our cast and crew into rehearsals; gave us old costumes and keys to their club; and obtained press passes so we could shoot the 2005 Mummers parade with five cameras. Before we began shooting, I joined the Mummers’ Grapevine (a message board for members) and submitted sections of the script for feedback. We were also fortunate enough to work with The Quaker City String Band who acted as South Philadelphia’s chief competitor in the film. Because of the community’s endless support our film captures the Mummer world to an unprecedented degree.

Lesson 2: A Small, Dedicated Group Can Do Wonders

While we were fortunate to have a few professional young actors aboard, the majority of our cast had never acted before. To build the nonactors’ confidence we spent four months rehearsing and rewriting the script – shaping it to their personalities. Many scenes were shot as long improvisations, riffing off the screenplay while allowing the cast to tap into their own raw feelings and experiences. To keep our costs down, we filmed on nights and weekends over the course of three years while most of the team kept their full time jobs or were enrolled in school. This was a tremendous commitment for all involved – particularly the cast (who could not cut their hair for three years). For instance, Jennifer Welsh was in college and working full time while Greg Lyons moved to LA when his band Eastern Conference Champions was signed. Despite their busy schedules, the entire cast was professional and focused – always ready to perform, dress the sets, or pack up gear. Our crew was very small: typically the ever-talented Mark Doyle would run sound, light the set, set up the video monitor and occasionally act. Meanwhile, I shot and worked with the actors. On larger days we were lucky to have one or two extra hands (including the extremely loyal PA Grant Gaudry), but the crew was never more than five. It was a wonderful atmosphere and really did feel like a family by the end.

Lesson 3: You Don’t Need $$$ to Connect With An Audience
By 2007, we had shot 160 hours of tape, including 80 hours of documentary footage of Mummer practices, parades, and concerts. Our cut was progressing slowly when we were accepted into the amazing IFP Narrative Rough Cut Lab. Coming off the Lab we hit the pavement with new momentum and premiered at Slamdance in 2008. To our surprise we were awarded The Grand Jury prize for Best Narrative and followed it up with a great week at SXSW and 7 additional festival awards. 2008 ended with a Gotham Award nomination for The Best Film Not Playing in a Theater Near You, which brought the film to MOMA for an exclusive run. All of this for a film that was shot on digital video for $7,000!

Lesson 4: Find Passionate Partners
Steve and I briefly considered a theatrical run to coincide with the 2009 parade, but knew our release would benefit from time to plan. Fortunately, Carnivalesque Films were interested in releasing a DVD. Carnivalesque is a fairly new independent label we’re pretty psyched about. They are releasing exciting independent work like Mardi Gras: Made in China, Orphans, and Woodpecker. Owners David Redmon and Ashley Sabin are both filmmaker friendly and very hard working. We decided on a November 24 release to coincide with “Mum Season” in Philadelphia and began work on the DVD design and content.

Lesson 5: Create a Final Product With Audience in Mind
Based on our festival experience we felt there were three core audiences who would buy the DVD: Aspiring filmmakers, Mummer fans, and family counselors. Our aim was to create a DVD they would want to own rather than rent so we created eighty minutes of bonus features we thought they would enjoy. For aspiring filmmakers, we shot interviews with most of the major cast and crew and cut a “Making Of” that is unusually detailed for a low-budget film. Our hope was that, by including footage of auditions, rehearsals, and deleted scenes, other filmmakers could learn from our successes and failures.

I spoke to the friends I interviewed before shooting the film, and they were all supportive of including their discussions on divorce. During our festival run we had met many family counselors who thought the film could be useful to their profession because it explored the problem in a realistic way. We also met so many wonderful people, from the 68-year old woman in Ashland, Oregon to the 20-year old in Torino, Italy who had experienced divorce first hand and connected to the characters’ experiences. My hope had always been to generate discussion about divorce because, while it is a topic we often consider understood, many people have unresolved feelings toward it.

Finally, we created a “Behind-The-Sequins” section of the DVD, which provides a glimpse into Mummery. Everywhere we have screened, people have wanted to know more about the Mummers. We reached out to The Mummers’ String Band Association, who provided oral history interviews they had taped. We included three that related to the film. We also shot a History of The South Philadelphia String Band as a thanks for all they had given. The short documentary piece covers the band from their inception in 1946 through present day and includes interviews with 14 members, including Jim Donaghy, who had been their highly respected captain for 30 years.

For design, we turned to Matt Hanemann, a Philadelphia based designer and musician who had created our poster artwork. We both felt the design needed to be recognizable at a very small size as the DVD would often be a thumbnail online. Matt shifted the proportions from the poster concept to create greater emphasis on the title and created a beautiful back cover full of quotes and images. For the inside booklet, we used a photo from Charlie Roetz, a mummer from Quaker City String Band who tells the real story behind the photo in the film. Finally, we were fortunate to have Steven Rea, a respected critic with the Philadelphia Inquirer, write our liner notes.

Lesson 6: Theaters Will Work With You
To build awareness for the DVD release, Steve and I booked a theatrical run in Philadelphia through Landmark Theaters. We had reached out to Landmark in February and while they loved the film, they had concerns as to whether we could fill the theater for a week. Steve continued the conversation all summer while we simultaneously reached out to our press contacts in the Philadelphia area. Throughout our festival run, we had been contacted by reporters interested in a story, but we asked them to hold off until a release. We asked if they were still interested and went back to Landmark with confirmations from The Philadelphia Inquirer, City Paper, Daily News, and Philadelphia Weekly. In early October, they agreed to open the film on October 30 at their Ritz Bourse Theatre with five screenings per day. This all proved….

Lesson 7: Print is Not Dead
When Landmark first requested we buy an ad in The Inquirer we wondered whether that money could be better spent online. So much has been written in the past few years about the death of print and we did not have the funds to waste. Yet when it came time to premiere the film we found a very high percentage of our audience had discovered the film in print, despite a heavier online presence. The best answer I have is that the print audience is a paying culture and more likely to go to a theater and purchase a ticket whereas the online folks appear rabid at times, but may be more likely to wait for DVD on Amazon, Netflix, or bit torrent.

Lesson 8: Regional Filmmaking = Regional Release
Since we only had 4 weeks to promote and $300 left for P&A, Steve and I began work on a grassroots campaign to build awareness. We printed 200 mini-posters and I e-mailed the 18 string band presidents. Over the next 2 weeks I visited every club I could to talk directly to the members about our film. Meanwhile, Steve connected with Save The Mummers, who began promoting the run through their website (in exchange, we donated a portion of our Saturday night box). I also cut a new trailer geared toward the Philadelphia region, which featured the Vet and more obscure Mummer references. In the two weeks prior to the premiere our Facebook fans went from 220 to 2000! The excitement was electric!

Lesson 9: Free Beer Can’t Hurt
To kick off our run, Steve organized an event at Top Hat, a bar within walking distance to the theater who offered a free beer to each ticket holder. Then, 2nd Street Annie’s (owned by one of the Mummers in the film) offered a free drink to any ticket holder all week! Finally, we paired up with the amazing marketing agency 95 North, who sponsored a free happy hour mid-week! There, we projected bonus materials from the DVD, had a chance to meet fans of the film, and 95 North auctioned off free tickets to the screening! All of these events gave the audience a chance to interact with the cast and crew, and to meet other fans of the film.

Lesson 9: An Event Brings Press & People

After a year of traveling without The South Philadelphia String Band we were thrilled to include them in the premiere. Nobody brings a good time like the Mummers and this was certainly the case as they piled off the bus to play outside the theater.

Within minutes a crowd had gathered and was dancing in the street, cars were stopped, and the press showed up. Fox 29 interviewed me as the band played in the background, and then shared the footage with other area networks! Afterwards, three members from the band participated in the Q&A with the cast, allowing the audience to learn more about Mummery and their unique involvement in the film first hand.

Lesson 10: The Yankees Hate Independent Film
We knew from the get go it would be difficult to go up against Halloween, but never expected the Phils to be playing The World Series that weekend. It was tough competition, but fortunately our grassroots campaign paid off and Landmark extended the film for a second week! Word of mouth began catching on beyond the Mummer and art house crowd that second week and many new fans were disappointed the run ended before their friends could make it. All in all, the theatrical run brought in $6,766.50 on one screen and 1900 new Facebook fans just in time for the DVD release!

So Now What?
Our DVD was released through Carnivalesque Films this week and sales have been incredible! Netflix is backed up and word of mouth has been crazy good. We never expected any of this and are thrilled by the results. I’m especially grateful for the e-mails, hugs, and handshakes I’ve gotten from Mummers in Philadelphia thrilled to see their tradition respected and taken to a larger audience. Meanwhile, Carnivalesque has been helping with additional theatrical events. Next up is a week at Facets Cinematheque in Chicago from December 11 – 17.

When not wearing the many hats of distribution, I’ve begun working on a new screenplay set in the suburbs of Philadelphia where I can apply these 10 lessons. I look forward to learning 10 more.

Tom Quinn’s debut feature, The New Year Parade, was selected for the IFP Narrative Rough Cut Labs, won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative at Slamdance, and was a Gotham Award nominee for “Best Film Not Playing in a Theater Near You.” Tom has been listed one of the “25 New Faces of Independent Film” by Filmmaker Magazine and “Ten Young Writer-Directors to Watch,” by MovieMaker Magazine. He was fortunate to be the first American filmmaker accepted to the Toronto International Film Festival Talent Lab and is currently working toward his MFA at Temple University.

The making of a STRONGMAN

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:23:50 GMT

With DIY DAYS LA kicking off in a matter of days we asked Zachary Levy to share some insight around the making of his latest doc STRONGMAN. The project centers on Stanless Steel, The Strongest Man in the World at Bending Steel and Metal. From start to finish the process has taken 10 years to reach the screen and along the way Zachary has made some interesting pit stops. One of which lead to some unlikely financial opportunities.

By Zachary Levy – I started STRONGMAN in the summer of 1999. I remember thinking at the beginning that there was the potential for a really great film here, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to spent the next *year* of my life making it. That’s the first lesson, I think. A certain amount of ignorance is sometimes really helpful. Had I known just how long the road was going to be, I might have chosen not to take the first step. That’s also the second lesson for me–things can often take longer than you thought and when you’re working by yourself, it’s easy to think that it means you are moving in the wrong direction. It’s useful to check your bearings every once in a while, but trust your internal compass. Don’t waste time beating yourself up about the time it is taking, the road you choose will get you somewhere.

The film was very much a DIY affair from the beginning. I was borrowing a camera, sound equipment, constantly scrambling to teach friends how to do location sound and renting cars to get to my subject’s house. I had saved some money from my day job as a cameraman, but that ran out pretty quickly. I turned to my credit cards. That was also a lesson for me – be willing to make an investment in yourself. This is a tricky lesson because of course you don’t want to take on debt blindly. But if you think of yourself as a business it can be helpful to realize that many business do take out loans to grow. As much as debt is a risk, there is also risk in underfunding yourself.

After filming my subject for 3 years, I was about $40,000 in debt and pretty tired. I still believed deeply in the film, but wasn’t really sure how I could move forward. I felt I reached the amount of debt that I could justify to myself as a business decision. I needed to take a break and regroup both in terms of my financial situation and my energy.

Then came the cards. Like a lot of people when the Iraq war started, I was angry and upset. I’ve always been a person who gets lots of ideas and when I saw the government’s Most Wanted Deck – one hit me. I could make a deck that would be a parody, one that had 52 of Bush’s administration.

It wasn’t about making money for me, so much as saying something I thought needed to be said at the time. But it’s another lesson, I think, as much you want to be extremely focused and disciplined when charting a DIY course, you don’t want to have total blinders on to the world. Keeping another project or other ideas on the back-burner can actually help you be more flexible and give you valuable perspective on other things that will help you in the long run.

My gut said to do this and my debt load actually became an asset to me. Had I had a little money, I might have been afraid of losing it, but having no money, I really felt like I had nothing to lose. So I put another $10,000 on my credit card and printed 2500 decks of newly named Bush Cards. I hesitate to recommend anyone jump on the next get-rich quick scheme as a way of financing their films, but I think maybe the lesson here is if you believe in something, if it resonates with you strongly, you can trust that there will be other people who it will also resonate with as well.

The cards were a huge DIY hit. I was running the whole business from my apartment. One room was my office and the other was the warehouse. I remember at one time having about 20,000 decks of cards sitting in my living room. Over the course of 5 years, I sold over 300,000 decks. I got large press articles in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New Yorker. The cards even wound up in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian. I learned so many lessons from the cards. Just doing the nuts and bolts work well was a huge asset. When it came to making and selling the cards It meant shipping them quickly, making sure they would be in a place where customers could see them, being persistent with sales calls and follow-ups. None of it was rocket science or fancy marketing advice. Doing the work consistently became its own marketing, as it got the cards in front of people in an immediate way that advertising never could have. Over the course of 5 years, I spent maybe a total of $150 on advertising. Another lesson-people hear about things in a variety of ways. There are a lot of traditional exhibitors out there who think advertising is the primary route for getting people to the theater. From the cards, I am not so sure. I think it helps, but only if people already know about something. The key thing is getting people to know about it.

Flash forward–the success of the cards allowed me to have enough money to get out of debt and bought me the time to finishing the film. It also gave me a big taste of what is possible by going a DIY route.

STRONGMAN kicks off a nationwide theatrical release at the Downtown Independent Theater in LA on Nov. 27th.

How to Actively Support the Music you Love

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:53:44 GMT

thanks futureofmusic.org – Today’s post is by Brian McTear, co-founder of Philadelphia’s Weathervane Music Organization– a nonprofit community that works with independent musicians to support and advance their careers. Weathervane’s efforts revolve around a program called the Weathervane Music Project Series: a curated series of audio and video recordings featuring the artists, their music and artfully produced video of the actual recording sessions.

When some people think about the lives of musicians, they may still imagine wild parties and fancy sports cars. There may be a party from time to time, but for most musicians, pursuing their art isn’t exactly the fast track to a life of luxury. With the traditional music industry in a state of what could safely be called disarray, there isn’t a ready-made recipe for sustainable careers. The good news is that people still put their hearts and souls into making music, and there are still plenty of fans out there that want to support creators. But what’s the best way to do so?

With so many things in flux, it’s not always easy to know which method of fan support will have the biggest impact. That’s why we figured it might be useful to take a look at some of the ways you can support your favorite artists and how it can positively impact those musicians’ bottom lines — directly or indirectly.

Go see your favorite bands play live. In the music industry, an artist is rarely handed money directly. In pretty much every other situation, a band gets its cut of revenues only after everyone else in line is paid. (And that can be a long line!) But when it comes to playing live, most get paid right when the night is over. Because of this I say that if you are friends with a band and they offer to put you on their guest list, you should… Decline! Pay instead! You will show your class in spades.
When you go see shows, buy hard copies of your favorite bands’ music. Most smaller signed artists get “tour support” from their record label in the form of free records to sell at shows. Buying a CD from the band means they can buy gas to get them to the next gig. Conversely, if they don’t sell them, all they’re really doing is wasting gas driving them around the country. So if you are offered a free CD or vinyl LP (because naturally they want you to hear their music, right?), opt to pay for it. You are doing the right thing, and saving them from themselves.
Buy your favorite bands’ merchandise. Very often, artists pay for their t-shirts themselves, or even MAKE them with their own hands. This means that they did, in fact, shell out the money for materials, and possibly someone else’s labor if they used a printer. Help them break even, or maybe even turn a profit! This is another rare opportunity in the scheme of things for the musicians to be first in line. Help them out!
Purchase downloads legitimately. Purchasing digital downloads from services like iTunes, Amazon, eMusic or Rhapsody also puts money in artists’ pockets. When it comes to digital downloads, there’s a wide spectrum of rates, and some artists profit more than others. Although there’s a common assumption that artists only make pennies on their iTunes or Rhapsody sales, this depends entirely on the label/distribution situation. The more independent an artist is — and certainly if the artist is unsigned and they self-released using Tune-Core (a service that doesn’t take a cut of the sales) the greater the percentage they stand to make from the download.
Use a legitimate streaming service such as Rhapsody, Napster, Pandora or Spotify (not yet available in the US). If you require an unfathomably large collection of music, this is the way to go. Not only are they safe for your computer, but since these services are properly licensed, the songwriter, publisher, performer and copyright owner (usually a record label) get paid for each stream of their song. It’s currently a small amount, but if you play it again and again, it adds up! Beyond payment, there are many valuable statistics and web metrics an artist can access when you use these services. This way, they know where people are digging their stuff and can plan their tours and releases accordingly.
Contribute to Band Fundraisers – Gone are the days of record advances, at least for new artists. Unfortunately, this is how they paid to record and to go on tour. Now, many artists are using fundraising sites such as Kickstarter.com to raise money in advance of these activities. Enjoy the opportunity to support the music you love before it even gets made! Another huge class act!
Subscribe to artists’ fan clubs. By doing so, you not only get first access to news and tour dates, you also help to legitimize and support one of the smartest, most industrious things an artist can do for their career.
Join a band’s email list. By simply becoming a fan on their Facebook Fan Page, or their Myspace Page, the artist doesn’t have your data, Facebook and Myspace do! If for some reason they lose their account with either, they lose you and you lose them. It’s a simple process, and most artists know not to email you constantly!
Support nonprofits that support musicians. I can truly say that far too few musicians are participating in conversations about where this industry is going. The inevitable result will be that musicians, again, end up at the far end of the line. Organizations such as (..ahem….) Future of Music Coalition, Weathervane Music and others are staffed by people who are dedicated to making sure that artists can achieve sustainable and lucrative careers in music.
Stop using Torrent sites. Go back and buy the records of the artists you fell in love with by using Torrent sites. The simple act of paying for the music that you love will surely buy back your ticket to heaven. And of course, we don’t even need to go into the dangers of downloading from Torrent sites, anyway.

This post originally appeared on www.futureofmusic.org

Brian McTear is a musician, producer, recording engineer and the owner of Miner Street Recordings, the Philadelphia recording studio revered by independent musicians around the country. In the 13 years that McTear has worked in Philadelphia, he has produced over 100 records, has played a large part in the resurgence and success of the independent music community in Philadelphia, and the national and international success of several recording artists. McTear writes songs and sings in the band Bitter bitter weeks, and plays guitar with The Novenas.