The Wrap asked nine industry insiders about the state of the Hollywood and what must be done to improve it.
How do we make sense of the changing landscape? And what trends are emerging as a new year dawns?
From “Paranormal Activity” producer Jason Blum to Black List founder Franklin Leonard to Film Nation CEO Glen Basner, here’s what they had to say:
CHRIS MCGURK, CEO, Cinedigm
We’re entering a period of tremendous upside for the independent film business. Finally things are coming together in terms of digital technology.
The cost of making a movie that’s worthy of theatrical release is now a hell of a lot less than it was a few years ago, and the profusion of digital services like Netflix and Hulu and Amazon is reaching a critical mass.
They’re in an arms race for content, and that’s creating a perfect storm for independent film.
People have to re-screw their heads on about the way a film is released. It used to be that a movie had to be picked up by an independent distributor and get to 500 screens to be validated as a movie, but it takes $5 million to $10 million in marketing to do that, and it makes it difficult to get a return on your investment.
It’s still really important to get a theatrical release, but it should be done in a smart targeted way, in a few key markets. It’s important to get those reviews and publicity so they raise awareness of a film for ancillary markets, but you have to do it in a way where you still have a shot at making money.
The majority of the advice in this article is useful, but it still presumes that a theatrical release is imperative. There are methods of releasing and distributing your film online that provide a heftier profit margin for independent filmmakers and, depending on your skills as a marketer (one of the points brought up in the article), can allow your audience to see your film sooner.