NSI Audio Interview with Jon Reiss on Film Distribution and Marketing 15 Power Packed Minutes
Here is the power packed interview that I did with Liz Hover at the National Screen Institute of Canada.
http://www.nsi-canada.ca/audio_interview_with_jon_reiss.aspx
The Blarg Review of TOTBO Think Outside the Box Office
Here is a review of TOTBO in The Blarg
Think Outside the Box Office by Jon Reiss (Hybrid Cinema)
Breaking into the film industry has always been easier said than done. The digital age, of course, has made the world much smaller, bringing people closer together. One would think that this would make it easier to get a film made, but it’s unfortunately had the reverse effect; it’s forced filmmakers to get creative. Just look at the popularity of films like “The Blair Witch Project” and “Paranormal Activity.” The filmmakers of those movies thought outside of the box and made a killing because of it. Think Outside the Box Office can easily be regarded as a bible for those types of filmmakers. Whether you’re looking to produce a feature film, web series, short, or even a clip for YouTube, this book outlines unique distribution strategies and marketing methods for filmmakers of all sizes. I can see readers who aren’t surrounded by the film industry becoming a little bogged down by some of the book’s lingo and terminology, but don’t let that discourage you. If anything, this book should force you to learn those terms, not run from them. If filmmaking is an industry you’re looking to get into, pick this up, grab a highlighter, and get reading.
NEW BREED PARK CITY – Discovering the Questions Jon Reiss, Ira Deutchman,
In Park City From Sabi Pictures and Filmmaker Magazine and Workbook Project
SOLUTION-BASED: NEW BREED AT PARK CITY PART 2
Here’s the second of the New Breed videos discussing the current and future states of distribution. From the makers:
Filmmakers Zak Forsman and Kevin K. Shah of Sabi Pictures arrive at Park City with an intent to define the questions most relevant to independent distribution options. Insights from Brian Newman, Dan Mirvish, Jon Reiss and Ira Deutchman open a path toward discovering some real solutions.
NEW BREED PARK CITY – Discovering the Questions from Sabi Pictures on Vimeo.
Review: DIY Filmmaking | Think Outside the Box Office and Tips from Bomb It!’s Jon Reiss
From Adam David Mezei (Thanks Adam for the nice words!)
DIY Filmmaking | Think Outside the Box Office and Tips from Bomb It!’s Jon Reiss
I spent Sunday evening flipping through Winter 2010’s edition of Filmmaker Magazine, fresh off the press for January. I stumbled across two excellent DIY articles, one called REMIND (p84) penned by its aspiring editor, the filmmaker Scott Macaulay that reported on several hot do-it-yourself trends from 2009, some of which set to become the norm for the coming decade and beyond. The second was by the excellent guest editor Alicia Van Couvering (“SLUMPDAYS,” p90), who gave a clever summary of five Sundance-entry films that recently shattered the independent funding sound barrier using innovative crowdsourced fundraising approaches which helped catapult these titles all the way to Park City.
For all you indie filmmakers out there, these are less ironclad stepwise prescriptions to follow rather than helpful departure points to jog your memory and inspire you as you go about your own filmmaking odyssey.
That dude pictured above is none other than Jon Reiss, director of the documentary Bomb It and the man most well-known among indie circles as “the DIY guy,” having recently penned the book Think Outside the Box Office in what’s become a key resource for indie filmmakers presently the road to landing traction (read: distribution) for their film. Yes, folks, this is filmmaking’s dirty little secret.
Normally, I’ll blow through a book’s pages in just a couple of sittings. Sure, I’ll take notes and reflect on things as I do so, but T.O.T.B.O. isn’t the sort of work you want to plough through like quicksilver. Instead, and on Jon’s advice in the book which he gets to rather early on, I’ve opted for a more considered approach this time, chapter by chapter with ample breaks in between to put several of the tips Jon suggests in into play. I can safely say that some of Jon’s suggestions have reaped already dividends for us. I’ve plucked out gems about how to better leverage my Facebook and YouTube presences, with nifty ideas on how to gain increased video views and tips on how to better leverage my use of Facebook Groups (better) and FB Fan Pages (not so good) for keeping fans in the loop. Most of all, I admire what Jon repeatedly counsels about conceiving your film’s marketing plan months in advance of your shoot. Jon supplies helpful approaches on compiling your mailing list, your film’s credit list (for when the film locks), and makes available unheard-of indie marketing strategies for geo-locating your fans through such innocuous things like US zip codes to more accurately pinpoint fans when passing through various parts of the country on road shows or for film festivals.
Jon also talks about the appointment of a new position called the “PMD” – Producer of Marketing and Distribution – someone who has production-level authority yet who isn’t directly related to the actual shooting and production of the film because then the P&A (prints and advertising) duties won’t ever be completed. This individual is your point person on the following items in your marketing arsenal, among others, and this position will scale closer to your film’s post-production:
* keeping on top of all Facebook posts, FB Groups and their management, and replying to all comments in a very timely manner. The PMD posts clips, links, and other relevant items of interest to your film’s FB Wall as you go through the production cycle.
* maintaining sole login access to your film’s twitter account, so that the film stays on message and all “@” mentions are responded to on time.
* establishing strategic relationships across various social media spheres as your picture picks up speed.
* moderating and responding to all comments off your blog and keeping content current and tasty off your homepage.
* gaining media exposure for the film, managing your interview schedule, taking phone calls, and various other line responsibilities that have a PA-feel to them, but which aren’t the sole purview of the officially-designated Production Assistant.
* collecting email addresses at festivals.
* shooting DVD Bonus Feature material or organizing spare bits of festival Q&A and other odds and ends for your film’s Special Features.
With social media and Web2.0 taking center stage in the new indie filmmaking cycle, Facebook-ing, MySpace-ing, tweeting, and blog commenting are here to stay. They are the bane of filmmakers, given how it tends to detract from the creative process, but Reiss clearly emphasizes how the new distribution realities in the filmmaking world now compel filmmakers to elevate these daily chores to a higher priority position given how notions like crowdsourcing and “the cloud” and such similar concepts have gained prominence over the past three years.
I’ve been enjoying the read, and I’m sure you will as well.
Slamdance Filmmaker Summit – Live Consulting Session
The Slamdance Filmmaker Summit is happening today. You can stream it live!. I’ll be doing a live community consulting session for 2 films:
Ride the Divide A feature-length documentary produced by Mike Dion and directed by Hunter Weeks www.ridethedividemovie.com
I picked this movie because of the large niche audience that they can appeal to with a variety of platforms.
Self Helpless A feature-length narrative; www.selfhelplessmovie.com
I picked this movie because of their belief in using P2P networks to launch their film.
I’ll be guiding the audience to create a distribution and marketing strategy for each of these films in 15 minutes! Yiiikes!
If you will be attending – here are some items to consider to help facilitate the process:
1. Who is the audience for these films?
2. How does this audience consume media?
3. How can this audience be accessed?
4. What distribution outlets make sense for these films considering 3 main areas:
Live events
Merchandise
Digital
5. How can they connect their audience to these distribution channels.
This is good for any filmmaker to think about in reference to their film!
Should be fun. If you get a chance to catch it – let me know what you think.
Jon
Truly Free Film Feed- A Nice Paragraph Capturing Reality Of Today September 2, 2010I recently had the pleasure of coming across this fine bit of reading, and I thought it summed up our current state of the film biz quite well. And heck, it may even protect you from some liabilities down the road… The Parties hereby acknowledge that there is presently no executed agreement with any distributor to distribute the Picture. The[…] […]tedhope
- A Nice Paragraph Capturing Reality Of Today September 2, 2010
- TOTBO Tip of the Day
- Tip of the Week: How to Cope With Symposium Brain FryI heard a number of comments after this weekend’s LAFF Seize the Power Symposium that people where overwhelmed – that their brain’s had been fried by so many ideas and so much information. To me that’s a sign that we succeeded. When Film Independent and the Los ... […]
- Tip of the Week: How to Cope With Symposium Brain Fry
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