A major cadre of players from the independent distribution world net up on Friday to discuss the state of things, primarily in relation to how the new tools and technology are shaping the future of the industry. (Disclaimer- my company was a part of the MoMA conversation, though I was not in attendance).

Among the players there are some significant gaps in approach and experience, ranging from the technology-forward Magnolia and IFC to very traditional players. The resource differences among the attendees were also marked, ranging from tiny to well-capitalized. Producers and distributors were in attendance.

What strikes me about these kind of discussions, and what occurred to some other coverage’s commenters, is that this is still essentially an old-school game, with older people running the show and not really, for the most part, personally accessing the new methods of engagement that have emerged in the last few years.

Most indies have only discovered Twitter in the last 6-8 months as it has emerged with mainstream culture and other kinds of realtime technology and mobile tech are still hypothetical for most indies. I attend tech and content-related events on a semi-regular basis, and even at something like DIY Days, I don’t see other people from an “indie distributor” (I attend on my own time).

One person who is very smart about these issues is Ira Deutchman. His 9 responses to the MoMA day are essential reading. One thing I’m not sure I agree with him about is the crisis situation he (and Filmmaker Magazine ‘s Scott Macaulay) emphasize. It could be a crisis, and there are some kinds of films and certainly some kinds of companies in danger. On the other hand, there are possibly opportunities that will exceed the “dangers”- at least in terms of building audience and creating revenue.

I guess it may just be a philosophical disagreement. It seems to me that in the marketplace, when you see a trend emerging, the best answer is usually not, “how can we stop this?” it’s “how can we ride this to a good destination?” It seems like the most successful players so far have taken more of that approach.

The conventional wisdom for some time has been that having your film appear in any way to be destined for a home video release somehow undermines its theatrical viability. Theatrical bookers are known to have seen films available online for DVD purchase and refuse to show the movie.

On the other hand, sales of DVDs are shrinking in general, while rentals via Netflix are getting much bigger. And Netflix’s buys depend on how many people have queued the film, so a healthy window of opportunity before the DVD comes out is important.

Luckily, Netflix generally does not post the release date of films until a month before the street date. You can safely get information up about the film during the theatrical run. What’s more, many people are beginning to use Netflix like IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes- a source of information about the film. As soon as you get into festivals, Submit the data to Netflix.

Yesterday the FCC endorsed the Network Neutrality concept, which seems to be inspiring warm fuzzies all around the net-freedom-lovin’ community. I’m no expert on the legalities, but it seems intuitive that protecting the freedom of the internet would be a good thing. On the other hand, is regulation the right way to protect freedom?

If the web is allowed to go on unfettered, the argument goes, corporate interests will run rampant and take it over, just like my formerly gritty SoHo neighborhood. Get some cool stuff going on in that there internet and before you know it, the whole thing is a mall- a mall with mean security guards.

Such a scenario is not so implausible, and in the case of media, there does seem to be a strong possibility in my mind that service providers such as Comcast will partner with copyright holders like Disney and Warner Bros. to clamp down on the available means to access media except in proscribed and monetized ways.

In that regard, artists might be more interested in creating their own satellite network than trying to make semi-enforceable rules- for real. One of the main points of contention is that the network was publicly built, after all; perhaps that could be an interesting NEA project.

Bandwidth caps are one of the best ways for Comcast, Time Warner, etc. to keep a handle on what’s available on their network, and aren’t addressed by NN. A company is within their rights to expect people to pay more for greater usage. Net Neutrality will likely end the flat rate per-month broadband pricing for consumers. That may not a good thing for filmmakers marketing their films- people may become a lot more selective with what they are going to spend their bandwidth on.

The freedoms espoused in the Net Neutrality platform- and the ones added by the FCC- are awesome, theoretically. It’s a bit like a digital bill of rights. For my money (currently being flung around in Washington like rice at a wedding) I might take net neutrality, without regulation. It could be used for legal action but not be a reason for a bunch of regulators on retainer. Let the market control things in general, but individuals have recourse against egregious offenders. But his is probably not really feasible.

What are your thoughts on Net Neutrality? Do you think it’s good for content creators? Will it solve the problems you have with viewing/sharing media online?

IFP’s Independent Film Week starts tomorrow and there are reams of panels, albeit many with the same basic topics and even the same panelists. I moderated a panel there last year and it was quite fun. If you purchase your pass/tickets Saturday 9/19, you will still get the early bird rate:

- Full Week $220 30 Panels
- Narrative Panels Only $200 24 Panels
- Doc Panels Only $60 6 Panels
- Day Pass (any Day) $60 6 panels
- Single Panel $20 (any panel)

I’m not sure what this honour means exactly, but Infinicine was just listed as a top 100 film blog. Cool!

Some cool stuff from the Toronto International Film Festival last week:

Liesl Copland, formerly of Netflix and now with William Morris Endeavor’s Global Finance & Distribution Group, gave a keynote at the Doc Conference about the state of digital and what it means for the industry. The takewaway: theatrical still has life; filmmakers need to learn about metrics; crowdsourcing is the new focus group.

Ted Hope, as captured by indieWIRE’s Eugene Hernandez, about Hope’s Doing It With Others (DIWO) philosophy. The takeaway: Blog, tweet, Facebook your whole life- or at least your projects and interact with other people using those tools. (He’s made a lot of films but does he have time now with all these social networks? He says yes.)

A conversation with a number of distributors in the New York Times about the state of distribution and what’s to come. The most interesting response for me was IFC prexy Jonathan Sehring’s, when asked about the glut of films in the marketplace (something the other respondents universally decried, as per conventional wisdom).

The one comment from my colleagues that drives me nuts is that there are “too many movies.” If one looks at specialized film as “art,” it is the only art form I can think where people who work within the industry say there are “too many” of. I never hear anyone in the music industry say there are too many songs, no one in publishing says there are too many books, no gallery or museum says there are too many paintings, no one in fashion says there are too many designers — why too many movies? When my colleagues say this it sounds like the anti-immigration, protectionist rhetoric from the far right.

Pat Aufderheide from the Center for Social Media on ‘what she learned at TIFF’- the takeaway: People still find Peter Broderick’s “DIY” presentation new, even after about 500 wears- he must be using Tide with Bleach Alternative! Also, go see some good docs.

The Toronto International Film Festival is more about watching movie (and schmoozing at parties) than attending panels but there are a couple of things geared towards documentary filmmakers that would be worth checking out during all the glam.

The Doc Conference
Sunday, September 13, 2009
University of Toronto’s Victoria College (93 Charles Street West, behind the Isabel Bader Theatre), Room 323
An all-day meeting, with this panel a highlight for filmmakers interested in new directions in funding/sales:
1:30pm – Financing in Tough Times
Franny Armstrong, Director, The Age of Stupid
Dan Cogan, Impact Partners
Lois Vossen, ITVS

*Doc Conference is open to all Guest Relations, Sales & Industry and Press pass holders.

Doc Roundtables

“Now in its fourth year, Doc Roundtables create a rare chance for filmmakers to meet with industry leaders for an informal networking session. This year, industry participants include representatives from Sony Pictures Classics, HBO, Films Transit, Submarine Entertainment, SnagFilms, Zeitgeist Films, IFC Films, Emerging Pictures, Oscilloscope Laboratories, Lorber Media, and more.”

Date: Monday, September 14, 2009 through to Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Time: Twice daily sessions from 2:00pm to 3:00pm and 3:30pm to 4:30pm
Location: Match Club (5th Elementt Restaurant, 1033 Bay Street)

Via Ted Hope, a thought-provoking article on the idea of transmedia storytelling in film by David Bordwell. Bordwell is generally in favour of the concept, pointing out that it can bring a new dimension to the experience of the viewer.

Some transmedia narratives create a more complex overall experience than that provided by any text alone. This can be accomplished by spreading characters and plot twists among the different texts. If you haven’t tracked the story world on different platforms, you have an imperfect grasp of it.

However, he’s also cautionary about the arbitrary push to create transmedia experiences for all films.

For one thing, most Hollywood and indie films aren’t particularly good. Perhaps it’s best to let most storyworlds molder away. Does every horror movie need a zigzag trail of web pages? Do you want a diary of Daredevil’s down time? Do you want to look at the Flickr page of the family in Little Miss Sunshine? Do you want to receive Tweets from Juno? Pursued to the max, transmedia storytelling could be as alternately dull and maddening as your own life.

To me it seems like the transmedia approach is useful only when it helps to bring an audience into a risher shared experience- i.e., something they want to explore with each other. As Bordwell points out, there is a more natural extension with television or with film that has an element of cult appeal. But we shouldn’t limit our transmedia ideas to just traditional social networking/graphic novels/novelizations/sequels/remakes. Each project may have specific means of reimagining that helps its audience to connect both with the film and with each other.