There has been some good feedback to the post I had up on IFP’s blog this week, “At Least Hobbies Are Fun” (the title refers to a comment made during The Conversation by Ira Deutchman about someone sort of ‘accusing’ filmmaking to be a hobby). A sample from the post:

But there is a reality, it seems to me, that is missing from the discussion. Selling independent films is not and never was a “business model” (or- if you wish- not a ‘good’ business model), in the context that making these films should be the basis for a lucrative career using the principles of an MBA program. A good business model takes into account what the consumer wants and tries to give them that. It does not find something that one personally likes and then tries to make other people care about it, which is something more like patronage.

There has been a recent trend to make it seem like there is money draining out of the business of independent film when in reality the small amount of actual net revenue is just being redistributed.

Over the weekend there was some controversy over the relevance of conferences in general which Scott Macauly discusses at Filmmaker Magazine’s blog (and mentions my post as well).

I’m excited that amid the general fun and mayhem of DIY Days this Saturday (Brian Newman has promised to make jaws drop!) I’ll be leading a short breakout session on the topic of Focus (not the car).

In a world where you make your film, and now your game, and your website and your twitter account and your facebook and you go to networking events and you apply for festivals and maybe book screenings and see other people’s films and try to make some money and maybe go for a drink or something… How do you stay focused and how do you stay motivated? And can these tools help you to get other people to stay engaged with your work?

Hope to see you there.

Shooting People is sponsoring a contest that leads to an intriguing thought. Create a commercial of less than 90 seconds and you could win various prizes, including a MacBook. But maybe more excitingly, this may be one of those interesting opportunities for product placement- of your own stuff. My advice is to make a >90 second commercial that seems like an ad for Chex Mix or Kodak but REALLY (and subtly) is an ad for your stuff! If they actually use your amazing ad, that is some exposure it’s pretty hard for an indie to buy.

OK, I don’t know if Copy Night will exactly be the equivalent of a dance party, but it will be an opportunity for anyone with an interest in the current and future state of copyright law to kick back and discuss the relevant issues in an informal and relaxed setting. We’ll be meeting at Swift Pub at 34 E 4th St between Lafayette and Bowery at 7PM on Tuesday, March 23rd, in what will ideally be the resurrection of this monthly event. Please join us.

Here is the slideshow from the panel we did at SXSW. More to come!

On my way to South By Southwest today, where there are a host of interesting film and interactive panels to cover. I’ll probably do most of my commentary/info sharing on Twitter but will also be posting video and more from the panel I’m moderating, THE MAIN EVENT: Finding an Audience for Your Film which drops on Sunday at 12:30…

Unfortunately, Making Your Media Matter 2010 has been postponed due to Snomageddon or whatever you prefer to call the massive storms of late in DC. For the wait, here’s an interview from NPR’s On the Media with MYMM organizer and Center for Social Media director Pat Aufderheide.

I’m super excited about my upcoming panel at South by Southwest- THE MAIN EVENT: Finding an Audience for Your Film on Sunday the 14th. This will not be your typical distro panel with a bunch of talking heads bemoaning the lack of money in the digital market. NO! Instead we’ll be sharing with filmmakers and enterprising folks some of the new (and tried-and-true) tools that can get people out to your movie.

The essential theory for me is that any event that costs money has to have a way to meet people- “meet” in the special get-dressed-up-on-a-Saturday-night way but also meet like “this is my community.” People will always want to get out of the house and stop being all lonely. Screenings have a much better potential of fulfilling that function when there’s an element of “meet”.

To that end, one of the fabulous SXSW panelists, Brian Chirls, technologist extraordinaire, just launched a brand new company to help filmmakers get to know and mobilize their audiences. Crowd Controls is an awesome new tool for filmmakers of all genres.