JourneymanWords

Conversations Wrapup

2010-03-27T15:26:00.000-07:00

I was unable to attend "The Conversation" conference at Columbia University, but followed the proceedings via twitter. The following is a summary of the conference as seen and generated from the #convonyc hash tag.

In the What I've Learned About Attracting an Audience through Social Media panel,
several attendees mentioned panelist Nina Paley (@ninapaley) and her film Sita Sings the Blues. As cited from Nina's website, "Sita Sings the Blues Sita is a musical, animated personal interpretation of the Indian epic the Ramayana. Nina gives her film away for free and generates her revenue from ancillary items (DVD & tshirts) and gift income. Filmmakers should consider that long term revenue streams will not even come from a film, but many other areas outside the film seemed to resonate. As downloading free content is the M.O. for young generations, it falls to content creators to monetize creatively. If you put films or parts thereof on the web for free, it might translate into downloads and DVDs.

Judging by the flow of tweets, the conversation shifted largely to distribution and marketing. Several online sites were cited, including vodo.net, goodscreenings.org, openindie.com, all trying to answer the question of how to monotize non-theatrical screenings. Flixster was mentioned as being not indie-friendly. Arin Crumley, co-founder of OpenIndie, a distribution company that aims to connect indie filmmakers directly with their audiences, offered the following observations. "Niche social networks are important for film, they allow a functionality that doesn't exist in Twitter or facebook."

Some panelists discussed the "check-in" feature (as developed by Foursquare and Gowalla) being used increasingly for promotion to drive people to physical locations. Filmmakers and mediamakers need to be thinking about Foursquare creatively about how it can drive audiences to locations for promotions.

Ultimately, it seems that filmmakers need to target a specific audience for their film and then use the appropriate network/technology to reach it, whether it be a website, a peer-to-peer network, gaming device, cell phone, etc. The best marketed films are those that bring audiences together around an issue, as it increases connectivity between audiences. Steve Savage of New Video, a multi-platform film distribution company, cited Xbox, Netflix, and Hulu as working well for indies in the current marketplace. Scilla Andreen, head of IndieFlix, reiterated this assessment. "Hulu is a wonderful revenue stream for filmmakers to drive DVD sales but we have to manage filmmaker expectations."

Steve Savage went on to say that the DVD is not dead yet as a revenue stream. For two to five years filmmakers can hang on to that cash machine. However, he warned that digital revenues will overtake DVDs, in 2013 The music business offered a cautionary tale. Digital revenues will overtake CDs this year. It WILL happen for film.

Richard Lorber, of the Kino-Lorber film distribution company, talked about VOD Distribution. "The cable VOD market is controlled by a few players. A recent cable VOD success was HARVARD BEATS YALE which generated $100K gross revenue." Ryan Werner, from IFC Films, observed that genre and controversial films work on VOD, but American indie dramas do not. A modest success is in the 25,000 views range for VOD. On Amazon, a high four figure download count is GREAT. It was also mentioned that within the VOD menus/systems, titles starting with letters appearing earlier in the alphabet are favored by viewers.

With all the discussion of VOD in mind, Hunter Weeks, director of the film Ride the Divide "a film about the world's toughest mountain bike race," warned that filmmakers "be careful of how much of your digital rights you give away." He also offered the advice, "Create stories around your story," which may in fact have been the most tweeted phrase of the conference.

In regards to online video, I found the Top 6 tips for video creators from Vicky Ayala
to be an interesting list: 1. Do it fast. 2. The story is bigger than the video. 3. Youtube is a search engine, use it that way. Be smart with your tags. 4. programming calendars matter. 5. subscribers: your first and most important viewers. 6. Go where the fans are.

Speaking of twitter, a significant amount of discussion centered around the effective use of the social media platform for promoting one's film. Your Twitter strategy should be linked to big picture long term marketing, staff resources & future projects. Your Twitter community can and will moderate itself. Aggregate passionate followers to balance potential haters. Joselin Mane, CEO, LITBeL shared the Top Four Twitter Best Practice Areas: think about your Voice, Audience, Content, and Frequency. Angel Aviles-Clinton, Co-Founder of BeScene Marketing, cited the film, At Home By Myself with You as an example of successfully raising $46K on Twitter with only 259 followers.

Presenters suggested other online tools. Angel Aviles-Clinton suggested that your film website should become the source of what you want to collect (eg stories). Sean Fitzroy stressed the importance of blogging. "Blog even if you don't think anyone is listening." Wordpress & Buddypress are great resources that enables you to create a community on your own site and they're free.

Personally, I found Lance Weiler's suggestion that it's an "exciting time to be a storyteller, despite it being a disruptive time. An creative class is going to emerge. We're all trying to figure out how to fund, create, distribute and exchange." to be a decent way to wrap up the day. For the last year I've maintained that the traditional systems have broken down and everyone is buzzing around like bees in a hive trying to figure out how to maximize their own personal opportunities. However, nobody really knows what the "best" approach is. That's why we have great conferences like this.

Bumpkin Island Preparations

2009-07-29T11:06:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I embark to Bumpkin Island for five days to shoot my documentary on the artist project taking place. Sixteen artists are marooning themselves on the island (which has no electricity, running water or food) for five days to temporarily homestead the island and create art. It's a great project and almost tailor made for a short documentary.

It's been a challenge to think of all the potential pitfalls that could occur in a location with no power, food or running water. However, I'm feeling pretty confident about my preparations. Here's almost everything laid out for final packing. I hope I can carry it all!

Am I missing anything?

Upcoming Project - Bumpkin Island Documentary

2009-07-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

(I just finished my "official statement" for my upcoming documentary project. If interested, take a look. Thanks to Lena Koster for telling me about the project!)

On July 30th, sixteen artists will maroon themselves on Bumpkin Island (a Boston harbor island with no running water, food or electricity). For five days these artists will create art and survive on only that which they can carry onto the island. I will be joining these artists as a documentary filmmaker; documenting their experience, their art, and their survival for their five days on the island. It’s Survivor meets art school.

The film will be roughly 10-15 minutes in length, shot in high definition on the Canon 5d Mark II. The visual component of the film will focus primarily on the process of the artists; planning, gathering materials, cooking, constructing/implementing their projects, breaking down, etc. In addition, the visuals will feature the unique landscape of Bumpkin Island (I’m a big fan of nature photography). Interviews with the artists will be strictly audio-only (to avoid “talking-head” syndrome) and will explore the underlying ideas behind their work, motivations and background.

I am a firm believer that artistic restrictions can facilitate the production of better work. The concept of artists living within the confined space of the island and producing work in relationship with that space is a recipe for both great work and great drama. But really, the Bumpkin Island Art Project is just an awesome idea that is perfect for a documentary. It takes place within a locked time frame, involves surviving on a deserted island and has a natural narrative arc; art is conceptualized, constructed, admired, and then disassembled.

Logistically, I would act as a one man crew (both filming and recording audio). Once shooting has been completed, I hope to edit and finish the film within 1-2 months and freely distribute it online. I also plan to open source all my raw footage, so the artists, organizers and general public can utilize it for their own projects.

Comments on Modern Alchemy thus far...

2009-06-27T06:06:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the efforts of boingboing.net and steampunkworkshop.com, Modern Alchemy racked up an impressive 5000 hits in four days. I'm stoked! The comment area of the blog has been really interesting to read, and I thought I would share. Seems there are a lot of engineers who got a little freaked by Ignatius.

#1 posted by Anonymous, June 24, 2009 11:13 AM

Cool video, but as a power engineer I wouldn't stand within 100 feet of that thing.

#2 posted by JPW, June 24, 2009 11:15 AM

It sure is Foley enriched. . . .

#3 posted by Anonymous, June 24, 2009 11:25 AM

Boilers are regulated by law, and need to be inspected, depending on what your jurisdiction requires.

#4 posted by ill lich, June 24, 2009 11:36 AM

Wait. . . how the hell do you boil steam?

#5 posted by Guysmiley, June 24, 2009 12:13 PM

ill lich:

Easy: Superheater tubes! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superheater :)

#6 posted by Guysmiley, June 24, 2009 12:39 PM

#1 Anon: No kidding. If it really is a "high pressure" boiler I couldn't make out any pressure gauge, sight glass or pop off valve. Maybe they were there and I just didn't see it in the grainy B&W images? But if not, that thing is a ticking time bomb. HP steam is no joke.

#7 posted by Anonymous, June 24, 2009 12:53 PM

It sure is a bit heavy on the Foley. It's like steampunk pornography.

#8 posted by Anonymous, June 24, 2009 1:00 PM

guysmiley: I think they had a gauge sticking off that pipe on the top, and probably a PSV. Their attitude sort of bugs me, like its unreasonable to regulate HP boilers.

#9 posted by Jake von Slatt, June 24, 2009 1:07 PM

I really like Patrick's filmaking. It's calm and exactly the opposite of the frenetic, fake drama that we see on TV. Imagine if he produced a season of American Chopper in this style? I'd totally watch that!

As for the boiler, I know these folks and they are in no danger of blowing themselves up. Ignatius is a stout pig.

#10 posted by Takuan, June 24, 2009 1:23 PM

nice project. I think the soundtrack/narration wasn't on intended message, but that's just me.
These guys are working in a fully equipped shop yet the voice-over is talking about "gold from lead" and "something from nothing". It detracts from the good work shown, for it to ring true they would have to be in a blacksmith's smithy and using very rude stock iron to boot.

#11 posted by vonskippy, June 24, 2009 1:40 PM

Listen...you can almost hear the golf clap from the 1700's.

#12 posted by CANTFIGHTTHEDITE, June 24, 2009 2:57 PM

I hoped they followed ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel codes on this one, and had an engineer stamp the design... nifty, but steam (compared to condensate) is NOT something the unqualified should be playing around with.

#13 posted by Anonymous, June 24, 2009 4:51 PM

Yes, let the scalding hot genies out of the bottle in a unpredictable and dangerous way. You don't NEED two eyes to be a scientist...

#14 posted by Takuan, June 24, 2009 5:10 PM

jeez whutta bunch of haters. They built it, it works, no one is dead, sheesh.

#15 posted by mdh, June 24, 2009 5:26 PM

You said it tak. Armchair expertise abounds.

I think it's hot.

#16 posted by CANTFIGHTTHEDITE, June 24, 2009 6:10 PM

No hate, just a concern for safety. Sons of Martha, and all that.

#19 posted by Anonymous, June 25, 2009 3:03 PM

I looked carefully, and I didn't see anything that looked like a pressure gage- not even a Stephensonian mercury column.
It should also have either a gauge glass, or at a minimum "try cocks" to judge the water level.
A lot of "amateur" scientists don't realise that regs like the ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel codes were written in blood. A burned crown sheet can ruin your whole day.
Granddad used to tell me, a fool learns from his mistakes; a wise man learns from other people's mistakes.

#20 posted by CANTFIGHTTHEDITE, June 25, 2009 7:27 PM

#19 Very true about the BPVC.
If I had access to a copy I'd scan in the graph, if it's still in there, that shows the annual number of reported boiler failures over the last 150 years. In 1910, when the code was first implemented, the graph takes a sharp downturn and stays down.

Uploader insanity

2009-06-25T05:08:00.000-07:00

I uploaded my short documentary "Modern Alchemy" to vimeo.com yesterday, sent out some emails telling people about it, and nervously watched the view counter. Then the insanity set in. I must have hit refresh on the video's page about 5-6x a minute. When I wasn't refreshing the video's page, I was refreshing my facebook/twitter/email pages. The second cup of espresso wasn't helping matters either. I was extremely grateful that I had an afternoon video shoot to get me away from my computer.

Ultimately, my emailing efforts paid off. Modern Alchemy was featured on boingboing.net and steampunkworkshop and Modern Alchemy got a decent number of views. Thanks again to Mark Frauenfelder and Jake Von Slatt for mentioning my work. It's a huge deal for someone like me who is just starting out.

Interview with David Dowling, Dennis Svoronos and Brady Scott

2009-06-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

Dennis: I feel like contemporarily we’ve been disempowered in our relationship to where we get our energy. The way our energy is distributed. Nobody really has any comprehension of the way electricity works. I mean, people take the holes in the wall for granted. You know, and uh, I feel that in what we’re doing, taking steps back, understanding the underpinnings of where all this comes from, we’re empowering ourselves against that sort of planned ignorance.

David: To use the technology you have to know how it works. You can’t just passively use it. So it’s not that the technology is different. What we’re doing is more about taking back a way that people use their technology and make it.

Dennis: What we do, I mean what artists do. What makers do. Um, is take humble stupid material and make them valuable. Much like lead into gold. Much like water into wine. You know, um, sort of a power of making things valuable. Making things better than they were. Being able to infuse an object with an idea or a purpose. And I think it really lends to that because from the outside, people that don’t know the language, don’t know the tools, don’t know the culture, don’t understand it. It seems like reading tea leaves. Divining from exterior sources. Sort of a mystical quality about it.

David: I think most critically about Ignatius is that it’s a high pressure boiler built with the simplest tools that we have access to. And the simplest materials that we could find. The whole idea of deriving something from nothing. Or derive something from as little as possible.

Brady: I guess the metal working and the steam aspect was interesting in terms of an exploration of old timey histories and technologies. I mean, we may have these advanced machines but we’re still turning dials and counting numbers in our heads. And, it’s how they did it. That’s what interests me about it. Sticks and stones. Sticks and stones.

Dennis: I mean, I think that just goes to show how difficult of a task it is, even using all these modern technologies and equipments, we’re still struggling. We’re still trying to figure out how things are done properly. With all our power, we’re still infants at this unfortunately.

David: Really what artists do and specifically talking about fire and steam and metal work. And that’s the permanence of those media. Materials are protiant. Materials are fungible. And that’s really the great thing about craftsmanship and the great thing about being a maker and the great thing about creative people… is that ideas are just ideas and you can turn ideas into things. But without people applying ideas to objects, to make those objects have some resonance, then they’re nothing

Dennis: There’s general societal concern about what we’re doing. Legally… and uh, I say “Fuck them.” But. Really, I think it adds more to that mystique. That sort of, uh, black magic idea. Like, “it’s dangerous. Don’t touch it. Don’t do it. Oh my god, what are you doing?” Um, it seems like its out of people’s comprehension that is something that can happen… that can be done yourself. Can be done within their means. And I think because it seems so far off, so out of reach, it seems dangerous. It seems like something only professionals should do.

David: It’s fun to play scientist. It’s like what you were saying before about how these are things experts are supposed to do. When there are entire legislative systems in place to keep people who are not scientists from doing science. Because science is what scientists do. There are systems in place to control this kind of behavior because it’s dangerous. But that’s kinda the point… that it is dangerous. Its always been dangerous. You know? Science couldn’t be that controlled and organized and blacked out. It’s a genie. Let it out of the bottle.

Story - Storm Waiting

2009-06-23T16:51:00.000-07:00

    The battery light kept flickering. The engine squealed with every blink. Rain hammered the windshield.
   " I think it's the alternator belt," the young man said.
   " What does that mean?" asked the young woman.
   " If it goes, we're pretty much fucked."
    They were fleeing north from the approaching hurricane and had hardly traveled forty miles before their car turned them back into the path of the storm. A wasted trip across the Ponchatrain bridge and sixteen dollars later, they were headed back to New Orleans, their battery draining all the while.
   " I hope we make it," he said.
   " Don't worry."
    The young man had but one neurosis; if his VW was broken in some way, he could think of nothing else. The storm was of little concern. He was worried about the car. Having never been in a hurricane before, death by its hand was an abstract and therefore distant threat. Breaking down on a rain pummeled highway, or worse, flipping the car or swerving into oncoming traffic or sliding into the concrete barriers... these were scenarios far more immediate that carried the real possibility of death.
    But there was no death. They arrived home. With the VW intact in the driveway and the rain pelting their apartment, he turned his thoughts to death by hurrican. He still couldn't fathom the idea.
    Weather had never truly impinged on his life. A northerner, his childhood had been filled with snow days and school closings. When he was seventeen, an ice covered road spun his car into a snowbank. Lightening had even once fried all the electronics in the house. But those were all superficial, he thought. Weather was of little consequence unless life and death were at stake. He just couldn't believe that they were.
    The young man peered out the window. Half the road had been eaten up by a growing puddle. The gutter, jammed with mud and leave gave no release. The wondered how high the water would rise. The scent of baking cookies distracted him. He turned to the kitchen where the young woman removed a batch of cookies from the oven. For a moment, he forgot the hurricane.

SWAT

2009-06-22T06:11:00.001-07:00

Photo by Scott Lovejoy

This past weekend I shot a SWAT training video. I had no idea what to expect save for the fact that the tactical guys (the ones who break down doors) were going to be in full gear and they were going to be running a major scenario.

The shoot took place in an abandoned prison in southern Massachusetts. Dave, the trainer who was kind enough to tour us around the place, swore that the prison was haunted and that he got the creeps from time to time. This coming from a military trainer! Yikes!

The presence of cameras was a surprise to the SWAT team members. There was a little grumbling, but they took it in stride. Then the training began; a 911 call on a domestic dispute. An officer investigated the scene and had a gun waved in his face. He left the scene and SWAT got called in. What do you do..... GO!

It was really intense. I spent most of the time with the negotiating team, and it was riveting. When I first heard that everything was simulated, I was like "There's no way they can take this seriously. I mean, it's just pretend." But they DID take it seriously, and at many moments, I completely forgot that it was a training session. When certain "plot twists" occured, I remember thinking, "No way... they're totally screwed now." It was really amazing.

In addition to the training video, I hope to edit a 2-3min experimental documentary on the subject. Keep watch for it. And there's word that more SWAT sessions will be occurring in the future! I can't wait.

Book Review - Being Hal Ashby

2009-06-15T05:02:00.000-07:00

I often read filmmaker biographies with the foolish hope of discovering elusive secrets of the masters. When I heard about "Being Hal Ashby" by Nick Dawson, I couldn't wait to read it. I'm a huge fan of Hal Ashby based on Being There and Harold and Maude alone, but his career and life story have been somewhat of an enigma. I want to thank Nick Dawson for filling in this major gap in film history.

While the book doesn't contain any elusive directorial secrets of Hal Ashby, there are some important lessons that aspiring filmmakers should acknowledge. In a nutshell, Ashby was a hippie workaholic who consistently sacrificed his personal life in favor of his films. All artists struggle with the balance between work, art and life, and I think Ashby's life is a cautionary tale. He went went through five wives and struggled with drug and alcohol abuse. He made some amazing work, but the personal toll in his life seems hardly worth it.

The narrative of Ashby's rise to director is a nice counterpoint to the "wonderkid director" phenomenon that has been so dominant for the last three decades. Ashby began as a 3rd assistant editor and slowly climbed up the ranks. He soon rose to primary editor and developed reputation in the industry as a dedicated and creative editor, winning an academy award 1n 1968 for In The Heat of the Night. During this time, he began a working relationship with director Norman Jewison. The partnership developed to the point where Ashby became associate producer on a number of projects, and ultimately resulted in Jewison stepping up the plate and producing Ashby's first directorial project, The Landlord.

This is one of those "fantasy scenarios" that editors with directorial aspirations drool over (myself included). The communal element of film production is one of my favorite parts of the process, and hearing stories of collaborators pulling each other up as they rise up the ranks is inspiring.

I was struck by the portrayal of Ashby's directorial style, which was laid back and calm. He let the actors do their thing and when an adjustment needed to be made, he would quietly offer some advice. Again, I appreciate this counterpoint example to the "screaming genius" model of directing.

After an amazing run of films; The Landlord, Harold and Maude, The Last Detail, Shampoo, and Being There, his career was derailed by an increasingly business oriented Hollywood and a new breed of executives. It is both sad and frightening that the career of such a talented and respected director could be destroyed like that. But it would be naive of me to think otherwise of the Hollywood machine.

Definitely check out "Being Hal Ashby" and if you haven't seen any of his films, shoot them up to the top of your Netflix cue. They're amazing. Enjoy.

Making Media Now 2009

2009-06-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

This past Friday, I attended the Making Media Now 2009 conference at Bentley College. This being 2009, the panels and attendees were abuzz about Social Media and its impact on the documentary world. Many of the speakers were notable in their ability to harness social media to build audiences, raise funds, and distribute their work. One couldn't help but leave with an overwhelming sense of empowerment.

Robert Greenwald firmly established the social media theme with his keynote address. He emphasized the absolute necessity for filmmakers to have their own website and an active presence on facebook and twitter. He also noted important changes in successful production/distribution models. Raising money is more difficult, yet films are cheaper to produce than ever before. The traditional system of gatekeepers has fallen, providing an unparalleled opportunity for filmmakers to manage their own careers. However, the result forces filmmakers to devote more time and resources to marketing and distribution than the actual production required.

Strategies to navigate this ever-changing landscape were discussed in the followup Affinity Marketing Panel with Sandi DuBowski, Karen Laverty, and Anne Zeiser (Azure Media). Sandi outlined his strategy in which he thinks of everyone he meets as a potential partner/collaborator/advocate. He had a ton of great advice; filmmakers need to be as creative in their marketing as they are in the creating of their film; always retain the right to sell your own DVDs of your film; establish clear goals before you dive into social networking. Karen demonstrated how NOVA was utilizing social media, often releasing extra material on youtube prior to the release of a film. Robert reiterated that social media should be thought of as a conversation, rather than broadcasting out a single point of view.

The Creative Funding panel became more of a pitch session of the three foundations present; Grantmakers in Film & Electronic Media, The Fledgling Fund, and Creative Capital. There was one golden nugget of information in the panel. Most foundations are issue driven and will only fund projects that further their particular issue. When applying, you need to understand that your film is simply one component to pushing that issue. Social Media, blogging, traditional press, and relationships with organizations focused on the same issue are all important and need to be cohesively integrated with your film. While I don't make issue films, this idea expand thinking beyond the film and to all the efforts swirling around is extremely good to know.

The Successful Media Makers in Difficult Times drew back from the social media theme. All three panelists seemed to be working in more traditional models; independent feature films and network television. The panel included film director Jim Jermanok, Joel Olicker of Powderhouse Productions, and Kate Raisz of 42 Degrees North. After giving short narratives of their own paths to success, a wave of small pieces of advice descended on the audience. Be your own producer. Don't rely on anyone. Agents/managers are not a cure-all. Keep in touch with everyone you ever meet. Create a personal 1yr-2yr-5yr plan. Be selective with whom you work (ie the no asshole rule). Think big.

By the end of the conference, I tried to sum up the collective wisdom with the following: Produce good work. Find supporters. Build relationships. Establish patrons. And keep at it.

Making Media Now was a fantastic conference and I'm looking forward to attending next year!