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AMComcast-Universal, Ti(c)kTo(c)k, Movie Theaters

Boy what a whirlwind this week has been – AMC/Universal, Mulan, TikTok, Beirut! Of course, we could say that every week. But narrowing in to the media part, and with the Orange man demanding his “key fee” for knee-capping TikTok in the forced delivery to Microsoft, because “supposedly” China, but more likely Tulsa, and American’s just crying about it and shrugging…I gotta write something about this before I unplug completely for August. That’s right – most readers know I’ve been on social media vacation since June 4th, but starting on August 1, I typically stop writing the newsletter and completely unplug except for some client emergency work.
 
We’ll get back to TikTok, but first – and relatedly, believe it or not – Last week’s big news was the AMC-Universal deal, which has of course spun everyone into a tizzy in the traditional film world. Egads! The collapsing of windows! This is the end of cinema as we know it! A “kick in the shorts” to indies! “ We do not see any business sense in this model.”
 
Perhaps only one person stayed sane – Christopher Escobar of the Plaza Theater and Atlanta Film Festival (my old remit) –
““We need a revolution,” he said. Escobar isn’t worried that some movies might be available on-demand sooner. [..] “I’m already operating differently,” Escobar says. “I do everything I can as an owner to make going to the movies feel like an occasion.””

Thanks for the sanity, Christopher. Let’s put this in perspective. Theaters were already struggling BC. Now, DC (during corona; who knew we wouldn’t get to AC in the US?!) theaters are on the ropes. Even the arthouses are in trouble, but the big chains were even more endangered. AMC was among the hardest hit. Then AMC makes a deal where it plays films in their most lucrative window (the first two weeks make up about 80% of revenues), gets an extra 2% of that box office (huge numbers with Hollywood blockbusters), and also get to put the films on its own PVOD service for members – whose data it owns, before their audience forgets the film exists, and also gets a reported 20% cut of the overall PVOD from every other platform Universal sells on. And they make it clear that it’s only for certain titles, not every film.

This is somehow a bad deal? It’s exactly the only deal that would ever work for all parties. And because AMC did it first, they’ll get better terms than the other exhibitors. AMC gave itself a chance to survive in the new world of film, as exposed brightly by covid, but that was coming regardless. What will happen next? Well, for AMC, I’m betting that Comcast – owner of Universal – waits about one year, and then buys them. There’s speculation out there that Comcast also invested in AMC as part of the deal. The government has already signaled that it is getting rid of the antitrust laws that stop studios from owning theaters (1948 Paramount decrees). AMC will get cheaper as time goes on – not because of this deal, but because US audiences won’t be returning in droves anytime soon, due to Trump’s bungling of Covid (other countries will rebound quickly, and already are successfully re-opening in certain locales). Comcast can then take advantage of the AMC real-estate to not just show movies, but also sell merchandise from Universal films, sell cable, and expand its ancillary businesses. AMComcast (ok, it will more likely just be Comcast Cinemas).

Indie theaters, if they’re paying attention at all, are worried about everyone thinking all movies should be just 17 days, or that they won’t get Universal films, or that people will just stay home. But guess what – that was already the case. This would be the time for the indies to band together – maybe via AHC – and build their own joint membership and SVOD/TVOD platforms and make deals with distributors to also share in PVOD revenues, in exchange for promoting films earlier. Distributors save on P&A (which in theory helps filmmakers as well), theaters get cut in to a more lucrative revenue stream while also having their own platforms, and audiences get what they want. Will this happen? Don’t bet on it, but as Escobar says above – we need a revolution. Let’s use this to start it.

Then, after writing all of the above, I have to update this post now in light of the Mulan announcement – Mulan Mayhem! – which made AMC/Universal look tame. Sure, Disney says this $30 premium (on top of your Disney+ subscription) is a one-time experiment. And it will be…until it works. With the rest of the world recovering from coronavirus faster than the US, and accounting for so much more revenue for most films, it seems that opening in theaters overseas and PVOD in the US is the only rational way forward. I know my household, without kids, would pay more than $30 to watch Tenet right now, and I bet most of America would be right behind us. And then we’d pay to see it on the big screen again come 202…2(?) if it’s as good as it should be. How this common sense doesn’t permeate the popcorn fumes into theater owner’s minds is beyond me. If theaters want to even be part of this revolution, they better start exploring new business models seriously before they aren’t even in the picture anymore.

Meanwhile, the public is saying – IDGAF! Just save my TikTok. The absurdity of folks debating a 17 day window when all anyone – and I mean anyone, whatever their age – wants to do is get instant gratification from TikTok, while the entire movie industry ignores it is indicative of the field’s collective sticking of their heads in the quicksand. As I wrote last week – we’ve got a superabundance problem, and the only way to address it is to become more relevant, which by definition does not include a term called “windowing.” The film industry, especially indies, are practically absent from the platform, if they even know it exists. Meanwhile, TikTok users propelled Love to #1 on Netflix, just based on their reactions to the opening scene (years later, mind you), and only A24 has any presence there – as a hashtag, with 65.7M views!

It’s telling that Trump doesn’t care about China owning AMC, but is in a shit-fit over their ownership of TikTok. Because it’s culturally relevant, unlike movies. Because it’s actually protesting him effectively, unlike movies. Because people have fun while being political, unlike movies. Because it’s shifted everyone’s attention away from FB, unlike movies. Because it collects data on its audiences, unlike movies, and is transparent about it, unlike movies, and uses it to make a better user experience, unlike movies.

If Hollywood understood the real depth of societal change going on here, we wouldn’t see Microsoft as the lead contender for buying TikTok – it would be Disney. Or Netflix. Or Apple (which maybe is/n’t trying?). And any of them could better integrate TikTok into their plans for the future than Microsoft. Sure, social is fickle, but it’s usually killed when the wrong person buys it. Or the right person doesn’t. As other’s have mentioned – this is a once in a lifetime, fire-sale opportunity.

But to be honest, if I were Microsoft, I wouldn’t take the bait. It’s not TikTok that matters, really, it’s the ideas of participatory culture, eliminating the gatekeepers, letting “amateur” creativity flourish, and these trends will continue even if TikTok dies. Microsoft knows nothing about these trends, and has no business reasons to piss off China, while gaining the future headaches that TikTok will bring. Let an actual entertainment company buy it, or call Trump’s bluff and let it die, while 100M+ users revolt at the election box and then turn another app into the same thing. That may be the only way to win come November, anyways. 

We’ll see how this all shakes out soon enough. But I likely won’t hear about it before September. As I mentioned on June 4th, I started my social media vacation early this year, but every year, I take off the month of August from all social media, newsletter postings, and disconnect. It’s an annual vacation that renews my soul. I’ll be on email for clients, but pretty much disappear from the public completely until Labor Day (three weeks are completely unplugged, fwiw). Until then – stay safe, learn to use a VPN and wear a mask.

Stuff I’m Reading

Film

The Reconciliation Must Be Televised – Wesley Morris writes what may be one of the most important proposal pieces of the year for the NYT. Read the whole thing, but his argument is essentially that we must turn this moment into a National (international) dialogue and project of truth and reconciliation. Building off the recommendations of the Kerner Commission and going much further, it would be a reconciliation across multiple platforms, simultaneously, and across weeks. I would argue further that it would be best for the NYT to launch this across platforms, and that would be a better project for their media efforts than Father, Soldier, Son, but it’s much needed. From the end of the article: “This Moment didn’t come cheaply. It should not be squandered. It should be nationally witnessed and absorbed. Truth and reconciliation is a death and a birth, accordingly arduous, tense, procedural, affirming, painful. The outcome feels secondary to the process. The ritual is the benefit. The Moment demands that we summon the courage to put ourselves through it. At last.”

BGDM Fundraiser: Brown Girls Doc Mafia is raising funds: “With your support of this fundraiser, we’ll be able to further leverage community building and programming that enriches our members creatively and professionally, and further sustain our efforts to advocate for access, visibility, and power for BIPOC professionals in the film industry.” Donate here.

Hollywood’s Gone Timid on Political Content – Foreign Affairs reports on how Hollywood is running out of villains as it frets about offending China, due to box office, or Putin or North Korea, due to worries about hacking. What happens to soft power, when you can’t villainize anyone? Great question, but also knowing how xenophobic and unquestioning Hollywood could be in its victimizing, the counter-argument is – maybe we need different villains anyways.

Fragmentation is a pain in the ass’: Proliferation of free, ad-supported streaming services causing headaches for media companies – Digiday covers the nightmare that is trying to buy ads and place content across multiple systems.

Branded Content

‘That innovation budget has gone’: Publishers adapt to thwarted branded content studio growth – Digiday covers how publishers are struggling to make a living in the new branded content/ad cut environment. It ain’t pretty.

Miscellany:

Apple Glass’ users may be able to manipulate AR images with any real objects – The implication being that you will no longer need a physical tablet/computer.And you’ll be able to do a lot more cool stuff.

Internet Archives Fires Back in Lawsuit Over Covid-19 Emergency Library – yet again, rights holders ruin something great. Vice covers the IA arguing – hey folks, we’re just doing what libraries do, get over it.

The truth is paywalled, the lies are free – Nathan Robinson, writing in Current Affairs, covers the fact that all of the great sources of news are paywalled, but the purveyors of bullshit are giving it away for free. He takes it a step further and proposes how we could build a universal, free database, and still pay authors/publishers. Worth a read, and a think… even if Jonathan Zittrain already proposed this solution back in 2006.

SuperAbundance and Implosion

We are living in an era of superabundance, where my attention is more valuable than my money, and while this is great for audiences, it’s a disaster for arthouse and indie films seeking any revenue. There’s a small silver-lining for niche and social impact documentaries that want eyeballs more than dollars, but overall, the sector is imploding and no one is talking about it publicly, though its dominating the “off the record” conversations I’ve been having.

At the start of Covid-19, nearly every distributor and film festival moved to a virtual model. Distributors developed virtual cinema programs, pairing with theaters in an effort to make some money, keep a relationship with audiences and maybe save theatrical. At first, things looked pretty good – KinoLorber was reporting numbers that weren’t very dissimilar from their 2019 theatrical numbers, and they touted them in IndieWire and elsewhere. But you’re not seeing those stories in the press anymore, and I suspect that it’s because they’ve dropped down into the abyss, as many are reporting to me behind the scenes (I have not asked KinoLorber and don’t know how they’re doing, but know it’s not being reported anymore).

One distributor told me that their virtual box office dropped from 5-6 figures per title down to under $10,000 for a month-long run. Theaters have reported to me that they’ve played ten or more titles from some distributors over the past few months, and not only have they seen revenue decline to the few hundred dollars per title, but that they’ve not received reports or payments from many well-known arthouse distributors at all – but their patrons are getting inundated with spam emails for more titles. Theaters at first saw this as a way to stay relevant to patrons, but are increasingly getting desperate. A few have been able to open drive-ins, but these seem to be working mainly for repertory fare and bigger genre titles, mainly horror – but they’ll take the revenue.

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Journalism, Documentary, Branded: The Ethics of the NYT and Father, Soldier, Son

This past week saw the launch of the NYT’s new documentary, Father, Soldier, Son on Netflix. It is a feature documentary, but the NYT is also supporting it with advertising; an introductory article about the history of the piece; a robust interactive feature story, that is also duplicated in print via a 72 page special  section of the newspaper that was delivered over the weekend; plugs in their What’s On TV section; through a movie review by critic Jessica Kiang (with an embedded Netflix trailer/ad, and direct links to tickets for which they get an affiliate fee, which they do with most films); a Times Insider piece, which in print sits just inside the front page, and which also promotes the genesis of the project; and of course through their social media pages, including Facebook during the #stophateforprofit campaign, also with Netflix Originals logos. In other words, the full court press.

As I posted on LinkedIn last week, let’s be clear – This is Branded Content. The Brand is the NYT and they are promoting their brand via their journalism and their film criticism and every other resource simultaneously. It is also simultaneously brilliant, well-executed branded entertainment that others should emulate, an ethical conundrum to consider for the future of journalism, and possible the most meta-media occurrence of late (which Noah Cowan pointed out on my post). So what are we to make of the NYT as publisher and brand?
 

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Surviving the Dumpster Fire, that is US

Monday we collectively crossed the rubicon. My emails, zooms, conversations took a darker turn. The USA has changed its name to DumpsterFire. Trump trademarked the name, but it’s been a crowdsourced effort. As the US started locking down again, and even Hong Kong started to re-close theaters, the film world seems to have collectively woken up to the reality that this shit is real and nothing is getting better anytime soon. So what do we do to survive?
 
Small businesses are giving up. Cases are climbing. Schools are in turmoil. Cities, Counties, States and entire Countries that were doing better are not looking good for the future (but I’m mainly writing about the US here). Behind the scenes, I’ve had conversations I can’t detail with experts I can’t name (but anyone who knows me personally can gather that I have some good sources) that public health experts are a) not feeling we’re ready to open as much as we’ve done, and b) are headed towards surges that no one is publicly discussing. And what little we’ve done to prepare, is publicly known to not be enough.
 
Promising developments are starting to fail. I’ve argued about flaws in some of the models, but it has been great to see festivals, distributors, individual filmmakers, and in other arts, things like theater and dance, and even art auctions switching to online offerings, drive-ins and distanced screening ideas. But even here, reports remain the same as elsewhere – because of no centralized leadership, and a forced reliance on ad hoc, entrepreneurial decisions (partly a good thing) – we have a cacophony of shouts for solutions, but no coordination and thus declining attendance, impressions, sales and a lessening in any metric you might measure. The emails between potential collaborators have moved from positive outcomes to private confessions that we’ve been building solutions for a quicker recovery than will ever be possible and far too few of us can weather another 6-12 months or longer in this Sisyphean slog.
 

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Save the Arts

The big news this week was that Britain is Investing £1.57 billion in the Arts (about $2-B USD), showing that even a dysfunctional government can figure out a way to save culture (wouldn’t that be nice here?…). Boris Johnson announced major grants and loans (predominantly grants) “to protect Britain’s world-class cultural, arts and heritage institutions.” Read about it from the UK gov’s website here.
 
But as the NYT reports, Germany is giving 1 Billion Euros, France is giving 5 Billion and even smaller countries like the Netherlands have given 600 million. Looking at this can make a US citizen cry because we’ll never see something like this here. But here’s the thing – Britain’s investment came after a concerted effort, and was never a sure thing. From the NYT: “The British package was met with surprise by the country’s theater industry, which had been running a coordinated, celebrity-led campaign for weeks in a bid for support as theaters announced major layoffs.”
 
Over here in the US? We get Gal Gadot’s disastrous video of Imagine. Where’s our movement to save the arts? Pretty much nowhere to be found. Jesse Green, again at the NYT, wrote a scathing piece about the lack of activism by the American Theater world, saying its leaders have been clueless and absent, adding: “But the American theater’s biggest failure is the one that renders it helpless in an existential crisis like this. In allowing itself to be cast as just another industry — a role it does not even play very well — it has disowned its true identity as a public entitlement.” But he should be calling out the entire field of the arts. In America, there hasn’t been any real/concerted effort to galvanize the public to support the arts. In fact, most arts leaders gave up, before even trying.

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Will the Film Industry Join the #StopHateForProfit movement, or sit on the sidelines?

This week’s newsletter is coming a day late, because today’s article ran first in IndieWire (slightly edited). Check it our there or below:

For the past few weeks, practically every business involved in the film industry – from Studios to Platforms to Agencies to Filmmakers – has been signaling their support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and for waking up to the need to support more BIPOC filmmakers, films, artists, talent and causes. This is a great thing, especially if it leads to action as opposed to just talk.

But when it comes to a closely related cause – the #StopHateForProfit boycott of Facebook, the industry thus far has been pretty silent. This needs to change; the film industry needs to follow Magnolia Picture’s lead and join the #StopHateForProfit campaign, and fast. The campaign starts July 1, and as of this writing, it looks like the only film companies on the official list of companies boycotting Facebook in July are: Magnolia, the Coolidge Corner Theater, and somewhat tangentially, Verizon. More may add their names soon, but that’s a pretty low count. Where are the other indie distributors? The film festivals? The studios, broadcasters and platforms (especially)? Where are the nonprofits who support filmmakers, and run the Award shows? Where are we in the mix?

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Brands need to Collaborate on Impact Films, Now

It’s time for brands to start collaborating around content, specifically – it’s time for them to collaborate to fund, market and distribute films for social impact. I’ve been preaching this for awhile now, but to my knowledge, it has only happened once (more on that below). They also need to be collaborating with foundations and other traditional funders and supporters of social change films. Again, something I’ve been preaching, but it has become imperative during these times. 

This has become most pressing because of the recent Black Lives Matter protests, and the degree to which they’ve finally opened up so many people’s eyes to the issues we have in the US and the world around diversity, discrimination, inequity, and so much more. But it’s also been made more apparent by the Covid-19 crisis, which has both exposed so many similar issues and made them worse. Brands have been pretending to address the social issues facing our society for a long time, and have signed pledges, and have said they’re taking action. But as we’ve seen in so many areas – it takes a community to make change. These crises are too big for any one person or brand to tackle. Sure, Patagonia can bring attention to environmental issues, and Greta Thunberg has been an inspiration, but if we want real change, and to have a real impact, we need more collaboration. 

But there are multiple other, yet related, reasons for brands to collaborate. First, we’ve seen that years of cuts to government, and an alarming move to many more autocratic leaders have led to a complete failure of government. New Zealand is an exception, but in the US, we’ve now fulfilled Grover Norquist’s goal to reduce government to where it can be drowned in a bathtub. I am no fan of letting corporations take the role of government, and think it’s a travesty, but here we are (I am left of Marx, politically, but also a realist). In the US, Britain, Brazil, and so many other places, austerity has led to a situation where we have to rely on corporations, foundations and a few rich people’s funding for any progress. I’m down for blowing it up and building something better, but for now – we need corporations to take the lead.

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Moving From Talk to Action in Film Diversity

This past week brought another case of whiplash, as the entire US (and world) began to re-open, in spite of alarming spikes in cases in multiple states and countries. It’s as-if a large part of the world thinks back to the time when, just weeks ago, hospitals were reporting they had to stack up bodies in trailers because of the rapid death spiral, and thinks, “bored with that, time to move on.” I’m not talking about the protesters either – the reasons to protest are clear – but the rush to open everything else – especially to hang outside in NYC and drink in crowds of a size we didn’t see outside of Mardi Gras pre-virus – are nothing less than jaw-dropping. And my jaw can drop because I’m wearing my mask instead of using it as a double-chin holder.

In the film world, we are already seeing theaters open; the release of guidelines for productions to launch; a move by many festivals to an online, drive-in and hybrid models; and a general sense from many that we’re moving into some new normal. I have many worries about how successful this might all be, but you can’t fault people for trying to survive.
 
But the most important discussions in film these past weeks have been around diversity. We’re finally having the discussion a little bit louder, and there seems to be some genuine movement around changing the status quo. But while we’re seeing a lot of discussion, I wonder how we’re getting to action, fast enough in some of our most important spaces – not just the who is making the content, and who is on screen, and what stories are being told, but in the leadership and staffing at distributors, exhibitors and especially film festivals.

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What a New Women’s Softball League can Teach Us About Innovation

Ok, that’s a somewhat misleading title, because Athletes Unlimited is a new business model for sports, and while it’s starting with softball, it’s already moving into Volleyball and will soon move into other sports. But it’s unique model is one that I think holds a lot of promise, and is one which shows how to think about real innovation, and could be a good example or inspiration for people in film/media who also need to rethink business models.

First a disclaimer – Athletes Unlimited’s co-founder is Jon Patricoff, and he and I worked together at Tribeca years ago, but I am not too biased here as we remained friendly but barely stayed in touch and I have no private insight into this business, only what’s online. He moved from film to sports, and this new venture isn’t just a new business model, but also a mix of sports and storytelling, so it will be interesting to watch regardless.

Athletes Unlimited will launch in August outside Chicago, and its first venture will be a new women’s pro softball league that eliminates managers, owners and even the fixed, city-based team format. Instead, all games are played in one city – Rosemont, IL to start – and online, and there are hints of a broadcast deal to come. Each week, four teams are put together for three games, and each team is redrafted – every week – by the MVP’s of the game, which are determined by a scoring system and player votes. The idea is that fans no longer congregate around teams based on cities, but based on the players they love. And women, pro softball players have a lot of followers online (many apparently have super high follower and engagement rates).

Every player is guaranteed a minimum income, and can earn even more based on their performance and engagement. And all players are part owners of the company. Not just for one year, but for the next 19 years – because the early adopters are taking a risk and helping to build the company. In fact, while the League was founded by two white guys (Patricoff with Jonathon Soros), they are apparently capped at 10% and the players are majority co-owners with them, so in theory, the ownership will have great gender equity and possibly diversity built into its structure. They also happened to build a business model that’s perfect for C-19 before it took place, but that definitely informs how to think about this and all business going forward.

There’s a lot more to the initiative, and you can read all about it in Sports Illustrated, or Softball America (and here), or in this recent NYT article, which is where I learned about it. But I’m most interested in the innovations that I think lend great ideas for the film/media sectors. In no particular order:

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Black Lives Matter &  Silence is Not An Option

What a week to begin a social media vacation! While I am not participating in the feed, I am listening, donating, and lending other virtual support. But in thinking about writing this newsletter this week, I was very conscious of two competing impulses – to not post, as the world doesn’t need the opinion of some white guy right now, but that I also couldn’t just skip the newsletter and be silent.



So instead, I want to refer to a few other voices, and places to collaborate with, and give support. My readers who are Black, or come from more diverse backgrounds can/will probably skip this, as they likely know everything from here on out. First, I recommend that you head over to IndieWire to read their interview with Stanley Nelson, the renowned filmmaker and co-founder of Firelight Media

. I’ve been lucky enough to know Stanley for a long time, and have always admired his artistry, his advocacy and his wisdom. In this interview, he speaks to the current crisis and protests, and perhaps his most important point is this:


“One of the things we believe strongly at our company, Firelight, is that people should tell their own stories. We really believe this is a time when filmmakers of color can have a chance to tell their stories. It’s incumbent on white filmmakers to help them do that, to move out of the way so that they can do that. Part of the hierarchy of race in our country is how many times white filmmakers have the access to power and money, the access to equipment. They could get out there and make a film about this that’s in some ways not entirely representative of where we are as a community. It’s really important that people tell their own stories.” – Stanley Nelson.

Amen. I work in two worlds – indie film and brand storytelling. In the indie film world, we’ve made strides in recent years, but there remain major issues around diversity and access. The branded content world is pretty much light years behind – meaning worse – than the indie world in addressing diversity. While there are exceptions, it’s a field that is not representative of the diversity of America or the world – in the people making decisions, the people being hired behind the camera, the stories being told, or the audiences being served. And while we need to address all aspects of diversity, inclusion & access, right now we need more Black voices, and they are particularly underrepresented in brand storytelling.

In thinking about this, I am also reminded of a recent op-ed by Kareem Abdul Jabbar in the LA Times, where he said: “So what you see when you see black protesters depends on whether you’re living in that burning building or watching it on TV with a bowl of corn chips in your lap waiting for “NCIS” to start. What I want to see is not a rush to judgment, but a rush to justice.” It also matters who is making that show, and who is advertising those corn chips, and as the media sector and brands start to navigate how to get involved in this space, and respond to it in a meaningful and respectful way, the entire sector would do well to hire more people of color for the myriad roles and for the stories being told.

While there are many people and organizations working on these issues, two organizations stand out to me as places to listen to, work with and support right now – the aforementioned Firelight Media and the Brown Girls Doc Mafia. While there are others, these are two nonprofits that specifically support filmmakers of color, and do a great job – in different ways. Firelight is a premier destination for non-fiction cinema by and about communities of color. Firelight produces documentary films, supports emerging filmmakers of color, and cultivates audiences for their work. Brown Girls Doc Mafia is an initiative advocating for over 3,300 women and non-binary people of color working in the documentary film industry around the world. 


Supporting these two groups can help ensure that these stories get told. You can donate to Firelight Media here.  Donate to Brown Girls Doc Mafia here. For those of you working in branded content, I also imagine both would also be great resources for brands who want to connect with someone for advice on the films to make, or the directors to hire, or the stories to tell. But before you do that, read the BGDM FAQ on how to be a better ally. Read the whole thing, but the last part sums it up: “Overall: Check your privilege, be genuine, be mindful, plan ahead, do the work, be outspoken for this community, be flexible, seek council, and hold yourself and others like you accountable!” I’m pinning this section to my reading list and plan to refer to it often.

I also recommend reading Beyond Empathy by Sonya Childress, a Senior Fellow at the Perspective Fund now, and former Director of Partnerships and Engagement at Firelight Media (where she posted this). It is essential reading. Here’s one edited excerpt:

“What we often miss in character-driven films designed to build empathy towards individuals is an understanding of the structures and narratives that shape our attitudes and behaviors towards entire communities.
And frankly, this political climate demands new narratives. (…)

The empathy frame also distracts us from more strategic uses of film: to validate and empower those who rarely see their experience on screen, to convene disconnected people and movements, and to build alliances and power. The power when we — the marginalized “others” — use film to speak to our own communities or across identity and issue silos to build common ground and strategize solutions. In this way, film still plays an important role in connecting groups who may see each other as different, but it does so with the baseline assumption that the film subjects are human, and do not need a film to assert that basic premise.
When film is used in this way the impact is categorically different, and we see that what lies beyond empathy is solidarity. The notion that our plight, and humanity, are intrinsically connected, and to create a better future I’ve got to get my hands dirty along with you.”
– Sonya Childress

Another important piece of this is how audiences connect with these films. This is done in myriad ways, but in recent years, one organization that has been doing an amazing job is the BlackStar Film Festival in Philadelphia. I’ve not yet been able to attend, but was on a recent panel with Maori Karmael Holmes, the ceo and artistic director. From that panel, I know she’s working hard to put together some version of their festival, which usually takes place July 30 – August 2nd. The organization also recently posted In Defense of Black Life: Ways to Get Involved and Take Care of Yourself, which has a lot of great links and resources. You can donate to BlackStar here.

These are just three great organizations to work with and support (IFP just started a list). I know there are many others I should be mentioning, and/or others I don’t know about, but these are three that I respect, plan to donate to, and hope to learn from in the coming months and years ahead. I’m still learning, and figuring out ways to use my platform and voice to help, and get out of the way and just donate when I can’t. (FWIW, I am not just now writing about this (that’s just a recent example), but I must do it more). I hope my other white readers will do more of this too, and will think hard about how they can use their positions to take action and join the cause.

Photo: National Memorial for Peace and Justice. Credit: Me.

Last, not long after writing this, Warner Brothers made Just Mercy available for free across all platforms in June. The film is about Bryan Stevenson and his work at the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), which has done ground-breaking work on criminal justice reform, racial justice and public education. They also founded the Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Social Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. My wife and I visited this last year, along with other Civil Rights Memorials in the South, and it was one of the most powerful experiences of my life, and I’ve felt since that it should be mandatory viewing for every American, especially every white American from the South (attendance rates are higher from outside the area). Watch the film, but put the Memorial/Museum on your attendance list for the future. It should open later in June, and you can socially distance easily at the Memorial. You can donate to EJI here.

Other News:

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Creativity, Covid & Digital Detox

Every Summer, since 2010, I take the month of August as a break from all social media, and I take the latter two weeks of it and into Labor Day as a Holiday from email and any phone calls except from my immediate family (or emergencies). It’s always the most creative time of my life. I take all the time I would be spending on social media and put it into something creative, and I’ve learned that even in those times when I might be staring at the wall, or the floor of the subway (oh, to do that again), I’m allowing my brain to get the little vacations it needs in order to be more creative. I’m about to do this again, and I am suggesting some of you might want to experiment with doing the same. (Got no interest in that idea? Click here to skip to the news.)
 

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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.

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We Need an Army

from NowThis

Lately, when I speak with my closer film business friends about this Fall, the topic inevitably returns to how the film industry might re-open and whether we’ll be able to attend Toronto or other Fall festivals? The answer to this is no, but my new reply is always: I’m less concerned about whether or not we will gather in theaters than whether we’ll be able to gather in Washington DC, in protest, come November when Trump tries to stop the election.


Fair Warning – Stop Now if you don’t want politics – non-political news is “below the fold.”

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Quarantine Questions

McCarthy in Deadline

Some questions on my mind these past few days of quarantine, in no particular order.

What’s Up With Online Film Festival Timing? – While CPH:DOX had a seemingly successful online festival (see below), I have serious questions as to how this works for other fests. But my number one question remains – in a virtual world, why are all of these online festivals taking place at different time periods, dictated by old systems built to avoid conflict, when they could all take place at the same time and amplify their message? Most of them are showing the same films anyway, and even with their idiosyncrasies built in, it seems to me that it would be better to move your dates, slow down a bit and explore the power of collaboration and joint-marketing instead of just plowing ahead. 

Whither the Trifecta/Fall Festivals? – I’ve heard rumors that the Trifecta (Venice, Telluride and Toronto) Festivals plan to take place in some form this September, along with many regional Fall film festivals. But I give you one quote: “There have been 10 influenza pandemics in the past 250-plus years—two started in the northern hemisphere winter, three in the spring, two in the summer and three in the fall. All had a peak second wave approximately six months after emergence of the virus in the human population, regardless of what initial introduction occurred.” (emphasis mine), This comes from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine‘s expertly named report – Rapid Expert Consultation on SARS-CoV-2 Survival in Relation to Temperature and Humidity and Potential for Seasonality for the COVID-19 Pandemic (April 7, 2020). Let’s do the math: March+6=September. So either these festivals get cancelled or we show up there and risk dying. That math doesn’t work – and your potential attendees know it, even if you and your board don’t, Fall festival folks.

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Confronting the New Reality, Pt 1.

Bonnie: Don’t let it end this way.
Brian: All things end badly, or else they wouldn’t end.
AKA Flanagan’s Law, from Cocktail

During the past few weeks, I’ve joined many conference calls discussing how the film industry might change due to the Covid-19 crisis. And I’ve read many articles about this. With very few exceptions, they’ve all been based around an extreme optimism that assumes life will return to normal at some point. And wouldn’t that be nice?

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Making Lemonade

When coronavirus shuts down everything, you gotta do something positive. Here’s a quick roundup of some generally positive, good ideas that have come out of the crisis. Some are worth copying (or paying homage) if you’re looking for ideas for your own film, organization or just your free time. (Note: the photo above is from the NYPost of some kids who made a hands-free lemonade stand in NYC).

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Ideas for responding to Covid in the Film Industry

We’re just barely into this coronavirus situation and I think we can all agree it’s gonna get worse before it gets better. While the world needs optimists, it also needs realists, and I’m in the latter camp, feeling pretty sure this is going to last much longer than a few months. But whether this lasts 3 months or 18+, the impact on our world is already huge and the film world needs to think big about how to respond.  Here’s just a few thoughts that have crossed my mind this week in regards to how we should respond, in no particular order, and definitely not trying to cover every facet here…

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Coronavirus & the Industry

This is still developing, and no one – myself included – has their heads wrapped around what happens next, but I don’t know how not to start this newsletter with a coronavirus update – it’s all anyone can talk about. And it’s impact is big for everyone, so I am not trying to minimize the bigger picture by focusing on how it’s gonna change the film industry.

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Sub-Genre At the Movies

I have to interrupt the normal newsletter flow for some self-promotion this week. I’m super proud to announce that a film I produced (along with Frank Hall Green and Joseph Stephans) – The Outside Story, directed by Casimir Nozkowski – premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival in April. This one is a true indie, with no brands involved, and I can’t wait for my friends and colleagues to see the premiere. The cast – partially listed on the graphic above – is amazing, especially Brian Tyree HenryStay tuned on our FB page for updates, but here’s the synopsis:

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Closing the windows in response to Coronavirus

With Coronavirus in the news and hitting the stock market, I’ve received many newsletters and updates on how it might impact the film business. Here’s a straightforward and pretty decent one from the Arthouse Convergence about how to stay prepared as a theater owner, for example, and here’s Variety reporting on how Netflix (and similar companies) might benefit from people staying home and watching television. But I’ll make a bigger bet – if we see a serious quarantine from the coronavirus pandemic, we might see an irreversible impact on film windowing practices, as film companies see the benefits of marketing directly for home viewing and don’t turn back.

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Sundance and BrandStorytelling quick takes.

Park City in January. Again. This was my 21st year attending Sundance/Slamdance, so I was old enough to drink…damn that Dry-January though! And for the past several years, I’ve also been attending Brand Storytelling, up in Deer Valley, which has become a must-attend event for those who dabble in anything to do with brands and content. Many in the industry complain about attending Sundance each year, or express joy when they can skip it, but I consider it a privilege to be so lucky as to be able to work in an industry that allows me to attend, even if it can be ridiculous at times. Anyway, here’s my quick takeaway’s (QuiTa’s in Quibi speak) from Park City 2020 (no film reviews here, as I didn’t see enough films to comment):

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Curation Needed

What did you watch over the Holidays/New Year?

I spent the Holidays and New Year taking some time off from work, and almost completely off my phone/social media, and used the time to watch a lot of movies and read even more books. Just before I left the online world behind (save streaming), I wrote my predictions for 2020, but I left off one because I doubted it would come true. That prediction was, without editing:

We may finally get some help in finding what we want to watch – We’ve reached information/content overload when it comes time to find something to watch on SVOD, AVOD or our millions of other options, including in theaters. Not only can I no longer remember what films I need to see, I can’t even remember which services host my favorite shows any longer. Way back in 2012, I started a company called Flicklist, with Ted Hope, that hoped to solve this problem (we failed, long story). We weren’t the first – Letterboxd and GoWatchIt launched in 2011 – and many similar services have launched over the years (iGems.TV and ReelGood, among the better ones). None have really been successful, or even solved all of the problems around discovery and remembrance of films – but just this month (ed: Dec, 2019), JustWatch acquired GoWatchIt, and reports are that the combined company will keep improving its services. I can’t predict whether they will finally build the universal film/show search engine we need, but I do hope that someone will finally build what we need in 2020. 

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Ten Predictions for Indie/Arthouse Film

Last week, I ran my predictions for branded content, both here and in a guest post for Brand Storytelling. This week, I’ve got my predictions and wishes for indie/arthouse films in 2020. I say wishes, not just predictions, because as you’ll see below, some of these are clearly more about what I wish, or hope, will happen than what I predict with any certainty. Not that I hope all of my predictions come true either – in fact, I hope I am wrong about the more pessimistic predictions. I’ve been writing predictions for the film world since 2006, and while I haven’t kept a running total, I’ll admit that some of them have been dead-wrong, while more than a few have been pretty accurate, if sometimes off by a year. So I freely admit in advance that I might be wildly wrong. At any rate, here goes:

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Ten Predictions (Hopes) for Branded Content in 2020

I’ve been writing top-ten prediction lists for film and media since 2006 – yes, back when my predictions included the final end of VHS (!) and what Google buying Youtube (Oct. 2006) would mean for indies. Last year’s predictions included Netflix buying a theater (pretty much), more brand studios (yes, again), and that Amazon would buy MoviePass and merge it with Prime (nope). Ok, sometimes I strike out, but my list is as much a wish-list as a prediction, so without further ado, here’s my inaugural Top Ten Predictions (and Hopes) for Branded Content in 2020.
This full article is running on the BrandStorytelling Newsletter as a Guest Post – read the full post there. Here’s prediction number one:

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Some Facts from the Streaming Wars

Via StreamingObserver

A few tidbits from the streaming wars, just this week:

  • It is now estimated that the major streamers – Netflix, Apple+, Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Max – will spend more than $30 Billion on content in 2020. This doesn’t even include Peacock, CBS All Access or the numerous other platforms. 
  • And in the fight for eyeballs to watch that content, they’re pouring billions into advertising, making up for the decline in advertising from other sectors (see below);
  • But less of that money is going into films, as more of it goes into episodic (tv) shows, originals and licensing of major library titles. Netflix’s film library has now dropped 40% since 2014, according to StreamingObserver. in 2014, Netflix had around 6,500 movies, and now it’s got 3,849. 
  • Yet even with that drop, Netflix dominated the “indie” Gotham Awards – winning more than half the awards given this week.
  • One could lament this fact, but let’s face it – one of those awards was for When They See Us, by Ava DuVernay (who was also honored), and while Netflix and other SVODs may be lessening their support for indie film overall, they are leading the way with diversity. This is no small matter. 
  • And let’s face it – Netflix is also a data company. If there was a compelling case for investing in buying more films – especially indie/arthouse films – they would be doing it. The data is showing them that too few people watch these films. The StreamingObserver article above makes it seem like film is losing out due to original content spend, but it’s losing out because that’s what people want.
  • Meanwhile, 3853 feature films were submitted to Sundance this year. Yes, that’s 4 more than Netflix offers. Let that sink in for awhile.
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Surviving Sundance Notification Time

Short newsletter this week due to the US Holiday. It’s that time of year again – when filmmakers and their colleagues pretend to enjoy Turkey over Thanksgiving while waiting for the notification from Sundance on whether they are accepted or rejected. Literally every film person I know is waiting to hear. Some heard already – mainly no’s but a few yes’s, but most people tend to hear over Thanksgiving weekend if they were accepted, and just after if not. 

This year, I am somehow attached to about ten projects stuck in this limbo – from a mix of clients to personal projects, both indie films and branded content, and let me tell you – the wait sucks. There’s no getting around it. Even filmmakers who won’t truly have a good cut until February, 2020 (after Sundance) or later usually submitted anyway just in case (I don’t like this strategy, but it’s common). And while they’ve called everyone they know and tried to position their films with sales agents or whoever, it basically comes down to the taste of a small group of programmers, and you don’t have much control over that process.

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It’s time for Branded Content to Break the Rules

I wrote another guest post this week for BrandStorytelling – check out the full article there, but here’s a teaser:

As more brands move into long form branded content – meaning feature length documentary or narrative films around 90 minutes – brands increasingly have the same plan – to premiere at Sundance or another top festival and then “get onto Netflix”. These are worthy goals to be sure, and I’ve sold multiple brand client films to Netflix and other distributors. But this is just one strategy for distribution, and I keep hoping more brands will wake up to the reality that maybe they don’t need to follow “the rules” and go down this path to distribute their films. Perhaps it could be better to break the rules of the old-school film world and forge their own paths.

This might seem counterintuitive, but if part of the goal of premiering at Sundance/SXSW and then landing on Netflix is to show prestige and break through the noise, you might be picking the most crowded path of all.

Read the Full Post here. And in case you’re wondering – yes, this applies to indie filmmakers as well, but brands are better capitalized to take control of their distribution. And no, I’m not saying you shouldn’t keep in mind the realities of the marketplace, or best practices, but I am saying that a lot of those aren’t working anymore, and we can explore new models, especially if you are a brand with a loyal following and marketing know-how.

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The Film Fest Database is Live

Michael Forstein’s Film Fest Database

The 2020 Film Festival Database is live! Thanks to Michael Forstein for creating it. It’s a super handy resource for filmmakers, production companies, brands making films – anyone who needs to submit projects to film festivals. 

Michael is an independent filmmaker who made the first version of this database on his own because he needed it, and then he made it somewhat open-source for anyone to use for free. It’s a labor of love, and while he now has a small group of sponsors paying him for some of his time (kudos to them), you can and should donate to the project if it’s something you are going to use. My staff and I use this almost daily as we help our clients submit to festivals. For now, it’s US centric – Michael hasn’t had time to go in and list all of the international festivals, which would be a great addition, but hey, it’s a volunteer effort from one guy!

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“It’s a Disgrace” or Netflix vs. Theaters, again.

The Irishman Newspaper at the Belsasco, photo: me.

The Irishman opened this past Friday, and I finally saw it this week at the Belasco Theater. This is not a review, but it was great, and not just because it’s a Scorsese film with a great cast (Joe Pesci in particular), but because I saw it on Broadway, in a storied theater, that was a much more pleasant experience than seeing it at AMC, Regal or any other big chain theater. I mean, heck, there were only 2 pre-show trailers, no ads and it cost less than most movies in NYC. And Netflix added great touches, like phone booths in the lower lobby that played clips from the film, actual print newspapers with Hoffa headlines and funny fake ads, and some gag props on the bar that referenced key scenes in the movie (no spoilers here). A great experience all around.

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Getting Real about Brands and Impact Films

This week, I wrote an Op-Ed article for the BrandStorytelling website and newsletter on the topic – Getting Real about Brands and Impact Films. This is the first of a series of articles I’ll be writing for them, and I wanted to start with a topic I think is super important for brands, but that also applies to filmmakers – that you can’t just make a social impact film, you have to do the impact work (or hire someone to help). Here’s the intro paragraph, and a link to the full article:

As more brands move into making content, especially long and short form film, many are starting to make films intended to have social impact. While films and media made for impact aren’t right for every brand, they increasingly make sense for brands wanting to share their values with consumers who consistently say they want brands to take a stand. But while many brands are making impact entertainment, too few are actually doing what it takes to have an impact, and need to start thinking harder about what impact means – before audiences (consumers) begin to see this as more cynical “purpose-washing” and brands meaning to truly have an impact have difficulty rising above all of this noise.

Read the Full Article over at BrandStorytelling

What I’m Reading: Film

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