Category Archives: The Mediascape

Is streaming the only hope for independent film?

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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.

Peak TV continues up the peak in 2021

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Gavin Bridge writes on Variety that streaming has pushed Peak TV to new heights.

The main takeaways are:

  • 2021 saw a record number of original series
  • Streaming is now the platform with the largest number of original shows
  • Unscripted shows account for over half of all shows

He writes:

“There were 1,923 original series in 2021 released on broadcast TV, cable and streaming services, a new record high driven by the continued launch of streaming platforms like Discovery+ and expansions including Paramount+.”

He adds:

The “boom in streaming has been fueled by the cable networks themselves, as they move assets once meant for cable to new SVOD services. Discovery+ alone accounted for 169 shows this year, with SVODs connected to cable TV companies releasing a total of 459 originals on streaming in 2021.”

And: “Unscripted shows saw the greatest growth in 2021, up by 26% YoY and accounting for 61% of all originals.”

My take: Perhaps a little early — (Broadcast) TV is dead; long live (streaming) TV. One question is: who’s footing the bill? It used to be almost exclusively advertising. Have you noitced your streaming costs have gone up? There will be a shakeout, but I’m not sure when.

Samsung’s new Freestyle digital projector

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Samsung has just introduced a fantastic 1080p digital projector: the Freestyle.

Janko Roettgers of Protocol reports:

  • “The new Samsung Freestyle is a portable projector capable of projecting video from 30 inches to 100 inches. It offers access to the very same UI and apps as any of the company’s other 2022 smart TVs, but that’s pretty much where the similarities to a traditional TV end.
  • Weighing 830 grams, the Freestyle is designed for portability. “It’s about the same weight as a coconut or cauliflower,” Samsung Senior Director of Lifestyle TV Product Marketing Stephen Coppola told me recently. The projector can be powered via USB-C from a wall plug or external battery pack.
  • The Freestyle can be angled to use any free wall space as a screen, including the ceiling. It automatically calibrates the image to keep it in focus, level it and keystone it. “This is the magical feature on this device,” Coppola said.
  • The projector ships with a modified smart TV remote, but can also be controlled with voice commands via a far-field microphone after a voice assistant (Google, Alexa or Bixby) has been enabled.
  • The Freestyle ships with a lens cap that turns it into an ambient light projector, which is a pretty ingenious way of using a TV-like device for something that’s definitely not at all like a TV.
  • Later this year, Samsung wants to sell an optional light bulb socket adapter, further doubling down on this “my TV is a mood light in its spare time” idea.
  • There’s also a built-in speaker, which comes in handy in combination with far-field voice control. “There’ve been smart speakers, but never really a smart speaker with a 100-inch screen attached to it,” Coppola said.”

My take: I think the optional screw-in base is brilliant. Imagine using a goose-neck lamp in your living room to drive this! How long before they come up with a higher resolution? More uses:

Spider-Man: No Way Home bests 2021 Worldwide Box Office

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Spider-Man: No Way Home has won the 2021 Worldwide Box Office race, becoming the 12th highest-grossing film of all time.

The Numbers lays out the top five 2021 Worldwide Box Office takes:

  1. Spider-Man: No Way Home = $1,372,600,664
  2. Chang jin hu = $909,346,236 (China domestic release)
  3. Ni Hao, Li Huan Ying = $841,674,419 (China domestic release)
  4. No Time to Die = $770,937,747
  5. F9: The Fast Saga = $721,274,780

Not bad for a 60-year-old teenager.

My take: Funnily, it was just one month ago I blogged that No Time to Die had surpassed F9. And then Spider-Man: No Way Home earned almost as much as their combined takes, in a scant three weeks!

Screen tax credits are worth billions, but have a dark side too

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K.J. Yossman reports in Variety that Tax Breaks Resulted in $18 Billion Boost for U.K. Economy.

She writes:

“According to the British Film Institute report, titled “Screen Business,” every £1 of U.K. film tax relief generates £8.30 for the U.K. economy via direct spend on screen production (which has increased by 74% to £13.86 billion between 2017-19), local business and infrastructure growth, job opportunities, inward investment e.g. in studio space, exports of U.K. services and productions, travel, retail and tourism (Bath, for example, now offers a number of “Bridgerton” tours).”

The dark side?

“While the production boom is great news for the U.K. economy – the report found jobs have increased by 45% and almost £1 billion will be invested in production facilities since 2016 – it has had a knock-on effect on smaller production companies and indie film producers, who are struggling to source crew, space and even equipment. In turn, scarcity has unsurprisingly led to price inflation.”

My take: I would say the same thing has happened here in Victoria, BC.

Bond bests Dom

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After being delayed time and time again, No Time to Die has officially earned the most (non-Chinese) worldwide box office in 2021, surpassing F9.

Nicole Drum reports on Comicbook.com that “the chairman of MGM’s film group Michael De Luca and MGM Film Group President Pamela Abdy released a statement expressing how “thrilled” they are to see audiences returning to theaters as well as for the support for No Time To Die.”

“We are so thrilled to see audiences returning to theaters across the world and for their ongoing support of the theatrical experience. After a long delay, we are especially gratified to know No Time To Die has entertained so many moviegoers the world over. Along with our partners at Eon, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, all of us at MGM are grateful to the teams at Universal Pictures, United Artists Releasing, and in our own MGM territories for their tremendous efforts to cross this great milestone with No Time To Die. This achievement is a testament to Daniel Craig and the entire cast, as well as our director Cary Fukunaga, producers Michael and Barbara, and the crew for making an incredible film. We extend our thanks to our exhibitor and promotional partners for remaining steadfast in their support of the film.”

btw, Billie Eilish O’Connell and her brother Finneas Baird O’Connell won the Emmy for Best Song Written for Visual Media for the title tune:

My take: Got to say, I’m not surprised. After all, Bond is the longest running movie franchise with the fourth largest cumulative worldwide box office. And the music is killer.

The Dutch Angle, explained

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Marie Cascione explains on Vox — why movies tilt the camera. Watch now:

She writes:

“The Dutch angle (aka Dutch tilt, canted angle, or oblique angle) is a filmmaking technique that involves setting the camera at an angle and tilting the entire scene. You see it everywhere, from blockbuster movies to soap commercials. It’s used to emphasize when something is a little off, or just to make a shot look more interesting. The thing is… it’s not actually Dutch. And it didn’t start with filmmakers. It was pioneered by German directors during World War I, when outside films were blocked from being shown in Germany. While Hollywood was serving up largely glamorous, rollicking films, the German film industry joined the expressionist movement in art and literature, which was focused on processing the chaos of world war. Its themes touched on betrayal, suicide, psychosis, and terror. And expressionist films conveyed that darkness not just through their plotlines, but through their set designs, costumes — and unusual camera shots.”

My take: all of this reminds me of my short film Largo. Because it’s a psychological portrait, I invoked elements of German Expressionism to illustrate the Captain’s mental state, particularly canted camera angles, skewed sets and long shadows. Not bad for 72 hours and $10!

Jim Cummings says don’t get screwed by agencies

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Eric Kohn of IndieWire quotes Jim Cummings as saying, “Agencies don’t actually care about independent film,” in Your Agent Is a Con Artist: ‘The Beta Test’ Director Jim Cummings Wants to Liberate Indie Filmmaking.

Cummings’s thesis is that no one can do a better job monetizing your film than you. He says, “You have to have some business savvy in order to do anything. The film industry is no different, and you shouldn’t give your movie to people who don’t really care about the thing.”

His new movie The Beta Test is about how agencies package deals with their talent. Cummins explains, “The point was to inoculate independent filmmakers to not want to participate in that world — to not be fucked over by the way this culture is built. That has been my raison d’être over the last 10 years.”

Kohn asks, “If the movie is a cautionary tale, what would you like to see filmmakers do instead?” and Cummings replies:

“Exactly what we did. The story of the movie is that agencies don’t actually care about independent film. They care about money and power. But the way we made the film was completely circumventing that system. We ran a Wefunder campaign. It’s a crowd equity platform. We made the movie in our offices with our friends cast in all the parts. We did all of the distribution by ourselves without sales agents. The future is going to be a lot more like talented YouTubers making 90-minute pieces of content. That’s what real democracy is. You can waste a huge amount of your life working for people who don’t care about you.”

My take: This is a great read, and advice to heed. For review, please see Mark Duplass‘s seminal presentation The Calvary Is Not Coming.

Crazy8s deadline coming soon

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This Monday, October 25, 2021, at 11:59 pm, is the deadline to apply to Crazy8s on Film Freeway.

Since 1999, Vancouver’s Crazy8s has produced 127 short films. The Crazy8s Film Society exists to provide funding and support to emerging filmmakers to help them produce short films and to train crew and cast.

Each Writer, Directer and Producer team submits a 3-minute video pitch. Forty semi-finalists will be contacted by November 15 to schedule a time to pitch in-person to a jury of industry professionals on either November 20 or 21, 2021.

Next, twelve semi-finalists go into a story editing phase and work with a professional Script Editor.

Then the Top 6 Teams receive almost $50,000-worth of camera, lighting and grip packages, $1000 cash, and mentorship throughout the duration of their 8-day production and delivery of their final films.

The process culminates with a Gala Screening and AfterParty slated for April 9, 2022, in Vancouver.

My take: I’ve seen a number of Crazy8s films over the years and have always been impressed with their professionalism. Highly recommended.

Another reason not to fly right now

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PetaPixel‘s Anete Lusina has a good summary of last weekend’s travel news: “Man’s Vintage Camera Mistaken for Bomb, Causes Emergency Landing.”

She reports:

“A passenger flight was forced to make an emergency landing in NYC this weekend after a woman mistook a fellow passenger’s vintage camera for a bomb. The incident reportedly occurred after a woman spotted a fellow passenger scrolling through videos and photos of vintage cameras. She mistook the images of vintage cameras for bombs and believed that the passenger was looking up bomb-making instructions. The woman’s fears peaked after the man pulled out his own vintage camera and began fiddling with its settings — she believed that he was setting a timer on a bomb’s detonator. She then notified a flight attendant and the pilots decided to land in Queens. The suspected terrorist was pinned to the tarmac before authorities figured out he was a camera enthusiast.”

Here’s a visualization of the plane to tower communications:

She concludes with:

“The suspected terrorist was forced to lie face-down on the ground and be searched. His bags were also confiscated and searched, and they only revealed a skateboard and other vintage cameras. After being detained several hours by Port Authority police officers and federal agents, the vintage camera enthusiast was finally cleared of any wrongdoing and released. Port Authority spokesman Tom Topousis said that “The JTTF [Joint Terrorism Task Force], the FBI and the Port Authority Police Department determined that there was no criminality on the part of the passenger and he was released.”“

My take: I really want to know what that “vintage camera” was. Also, I found it quite interesting that the witnesses had such different stories. The moral of the story? Don’t fiddle with your f-stop mid-flight? Don’t adjust your aperture on a plane? Maybe just: avoid the U.S. at all costs?