Film Strategy

THE FILM STRATEGY 5 with Cindy Cowan Sad to say, but even in 2016, there are simply not enough women in Hollywood running things behind the scenes. While women do represent significantly on the silver screen [1] , they are underrepresented as decision-makers behind the silver screen.   Studies abound that demonstrate the dearth of women as directors, producers and executives in film and television. As one who craves perspectives beyond the ones we have been fed for years, I hope that these revelations will eventually make a difference. Until then, we should applaud the trailblazing women who have been able to make their mark, despite the odds against them. Cindy Cowan is one of these trailblazing women. A woman who began her career producing and writing for a CBS News affiliate in Miami, Florida, she then co-founded Initial Entertainment Group (IEG) in the 90s during the heyday of the indie film era. Under her leadership, IEG projects were nominated for two Emmys, Golden

This Film Collaborative article offers a great look into the thought process that goes into deciding whether to screen your film at a particular film festival or not. Oftentimes, filmmakers make it to the film festival stage with no clear strategy or long-term vision. This article sheds some light on what filmmakers should do in that situation. -------*------- originally published by The Film Collaborative blog on 10.27.16 I love film festivals by-in-large and they have done great things for many of our films. In fact, we have multiple films this year that have generated over $50K in revenue on the festival circuit. Many companies cling to the myth that playing festivals hurts distribution deals and revenue, yet most of our top festival performers still received six figure distribution deals while continuing to generate revenue, awards and exposure on the circuit. While The Film Collaborative is perhaps best known for monetizing the film festival universe, we provide just

The good people at  Script Reader Pro  have just made your life easier.  Why is that you say?  Because they've made your filmmaking life easier to manage this year with their  calendar of  all the major upcoming screenwriting contests  (orange) , awards   (blue) , festivals  (green) , fellowships and labs  (yellow)  in 2016. Like Yogi Berra says, “If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else.”  Wednesday, November 2   American Film Market Conference Thursday, November 3   American Film Market Conference Friday, November 4   American Film Market Conference Saturday, November 5   American Film Market Conference Sunday, November 6   American Film Market Conference   Disney/ABC Writing Fellowship Deadline (TBC) Monday, November 7   American Film Market Conference Tuesday, November 8   American Film Market Conference Wednesday, November 9   Ame

Actor, Peter Coyote, has written a letter that I think should be spread far and wide. Read it in full here . My favorite part* is the recommendation he makes, which is this: There is a simple way leading actors might bring a second, more flexible and targeted weapon into the fray on behalf of your colleagues which incidentally, would provide the ancillary benefit of insuring that you consistently play opposite actors of the highest caliber. If you were to include language in your contracts specifying that, in your films, the “quotes” of your peers must be recognized as a negotiating floor for their compensation, if you publicized that fact, and, if you kicked back a modest amount, say on salaries over six million dollars a film to make that money available, each and every actor negotiating to play opposite you would be empowered to demand the fair compensation that he or she has won for their work. (my bold ) People in general, and specifically lawyers, are accustomed to doin

The good people at  Script Reader Pro  have just made your life easier.  Why is that you say?  Because they've made your filmmaking life easier to manage this year with their  calendar of  all the major upcoming screenwriting contests  (orange) , awards   (blue) , festivals  (green) , fellowships and labs  (yellow)  in 2016. Like Yogi Berra says, “If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else.”  Wednesday, October 5   CineStory TV/Digital Series Retreat - Late Deadline Thursday, October 6   Hamptons International Film Festival Friday, October 7   Hamptons International Film Festival Saturday, October 8   Hamptons International Film Festival Sunday, October 9   Hamptons International Film Festival Monday, October 10   Hamptons International Film Festival Thursday, October 13   Austin Film Festival Friday, October 14   Austin Film Festival Saturday

For entertainment industry junkies who see the value in understanding the major movie studios, Neil Turitz has done us a big favor by writing a great series at the Tracking Board called "The Studio Series."  With the Studio Series, Turitz analyzes each major movie studio in 2016 to assess their strategies as well as what they are doing right and wrong.  Whether you're just a movie fan who likes digging deep into the industry that makes the film he loves or a filmmaker trying to figure out where to pitch her next film, the analysis below will be sure to inform. STX Entertainment and Studio 8 To break into the film distribution business on the higher budget side seems like a fools errand. But if you’re Robert Simonds and Adam Fogelson at STX Entertainment, and Jeff Robinov at Studio 8, then you’re not thinking in exactly those terms. On the contrary, you’re thinking you can take on the system and win. A24, Open Road and Roadside Attractions A look at three