No problem there, buddy.
And just one last point (before I shut my yam-hole) to bring this back on topic...
The original rant linked here about how indie filmmaking is dead...
Piracy is an over-exaggerated excuse cooked up by the billionaires. Downloading bootlegged films makes up such a small percentage of the market that really only hits the "big" flicks with heavy marketing budgets. If you see it my way, the main cause of the bulk of piracy is availability of product or content that isn't marketed or has no intrinsic value based on that availability in certain demographics. The main offenders are college kids who would rather spend money on beer. A National Prohibition of Alcohol would likely do more for box office revenues than any sort of copy protection. Or lowering outlandish consumer prices with huge mark-ups that only end up paying for A-list actors who have no artistic credibility anyway.
As for indie films, the struggles and challenges remain the same as they always did... 99% of indie movies just plainly suck ass. Yes, that includes both yours and mine. Face reality with an iron grin and suck it up. Don't blame the pirates. Don't blame the economy. Don't blame Google. Certainly don't blame me.
We don't have the resources or the technology to complete with slickly produced Studio-fare, we don't have the names to bring brand recognition to our products, and most often don't have the right monetized distribution methods to even get our products out there into the hands of our target markets...
Blah blah blah.
So figure out something else. If you can't get your film into Sundance or whatever other film festival, find a way to put it out there yourself. Make short promos advertising your video that are styled to be viral... send out emails and post on internet forums. Go grassroots and hope your movie is relevant enough for people to "pass it on". Figure something ELSE out. That's where we need creative PRODUCERS to step up and start working on Distribution v2.0 and DIRECTORS to beef up the writing and production of their films... since technology is catching up, there's less and less excuses available. Oh but for the insolence of office, the laws delay, the pangs of despised love.... soft now, foo'.... don't loose the name of ACTION!!!
Sure, we'll have to deal with an increase in competition from every backyard filmmaker out there, but the market is growing too! Now, the films made for the markets in Pakistan can reach ex-pat communities abroad, making sales that would have been impossible 20 years ago easy as a click of a mouse. Bear those whips and scorns of time!
In that article, the guy is ranting about how "guns and boobies" sci fi directors can't find distribution, or a documentary on "free software" ends up not making a profit (irony), a producer only makes $10k on DVDs that only sell 5000 copies (so the film probably wasn't that great), and such other nonsense.
Hasn't it always BEEN that way?
And then he talks about making a short for 20k!!!
Is this guy NUTS? Of course guns and boobies aren't gonna bring in the millions! Of course a documentary about free stuff is gonna become free! Of course if you sell 5000 copies on DVD you aren't gonna get rich! And a short for 20K won't make a profit! Aren't these no-brainers?
HA! I haven't spent over $100 on a short EVER. Granted, I'm a no-budget filmmaker and haven't made a profit, but all the time I've spent building up content and contacts will pay off eventually... you just can't expect to leap into the market like a shining meteor and start soaking up money, people! The next "big short" I'm gonna make I WILL have to sink some dough into, but until I've got a fucking POLISHED script done, I won't lift a finger. So work on your scripts, nail your casting and shoot as best as you can with the budget you have. Don't expect to make a profit, and don't worry about pirates. Get your content out there, get your face/brand known and then build up slowly. If you get lucky, some billionaire may come in and speed up the process, but why would anyone throw money at you until you're worth it anyway?
This is the catch 22 of the whole industry. You can't get a role until you've had a role. You can't get into the union until you have credits that the union accepts. You can't become a director until you've directed. The whole thing works on a combination of risk, talent and luck.
And while you may not be able to create that inherent "value" until someone sees your ad/mugshot on TV or in newspapers (requiring major funding/major crimes), you have to focus on accessibility (AKA, getting "out there")... and for that, I would actually say that Pirate channels offer a great boost in the absence of anything better.
So that's it for me in this thread, hopefully Indietalk won't put a word count on my future postings.
.. anyways bigger the post bigger issue with me due to language problem anywas as you said
