Where's the Filmmaker in the Online Fest Planning?
With all of these online versions of film festivals popping up, I keep getting asked by filmmakers – “should we participate in this?” Or more often – “am I missing something? Why would we do this?” My answer is always the same – if you are launching a brand-new film that is still seeking distribution, no. If you have a short, or an older film, or one where you have locked in distribution (and if your distributor agrees), or one where you are doing a DIY release – sure, or at least maybe. But if you are trying to premiere a feature film, and you don’t yet have distribution, then as of now you can’t consider these online festivals because buyers consider them a conflict with their distribution of your film. They do NOT see it as word-of-mouth building, or good PR, or a way to test/prove audience demand. They see it as a distraction at best, and lost income, or a loss of control or a loss of premiere status at worst.
That’s why you don’t see many feature films premiering as part of the SXSW/Amazon deal (the terms didn’t help). And its why Tribeca quickly announced that their new “We are the World” festival isn’t intended for new films, either. Because until Ted Sarandos, or someone else at Netflix, gives the greenlight for films to premiere at online festivals before streaming, then no one is going to do it.
I am helping about eleven films with their festivals and distribution right now (brand clients and one film that I produced), and most of them are in festival limbo land. Almost every day, I get new updates from film festivals that are canceling, postponing or rescheduling. Dozens of festivals have emailed to say they’re launching an online/virtual festival (it’s not virtual unless you’re in VR, but that’s another post), and they ask whether the selected film wants to participate. Of those letters, only two addressed why the filmmaker might want to participate, and how the system would work. Only one offered any kind of compensation to the filmmakers. But even when the festival offered compensation, that wouldn’t work for my clients with new films. There remains too much danger that distributors will see this as a problem. But still, kudos to those two festivals. Even though my clients couldn’t take their offers, we had something to consider, and it was clear that the festival had thought about how this impacted the filmmaker. It seems to me that film festivals launching these new online events are thinking about many things – how to serve local audiences; how to keep their brands alive; how to salvage some part of their festival; how to not lose as much money; how to build a new model; and all of these are good & valid things to consider and they might be solved by an online festival (I remain skeptical).
Film festivals have two main sets of constituents – audiences and filmmakers – and you can’t build a program for the former and forget the latter, but that’s precisely what’s happening. Too few people are asking – how can we build something that best helps filmmakers? And that’s the question that matters. Especially at a time when most of them have lost all of their income, and when they are under severe duress – remember, festivals, even as they struggle, might bounce back next year. But a film stuck in limbo could completely disappear, possibly along with the career of the filmmaker who made it. As I speak with other producers, the common question is – are any of these festivals gathering any kind of input from filmmakers on what we want? I’m sure a few are doing this, but this is a field-wide issue, and it needs a field-wide debate and solution(s). If we’re going to use this crisis to build a new business model, let’s not do it in a vacuum. Wouldn’t it be better if we could step back and use this opportunity to build a new system that’s better than the old one? Perhaps one that helps filmmakers while serving audiences?
So, what do filmmakers want? Well, we need to gather a few of them and figure that out, and at minimum this will require another post, but in my conversations a few things keep coming up. First, we need to acknowledge that in the current climate, we don’t just need festivals for industry discovery. We also need them to help audiences discover films, but that discovery/premiere aspect needs to be timed to the release of the film to the public. That probably means most festivals – all but the biggest industry fests – need to rethink their “discovery” programming and focus on bringing audiences to films that have distribution sorted out, and are just about to launch. This probably means that festivals need to think differently about how and when they promote themselves and their films (a lot earlier for both). And we need to figure out how to push those audiences to films post-festival as well (via email lists with opt-ins, on social media, etc.) We also need to discuss compensation. There was an argument – one that I believed in for a long time as a festival programmer, that discovery and promotion were enough. But in a “virtual” world, there needs to be compensation for filmmakers, even when your festival is struggling. And there needs to be data transparency – to filmmakers, amongst festivals, to distributors, and in some cases, to the public. These are just a few of the things that I keep hearing, but I’m sure that if we gathered some filmmakers with festivals (and distributors, and press, etc.) we’d get even better ideas. And yes, this is another argument for needing a new AIVF…
Now, I can’t close this post without acknowledging a few things. First – I am not slamming festivals here. I am saying we need to re-think the current online model, but I understand why everyone has rushed to just get their festivals online. I also know that a lot of these festivals are understaffed and are just trying to survive as well. And I know some of them are probably having this conversation already, through the Festival Alliance and other places, and I’m just not part of all of those conversations. But I also know that many filmmakers are having these conversations and questioning this model in their own forums, and I think it’s time we have more of this conversation out loud.
What I'm Reading: Film
NYWIFT Webinar: Brave New World: Reimagining Film Festivals in a Time of Crisis - TONIGHT - I'll be a panelist joining this conversation tonight, 6pm est - I doubt we'll discuss the above issues, but focus instead on the good stuff. From the organizers: When SXSW cancelled, it sent shockwaves through the indie film world. But the creative forces that have kept independent film vibrant over the decades are rising to meet the current crisis. Until we can once again gather in large crowds, the show is going on. Film festivals are moving online or reviving older forms such as using drive-ins for locations to gather at safe physical distances. This panel brings together a group of creatives to discuss how people and organizations are responding nimbly and re-imagining ways to connect and support filmmakers and audiences. We will explore the possibilities for evolving out of this crisis to create more fluid and far-reaching concepts of film promotion, audience engagement, and distribution. Join us for a conversation with Lori Cheatle, Maori Karmael Holmes, Brian Newman, Alison Willmore, Jeffrey Winter and Michelle Materre (moderator). Register here.
Trolls World Tour's digital Release Worked - The WSJ reports (paywall) that Trolls has made an estimated $100M+ in rentals, meaning about $77M back to Universal, which is more than the original made in theaters in the same time period. Whether it does well with ongoing rentals and has a better total revenue take remains to be seen, but as the WSJ reports, this is good news for Universal and bad news for theaters. Importantly, they also did a survey, and 51% of respondents said they "definitely" would have seen it in theaters, and one-fifth said they never rent digital downloads. With 5-Million rentals, that's 1 million new customers gained for the online sales. As I said at the start of this crisis, this will lead to some permanent window re-ordering. Of course, this has led to a massive freak-out by theaters, especially AMC - read the raving mad letter fired off by their CEO in Deadline; which led Wall Street and Indiewire to beg for some calm. This is gonna be fun to watch. Pop some popcorn and wait and watch for more fireworks soon.
Quibi Sent a Cease and Desist Letter to a Fan Podcast - In the 'you can't make this shit up' department- some fans made a podcast devoted to all things Quibi, and called it Quibiverse. They soon received a cease and desist letter from the lawyers and changed their podcast to an anti-Quibi site called Streamiverse. Other than industry folks, no one I know has bothered to talk about Quibi once, and they shut down free publicity. As I said to David Beebe when he posted this story on LinkedIn, "If you made a show about some old folks screwing up the launch of a platform..." via AvClub.
Festivals are Starting to Report on their Virtual Results - With CPH:DOX up first. While Screen reported on this earlier, The Danish Film Institute has a great interview with Festival Director Tine Fischer on how it came together, what worked, and what didn't work as well. A great piece for anyone contemplating virtual events.
Another Survey Shows People Aren't Excited about Returning to Movie Theaters and Events - Variety has the results of this survey, showing an unsurprising expectation to keep streaming a lot more, but going to a movie theater ranks just above going on a cruise again. Both will survive, but no one is going back to them fast, that's for sure, and festivals should pay close attention to these ongoing, always similar survey results.
What are the Ethics of Documentary Production in a Pandemic? Asks Carrie Lozano of the IDA, and the answer is she doesn't know- nor does anyone else, yet. But as she says, we do know, "As I write this, there is no scientific understanding, no testing capacity, nor treatment, to ensure that you will not contract or spread a potentially deadly disease." So she argues for a lot more caution and for doc makers not to make quick judgements based on what covid-19 is NOT (not a war, etc.) meaning the ethics are different and still being decided. Worth a read and more contemplation.
People are Making some cool DIY Outdoor Community screenings - and The Atlantic has a great photo essay showing them, now. Check out this photo from Raul Arboleda/AFP/Getty below, and click on the link to see more:
What I'm Reading: Branded Content
Brands Should Become Executive Producers - says William Swann of BBH LA in Muse by Clio - where he argues brands should work with the major platforms to jointly fund/produce/market better content. I've been helping clients do just this for 8 years now, but welcome the enthusiasm for more brands to do the same - it's time to become content partners (EPs) instead of just making branded content, and "create content that's attractive to distributors and delights audiences." Swann's article is a great intro into how it works. My one issue with it - very few agencies can actually do this work (although they all say they can).
What I'm Reading: Misc
We have some (ugly but much needed) data on how Covid-19 has impacted the arts - Artist Relief, an emergency grant program started by a few arts orgs and their funders, has an online data tool that reports survey results from artists applying for aid. The results are updated in real time, and it ain't pretty, but man, is it needed and useful information. As of the time I write this, the economic impact (lost income and incurred expenses) was already at $285 Million+. And as Indiewire reported from the data, 71% of filmmakers were fully unemployed as a result of the pandemic. And the survey isn't finished yet (or the crisis, of course).
Art Galleries have lost 70% of their income, and one-third don't expect to survive the crisis - according to a survey from the Arts Newspaper. And in a separate article, they also report that the UK could lose half of its creative businesses. Heavy stuff.
How to Move Forward without a Map: Ideo has some ideas on how to move forward when there is no map. I like this the most: "Experimenting doesn’t have to result in a full-scale business model transformation or a polished new offering. This is a moment of extreme leniency: Customers will forgive scrappiness and even mistakes, and they’ll appreciate effort and vulnerability from organizations who try. Moreover, experimenting in low-fidelity ways allows teams to quickly iterate, minimize costs, and preserve optionality. In other words, there’s little investment required for potentially high return."
Permission to Pause - Arts Programming During a Crisis - This is a great article for anyone working in the arts, even film festivals, and I found it via Noah Cowan, a film fest professional on LinkedIn. Peter Hemminger of the QuickDraw Arts Society gives some great advice on slowing down, re-thinking what your event would look like the way you want to do it online (not just moving it online), and asking what your audience wants/needs now. As well as giving yourself time to adapt. Highly recommended reading for all arts professionals.
Facebook to allow Paid LiveStreams - In a first for the platform, they will now allow artists to charge a fee for LiveStreams, which will not only help musicians, but also anyone offering live events - like a film with a live Q&A for example. Good news, and a smart move from FB, who usually only allow these things with free or ad support. Variety reports.
Travis Scott's Virtual Show on Fortnight Had 12M+ Viewers - setting a record. CNN reports - along with everyone - but this is newsworthy stuff, and part of the future of media, so I thought it was worth noting here.
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