Top Five Predictions for Films and Digital Distribution: Second Part

The Independent Digital Distribution Lab –– IndiesLab for short –– is a joint initiative of ITVS and PBS designed to help filmmakers navigate the marketplace and to generate revenue streams while also having a social impact. In the post below, Indie Labs Director Davin Hutchins shares his second of five predictions about the future of films and digital distribution. Be sure to visit Beyond the Box blog over the next several months to hear more predictions.

IndiesLab Director Davin Hutchins

In my last blog post, I made my first prediction –– “Creative Destruction Will Continue… And That’s a Good Thing.” Over the next few months, as independent filmmakers proceed with their projects for 2010, I will attempt to share some tough love, sage advice, and cause for hope.

PREDICTION 2: Curation Will Become As Important As Technology

When I lived in San Francisco, every Friday I would stroll down the street from my apartment on Russian Hill to Washington Square and check out the video wares at The Film Yard. My mission: to get an indie flick for my wife and me. There was usually one clerk. I don’t remember his name but let’s call him “Brad.” Even on a busy Friday night, Brad usually remembered me and my last rental. Brad could even make insightful recommendations based upon my body language when I hovered near the “documentaries” or “20th century period pieces” aisles.

The main problem with online film delivery platforms today is there is no “Brad.” At best, there’s an algorithm mixed with a cookie cross-referenced with my purchase history. Usually when I watch a video online, a crude piece of code will analyze the keywords in the video I just watched and then regurgitate the five videos with the closest metadata. Four of those are usually user-generated drivel. More sophisticated platforms like iTunes or Amazon do feature technology like “Genius” recommendations or “Customers who bought this item also bought…” But the front of the store still connotes the New Releases rack at Blockbuster. What I crave –– what we all crave I think –– is a site that knows me right as I walk in the door. Something like my.hulu.com.

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Tags: curation, filmmaker resources, technology, tips

Top Five Predictions for Films and Digital Distribution

The Independent Digital Distribution Lab –– IndiesLab for short –– is a joint initiative of ITVS and PBS designed to help filmmakers navigate the marketplace and to generate revenue streams while also having a social impact. Indie Labs Director Davin Hutchins shares his first of five predictions about the future of films and digital distribution. Be sure to visit Beyond the Box over the next several months to hear more predictions.

IndiesLab Director Davin Hutchins

As independent filmmakers proceed with their projects for 2010, I thought I’d take a crack at making some predictions for the New Year.

PREDICTION 1: Creative Destruction Will Continue… And That’s a Good Thing

Video site Veoh Networks imploded this month. Not Chapter 11, mind you; it was a Chapter 7 liquidation. Veoh was an ad-supported, user-generated video site aspiring to be another YouTube. Even though it wasn’t a player in the indie film game, its demise is significant in that the company had burned through $70 million dollars of venture capital and was co-founded by former Disney chair Michael Eisner. This begs the question: if a guy like Michael Eisner with $70 million can’t make a video site work, what can one expect from smaller niche sites that have raised considerably less funding?

Traditionally, there have been two ways for film startups to make money off independent films –– charge a rental fee to view an entire film or run ads against films that are offered for free. The real challenge going forward is this: data suggests few consumers seem willing to pay a rental fee for an independent film when there is so much free content available on the Internet or TV. And with the glut of video on the Internet –– from professional films to semi-professional shorts to user-generated video –– ad rates are driven lower and lower by an endless supply of video (and much of it mediocre). Both major film platforms and startups will face these same challenges. In the past ten years, many indie film startups have imploded, were acquired, or radically changed their focus in order to survive: Atom Films (re-branded as Atom.com), iFilm (re-branded as Spike), Jaman, and GreenCine. All promised more or less the same thing –– filmmaker and film lover nirvana –– but significant dollars haven’t really materialized.

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Tags: digital distribution, Hulu, independent film, IndiesLab, iTunes, SnagFilms, Veoh

IndiesLab: Supporting Independent Filmmakers in the Digital Marketplace

IndiesLab Director Davin Hutchins

Happy New Year and greetings from IndiesLab! My name is Davin Hutchins and I am the new director of this exciting joint initiative of ITVS and PBS now entering its second year –– the Independent Digital Distribution Lab –– or IndiesLab for short.

What is IndiesLab? It’s an ITVS-PBS initiative designed to help filmmakers navigate this marketplace and to generate revenue streams while also having a social impact. Many independent documentary filmmakers are unfamiliar with the lab, but we think that’s about to change. We’ve had some great achievements in our first year in raising the online profile of independent documentary films. Today, we are looking forward to implementing some ambitious digital initiatives in 2010 –– all in the spirit of advancing the mission of social issue, public interest documentaries, and the independent producers who create them.

PBS Indies section on iTunes.

A few first-year achievements include:

• A dedicated “PBS Indies” section on iTunes where member filmmakers of IndiesLab offer their films for download-to-own or download-to-rent.
• Dedicated Independent Lens and Global Voices sections on Hulu –– a major ad-supported streaming platform.
• A dedicated ITVS channel on popular documentary platform SnagFilms.
• Competitive package for filmmakers.

The digital marketplace is complex and constantly evolving. We are taking these challenges head on. We have already opened the door for indie filmmakers on all major online platforms — iTunes, Amazon, NetFlix, Hulu, PBS Video, and SnagFilms — and we will constantly look out for new partnerships to generate audiences and revenue.

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Tags: Hulu, independent film, IndiesLab, iTunes, SnagFilms

ITVS Open Call Funding: Deadline January 15

Looking for film funding? Don’t miss out on Open Call, which provides finishing funds for single non-fiction or animation public television programs on any subject and from any viewpoint. Projects must have begun production as evidenced by a work-in-progress video.

The deadline for Open Call funding is Friday, January 15, 2010. Due dates are not postmark deadlines and all materials must arrive at ITVS by 5:00 PM.

Find more information about guidelines and how to apply >>

Have additional questions about Open Call? Email jonathan_archer@itvs.org or call 415-356-8383 x284.

Looking for advice on how to write a treatment? Click on the “continue reading” button below to get some insider tips.

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Tags: film funding, film resources, Open Call

Apply for ITVS Open Call Funding: Deadline January 15

Looking for film funding? ITVS funds, distributes and promotes new programs primarily for public television. We work with independent producers to create and present programs that take creative risks, advance issues and represent points of view not usually seen on public or commercial television.

Open Call provides finishing funds for single non-fiction or animation public television programs on any subject and from any viewpoint. Projects must have begun production as evidenced by a work-in-progress video.

The deadline for Open Call funding is Friday, January 15, 2010. Due dates are not postmark deadlines and all materials must arrive at ITVS by 5:00 PM.

Find more information about guidelines and how to apply >>

Have additional questions about Open Call? Email jonathan_archer@itvs.org or call 415-356-8383 x284.

Tags: film funding, film resources, Open Call

Apply for ITVS Open Call Funding: Deadline January 15

Looking for film funding? ITVS funds, distributes and promotes new programs primarily for public television. We work with independent producers to create and present programs that take creative risks, advance issues and represent points of view not usually seen on public or commercial television.

Open Call provides finishing funds for single non-fiction or animation public television programs on any subject and from any viewpoint. Projects must have begun production as evidenced by a work-in-progress video.

The deadline for Open Call funding is Friday, January 15, 2010. Due dates are not postmark deadlines and all materials must arrive at ITVS by 5:00 PM.

Find more information about guidelines and how to apply >>

Interested in seeing what’s been funded recently? Watch videos of filmmakers discussing their projects >>

Have additional questions about Open Call? Email jonathan_archer@itvs.org or call 415-356-8383 x284.

Tags: film resources, Open Call

U.S. INPUT 2010 Call for Entries, Deadline Nov. 6

The International Public Television Screening Conference (INPUT) is a global, voluntary organization set up by television professionals for television professionals––centered around an annual screening conference. INPUT 2010 will be held in Budapest, Hungary, May 8-12. The aim is to showcase, inspire and lead television programs in the public service.

The deadline for U.S. INPUT pre-selection is Friday, November 6, 2009. There is no entry fee.

For more information, contact Amy Shumaker at shumaker@scetv.org or (803) 737-3433.

Visit the INPUT Web site for a submission form and more information >>

Also, be sure to check out the Beyond the Box Blog entry by ITVS’s Executive Vice President and CFO Judy Tam in which she discusses the selection process and history of INPUT. Learn more >>

Tags: film resources, INPUT

Reminder: ITVS Diversity Development Funding, Deadline on Friday

ITVS funds, distributes and promotes new programs primarily for public television. We work with independent producers to create and present programs that take creative risks, advance issues and represent points of view not usually seen on public or commercial television.

The Diversity Development Fund provides up to $15,000 in research and development funding to producers of color to develop single documentary programs for public television. Projects should reach underserved audiences often overlooked by conventional programming. Projects must be in the research or development phase, and cannot have begun production. Producers must be U.S. citizens or legal residents.

The deadline for the Diversity Development Fund is this Friday, September 25. Due dates are not postmark deadlines and all materials must arrive at ITVS by 5:00 PM.

Find more information about guidelines and how to apply >>

Have additional questions about the Diversity Development Fund? Email Kathryn_Washington@itvs.org or call 415-356-8383 x258.

Tags: film resources

Apply for ITVS Diversity Development Funding: Deadline on September 25

Interested in film funding? ITVS funds, distributes and promotes new programs primarily for public television. We work with independent producers to create and present programs that take creative risks, advance issues and represent points of view not usually seen on public or commercial television.

The Diversity Development Fund provides up to $15,000 in research and development funding to producers of color to develop single documentary programs for public television. Projects should reach underserved audiences often overlooked by conventional programming. Projects must be in the research or development phase, and cannot have begun production. Producers must be U.S. citizens or legal residents.

The deadline for the Diversity Development Fund is Friday, September 25. Due dates are not postmark deadlines and all materials must arrive at ITVS by 5:00 PM.

Find more information about guidelines and how to apply >>

Have additional questions about the Diversity Development Fund? Email Kathryn_Washington@itvs.org or call 415-356-8383 x258.

Tags: film resources

Inside Indies: Filmmaking Tips and Tricks of the Trade

How do they do it? Go behind the scenes and get real-life examples from documentary filmmakers. Sit in on conversations between up-and-coming indies and seasoned professionals as they share their personal take on tricks of the trade. From stop-motion animation and using archival footage, to gaining trust and telling personal stories, learn how independents meet creative challenges to get their story told in compelling ways.

Watch these clips and learn more >>

Tags: film resources, filmmakers, independent film