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Truly Free Film

Film Is MUCH More Than A Product

Often when I go online to look for a film to watch, I end up feeling kind of dirty. I grow depressed. It is not just about the movies I find (or fail to find), but much more so about how they are positioned. Films are sold online the same way that shoes are sold — in a grid with no community interaction. We create jewels and then discard them as garbage, never unlocking the true power they hold. Granted, this is what we are aiming to change at Fandor, but it is still the state of the land when it comes to online cinema. We can do better.

I don’t like always being sold to — and I don’t know anyone who does.  Yet, I feel that my humanity frequently is only acknowledged because I have money to spend. This is how it feels generally when it comes to online cinema. It feels that what is valued most about a film or an experience is its ability to generate profit. We are failing to recognize cinema’s unique attributes, let alone emphasize them to consumers.  If we reduce a film’s value down to its potential for consumption will limit the business it can do.

Film is a transformative experience — at least good films are. They change us. They change how we perceive things.  They can

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Truly Free Film

Understanding Hollywood’s Current Film Business

As a producer, not only do you need to understand the business of film, you inevitably have to explain it to your investors.

Your investment in

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Uncategorized

Panel Speaking Today: Woodstock Film Festival

Today, Saturday October 2nd at 2P, I will be participating in the NEW DISTRIBUTION PARADIGM panel at the Woodstock Film Festival.

The 21st century brought with it extraordinary advances in the way that films are distributed. The advent of the Internet, cable and satellite television and on-demand services now allows a viewer to choose exactly how and when they watch a film. This change in dynamic between the work and the audience has allowed many films a chance to shine that would have otherwise been denied. In turn this has opened up a whole new world of cinema for the public to enjoy, making such changes incredibly valuable and worthwhile. This panel will discuss the remarkable leaps forward that have been made in the world of film distribution and look ahead to what the future may hold.

My fellow panelists are an esteemed crew: Richard Abramowitz, Bob Berney, Edward Burns, and John Sloss.  I hope you can join us.

Order tickets here: http://www.woodstockfilmfestival.com/festival2010/panels.php?cat=Panel

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Truly Free Film

Independent Film’s Path To A Viable New Business Model

Guest post by Jeffrey Ballagh, lead strategist for Novacut (Note from Ted: I have not used Novacut, but heard what they were aiming for and asked Jeffrey to explain it to all of you.)

The future of distribution and funding for independent film relies on the Internet. The technology to forge a new business model for independent film success is out there, but it needs nerd champions to build a venue where artist-to-audience commerce can thrive. To thrive, that venue must be the condensation point for the independent filmmaking community. For that to be possible, that venue needs a strategy for reaching critical mass and a damn good draw for filmmakers’ attention. This is what we know, and this is Novacut.

The spark? A pro-grade video editor that’s free and designed from the ground up to exploit recent advances in technology and community – to name a few: digital production, HDSLR cameras, online collaboration, and cloud computing.