5thEuropaInternationalConference

<<SettheTrend!>>17–20November2016

Tallinn,EstoniaModeratedbyBrianNewman

Withtheparticipationof:

1stpanel:Setthetrend!Salesandnewopportunities.JaumeRipoll(Co-Founder&HeadofContentandDevelopment,FILMIN)FilmInisaVODplatform,weareinSpain,Mexicoandsincethisweek,inPortugal.Somefigures:

Subscriberprice:75-80€/month.Weexpectedtohave40%ofourcustomersconnectedthroughsmartTV.Wehaven’treachedthisgoalyetbuthopefullybytheendoftheyear,wewillbeat30-32%whichisagoodnumberforus.

HowtosurvivetheMonaLisaSyndrome

• Thatsyndromethataffectsallthetouristswhentheygotothebigmuseum,andtheyhavetwohourstowatchallthemasterpieces.TheyusuallyonlygototheMonaLisa,theytakeaselfieandthat’sit.

• Tryingtoconvincetheaudiencetodiscovernewfilms,newdirectors,wearedevelopingdifferentthings,initiativestryingtoseducetheaudience.

• Eachsubscriberwatchesapproximately10filmspermonth.

• 67%ofthemwatchthewholefilm.• Wehave10,000filmsinthecatalogue.

o 3000makeup70%ofourincomes.

• 13,5%areclassicalfilms.

WearenotlikeNetflix,soclassicalfilmsarenottheGodfather.

o Oneistheuseofablog,nottotalkaboutthefilmswehave,butthefilmsthatmaybewewillhave,andthefilmsthattheyareactuallyscreeninginthefestivalsandinthetheatres.

• Theatresandfestivalsarenotcompetitorsbutallies.Wearealltogether,fightingthesamething,thesurvivaloftheEuropeanfilms.

Howtoenticetheyoungeraudience

Thenineyearswehavebeendevelopingthisidea,wehavecollaboratedwithalotofinitiatives,likecomicbook,likeNormaEditorial,RandomHouse,filmschools,tryingtouseanewandyoungeraudience.DuringtheSevillafestival,wegavehighschoolstudents40,000promotionalcodestowatchEuropeanfilms.Sadly,only10%ofthecodeswereredeemed.Only4,000Europeanfilmswerewatched.Butit’sthefirststep.Ithinkweallagreethatwehavealongwayuntilwereachtheprofitabilityofthenewbusinessmodel.

SVODvsTheatre

IagreewithMichaelthatSVODhasnotgiventhesamekindofmoneythattheatrehas.Itisaproblemthatweareallawareof,butitisimportant,ifweneedtosurvive,thatwesecurethefutureoftheEuropeanfilmsonline.WearebasedinSpain,Mexico,PortugalandwearedefendingEuropeancontent.Forsomeofthespectatorswithboringsubjects,anduglyposters.Soweneedtofindwaystoconvertthesekindofthingstoattractviewers.

IvoAndrie(AcquisitionManager,Aerofilms)

AtlantidaFilmFest

o Onlinefilmfestivalo Onandoffline.o 45,000admissionsonlineo 4,000admissionliveo 90,000spectatorsontheTV.o Morethan150,000admissionson

thefilmfestival.

Afewwordsonavoidingillegalpirating.

In2010,whentheinternetgotfast,andmusicandfilmsgotheavilypirated.Weweregettingfrustratedasadistributorbecausemanytimesweweretellingourpeopleandviewers,pleasedonotwatchourfilmsonlineillegally,it’snotfair.Ofcourse,therewasnootheroptionforthembecausein2010therewerehardlyanyplatformsthatexistedinourterritory.Theiranswerwas“Giveuslegalchance,andwewilldoit.”Wewerelookingforsomepartnersbuttherewasbasicallyonlyoneplatformtoask.WefoundthiscompanycalledDistrifyinScotland.Webuiltaverysimplewebsiteandstartedworkingin2012sellingourfilmsonline.Wehadafeelingthataudiencesunderstandusasaselectorofsometypeoffilmsforthem.Theytrustedusthatthatcouldbetransferredintotheonlineworld.Youneedtohavesomeonethatyoutrusttotellyou,“Thisisgood,watchthis!”Sowetriedtobringthatonline,weusedAeroVODandAerofilmstotellpeoplethatitisaVODplatformanditonlyhasgoodfilms.Thatiswhywearenotalongtale.

• Weonlyhave100filmsatthemomentinthelastfouryears.• WeonlydoTVODanditworksforusquitewell.• Wearehaving700to3000transactionsamonthatthemoment,dependingreallyonwhatare

thenewfilms.

ThecinemasaresmartenoughnottofighttheVOD.Theyliketosupportitandtheyunderstandnoteveryonecanouttothecinemaeverynight,sotheyarekeenonhaving,evenontheirwebsites,our

OurgrowthWehadayeartoyeargrowthof500%tothatin2014,still72%growth,in2015just1%.However,thisyearin2016looksreallygoodandwehave221%inthefirstninemonths.Tobehonest,withouttryinghard,itgrowsonitsown.Itisjustbecomingahabit,andokforpeopletogoonlineandwatchsingle-y.Ouraudiencesthatknowourbrandseemtobeusingtheplatformmoreandmoreeveryday.

• Wehavefivecinemasintheterritory.• Abigportionofouractivityis

dedicatedtofilmeducationforyoungandadults.

• Wealsohaveahugefilmpostereducationwithashopattachedtoit.

• WearealsoVODoperators.AllofthatisinCzechRepublicterritory.

player,andpromotefilmsthatarebeingpresentedonAerovod.Wealsouseanypromotionalchannels,whilereleasingfilmstomakesurethepeopleunderstandthatourfilmswillappearonline.Also,theAerovodhassomeownfanbasis,webuildFacebookandofcoursethereisadatabaseofpeoplethatwecancommunicatetodirectly.TherewasabigsurveyinCzechRepublictwoyearsagooncinema-going,andsurprisingtome,whenpeopleareaskedwhatisthenumberonesubstitutionforyouforgoingouttoacinema,itwasdefinitelynotwatchingfilmsathome.Thiswasnumberfiveorsix.Itwasgoingtoatheatreorgoingtoaconcert,butnumberonesubstitutionwasgoingforatriptoacountry.Sothiswholething‘goingtothecinema’wedivideverystrictlyfromwatchingmoviesathome,thereisonlyslightcompetitionbetweenthosetwo.DavidWhite(CEOandfounderofShift72)NewZealandbasedtechnologycompany,wherewepowerVODplatformsforTVnetworksandlargedigitalretailers.

Anotetosalesagentsanddistributors:Howtostandoutonplatformswithfilmposters.

thisisSci-Fi/ActiononITunes,Igroupedallthelightcolorstogether,soyouseethatthisisthesamegenre,andSci-Fiblueandeveryonewantstobelikealiens,sowewantaSci-Fiblueposter,buttheproblemhere,ifyouarescanningforafilmtowatch,theyalllookexactlythesame.Soifthereasapinkposterhere,itwouldstandout.Itisimportanttoknowwhateveryoneisdoinginthegenrethatyoulisted,andhowyoudifferentiate.Allyoucareabouthereissomeoneclickingthrough.Thatisyourfirstacquisitionpointisgettingaclick.

Partnering is crucial with chains, you have to include them all. What we found was that presales worked really well. ¼ to 1/3 of all sales happen during the presale window. We enabled bonus content to be unlocked once you’ve made the presale purchase, so you could watch some outtakes, you got something instantly. It doesn’t dilute theatrical, it had no adverse effect, it actually helped the whole promotion of the film. It reduces piracy. If it is available, it won’t be pirated as much. We actually charge more that the theatricals, across rental on EST, however, they actually made more revenue. The big feedback is partnering with the festivals and work out a split that is attractive. If you pitch a good enough campaign it can actually be really successful.

Romanticdramashavealotoffloatingheads,theyareallthesame.Youhavegottostandoutfromthenoise.Also,ITuneshasablackbackgroundsoblackordarkgraypostersdon’tstandoutasmuch.WherethereisHULUhasawhitebackground.Soyouhavetoknowyourplatformandmakingsureyouputatotallydifferentposterfortheplatformyouaregoingtobeon.Itisalsoimportanttoknowthatalotofsitesareusinglandscapelayouts,sothat’salsoreallyimportant.Wecanseea200%increaseinclick-throughsfromasubtlechangeinaposter,whichcangreatlyaffectyourbottomline.Youreallygottobeawareandbeeducateyourfilmmakersanddistributors.MissyLaney(Independentmarketinganddistributionconsultant)WhatIdoIranaprogramatSundance,calledArtistServicesthatfocusedonhowtechnologyischangingthewayaudiencesandfilmsinteract.SoIworkedalotwiththe6,000Sundancealumnitoreleasetheirworktoaudiencesusingtheinnovativemeans,eitherwithDistrify,orworkingdirectlywithplatformssuchasNetflix,Amazonandreallywhatourrolewastodo,wastostudythischanginglandscapeandthentoadviseandstrikethesedealswithdifferentplatformstohaveasuccessfulrelease.Alotofthetimewewerepartneringwithsalesagentsorpartneringwiththecreativeteamsatlargetohaveaplan.Ofcoursewewantyoutopremieratthetopfestivalandgetthebiggestall-rightsdeal.Butincasethatdoesn’thappenbeforeyourfilmevenpremiers,let’shaveafewback-upplans.ThenIwentovertoBitTorrent,andhelpedthembuildanadvertisement-basedplatform.ItwasoriginallyknownastheBitTorrentbundle,andwerelauncheditasBitTorrentNow.–Well-knownmusicianssuchasMadonnatoMobyhaveusedittodistributetheirwork.ButthevastmajorityofthefilmsthatIworkwithtodayarenotthesepremiumall-rightdeals.About80%oftheSundanceslateareworkingcreativelywithsplittinguptheirrights.Thesearefilmsthatareaudience,award-winningfilms.

HackingthesystemIbelievethatthereusedtobeastandard,traditionaltimelinebecausetherearetraditional,standardoutletsthatallrequiredthesecertainboxestobechecked.Sothat’snolongerthecase.ITuneswillfeatureafilmthatmaybenoneofushasheardofbutbecauseithada100preorderstheweekbefore,itisgettingprimeplacement.Thereareotherwaystohackthesystemperseandbuildacustomreleasearoundeachindividualproject.SothatiswhatIworkwithspecificallywithmyclients.Soeventhoughthereareavastmajorityofdifferentwaystoreleaseyourfilm.IntheUSwehaveactuallyseenanincreaseintheatricalreleases,from2005-2014,therewasabumpofabout40%.Notallthesefilmsaremakingmoneyper-sebutitissomethingtonotewhenpeoplesaythattheatricalis‘dying’.Thedatadoesn’tshowthat.

Wewanttoworktowardsartistsustainabilitytocometogetheraseverypartoftheindustry.Wearenothere

NUTS!ShewasabletocarveoutherSVODrightstodoalargesalewithAmazonandthenhighlightatheatricalbookertodoanindependentreleasethatway.So,independentfilmmakersaswellasdistributorsandsalesagentsatlargeweretryingtofigureoutifthere’sachangingmarket.Wehavenewchannelstodistribute.Oldrulesdon’tapplyanymore.Sohowdowetakethisplethoraofopportunitytosharethesepiecesofartfromfestivalstoone-offscreenings,arthousereleases,educationalsalescanbehuge.Allofthesedifferentchannels,andhowdowewindowtheminaspecificwayforeachfilm.

asplatformstodisruptbuttostrengthenbecauseahealthyfilmisgoingtoallofusbeprofitable.

MichaelGubbins(JournalistandAnalyst,DirectorofSempermedia,formerEditorofScreenInternational)

MycinemaknowswhoIam

ThecinemathatIgotoisverymuchfittingintothemodernwayofthings.Wesaythatthat’stheoldworldandVODisthenewworld,mycinemaknowswhoIam.Itsendsmethestaff,itlistenstomemoreandmorebecauseitsgotayoungandsmartownerthatknowshowtousesocialmediaandchatsme.Evo,tomeisagenius.Ihavebeenlisteningtohimforages.Someonewhounderstandsthecinemastocreatedemand.Ifyoucanbuildupacommunityaroundyourbrand,Itrustwhattheyputon.Iftheythensay,ImgoingtothenmoveontoVODaswell,Ithinkit’saverysmartbusinessbecauseI’mgoingtothink‘Itrusthim.’I’msurethechoicestheyaregoingtomakeafterwardsaregoingtobereallygood.

Personalizedrelationshipsdrivebusiness

ExceptionsvsBrandsTheexceptions,wethinkweareexceptional,andthequalityrisestothetop,itisoneofthegreatdreams.Exceptionalismisaproblem.Tome,thefactthatwedidn’thaveenoughwomenthatwehavesuddenlydiscovered‘Ohlookwomendon’tmakefilms’.Peoplefromethnicminoritiesaren’tmakingfilms.Showsyouthatexceptionalismisplacency.PlacencyiswhatleadsusdirectlytoDonaldTrump.Believeitornot.Ithinkthatthereisthatkindexceptionalism.Theotherkindofexceptionisluck.Somuchofwhathasworkedovertheyearshasbeenluck.Soourexceptionisthatwegetluckywithourfirstfilm.That’sgoingtohappentolessandlessbecausethereissomuchmorechoiceinthemarketthantherehaseverbeenbefore.Whenyoucangeteverythingthatyouwant,wehavetomovetowardsaworldofbrands.Everythingisanadaptation,aremake,asequel,wegoforthingsforthingsthatweknowthatwewant.Amazonhasabusinessmodelallofitsown,itsbrandingisbasedontheideathateverytimeyoubuyfromthem,theyknowmoreaboutyou,thanyouknowyourself.SothehatefulthingaboutAmazonisthatitknowsexactlywhatIwantforChristmas,andmywifedoesn’t.

Newresearch:40%ofcinemasnowarelookingatVODplatforms.Whyisitimportant?itallcomesdowntothefactthatbrandsthatworkknowhowyouthink,knowhowyoubehave,knowmanykindsofstuffthatyouarelookingfor.

MirvaHuusko(SalesExecutive,NonStopEntertainment) Swedishdistributioncompanywhichdistributesindependentmovies,classics,documentariesacrossScandinavia,wearealsoacinemaowner.

ifyouknowthattheworldisonewherebooksleadpeopletowatchingfilms,myargumentis,whatatrightattheearlieststages,whatifwewereproducersattheveryearlystages,thewriters,thedevelopmentstage,youwerethinkingaboutifyoumightcreatethebooks,thegames,theIP,youmustbuildthebrandfromhere,sobythetimeitgetstothesalesagentsandtheyareinthisdiscussion,youarealreadythinkingaboutwhothataudiencemightbe.

PeggyGuggenhiem:Acasereport.Wereleasedincinemasthisspring,onemonthafteritbecameavailableonVOD.WhatisinterestingwithPeggyGuggeinheimisthattherewereover8000admissionsincinemas,whereastheamountofonlinetransactionsismuchlower,inthe100s.Forcomparison,TheSummit,did1200admissionsincinemas,theamountsoftransactionsin1000s.Thatisalsointerestingifyouthinkabouttheaudience,whatkindofaudiencewouldgoseePeggyGuggeinheimandifthatsameaudienceisactiveonline.Whereas,TheSummitismoreofadocumentarythathasathrillerelement,thatmightbemorethankfulforthedigitalaudiences.

Welaunchedthe2013winner,BlackCoal,ThinIceincinemasinverylimitededition,TVODandSwedishpublicbroadcastersonthesameday.Herearetheresults,theyarequitesadbutwestillfeellikeitisgoodthatwebrokethosewindows,andhopefullywewillbeexperimentingwithbiggertitlesinthefuture.

JustanexampleofwhatwearedoingwithDay-and-datefornextyear.WearegoingtoopenourowncinemainStockholmnextyear,thenwecandiscussholdbacks,communitybuilding,festivals,creativedigitalstrategies. Cinemaisnotdead,itisbeingrebuilt. -BrianNewman

BarryRebbo(ManagingdirectorofEclairUSA)itwasreallydesignedtofacilitateRightsholderandExhibitorstoeventheplayingfieldsothattheeconomicsmakesenseforbothpartiesandtheaccessibilitymakessenseforbothparties.Asubscriptionfeeof75USDdollarsamonthforunlimiteddeliveriesofanythingthatisontheportal.

WhatisCineconductor?

o Alogisticsserviceforrights-holders.o Itcanbetraditionaldistributors,canbenationalfilmboardslikeUniFrance,withtheiryoung

FrenchcinemaandallthesignificantarthousedistributorsintheUS.o YoucanlookatCineconductorastwocomponents.

o ItisaB-to-Bmarketplacewhererights-holderscanposttheircontentforvenuestolookat.ThereisaportalthathasthematerialthatisprovidedtopromotethematerialtotheArthousesthataresignedonwithus.

o wehave90ArthousesinAmericathataresignedontoCineconductorsasanalternativetogettingharddrivedeliveriesoftraditionalharddrivemediafromdistributorsorotherfacilities.Itgivesthemtheabilitytonegotiatedirectlywiththerights-holder.Setthetermsforwhattheengagementisgoingtobe.Wearenotnegotiators,bookers,distributors,wearefacilitatorsfortherights-holderstoreachthecinemacommunity.Onceitisdecided,itdispatchesaDCI-compliantfiledirectlytothevenue.Iteliminatesshippinginandshippingoutofharddrives.

Itisimperativeforasinglescreenoperationorevenathreescreenoperationtodramaticallysplitthescreens.Sowehavevenuesthatareroutinelyshowing12-15titlesthattheysourcefromCineconductorafternegotiatingwiththerights-holder.

Benefits

• Wearemakingiteasiertoaccessthiscontent.Youcanrequestdirectlyfromrights-holder.• Thecinemasarebookingfarmorefilms.• Thefileisonitswaydirectlytothevenue.• Thereisnoshipping,thereisnodigesting,thereisnoturning.• Savingmoneyfromtheshippingoftheharddrive(around$40each,roundtrip).Withthis

model,aftertwotitles,itisbasicallyfree.• Ithasgivenpeoplethelicensetopickmoretitles.

EndofPanelQuestionsWekeptcomingbacktothecentralityofthecinemaitself.Youarebuildingacinema,whathasledtothisdecisionanddoyouthinkthatitwilldrivethedigitalsideaswell?ThereusedtobeacinemaineachquarterinStockholmand80%ofthecinemasareownedbythisonechain.Thisonechaintheyarenotopposingthisnewproposalforanewcinema.Thethoughthasbeenwithusformanyyears.Wehavebeenlookingforalocation,theflexibility,andgivingameetingplaceforpeople.IthinkthatthepitchofthecinematakesinspirationfromtheUK,likefromPicturehouses.Buildingthisplaceforpeopletomeetandinteract.Ithinkthatthateveryonecangeteverythingintheirhome,ontheirbigTV.AndIstillthinkthereisgoingtostillbeaneedtointeractandsitinsilencetogetherwithpeopleandhaveaglassofwineanddiscussthatafterwards,ornot.

-MirvaMichael,inyourpresentationyoumentionedbrieflythatyouhavedoneastudyrecentlythattherealotofcinemasthatarestartingtheirownVODplatforms.Canyouelaborateabitmoreandtellushowyouseethatshakingup?Ithinkitisgoingtotakeawhiletosettlein.SomeofthesmallerVODplatforms,itismuchmoredifficulttocreatedemandforarthousefilm,fromapointwherenobodyknowswhothehellyouare.Youcannothavearelationshipwiththosekindsofpeople.ThereisastronglogicintheideathatthetrustthatIhaveinmycinema,tocuratecontentformemightleadtometoalsotrustthemtocuratethatkindofcontentinaVODworld.

-MichaelTheselocalcinemasareconsideredthecommunitieslocallivingroom.Thatiswhattheyarereallymarketing.Weknowyou,youknowusandifyoucanofferabrandextensiontoahomeenvironmentthenitmakesperfectsense.

-BarryThedataanalysisissomethingthatwearewaybehind,notonlyonlinebutfromourcinemago-ers.Thisiscertainlysomethingonthetopoftheagendaforthefuture.Weneedmorespecificdataaboutpeoplethatcometoseeusincinemasandonlineandwhytheydoit,whoarethey.Itissomethingimportanttousbutwedon’tworkwellwithit,weworkbetterwithguts.Weselectfilmsthatwebuyforourcinemaaudience,thenweshowthemonline.Inourcase,wearemorethinkingaboutwhenweselectfilms,weaskifwecanfindanaudienceforthis.

-JaumeeMichael:Asforsomeonethatworksinthatset,wherewearelookingatalotofthatanalysis,Ithinkitisappallingthatinthisdatarichworldthatwenowlivein,IstillgetmoreknowledgeandinformationfromaboxofficethanVODplatforms.Wehavealong,longwaytogointheknowledgeeconomy.

Panel2:Discussion

Howdowegeneratemoredemand?I’vedonealotofworkwithproducersandthefirstthingistogetintheproducer’sheadthatthemarketingplanisimportant.Thescriptiswherethisisstartedtobeformulated,sorightatthebeginning.Itneedstostartatthesametimeinordertobuildanaudience.Ifyoulookattechstartups,theyarereallygoodatbuildinganaudiencefromzerotomillionsofusers,oftenbeforetheyhaveaproductlaunch.There’saconceptcalled‘growth-hacking’.Itisjustmarketing,butitismorelikeaudience-hacking.Howyoucreatealltheselittlefunnelsthatarebringingyoupotentialusersorfans,howyouinvolveyouraudience,sowhenitdoescometoreleaseonlinethereisawindow,whereeveryknowsaboutthefilm,andtheywillfinditandbuyit.OnethingIthinkisimportantisthatyouhavetokeepitreal,andyouhavetopromoteapersonandnotaposter.

-MichaelThemarketplacehasevolved,thereisanewcurrency,weallwanttoblameeachother,theproducerfornotdoingtheposterproperly,andthedirectorfornotengagingtheiraudienceattheirscriptphase.Butitisaboutaggregatingyouraudience.Attheendofafestivalrun,IlovetolookatGoogletrends,andtypeinafilmtitle,andwhendiditspike.Oftenthespikeisduringthefestivalpremier.Itspikeswhenpeoplewanttolearnaboutit,whentheyarereadingaboutit,they’refollowingit.Itisnotgoingtohittheatresforanotherfourtofivemonthsandthendigitalanothermonthafterthat.Itisabouthowyoucreatedemand,ifyouhaveabuzzyfestivalpremier,youhavethatopportunity.Butnow,weareseeingfilmmakerssay,youknow…eventuallythefilmisgoingtobeavailableonline,sohowdoIactivatethatbypresales.ByusinganaggregatortocapturethatinformationonItunes.

-MissyIthinkeveryoneisusingFacebooktopromotetheirfilms.ButifyoucorrelatetowhatyouaredoingonFacebook,youareconstantlyscrolling,somewherebetween87and92%ofvideosonFacebookareviewedwiththesoundoffandareneverviewedforlongerthan3seconds.Sowhenyouarenowthinkingofpromotingyourmovies,youhavetobethinkingofshortlittleclips,thatareeven5secondsandarewatchablewiththesoundoff,andcansomehowpromoteyourmovie.Itishardtogetthempastthatmark,butiftheydogopast3seconds,theyusuallywatchthewholethingnomatterhowlongitis.

-Brian

Whattoolsareyouusingtoaggregateaudiencesforyourfilms?Beingonthehomepageandwhatthatmeansfordiscovery.Howonecanmakethathappen.Itusedtobeveryeasytobenumber1onGoogle.Youwouldputsomekeywords,getsomelinksandyouarenumber1,andthenitgotharderandharderhasGoogle’salgorithmgotbetterandtheirrankinggotbetter,nowitisalmostimpossibletobeonGoogle’sfirstpage.Yet,withplatforms,itisstillreallyeasytobenumber1andgettrending.Thealgorithmsaresobasic.Ifyouaresmartwithyourmarketingspending,youcangetafilmtrendingquiteeasy.Presales,gettingsomemomentumthere.Also,reallysmartreleasewindowingandbuyingandputtingsomemoneyintobuyingyourownfilmsstrategicallycanactuallygetittrendinginthetopcategories.

-David

ThereisadistributorintheUSthatjustgoesstraighttodigitalandnottoomuchstrategy.Therewasavery,verysmallfilmthatusedthemandwhattheydidwasforoneweek,thefilmwas99centsandthefilmmakergotallofhisfriendsandnetworktobuyitfor99cents,andthenafterthatoneweek,itwastrending,itwasnumber3ontheITunesRomanticComedies,andstoodoutlikeasorethumbbecausethereisalltheseMegRyanandTomHanksfilmsthatarejusttheseclassics,andhewasabletohacktheITunessystembygettingitrankedreallyquicklyandattheverytopformarketing,thatwasonetrickthatworkedforhim.

-Missy

Howcansalesagentstakealeadingrole?TherearethebigdatacompanieslikeAmazonandNetflixthathavethoseaudiencesbuiltin,thentherearethecinemasthathavethoserelationships,andmoreandmoretheyareinnovatingaroundthoserelationships.Whatwearelookingatherefromasalesagentpointofview,Salesagentsknowfilm,theybetonfilms,theyunderstandfilm,they’refilm-lovers.Outofexperience,theyknowwhatkindoffilmsmightworkastheygothrough.Thereisachangingpointtothemomentwheretheknowingfilm,andknowingaudiences,howcanwekeepthewholeindustrytogether,whereeveryonewins.Howcanwehaveeveryindependent,distributer,everycinema,everysalesagentwork.Weshouldwebeusingthatwealthofknowledgeandchangingsomeofthatflowthroughthevaluechange,andalltheexperienceandknowledgeaboutfilmsandalltherelationshipsthatcinemashave.

-Brian

Therearetoomanyfilmsintheindustry!Howdowechangethis?

Weallknowtherearetoomanyfilmsbeingmade.Weallknowallthefinancesmainly,gointoproduction.Weallknowtherearetoomanyfilms.Toomanyorphans,thatnobodywantstoadopt.Wehavetostopthissystem.Itislikeasickness;itisnotworkinganymore.Wehavetopaypeopletoseefilmsthatnobodywantstosee.Wehavetostopandreviewthewholesystem.

-AudiencememberIthinkitisahumanrighttomakeafilm.Likethereisahumanrighttowriteastory.Ihavenoproblem,everyonehasgotacamera,everyonecandothisstuff.Themorepeoplethatmakefilms,thebetter.Youjustdon’thavearightforittobecomepartofanindustry.Oneofourbigproblems,isthatwedon’thaveanamateursector.Inmusic,thereis.Everyonethinksthatthefilmtheymakeautomaticallyhasthisrighttogothroughthesystem.Ifonlywehadabrilliantamateursector,whereitsbeingshownto300people.TheinternetIsbecomingaudio-visualratherthanscript.Itisnolongerawrittenmedium,itsmoreanaudiovisualmedium.Iwantmychildrentoexpressthemselvesthroughfilmallofthetime.Theywaythatpeoplecommunicatewitheachother,thisistheaudiovisualage.Whatyouaresayingis:Howcanwecreateasysteminwhichyoufindthebestatthestagewhereyouare.It’stheliberalentitlementculture.Ourproblemliestothefactthatpeoplethinkthattheyareentitledtothat.ThathopeshouldnotbethatsomehowIamentitled,becauseIwenttoafilmschoolsomewheretomakefilmthatgetsseen.ItistimethatwestartedbelievinginthisArtform,andstartthinkingofitassomethingwhichcanmakeadifference.

-Michael

Backtotoolsandtactics,IwouldneversaythattherearetoomanymoviesbecauseIthinkit’sasuperexcitingtimetobeafilmlover.ItissomethingI’veseenlotsoffilmmakersdoingisbringingmarketingasanextensionoftheirstorytelling.Notallofthesefilmsarefinanciallyviablebuttodefinemanageexpectations,maybeforafirsttimefilmmakeritisjustgettingitmade,gettingyournameoutthereandgettingrecognition.Fromthere,buildingyourcareer.

-MissyWhataresomeofthestrategiesyouareusingtobreakthroughthenoiseandgrabpeople’sattention,andgetpeopletoopentheirwallethypotheticallyandpurchase

thesefilms.Asanindustry,weshouldstartrealizing,ifyouhaveafilm,thentherearehugenumbersofaudiencesthatwecanreachandtheyareinpop-upcinemas.Therearethepossibilitiesofre-openingcinemasinthosesmallertownsthatusedtohavecinemas.Maybecinemaisnolongerculturallyrelevant,Idon’tbelievethatinwhichcase,weneedtousethedigitalstrategies.Thoseopportunitiesareaboutbeingalittlebitsmarterabouthowfilmcultureworks.ThemostbeautifultimeI’veeverhadinacinemawaswhenwereopenedacinemathatwasbuiltbycoal-minersinasmalltown,andweputaprojectorinthereanditisstillgoing.Whatwedid,wewentaroundtothelocalschools,wesaid,makeusashortfilm,ananimation,wewillgettheyoungkidstointerviewtheirgrandparentsandwewillbringananimatorin.Wehadaredcarpetthing,andforthefirsttimewehadkidswhohadneverseenacinemascreen,suddenlysawtheirownworkonthecinemascreen.ItwasthemostbeautifuloccasionthatI’veeverbeento.

-MichaelIaminthebookindustry,andeveryoneinmyindustrywasscaredaboute-bookswhentheycameout.Peoplewerelike‘That’sit!We’regoingtoloseallourmoney”Whensomethingcomesondigitally,therearepeoplethatthinkthatthemarketisgoingtocompletelyfallout.Whatweareactuallyseeing,ifyouworkforabookpublisher,isverymuchsimilartowhatisgoingoninthefilmindustry.Youstillsee70-80%oftherevenuefromabookareactuallyahardcopyofabook.Digitalsalesareonlyabout20-30%ofthat.ThedangerhereisthatfocusingallattentiononVODandondigitalisreallynotwhatconsumersactuallywant.Yes,Ithinkcinemasneedtostepupthegame,andbecomeanoffering,becometheconsumervoiceandcommunicatetotheirlocalaudiences.

-AudiencememberTheproducersandfilmmakersneedtostopbeingsoarrogantfirstandforemost,andactuallythinkofthefactthatwearemakingafilm,whoisgoingtobeouraudienceforthisfilm?Andgooutandgettheaudience,goouttothesalesagentswhentheyaremakingthatfilmandsay,we’vegot35,000Instagramfollowersetc.andIthinkthat’sthedirectionthatitneedstogoin.Ithinkthatthesalesagentsreallyneedtobemoreconcerningintheproduct,notjustdoesthishaveafestival.Ithinkwhatneedstohappenistoworkwithfilmmakersandpushbackalittlebackthatway,andyouneedtocomewithanaudience,youneedtogoanddoyourwork.YouneedtobelieveinthisfilmandgooutthereandfindtheaudienceandthencometomewithyouraudiencesothenIcanthensay,yesyougotthefestivals,yesyougottheaudience,youcanofferthatthentoadistributorwhichcanthengotoanexhibitorandsaylook,we’vegotthiswholepackagethatyoucansell.It’sano-brainer.Rightnow,wearefinishingtheproductthenlookingaroundfortheaudience,andthat’sthecompletelythewrong

approach.Wehavetothinkaboutwhatthemarketisbeforewemakeafilm.Filmmakersneedtostopjustmakingafilmbutworkingtowardscreatingabrandandfindinganaudienceforthatproduct.Vimeorecentlydidastudywhereifyou’redealingwithcontentthathitsadefinablenicheaudience,youcandoubleyourpricepointandthesellingofthatfilmtothataudiencebecausetheyarewillingtopayahigherpricebecausetheyaresofanaticalaboutthatcontent.

-Michael