Long Live Miramax, and Independent Film

It’s nearly impossible to find pieces in mainstream journalism that offer anything other than a dreary view of today’s independent film market. That’s why Michael Cipley’s piece in the April 25th edition of The New York Times, “A Rebuilding Phase for Independent Film,” offers a refreshingly optimistic perspective.

Ostensibly a commentary on Bill and Harvey Weinstein’s reacquisition of Miramax Films (deal negotiations are ongoing), the article also studies the impact of the move on the ailing indie film industry as a whole. Indie film, it concludes, is not dead — it has simply been sleeping off one hell of a bender. And the Weinsteins are leading its charge back onto our theater and television screens.

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Where The Money’s Coming From

An upcoming article in UK Film Finance magazine interviews Jeff Steele of the incredibly informative and entertaining Film Closings blog. If you’re an independent filmmaker who is now or will one day be seeking financing from private backers, you should be reading this guy daily. He’s also now writing a syndicated column for the Huffington Post.

Jeff has posted parts of the interview on the blog, where he explains that indie films that were once being blindly backed by Wall Street investment firms and banks are now finding money from other, savvier financiers who have done their research and who demand transparency in their deal making:

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Kickstarter Encourages Private Donations for Indie Movies

Cinematical has an interesting article today about Kickstarter, a unique Brooklyn-based organization created to help fund independent film projects. From the article:

It works like this. Let’s say I need $5,000 to make my documentary about the life of Charles Nelson Reilly. I launch a Kickstarter campaign, ask for pledges, and set a deadline by which the $5,000 needs to be accumulated. People can donate as little or as much money as they want, using a credit card and Amazon’s secure payment system. (Amazon and Kickstarter are buddies.) But here’s the twist: The donors’ credit cards aren’t actually charged until the deadline arrives — and even then only if we’ve reached $5,000 in pledges. If we haven’t, nobody pays anything, and that’s the end of it, except for my sadness over not being able to bring Mr. Nelson Reilly’s life to the big screen.

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Trailer Madness: Hot Tub Time Machine

Make no mistake: this movie is very, very funny, and word-of-mouth is going to do great things for it. (Full disclosure: a friend of mine executive produced it.) Check out the red band trailer. I know if you click this link, you’re over 17. We trust you.

A New Model: The Micro-budget Studio Picture

Paramount is doing something revolutionary, and it couldn’t be better news for aspiring filmmakers.

Last week, the studio announced the creation of its new arm, Insurge. Working with a mere million-dollar budget, the studio will produce ten films over the coming year, each with a budget of no more than $100,000. As this leaves virtually no money for print and advertising costs, the studio plans to promote the films via social networks like Facebook and Twitter, and most importantly through word-of-mouth.

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Hollywood Wrap-Up, Week of March 12, 2010

Time for your weekly dose of Hollywood medicine. Now when someone mentions that Big Story, you won’t be all, “Huh?” Instead you’ll be like, “Yes. I KNOW.”

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