The Definition of Film Buzz

April 15, 2011 BelowTheLine, Sheri Moss Candler No Comments

buzz “Gimme some buzz.” – A statement I hear a lot in work requests. Usually the filmmaker wants it to happen tomorrow. First question that pops into my mind is what’s buzz worthy about your film? Does it have a celebrity? A notable name with their own following? Do you as a filmmaker have your own following? Did it just get into a major festival or win one? These are things the press would be interested in for coverage and things that will get people talking. Or do you have a very large budget to partake in saturation marketing (otherwise known as excessive media buys intended to make people think there is a buzz going on and in turn leads to a buzz going on)? There’s no magic pixie dust that can be sprinkled on a project and instantly give it hype.

What does buzz building really mean? Buzz is an intense and short lived public interest in a person, topic or product. It is very rarely the result of a last minute campaign but a well organized and an effort planned well in advance to garner maximum attention around an event. This attention is ideally used to help sell something though there are cases where unplanned viral videos have gained massive interest, were not planned around an event and didn’t sell anything. I realize this is not your goal. Also, whereas Hollywood might do all this buzz building just before releasing a film to the theater, and then do it again (usually to a lesser degree) when it releases to home video, this is probably not the best course of action for your film if you have an extremely limited budget. You need a sustained effort that keeps paying off for a while. A gradual trickle of interest over a sustained length of time rather than a total bombardment and then silence.

Here are a few tips you might think about when trying to build buzz around your film:

1)A publicity stunt-not my favorite but one used by many high profile celebrities. Think Lady Gaga and the meat dress. If you are largely unknown, this will probably mean doing something illegal or close to it for maximum media exposure or something very altruistic if local exposure will do. Plan to glom onto a major holiday and personify it with an action (Easter is coming up!) that will get a photographer interested or find a local charity you can partner with to make a grand gesture. The more you can tie it in to the subject of your film, the more it will benefit your sales.

Lady Gaga and the widely publicized meat dress

2)Smaller outlets to larger ones-a good campaign will be a sustained effort. If you have started your promotion efforts from the beginning (don’t get me started), there will be a gradual increase in coverage starting with small community coverage (forums, individual blog sites)usually taking place in the production phase through to coverage on sites that reach a large percentage of your target audience. In order to get repeat coverage, plan to have many different story angles to cover and if given enough notice (and a relationship) many writers will be open to multi story coverage.

3)Buzz is word of mouth-and it needs to be authentic. Barring a budget where you can buy bloggers to write about your film (and what kind of audience do they really have long term?), the best thing you can do is find and connect with influential people who really do love your work. Yes, reviews help and the more influential the writer/publication, the more it helps if they give you a good one. However, try to solicit reviews from sites that understand your film. Since almost all writing is published to the internet, potential audience will come across all kinds of reviews about your film. Be careful about who you invite to review it. Bear in mind, anyone these days is a reviewer, you can’t control what someone writes but you can minimize bad reviews by gauging the right fit.

4)Be ready for the onslaught-I continue to be appalled by filmmakers who want publicity, but don’t even have a website or social media pages set up. Where do you think people will go to find out more info after they hear about you? Yeah, a website and a damn good one. Let’s look professional here. Still this year, there were films who had submitted and were accepted into Sundance who did not have a website up. Seriously? The biggest break your film will probably ever get publicity-wise and you didn’t think about a website? Or you just have a placeholder page? C’mon guys, no more last century thinking. Websites take time to build (good ones do anyway) so get cracking early.

5)Releasing a film is NOT news-unless you are JJ Abrams or some other industry celeb. You actually have to have something or do something newsworthy. Think impact, prominence, timeliness and oddity. If you can think of story angles around these, the more likely you are to be covered.

And finally, “buzz” (or what I like to call awareness) is not built only using one tool and no budget. It is a combination of long term social media commitment, publicity, smart media buys and live events (screenings and speaking opportunities) that all get people talking and then buying.

ACTORSandCREW is fully psyched to be featuring Sheri Moss Candler’s 411 for the PMD. PMD stands for Producer of Marketing and Distribution and this is the person in a production whose sole job is marketing and figuring out the distribution path for the film so the producer and the rest of the production crew can get on with their work. Sheri is an expert inbound marketing strategist who helps independent filmmakers build identities for themselves and their films. Through the use of online tools such as social networking, podcasts, blogs, online media publications and radio, she assists filmmakers in building an engaged and robust online community for their work that can be used to monetize effectively. She collaborates with filmmaker/author Jon Reiss (who coined the term PMD) in his TOTBO workshop series by teaching filmmakers about utilizing social media and building personal brands. For Sheri’s complete bio visit her site, here.

Click here to read Shari’s original post

Useful for #Filmmakers: Social Media Marketing Industry Report 2011

April 14, 2011 BelowTheLine, Sheri Moss Candler No Comments

Once a year, the Social Media Examiner issues a report on the state of social media. I have pulled out a few of their findings that you may find useful in navigating the marketing of your film in the social media world. Please note, the participants come from different industries, not specifically media. Also, these findings do not mean that you have to strictly follow them. All projects are unique and have unique audiences. What works for one film/product will not automatically mean success for yours. Comments in parentheses are personal.

-75% of all Americans use social media. (if you haven’t started an account, it’s time!)

-nearly 25% of all online time is spent on social media sites.

-of the more than 3,000 survey participants, 1/2 have less than one year’s experience using social media for marketing.

-63% of people with 3 or more years of experience spend more than 10 hours a week doing social media activitie.s (I’m more like more than 10 hours a day!)

-The number one benefit of social media marketing is standing out in an increasingly noisy world.

-Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs were the top four social media tools used by marketers, with Facebook leading the pack. All of the other social media tools paled in comparison to these top four.

-A mere 40% of businesses plan on increasing their social bookmarking activities, only 36% of businesses will increase their forum activities.

-30% of marketers plan on increasing their use of geolocation services like Foursquare. Larger businesses are more likely to employ geolocation.

-Only 19% of marketers plan on increasing their use of Groupon or a similar group-shopping site.

-Asked if they were outsourcing any of their social media marketing efforts, the overwhelming majority said no, though the number of those who are outsourcing has doubled since the 2010 report, from 14% to 28%. (curious until I saw the next stat)

-Design and development, content creation and analytics are the top three areas that social media marketers are outsourcing. Those with 3 or more years experience are more likely to outsource design and development tasks. (Interesting, those with more experience don’t outsource content creation).

-Top three other types of marketing being utilized included email marketing, search engine optimization and event marketing.

-Slightly less than half (46%) plan on increasing their online advertising efforts. Large businesses (1000 or more employees) were most likely to increase online advertising.

-80% of marketers plan on either keeping the same levels or increasing their use of press releases. Small businesses were significantly more likely to employ press releases than larger ones.

-A significant 55% of marketers either have no plans to use or will decrease their use of print ads.

-Most marketers (68%) have no plans to use radio ads. Only 10% of businesses with 500 employees or more plan on increasing their use of television ads.

Click here to read Shari’s original post

Terry Curtin Named President of Relativity #Media, #Theatrical #Marketing

April 6, 2011 BelowTheLine No Comments

(Beverly Hills, CA) April 6, 2011 – Ryan Kavanaugh, CEO of Relativity Media, LLC announced today that Terry Curtin, currently the co-president of entertainment at the Cimarron Group, will join the company as President of Theatrical Marketing.

Curtin will oversee all planning, strategy and marketing execution of Relativity’s theatrical releases. In her position as President of Theatrical Marketing, she will directly report to Kavanaugh. Curtin will replace Peter Adee who is presently in the position.

“Curtin’s successes throughout her career, both at studios and creative vendors, speak volumes about the vision with which she leads a marketing campaign. Peter Adee promised to find his perfect replacement and with Terry’s experience in both traditional and digital media, she is just that. We are thrilled for her to drive Relativity’s marketing arm to new milestones of achievement,” says Kavanaugh.

Curtin added, “Ryan Kavanaugh has built Relativity into a company that is innovative and fearless. I am beyond excited to be joining a studio at which the ambitions are big, and the rule book is small. I look forward to partnering with Kyle Davies, and to working with the entire marketing team; all of whom have excellent reputations.”

At Cimarron Group, Curtin’s responsibilities included producing creative advertising elements for feature film and television campaigns, business development, corporate branding, client relations and co-oversight of more than 150 employees. Curtin was also instrumental in launching a strategy division at the agency that provides campaign blueprints, creative positioning, detailed audience analytics and tactical solutions in such areas as creative, digital, media and publicity. While at Cimarron, Curtin contributed to such successful campaigns as True Grit, Monsters vs. Aliens, Gran Torino, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, The CW’s The Vampire Diaries, Invictus, The Fourth Kind, GI Joe and The Twilight Saga (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse).

Prior to her position at Cimarron, Curtin was CEO/Creative Director of Intralink Film Graphic Design, where she contributed to such campaigns as American Gangster, The Da Vinci Code, The CW’s Gossip Girl, as well as such critically acclaimed projects as The Namesake, Young at Heart and The Kite Runner. Previously, Curtin was the President of Marketing and Distribution for Revolution Studios and has also held prominent roles in the marketing departments for Universal, Disney and 20th Century Fox.

Relativity currently has box office hit Limitless, starring Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish and Oscar®-winner Robert De Niro, in theatres. Looking ahead, the studio has popular book series adaptation Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer debuting on June 10th, followed by David R. Ellis’ Shark Night 3-D releasing on September 2nd. The highly-anticipated Immortals will release on November 11th, starring Henry Cavill, Stephen Dorff, Isabel Lucas, Freida Pinto, Luke Evans, Kellan Lutz, with John Hurt and Mickey Rourke. The studio is about to begin production on a yet-to-be titled Snow White film starring Lily Collins as Snow White, Oscar®-winner Julia Roberts as the queen and Armie Hammer as the prince.

ABOUT RELATIVITY MEDIA, LLC
Relativity Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company that focuses on creating, financing and distributing entertainment content and intellectual property across multiple platforms, as well as making strategic partnerships with, and opportunistic investments in, media and entertainment-related companies and assets. Relativity owns and operates Rogue, a company that specializes in the production and distribution of films targeted to the 13-25 year old audience. Building upon its foundation of financing and producing films, Relativity has grown to include music, sports and television divisions and the next-generation social network iamrogue.com. Relativity also owns and operates RelativityREAL, Relativity’s television arm, which is currently producing 14 series and more than 20 pilots including Police Women for TLC, Coming Home for Lifetime, and The Great Food Truck Race for Food Network.

To date, Relativity has committed to, produced and/or financed more than 200 motion pictures. Released films have accumulated more than $15.0 billion in worldwide box office revenue. Relativity’s recent films include The Fighter, Little Fockers, The Social Network, Salt, Despicable Me, Grown Ups, Charlie St. Cloud, Dear John, It’s Complicated, Zombieland, Couples Retreat, Get Him to the Greek, Robin Hood, and, most recently Battle: Los Angeles, James Cameron’s Sanctum in 3D, Season of the Witch, Take Me Home Tonight, Limitless and Hop. Upcoming films for Relativity include Immortals, Shark Night 3D, Bridesmaids, and Cowboys & Aliens. 36 of the company’s films have opened at No. 1 at the box office. Relativity films have earned 60 Oscar® nominations, including nods for Nine, A Serious Man, Frost/Nixon, Atonement, American Gangster and 3:10 to Yuma, The Wolfman, The Social Network and The Fighter. 55 of Relativity’s films have each generated more than $100 million in worldwide box-office receipts.

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The Lazy Actor : Banking, because $ rocks

April 6, 2011 BelowTheLine, The Lazy Actor No Comments

A separate biz banking account is a must for every actor. Even before you make the millions. The Lazy Actor explains why!

ACTORSandCREW is pleased to be featuring the practical insights on the business of Acting from Mercedes Rose:

“Mercedes Rose is a performer. That really is the best word to describe the acting, hosting, print modeling, voiceover and stunt work she gets paid to do. She provides the voice of Princess Rosalina for Super Mario Galaxy and Mario Kart for Nintendo Wii. In her spare time she enjoys napping and drinking large quantities of Diet Coke. But not at the same time. Obviously. Follow Mercedes on Twitter under the name @girlactor, friend request her on Facebook, or check out her IMDb page.”

#Film Society of Lincoln Center to Launch New State-of-the-Art Film Center in #NYC

April 6, 2011 BelowTheLine No Comments

Andrew Rossi’s PAGE ONE: INSIDE THE NEW YORK TIMES will be the Film Center’s Inaugural Film

New York, NY (April 5, 2011) – The Film Society of Lincoln Center, America’s pre-eminent New York-based non-profit film organization, announced today the June opening of its new landmark state-of-the-art Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, a multi-screen theater and cultural venue open to the public in the heart of Lincoln Center’s campus. The Film Center’s inaugural title will be Andrew Rossi’s PAGE ONE: INSIDE THE NEW YORK TIMES, an audience and critical favorite at the 2011 Sundance and SXSW Film Festivals, which will be released theatrically by Magnolia Pictures and play on both of the Film Center’s screens beginning June 17. Additionally, The Film Society has announced the appointment of veteran film executive Bingham Ray as the Film Center’s first run strategy consultant.

The new Film Center, named after The Film Society board member, and award-winning filmmaker and designer Elinor Bunin Munroe, is part of the 16-acre Lincoln Center campus redevelopment and has been designed by David Rockwell and Rockwell Group who also collaborated with Diller Scofidio + Renfro on the exterior. The 17,500 square foot venue will house 2 theaters, an amphitheater and a café. The 150-seat Francesca Beale Theater and the intimate 90-seat Howard Gilman Theater will show new specialized film releases. The Gilman will also offer special programs. The 75-seat amphitheater, with a 152” Panasonic Plasma screen (the largest of its kind on public display in the country) will house lectures, panels and educational programs.

“The Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center will be a major cultural destination in New York City, and a symbol of tremendous growth and expansion for the Film Society,” said Rose Kuo, Executive Director of The Film Society. “Our goal is to utilize the Film Center as a springboard into the future as we expand across multiple platforms – a process that has already begun with a total relaunch of our website – so that audiences can be a part of our community and connect with the Film Society at any time, from anywhere around the globe.”

For more than forty years, The Film Society (founded in 1969) has been introducing audiences to essential new cinema through screenings, film series and various festivals, most notably two world-class international events — the New York Film Festival which celebrates its 50^th Anniversary next year and New Directors/New Films, which just celebrated its 40^th anniversary. The new Film Center will allow The Film Society to extend its reach from the current facilities of the Walter Reade Theater in the following ways:

The Film Center will be able to offer the public a complete cultural experience – the opportunity to see films; experience installations, emerging digital technologies and digital art which will be featured in the amphitheater; participate in lectures and panels; attend live presentations and performances, and midnight programs; visit a Wi-Fi equipped café open throughout the day from early morning breakfasts to late night snacks; and find a setting to gather together with friends and families or encounter other culturally minded visitors.

The Film Center will be a space where The Film Society will explore new ways that filmmakers and other artists are using the moving image, particularly transmedia storytelling that embraces other platforms and formats, as well as projections, installations and exhibitions.

The Film Center will partner with schools and educators for educational programs and special screenings for adults and children.

The Film Center will be equipped with the latest internet technology to facilitate real-time participation and interaction at an international level, making it uniquely accessible in global terms.

“The Film Center is now at the forefront of a nationwide renaissance of the art-house experience. As this past winter has shown, there is a huge audience for intelligent film fare and this audience wants to see films in theaters. The fact that we can help provide a brand new state-of-the-art theater to New Yorkers and to everyone visiting this city is incredibly invigorating,” said Richard Peña, Program Director for The Film Society. “Rose and I are thrilled to be able to launch the Film Center with Andrew Rossi’s fascinating film. We also are happy to have Bingham’s vast experience and impeccable taste added to our dynamic team.”

Ray brings thirty years of executive experience in all aspects of the film business. Until recently, Ray was President of Creative Affairs at Sidney Kimmel Entertainment (SKE), where he supervised all production and development activities. Prior to SKE, Ray was President of United Artists (UA). During his three year tenure at UA, the company released many highly acclaimed films, such as BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE, HOTEL RWANDA, and PIECES OF APRIL. Prior to UA, Ray co-founded October Films where he served as its Co-President until its sale to USA Networks in 1999. In addition to now working with The Film Society, Ray will continue to serve as a consultant with SnagFilms, the New York-based digital distribution company.

In the tradition of great fly-on-the-wall documentaries, Rossi’s riveting documentary PAGE ONE: INSIDE THE NEW YORK TIMES, deftly gains unprecedented access to the New York Times newsroom and the inner workings of the Media Desk. With the Internet surpassing print as our main news source and newspapers all over the country going bankrupt, the film chronicles the transformation of the media industry at its time of greatest turmoil.

The Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, a collaboration between The Film Society and Lincoln Center, is a state-of-the-art, interactive media destination with acoustic and aesthetic elements. David Rockwell and the Rockwell Group artfully turned existing, underutilized office space and a parking garage into a series of street-level spaces that will catch the eye of visitors with cinema-inspired design and the comforts of modern theaters.

The Film Society established a Capital Campaign to fund the construction project, which broke ground in 2007. The Capital Campaign has raised 90% of the $41 million construction costs with the generous support from the Film Society’s Board of Directors, Lincoln Center and other private supporters. The additional funds needed are currently being raised during the public phase of the Capital Campaign, which just launched with a seat naming initiative. This public initiative will allow film lovers and cinephiles from around the world to be able to leave their permanent mark on the Film Center through the purchase of a seat or bench in one of the theaters or in the amphitheater. Individuals can name seats for themselves, in honor of a loved one, or a friend or family member, in perpetuity. For more information, go to: www.filmlinc.com .

The official opening of the Film Center on June 17 will be preceded by a multi-day launch celebration. Details of events and activities are still being finalized.

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About Film Society of Lincoln Center

Under the leadership of Rose Kuo, Executive Director, and Richard Peña, Program Director, the Film Society of Lincoln Center offers the best in international, classic and cutting-edge independent cinema. The Film Society presents two film festivals that attract global attention: the New York Film Festival, now in its 49th year, and New Directors/New Films which since its founding in 1972 has been produced in collaboration with MoMA. The Film Society also publishes the award-winning Film Comment magazine, and for over three decades has given an annual award – now named “The Chaplin Award” – to a major figure in world cinema. Past recipients of this award include Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Federico Fellini, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks. The Film Society receives generous, year-round support from 42BELOW, American Airlines, The New York Times, Stella Artois, The National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York State Council on the Arts.

Why #Filmmakers Need Community Support

April 6, 2011 BelowTheLine, Sheri Moss Candler No Comments

In the past few months, maybe most of this year, I have submitted a few posts to various blogs and invariably it invites criticism and jeering in the comment section from some in the indie film community who are less than thrilled with what I have to say. I can only venture a guess as to why they do this and it certainly won’t stop me from writing my views, but I want everyone to consider what they are doing when they decide to leave words that are not only unsupportive of others views but sometimes cruel and bitter. There is a whole group of people in indie film who are focused on wanting things to change for the better, who want to help in any way they can and want to encourage each other in their pursuits. If the views being expressed by them don’t resonate with you, find a community of people whose views do and join them. No one should be alone here.

It is not surprising the film business is tough and cruel; it chews people up every day and it often leads to bitterness and loneliness. Before the advent of social media tools, you had to depend on finding a supportive network in your physical locale. The true wonder of the internet and social networking in particular is that you can find your “people” wherever they are in the world. Say what you like about Twitter, it is one tool I have seen work time and again to join people with similar interests and mentalities together who live in very different parts of the world. I personally know everyone in this video from Egofest because of Twitter and I think they probably know each other from using it too. They are some of the most supportive people you could ever meet. Another great group for script writers can be found on #scriptchat and I am sure the list goes on.

The point I am trying to make is, there is enough bitterness in the world outside of filmmaking. We should be supporting each other, not tearing each other down. It doesn’t mean you have to agree with everyone, but find some group you do agree with and band together. You NEED this support, you shouldn’t be an island, you can’t survive that way and there is no reason to continue alone. Stop tearing down others’ views and start finding your tribe.

Tags: #scriptchat, community support, EgoFest

ACTORSandCREW is fully psyched to be featuring Sheri Moss Candler’s 411 for the PMD. PMD stands for Producer of Marketing and Distribution and this is the person in a production whose sole job is marketing and figuring out the distribution path for the film so the producer and the rest of the production crew can get on with their work. Sheri is an expert inbound marketing strategist who helps independent filmmakers build identities for themselves and their films. Through the use of online tools such as social networking, podcasts, blogs, online media publications and radio, she assists filmmakers in building an engaged and robust online community for their work that can be used to monetize effectively. She collaborates with filmmaker/author Jon Reiss (who coined the term PMD) in his TOTBO workshop series by teaching filmmakers about utilizing social media and building personal brands. For Sheri’s complete bio visit her site, here.

Click here to read Shari’s original post

The Rebirth of Indie Cinema in Los Angeles

March 28, 2011 BelowTheLine No Comments

ACTORSandCREW had the very good fortune to attend the premiere event for the Indie Cinema Series in Los Angeles last night. Their stated mission is to get people back in to what makes Film cool in the first place – its power to inspire wonder, collaborative effort, and thoughtful discussion. We’d add that it’s also an excellent opportunity to rub elbows in a great environment with some of the best talent working in Film in LA.

Here’s a brief overview clip of what the quarterly event is all about:

That clip doesn’t actually do the space justice. It’s about 6000 square feet, with (perhaps) 70 foot ceilings, the crowd was tony and quite Filmic, and for everyone’s edification there was a robust amount of talent displayed on screen. We were particularly impressed with the offering from Ron Noble, Director of ‘Hope Springs Eternal’:

It’s funny, Ron doesn’t seem all that dark in polite conversation That trailer is misleading – the full film is actually hilarious.

And in the same way Ron’s movie inspired dark laughter, warmth and wonder were conveyed (in a sweeping period style) by the evening’s ultimate winner “The Butterfly Circus”:

After all of the screenings, the floor was opened to a panel of Industry experts who engaged in a very lively discussion:

Anne Norda
Anne Norda is a filmmaker and photographer. Her first feature film, “Red is the Color Of”, which she wrote, directed and produced, won “Best Feature Film” at both the La Femme Film Festival and the Oxford International Festival, garnered international distribution and is available on Netflix. She studied photography and filmmaking at the Parsons School of Design in Paris and New York and was a Fulbright scholar.

Ari Paltz
Ari Palitz is an accomplished producer and director in commercial, music videos and feature film arenas. Hailing from NYC, Palitz was Head of Production for The Syndicate Entertainment Group and Insomnia Media where he produced over a dozen feature films, such as “The Grand” starring Woody Harrelson, “Across the Hall” with Brittany Murphy, “Minkow” with James Caan and “Unbeatable Harold” which he directed as well. In 2010 Palitz produced the award winning, interactive music video “The Wilderness Downtown” for the band Arcade Fire.

David Wagner
Having worked professionally in the industry as a screenwriter for more than a dozen years, David built a great foundation for his continued success. David began his career at the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting, where went on to co-write and produce one of the most successful short films, “Saving Ryan’s Privates.” From that notoriety, he went on to co-write “Van Wilder” and “The Girl Next Door,” and has worked steadily in the industry ever since. David is currently in development on several projects, including an animated feature with DreamWorks and a family comedy at Disney. Currently, he is represented by Adam Kanter and Martin Spencer at CAA.

Wagner, interestingly, suggested that the plurality of the Filmmakers featured who were without Agents could easily secure them, going so far as to introduce participants to his own representation at CAA.

All in all, a very interesting evening, and we’d strongly suggest that if you’re in Los Angeles for their next event in June, that you attend.

Who Wants To Understand the Power of Little Networks?

March 23, 2011 BelowTheLine, Sheri Moss Candler No Comments

The humans in your audience; they aren’t mere eyeballs

I came across this post from Brian Solis about audiences. I found that it really helps to demystify why social networking platforms have made such an important impact on society. I don’t think most people really realize the impact; they simply see social networking as either a hobby, a waste of time or a free way to self promote. Or they say this type of networking has always existed, it has just moved online. I don’t agree. I think what is happening now is a complete shift in how we communicate and with whom we communicate. It isn’t just the tools available to us, but the creative and exciting ways we use them to reach people and assemble those people into spheres of influence.

“The cultural impact of new media is profound as it weaves a new fabric for how we connect and communicate with one another. As a digital society, we are ushering in an era where everyday people form a global network of self-empowered social intermediaries that accelerate and proliferate the reach and effect of information and experiences.”-Brian Solis

In Solis’ post, he references the words of Jay Rosen from 2006 where he addressed the people of the media from the perspective of the people formerly known as “audience.” While some see audience as the faceless mass waiting to be entertained or reduced to eyeballs needing to be captured, Rosen points out that audiences now have the means and ability to make their own work. Hence, the glut of content now available and the multiple distractions competing for everyone’s time. This could be perceived as a bad thing or as a good thing.

A bad thing because all of the content being produced isn’t what some would call “professional” or worthy of attention. It also makes it that much more difficult to wade through the crap to get to the gold bits(from the consumer perspective) and that much harder to raise your gold to the level of consciousness in order to make an impact and a living (from the creator perspective).

A good thing because more people will have a newfound respect for those with talent (it isn’t easy to create content worthy of an audience) and a network of creators can be harnessed to spread work much further than an expensive ad campaign can do. When everyone can speak, you are no longer dependent on the words of the few with access to broadcast (or the means to buy media space) for recommendation. By making connections with those most interested and inspired by your work, you are creating a web of interconnected communication that helps to spread the work faster and further and more cheaply. They speak for you, with you and amongst each other, but ONLY if you have made those connections. How do you make the connections? They are made by 1)using the networking tools to communicate (dialog, not monologue) and 2)knowing who you are trying to reach. Really knowing them, not having a vague idea of them.

You must stop creating work without thinking about the audience. Those faceless people, those eyeballs, must become real. You must think about the human with whom you are trying to communicate. After you devise the story you want to tell (NOT after you make it, but while you are creating it!), I want the next thought in your head to be “who is going to love this?” and be able to visualize that person in detail. I hope you can see someone similar to yourself. The key to knowing that audience is being a part of it yourself and everyone who works on it also must be part of it in some way. You cannot hope to build an audience for your work if you cannot say who they are, exactly, and how you are going to tell them about your work.

Also, it isn’t enough to hire the most talented person or the person who will work the cheapest. The people you hire (or collaborate with) should also have a voice that can be used to help spread the word of your project. Really take that last sentence to heart, both as an employer and as an employee. Your worth as a craftsperson is no longer only judged on your abilities, it is also being judged on how big of a network you personally bring to a project. I can hear the balking already, but just think about this. What is the value a film star brings to a project? It isn’t just acting ability and how good looking they are on screen. It is how well recognized and how big their personal audience is that determines their worth. Studios know this, distributors know this, that is why star vehicle films are MUCH more attractive buys than non star driven films. A celebrity’s personal audience is worth a lot financially to them and so it should be to you and so it should be to the person employing you. Those personal networks didn’t spring up overnight, they were carefully cultivated over time and it is something you too should be doing every day. Personal networks should no longer be prerequisites only for those on screen, they should be considered for everyone and everyone should believe enough in the projects they are working on and want them to succeed that they are willing to evangelize them to their personal networks. Lots of little networks on a project grow into bigger ones so it is beneficial for you as a creator to cultivate a team around you who all have little networks that are similar to your own and to the audience you are trying to reach.

The power of building audience lies in the aggregation of little networks and genuinely knowing the humans behind the networks.

ACTORSandCREW is fully psyched to be featuring Sheri Moss Candler’s 411 for the PMD. PMD stands for Producer of Marketing and Distribution and this is the person in a production whose sole job is marketing and figuring out the distribution path for the film so the producer and the rest of the production crew can get on with their work. Sheri is an expert inbound marketing strategist who helps independent filmmakers build identities for themselves and their films. Through the use of online tools such as social networking, podcasts, blogs, online media publications and radio, she assists filmmakers in building an engaged and robust online community for their work that can be used to monetize effectively. She collaborates with filmmaker/author Jon Reiss (who coined the term PMD) in his TOTBO workshop series by teaching filmmakers about utilizing social media and building personal brands. For Sheri’s complete bio visit her site, here.

Click here to read Shari’s original post

#SXSW #Film Announces 2011 Winners

March 16, 2011 BelowTheLine No Comments

Austin, Texas – March 16, 2011 – The Jury and Audience Award-winners of the 2011 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival were announced tonight at the Festival’s Awards Ceremony, hosted by comedian Owen Egerton in Austin, Texas. Feature Films receiving Jury Awards were selected from the Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature categories. New for 2011, films in competition were also eligible for Jury Awards for Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Score/Music, Best Screenplay (narratives) and Breakthrough Performance (narratives). Films in these categories, as well as Spotlight Premieres, Emerging Visions, Midnighters, Lone Star States and 24 Beats Per Second, were also eligible for 2011 SXSW Film Festival Audience Awards. Only Narrative and Documentary Feature, Spotlight Premieres and Emerging Visions Audience Awards were announced tonight. Lone Star States, 24 Beats Per Second and Midnighters Audience Awards will be announced separately on Saturday, March 19.

SXSW also announced the Jury Award-winners in Shorts Filmmaking and Film Design Awards, and Special Awards, including the Louis Black / Lone Star Award, the SXSW Chicken & Egg Emergent Narrative Woman Director Award and the SXSW Wholphin Award. Details can be found at www.sxsw.com/film.

“It’s been completely exciting to witness the overwhelming appreciation and acclaim for the 2011 SXSW Film lineup,” said Film Conference and Festival Producer Janet Pierson. “The unique combination creative talents from music, film and technology all in the same environment has once again set an electric backdrop for our films, and across the board, the combustion of new talent, fresh perspectives, and the engaged community has been exhilarating. We are happy our Awards can honor even a sliver of the wide-ranging talent we were privileged to host this year.”

The 2011 SXSW Film Festival Juries consisted of:

Narrative Feature Competition: Roger Ebert, Logan Hill, Michelle Satter

Documentary Feature Competition: Mark Olsen, Lisa Schwarzbaum, Sky Sitney

Narrative Shorts: Jon Korn, Jay Van Hoy, Rose Vincelli

Documentary Shorts: Brad Beesley, Jay Duplass, Amanda Micheli

Animated Shorts: Austin Kleon, Bill Plympton, Alison Willmore

Music Videos: Tom Blankenship, John Kunz, Ron Mann

Texas Shorts: Victor Diaz, Megan Gilbride, Adam Roffman

Texas High School Shorts: Cole Dabney, Marcy Garriott, Bart Weiss

Title Design: Ian Albinson, Jenny Lee, Tommy Pallota, Ron Pippin, Kurt Volk

Poster Design: Craig Crutchfield, Craig Denham, Marc English, Tim League, Charlie Loft, Danny Parker

Louis Black / Lone Star: Marjorie Baumgarten, Elvis Mitchell, Robert Wilonsky

For the 2011 SXSW Film Festival, 140 features, consisting of 66 World Premieres, 15 North American Premieres and 15 U.S. Premieres, were selected from a record 1,792 feature-length film submissions composed of 1,323 U.S. and 469 international feature-length films. 153 shorts were selected from 3,089 short film submissions. The nearly 300 films were selected from 4,911 overall submissions; a record number and a 23% increase over 2010. The 2011 SXSW Film Festival Awards were hosted by Ovation TV.

The 2011 SXSW Film Festival Award Winners:

Feature Film Jury Awards

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION

Grand Jury Winner: Dragonslayer
Director: Tristan Patterson

Best Editing: Where Soldiers Come From
Editors: Kyle Henry & Heather Courtney

Best Cinematography: Dragonslayer
Director of Photography: Eric Koretz

Best Score/Music: The City Dark
Music by: The Fishermen Three, Ben Fries

NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION

Grand Jury Winner: Natural Selection
Director: Robbie Pickering

Breakthrough Performances:
Evan Ross – 96 Minutes
Rachael Harris – Natural Selection
Matt O’Leary – Natural Selection

Best Screenplay: Natural Selection
Writer: Robbie Pickering

Best Editing: Natural Selection
Editor: Michelle Tesoro

Best Cinematography: A Year in Mooring
Director of Photography: Elliot Davis

Best Score/Music: Natural Selection
Music by: iZLER, Curt Schneider

Feature Film Audience Awards

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Winner: Kumaré
Director: Vikram Gandhi

NARRATIVE FEATURE
Winner: Natural Selection
Director: Robbie Pickering

SPOTLIGHT PREMIERES
Winner: Becoming Santa
Director: Jeff Myers

EMERGING VISIONS
Winner: Weekend
Director: Andrew Haigh

*Audience Awards for 24 Beats Per Second, Lone Star States, and Midnighters sections will be announced on Saturday, March 19, 2011.

Short Film Jury Awards

NARRATIVE SHORTS
Winner: Pioneer
Director: David Lowery

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
Winner: Mothersbane
Director: Jason Jakaitis

ANIMATED SHORTS
Winner: THE WONDER HOSPITAL
Director: Beomsik Shimbe Shim

MUSIC VIDEOS
Winner: Hollerado, “Americanarama”
Director: Greg Jardin

TEXAS SHORTS
Winner: 8
Director: Julie Gould & Daniel Laabs

TIME WARNER CABLE & OVATION YOUNG FILMMAKER SCHOLARSHIP for
TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL SHORTS
Winner: ( __ )
Director: Chad Werner

SXSW Film Design Awards

EXCELLENCE IN POSTER DESIGN
Winner: Silver Bullets
Designer: Yann Legendre

Audience Award Winner: Green
Designer: Adrian Kolarczyk

EXCELLENCE IN TITLE DESIGN
Winner: Blue Valentine
Designer: Jim Helton

Audience Award Winner: Blue Valentine
Designer: Jim Helton

SXSW Special Awards

SXSW WHOLPHIN AWARD
Winner: The Eagleman Stag
Director: Mikey Please

SXSW CHICKEN & EGG EMERGENT NARRATIVE WOMAN DIRECTOR AWARD
Winner: Sophia Takal for Green

LOUIS BLACK / LONE STAR AWARD
Winner: INCENDIARY: The Willingham Case
Directors: Steve Mims & Joe Bailey, Jr.

KAREN SCHMEER FILM EDITING FELLOWSHIP
Presented to: Erin Casper

About South by Southwest Film Conference & Festival

The SXSW Film Conference and Festival is a uniquely creative environment featuring the dynamic convergence of talent, smart audiences and industry heavyweights. A hotbed of discovery and interactivity, the event offers invaluable networking opportunities and immersion into the art and business of the rapidly evolving world of independent film.

The Film Conference buzzes as world-class speakers, creative minds, and notable mentors tackle the latest filmmaking trends amidst the unmatched social atmosphere of the SXSW experience. Simultaneously, the internationally acclaimed, nine-day Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, featuring a truly diverse program that includes provocative documentaries, subversive comedies, DIY narratives, genre standouts and more.