Notes From Hollywood

Buying Begins at Sundance, Gingerly

Money for marketing is more important than a higher sale price.

LOS ANGELES — The acquisition market at the Sundance Film Festival is showing signs of life again, but both buyers and sellers say the game has changed — and likely for the better for the future of independent cinema.

Out are all-night bidding wars and the kind of adrenaline-fueled purchases that led to mediocre titles selling for sky-high prices. Slow and steady is now everyone’s catchphrase. Buyers are seeking more input from their marketing and publicity teams before opening their wallets.

“We see lots of movies that we like, but the bar for what will work theatrically keeps getting raised,” said Steve Gilula, a president of Fox Searchlight. “Our measure has to be how many people can we get into the theater.”

Although they may have little choice in the matter, sales agents are also preaching calm. Sundance veterans like Micah Green of Creative Artists Agency said their strategy this year had been to let well-received films dangle in the marketplace to increase their allure.

[From Buying Begins at Sundance, Gingerly - NYTimes.com]

film

Toronto Wrap: Indie Bloodbath - Thompson on Hollywood

Some sobering news from Toronto:

If nobody knew anything before, they know even less now. The one sure thing is that moviemakers will now PAY to get their films released. The few remaining distributors can sit back and wait for movies to drop in their laps, often with P & A funds attached. All hopes of a hot sale at a festivals were dashed this year. Even Get Low, one of the hottest titles with Oscar-worthy performances on display, was still waiting at fest’s end for distributors to see it and place a reasonable bid. (As of Friday, Miramax, Sony Pictures Classics, Magnolia, Goldwyn were in the hunt.) Ex-ThinkFilm exec Mark Urman’s new service distribution company Paladin is well-positioned to take on releasing chores on high-quality films that can’t get arrested these days. There will be more than enough business to go around for the likes of Paladin and Abramorama Films (Anvil! The Story of Anvil) . Roadside Attractions and Apparition, with its relationship with Sony Worldwide Acquisitions Group, are also taking on service deals.

I saw one movie after another that was unreleasable in the current climate. As lovely as many of them were, they weren’t commercial enough. (Anthony Kaufman, Todd McCarthy and Karina Longworth weigh in.) It costs too much money these days to make a dent, a mark, an impression that will create enough urgency in filmgoers to make them go out and see a movie. While Ted Mundorff insists that business is up at indie-branded Landmark Cinemas around the country, and Apparition’s Bob Berney is hopeful that exec changes at Cinemark and AMC will bring a new awareness to booking the right movies in the right locations, the indie market needs help. “Movies that rise above like A Single Man or Bright Star will have a theatrical life for quite a while,” insists Berney. “For financial reasons, not enough good films were for sale for buyers. A lot of films were misses. If a film is not really special, there is no in between. It will not get a theatrical release. If it’s a half-way movie, audiences will skip it and watch it at home.”

Thompson on Hollywood

On the positive side, with fewer movies hitting theaters in the next year, there may be more room to move. That gives exhibitors an opportunity to push indie screens in their multi-plexes and supply some much-needed diversity.

[From Toronto Wrap: Indie Bloodbath - Thompson on Hollywood]

film, Indie, distribution

In Toronto, Directing Is Women’s Work

A positive sign for women directors in Hollywood:

In Toronto, Directing Is Clearly Women’s Work
Kerry Brown/Sony Pictures Classics

Carey Mulligan in "An Education," directed by Lone Scherfig.

Published: September 10, 2009

FROM the tattoo on Diablo Cody’s bicep to Lone Scherfig’s leopard-spot pumps, it was impossible not to notice: The 34th Toronto International Film Festival opened on Thursday with the women in charge.

While still struggling to find their place in the movie industry at large — the number of directors at American studios remains well over 90 percent male — female filmmakers have managed to occupy some of this 10-day festival’s most valuable slots: those showcase screenings and press conferences in the first couple of days, when everyone is still paying attention.

[From At the Toronto Film Festival, Directing Is Women’s Work - NYTimes.com]

director, film, women

Download Popular Movies in DivX - Legitimately

Film Fresh lets you download movies for a fee:

Film Fresh Lets You Legitimately Download Popular Movies in DivX - Movies - Lifehacker:

Web site Film Fresh lets you purchase DivX downloads of popular Hollywood movies to play back on your computer or DivX-compatible device (like the PlayStation 3 or DivX-certified DVD player); the films do not expire, and they're actually legit downloads.

The catch, of course, is the price: Fresh Films purchases range from $10-$13, which isn't terrible (you do get to keep it forever, so it's kind of like buying a DVD), but it does seem a little steep, especially considering that you don't get the additional DVD perks (the box art, special features, etc.).

Michael Moore: Next Documentary Free on Web

Michael Moore did some of his filming here at U.S.C.

filmmaker Michael Moore will release his latest documentary exclusively on the Internet for free on September 23, eschewing a traditional theatrical rollout, he said on Thursday.

"Slacker Uprising" documents Moore's 62-city tour of key swing states during the 2004 U.S. presidential election, when he tried to convince young non-voters to give voting a shot.

"This is being done entirely as a gift to my fans," Moore said in a statement. "The only return any of us are hoping for is the largest turnout of young voters ever at the polls in November."

Michael Moore to release free documentary on Web - Yahoo! News

Tags: film documentary Moore vote

In Oscars, No Country for Hit Films

In Oscars, No Country for Hit Films - New York Times:

Thirty-two million people watched the Oscar broadcast last week, fewer than tuned in for the debut of “American Idol” in January, which means that a network-confected competition starring people named Ramiele Malubay and Robbie Carrico trumped a show with eight decades of history and stars like George Clooney and Cate Blanchett for the ultimate achievement in entertainment.

That’s the Hollywood equivalent of an Ultimate Fighting Championship outdrawing the Super Bowl (just wait, that’s coming, too).

Direct-to-DVD Releases Shed Their Loser Label

LOS ANGELES — If you missed the red-carpet premiere for the latest “American Pie” movie, you are not alone. There wasn’t one. “American Pie Presents: Beta House,” the sixth film in the popular comedy series, was sent straight to DVD.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment

The sixth of the “American Pie” series, “Beta House,” arrived in stores last month. 

But it’s not another failed straight-to-video movie collecting dust in Blockbuster. “Beta House,” which reached stores late last month, was made specifically for a DVD release and is likely to end up more profitable for Universal Studios than some of the company’s theatrical releases. The film, which cost less than $10 million to make, is expected to sell more than a million units — in line with two previous “American Pie” installments that were produced specifically for DVD release, according to Universal. That translates to sales of about $30 million before adding revenue from rentals and the sale of distribution rights to cable networks.

Once a dumping ground for movies considered virtually unwatchable, the direct-to-DVD pipeline is becoming increasingly important to mainstream film franchises.

Read more: Direct-to-DVD Releases Shed Their Loser Label - New York Times

Are There Too Many Film Festivals?

Fill a ballroom with directors of film festivals and you'll hear a representative sampling of their anxieties, from the challenges of finding sponsors and attracting media attention to the cost of importing big-name stars for red carpet appearances.

One anxiety left unvoiced at the fourth annual Intl. Film Festival Summit, however, was that there may simply be too many fests, with an estimated 4,000-7,000 worldwide.

Piers Handling, CEO of the Toronto Film Festival Group, said as video viewing on the Internet explodes, audiences will actually find more value in the real-world opportunities that festivals offer to meet filmmakers and fellow cineastes.

But Handling also spoke in his keynote address of worries that the biggest festivals are "verging on being co-opted by the industry," used as a promotional launch pad for more commercial fare.

Read more: Summit addresses film festival issues - Entertainment News, Film News, Media - Variety