What are your thoughts on Soderbergh releasing his new 8 part series on Extension765? Personally I think its great. Its that fucku/mywayorthehighway attitude. I appreciate we all don't have SS audience but its definitely "off the farm"
Ted your words are not a lone voice. You are a catalyst to a brave new world. Never stop being strong, positive in questioning new marketplaces. Our screen sector has been humbled. It’s time for a purposeful peaceful war. All the best in shaping a new world.
You’re still speaking my thoughts. Thanks again. On a slightly different plane (plain?... both), my beef is with tone and intent of stories being altered to fit a wider audience. Which, I think adds to your point.
“Titus Andronicus Forever” or Theme From "The Monitor" written by New Jersey’s own Patrick Stickles, released on the Independent XL Label in the UK in 2010.
The enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
But nobody seems to be worried or care
That the enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
But nobody seems to be worried or care
That the enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
But nobody seems to be worried or care
That the enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
But nobody seems to be worried or care
That the enemy is everywhere
"I am now the most miserable man living
If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family
Great, inspiring post Ted. Question...Are there some indie film production companies that are already working towards building this new ecosystem? Those whose work you admire and you'd recommend us looking at as examples? Even if they're in the very early stages. Maybe you could even write a future post dedicated to those companies. Would love to support those producers and groups who are already on the road to making things better. Thanks for all you do.
We are an International Studio Without Borders or Walls and are always looking for talent, above and below the line, to work on our productions. We are always developing new projects that are groundbreaking in more ways than one.
There is a series on Amazon, via Prime Direct called The Blackwell Ghost - a found footage ghost series. He has made seven. Seven. They are what you'd expect but they have gotten better over time. He clearly does everything himself, shoots, starts, cuts, markets, but he keeps releasing titles. So something is working there. Vimeo and Amazon Prime Direct are both are offering infrastructure solutions for independent filmmakers. This doesn't change budgets for stars, or marketing but it does show there are paths forward that do not require the big machine.
As a European, my experience is slightly different. Funding is heavily dependent on public bodies. But the standardization and cumbersome application processes don't leave much room for truly “independent”, off-the-beaten-track or spontaneous approaches to filmmaking.
It's also true that this dependence on public institutions can dampen creators' expression and limit their freedom, as they are invited to remain politically correct or compliant... For example, I was turned down in Lithuania because one of the protagonists of a documentary project (on the effects of war on those who step out of line) is a young Russian who came to Europe to seek asylum in rejection of the aggression in Ukraine, because he is... Russian. His responsible action would be worth less than his label. And yet, questioning imposed identities is at the heart of this project.
I am developing such a beast -- Weev will be a groundbreaking platform leveraging the power of DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations) and fractional ownership (NFTs) to revolutionise creative collaboration and project financing. Our mission is to democratise access to opportunities, enabling a global community to discover and support visionary ideas. Everyone in this ecosystem will be rewarded for their participation. This is the future. The current business model is beyond broken, so I thought... Why not take a kick at the can? I love independent cinema; it has been my life. I'm not going out without kicking some doors down. Aiming for a soft launch in Berlin.
Streaming only works if the filmmaker can monetize on their own terms. Vimeo, Amazon, etc have offered infrastructure for independents for years. One issue is filmmakers not knowing how to "sell" their film online. Lots of reasons for this.
It's time to convene an intersectional think tank with a mission of creating a new film ecosystem.
Yes!
Sign me up!
We've established the Tank, let's swim together.
What are your thoughts on Soderbergh releasing his new 8 part series on Extension765? Personally I think its great. Its that fucku/mywayorthehighway attitude. I appreciate we all don't have SS audience but its definitely "off the farm"
Ted your words are not a lone voice. You are a catalyst to a brave new world. Never stop being strong, positive in questioning new marketplaces. Our screen sector has been humbled. It’s time for a purposeful peaceful war. All the best in shaping a new world.
Preach Ted. Amen to that. Lets make it happen.
You’re still speaking my thoughts. Thanks again. On a slightly different plane (plain?... both), my beef is with tone and intent of stories being altered to fit a wider audience. Which, I think adds to your point.
“Titus Andronicus Forever” or Theme From "The Monitor" written by New Jersey’s own Patrick Stickles, released on the Independent XL Label in the UK in 2010.
The enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
But nobody seems to be worried or care
That the enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
But nobody seems to be worried or care
That the enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
But nobody seems to be worried or care
That the enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
The enemy is everywhere
But nobody seems to be worried or care
That the enemy is everywhere
"I am now the most miserable man living
If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family
There would not be one cheerful face on Earth"
“Titus Andronicus Forever”
https://youtu.be/Lx0jzcDofLg
Damn, Ted, I gotta stop reading this first thing in the morning. It's just too depressing.
Yeah! Let's go! Let's build our utopia! Rah! Rah! Right after I slit my wrists...
Wow! What a scorcher! Must be strike inspired. I recently saw this development in my realm which I believe can be an arrow in your quiver.
https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/a-case-for-unions-and-bitcoin
I’d ad to this the idea that in an imbalanced power struggle test planting seeds of autonomous power is worth while gardening.
Great, inspiring post Ted. Question...Are there some indie film production companies that are already working towards building this new ecosystem? Those whose work you admire and you'd recommend us looking at as examples? Even if they're in the very early stages. Maybe you could even write a future post dedicated to those companies. Would love to support those producers and groups who are already on the road to making things better. Thanks for all you do.
I too would love to hear such examples and hope readers share some of their insights!
Yes, we are doing it. Only in the beginning stages. Could use help from the people in this group.
What type of help are you looking for?
We are an International Studio Without Borders or Walls and are always looking for talent, above and below the line, to work on our productions. We are always developing new projects that are groundbreaking in more ways than one.
I’m feeling’ you, Ted!
Thomas Paine rides again!
There is a series on Amazon, via Prime Direct called The Blackwell Ghost - a found footage ghost series. He has made seven. Seven. They are what you'd expect but they have gotten better over time. He clearly does everything himself, shoots, starts, cuts, markets, but he keeps releasing titles. So something is working there. Vimeo and Amazon Prime Direct are both are offering infrastructure solutions for independent filmmakers. This doesn't change budgets for stars, or marketing but it does show there are paths forward that do not require the big machine.
I actually wrote a parody from the "indie author" perspective about the unsustainable business practice of being Amazon-exclusive: https://randomandsundrythings.wordpress.com/2023/02/17/another-song-parody/
The wording doesn't quite match the song. :)
But this one's my favorite: https://randomandsundrythings.wordpress.com/2019/04/30/ode-to-a-dead-kindle/
As a European, my experience is slightly different. Funding is heavily dependent on public bodies. But the standardization and cumbersome application processes don't leave much room for truly “independent”, off-the-beaten-track or spontaneous approaches to filmmaking.
More on this subject here, for those interested: https://ericvan.com/#unscripted-structured
It's also true that this dependence on public institutions can dampen creators' expression and limit their freedom, as they are invited to remain politically correct or compliant... For example, I was turned down in Lithuania because one of the protagonists of a documentary project (on the effects of war on those who step out of line) is a young Russian who came to Europe to seek asylum in rejection of the aggression in Ukraine, because he is... Russian. His responsible action would be worth less than his label. And yet, questioning imposed identities is at the heart of this project.
I am developing such a beast -- Weev will be a groundbreaking platform leveraging the power of DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations) and fractional ownership (NFTs) to revolutionise creative collaboration and project financing. Our mission is to democratise access to opportunities, enabling a global community to discover and support visionary ideas. Everyone in this ecosystem will be rewarded for their participation. This is the future. The current business model is beyond broken, so I thought... Why not take a kick at the can? I love independent cinema; it has been my life. I'm not going out without kicking some doors down. Aiming for a soft launch in Berlin.
Democratize Creative. This curation is distributed individually, across platforms.
Streaming only works if the filmmaker can monetize on their own terms. Vimeo, Amazon, etc have offered infrastructure for independents for years. One issue is filmmakers not knowing how to "sell" their film online. Lots of reasons for this.