Category Archives: The Mediascape

Creature feature launches Dark Universe

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The Mummy not only wants to be a critical and financial success.

It also seeks to launch the Universal Studios‘ storyverse called the Dark Universe.

In addition to The Mummy, the Dark Universe will include, according to director Alex Kurtzman speaking to Fandom:

“We know we’re going to do Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Phantom of the Opera, Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Invisible Man…. There are characters within those films that can grow and expand and maybe even spin off. I think that digging into deep mythologies about monsters around the world is fair game for us, as well as connecting the monsters that we know to some surprising monsters could also be really interesting.”

Universal has a rich history of monster movies spanning many decades.

Andrew Liptak on The Verge speculates that Universal could build storyverses out of their upcoming films and their back catalogue:

  • Dune
  • World War II
  • Conan the Barbarian
  • Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon

He concludes with:

“It’s no secret that sequels and reboots are big business, and while the above suggestions are a bit tongue-in-cheek, many of these big studios have huge back catalogs that they can easily mine for years to come — provided audiences continue to tolerate that.”

My take: big, successful storyverses have tended to be science fiction (Star Wars) or comic book superheroes (Marvel and DC). Beyond individual stories, beyond multiple characters, Universal really needs to establish a compelling world with a core conflict of good versus evil to have a chance. Think transmedia. Personally, I think the path forward here is to reboot the “Abbott and Costello and Monsters” franchise. Ellie Kemper and Louis CK, anyone?

Ariana Grande organizes One Love Manchester benefit concert

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Less than two weeks after a terrorist exploded a shrapnel bomb, killing 22 and injuring over one hundred, at her Manchester show, Ariana Grande returned to give the British city a star-studded benefit concert called One Love Manchester.

The 37-song three-hour concert featured Justin Bieber, The Black Eyed Peas, Coldplay, Miley Cyrus, Marcus Mumford, Niall Horan, Little Mix, Katy Perry, Take That, Imogen Heap, Pharrell Williams, Robbie Williams, and hometown hero Liam Gallagher. 50,000 people attended, and millions watched on television and Facebook, Youtube and Twitter around the world. Melvin Benn of Live Nation’s Festival Republic and BBC Studios put the production together in eight and a half days.

Ariana was devastated by the May 22, 2017, attack, posting on Twitter: “broken. from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don’t have words.”

She then vowed to return:

“I’ll be returning to the incredibly brave city of Manchester to spend time with my fans and to have a benefit concert in honour of and to raise money for the victims and their families.”

She told her manager: “Scooter, if we do nothing I can’t live with that. We must do something.”

After Saturday night’s deadly attacks in London and concern that the concert might be cancelled, Scooter Braun, Ariana’s manager, issued a statement that the show would go on:

“After the events last night in London, and those in Manchester just two weeks ago, we feel a sense of responsibility to honor those lost, injured, and affected. We plan to honor them with courage, bravery, and defiance in the face of fear. Today’s One Love Manchester benefit concert will not only continue, but will do so with greater purpose. We must not be afraid, and in tribute to all those affected here and around the world, we will bring our voices together and sing loudly. I am pleased to say we have the full support of Greater Manchester police and the government and are assured the safety of all those attending is the highest priority. All artists involved have been unwavering in their support this morning and are determined to carry on with the show. We ask the strong city of Manchester and the world to join us in making the statement that hatred and fear will never win. Today we stand together.”

Ariana closed out the concert with a moving rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. (She also sang this song almost a decade before, in much different times.)

Watch the full concert video posted on Ariana’s Facebook page.

Donate directly to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund or the Canadian Red Cross.

My take: this concert was a powerful, heartfelt response to a reprehensible terrorist attack. Kudos to Ariana Grande for pulling it together and the artists who joined her. I think this will go down in history as a era-defining, historic concert, on par with The Concert for Bangladesh and Live Aid.

Indie distribution strategies

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Ben Fritz reports in The Wall Street Journal that Video on Demand Gives Low-Budget Films Wider Audience.

The sub-head continues: Amazon and Netflix can widen movies’ reach. Just don’t expect big box office.

“Indie movies have become marginalized at the box office. Most rely exclusively on VOD rentals to make their money and use short runs at a handful of theaters to generate reviews.”

He outlines three ways independent filmmakers can distribute their work:

  1. Sell the movie to a digital distributor who then releases it on tVOD platforms (upfront payment, few stats and complex accounting)
  2. Launch on sVOD services like Netflix (one payment and no eyeball stats)
  3. DIY and release on Vimeo or other outlets and do all the marketing yourself (nothing up front but full stats)

The first is closest to the old film distributor model. The third is the method that most fully embraces the potential of the new economy. However, it requires the most time and energy.

My take: which model you choose might depend on your audience. For instance, if your film is mainstream, you might be tempted to look to Netflix. However, if your film is purely indie, Vimeo might be better suited. The real problem, of course, is getting noticed. How to stand out in a crowded pond. Discoverability is the main challenge for every project and filmmaker.

Giant step backwards for Canadian media

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On May 15, 2017, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) renewed major television licenses for five years and also lowered the requirements for Canadian production.

In double-speak, it titled the media release “The CRTC supports the production of original content“.

Particularly troubling is the removal of the requirement for Bell Media to fund BravoFact and MuchFact (see clause 55):

“Deletion of various requirements

55. Bell Media requested the deletion of various conditions of licence and expectations for certain services. Given that the proposed changes are consistent with Commission policies, the Commission approves the following:

  • …for Bravo!, to delete the condition of licence requiring the licensee to contribute to BravoFACT;
  • for Much and Gusto (formerly M3), to delete the condition of licence requiring the licensee to contribute to MuchFACT;”

So upsetting is this that the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) immediately launched a petition.

Bell replied that it hasn’t yet decided to kill the programs:

“Bell Media was granted flexibility by the CRTC in making contributions to MuchFACT and BravoFACT no longer conditions of license for its Much, Gusto, and Bravo specialty channels. We are currently reviewing both programs and no decisions have been made regarding their future at this time. Both programs continue to accept grant applications in anticipation of their next funding deadlines later this year.”

Tim Southam, DGC National President, said:

“For years, the CRTC has said it’s shifting focus from the number of hours of Canadian programming on air to the investment broadcasters make in original content. Now, they’re cutting the investment requirements, too. The Commission is betraying its own word and betraying Canadian creators. The CRTC got it right when they said that, in the digital world, broadcasters need to invest in innovative content that stands out in a global marketplace. So why let broadcasters slash their investments in distinctive, original content by $200 million over five years? The Commission called the right play, then absolutely blew the follow through.“

Tellingly, less than a month ago, Bell Media hinted it is about to launch a new streaming service. UPDATE: It’s television for cord cutters, called Alt TV.

My take: Is the CRTC trying to kill CanCon? I have won two BravoFACT grants, for my film ‘i luv spam’ and for Scott Amos’s ‘Scratch’. We were honoured and grateful we could finally pay our cast and crew on those productions. Thumbs down on both Bell Media and the CRTC. Also, I find the timing of the CRTC’s decisions suspect, as the government is about to release its new vision for Canadian culture in the digital age. Is the CRTC making an end run on behalf of its major stakeholders, or is this just a preview of more cuts to come?

Netflix upsets France at Cannes

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The 2017 Cannes Film Festival opens today.

For the first time Netflix has two films in contention:

This bristled the Fédération Nationale des Cinémas Français because France has a rule that SVOD services must wait three years after a film’s theatrical release to stream a film.

Netflix has no such plans.

In response, Cannes has decided that all films playing the festival in future years must agree to French theatrical exhibition.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings declared:

“The establishment closing ranks against us. See Okja on Netflix June 28th. Amazing film that theatre chains want to block us from entering into Cannes film festival competition.”

My take: such an interesting conflict! Art versus Commerce. Old versus New. Theatrical versus Streaming. France versus the United States. Big screen versus small screen. Territory versus the world. As much as I love movies in cinemas, I think France’s protectionist 36 month streaming prohibition after theatrical exhibition is absurd.

Portals Project connects random strangers globally

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Stephanie Elam and Jason Kravarik bring us a story about applied communications technology in CNN Style called The Portals Project: This gold box is ‘better than Facebook’.

The Portals Project is the brainchild of Amar Bakshi.

Each shipping container covered in gold paint is connected by a wall-sized video screen to a doppleganger somewhere else in the world — in any of these countries: Afghanistan, Cuba, Germany, Honduras, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Myanmar, Pakistan, Palestine, Rwanda, South Korea, United Kingdom, and the United States.

“Portals are gold spaces equipped with immersive audiovisual technology. When you enter a Portal, you come face-to-face with someone in a distant Portal live and full-body, as if in the same room.”

The Portals connect strangers from very different backgrounds and allow them to converse and to find common ground.

My take: This sounds like a fantastic use of place, technology and the internet to foster communication between people on opposite sides of the world. I envisioned something similar in the early 90’s called “Central Square”. This was to be a network of camera kiosks set up in large public areas in major cities and available to anyone to make statements to the world. At other times, viewers could simply watch what was going on. Then the internet happened and public webcams.

Digital Box Office streams indie flix for free

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This week I’m seeing a lot of ‘sponsored content’ posts for a new service called ‘Digital Box Office‘. (However, this is not a paid for post.)

“Developed by Hollywood Insiders and launching in early 2017, Digital Box Office is a groundbreaking global film platform that supports and caters to filmmakers as its #1 priority. Built on the latest state of the art infrastructure and incorporating the most sophisticated technology, Digital Box Office offers an unparalleled opportunity for film viewers to watch content in the highest quality viewing experience possible. Not only will your film have the capability to immediately reach millions of consumers globally, your film will also be seen by a community of some of the most important decision-makers in Hollywood. Digital Box Office is where many of today’s Hollywood rainmakers will be scouting their next big film project and talent. Digital Box Office is the first and only service of its kind.”

The platform is free to all; create an account, watch shorts and features, and then rate them out of five popcorn servings to carry on watching more.

Digital Box Office is also a film festival. Happening on May 11 and 12 in Los Angeles, the plan is to make this an annual offering. There is $25,000 in prize money:

“Digital Box Office will support the independent filmmaker community by offering a cash prize of $10,000 to the filmmaker with the top performing film on DBO each year. In addition, the filmmaker with the top performing film in each category and our top performing student filmmaker will each receive a cash prize of $5,000 dollars.”

Filmmakers can submit films for inclusion. DBO wants a non-exclusive 90 day window, after which the film is taken down.

My take: With less than a thousand films on the platform now, there’s an opportunity for indie filmmakers to get exposed here. If DBO gets traction, this could be a great thing. I do think the search tools on the site need some beefing up. Otherwise, it has potential and you might want to consider it in your distribution plans.

Top Streamers Become Mini-Majors

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Netflix/Amazon/Ringer illustration

Sean Fennessey, Editor-in-Chief of The Ringer, has just posted The End of Independent Film As We Know It.

It’s a fascinating, if long, read that concludes Amazon and Netflix have become mini-major studios.

The ramifications are that independent film may be dead on two fronts:

  • these new exhibitors are wealthy enough to green-light and finance indie films, so how independent are those films actually, and,
  • because they’re streaming services, premieres in actual cinemas, long agreed as the christening of all ‘real’ films, may be a thing of the past — no more theatrical window!

“Technocratic distribution companies like Netflix and Amazon have upended the state of independently produced movies. Film festivals that screen these movies were once the bastion for work created beyond the perception of Hollywood’s studio structures — films that were either unable or unwilling to penetrate the cast iron gates that lead to the moviemaking seats of power. The festivals were a home for insurgents, temples that hoisted Tarantino, Michael Moore, Sofia Coppola, Kevin Smith, Allison Anders, Robert Rodriguez, Todd Solondz, Todd Haynes, Ava DuVernay, Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, Richard Linklater, and dozens more into the frame. Today, a movie that has been bought, paid for, and strategized against a global calendar by a massive public company is dissonant with the spirit of independent movies.”

Sean includes a quote from Joe Swanberg that is very telling:

“Drinking Buddies honestly found its biggest audience on Netflix. It’s become pretty clear to me over the last few years that the work that I’m making is finding its audience there. Do we go where the audience is or do we make the audience come to us? If there’s a big audience over there that wants to watch it, and we already made the movie we want, that makes the most sense to both of us.”

Ted Sarandos has a goal of 50% original content on Netflix and envisions more ‘day and date’ or simultaneous releases:

“There’s a romantic notion about the film being on a big screen. There’s definitely something about a premiere at [main Sundance venue] Eccles that you can’t replicate — that I can’t replicate — but the fact is, that happens for a couple hundred people once a year. We’re doing it every day for the world. People who are discovering a movie that might change their life; that’s who they’re talking to. We have to get rid of the romantic part. I don’t really think that they’re mutually exclusive. I think over time that these films will get booked into theaters at the same time they’re on Netflix.”

My take: with $6 billion in its production pockets, there doesn’t seem to be any stopping Netflix. Even Jerry Seinfeld has jumped from the Crackle ship, for a reported $100 million.

Festivals for Web Series

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Once upon a time, one way to attract attention to your independent film was to exhibit it on the festival circuit.

The idea was that appreciative audiences would prove your film’s worth to distributors who would then pay you to buy your film.

Fast forward to today. There are thousands of films being made each year. Sundance receives over 12,000 submissions and can show only 185.

Okay. So let’s make a web series instead.

We still face the same problems: how to attract an audience and how to get paid.

Enter festivals exclusively for web series.

The excellent CMF Trends has just published a listing of 45 festivals for web series.

“Given the perpetually increasing offer of quality productions, ‘discoverability’ remains one of the main challenges that webseries creators face. What can creators do to make sure their projects stand out from the competition? Among the options that are available to them, they may enter their work in national and international competitions.”

This list includes:

  • 12 in Canada
  • 14 in the United States
  • 13 in Europe
  • 3 in Asia and Oceania
  • 3 in Latin America

The big winner seems to be Montreal with six!

My take: how do you show a web series at a festival? Binge watch all ten webisodes?

See 1984 on Tuesday, because it’s 4/4/2017

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The United States of Cinema is coordinating a mass screening of George Orwell’s 1984 in almost 200 art cinemas in five countries on Tuesday, April 4, 2017.

“Orwell’s portrait of a government that manufactures their own facts, demands total obedience, and demonizes foreign enemies, has never been timelier. The endeavor encourages theaters to take a stand for our most basic values: freedom of speech, respect for our fellow human beings, and the simple truth that there are no such things as ‘alternative facts.’ By doing what they do best – showing a movie – the goal is that cinemas can initiate a much-needed community conversation at a time when the existence of facts, and basic human rights are under attack. Through nationwide participation and strength in numbers, these screenings are intended to galvanize people at the crossroads of cinema and community, and bring us together to foster communication and resistance against current efforts to undermine the most basic tenets of our society.”

The date is significant because April 4 is the day Winston Smith, played by John Hurt, decides to begin his illegal diary.

The five Canadian venues are:

My take: I admire using film to spark thought and conversation. ‘1984‘ is not going away anytime soon. It’s back on best-seller lists. And it’s coming to Broadway in June. Orwell’s 1949 book is more timely than ever and getting the multi-media treatment.