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July 26 2010
EVENT: Transmedia Next
I’m often asked about transmedia and how my company Seize the Media is using it in the projects that we’re developing or producing. Besides being an excellent story R&D tool, transmedia also offers a wide range of benefits for those wishing to tell stories in the digital age. It’s a given that media consumption is changing and much has been written about an entertainment industry that finds itself smack in the center of a major transition. And while transmedia might not be for every storyteller, there are things that can be learned from the process of adapting and designing a story that travels beyond one device, platform or medium that can apply to anyone. For instance transmedia can create new opportunities to fund, develop, write, produce and / or distribute the stories you wish to tell.
This coming fall I’ll be part of an exciting training program called Transmedia Next which takes place in London on September 8, 9, & 10th. Over the course of three intensive days we’ll share an approach that my company has been employing on various films, TV, and games that we’ve produced. The event is funded by EU Media and will be open to those in Europe. We’ll be working with a small group of people as we pull back the curtain and share our process. Space is limited so if you’re interested you best hurry. There are also a number of scholarships for those based in the UK thanks to support from Skillset.
For more info on Transmedia Next and to see how you can attend visit www.transmedianext.com
EVENT: Transmedia Next
I’m often asked about transmedia and how my company Seize the Media is using it in the projects that we’re developing or producing. Besides being an excellent story R&D tool, transmedia also offers a wide range of benefits for those wishing to tell stories in the digital age. It’s a given that media consumption is changing and much has been written about an entertainment industry that finds itself smack in the center of a major transition. And while transmedia might not be for every storyteller, there are things that can be learned from the process of adapting and designing a story that travels beyond one device, platform or medium that can apply to anyone. For instance transmedia can create new opportunities to fund, develop, write, produce and / or distribute the stories you wish to tell.
This coming fall I’ll be part of an exciting training program called Transmedia Next which takes place in London on September 8, 9, & 10th. Over the course of three intensive days we’ll share an approach that my company has been employing on various films, TV, and games that we’ve produced. The event is funded by EU Media and will be open to those in Europe. We’ll be working with a small group of people as we pull back the curtain and share our process. Space is limited so if you’re interested you best hurry. There are also a number of scholarships for those based in the UK thanks to support from Skillset.
For more info on Transmedia Next and to see how you can attend visit www.transmedianext.com
July 23 2010
RADAR NYC 7.23.10
Auto-Tune The News – Ep10 Turtles
There’s a good chance that if you’ve ever used the internet to procrastinate/look at YouTube/link your friends to ridiculous videos, you’ve seen “Auto-Tune the News.” The concept is simple: take the day’s freshest, most serious news, T-Pain the voices, and add some funky background music. The result: hilarious. The brains behind the zany wigs, blue screens, and manic beats are The Gregory Brothers and Sarah Gregory. Check out the latest RADAR episode for some behind-the-scenes action of ATTN making Ep10 – Turtles, or just shoot over to their YouTube page. Just don’t forget to subscribe. Turtles:
Watch more videos from Auto-Tune The News
www.youtube.com/user/schmoyoho
Tall Firs
We like Tall Firs and their indie rock jamming, even using one of their tracks in season 3 of RADAR. The trio sounds like a compilation of 90s-era Dinosaur Jr., live Neil Young, and aggressive Galaxies 500, but don’t take our word for it – Head to their Myspace to hear what’s up. We recommend “Axemen” or “Hairdo.”
Listen / Purchase – Tall Firs music
Red Light Properties – Chapter 18
If you’re anything like us, you’ve been following Dan Goldman’s work since we featured his Red Light Properties series (RADAR Ep22 – Red Light Properties). The unique webcomic experience is still going strong, with a new chapter prepped for launch on July 27th. The online graphic novel follows a group of ghostbusting realty agents in Miami who turnover previously-haunted houses well-below market value. The self-proclaimed tropical-horror‘s most unique aspect has got to be its delivery; instead of one massive JPG or PDF shoved onto your screen, the comic unfolds panel-by-panel, one word-bubble at a time, all at the pace of your mouse clicks. Catch up with the eighteen previous chapters now.
Chapter 18 – view here.
NY International Independent Film & Video Festival
In case you didn’t know, the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival is one of the largest indie festivals in the world. Greats such as Abel Ferrara, Andy Garcia, Ewan McGregor, Christopher Walken, Daryl Hannah, Guy Pearce, George Clooney, and Willem Dafoe have all done work in the festival and the NYIIFVF also accepts submissions from all over the world. If that sort of gravity doesn’t already attract you to the event, our own Daniela Croci has a film entered in the festival, Everything Is as It Seems. Scope the fest’s website for info on film schedules, locations, and tickets. Watch Daniela’s short:
Saturday July 24th – 2 pm
VILLAGE EAST CINEMAS
181 2nd Avenue at 12th Street, New York
Event Info
@Urbanfarming
We’ve showcased sustainability pieces here at RADAR a couple times before, most notably, the Waterpod project (RADAR 017 – Waterpod). Well, some of the guys and girls behind that awesome art satellite have a website and a Twitter dedicated to appropriate technology and green living. Yes, both are definitely worth bookmarking/ following for updates on all things efficient, useful, and green.
RADAR NYC 7.23.10
Auto-Tune The News – Ep10 Turtles
There’s a good chance that if you’ve ever used the internet to procrastinate/look at YouTube/link your friends to ridiculous videos, you’ve seen “Auto-Tune the News.” The concept is simple: take the day’s freshest, most serious news, T-Pain the voices, and add some funky background music. The result: hilarious. The brains behind the zany wigs, blue screens, and manic beats are The Gregory Brothers and Sarah Gregory. Check out the latest RADAR episode for some behind-the-scenes action of ATTN making Ep10 – Turtles, or just shoot over to their YouTube page. Just don’t forget to subscribe. Turtles:
Watch more videos from Auto-Tune The News
www.youtube.com/user/schmoyoho
Tall Firs
We like Tall Firs and their indie rock jamming, even using one of their tracks in season 3 of RADAR. The trio sounds like a compilation of 90s-era Dinosaur Jr., live Neil Young, and aggressive Galaxies 500, but don’t take our word for it – Head to their Myspace to hear what’s up. We recommend “Axemen” or “Hairdo.”
Listen / Purchase – Tall Firs music
Red Light Properties – Chapter 18
If you’re anything like us, you’ve been following Dan Goldman’s work since we featured his Red Light Properties series (RADAR Ep22 – Red Light Properties). The unique webcomic experience is still going strong, with a new chapter prepped for launch on July 27th. The online graphic novel follows a group of ghostbusting realty agents in Miami who turnover previously-haunted houses well-below market value. The self-proclaimed tropical-horror‘s most unique aspect has got to be its delivery; instead of one massive JPG or PDF shoved onto your screen, the comic unfolds panel-by-panel, one word-bubble at a time, all at the pace of your mouse clicks. Catch up with the eighteen previous chapters now.
Chapter 18 – view here.
NY International Independent Film & Video Festival
In case you didn’t know, the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival is one of the largest indie festivals in the world. Greats such as Abel Ferrara, Andy Garcia, Ewan McGregor, Christopher Walken, Daryl Hannah, Guy Pearce, George Clooney, and Willem Dafoe have all done work in the festival and the NYIIFVF also accepts submissions from all over the world. If that sort of gravity doesn’t already attract you to the event, our own Daniela Croci has a film entered in the festival, Everything Is as It Seems. Scope the fest’s website for info on film schedules, locations, and tickets. Watch Daniela’s short:
Saturday July 24th – 2 pm
VILLAGE EAST CINEMAS
181 2nd Avenue at 12th Street, New York
Event Info
@Urbanfarming
We’ve showcased sustainability pieces here at RADAR a couple times before, most notably, the Waterpod project (RADAR 017 – Waterpod). Well, some of the guys and girls behind that awesome art satellite have a website and a Twitter dedicated to appropriate technology and green living. Yes, both are definitely worth bookmarking/ following for updates on all things efficient, useful, and green.
July 15 2010
RADAR NYC 7.15.10
RADAR Ep26 – Hidden Oras
“Hidden Oras began as a live drawing project within various music clubs in Japan before moving to NYC. Shantell Martin an artist and VeeJay armed with her projector, and trusty digital drawing tablet, turns members of the audience into living art. When an audience member steps up against the projector wall Shantell creates a unique and original drawing that engulfs them. Fusing technology and art at every turn, Hidden Oras is just the first step of many towards the next wave of Live Art.
www.shantellmartin.com
Shantell Martin at PSFK conference
Shantell Martin (RADAR 026 – Hidden Oras) spoke at this year’s PSFK conference, discussing not only her process, but the tools she uses to keep herself in touch with her “creative seed”. Throughout the day, we as New Yorkers keep ourselves busy with emails and appointments, worrying about the guy you don’t trust next to you on the train, keeping us from nurturing our inner artist. By “checking in” with ourselves, stepping out of our head and focusing on our hearts and souls, to let them speak for themselves once in a while.
There Will Be Fireworks
Check out the new video for Ash Wednesday by There Will be Fireworks, a yet to be released song, in a video shot by They Shoot Video, Don’t They. “They” are a Viennese video blog, who feature “artists that can be vaguely described by the blurred out term indie”. There Will Be Fireworks are featured in the upcoming episode of RADAR season 3.
Listen / Purchase – There Will Be Fireworks music
The Pekar Project
On a solemn note, this week we remember Harvey Pekar, best known for his American Splendor comic series, who passed away early on Monday, July 12th. Pekar’s first ongoing online web series, The Pekar Project, is hosted by Smithmag.com, a comic’s collective who has touched the RADAR family in many ways. Harvey Pekars’s graphic novel, The Quitter was also illustrated by Next-Door Neighbor’s editor, Dean Haspiel. RADAR sends out a big hug to the many folks who were touched by Pekar and to Smithmag.com’s Comics Editor, Jeff Newelt, who co-founded The Pekar Project and has worked with RADAR to make so much possible – we are so sorry for the loss of Jeff’s dear friend. Please check out The Pekar Project, as it’s a great service to Pekar and everything he stood for.
Art Show – “PAINTINGS”
Jay Shells (RADAR 025 – Subway Etiquette) made a big splash with his Subway Etiquette project, getting him national attention, as well as the respect and appreciation of annoyed commuters citywide. This Friday, at the 21 Ludlow Gallery, you can see some of Jay’s other work on display alongside Gray Edgerton, Timothy Mearini, Charles Martin, Eddie Ochoa, Fedele Spadafore and Nicole Wilson, at the Paintings exhibit, from 7-10 PM, at 21 Ludlow St on the Lower East Side.
Friday July 16th – 7p to 10p
21Ludlow
21 Ludlow St. New York
Event Info
@URDB
Follow this twitter from URDB (RADAR 04 - URDB) for the most up to date world records from the bizarre to hilarious to just plan old f***ing genius.
RADAR NYC 7.15.10
RADAR Ep26 – Hidden Oras
“Hidden Oras began as a live drawing project within various music clubs in Japan before moving to NYC. Shantell Martin an artist and VeeJay armed with her projector, and trusty digital drawing tablet, turns members of the audience into living art. When an audience member steps up against the projector wall Shantell creates a unique and original drawing that engulfs them. Fusing technology and art at every turn, Hidden Oras is just the first step of many towards the next wave of Live Art.
www.shantellmartin.com
Shantell Martin at PSFK conference
Shantell Martin (RADAR 026 – Hidden Oras) spoke at this year’s PSFK conference, discussing not only her process, but the tools she uses to keep herself in touch with her “creative seed”. Throughout the day, we as New Yorkers keep ourselves busy with emails and appointments, worrying about the guy you don’t trust next to you on the train, keeping us from nurturing our inner artist. By “checking in” with ourselves, stepping out of our head and focusing on our hearts and souls, to let them speak for themselves once in a while.
There Will Be Fireworks
Check out the new video for Ash Wednesday by There Will be Fireworks, a yet to be released song, in a video shot by They Shoot Video, Don’t They. “They” are a Viennese video blog, who feature “artists that can be vaguely described by the blurred out term indie”. There Will Be Fireworks are featured in the upcoming episode of RADAR season 3.
Listen / Purchase – There Will Be Fireworks music
The Pekar Project
On a solemn note, this week we remember Harvey Pekar, best known for his American Splendor comic series, who passed away early on Monday, July 12th. Pekar’s first ongoing online web series, The Pekar Project, is hosted by Smithmag.com, a comic’s collective who has touched the RADAR family in many ways. Harvey Pekars’s graphic novel, The Quitter was also illustrated by Next-Door Neighbor’s editor, Dean Haspiel. RADAR sends out a big hug to the many folks who were touched by Pekar and to Smithmag.com’s Comics Editor, Jeff Newelt, who co-founded The Pekar Project and has worked with RADAR to make so much possible – we are so sorry for the loss of Jeff’s dear friend. Please check out The Pekar Project, as it’s a great service to Pekar and everything he stood for.
Art Show – “PAINTINGS”
Jay Shells (RADAR 025 – Subway Etiquette) made a big splash with his Subway Etiquette project, getting him national attention, as well as the respect and appreciation of annoyed commuters citywide. This Friday, at the 21 Ludlow Gallery, you can see some of Jay’s other work on display alongside Gray Edgerton, Timothy Mearini, Charles Martin, Eddie Ochoa, Fedele Spadafore and Nicole Wilson, at the Paintings exhibit, from 7-10 PM, at 21 Ludlow St on the Lower East Side.
Friday July 16th – 7p to 10p
21Ludlow
21 Ludlow St. New York
Event Info
@URDB
Follow this twitter from URDB (RADAR 04 - URDB) for the most up to date world records from the bizarre to hilarious to just plan old f***ing genius.
July 14 2010
Hidden Oras – RADAR S3 ep 26 [vid]
Hidden Oras began as a live drawing project within various music clubs in Japan before moving to NYC. Shantell Martin an artist and VeeJay armed with her projector, and trusty digital drawing tablet, turns members of the audience into living art. When an audience member steps up against the projector wall Shantell creates a unique and original drawing that engulfs them. Fusing technology and art at every turn, Hidden Oras is just the first step of many towards the next wave of Live Art.
Relevant sites:
Credits:
CREATED by Lance Weiler & Alex Johnson
DIRECTOR Josh Cramer
DP Doug Emmett
EDITOR Jawad Metni
SERIES PRODUCER Josh Cramer
SEGMENT PRODUCER Janine Saunders
TITLE SEQUENCE Jordan Gray
POST PRODUCTION House of Trim
ADDITIONAL MUSIC by:
Roger O’Donnell “Endlessly”
Runaway “The Poltergeist”
Taigaa “This Is Called Lonely Brass”
Hidden Oras – RADAR S3 ep 26 [vid]
Hidden Oras began as a live drawing project within various music clubs in Japan before moving to NYC. Shantell Martin an artist and VeeJay armed with her projector, and trusty digital drawing tablet, turns members of the audience into living art. When an audience member steps up against the projector wall Shantell creates a unique and original drawing that engulfs them. Fusing technology and art at every turn, Hidden Oras is just the first step of many towards the next wave of Live Art.
Relevant sites:
Credits:
CREATED by Lance Weiler & Alex Johnson
DIRECTOR Josh Cramer
DP Doug Emmett
EDITOR Jawad Metni
SERIES PRODUCER Josh Cramer
SEGMENT PRODUCER Janine Saunders
TITLE SEQUENCE Jordan Gray
POST PRODUCTION House of Trim
ADDITIONAL MUSIC by:
Roger O’Donnell “Endlessly”
Runaway “The Poltergeist”
Taigaa “This Is Called Lonely Brass”
July 09 2010
RADAR NYC 7.9.10
RADAR Ep25 – Subway Etiquette
RADAR Season 3 Launches with Ep 25 – Subway Etiquette. Find more of Jay Shell’s work here.
“Jay Shells is the man behind Subway Etiquette, a new project that uses silk screen signs, which look identical to official transit signs, to speak not just to New Yorkers but all commuters, asking for a simple thing: Respect. Jay’s signs request that the reader does not do things like eat messy foods, preach their own religious beliefs or cut their toenails while riding the subway. What seems to be common sense is actually happening at every turn – bothering everyone around them. However our own concern with politeness keeps us from speaking up. We follow Jay from his silk screening studio in The New School, through the stairwells and tunnels of the New York Subway System, posting signs that hopefully remind us all to be a little more courteous.”
WBPLabs – Inspired By Design
If you’ve ever found RADAR adding a little too much art to your diet and not enough architecture, construction, or inventive design, you’re going to want to check out Labs’ brand new series, Inspired by Design. Yes, you’ve caught us rooting for the home team, but we can’t help but showcase the new site’s intuitive look into the world of homes as creativity. Each episode visits a different environment – beachfront, lakeside and urban – and explores new architecture that elevates the everyday. If you dig the way we do things here at RADAR, definitely give them a look. More episodes here.
Gregory and The Hawk
Harps, guitars, and a voice, oh my. Gregory in the Hawk aka Meredith Godreau is one talented singer-songwriter. We’re pretty big fans of the New York native and her peculiar brand of folk music. While Godreau hasn’t released anything since 2008’s Moenie and Kitchi, we’re hopeful that changes soon and you should be too. In the meantime, check out her artful Beyonce cover down below.
Listen / Purchase – Gregory and the Hawk music
Found Magazine
The explanatory paragraph on Found Magazine’s website reads “We collect found stuff: love letters, birthday cards, kids’ homework, to-do lists, ticket stubs, poetry on napkins, telephone bills, doodles – anything that gives a glimpse into someone else’s life. Anything goes…” As it turns out, that’s the must accurate, succinct description for a site that turns one person’s “trash” into the internet’s treasure. Chock full of sweet, charming, heartbreaking, honest, and emotional discovered items, the site is a must-bookmark. In other words, just like Post Secret without all the melodrama.
Small Black and Beach Fossils – Music
Let’s be honest, this ridiculous-sounding “chill-wave” label is going to stick. In case you haven’t heard the recent-ish blogism, chill-wave is the all-encompassing genre of lo-fi, catchy, down-tempo, fuzzed-out, noise-pop, usually associated with small bedroom bands from Brooklyn. Whew, that was a lot of hyphens. Anyways, two of the genre’s (and indie music in general) best acts are Small Black and Beach Fossils and if you’re lucky enough to be in NYC on July 14th, you get to see ‘em both play live at the Mecury Lounge. Not sold yet? Listen to Small Black’s “Despicable Dogs” (RADAR Season 3) or Beach Fossil’s “Vacation” at their respective Myspaces. Myspi?
Saturday July 14th, 9:30pm
Mercury Lounge
217 East Houston St., New York, NY 10002
Event Info
Bambi Killers
We devoted an entire Radar episode trying to explain just what exactly the Bambi Killer are. Though we still can’t sum them up one sentence, their blog offers a whole bunch of insight and understanding into their horror rock cabaret. Check it out if you’re a fan of Glenn Danzig, Marilyn Monroe, show tunes, fake blood, alien invasions, or performance art.
RADAR NYC 7.9.10
RADAR Ep25 – Subway Etiquette
RADAR Season 3 Launches with Ep 25 – Subway Etiquette. Find more of Jay Shell’s work here.
“Jay Shells is the man behind Subway Etiquette, a new project that uses silk screen signs, which look identical to official transit signs, to speak not just to New Yorkers but all commuters, asking for a simple thing: Respect. Jay’s signs request that the reader does not do things like eat messy foods, preach their own religious beliefs or cut their toenails while riding the subway. What seems to be common sense is actually happening at every turn – bothering everyone around them. However our own concern with politeness keeps us from speaking up. We follow Jay from his silk screening studio in The New School, through the stairwells and tunnels of the New York Subway System, posting signs that hopefully remind us all to be a little more courteous.”
WBPLabs – Inspired By Design
If you’ve ever found RADAR adding a little too much art to your diet and not enough architecture, construction, or inventive design, you’re going to want to check out Labs’ brand new series, Inspired by Design. Yes, you’ve caught us rooting for the home team, but we can’t help but showcase the new site’s intuitive look into the world of homes as creativity. Each episode visits a different environment – beachfront, lakeside and urban – and explores new architecture that elevates the everyday. If you dig the way we do things here at RADAR, definitely give them a look. More episodes here.
Gregory and The Hawk
Harps, guitars, and a voice, oh my. Gregory in the Hawk aka Meredith Godreau is one talented singer-songwriter. We’re pretty big fans of the New York native and her peculiar brand of folk music. While Godreau hasn’t released anything since 2008’s Moenie and Kitchi, we’re hopeful that changes soon and you should be too. In the meantime, check out her artful Beyonce cover down below.
Listen / Purchase – Gregory and the Hawk music
Found Magazine
The explanatory paragraph on Found Magazine’s website reads “We collect found stuff: love letters, birthday cards, kids’ homework, to-do lists, ticket stubs, poetry on napkins, telephone bills, doodles – anything that gives a glimpse into someone else’s life. Anything goes…” As it turns out, that’s the must accurate, succinct description for a site that turns one person’s “trash” into the internet’s treasure. Chock full of sweet, charming, heartbreaking, honest, and emotional discovered items, the site is a must-bookmark. In other words, just like Post Secret without all the melodrama.
Small Black and Beach Fossils – Music
Let’s be honest, this ridiculous-sounding “chill-wave” label is going to stick. In case you haven’t heard the recent-ish blogism, chill-wave is the all-encompassing genre of lo-fi, catchy, down-tempo, fuzzed-out, noise-pop, usually associated with small bedroom bands from Brooklyn. Whew, that was a lot of hyphens. Anyways, two of the genre’s (and indie music in general) best acts are Small Black and Beach Fossils and if you’re lucky enough to be in NYC on July 14th, you get to see ‘em both play live at the Mecury Lounge. Not sold yet? Listen to Small Black’s “Despicable Dogs” (RADAR Season 3) or Beach Fossil’s “Vacation” at their respective Myspaces. Myspi?
Saturday July 14th, 9:30pm
Mercury Lounge
217 East Houston St., New York, NY 10002
Event Info
Bambi Killers
We devoted an entire Radar episode trying to explain just what exactly the Bambi Killer are. Though we still can’t sum them up one sentence, their blog offers a whole bunch of insight and understanding into their horror rock cabaret. Check it out if you’re a fan of Glenn Danzig, Marilyn Monroe, show tunes, fake blood, alien invasions, or performance art.
July 02 2010
RADAR NYC 7.1.10
Aakash Nihalani – Stop Pop & Roll
Check out Aakash Nihalani’s (RADAR 021 – Tape and Mirrors) new YouTube video “Stop, Pop & Roll” as it follows him through a short installation on New York’s Manhattan streets. Aakash’s name is synonymous with street art, visible at every turn in all five boroughs, finding beauty in the symmetry of the city’s architecture. He might not have a fancy documentary film about his work, or have filled a pop-up store with exotic animals, but from the way things are going, he’s not too far off.
Milieu – A Blanket of Infinite Repetitions
A Blanket of Infinite Repetitions has just been released by Milieu (“Cropduster” RADAR season 3). This exclusive set of recordings were made at the same time as their most recent album Phosphene Weather, yet never saw the light of day. Finally they are available as a limited edition of 50, available on the Milieu website.
Listen / Purchase – A Blanket of Infinite Repetitions
Music Video Case Study – Leah Meyerhoff
Read / View it here
Award-winning director Leah Meyerhoff (RADAR 017 – Waterpod) has allowed us into her world by creating a breakdown of the entire music video making process, from storyline to references to behind the scenes, for the song “Like Our Fathers” by Luff, who were also featured on the Waterpod episode. If you’ve ever wondered about the amount of work and planning that goes into making a music video, you’ve got to have a look at this invaluable study. And don’t forget to head over to Leah’s website to check out more of her work.
3 Great events – ALL FREE
Art Battles (RADAR 015 – Art Battles) returns again with another four artists that will go head to head (to head to head) at the prestigious Brooklyn Museum, this Saturday, July 3rd at 7:00 PM. This time it’s Concep, Lexi Bella, Marthalicia, and Zito on the center of the floor, racing against the clock to claim the bragging rights for their 15 Minutes of Fame. The Boogie Brothers will be providing the live music, the artists will provide the entertainment, all you have to do is show up. Art Battles Presents “15 Minutes of Fame” @ The Brooklyn Museum , 7-8:30 pm, July 3rd 2010.
Saturday July 3rd, 7pm
The Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY
Event Info
@lanceweiler
Lance Weiler does it all. Not only has he written, directed and produced two feature length films, 1998’s The Last Broadcast and 2006’s Head Trauma, but he also partnered in creating the transmedia production company Seize the Media and founded the creative network The Workbook Project. Us over here at RADAR think a lot of Lance, not just because he gives us a job, but because he is truly committed to exploring new and innovative ways for creative individuals to come together and express themselves. Follow Lance on twitter to stay up to date with all his goings-ons, and check out Filmmaker magazine to read his regularly featured column on the impact of technology on entertainment.
July 01 2010
RADAR NYC 7.1.10
Aakash Nihalani – Stop Pop & Roll
Check out Aakash Nihalani’s (RADAR 008 – Tape and Mirrors) new YouTube video “Stop, Pop & Roll” as it follows him through a short installation on New York’s Manhattan streets. Aakash’s name is synonymous with street art, visible at every turn in all five boroughs, finding beauty in the symmetry of the city’s architecture. He might not have a fancy documentary film about his work, or have filled a pop-up store with exotic animals, but from the way things are going, he’s not too far off.
Milieu – A Blanket of Infinate Repititions
A Blanket of Infinate Repititions has just been released by Milieu (“Cropduster” RADAR season 3). This exclusive set of recordings were made at the same time as their most recent album Phosphene Weather, yet never saw the light of day. Finally they are available as a limited edition of 50, available on the Milieu website.
Listen / Purchase – A Blanket of Infinate Repititions
Music Video Case Study – Leah Meyerhoff
Read / View it here
Award-winning director Leah Meyerhoff (RADAR 017 – Waterpod) has allowed us into her world by creating a breakdown of the entire music video making process, from storyline to references to behind the scenes, for the song “Like Our Fathers” by Luff, who were also featured on the Waterpod episode. If you’ve ever wondered about the amount of work and planning that goes into making a music video, you’ve got to have a look at this invaluable study. And don’t forget to head over to Leah’s website to check out more of her work.
3 Great events – ALL FREE
Art Battles (RADAR 015 – Art Battles) returns again with another four artists that will go head to head (to head to head) at the prestigious Brooklyn Museum, this Saturday, July 3rd at 7:00 PM. This time it’s Concep, Lexi Bella, Marthalicia, and Zito on the center of the floor, racing against the clock to claim the bragging rights for their 15 Minutes of Fame. The Boogie Brothers will be providing the live music, the artists will provide the entertainment, all you have to do is show up. Art Battles Presents “15 Minutes of Fame” @ The Brooklyn Museum , 7-8:30 pm, July 3rd 2010.
Saturday July 3rd, 7pm
The Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY
Event Info
@lanceweiler
Lance Weiler does it all. Not only has he written, directed and produced two feature length films, 1998’s The Last Broadcast and 2006’s Head Trauma, but he also partnered in creating the transmedia production company Seize the Media and founded the creative network The Workbook Project. Us over here at RADAR think a lot of Lance, not just because he gives us a job, but because he is truly committed to exploring new and innovative ways for creative individuals to come together and express themselves. Follow Lance on twitter to stay up to date with all his goings-ons, and check out Filmmaker magazine to read his regularly featured column on the impact of technology on entertainment.
June 25 2010
RADAR NYC 6.25.10
Slush Pile Funnies – Joe InFurnari’s
Take one really talented comic writer/illustrator, a handful of his worst ideas, and website to showcase all of it and you have Joe Infurnari’s Slush Pile Funnies. Infurnari, who’s related to Smith Mag’s excellent Next Door Neighbor webcomic (RADAR 001 – Next Door Neighbor), has been making comics for a while now, and with great creativity comes true travesty. Best to let him explain: “Every artist has ideas that we reject. We call them ‘bad ideas’ for any number of reasons and choose to focus our efforts on the ‘good ideas’. What if we did the opposite? What if we forced ourselves to entertain these denizens of our cerebral Salon des Refusés?” Slush Pile Funnies is the result of all that “hard” work. It’s one funny, ridiculous, and thought-provoking creative experiment.
Tin Pan Band
You may have caught the work of the Tin Pan Band soundtracking our Poetry Brothel episode (RADAR 020 – Poetry Brothel), and if you dug their retro vibes then, you’re going to want to check out their new tunes now. Self-described as, “Ray Charles and Tom Waits hanging out on Bourbon Street,” the Brooklyn band sounds like a speak-easy come to life and since they’re constantly playing shows, there’s always an opportunity to catch them playing live.
LP available to listen and purchase via CD Baby
How I Met Your Motherboard – Jason Bitner
Jason Bitner loves the past. He’s the mind behind Cassette From My Ex (RADAR 003 – Cassettes From My Ex), the co-creator of Found Magazine, and editor of Dirty Found and the Found Polaroid Book. His latest historic excavation? How I Met Your Motherboard, a documentation of early computer memories – We’re talking photos and stories of ancient PCs, Macs, Commodores, and Ataris. It’s like a time machine taking you back to Doogie Howser’s bedroom for a diary session.
3 Great events – ALL FREE
Ham radios, the original pranking, hacking, trucker device, has been around since the early 1900s and it still has a cult following. To celebrate the amateur radio icon, NYC Resistor is hosting this year’s ARRL Field Day from June 26-27th. For those far removed from the dial, the field day is a national event during which “radio operators promote ham radio by setting up stations and transmitting in parking lots, open fields, etc.” The bash promises to be a two-day party full of demos, dancing, and debauchery, plus one of the sponsors are RADAR-friends MakerBot (RADAR 019 – Makerbot). Go back to a time before cell phones and Twitter, check the website for more info.
Saturday June 26, 8pm-1am
NYC Resistor
87 3rd Ave., 4th FL., Brooklyn, NY
Free
AND
Eclectic Method: Free show at Puma City in South Street Seaport – Event Info
New Mind Space: Bubble Battle NYC in Time Square – Event Info
@elizaskinner
We last checked in with Eliza Skinner, she was showing off her improvisational musical skills as part of the I Eat Pandas (RADAR 002 – I Eat Pandas) tandem. Unsurprisingly, it turns out that Eliza is pretty funny off the stage too. Follow her on twitter or check out her new blog chronicling her new adventures in wedding planning. She’s like Jennifer Lopez, but actually funny.
May 27 2010
Comic Con Tip Box
San Diego Comic Con is a massive gathering of smart, tech savvy, nerdy folks. Every year, there are tie-ins there to all sorts of transmedia campaigns, and this summer Culture Hacker will be there, rounding them up.
We will be scouring the conference, but you can make it easier for us to find the good stuff. If you know where a great transmedia project can be found at Comic Con, and you want to see it here on WBP, please drop a line to our tip box.
All tips are treated as anonymous. Be sure to let us know where to go (booth number or room name), and when. Spoilers not necessary.
Lead photo courtesy Gary Scott.
May 24 2010
Comic Con Tip Box
San Diego Comic Con is a massive gathering of smart, tech savvy, nerdy folks. Every year, there are tie-ins there to all sorts of transmedia campaigns, and this summer Culture Hacker will be there, rounding them up.
We will be scouring the conference, but you can make it easier for us to find the good stuff. If you know where a great transmedia project can be found at Comic Con, and you want to see it here on WBP, please drop a line to our tip box.
All tips are treated as anonymous. Be sure to let us know where to go (booth number or room name), and when. Spoilers not necessary.
Lead photo courtesy Gary Scott.
May 14 2010
RADAR NYC 5.14.10
Ry Russo Young – Nobody Walks
Nobody Walks, co-written by Ry Russo Young and Lena Dunham, is one of thirteen projects to be accepted into this year’s Sundance Screenwriting Lab. A synopsis of their script: “When a driven young artist invades the home and family of a Hollywood sound designer helping her finish her first film, their professional connection triggers a sexual and emotional entanglement that lays bare the needs, narcissism, and questionable morality of everyone involved.” Director Ry Russo Young (Director of RADAR 015 and RADAR 024) was awarded the 2009 Gotham Independent Film Award for “Best Film Not Playing At A Theater Near You” for her last feature, You Won’t Miss Me.
YOU WONT MISS ME trailer from Ry Russo-Young.
Small Black – 7”
Small Black and tour mates Washed Out scratch each others back on split a 7″. Released on Lovepump United, Small Black’s “Despicable Dogs” gets a reworked by Washed out for a more synthy, airy feel, while the flip has Washed Out remixes Small Black’s “You’ll See It”. The original “Despicable Dogs” will be featured on an upcoming RADAR episode. You can hear the remix here
Listen / Purchase Small Black 7”
LPU 033 Small Black / Washed Out 7″
The Double Life Is Twice As Good – Jonathan Ames
Jonathan Ames is a busy man. Apart from being a contributor to the RADAR featured webcomic series Next Door Neighbor (RADAR 001 – Next Door Neighbor), Mr. Ames is also the author of numerous written works, and creator of the HBO original series Bored to Death. Check out his latest book, a collection of hilarious and insightful articles, essays, and cartoons, titled The Double Life Is Twice As Good.
Poetry Brothel at The Back Room
If sensual, scantily clad spoken word happens to be your thing, you must check out the lovely ladies and gents of The Poetry Brothel (RADAR 020 – Poetry Brothel) this Sunday, May 16th at The Back Room in NYC. The cost is free and the performances are always pleasurable, so don’t miss it.
Sunday, May 16th, 8pm-Midnight
The Back Room
102 Norfolk St. NYC
$$ Free*
http://www.thepoetrybrothel.com/
Aakash Nihalani Flickr Photostream
Check out the newest creations from street artist, Aakash Nihalani (RADAR 021 – Tapes and Mirrors) by following his Flickr photo stream. Love the new geometrical shapes, Aakash!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aakashnihalani/
RADAR NYC 5.14.10
Ry Russo Young – Nobody Walks
Nobody Walks, co-written by Ry Russo Young and Lena Dunham, is one of thirteen projects to be accepted into this year’s Sundance Screenwriting Lab. A synopsis of their script: “When a driven young artist invades the home and family of a Hollywood sound designer helping her finish her first film, their professional connection triggers a sexual and emotional entanglement that lays bare the needs, narcissism, and questionable morality of everyone involved.” Director Ry Russo Young (Director of RADAR 015 and RADAR 024) was awarded the 2009 Gotham Independent Film Award for “Best Film Not Playing At A Theater Near You” for her last feature, You Won’t Miss Me.
YOU WONT MISS ME trailer from Ry Russo-Young.
Small Black – 7”
Small Black and tour mates Washed Out scratch each others back on split a 7″. Released on Lovepump United, Small Black’s “Despicable Dogs” gets a reworked by Washed out for a more synthy, airy feel, while the flip has Washed Out remixes Small Black’s “You’ll See It”. The original “Despicable Dogs” will be featured on an upcoming RADAR episode. You can hear the remix here
Listen / Purchase Small Black 7”
LPU 033 Small Black / Washed Out 7″
The Double Life Is Twice As Good – Jonathan Ames
Jonathan Ames is a busy man. Apart from being a contributor to the RADAR featured webcomic series Next Door Neighbor (RADAR 001 – Next Door Neighbor), Mr. Ames is also the author of numerous written works, and creator of the HBO original series Bored to Death. Check out his latest book, a collection of hilarious and insightful articles, essays, and cartoons, titled The Double Life Is Twice As Good.
Poetry Brothel at The Back Room
If sensual, scantily clad spoken word happens to be your thing, you must check out the lovely ladies and gents of The Poetry Brothel (RADAR 020 – Poetry Brothel) this Sunday, May 16th at The Back Room in NYC. The cost is free and the performances are always pleasurable, so don’t miss it.
Sunday, May 16th, 8pm-Midnight
The Back Room
102 Norfolk St. NYC
$$ Free*
http://www.thepoetrybrothel.com/
Aakash Nihalani Flickr Photostream
Check out the newest creations from street artist, Aakash Nihalani (RADAR 021 – Tapes and Mirrors) by following his Flickr photo stream. Love the new geometrical shapes, Aakash!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aakashnihalani/
May 13 2010
Hosted Screenings – an interview with Sol Tryon
Recently, Ted Hope posted a list entitled 38 More Ways The Film Industry Is Failing Today the first point on the list focuses on building richer theatrical experiences.
1. We cannot logically justify any ticket price whatsoever for a non-event film. There are too many better options at too low a price. Simply getting out of the house or watching something somewhere because that is the only place it is currently available does not justify a ticket price enough. We still think of movies as things people will buy. We have to change our thinking about movies to something that enhances other experiences, and it is that which has monetary value. Film’s power as a community organizing tool extends far beyond its power to sell popcorn (and the whole exhibition industry is based on that old popcorn idea).
This and the other 37 points are definitely worth reading. They raise numerous questions while hinting at possible solutions. In relation to the first point that Ted raises I was struck by the fact that “Hosted Screenings” present an interesting option for those looking to roll something out in today’s theatrical market.
We had a chance to catch up with filmmaker Sol Tryon from Mangusta Productions to hear about his recent experimentation in the hybrid distribution world and how he and his team are working around a “Hosted Screenings” model for their theatrical releases.
What lead to your hybrid distribution efforts around your slate of films?
Over the past few years we have seen the independent film industry flip on it’s head. With the number of films getting big advances for all rights deals dropping drastically, it became apparent that in order to be independent filmmakers with sustainable careers we were going to have to know how to market and distribute our films ourselves. We began exploring and comparing the different options for self, hybrid and traditional distribution. Fortunately, there have been a few other filmmakers blazing these trails already giving us some points of reference to work from. For the most part though, these strategies are only being implemented as a one off sort of thing for specific films. Seeing this as a developing trend, we decided to try to shape our company around eventually being prepared to release all of our films ourselves theatrically. With that as the strategy, we have begun including a modest P&A (prints and advertising) budget into our production budget in order to finance a theatrical release. This puts us, the filmmakers, as well as the initial investors in a greater position of power when it comes to managing the distribution options. If one of the precious few large all rights deals comes our way, we can take it and just distribute the remaining funds back to our investors. If there aren’t any offers we are jumping up and down about, we have the ability to distribute the film ourselves in a way we feel it deserves. The ideal situation being that we develop this strategy for distributing our films to a point where other filmmakers and distributors want to work with us because they see the value we are able to add to a project.
Can you explain how you’re approaching theatrical and the results you’ve seen so far from your efforts?
Our first theatrical release was FIX (directed by Tao Ruspoli; starring Olivia Wilde and Shawn Andrews). We opened in New York and played for two weeks at the Village East. We generated a lot of press and saw a real tangible jump in awareness for the film. One of the most effective strategies we employed was setting up hosted screenings where we invited cast, crew, friends and influential personalities to take part in themed post-screening Q&A’s. For instance, we invited Daniel Pinchbeck, a proponent of hallucinogens, to participate in a discussion with Tao Ruspoli titled: “Drugs: Culture, Addiction and the Exploration of Altered States of Consciousness”. Pinchbeck promoted the screening on his Reality Sandwich blog which, combined with our promotional and marketing efforts, enabled us to sell out a Tuesday night screening.
With our two current films, The Living Wake and 2012: Time For Change we’ve continued in this direction. With 2012: Time For Change we partnered with Green Festivals (the largest green expo in the U.S.). They hold five events throughout the year (San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Washington D.C., and San Francisco again). We premiered the film April 9th at the San Francisco event where we organized panels on the green festival main stage featuring participants in the film and set up a booth to promote our screenings, build our mailing list, and sell merchandise. Outside of the festival, we booked a Landmark Theater for one screening a night for three nights. With the awareness we built up at the green festival and our grass roots marketing, we sold out all of our screenings and built a strong base of interest in the area for our film. Each night the film was followed by a Q&A featuring a different lineup of luminaries from the film. These events became great opportunities to bring together an eclectic mix of personalities into one space for unique discussions. The guests included Paul Stamets (Mycologist), Rob Garza (Thievery Corporation: Musician), Tiokasin Ghosthorse (First Voices Indigenous Radio), Richard Register (Ecological City Design), Barbara Marx Hubbard (Futurist, Writer), and many more.
We are continuing this approach next in Chicago and are expanding the idea in Seattle to incorporate a full one week theatrical run. The thinking is that Seattle is a great market for this film and with the green festival’s outreach, as well as the attention we received from our San Francisco event the time is right to explore taking things to the next level. We are also planning an event screening in NYC for early July with Sting, Paul Stamets, Ganga White, Daniel Pinchbeck and director Joao Amorim where we will be doing simultaneous screenings through several platforms and streaming the Q&A/panel discussion live after the film.
With our latest release, The Living Wake, we are collaborating with Dylan Marchetti of Variance Films on our theatrical bookings. We started by booking theaters in New York (May 14th) and LA (May 21st). From there we used those dates to build around with other cities. We currently are planning on releasing the film in Seattle (June 4th), Chicago (June 25th) and several other cities through June and July. We have also recently secured separate deals for the DVD and VOD rights, coordinating them both to be released on August 3rd.
Can you share how you design your self hosted screenings?
For our New York release of The Living Wake this week we have a total of twenty hosted screenings set up, and are planning to do the same in Los Angeles next week. Many of the screenings will be hosted by the Filmmakers and Cast members themselves (Sol Tryon, Jesse Eisenberg, Mike O’Connell, Jim Gaffigan), while others will be hosted by special guests such as Shirin Neshat (Women Without Men), Mark Webber (Explicit Ills), Cory McAbee (American Astronaut), Daniel Pinchbeck (2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl), Steve Conrad (The Pursuit of Happyness), and Jimmy Miller (Step Brothers). Several companies and film festivals we have screened at are also jumping in and hosting select screenings in support of the film.
Our goal is to create an event type of experience within the traditional theatrical format. The approach with each host is slightly different. Some hosts are trying to just promote us and our film by bringing people that they think would enjoy it to a specific screening. Others it works two fold for, where they are promoting us, but we are promoting them as well and it becomes a mutually beneficial experience. All of it though is targeted at creating a particular experience around each and every screening for the audience.
What tips would you offer for someone who is interested in booking their own event / hosted screenings?
Give people as many reasons as you can to go out and see your film. It’s hard to get people into the theater, it’s expensive, and you’re competing with a zillion other things so you have to work to make the experience unique and memorable. Form partnerships whenever and wherever possible with groups and individuals and help promote each other. Get as much advice from people who have done it before as you possibly can, but remember that Self and Hybrid Distribution is still very new, there are no set rules as to how it is done so be creative. Lastly, be prepared to work harder than you ever have. The only guarantee in going this route is that the fate of your film rests on you and how much work you are able to put into it.
What’s next and will you be releasing theatrically in more cities?
The Living Wake and 2012: Time For Change will be rolling out to more cities throughout the summer and fall. The next film on our slate for distribution is Being In The World, a documentary directed by Tao Ruspoli (Fix). This project we have been with from the beginning and are devising a strategy for a theatrical tour building on the experiences gained from Fix, 2012: Time For Change and The Living Wake, but gearing everything specifically for this film. We have also decided to work on supporting other indie films that we think deserve a theatrical release, but have not had the opportunity for what ever reason to make it happen yet. In that vein, we are providing the P&A financing for Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench to be released by Variance Films. We have a few projects in development and plan on continuing to do theatrical releases on our own films as well as others. Our goal is to work with filmmakers on establishing a sustainable environment for us all to continue creating the projects that inspire us.
Hosted Screenings – an interview with Sol Tryon
Recently, Ted Hope posted a list entitled 38 More Ways The Film Industry Is Failing Today the first point on the list focuses on building richer theatrical experiences.
1. We cannot logically justify any ticket price whatsoever for a non-event film. There are too many better options at too low a price. Simply getting out of the house or watching something somewhere because that is the only place it is currently available does not justify a ticket price enough. We still think of movies as things people will buy. We have to change our thinking about movies to something that enhances other experiences, and it is that which has monetary value. Film’s power as a community organizing tool extends far beyond its power to sell popcorn (and the whole exhibition industry is based on that old popcorn idea).
This and the other 37 points are definitely worth reading. They raise numerous questions while hinting at possible solutions. In relation to the first point that Ted raises I was struck by the fact that “Hosted Screenings” present an interesting option for those looking to roll something out in today’s theatrical market.
We had a chance to catch up with filmmaker Sol Tryon from Mangusta Productions to hear about his recent experimentation in the hybrid distribution world and how he and his team are working around a “Hosted Screenings” model for their theatrical releases.
What lead to your hybrid distribution efforts around your slate of films?
Over the past few years we have seen the independent film industry flip on it’s head. With the number of films getting big advances for all rights deals dropping drastically, it became apparent that in order to be independent filmmakers with sustainable careers we were going to have to know how to market and distribute our films ourselves. We began exploring and comparing the different options for self, hybrid and traditional distribution. Fortunately, there have been a few other filmmakers blazing these trails already giving us some points of reference to work from. For the most part though, these strategies are only being implemented as a one off sort of thing for specific films. Seeing this as a developing trend, we decided to try to shape our company around eventually being prepared to release all of our films ourselves theatrically. With that as the strategy, we have begun including a modest P&A (prints and advertising) budget into our production budget in order to finance a theatrical release. This puts us, the filmmakers, as well as the initial investors in a greater position of power when it comes to managing the distribution options. If one of the precious few large all rights deals comes our way, we can take it and just distribute the remaining funds back to our investors. If there aren’t any offers we are jumping up and down about, we have the ability to distribute the film ourselves in a way we feel it deserves. The ideal situation being that we develop this strategy for distributing our films to a point where other filmmakers and distributors want to work with us because they see the value we are able to add to a project.
Can you explain how you’re approaching theatrical and the results you’ve seen so far from your efforts?
Our first theatrical release was FIX (directed by Tao Ruspoli; starring Olivia Wilde and Shawn Andrews). We opened in New York and played for two weeks at the Village East. We generated a lot of press and saw a real tangible jump in awareness for the film. One of the most effective strategies we employed was setting up hosted screenings where we invited cast, crew, friends and influential personalities to take part in themed post-screening Q&A’s. For instance, we invited Daniel Pinchbeck, a proponent of hallucinogens, to participate in a discussion with Tao Ruspoli titled: “Drugs: Culture, Addiction and the Exploration of Altered States of Consciousness”. Pinchbeck promoted the screening on his Reality Sandwich blog which, combined with our promotional and marketing efforts, enabled us to sell out a Tuesday night screening.
With our two current films, The Living Wake and 2012: Time For Change we’ve continued in this direction. With 2012: Time For Change we partnered with Green Festivals (the largest green expo in the U.S.). They hold five events throughout the year (San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Washington D.C., and San Francisco again). We premiered the film April 9th at the San Francisco event where we organized panels on the green festival main stage featuring participants in the film and set up a booth to promote our screenings, build our mailing list, and sell merchandise. Outside of the festival, we booked a Landmark Theater for one screening a night for three nights. With the awareness we built up at the green festival and our grass roots marketing, we sold out all of our screenings and built a strong base of interest in the area for our film. Each night the film was followed by a Q&A featuring a different lineup of luminaries from the film. These events became great opportunities to bring together an eclectic mix of personalities into one space for unique discussions. The guests included Paul Stamets (Mycologist), Rob Garza (Thievery Corporation: Musician), Tiokasin Ghosthorse (First Voices Indigenous Radio), Richard Register (Ecological City Design), Barbara Marx Hubbard (Futurist, Writer), and many more.
We are continuing this approach next in Chicago and are expanding the idea in Seattle to incorporate a full one week theatrical run. The thinking is that Seattle is a great market for this film and with the green festival’s outreach, as well as the attention we received from our San Francisco event the time is right to explore taking things to the next level. We are also planning an event screening in NYC for early July with Sting, Paul Stamets, Ganga White, Daniel Pinchbeck and director Joao Amorim where we will be doing simultaneous screenings through several platforms and streaming the Q&A/panel discussion live after the film.
With our latest release, The Living Wake, we are collaborating with Dylan Marchetti of Variance Films on our theatrical bookings. We started by booking theaters in New York (May 14th) and LA (May 21st). From there we used those dates to build around with other cities. We currently are planning on releasing the film in Seattle (June 4th), Chicago (June 25th) and several other cities through June and July. We have also recently secured separate deals for the DVD and VOD rights, coordinating them both to be released on August 3rd.
Can you share how you design your self hosted screenings?
For our New York release of The Living Wake this week we have a total of twenty hosted screenings set up, and are planning to do the same in Los Angeles next week. Many of the screenings will be hosted by the Filmmakers and Cast members themselves (Sol Tryon, Jesse Eisenberg, Mike O’Connell, Jim Gaffigan), while others will be hosted by special guests such as Shirin Neshat (Women Without Men), Mark Webber (Explicit Ills), Cory McAbee (American Astronaut), Daniel Pinchbeck (2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl), Steve Conrad (The Pursuit of Happyness), and Jimmy Miller (Step Brothers). Several companies and film festivals we have screened at are also jumping in and hosting select screenings in support of the film.
Our goal is to create an event type of experience within the traditional theatrical format. The approach with each host is slightly different. Some hosts are trying to just promote us and our film by bringing people that they think would enjoy it to a specific screening. Others it works two fold for, where they are promoting us, but we are promoting them as well and it becomes a mutually beneficial experience. All of it though is targeted at creating a particular experience around each and every screening for the audience.
What tips would you offer for someone who is interested in booking their own event / hosted screenings?
Give people as many reasons as you can to go out and see your film. It’s hard to get people into the theater, it’s expensive, and you’re competing with a zillion other things so you have to work to make the experience unique and memorable. Form partnerships whenever and wherever possible with groups and individuals and help promote each other. Get as much advice from people who have done it before as you possibly can, but remember that Self and Hybrid Distribution is still very new, there are no set rules as to how it is done so be creative. Lastly, be prepared to work harder than you ever have. The only guarantee in going this route is that the fate of your film rests on you and how much work you are able to put into it.
What’s next and will you be releasing theatrically in more cities?
The Living Wake and 2012: Time For Change will be rolling out to more cities throughout the summer and fall. The next film on our slate for distribution is Being In The World, a documentary directed by Tao Ruspoli (Fix). This project we have been with from the beginning and are devising a strategy for a theatrical tour building on the experiences gained from Fix, 2012: Time For Change and The Living Wake, but gearing everything specifically for this film. We have also decided to work on supporting other indie films that we think deserve a theatrical release, but have not had the opportunity for what ever reason to make it happen yet. In that vein, we are providing the P&A financing for Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench to be released by Variance Films. We have a few projects in development and plan on continuing to do theatrical releases on our own films as well as others. Our goal is to work with filmmakers on establishing a sustainable environment for us all to continue creating the projects that inspire us.
May 07 2010
RADAR NYC 5.6.10
Cindy Gallop on IfWeRanTheWorld.com
“IfWeRanTheWorld.com is a simple, playful platform that harnesses good intentions and downloads them into tangible, do-able microactions that anyone and everyone can do. IfWeRanTheWorld is about complete transparency – you are what you do. And it is with these same principles that we are developing IfWeRanTheWorld: what you experience today is an early, alpha release of a platform that is rapidly evolving thanks to the actions of a remarkable and growing and talented tribe of unruly nerds and dreamers.” IfWeRanTheWorld was created by Cindy Gallop who is currently on the Advisory Board of URDB (RADAR 004 – URDB)
The Antlers – Sylvia Live in studio
At the moment we’re loving Brooklyn’s The Antlers (RADAR 016 – Missed Connections). If you need a falsetto fix, look no further. Check out this clip of “Sylvia”, performed for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert (complete with tiny, fun-size amps!). RADAR featured their song “Shiva” in Missed Connections.
Listen / Purchase The Antlers
Antlers Music
Cassettes From My Ex – Jason Bitner
Having trouble letting go of your old flame’s mixtape? Jason Bitner (RADAR 03 -Cassette From My Ex) wants you to know that you’re not alone. Bitner has taken his blog sensation and turned it into the now critically acclaimed book, Cassette From My Ex: Stories and Soundtracks of Lost Loves. Finally, you can revel in another’s romantic sorrow as you sit quietly in your candlelit room, fingering the stickers on that old cassette that you just can’t quite throw away. Find “Cassette From My Ex: Stories and Soundtracks of Lost Loves” here
http://www.cassettefrommyex.com/
Art Battles Presents Green Street
On May 8th, Art Battles (RADAR 015 – Art Battles), an event based art competition, is at it again, with the latest battle taking place at The Garment Room, 112 Greene st, New York, NY from 7-11 PM. Concep, Sean Bono, Meres One, and Yatika Starr Fields, will battle each other, exploring the future of street art, using only the materials they have brought with them, to create a piece that will accurately “communicate the progression of this ever evolving form.”
For all the info, and to buy tickets, follow the link.
May 8th – 7-11 PM
The Garment Room
112 Greene St., New York
@mattheldstudios
Follow the world travels of Portrait Artist Matt Held (RADAR 009 – Matt Held – Facebook Portraits) as He travels from the Jacques Putzeys Gallery in the south of France, onto Germany and beyond!
@mattheldstudios
http://portraitpainted.blogspot.com/
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