SHOWTIME for MEN'S GROUP

I interviewed John L Simpson for Into the Shadows, late December 2007, and we spoke about Men's Group. From then on I had hoped the film would work for him and for those that took that leap of faith in the project and above all I hoped it would turn out to be a great film.

I saw it for the first time at Spaa Fringe 08 and it was very compelling. And it has now won a bag of awards at the INSIDE FILM AWARDS 2008. This is a great triumph for independent film and for the creative team behind the film!

It goes to show that if you want to make a film, do not take no for an answer, do not feel you have to be confined to the traditional ways of making a film. We live in an interesting time, when technology and film making culture is changing, anything is possible.

John L is working closely with independent exhibitors to find an audience for Men's Group and I hope he does. This is a film that all men should watch and will get something out of. The distribution and exhibition of this film is very telling of the market place for Australian films - there is none.

Well that is not entirely true, but it is very hard to find an audience for a low budget Aussie film and John L is a good example of how we as filmmakers can work with the distribution and exhibition industry and help find that core audience.

More Variety the better

There is a great article in Variety on the possibilities that are emerging for indie filmmakers or DIY filmmakers. The article talks about the models for online distribution giving an outline of the challenges that lie ahead before it can fully function. It also comments on the hard realities that most filmmakers are facing, in that they are still having to mix between traditional media and online media to promote themselves.

I think it is clear that there are no either/ors anymore. It seems that it is all about deciding what best suits you as a filmmaker (what are your constraints and advantages) but also and maybe more importantly what medium suits your film?

Check it out here and let me know your thoughts,

Andrew.

Just Sincere

I was thinking of all the different kinds of puns I could use for the title of this blog, but I thought it best to keep it short and sincere.

Below you will find the first full length feature film to have it's premiere on YouTube.

Its a pretty big step in the whole new technologies thing. And since Four Eyed Monsters was the first full length film (not premiered) on YouTube (foureyedmonsters youtube channel), you can bet you bottom dollar that YouTube have been waiting to premiere one on there for a while!

YouTube have been pretty savvy so far about a lot of things, and I figure that they have probably had a lot of offers to premiere a film and wouldn't want to premiere crap. And after watching the trailer, something tells me they definitely picked the right film here!

I'm am currently letting The Cult of Sincerity load so I can watch the whole thing.

You too can do the same...Enjoy!

Destination: Film Festival

Today we jumped in the Honda and zoomed off to Newton, Sydney for the closing session of Destination Film Festival. We had an interesting drive through Newton finding the place but once we did it was worth it. Carriageworks! A new contemporary art space transformed from an old railway station...an unreal space, mixing rustic charm with modern technology perfectly.

Megan Spencer introduced the session (Cyber-Born Film) and then let the film Four Eyed Monsters do the talking. It’s a great film, innovative in everyway. We had watched all their video podcasts but had never seen the film on the BIG SCREEN. Its a testament to how indie filmmakers can use digital distribution and marketing to get a film out there...hey we just watched their film on a Big Screen in an old railway station in Sydney! If that’s not getting it out there I don’t know what is.

The discussion with the panel afterwards was great with such speakers as Rosemary Blight (Clubland), Rachel Lucas (Bondi Tsunami), Dan & Dominique Angeloro (Soda Jerk) and Toby Ralph (Street Sweeper). We had some drinks afterwards in a nearby pub, swapped some stories and bizz cards then were back on the road. A good trip and a good festival.