Jon Reiss at IFC this Tuesday, November 17th!

Just out from an amazing weekend at DOX:FORUM in Cophenhagen, I’ll be in New York this week at the IFC Center speaking about my new book Think Outside the Box Office (released on the 16th!).  Come check it out!  Call (212) 924-7771 for tickets!

Thinking Outside the Box Office

In a presentation full of practical advice and hard information, filmmaker Jon Reiss (Bomb It), the author of the recently released “Think Outside the Box (Office): The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution and Marketing in the Digital Era” will teach how to create unique distribution and marketing plans for independent films, explaining both do-it-yourself and hybrid approaches. He will outline what filmmakers need to do to prepare for distribution while making their films. Finally he will lay out ways in which filmmakers can take back and redefine the theatrical release by playing a combination of conventional theaters, community screenings and festivals.

Indies continue to look for ways to harness the internet

For Independent filmmaking and distribution, the internet is still nascent territory.  We’ve only begun to see how we can reach our audiences through broad-band streaming, direct download, and DVD rentals.

But the internet is not a be-all-end-all solution to distribution.  This article highlights the importance of a solid marketing strategy for digital indie distribution.  It’s not enough to get your film streaming online.  Identifying your core audience and marketing to them is a necessity.

From Variety:

Indies still looking for Internet equation
Filmmakers consider sites like Netflix, iTunes
By SCOTT KIRSNER

If only more indie filmmakers could sell as many Internet downloads as “Helvetica,” the future of indie distribution might look more promising. Gary Hustwit’s documentary about the ubiquitous font has taken in a six-figure sum from its showing on iTunes at $9.99 per download.

But while more success stories are starting to be seen, the indie download business is still having problems gaining traction. The power of the Internet was supposed to level the playing field on which independent filmmakers and studios compete for audiences. So what happened?

A decade after the dot-com boom, when the Web promised to make any piece of content globally accessible to any interested viewer, Continue reading →

From Nikki Finke: Indie Filmmakers Speak Out

This is an entertaining article I found on the D2DVD Blog lists recent quotes from supposed “indie film experts” with debate. Please read and enjoy.

Posted on the D2DVD Blog, June 12th, 2009:

From Nikki Finke’s DHD blog come these quotes from a variety of people involved in the indie film industry. I would debate that industry category with them because I think in many cases these people work with or for the studios and not independently. That said, there’s some stuff here that’s worth it. I’ll comment (rant, kvetch) as appropriate.

1. Change the title of your indie film to begin with an “A” or a number to get higher placement on iTunes.

A little togue-in-cheek but interesting.

2. “Experiment and try new ways of getting your indie film out there.”

Well, duh…

3. Clark Hallren, Managing Director of the Entertainment Industries Group for JP Morgan Securities warned, “Guys it’s tough. Phenomenal events that statistically cannot happen did happen: we’re at an interesting point in the business.”

4. Lisa Nitti of Greenberg Traurig offered a financing checklist and the necessary groundwork that indie producers must complete to have a shot at getting money: a preliminary financing plan, a solid budget and schedule, and an understanding of Hollywood guild requirements.

Again, duh! This is like saying, “Nazis are bad.”

5. Foreign pre-sales are not as readily available as in years past.

Foreign pre-sales haven’t been readily available for quite awhile – like 5 years… and yet smart, high-concept, financially responsible genre movies work. Continue reading →