photo from indieWire

If you have been following the world of the independent film industry over the last week, you know there have been two significant meetings regarding the state of independent production and distribution. The first meeting was in NYC organized by indieWire Magazine and MoMA as a summit to discuss independent film and its future direction in a time of economic crisis and technological change. In attendance were distributors, producers, directors, festival reps and others from the filmmaker community who all expressed alarm at the current funding crisis and the collapse of traditional distribution for indie films.

Some maintained that there is no crisis, only that bad businesses went away and good ones stayed. Others pondered what will be the new model for indie film exhibition and distribution. Will people pay hundreds or thousands to buy home viewing hardware but only pay pennies for the content? Is the cinematic experience going by the wayside in favor of home or portable entertainment? Two camps have formed, some wishing to resist the change (mostly filmmakers and distributors who found success in the old model) and some wishing to be part of it (the new breed still looking for a break and able to adapt easily). Of course, I find myself in the latter. I think there is no limit to the possibilities of new filmmakers finding success online as long as they recognize they must be artists AND business people. The new gatekeepers are not distributors but the audience. If you don’t have one, you won’t succeed as a filmmaker. Find your audience.

The second meeting was the Independent Film & Television Alliance Production Conference here in LA. The keynote was given by ex Fox studio chairman turned owner of indie production company Pandemonium LLC, Bill Mechanic, on the future of indies. His pronouncement that the current condition is fatal only to those ”who ignore the warning signs.  Who don’t adjust to the threatening conditions. Those producers and distributors who pretend there is nothing wrong” is, I think, the money statement.

In the past 10 years, the internet and video games have dominated leisure time so much so that exhibitors have seen a 21% drop in attendance in the core 18-24 year old audience. If the audience is turning to online entertainment, why isn’t Hollywood? I don’t think that the local cinema is going out of business any time soon. But I do think that both Hollywood studios and theaters are going to have to offer a better viewing experience in order to attract an audience.

Where does this leave the art film? In my opinion, the art film with no proven audience, having been gathered through months or years in the development and production process, will be a failed endeavor whether it screens in a theater or online. Perhaps part of the current problem lies in the fact that indie filmmakers thought it was the distributors’ problem to figure out how to market a film and the distributors went along with this. How can you make a product without knowing who you are making it for? Waiting until the product is finished and then shoehorning it and ad spending it into public consciousness is not the way to make something successful, obviously. I recently read an article with Mike Judge for his EXTRACT film and he said he didn’t see marketing as his job, that is for the distributor to do. UGGGH! How’s that film doing? Another long tail cult hit? If I were his investor, I’d be pissed.  Back to Bill Mechanic…

Bill says that this current crisis will continue over the next 2-3 years because of over saturation of product in the market and the economic downturn. He says that studios will have a more difficult time of it because they are entrenched in their old ways, bloated with personnel and dependent on theatrical and DVD distribution which are on the downturn. Opportunities will lie in the digital space for those unburdened with these legacy issues, heads up new indie filmmakers. Those that take the business end seriously will succeed, the others will disappear. “Those without the ambition or the brains to figure their way through these tough economic conditions cannot be saved. The winners will be smart about what they make and how they sell their films.  They will hopefully make good films but perhaps even more key they will make unique films that stand out, ” said Mechanic. I will add they will know their audience and connect with them on an interactive level during production so that when the release happens, it falls right into waiting arms.