A Silverdocs Report
I was fortunate to sit in on the Silverdocs seminar, “Distribution Now: Strategic Thinking for the Feature Doc.” The event was moderated by Liz Ogilvie of Docurama Films and the featured panelists were Steven Beer (Greenberg Traurig, LLC), Jim Browne (Argot Pictures), Ira Deutchman (Emerging Pictures), Sandi DuBowski (Trembling Before G-D), and Julie Goldman (Cactus Three).
As is often the case with industry confabs, the event was both inspiring and dispiriting. Steven Beer led off with the cheery news that the documentary marketplace is “no longer robust,” adding that fear rules the marketplace. He took a direct, if polite, swipe at moderator Ogilvie’s Docurama as an example of a company hobbled by too-conservative acquisition choices. Everyone is looking for “guaranteed home runs,” he suggested, and are less concerned about “bold” films getting to market.
Deutchman concurred, saying that the “so-called documentary boom is a myth,” born of the fact that technology has allowed more people to make more movies. Which is a good thing on the whole, though the results clearly reveal that everyone is not a documentary filmmaker. Deutchman likened the situation to that of the Internet and real estate bubbles.
Deutchman listed the niches that traditionally do well: spiritual films, films with Jewish- or gay-related content. Also popular: triumphs over adversity, cute animals, and star-driven vehicles. So my film about a Jewish penguin searching for its lost gay father in the Gobi desert (narrated by Morgan Freeman) is a lock for Oscar gold!
What the public does not care for at all are any more Iraq docs.
The other painful insight came from the ever-enthusiastic DuBowski, who noted that “the era of just attending a movie is over.” The theatrical market is “screwed up,” said Deutchman, and picking up on DuBowski’s “event” point, noted that with more big screen TVs and home theaters, there is less reason to go out. Movies are too expensive, in fact the most expensive/least convenient entertainment option. It has to cost less to go to the movies than to buy a DVD, he argued. Yet Deutchman also noted that most people want to watch a documentary on TV.
So the new distribution strategy is “all about what you can do that’s analog.” That is, bringing people together and offering them something that they can’t get from the Internet.” Loyal audiences love community. To that end, Browne mentioned the film Note By Note: The Making of Steinway L1037. The piano company agreed to support the film by putting the namesake product on “tour,” trucking it to screenings and hiring Steinway artists to play it at shows.
Deutchman also mentioned a doc about Cubs player Ron Santo, noting that while filling a special, small niche it nonetheless had a $500,000 theatrical run in the Chicago area and sold 85,000 DVDs direct via the Net.
DuBowski offered the three pillars by which he operates: Create Impact, Create Career, Make Money. A judge at the fest, DuBowski arrived a bit late and almost immediately passed out postcards advertising his next film, A Jihad for Love. “This is how we get people involved,” he said. “The middle disappears.” DuBowski’s idea is to turn cinema into a town hall experience, “turn the movie into a movement,” creating “evenings” with activists and other organizations simpatico with the film’s subject. To that end, he looks for a partner rather than a distributor. And do not give away exclusive DVD rights, he cautioned.
We’re in the “era of filmanthropy,” he said, mentioning the Council of Foundations, which offers four film festivals and is a source for some of those supposedly loose dollars. Also mentioned was the Creative Capital Foundation.
Goldman concurred that a theatrical release is not the “golden ring.” Sending films on a college campus tour is a viable option. DuBowski agreed, saying, “We can become entrepreneurs.” He pointed out that speakers bureaus now have filmmaker clients and a university tour can put money in the pocket. Not getting into Sundance is “not the end of the world,” said Beer.
Deutchman said filmmakers must have a “festival strategy.” Is your goal distribution? Press coverage? Find those festivals that can best meet specific goals. That said, it’s harder to get buyers to festivals. “Send a screener,” they say. Beer stressed the need to hire a publicist and to save money for post-production. He also claimed there is validity in being a big fish in a small pond (festival), which can help build a presence in the marketplace.
Goldman said that it is possible to charge festivals for screening your work.
An audience member asked if New York City was still the place to screen your film. The consensus of the New York-based panel was yes. There are so many critics, so many opportunities for press and a NYC run offers the “feel” of a proper release.
On day-and-date theater/DVD releases, the panel approved. “You want people to see your movie,” said Beer. Release dates are not something people care about and the D&D practice will likely continue. “Give consumers choice,” said Deutchman.
Finally, a producer in the audience asked if a sad ending will affect a film’s chances. “Depends on how depressing it is,” said Deutchman. If there is an emotional release, audiences will embrace the film.
