Happy Beginnings: New digital platforms
On 29th January there is an event in Rotterdam discussing the impact of digital on the film industry. The opportunities, changes in filmmaker-producer-sales agent-distributor relationships, how to create sustainable business and revenue models and getting your film to the audience are the subjects of Monday’s panel. Michael Gubbins (Screen International) moderates the discussion with Liz Rosenthal, Jeremy Nathan and Dagmar Heijmans.
This event happens on Monday 15:30–17:00, and is open to all Film Festival guests.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Saturday, January 27, 2007
As Eninem would say 'Lose Yourself'
Rather than quoting Oscar Wilde as is the want of most film critics I would like to paraphrase a more modern philosopher by the name of Eninem from Detroit.
If you had one shot
Or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted, in one moment
Would you capture it, or just let it slip
So what has this got to do with Film 2.0. Well with the advent of digital, the democratisation of film making, taking it from $200 million blokcbusters into the hands of anyone with a digital camera and a talent, means that everyone now has a shot.
Now just because everyone now has the tools, does not mean that suddenly end up with 1000 masterpieces, in fact the opposite is more true as quality suffers. If you strap 100000 monkeys to typewriters you may end up with one writing the works of Shakespeare and so the odds are that 100,000 filmmakers strapped to a digital camera by the law of averages someone will make a decent film. The film Tarnation made for 50p about his own life is an indication of what can be done. Though as much of the success is down to years of editing and a major publicy campaign. Films often quoted are Super Size Me, and Fahrenheit 9/11, though what is obvious is that over the next few years the greatest revolution ever to take place in film since Sound is going to change the rules. Everyone knows change is coming, apart from the Studios who continue to plough upwards in their desire to make bigger and bigger tentpole films with less and less story and relevance. But no one knows what the future will be. The great thing is that the Opportunities are here and now.
So what are you waiting for, get writing and filming now…. ‘cos opportunity comes once in a lifetime.
Rather than quoting Oscar Wilde as is the want of most film critics I would like to paraphrase a more modern philosopher by the name of Eninem from Detroit.
If you had one shot
Or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted, in one moment
Would you capture it, or just let it slip
So what has this got to do with Film 2.0. Well with the advent of digital, the democratisation of film making, taking it from $200 million blokcbusters into the hands of anyone with a digital camera and a talent, means that everyone now has a shot.
Now just because everyone now has the tools, does not mean that suddenly end up with 1000 masterpieces, in fact the opposite is more true as quality suffers. If you strap 100000 monkeys to typewriters you may end up with one writing the works of Shakespeare and so the odds are that 100,000 filmmakers strapped to a digital camera by the law of averages someone will make a decent film. The film Tarnation made for 50p about his own life is an indication of what can be done. Though as much of the success is down to years of editing and a major publicy campaign. Films often quoted are Super Size Me, and Fahrenheit 9/11, though what is obvious is that over the next few years the greatest revolution ever to take place in film since Sound is going to change the rules. Everyone knows change is coming, apart from the Studios who continue to plough upwards in their desire to make bigger and bigger tentpole films with less and less story and relevance. But no one knows what the future will be. The great thing is that the Opportunities are here and now.
So what are you waiting for, get writing and filming now…. ‘cos opportunity comes once in a lifetime.
What is is about numbers?
Film 2.0, Spiderman 3, Rocky V , Web2.0
So yes we are guilty as charged. Film 2.0 is a bit too geekish, though I felt it describes what we are trying to say, ie Film has began a new generation.
But for a change i just wanted to talk about numbers in film titles. Why on earth do so many film titles have numbers in them? What is wrong with The Getaway, The Shawshank Redemption, The Movie?
Memorable numbered titles include Dudley Moore chasing Bo Derek the perfect “10”. 9 ½ weeks with Kim Basinger (why the half I never knew, what’s wrong with 9). And of course the numbers have to get bigger for multiplex audiences, so we had 101 Dalmatians a couple of years ago, and now we have 300 hitting cinemas this year. Who wants to see 50 or 100, when you can have 300.
Some titles seem to work, Seven, for instance. But for a sequel would the next be the rather unimaginative Eight? And confusingly this year we have Fantastic 4 2 ! eventually we will have fantastic 4 4 which is a publicist’s dream.
As audiences are force fed ever more sequels, then the numbers grow ever more. In the seventies and eighties the higher the numbers the worse the film. Anyone remember ‘police academy 6’ , was there ever a 7?
As we enter the year 2007, 3 seems to be the magic number today. Spiderman 3, Shrek 3, Pirates of the Caribbean 3. Lord of the Rings sealed the trend with the Trilogy being a huge commercial success. Unfortunately for audiences films like Matrix 2, and Pirates 2 didn’t really have an ending so you have to wait a year to find out what happened. In the fifties it was popular to have weekly cliffhangers, would the heroine be saved, but a year or two to wait for an ending!
And probably the most curious of the trilogies, Star Wars. We had 1 2 and 3, but then of course it was pointed out that these were really 4, 5 and 6 and they were just waiting for the technology to film 1, 2 and 3.
At least there is a sign of hope from the most unlikely of sources. Sylvester Stallone having milked the formula for the underdog boxer thru Rocky 1, II, III, IV, V released the latest with the genius title of “Rocky Balboa”. Genius.
Feel free to add your thoughts and let us know what your favourite numbers are, and let us know any suggestions for new number titles would be and why, and try to be more imaginative than 69, the sequel to Deep Throat.
Welcome to Film 2.0
We hope over time these pages will educate emerging filmmakers and provide inspiration as you make your movies. Knowledge is power, and we want to highlight the good things that people out there in the world are doing right now, to pioneer new forms of filmmaking. Be it a 120 minute feature, a 60 minute documentary or a 30 second clip we will showcase and discuss the pioneering movements.
What are the aims of Film 2.0?
As digital takes hold of the film industry, shakes it up and spits it out at the other end we want to shine a light on even the darkest corners of the traditional industry forcing it to change.
What is/ was Film 1.0?
Film 1.0 is essentially film as we know it today. Since it’s invention 100 years ago, film has not changed particularly much. Sound has been added (significant) and a host of variations Widescreen, Technicolor, and 3D. But essentially film is still the same as it was originally, a piece of film exposed to light on 35mm, big bulky prints shipped around the world, and blown up on cinema screens for the world to see. Film marketing has changed beyond belief, with more and more money, but the actual process of making a film is the same, apart from larger and larger budgets.
So what exactly is Film 2.0?
Film 2.0 is a step change. The internet is everyone’s focus right now, but it is Digital technology in particular that is the driver for change, across all aspects of the film industry.
Film production in particular has seen the most changes, from the special effects of big movies delivering unbelievable experiences, compare the Star Wars movies, to the more fundamental capability of allowing independent filmmakers to pick up a Digital camera and make a movie. This democratisation of film making is a fundamental driver for Film 2.0.
And now the rest of the industry is adopting the technology, as cinemas become digital theatres, and distributors start to ship digital copies rather than bulky and expensive 35mm prints.
And this is just a start, as the internet starts to change the business models for ever. Long tail economics are becoming a reality for the better of film makers and the audience. Choice and true independence as filmmakers make and distribute their own movies.
Why the name Film 2.0?
We wanted to encapsulate what we are doing which is reporting on the fundamental changes to the film industry.
Firstly we had wanted to have a fun title like Cyber Dogging, What is Bobo, or something apple like cool such as iFilm or iMovies, or something different like Facebook or Skype. But boy oh boy thinking of something original and finding a domain name is so difficult (who is buying all these domains).
So as the phrase goes, if it looks like a dog and sounds like a dog, then call it a dog. So Film had to be in there. and our backgrounds are from the .com era, so right now Web 2.0 is all the rage. So Autumn 2006 we went domain searching and bingo Film 2.0 was available, and our baby was born.
What next?
Lots of articles, anecdotes and hopefully some interesting discussions can begin.
The future is about conversations, and we want to seed those conversations and debates by highlighting different areas.
We hope over time these pages will educate emerging filmmakers and provide inspiration as you make your movies. Knowledge is power, and we want to highlight the good things that people out there in the world are doing right now, to pioneer new forms of filmmaking. Be it a 120 minute feature, a 60 minute documentary or a 30 second clip we will showcase and discuss the pioneering movements.
What are the aims of Film 2.0?
As digital takes hold of the film industry, shakes it up and spits it out at the other end we want to shine a light on even the darkest corners of the traditional industry forcing it to change.
What is/ was Film 1.0?
Film 1.0 is essentially film as we know it today. Since it’s invention 100 years ago, film has not changed particularly much. Sound has been added (significant) and a host of variations Widescreen, Technicolor, and 3D. But essentially film is still the same as it was originally, a piece of film exposed to light on 35mm, big bulky prints shipped around the world, and blown up on cinema screens for the world to see. Film marketing has changed beyond belief, with more and more money, but the actual process of making a film is the same, apart from larger and larger budgets.
So what exactly is Film 2.0?
Film 2.0 is a step change. The internet is everyone’s focus right now, but it is Digital technology in particular that is the driver for change, across all aspects of the film industry.
Film production in particular has seen the most changes, from the special effects of big movies delivering unbelievable experiences, compare the Star Wars movies, to the more fundamental capability of allowing independent filmmakers to pick up a Digital camera and make a movie. This democratisation of film making is a fundamental driver for Film 2.0.
And now the rest of the industry is adopting the technology, as cinemas become digital theatres, and distributors start to ship digital copies rather than bulky and expensive 35mm prints.
And this is just a start, as the internet starts to change the business models for ever. Long tail economics are becoming a reality for the better of film makers and the audience. Choice and true independence as filmmakers make and distribute their own movies.
Why the name Film 2.0?
We wanted to encapsulate what we are doing which is reporting on the fundamental changes to the film industry.
Firstly we had wanted to have a fun title like Cyber Dogging, What is Bobo, or something apple like cool such as iFilm or iMovies, or something different like Facebook or Skype. But boy oh boy thinking of something original and finding a domain name is so difficult (who is buying all these domains).
So as the phrase goes, if it looks like a dog and sounds like a dog, then call it a dog. So Film had to be in there. and our backgrounds are from the .com era, so right now Web 2.0 is all the rage. So Autumn 2006 we went domain searching and bingo Film 2.0 was available, and our baby was born.
What next?
Lots of articles, anecdotes and hopefully some interesting discussions can begin.
The future is about conversations, and we want to seed those conversations and debates by highlighting different areas.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
