| | | | Summer Means More Than Just Summer Blockbusters! |
| | Don't get me wrong--I do like me some Summer Blockbusters. Looking forward to seeing a bunch of big studio films this summer, like Jurassic World, the new Mission Impossible, Mad Max, etc. But let's not forget the great indie films that will be playing, too, most likely as counter programming. There's only so much destruction I can watch before it just gets tired. For Explosion Fatigue, might I suggest the following films: Sean Baker's iPhone-shot Tangerine (Opening July 10), which I wrote about last month, (if you haven't seen the trailer, it's awesome!); Dope (June 19), another one of my favorite films from this year's Sundance; The Overnight (June 19), still another great, hilarious film from Sundance; The Wolfpack (June 12), the Sundance Documentary Grand Jury Prize winner; Me And Earl And The Dying Girl (June 12), the Sundance Narrative Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award winner; and Mistress America (August 14), another funny film from Noah Baumbach; to name but a few.
But wait, there's more! If you live in or around Los Angeles, June is Film Festival Time! Two great local festivals will be celebrating the art of movie-making (and also networking and drinking) and you will want to join in on all the fun. It's a Tale of One City, Two Festivals... |
| | LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL
June 10 - 18, 2015 • Downtown Los Angeles, CA
LA's big dog festival will be celebrating its 21st year with two brand new sections that I'm really excited about. While Sundance has been criticized lately for getting away from smaller-budget indie films, LAFF has made a bold commitment to theses kinds of projects with their new Zeitgeist section, described as "a curated section of bold films that captures a vital picture of independent storytelling today. Stylish and defiant, the films in our inaugural Zeitgeist lineup are structured around a pivotal juncture in the lives of young people, after which there is no going back.”
The 6 films in this new section are all World Premieres, and I'm especially pleased to tell you about one of them. Once again No Budget Film School has been asked to be a Participating Organization of the festival, which means I've been paired up with a film playing in the festival that I think you will all enjoy. That film is IN THE TREETOPS, a no-budget feature written, directed, and produced by newcomer Matthew Brown, a recent grad of North Carolina School of the Arts, (the alma mater of filmmakers like David Gordon Green, Jody Hill, Craig Zobel, Jeff Nichols, Danny McBride, and many others). I will write more about the film in a future post, but tickets have just gone on sale for its one-and-only screening on June 14 at 6:45pm, so jump on them now before it sells out!
Another new section for this year is Nightfall, their new genre movie section, which they describe thusly, "from the bizarre to the horrifying, these are films to watch after dark." Sounds good to me! There are 8 films in this section; 5 are World Premieres.
Another exciting section for low-no budget films is their LA Muse Section, where you'll find films made by talented emerging filmmakers that are set, shot or inspired by Los Angeles. Never before has LAFF made such a commitment to this kind of indie filmmaking, (at least not since they had "Indie" in their title), and they're really giving SXSW a run for their money in this department. These are the kinds of films we're all making, so it's a great opportunity to see what's getting into a big festival and learn how these films were made.
I encourage you to visit their website and start building your screening calendar! |
| | | | | DANCES WITH FILMS
May 28 - June 7, 2015 • TLC Chinese Theaters • Hollywood, CA
The other great LA film festival, which has always been a champion of the indiest of films, is Dances With Films, now in their 18th year. This certainly makes me feel old, because I remember attending the very first DWF, (hell, I attended the first LAFF, too), and the festival has managed to grow and evolve without losing its indie roots.
Devoted to programming high-quality indie films from "unknown" filmmakers, their motto is, "No Politics. No Stars. No Sh*t." (their asterisk, not mine). Their name was a play on all the "Dance" festivals that had cropped up in the late 90's following Sundance's success. But while Digidance, No Dance, and others are now gone, Dances With Films is still going strong.
Be sure to check out what's playing and make sure to give yourself some extra time to network before and after the screenings. The Chinese is a great environment for that and you're likely to meet your next collaborator in that crowd. |
| | | | | Distribution Transparency: Four Filmmakers Reveal Their Distribution Numbers
Getting the real scoop on what filmmakers are making from their distribution these days is nearly impossible. Back in the old days, when theatrical was a big part of a much simpler release strategy, you could easily obtain the box office grosses and then model the ancillaries off of that number, to give you a decent idea of what a film was making. Today, a theatrical is rarely in the picture, and if it is, it's usually only a token part of a day-and-date VOD strategy where the majority of the grosses are coming from VOD, a top-secret number buried behind an iron curtain of secrecy. And then to make matters worse, revenue channels are not so simple anymore; money can come from an overwhelming number of sources, again, that are shrouded in secrecy.
A few people are coming to the rescue. Radius TWC has been somewhat committed to releasing VOD numbers, and Sundance is working on a Transparency Project, where they are collecting revenue and expense numbers from independent films to make available to filmmakers.
Filmmaker/Author/Instructor Jon Reiss recently wrote a 2-part series of articles where he revealed specific, detailed distribution figures from several films. This information is a valuable tool to help you come up with realistic budgets for your next feature.
READ PART ONE
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| | | ROY W. DEAN SUMMER FILM GRANT
The Roy W. Dean Summer Film Grant is now accepting applications. For 2015, the winner will receive $3,500 (up from $2,500) in cash and $25,000 in film goods and donated services to get their film started or completed. The deadline is June 30th.
The grant seeks short films, documentaries, features, or series that are unique and make a contribution to society. In addition to the larger cash prize, the winner will receive a 4TB G-Raid from G-Technology, discounted publicity services from David Magdael & Associates, Inc, discounted music post production from Audiokut, and more.
From the Heart Productions, the 501(c)3 non-profit which oversees the grant, gives all applicants a free consultation on their project. Carole Dean, president of From the Heart, wrote the bestselling- book, “The Art of Film Funding”. From the Heart has helped filmmakers raise millions of dollars for their projects including over $1.7 million as an Indiegogo partner. She and board members will give applicants advice on improving their story, their pitch, and their project.
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| | | HOLLYSHORTS PANEL DISCUSSION & MONTHLY SCREENING (Los Angeles)
Panel: May 20, 2015 • 6:30pm • Hollywood, CA
Screening: May 21, 2015 • 7p & 9:30p • TCL Chinese Theater
Hollyshorts' monthly screening series continues on May 21st with two screenings, with a different shorts program at each time. They are also presenting a Panel called Anatomy of a Web Series/Film Project for Digital Platforms, which should be great.
As always, you guys get a $4 discount on these events. Just use the promo code NOBUDGET when you check out.
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| | | SAG FOUNDATION LOS ANGELES SHORT FILM SHOWCASE
Submission Deadline: June 8th, 2015
The SAG Foundation is now accepting applications for their Short Film Showcase, which will be held in LA in August. It is FREE to submit, so if you've got a short film that's under 20 minutes long, click the link below. Good luck!
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