...firstly, I am hijacking a thread. The independant movie industry one is making my head hurt.
...However, I actually got an idea when looking it over...
...In my home town, there are two small independently owned movie theaters. They both only have one screen. Now, of course, there are the 'movieplexes'; GKC and AMC, but these two little theaters are second run houses.
...In the metro Detroit area, there are two independantly owned and operated theaters that are well known for showing independant films, (the Maple and Main Art Theaters).
...I would think that there are little one screen theaters all over the country like these, one screen, showing art, indie or second run films.
...What if these owners could be convinced that there is an audience for indie film (because there is) and also be impressed upon to make some sort of 'commitment to showing indie film? What if they could become maybe a co-op (?), where they decide and agree that okay, we will show 'Primer', we will show 'Murderball', we will show 'Memento', show 'Supersize Me' or whatever indie film is being appreciated.
...since Hollywood wants so much to show 'Dukes of Hazzard', fine. These theaters could commit to showing these small films that people hear just won at Sundance or Cannes or Slamdance or what have you as an alternative to the usual fare.
...maybe, since they know (indie filmmakers can impress this upon them) that indie filmmakers are usually just this side of broke, they can give cut rates to these filmmakers. This way, they have more films to choose from with an almost guaranteed audience of people who want more to watch than yet another car chase and explosion and the indie filmmakers have a place to show.
...since these films are often considered to be 'art' and therefore present a service to the community, maybe they could be advertised on the televised community bulletin boards that tv stations sometimes use to satisfy fcc regulations of community service and therefore would be free advertising.
...maybe an agreement could be made to show, say 'Primer' for about 2 weeks. If it does well (relatively well) give another week. If not, well, it had a 2 week run in a theater which is enough time for people to find the film and like it or not like it. People vote with thier pocketbooks.
...if the film gets discovered by Hollywood the way 'Resevouir Dogs' did, then okay, the film gets picked up, and good luck, but since the indie theaters made the initial committment to a film that was initially ignored by the Big Industry, something is given in exchange for the 'release' of this film to the bigger distributor, like 'This film discovered by Indie Co-op Theaters' or something like that. Something that would make it worth the risk of taking on the film in the first place and to make up for the loss of a film that might have a distribution machine to push it and possibly take it to the level of a blockbuster film.
...it would be nice if the cost of making the film could be lowered also, at least a little, like equipment rental or film transfer, so that people could have real access to services to produce the film. (I personally am tired of hearing people say they charge what the market will bear. People pay this because they have to in order to get their vision made. Not because they are happy to do so. No more, no less).
...this is about as far as I got on this 'idea'. Somebody with more business know how than I might be able to come up with a way to make this work...
--spinner
...However, I actually got an idea when looking it over...
...In my home town, there are two small independently owned movie theaters. They both only have one screen. Now, of course, there are the 'movieplexes'; GKC and AMC, but these two little theaters are second run houses.
...In the metro Detroit area, there are two independantly owned and operated theaters that are well known for showing independant films, (the Maple and Main Art Theaters).
...I would think that there are little one screen theaters all over the country like these, one screen, showing art, indie or second run films.
...What if these owners could be convinced that there is an audience for indie film (because there is) and also be impressed upon to make some sort of 'commitment to showing indie film? What if they could become maybe a co-op (?), where they decide and agree that okay, we will show 'Primer', we will show 'Murderball', we will show 'Memento', show 'Supersize Me' or whatever indie film is being appreciated.
...since Hollywood wants so much to show 'Dukes of Hazzard', fine. These theaters could commit to showing these small films that people hear just won at Sundance or Cannes or Slamdance or what have you as an alternative to the usual fare.
...maybe, since they know (indie filmmakers can impress this upon them) that indie filmmakers are usually just this side of broke, they can give cut rates to these filmmakers. This way, they have more films to choose from with an almost guaranteed audience of people who want more to watch than yet another car chase and explosion and the indie filmmakers have a place to show.
...since these films are often considered to be 'art' and therefore present a service to the community, maybe they could be advertised on the televised community bulletin boards that tv stations sometimes use to satisfy fcc regulations of community service and therefore would be free advertising.
...maybe an agreement could be made to show, say 'Primer' for about 2 weeks. If it does well (relatively well) give another week. If not, well, it had a 2 week run in a theater which is enough time for people to find the film and like it or not like it. People vote with thier pocketbooks.
...if the film gets discovered by Hollywood the way 'Resevouir Dogs' did, then okay, the film gets picked up, and good luck, but since the indie theaters made the initial committment to a film that was initially ignored by the Big Industry, something is given in exchange for the 'release' of this film to the bigger distributor, like 'This film discovered by Indie Co-op Theaters' or something like that. Something that would make it worth the risk of taking on the film in the first place and to make up for the loss of a film that might have a distribution machine to push it and possibly take it to the level of a blockbuster film.
...it would be nice if the cost of making the film could be lowered also, at least a little, like equipment rental or film transfer, so that people could have real access to services to produce the film. (I personally am tired of hearing people say they charge what the market will bear. People pay this because they have to in order to get their vision made. Not because they are happy to do so. No more, no less).
...this is about as far as I got on this 'idea'. Somebody with more business know how than I might be able to come up with a way to make this work...
--spinner
Clive, Spats, etal- great idea. I have been following this thread for a while. If there's anything I can do, let me know. Don't know how much help I'd be, but this is a great idea.
I didn't realize how many were in their networks!