Producer's Rep Steven C. Beer gave IndieWire and DIY/indie filmmakers who are moving forward with the new empowerment model of distribution, five essential priority empowerment elements worth considering prior to going to Sundance or another key festival. Here is some of this inspiring piece after the jump:
"For many independent filmmakers and producers, 2010 - starting with the upcoming Sundance Film Festival - figures to be a watershed year and the beginning of a Decade of Filmmaker Empowerment. After years of disenchantment with traditional all-rights distribution deals, filmmakers and producers are poised to take matters into their own hands and forge a truly independent path to marketing and distributing their films.
For over 30 years, the Sundance Film Festival has been the jewel of the domestic film festival crown. Year after year, audiences flock to Park City to screen original films from new voices with fresh perspectives. Film industry executives attend the festival to discover and possibly work with a new class of promising filmmakers. For the new generation of filmmakers, Sundance is an unparalleled opportunity to gain recognition and screen films before appreciative audiences.
The economic climate over recent Sundance seasons has been harsh however. For many filmmakers pursuing traditional deals with multi-screen commitments and substantial minimum guarantees, January, 2010 is likely to represent another winter of frozen dreams. The once hot seller’s market where distributors chased producers with rich deals has cooled down considerably. The surviving mini-majors have concluded that marketing and distributing independent films can be risky business. The recent demise of Paramount Vantage and Warner Independent and downsizing at The Weinstein Company and Miramax contributes to a chilly forecast for this January.
The road from Park City to the urban art house cinema is icy and treacherous. Here is the good news: there are warmer days ahead offering a more stable course to distribution. The new terrain promises unprecedented control and maximum flexibility as filmmakers and producers hit the distribution trail.Taking advantage of new opportunities in the marketplace, savvy filmmakers and producers will approach Sundance 2010 and other key festivals with a customized empowerment strategy. This new paradigm contemplates the probability that they will contract with several distribution partners rather than seek traditional, one-stop/all rights distribution arrangements."
Read the rest of this piece HERE.
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