Category Archives: The Mediascape

CODA wins three Oscars

Posted on by
1

Troy Kotsur won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in CODA last Sunday night.

CODA also won Best Picture, the first time a streamer (AppleTV) has done so. CODA’s director Siân Heder won in the adapted screenplay category as well.

Kotsur becomes the second Deaf actor to win an Oscar; Marlee Matlin, his co-star in CODA, won Best Actress in 1987, 35 years ago.

I asked Sarah Nicole Faucher, a filmmaker with a hearing deficit in Victoria, how she felt about CODA’s wins:

“They made me feel hopeful that positive change is coming, not just for profoundly deaf people who only communicate with ASL, but for all disabled people like UK actors Alex Brooker (paraplegic amputee), Heather Mills (amputee), and Genevieve Barr (professional lip-reader) as well as American actors like R.J. Mitte (cerebral palsy) and the very well-known Peter Dinklage (achondroplasia). Better late than never.”

Sarah Nicole won CineVic’s CineSpark competition last year and her short “Going Home” will premiere at this year’s Short Circuit Pacific Rim Short Film Festival.

“For that, I’m very grateful. The director, Trent Peek, and the cameraman-editor, Connor Nyhan, are passionate about the project. ‘Going Home’ is a true drama based on an incident that happened not quite 40 years ago. Some members of our team experienced synchronistic incidents just prior and during the filming. Disabled people, some with hidden disabilities, including two background actors, came up to us expressing that no one makes films about difficulties experienced by people with disabilities. They were moved, touched, and thanked us that it was not ‘inspiration porn‘. My hopes for specifically deaf and hard of hearing stories are that they are coming for the sake of an inclusive, diversified society. We can not be afraid of change.”

My take: of course, there was another “upset” at the Oscars. All I’m going to say about that is that Chris Rock ought to know better than to poke fun at a black woman’s hair. After all, he made a documentary all about it, called “Good Hair“:

Truly Independent Film Distribution

Posted on by
Reply

John Staton writes in the Wilmington Star-News that self-distributed Independent Wilmington film comedy ‘Birdies’ shoots for a golf-loving audience.

“Instead of going the festival route or trying to get distribution through Amazon and other large streaming sites, which are both strategies often employed by independent filmmakers, the makers of “Birdies” have employed a direct-to-the-consumer approach. It recalls a digital version of the “four-walling” of decades ago, when filmmakers would rent space in theaters across the country to ensure their movies were available to audiences.”

The feature is available to stream on demand at birdiesthemovie.com. There’s also merch for sale.

My take: this is the first time I’ve seen outtakes for sale! I could be wrong but it seems they’re using seer.la to stream the movie and pixpa.com for the store.

2021 Spec scripts, analyzed by Scott Myers

Posted on by
1

Scott Myers has analyzed the 2021 spec scripts specs and reported the results on his excellent website Go Into The Story.

The takeaways:

  • There were 34 spec(ulative) scripts sold in 2021.
  • That number is up from 2019 and 2020 but less than 1992-2018.
  • There was one first-timer who sold a spec script.
  • “Streamers acquired the same number of spec scripts in 2021 as did the major studios and their subsidiaries.”
  • Streamers doubled the number of their deals from 2020 to 2021.
  • The most popular genres were Action and Thriller.
  • Then came Drama and Comedy.
  • The least popular genres (that were bought) were Science Fiction and Horror. (I mean, the least popular genres were actually the ones that weren’t bought at all, like my Family Western or my Polka Musical.)

Here are all Scott’s links:

  1. “2021 Spec Script Deal List
  2. 2021 Spec Script Deals Analysis: Genres
  3. 2021 Spec Script Sales Analysis: Buyers
  4. 2021 Spec Script Sales Analysis: Agent and Managers
  5. 2021 Spec Script Sales Analysis: Top Sales
  6. 2021 Spec Script Deals Analysis: First-Timers
  7. For The Definitive Spec Script Deals List [1991–2021], go here.”

My take: I can’t say enough good things about Mr. Myers. And I’m proud that in my own small way, I’ve contributed to his excellent website: see my breakdown of Andy Samberg’s Palm Springs.

Filmmaker waits 17 years to release film

Posted on by
Reply

Not on purpose, though.

Shot in May and June of 2004, and on the festival circuit in 2005 and 2006, Take Out by Seth Laudau is finally available to watch on TUBI. It features Chase Masterson as Nicole Blu.

Why did it take so long?

It might have been the lawsuit alluded to on Wikipedia by a film with the same name released in 2004. (By the way, there are over two dozen films listed on IMDb with the same name. The moral? Choose a unique name for your next movie!)

Or it might be that our appetite for media is so voracious that almost anything can now be a commodity if it can be digitized and streamed.

Seth writes on No Film School:

“Normally, a movie doesn’t take 17 years to be released, and cast and crew can celebrate what they’ve created within a short time after production wraps. Our movie was a micro, micro-budget film where everyone knew everyone (or else they wouldn’t be there) and it was a particularly close, family environment. To have so many family members pass on is heartbreaking. This story, though, is a tip of the hat to and sincere celebration of those no longer with us, colleagues and mentors who have sadly crossed over. RIP to those gracious and talented people who were with our project in guidance, mentorship, and performance capacities. I hope they know, somehow, that we made it… finally.”

My take: Mazel tov! Locked away for 17 years, this film has become a time capsule. Now everyone involved with the production can finally watch it and have a good laugh.

How to find any movie

Posted on by
Reply

Someone recommends a great movie or show to you. Is it available on one of your services? Where exactly is it?

Streaming media search engines can solve this modern dilemma.

JustWatch covers over 80 countries.

“We show you where you can legally watch movies and TV shows that you love. You are kept up to date with what is new on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV and many other streaming platforms. Our simple filter system allows you to see only what is important to you. We also allow users to track their favorite shows and movies, and can notify you when a title is available on one of your services.”

“savant academy award” finds Police Academy. Nope; second word match.

Reelgood covers the US and the UK.

“Reelgood takes all the various movies and TV shows that have ever been made (almost) and tells you where you can watch them, from subscription services (like Netflix and Prime Video) to free services (like Crackle, TubiTV and others) to TV everywhere options (like FX, ABC, and FOX) to rental and purchase options (like iTunes, Amazon, and Vudu.)”

“savant academy award” finds The Savant. Nope; first word match.

WIMM or What is My Movie can help when you don’t remember the name of that movie. Just type in what you’ve got and WIMM will suggest matches.

“Descriptive movie search is based on our research on what is called “Deep Content”. Deep Content is everything we can see and hear in a video, but cannot mechanically analyze – until now. Deep Content includes transcripts, audio, visual patterns and basically any form of data feed that describes the video content itself. After analyzing the deeper levels of the video, we automatically convert it into advanced metadata. This metadata is then processed by the beating heart of our engine: a cognitive machine learning system that understands natural language queries and matches it with our metadata.”

“savant academy award” finds Rain Man, the correct answer.

My take: I use JustWatch. I’ve customized it with my services and have a filter set to 70% for IMDb. So if Netflix or Prime add a ton of new stuff, it only shows me those ones.

Tips for Indie Filmmakers

Posted on by
Reply

Suzette Brown shares in a guest blog on Women and Hollywood: How to Make a Movie on a $100K Budget.

“On the first feature I produced, I was told by the director, ‘There are three options — good, fast, or cheap — but you can only pick two.‘ As an independent filmmaker without the luxury of unlimited resources, I pick good and cheap every time. That doesn’t mean I don’t stick to my deadlines, but that I should take the time to do things right each step of the way.”

She then shares five tips for indie filmmakers:

  1. “Reverse Engineer. Encourage the writer and director to add elements we already have access to that are either discounted or free. No action-packed sequences, iconic locations, or other elements you cannot afford.
  2. Do a full breakdown of the script. How many different locations are there? How many cast members, crew members, props, vehicles, wardrobe?
  3. Get locations free. A great way to be efficient is to pick locations that are multi-purpose to be able to shoot two locations at one place in one day. Schedule around the locations first, lumping them together, minimizing company moves. This keeps shooting days and travel time down.
  4. Ask yourself what things can be borrowed, made, or repurposed. Take inventory of the equipment your team already has that can be borrowed before using a rental house. Set design and wardrobe is where creativity is paramount.
  5. Proper meals throughout filming are important. Before you begin principal photography, you should already have a list of your entire team’s dietary restrictions and preferences as well as what days they will be working. I love supporting family-owned businesses whenever I can. By working with a local restaurant, giving them our business for the duration of the shoot, I was able to obtain lower pricing and we were able to use them for our diner location in the script, another multi-purpose saving opportunity.”

She concludes with: “It’s vital that you control the things that you can control ahead of time so you can work around unexpected surprises. Proper planning will always be your budget’s best friend.”

My take: great advice! As to where to find $100,000, she didn’t say. But watching her trailer it seems like you just have to look in the right duffel bag!

Top Streamers in the US and Canada

Posted on by
Reply

Following up on last week’s infographics illustrating the mediascape in the US and Canada, here are charts comparing the top streamers in both the US:

And Canada:

These are from the excellent streaming content search engine JustWatch.

My take: I can see that the two big incumbents in the US are losing market share, while new services are gaining. In Canada, one takeaway is that Crave is holding it’s own against Disney+. Also, where’s Gem?

The Mediascape in the US and Canada

Posted on by
1

Recode publishes a fascinating chart of the media landscape in America.

What makes it so valuable is that a glance you can see which companies are in distribution, content or streaming video, their market capitalization, their subscribers, and their relationship to other companies.

(The one quibble I would make is that Netflix is also a content company.)

Marketing News Canada publishes a similar chart of the media landscape in Canada.

Take both charts with a grain of salt because things change all the time.

My take: wow, that’s the tallest graphic I’ve ever seen!

Apple sues filmmaker over trademark

Posted on by
Reply

Apple has sued Ukrainian film director Vasyl Moskalenko, who wrote and directed the Kickstarter-backed action-comedy movie Apple-Man, for trademark infringement.

Apple’s claim is that there are “likelihood of confusion” and “dilution by blurring”.

Here’s the film’s trailer, shot in the director’s apartment during lockdown:

Folks with longer memories will remember that this is not the first time “Apple” has been involved in litigation over its name.

Way back in 1978, the Beatles sued Steve Jobs (really Apple Corps. vs. Apple Computer.) Apple Computer settled by paying the Beatles $80,000 and promising to stay out of the music business.

In 1991, after the integration of MIDI (remember the sosumi system sound?) Apple Computer paid another $26.5 million to Apple Corps.

Almost 30 years later, with the rise of iTunes, the two parties finally settled. From Wikipedia:

“As revealed on 5 February 2007, Apple Inc. and Apple Corps reached a settlement of their trademark dispute under which Apple Inc. will own all of the trademarks related to “Apple” and will license certain of those trademarks back to Apple Corps for their continued use. The settlement ends the ongoing trademark lawsuit between the companies, with each party bearing its own legal costs, and Apple Inc. will continue using its name and logos on iTunes. The settlement includes terms that are confidential, although newspaper accounts at the time stated that Apple Computer was buying out Apple Corps’ trademark rights for a total of $500 million.”

My take: still not sure anyone can own the trademark on a fruit. Apple, surely you recognize that Instant Karma‘s gonna get yah in the end! Come on Apple, grow up and just make a deal to license Apple-Man on Apple TV+.

Is streaming the only hope for independent film?

Posted on by
Reply

Ryan Faughnder queries in the LA Times: “Is streaming the only hope for independent film?”

As the 2022 Sundance Film Festival goes virtual for a second year, Ryan reports:

“Film financier Jason Cloth, the Toronto-based chief executive of Creative Wealth Media, which works closely with Canadian production company Bron Studios, is now convinced that making small indie dramas for movie theaters is a sucker’s game:”

“I don’t think producers can look at these films as being theatrically released. Going forward, you’re going to have to look at these films as being produced for the streaming market. That’s the only market for them. I need to understand what everyone’s thinking in terms of exit before I’m comfortable putting up money. And now, I’m not all that comfortable seeing independent film pitched to me with a theatrical exit, and I’m quite vocal to people, telling them, ‘I think you’re delusional.’ And then they pull out films from three, four years ago, and say ‘Look at how they did.’ I’m like, ‘That was three, four years ago. This is a new world.’”

The pandemic is to blame for the art house audience abandoning theatres. The Quorum, Cultique, Fanthropology reveal in their report Exhibition At A Crossroads that viewers over 35 are the most reluctant to return, especially women.

My take: the other reasons, of course, are the rise of streaming, brought about by the digital evolution, and the corresponding splintering of audiences from one mass into many niches.