10 Innovations That Will Reshape Business in the Next Decade

The Financial Times has compiled a list of 10 predictions about the ideas or developments most likely to transform business in the next 10 years. Many of these ideas or developments have particular significance to filmmakers.

Che Sera - Jose Feliciano

DSLR Cinematography Guide

Magic Lantern introduction from Trammell Hudson on Vimeo.

Digital cinematography is changing so rapidly these days that this blog post (the video above about Canon DSLRs and the link below to NoFilmSchool's very helpful article) will soon be out of date.

So watch the video now and hurry up and read the latest about how DSLR cinematography is revolutionizing production and post-production of independent film: http://nofilmschool.com/dslr/.

Lance Weiler on The Emergence Of New Models

Lance Weiler is paying close attention to the ways innovative filmmakers are already using the web. For example:

"If we take a moment to look at current trends within other industries, it’s not hard to see that creative uses of data and date filtering are at the center of emerging models. But data is sometimes seen as a foreign element to the creative process of storytelling. Therefore finding ways to apply it will benefit from experimentation."

I agree with Mr. Weiler, and I'd like to suggest one area where we should be experimenting.

I want to test the hypothesis that the "data" of online filmmaking (and, in particular, how that data is marketed) is amenable to organization around theme.

I think what Egri calls the "premise" (the answer to the question "Why do you want to make this movie?" or what I call the "central organizing principle") will INEVITABLY help filmmakers to make and market their films. For example, every film that is recommended by Netflix because it shares a THEME or MEANING with another highly-rated film strengthens my conviction that "theme" or "meaning" should be considered in all the apps that facilitate online film searches.

Because I think he gets it in so many ways, I'll endeavor to share in this post some of Mr. Weiler's recent observations about how to market motion pictures for the emerging online audience. But, in my opinion, marketing tools that fail to connect to the audience via THEME, have limited utility.

"Twitter Lists

Create a Twitter List. Ted Hope recently created a Twitter List to capture the production process from various members of the team during the production of his latest film SUPER. Side note: Ted also discovered the script for SUPER via Twitter.

Try Out A Streamreader

Streamreaders are applications that you can use to manage your various social accounts like Facebook and Twitter. TweetDeck is a popular streamreader. In fact TweetDeck recently released a special Sherlock Holmes version of their streamreader. The special version servers as a companion to an experience that was designed by AKQA and Hide & Seek entitled 221B. The two-person game was released as a promotion for Sherlock Holmes and leads players right up to the first scene of the actual film. Those playing can monitor player and character interactions within a special Sherlock Holmes edition of TweetDeck."

Mr. Weiler is correct: Twitter Lists and Streamreaders have their place as marketing tools. But I think online filmmakers should also be told that the tools that will really connect them to their audience should include elements of THEME.

Marketing on Facebook

With more than 325 million users, Facebook is nearly the size of the United States in terms of population. And Facebook users share information about their like and dislikes at a prodigious pace. That's why many films have a Page on Facebook. (Facebook Pages are different than profiles. People have what are called Profiles on Facebook, but your business can’t have a Profile — it can have a Page.) A Facebook Page is a place to house all the pertinent information about your film and to build a community of people who will support your film (by attending screenings, buying DVDs or merchandise and telling their friends about the film). If you’ve emptied your bank account to make a microbudget film, a Page on Facebook may be all you can afford. But it's a great cheap way to get the word out.

This post on Mashable.com is a beginner’s guide to setting up and getting the most out of a Page on Facebook.

And the unofficial Facebook site, allfacebook.com, has written a handy guide to developing a Facebook Page that attracts viewers.

Finally, the NY Times has written about Facebook Pages and the opportunities that exist with Facebook Ads.

Digital Distribution - A Legal Battle Over E-Book Rights Suggests Where Film Distribution is Headed

On December 12, 2009 the NY Times reported on a dispute over the electronic rights to William Styron's novels.

Filmmakers should pay close attention to these e-publishing disputes. Just like the music business (where digital distribution is already generating huge revenue and is expected to top $5 billion by 2012), the e-publishing business is growing and decisions made about e-books may well point the way for the online motion picture business.

The revenue from digital distribution of films is growing and digital distribution will inevitably become the dominant mode for delivering films, books and music. But there are many questions that must be answered before a viable business model for digital distribution of indie films can emerge. For example: Will indie filmmakers even use third-party distributors in the future? Can filmmakers self-distribute? If filmmakers self-distribute, how will the audience learn about the film? Who will pay the marketing costs? If a filmmaker uses a distributor, just how much should the author earn in digital royalties (the costs of delivering a film digitally may be small, but marketing - to break through the clutter - will still be expensive)? Will distribution in the old formats (e.g., DVD, theatrical) still exist for indie filmmakers - and, if so, who will pay for those costs?

Marketing a Film With No Money

What's the secret to marketing a film with next to no money? How do you do compete with the studios? Where do you spend in an online environment that has thrown traditional marketing notions into upheaval? In this August 30th, 2009 roundtable the Hollywood Reporter asked marketing specialists Eric d'Arbeloff of Roadside Attractions, David Dinerstein of Lakeshore Entertainment, Nancy Kirkpatrick of Summit Entertainment, Christian Mercuri of Nu Image and Debbie Miller of CBS Films to share their expertise.