UPDATE:
Renowned film consultant, Peter Broderick, in his article about the launching of the film KEDI, stated that, as with most independent films, it was harder to make distribution happen than it was to make the film.
I've been preaching these past years that filmmakers should budget 50% of their funds for making the film and 50% marketing the film (aka my 50/50 Rule). It's a rule that's most often violated by indie filmmakers. They hope that some guardian angel will come to their rescue and launch their film successfully and economically.
The painful truth is that it rarely happens that way. And, in so many cases, the film simply dies.
We truly feel that our CINEMAflix DISTRIBUTION Program will be that guardian angel. We'll be there for you. We'll hold your hand as we do all the following for you:
1. Open your film in a first-rate art house theater in New York and/or Los Angeles.
2. Provide an expert publicist to contact the film critics, write and send press releases, set up interviews (when possible), reach out to selective organizations and clubs about your film, and compile and distribute production notes.
3. Encode, do the QC, prepare the package, and submit it to the major digital platforms.
4. Submit the film to the two major cable stations: Spectrum and Xfinity.
5. Market DVDs of your film to the major DVD wholesalers.
NEWS BRIEFS:
Damien Chazelle, the filmmaker behind 'La La Land,' is making his first foray into television with a new musical drama series for Netflix set in Paris. Netflix has ordered eight episodes of the show, which is called "The Eddy".---Andrew R. Chow, The New York Times.
Walt Disney Co. intends to offer its MARVEL and STAR WARS properties through the subscription video service it is planning to launch in 2019, rather than renewing the deal with Netflix. In deciding to retain the rights to two of its biggest franchises, Disney is giving up the tens of millions of dollars per movie it receives from Netflix.---Ben Fritz, The Wall Street Journal.
WOMEN'S RIGHTS:
Much has been written recently about Kate Millett and her breakthrough book, Sexual Politics, about women's rights. More eloquent, and more pithy, than the books by Millett, Betty Friedan, and Gloria Steinem, are the comments and advice by the late Nora Ephron, delivered at commencement at Wellesley College, her alma mater:
One of the things people always say to you if you get upset is, 'don't take it personally.' But, listen hard to what's going on and, please, I beg you, take it personally. Understand: every attack on Hillary Clinton for not knowing her place is an attack on you. Underneath almost all those attacks are the words: 'get back, get back to where you once belonged.' When Elizabeth Dole pretends that she isn't serious about her career, that is an attack on you. The acquittal of O.J. Simpson is an attack on you. Any move to limit abortion rights is an attack on you---whether or not you believe in abortion. Whatever you choose, however many roads you take, I hope that you choose not to be a lady. I hope you will find some way to break the rules and make a little trouble out there. And, I also hope that you will choose to make some of that trouble on behalf of women. Above all, be the heroine in your life, not the victim.
FILM EXCHANGE:
It's a momentous decision for Disney to start two streaming outlets, one for their blockbuster content from MARVEL and STAR WARS and one for sports (possibly duplicating ESPN). It's momentous because it's a sign that Disney is shifting emphasis from transmitting films from theaters to transmitting films to cell phones, iPads, and TV screens. As CEO Bob Iger said, It's where we can make the most money. If Disney is going in this direction, expect the other major studios to follow suit.
