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5thEuropaInternationalConference
<<SettheTrend!>>17–20November2016
Tallinn,EstoniaModeratedbyBrianNewman
Withtheparticipationof:
1stpanel:Setthetrend!Salesandnewopportunities.JaumeRipoll(Co-Founder&HeadofContentandDevelopment,FILMIN)FilmInisaVODplatform,weareinSpain,Mexicoandsincethisweek,inPortugal.Somefigures:
Subscriberprice:75-80€/month.Weexpectedtohave40%ofourcustomersconnectedthroughsmartTV.Wehaven’treachedthisgoalyetbuthopefullybytheendoftheyear,wewillbeat30-32%whichisagoodnumberforus.
HowtosurvivetheMonaLisaSyndrome
• Thatsyndromethataffectsallthetouristswhentheygotothebigmuseum,andtheyhavetwohourstowatchallthemasterpieces.TheyusuallyonlygototheMonaLisa,theytakeaselfieandthat’sit.
• Tryingtoconvincetheaudiencetodiscovernewfilms,newdirectors,wearedevelopingdifferentthings,initiativestryingtoseducetheaudience.
• Eachsubscriberwatchesapproximately10filmspermonth.
• 67%ofthemwatchthewholefilm.• Wehave10,000filmsinthecatalogue.
o 3000makeup70%ofourincomes.
• 13,5%areclassicalfilms.
WearenotlikeNetflix,soclassicalfilmsarenottheGodfather.
o Oneistheuseofablog,nottotalkaboutthefilmswehave,butthefilmsthatmaybewewillhave,andthefilmsthattheyareactuallyscreeninginthefestivalsandinthetheatres.
• Theatresandfestivalsarenotcompetitorsbutallies.Wearealltogether,fightingthesamething,thesurvivaloftheEuropeanfilms.
Howtoenticetheyoungeraudience
Thenineyearswehavebeendevelopingthisidea,wehavecollaboratedwithalotofinitiatives,likecomicbook,likeNormaEditorial,RandomHouse,filmschools,tryingtouseanewandyoungeraudience.DuringtheSevillafestival,wegavehighschoolstudents40,000promotionalcodestowatchEuropeanfilms.Sadly,only10%ofthecodeswereredeemed.Only4,000Europeanfilmswerewatched.Butit’sthefirststep.Ithinkweallagreethatwehavealongwayuntilwereachtheprofitabilityofthenewbusinessmodel.
SVODvsTheatre
IagreewithMichaelthatSVODhasnotgiventhesamekindofmoneythattheatrehas.Itisaproblemthatweareallawareof,butitisimportant,ifweneedtosurvive,thatwesecurethefutureoftheEuropeanfilmsonline.WearebasedinSpain,Mexico,PortugalandwearedefendingEuropeancontent.Forsomeofthespectatorswithboringsubjects,anduglyposters.Soweneedtofindwaystoconvertthesekindofthingstoattractviewers.
IvoAndrie(AcquisitionManager,Aerofilms)
AtlantidaFilmFest
o Onlinefilmfestivalo Onandoffline.o 45,000admissionsonlineo 4,000admissionliveo 90,000spectatorsontheTV.o Morethan150,000admissionson
thefilmfestival.
Afewwordsonavoidingillegalpirating.
In2010,whentheinternetgotfast,andmusicandfilmsgotheavilypirated.Weweregettingfrustratedasadistributorbecausemanytimesweweretellingourpeopleandviewers,pleasedonotwatchourfilmsonlineillegally,it’snotfair.Ofcourse,therewasnootheroptionforthembecausein2010therewerehardlyanyplatformsthatexistedinourterritory.Theiranswerwas“Giveuslegalchance,andwewilldoit.”Wewerelookingforsomepartnersbuttherewasbasicallyonlyoneplatformtoask.WefoundthiscompanycalledDistrifyinScotland.Webuiltaverysimplewebsiteandstartedworkingin2012sellingourfilmsonline.Wehadafeelingthataudiencesunderstandusasaselectorofsometypeoffilmsforthem.Theytrustedusthatthatcouldbetransferredintotheonlineworld.Youneedtohavesomeonethatyoutrusttotellyou,“Thisisgood,watchthis!”Sowetriedtobringthatonline,weusedAeroVODandAerofilmstotellpeoplethatitisaVODplatformanditonlyhasgoodfilms.Thatiswhywearenotalongtale.
• Weonlyhave100filmsatthemomentinthelastfouryears.• WeonlydoTVODanditworksforusquitewell.• Wearehaving700to3000transactionsamonthatthemoment,dependingreallyonwhatare
thenewfilms.
ThecinemasaresmartenoughnottofighttheVOD.Theyliketosupportitandtheyunderstandnoteveryonecanouttothecinemaeverynight,sotheyarekeenonhaving,evenontheirwebsites,our
OurgrowthWehadayeartoyeargrowthof500%tothatin2014,still72%growth,in2015just1%.However,thisyearin2016looksreallygoodandwehave221%inthefirstninemonths.Tobehonest,withouttryinghard,itgrowsonitsown.Itisjustbecomingahabit,andokforpeopletogoonlineandwatchsingle-y.Ouraudiencesthatknowourbrandseemtobeusingtheplatformmoreandmoreeveryday.
• Wehavefivecinemasintheterritory.• Abigportionofouractivityis
dedicatedtofilmeducationforyoungandadults.
• Wealsohaveahugefilmpostereducationwithashopattachedtoit.
• WearealsoVODoperators.AllofthatisinCzechRepublicterritory.
player,andpromotefilmsthatarebeingpresentedonAerovod.Wealsouseanypromotionalchannels,whilereleasingfilmstomakesurethepeopleunderstandthatourfilmswillappearonline.Also,theAerovodhassomeownfanbasis,webuildFacebookandofcoursethereisadatabaseofpeoplethatwecancommunicatetodirectly.TherewasabigsurveyinCzechRepublictwoyearsagooncinema-going,andsurprisingtome,whenpeopleareaskedwhatisthenumberonesubstitutionforyouforgoingouttoacinema,itwasdefinitelynotwatchingfilmsathome.Thiswasnumberfiveorsix.Itwasgoingtoatheatreorgoingtoaconcert,butnumberonesubstitutionwasgoingforatriptoacountry.Sothiswholething‘goingtothecinema’wedivideverystrictlyfromwatchingmoviesathome,thereisonlyslightcompetitionbetweenthosetwo.DavidWhite(CEOandfounderofShift72)NewZealandbasedtechnologycompany,wherewepowerVODplatformsforTVnetworksandlargedigitalretailers.
Anotetosalesagentsanddistributors:Howtostandoutonplatformswithfilmposters.
thisisSci-Fi/ActiononITunes,Igroupedallthelightcolorstogether,soyouseethatthisisthesamegenre,andSci-Fiblueandeveryonewantstobelikealiens,sowewantaSci-Fiblueposter,buttheproblemhere,ifyouarescanningforafilmtowatch,theyalllookexactlythesame.Soifthereasapinkposterhere,itwouldstandout.Itisimportanttoknowwhateveryoneisdoinginthegenrethatyoulisted,andhowyoudifferentiate.Allyoucareabouthereissomeoneclickingthrough.Thatisyourfirstacquisitionpointisgettingaclick.
Partnering is crucial with chains, you have to include them all. What we found was that presales worked really well. ¼ to 1/3 of all sales happen during the presale window. We enabled bonus content to be unlocked once you’ve made the presale purchase, so you could watch some outtakes, you got something instantly. It doesn’t dilute theatrical, it had no adverse effect, it actually helped the whole promotion of the film. It reduces piracy. If it is available, it won’t be pirated as much. We actually charge more that the theatricals, across rental on EST, however, they actually made more revenue. The big feedback is partnering with the festivals and work out a split that is attractive. If you pitch a good enough campaign it can actually be really successful.
Romanticdramashavealotoffloatingheads,theyareallthesame.Youhavegottostandoutfromthenoise.Also,ITuneshasablackbackgroundsoblackordarkgraypostersdon’tstandoutasmuch.WherethereisHULUhasawhitebackground.Soyouhavetoknowyourplatformandmakingsureyouputatotallydifferentposterfortheplatformyouaregoingtobeon.Itisalsoimportanttoknowthatalotofsitesareusinglandscapelayouts,sothat’salsoreallyimportant.Wecanseea200%increaseinclick-throughsfromasubtlechangeinaposter,whichcangreatlyaffectyourbottomline.Youreallygottobeawareandbeeducateyourfilmmakersanddistributors.MissyLaney(Independentmarketinganddistributionconsultant)WhatIdoIranaprogramatSundance,calledArtistServicesthatfocusedonhowtechnologyischangingthewayaudiencesandfilmsinteract.SoIworkedalotwiththe6,000Sundancealumnitoreleasetheirworktoaudiencesusingtheinnovativemeans,eitherwithDistrify,orworkingdirectlywithplatformssuchasNetflix,Amazonandreallywhatourrolewastodo,wastostudythischanginglandscapeandthentoadviseandstrikethesedealswithdifferentplatformstohaveasuccessfulrelease.Alotofthetimewewerepartneringwithsalesagentsorpartneringwiththecreativeteamsatlargetohaveaplan.Ofcoursewewantyoutopremieratthetopfestivalandgetthebiggestall-rightsdeal.Butincasethatdoesn’thappenbeforeyourfilmevenpremiers,let’shaveafewback-upplans.ThenIwentovertoBitTorrent,andhelpedthembuildanadvertisement-basedplatform.ItwasoriginallyknownastheBitTorrentbundle,andwerelauncheditasBitTorrentNow.–Well-knownmusicianssuchasMadonnatoMobyhaveusedittodistributetheirwork.ButthevastmajorityofthefilmsthatIworkwithtodayarenotthesepremiumall-rightdeals.About80%oftheSundanceslateareworkingcreativelywithsplittinguptheirrights.Thesearefilmsthatareaudience,award-winningfilms.
HackingthesystemIbelievethatthereusedtobeastandard,traditionaltimelinebecausetherearetraditional,standardoutletsthatallrequiredthesecertainboxestobechecked.Sothat’snolongerthecase.ITuneswillfeatureafilmthatmaybenoneofushasheardofbutbecauseithada100preorderstheweekbefore,itisgettingprimeplacement.Thereareotherwaystohackthesystemperseandbuildacustomreleasearoundeachindividualproject.SothatiswhatIworkwithspecificallywithmyclients.Soeventhoughthereareavastmajorityofdifferentwaystoreleaseyourfilm.IntheUSwehaveactuallyseenanincreaseintheatricalreleases,from2005-2014,therewasabumpofabout40%.Notallthesefilmsaremakingmoneyper-sebutitissomethingtonotewhenpeoplesaythattheatricalis‘dying’.Thedatadoesn’tshowthat.
Wewanttoworktowardsartistsustainabilitytocometogetheraseverypartoftheindustry.Wearenothere
NUTS!ShewasabletocarveoutherSVODrightstodoalargesalewithAmazonandthenhighlightatheatricalbookertodoanindependentreleasethatway.So,independentfilmmakersaswellasdistributorsandsalesagentsatlargeweretryingtofigureoutifthere’sachangingmarket.Wehavenewchannelstodistribute.Oldrulesdon’tapplyanymore.Sohowdowetakethisplethoraofopportunitytosharethesepiecesofartfromfestivalstoone-offscreenings,arthousereleases,educationalsalescanbehuge.Allofthesedifferentchannels,andhowdowewindowtheminaspecificwayforeachfilm.
asplatformstodisruptbuttostrengthenbecauseahealthyfilmisgoingtoallofusbeprofitable.
MichaelGubbins(JournalistandAnalyst,DirectorofSempermedia,formerEditorofScreenInternational)
MycinemaknowswhoIam
ThecinemathatIgotoisverymuchfittingintothemodernwayofthings.Wesaythatthat’stheoldworldandVODisthenewworld,mycinemaknowswhoIam.Itsendsmethestaff,itlistenstomemoreandmorebecauseitsgotayoungandsmartownerthatknowshowtousesocialmediaandchatsme.Evo,tomeisagenius.Ihavebeenlisteningtohimforages.Someonewhounderstandsthecinemastocreatedemand.Ifyoucanbuildupacommunityaroundyourbrand,Itrustwhattheyputon.Iftheythensay,ImgoingtothenmoveontoVODaswell,Ithinkit’saverysmartbusinessbecauseI’mgoingtothink‘Itrusthim.’I’msurethechoicestheyaregoingtomakeafterwardsaregoingtobereallygood.
Personalizedrelationshipsdrivebusiness
ExceptionsvsBrandsTheexceptions,wethinkweareexceptional,andthequalityrisestothetop,itisoneofthegreatdreams.Exceptionalismisaproblem.Tome,thefactthatwedidn’thaveenoughwomenthatwehavesuddenlydiscovered‘Ohlookwomendon’tmakefilms’.Peoplefromethnicminoritiesaren’tmakingfilms.Showsyouthatexceptionalismisplacency.PlacencyiswhatleadsusdirectlytoDonaldTrump.Believeitornot.Ithinkthatthereisthatkindexceptionalism.Theotherkindofexceptionisluck.Somuchofwhathasworkedovertheyearshasbeenluck.Soourexceptionisthatwegetluckywithourfirstfilm.That’sgoingtohappentolessandlessbecausethereissomuchmorechoiceinthemarketthantherehaseverbeenbefore.Whenyoucangeteverythingthatyouwant,wehavetomovetowardsaworldofbrands.Everythingisanadaptation,aremake,asequel,wegoforthingsforthingsthatweknowthatwewant.Amazonhasabusinessmodelallofitsown,itsbrandingisbasedontheideathateverytimeyoubuyfromthem,theyknowmoreaboutyou,thanyouknowyourself.SothehatefulthingaboutAmazonisthatitknowsexactlywhatIwantforChristmas,andmywifedoesn’t.
Newresearch:40%ofcinemasnowarelookingatVODplatforms.Whyisitimportant?itallcomesdowntothefactthatbrandsthatworkknowhowyouthink,knowhowyoubehave,knowmanykindsofstuffthatyouarelookingfor.
MirvaHuusko(SalesExecutive,NonStopEntertainment) Swedishdistributioncompanywhichdistributesindependentmovies,classics,documentariesacrossScandinavia,wearealsoacinemaowner.
ifyouknowthattheworldisonewherebooksleadpeopletowatchingfilms,myargumentis,whatatrightattheearlieststages,whatifwewereproducersattheveryearlystages,thewriters,thedevelopmentstage,youwerethinkingaboutifyoumightcreatethebooks,thegames,theIP,youmustbuildthebrandfromhere,sobythetimeitgetstothesalesagentsandtheyareinthisdiscussion,youarealreadythinkingaboutwhothataudiencemightbe.
PeggyGuggenhiem:Acasereport.Wereleasedincinemasthisspring,onemonthafteritbecameavailableonVOD.WhatisinterestingwithPeggyGuggeinheimisthattherewereover8000admissionsincinemas,whereastheamountofonlinetransactionsismuchlower,inthe100s.Forcomparison,TheSummit,did1200admissionsincinemas,theamountsoftransactionsin1000s.Thatisalsointerestingifyouthinkabouttheaudience,whatkindofaudiencewouldgoseePeggyGuggeinheimandifthatsameaudienceisactiveonline.Whereas,TheSummitismoreofadocumentarythathasathrillerelement,thatmightbemorethankfulforthedigitalaudiences.
Welaunchedthe2013winner,BlackCoal,ThinIceincinemasinverylimitededition,TVODandSwedishpublicbroadcastersonthesameday.Herearetheresults,theyarequitesadbutwestillfeellikeitisgoodthatwebrokethosewindows,andhopefullywewillbeexperimentingwithbiggertitlesinthefuture.
JustanexampleofwhatwearedoingwithDay-and-datefornextyear.WearegoingtoopenourowncinemainStockholmnextyear,thenwecandiscussholdbacks,communitybuilding,festivals,creativedigitalstrategies. Cinemaisnotdead,itisbeingrebuilt. -BrianNewman
BarryRebbo(ManagingdirectorofEclairUSA)itwasreallydesignedtofacilitateRightsholderandExhibitorstoeventheplayingfieldsothattheeconomicsmakesenseforbothpartiesandtheaccessibilitymakessenseforbothparties.Asubscriptionfeeof75USDdollarsamonthforunlimiteddeliveriesofanythingthatisontheportal.
WhatisCineconductor?
o Alogisticsserviceforrights-holders.o Itcanbetraditionaldistributors,canbenationalfilmboardslikeUniFrance,withtheiryoung
FrenchcinemaandallthesignificantarthousedistributorsintheUS.o YoucanlookatCineconductorastwocomponents.
o ItisaB-to-Bmarketplacewhererights-holderscanposttheircontentforvenuestolookat.ThereisaportalthathasthematerialthatisprovidedtopromotethematerialtotheArthousesthataresignedonwithus.
o wehave90ArthousesinAmericathataresignedontoCineconductorsasanalternativetogettingharddrivedeliveriesoftraditionalharddrivemediafromdistributorsorotherfacilities.Itgivesthemtheabilitytonegotiatedirectlywiththerights-holder.Setthetermsforwhattheengagementisgoingtobe.Wearenotnegotiators,bookers,distributors,wearefacilitatorsfortherights-holderstoreachthecinemacommunity.Onceitisdecided,itdispatchesaDCI-compliantfiledirectlytothevenue.Iteliminatesshippinginandshippingoutofharddrives.
Itisimperativeforasinglescreenoperationorevenathreescreenoperationtodramaticallysplitthescreens.Sowehavevenuesthatareroutinelyshowing12-15titlesthattheysourcefromCineconductorafternegotiatingwiththerights-holder.
Benefits
• Wearemakingiteasiertoaccessthiscontent.Youcanrequestdirectlyfromrights-holder.• Thecinemasarebookingfarmorefilms.• Thefileisonitswaydirectlytothevenue.• Thereisnoshipping,thereisnodigesting,thereisnoturning.• Savingmoneyfromtheshippingoftheharddrive(around$40each,roundtrip).Withthis
model,aftertwotitles,itisbasicallyfree.• Ithasgivenpeoplethelicensetopickmoretitles.
EndofPanelQuestionsWekeptcomingbacktothecentralityofthecinemaitself.Youarebuildingacinema,whathasledtothisdecisionanddoyouthinkthatitwilldrivethedigitalsideaswell?ThereusedtobeacinemaineachquarterinStockholmand80%ofthecinemasareownedbythisonechain.Thisonechaintheyarenotopposingthisnewproposalforanewcinema.Thethoughthasbeenwithusformanyyears.Wehavebeenlookingforalocation,theflexibility,andgivingameetingplaceforpeople.IthinkthatthepitchofthecinematakesinspirationfromtheUK,likefromPicturehouses.Buildingthisplaceforpeopletomeetandinteract.Ithinkthatthateveryonecangeteverythingintheirhome,ontheirbigTV.AndIstillthinkthereisgoingtostillbeaneedtointeractandsitinsilencetogetherwithpeopleandhaveaglassofwineanddiscussthatafterwards,ornot.
-MirvaMichael,inyourpresentationyoumentionedbrieflythatyouhavedoneastudyrecentlythattherealotofcinemasthatarestartingtheirownVODplatforms.Canyouelaborateabitmoreandtellushowyouseethatshakingup?Ithinkitisgoingtotakeawhiletosettlein.SomeofthesmallerVODplatforms,itismuchmoredifficulttocreatedemandforarthousefilm,fromapointwherenobodyknowswhothehellyouare.Youcannothavearelationshipwiththosekindsofpeople.ThereisastronglogicintheideathatthetrustthatIhaveinmycinema,tocuratecontentformemightleadtometoalsotrustthemtocuratethatkindofcontentinaVODworld.
-MichaelTheselocalcinemasareconsideredthecommunitieslocallivingroom.Thatiswhattheyarereallymarketing.Weknowyou,youknowusandifyoucanofferabrandextensiontoahomeenvironmentthenitmakesperfectsense.
-BarryThedataanalysisissomethingthatwearewaybehind,notonlyonlinebutfromourcinemago-ers.Thisiscertainlysomethingonthetopoftheagendaforthefuture.Weneedmorespecificdataaboutpeoplethatcometoseeusincinemasandonlineandwhytheydoit,whoarethey.Itissomethingimportanttousbutwedon’tworkwellwithit,weworkbetterwithguts.Weselectfilmsthatwebuyforourcinemaaudience,thenweshowthemonline.Inourcase,wearemorethinkingaboutwhenweselectfilms,weaskifwecanfindanaudienceforthis.
-JaumeeMichael:Asforsomeonethatworksinthatset,wherewearelookingatalotofthatanalysis,Ithinkitisappallingthatinthisdatarichworldthatwenowlivein,IstillgetmoreknowledgeandinformationfromaboxofficethanVODplatforms.Wehavealong,longwaytogointheknowledgeeconomy.
Panel2:Discussion
Howdowegeneratemoredemand?I’vedonealotofworkwithproducersandthefirstthingistogetintheproducer’sheadthatthemarketingplanisimportant.Thescriptiswherethisisstartedtobeformulated,sorightatthebeginning.Itneedstostartatthesametimeinordertobuildanaudience.Ifyoulookattechstartups,theyarereallygoodatbuildinganaudiencefromzerotomillionsofusers,oftenbeforetheyhaveaproductlaunch.There’saconceptcalled‘growth-hacking’.Itisjustmarketing,butitismorelikeaudience-hacking.Howyoucreatealltheselittlefunnelsthatarebringingyoupotentialusersorfans,howyouinvolveyouraudience,sowhenitdoescometoreleaseonlinethereisawindow,whereeveryknowsaboutthefilm,andtheywillfinditandbuyit.OnethingIthinkisimportantisthatyouhavetokeepitreal,andyouhavetopromoteapersonandnotaposter.
-MichaelThemarketplacehasevolved,thereisanewcurrency,weallwanttoblameeachother,theproducerfornotdoingtheposterproperly,andthedirectorfornotengagingtheiraudienceattheirscriptphase.Butitisaboutaggregatingyouraudience.Attheendofafestivalrun,IlovetolookatGoogletrends,andtypeinafilmtitle,andwhendiditspike.Oftenthespikeisduringthefestivalpremier.Itspikeswhenpeoplewanttolearnaboutit,whentheyarereadingaboutit,they’refollowingit.Itisnotgoingtohittheatresforanotherfourtofivemonthsandthendigitalanothermonthafterthat.Itisabouthowyoucreatedemand,ifyouhaveabuzzyfestivalpremier,youhavethatopportunity.Butnow,weareseeingfilmmakerssay,youknow…eventuallythefilmisgoingtobeavailableonline,sohowdoIactivatethatbypresales.ByusinganaggregatortocapturethatinformationonItunes.
-MissyIthinkeveryoneisusingFacebooktopromotetheirfilms.ButifyoucorrelatetowhatyouaredoingonFacebook,youareconstantlyscrolling,somewherebetween87and92%ofvideosonFacebookareviewedwiththesoundoffandareneverviewedforlongerthan3seconds.Sowhenyouarenowthinkingofpromotingyourmovies,youhavetobethinkingofshortlittleclips,thatareeven5secondsandarewatchablewiththesoundoff,andcansomehowpromoteyourmovie.Itishardtogetthempastthatmark,butiftheydogopast3seconds,theyusuallywatchthewholethingnomatterhowlongitis.
-Brian
Whattoolsareyouusingtoaggregateaudiencesforyourfilms?Beingonthehomepageandwhatthatmeansfordiscovery.Howonecanmakethathappen.Itusedtobeveryeasytobenumber1onGoogle.Youwouldputsomekeywords,getsomelinksandyouarenumber1,andthenitgotharderandharderhasGoogle’salgorithmgotbetterandtheirrankinggotbetter,nowitisalmostimpossibletobeonGoogle’sfirstpage.Yet,withplatforms,itisstillreallyeasytobenumber1andgettrending.Thealgorithmsaresobasic.Ifyouaresmartwithyourmarketingspending,youcangetafilmtrendingquiteeasy.Presales,gettingsomemomentumthere.Also,reallysmartreleasewindowingandbuyingandputtingsomemoneyintobuyingyourownfilmsstrategicallycanactuallygetittrendinginthetopcategories.
-David
ThereisadistributorintheUSthatjustgoesstraighttodigitalandnottoomuchstrategy.Therewasavery,verysmallfilmthatusedthemandwhattheydidwasforoneweek,thefilmwas99centsandthefilmmakergotallofhisfriendsandnetworktobuyitfor99cents,andthenafterthatoneweek,itwastrending,itwasnumber3ontheITunesRomanticComedies,andstoodoutlikeasorethumbbecausethereisalltheseMegRyanandTomHanksfilmsthatarejusttheseclassics,andhewasabletohacktheITunessystembygettingitrankedreallyquicklyandattheverytopformarketing,thatwasonetrickthatworkedforhim.
-Missy
Howcansalesagentstakealeadingrole?TherearethebigdatacompanieslikeAmazonandNetflixthathavethoseaudiencesbuiltin,thentherearethecinemasthathavethoserelationships,andmoreandmoretheyareinnovatingaroundthoserelationships.Whatwearelookingatherefromasalesagentpointofview,Salesagentsknowfilm,theybetonfilms,theyunderstandfilm,they’refilm-lovers.Outofexperience,theyknowwhatkindoffilmsmightworkastheygothrough.Thereisachangingpointtothemomentwheretheknowingfilm,andknowingaudiences,howcanwekeepthewholeindustrytogether,whereeveryonewins.Howcanwehaveeveryindependent,distributer,everycinema,everysalesagentwork.Weshouldwebeusingthatwealthofknowledgeandchangingsomeofthatflowthroughthevaluechange,andalltheexperienceandknowledgeaboutfilmsandalltherelationshipsthatcinemashave.
-Brian
Therearetoomanyfilmsintheindustry!Howdowechangethis?
Weallknowtherearetoomanyfilmsbeingmade.Weallknowallthefinancesmainly,gointoproduction.Weallknowtherearetoomanyfilms.Toomanyorphans,thatnobodywantstoadopt.Wehavetostopthissystem.Itislikeasickness;itisnotworkinganymore.Wehavetopaypeopletoseefilmsthatnobodywantstosee.Wehavetostopandreviewthewholesystem.
-AudiencememberIthinkitisahumanrighttomakeafilm.Likethereisahumanrighttowriteastory.Ihavenoproblem,everyonehasgotacamera,everyonecandothisstuff.Themorepeoplethatmakefilms,thebetter.Youjustdon’thavearightforittobecomepartofanindustry.Oneofourbigproblems,isthatwedon’thaveanamateursector.Inmusic,thereis.Everyonethinksthatthefilmtheymakeautomaticallyhasthisrighttogothroughthesystem.Ifonlywehadabrilliantamateursector,whereitsbeingshownto300people.TheinternetIsbecomingaudio-visualratherthanscript.Itisnolongerawrittenmedium,itsmoreanaudiovisualmedium.Iwantmychildrentoexpressthemselvesthroughfilmallofthetime.Theywaythatpeoplecommunicatewitheachother,thisistheaudiovisualage.Whatyouaresayingis:Howcanwecreateasysteminwhichyoufindthebestatthestagewhereyouare.It’stheliberalentitlementculture.Ourproblemliestothefactthatpeoplethinkthattheyareentitledtothat.ThathopeshouldnotbethatsomehowIamentitled,becauseIwenttoafilmschoolsomewheretomakefilmthatgetsseen.ItistimethatwestartedbelievinginthisArtform,andstartthinkingofitassomethingwhichcanmakeadifference.
-Michael
Backtotoolsandtactics,IwouldneversaythattherearetoomanymoviesbecauseIthinkit’sasuperexcitingtimetobeafilmlover.ItissomethingI’veseenlotsoffilmmakersdoingisbringingmarketingasanextensionoftheirstorytelling.Notallofthesefilmsarefinanciallyviablebuttodefinemanageexpectations,maybeforafirsttimefilmmakeritisjustgettingitmade,gettingyournameoutthereandgettingrecognition.Fromthere,buildingyourcareer.
-MissyWhataresomeofthestrategiesyouareusingtobreakthroughthenoiseandgrabpeople’sattention,andgetpeopletoopentheirwallethypotheticallyandpurchase
thesefilms.Asanindustry,weshouldstartrealizing,ifyouhaveafilm,thentherearehugenumbersofaudiencesthatwecanreachandtheyareinpop-upcinemas.Therearethepossibilitiesofre-openingcinemasinthosesmallertownsthatusedtohavecinemas.Maybecinemaisnolongerculturallyrelevant,Idon’tbelievethatinwhichcase,weneedtousethedigitalstrategies.Thoseopportunitiesareaboutbeingalittlebitsmarterabouthowfilmcultureworks.ThemostbeautifultimeI’veeverhadinacinemawaswhenwereopenedacinemathatwasbuiltbycoal-minersinasmalltown,andweputaprojectorinthereanditisstillgoing.Whatwedid,wewentaroundtothelocalschools,wesaid,makeusashortfilm,ananimation,wewillgettheyoungkidstointerviewtheirgrandparentsandwewillbringananimatorin.Wehadaredcarpetthing,andforthefirsttimewehadkidswhohadneverseenacinemascreen,suddenlysawtheirownworkonthecinemascreen.ItwasthemostbeautifuloccasionthatI’veeverbeento.
-MichaelIaminthebookindustry,andeveryoneinmyindustrywasscaredaboute-bookswhentheycameout.Peoplewerelike‘That’sit!We’regoingtoloseallourmoney”Whensomethingcomesondigitally,therearepeoplethatthinkthatthemarketisgoingtocompletelyfallout.Whatweareactuallyseeing,ifyouworkforabookpublisher,isverymuchsimilartowhatisgoingoninthefilmindustry.Youstillsee70-80%oftherevenuefromabookareactuallyahardcopyofabook.Digitalsalesareonlyabout20-30%ofthat.ThedangerhereisthatfocusingallattentiononVODandondigitalisreallynotwhatconsumersactuallywant.Yes,Ithinkcinemasneedtostepupthegame,andbecomeanoffering,becometheconsumervoiceandcommunicatetotheirlocalaudiences.
-AudiencememberTheproducersandfilmmakersneedtostopbeingsoarrogantfirstandforemost,andactuallythinkofthefactthatwearemakingafilm,whoisgoingtobeouraudienceforthisfilm?Andgooutandgettheaudience,goouttothesalesagentswhentheyaremakingthatfilmandsay,we’vegot35,000Instagramfollowersetc.andIthinkthat’sthedirectionthatitneedstogoin.Ithinkthatthesalesagentsreallyneedtobemoreconcerningintheproduct,notjustdoesthishaveafestival.Ithinkwhatneedstohappenistoworkwithfilmmakersandpushbackalittlebackthatway,andyouneedtocomewithanaudience,youneedtogoanddoyourwork.YouneedtobelieveinthisfilmandgooutthereandfindtheaudienceandthencometomewithyouraudiencesothenIcanthensay,yesyougotthefestivals,yesyougottheaudience,youcanofferthatthentoadistributorwhichcanthengotoanexhibitorandsaylook,we’vegotthiswholepackagethatyoucansell.It’sano-brainer.Rightnow,wearefinishingtheproductthenlookingaroundfortheaudience,andthat’sthecompletelythewrong
approach.Wehavetothinkaboutwhatthemarketisbeforewemakeafilm.Filmmakersneedtostopjustmakingafilmbutworkingtowardscreatingabrandandfindinganaudienceforthatproduct.Vimeorecentlydidastudywhereifyou’redealingwithcontentthathitsadefinablenicheaudience,youcandoubleyourpricepointandthesellingofthatfilmtothataudiencebecausetheyarewillingtopayahigherpricebecausetheyaresofanaticalaboutthatcontent.
-Michael