Written by Alison Willmore, the all-seeing Indie Eye blog reads the news so you don't have to. (Well, maybe just the A & E section).
Alison Willmore
is the editor of IFC.com's film coverage and one of the site's video hosts. Follow her at twitter.com/indie_eye
Email: ifcblog (at) ifc dot com
Biz
SXSW 2009: Reinventing the distribution wheel.
By Alison Willmore on 03/14/2009
Filed under: Biz
Times are tough everywhere right now, but they've been tough in the indie distribution world long before the current economic downturn. Too many films, too high advertising costs, not enough arthouse screens, not enough time for titles to build up buzz before they're bumped to make room for next week's offerings -- people bemoan the shift away from theatergoing, but theatrical releases have largely become just a glorified means of marketing a film's DVD or digital release. There are several attempts to break away from the traditional release method kicking off here in Austin this week: "The Least of These"... MORE »
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Product placement.
By Alison Willmore on 08/28/2008
Filed under: BizThere's an interesting piece at the Guardian from David Cox, who sees end times-signs in the fact that Shane Meadows' "Somers Town" (which, I know, enough already) was paid for by Eurostar: "A fateful Rubicon has been crossed," he declares. Meadows didn't extract money from Eurostar to facilitate a project of his own. He agreed to place his skills at the service of one of theirs. Of course, plenty of directors make commercials, and there's nothing wrong with that. Advertising tries to sell us something, and it doesn't pretend otherwise. Somers Town, however, carries no warning message, like the 'Advertorial'... MORE »
Palisades pledges to remain extremely Extreme.
By Alison Willmore on 07/31/2008
Filed under: BizEveryone's been eyeing Palisades Media since the company bought up the defunct Tartan's highly covetable UK and US film libraries and proclaimed they'd keep right on acquiring and distributing films (on DVD, with the possibility of occasional theatrical releases) in the Tartan tradition. Why would a print and advertising financing firm get into indie film distribution right around the time that everyone else is fleeing the industry like it's a loft party that's out of liquor? It seems, mostly, because they were Tartan's major US creditor and foreclosed on their assets. Grady Hendrix at Kaiju Shakedown tries to get clarification... MORE »
Red Envelope is sealed.
By Alison Willmore on 07/23/2008
Filed under: BizRed Envelope Entertainment, Netflix's acquisition and distribution arm, is no more. Reports Anthony Kaufman at indieWIRE: In its short life, Red Envelope acquired 126 films, including the Golden Globe nominated "Sherrybaby," co-produced a slate of movies for IFC TV (including Kirby Dick's "This Film is Not Yet Rated") and partnered on theatrical distribution for such micro-hits as "2 Days in Paris" with Samuel Goldwyn, "No End in Sight" with Magnolia Pictures, "The Puffy Chair" with Roadside Attractions, and "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" with IFC Films. Due to changing marketplace conditions and the natural evolution of Netflix, according... MORE »
Stardom, by the numbers.
By Alison Willmore on 07/23/2008
Filed under: Biz"In an era where risk-averse studio executives have declared men the more reliable movie stars--and the more desirable moviegoers--perhaps it's no surprise that they are also the medium's top earners. The reality: Hollywood's 10 best-paid actors out-earned Hollywood's 10 best-paid actresses 2-to-1 over the course of the year... "Will Smith leads the pack of Hollywood's best-paid actors, banking an estimated $80 million over the course of the year. Frequently called the hardest-working man in Hollywood, Smith has proved that no matter the genre--be it sci-fi thriller (Warner Bros.' I Am Legend) or sappy drama (Sony's The Pursuit of Happyness)--he can... MORE »
Picturehouse goes dark, and so does Warner Independent.
By Alison Willmore on 05/08/2008
Filed under: BizNew Line for the win (I guess). From the Hollywood Reporter: In a surprising move, Warner Bros. has decided to shutter both Picturehouse and Warner Independent Pictures. "With New Line now a key part of Warner Bros., we're able to handle films across the entire spectrum of genres and budgets without overlapping production, marketing and distribution infrastructures," announced Warner Bros. president and COO Alan Horn. "After much painstaking analysis, this was a difficult decision to make, but it reflects the reality of a changing marketplace and our need to prudently run our businesses with increased efficiencies. We're confident that the... MORE »
Sundance Channel acquired by Cablevision.
By Alison Willmore on 05/07/2008
Filed under: BizFresh off the wires — Rainbow Media, the company that owns IFC as well as AMC and WE, has purchased the Sundance Channel. Here's the press release. + Cablevision's Rainbow Media Holdings to Acquire Sundance Channel (Yahoo) MORE »
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