iTunes
Best Documentaries from PBS are 50% Off on iTunes, Now Until October 17
Find PBS Indies on iTunes and watch award-winning documentary films at half price from now until October 17.
For films buffs and documentary lovers out there, we have some good news to share. PBS will be offering the best documentaries on iTunes at 50% off from October 4–17.
Visit iTunes and search for PBS Indies and you’ll find what you’re looking for. From the hilarious film Men Who Swim, to Meghan Eckman’s cult-favorite The Parking Lot Movie, and the latest documentary behind a cultural comic-book phenomenon in Wham! Bam! Islam!
There is more than enough content on PBS Indies to keep you entertained. Visit PBS Indies on iTunes from October 4-17 and be inspired through the power of documentary film.
Lessons from the Lab: Driving The Parking Lot Movie
IndiesLab Director Davin Hutchins runs through the digital successes achieved by the Independent Lens film, The Parking Lot Movie.
For those of you who aren’t aware of the mission of IndiesLab, it is a joint initiative of ITVS and PBS and our goal is to test and devise strategies for filmmaker success on emerging online distribution platforms. Our distribution partners include iTunes, Amazon Video-On-Demand, Hulu, YouTube, SnagFilms, PBS Video, and several other video-on-demand services on cable.
Lessons from the Lab: Digital DIY and Distribution U.
Last month Indies Lab Director Davin Hutchins went back to school to learn about “do-it-yourself” (DIY) distribution and filed this report for BTB.
If you haven’t heard of the phrase “do-it-yourself” or “DIY distribution” then perhaps you have been too busy fundraising, shooting, or editing your latest documentary to notice. Or perhaps you live under a rock.
With traditional theatrical, broadcast and DVD distribution channels for independent docs in serious decline, everyone is talking about “DIY distribution,” also known as “hybrid distribution.”
Independent filmmakers in New York City debate the prospects of digital distribution of cinema at Distribution U.
The concept, coined most famously by Paradigm Consulting’s Peter Broderick, suggests that there is no cookie-cutter approach to the successful distribution of a film. Each approach should be tailored. Custom strategies like these were the main focal points at the east coast installment of Distribution U., a one-day crash course held by Broderick and journalist and CinemaTech blogger Scott Kirsner.
We here at the IndiesLab are sort of obsessed with the digital aspect of DIY distribution — that nexus where fan-building, advertising, and promotion intersect with online platforms like iTunes, Netflix, Amazon VOD, etc. We’ve been monitoring filmmaker conversations online and at events like Distribution U. to see if people are thinking seriously about digital DIY approaches.
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Lessons From The Lab: Art & Copy in Review
As more and more Independent Lens films become available on iTunes we wanted to share with viewers how those projects are performing online. Indies Lab Director Davin Hutchins, pulls back the curtain on the successes behind the documentary Art & Copy.
One of the more notable documentaries in our stable of IndiesLab films is Art & Copy, which recently aired on Independent Lens on October 26. In case you haven’t seen it, the film pays homage to the groundbreaking advertising campaigns of the 60’s and 70’s in an aesthetically-pleasing walk down memory lane — in this case, Madison Avenue.
Art & Copy emerged on the scene in January 2009 at the Sundance Film Festival to generally positive reviews from critics and strong word-of-mouth buzz. The film made its way online onto iTunes in May 2010. Since its launch, we’ve spotted a couple of interesting patterns in this film’s career on iTunes that you might want to consider when plotting out your online digital distribution strategy.
In an interview with IndiesLab and Beyond the Box, director Doug Pray said that he had no idea about the online possibilities for his film. “My attitude [toward digital distribution] was much more conservative and wary. One year ago, I would have been cautious and said, ‘Oh know we’re going to cannibalize this other thing over here.’ Now, I’m just sitting back and going ‘wow.’ …The old school rules aren’t flying so much.”
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Live Chat with Director Meghan Eckman
Director Meghan Eckman will be online at 2 PM EST for a live chat about her film The Parking Lot Movie
Independent Lens kicked off its ninth season last night with the broadcast premiere of The Parking Lot Movie! The documentary, by first-time director Meghan Eckman, explores the rarefied world of one small parking lot in a college town, and the asphalt philosophers who work there. Love’em or laugh at ‘em these overeducated attendants find a way to over think everything from license plates to the plight of the service sector worker.
Wherever your feelings lie, remember: It’s not just a parking lot. It’s a battle with humanity.
As a special treat for BTB guests and all our Independent Lens fans, we’re delighted to bring you a live chat with director Meghan Eckman. The conversation will start below at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET.
If you missed The Parking Lot Movie Tuesday night — or want to watch again — the film is available for download on iTunes as a part of our PBS Indies collection.
Big thanks to Meghan for joining us the day after her film premiere on PBS. Now, get your questions ready and enjoy the first of many live chats we plan to host on BTB.
***Cover It Live is a free web-based conferencing tool and a private company. Any advertisements and comments posted on the site are unrelated to ITVS.
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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.
Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr. and his Legacy
“Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. It is a sword that heals. [It] cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
At the heart of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s was the use of nonviolent direct-action protest. Inspired by the example of Jesus, and the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi during India’s struggle for independence, black church and community leaders in the United States began advocating the use of non-violence in their own struggle. Beyond spontaneous and planned student sit-ins, several organizations were formed to fight for civil rights using Gandhi’s model of nonviolent dissent and action. Three of the most influential groups—the Congress of Racial Equality, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee—were pivotal in bringing about social change in America.
Read more about the life of King, Jr. on the Independent Lens website >>
Check out the PBS Indies page on iTunes where you’ll find these powerful films about the African American civil rights movement
Adjust Your Color: The Truth of Petey Green
The unlikely story of America’s original shock-jock — Petey Greene — who battled the system and his own demons during a time of civil unrest in the nation’s capital.
Banished
From the 1860s to the 1920s, towns across the U.S. violently expelled African American residents. Today, these communities remain virtually all white. As black descendants return to demand justice, Banished exposes the hidden history of racial cleansing in America.
Each film is now available for rent for $2.99 or for purchase at $9.99.
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.
Rent Independent Lens and Global Voices Episodes on iTunes
Looking to watch something from the comfort of your home over the holidays?
Check out the PBS Indies page on iTunes where you’ll find more than 20 indie films from Independent Lens, Global Voices and other public television series and broadcasts.
Each film is now available for rent for $2.99 or for purchase at $9.99.
A selection of films include: ADJUST YOUR COLOR: The Truth of Petey Green, THE ATOM SMASHERS, BANISHED, the Oscar-nominated DAUGHTER FROM DANANG, A DREAM IN DOUBT, LAKSHMI AND ME, THE LOSS OF NAMELESS THINGS, MAPPING STEM CELL RESEARCH: TERRA INCOGNITA, MARCH POINT, MILKING THE RHINO, OPERATION FILMMAKER, POWER TRIP, RED WHITE BLACK & BLUE, A SON’S SACRIFICE, STRANDED: The Andes Plane Crash Survivors and ESTILO HIP HOP.
In the News: The Latest on ITVS Programs
New York Post: Origami and the Art of the Process
“If you’ve ever found it impossible to properly fold a road map, you will be absolutely astonished by what the folks profiled in Park Slope filmmaker Vanessa Gould’s new documentary [BETWEEN THE FOLDS] … can do with a single scrap of paper.”
Read full review >>
Indie Wire: Must See IDFA Doc: LAST TRAIN HOME
“[LAST TRAIN HOME] is an exceptional observational documentary that charts a dramatic Chinese journey affecting just one family but representing the challenges facing a changing nation and a troubled world.”
Read more >>
The Epoch Times: NO SUBTITLES NECESSARY: Laszlo & Vilmos
“[NO SUBTITLES NECESSARY: Laszlo & Vilmos] is truly a cinematographer’s film. It looks great and will foster an increased appreciation of the director of photography in general with its many clips of the classic films shot by Kovacs and Zsigmond.”
Read full review >>
The Wrap: iTunes Adds Indie Films From ITVS, PBS
“The collection of films, put together specifically for iTunes, offers diverse titles from filmmakers pursuing stories not normally told via mainstream channels.”
Read more >>
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