1,000 True Fans

Posted on by Ben Phelps

Now, this is an interesting. We only need 1,000 true fans to finance ourselves as artists:

I am suggesting there is a home for creatives in between poverty and stardom. Somewhere lower than stratospheric bestsellerdom, but higher than the obscurity of the long tail. I don’t know the actual true number, but I think a dedicated artist could cultivate 1,000 True Fans, and by their direct support using new technology, make an honest living. 

Actually, it might a few more True Fans to support filmmakers:

Lastly, the actual number may vary depending on the media. Maybe it is 500 True Fans for a painter and 5,000 True Fans for a videomaker. The numbers must surely vary around the world.

via The Technium: 1,000 True Fans.

Festival vs Online Release

Posted on by Ben Phelps

Another interesting blog about a filmmaker’s journey – to release festival or online?

One of the key aspects of my work, at this stage, is building an audience, some might call it a tribe. I think it’s essential for the modern day indie filmmaker. The unique way in which I’m doing this is by sharing absolutely everything I am going through as a filmmaker online. Through my film website, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Vimeo.  Note, building up an audience takes time, often years and it’s a great way of attracting talent to your projects as they can see quite clearly just how serious and professional you are.

via Guest Post: Getting your work out there. The festival vs the online release | Philip Bloom.

Here’s the short film too:

Hollywood: Split screens

Posted on by Ben Phelps

… film-going in America is not a growth business, especially now that people have so many media to distract them at home. The share of Americans who attend a cinema at least once a month declined from 30% in 2000 to 10% in 2011…

via Hollywood: Split screens | The Economist.

Ouch! Why do I want to be a filmmaker again? Ted Hope also weighs in:

So where does this leave us?

  1. Young filmmakers interesting in quality character-driven tales should go into TV.
  2. If the studios & their heaps of cash get out of the tentpole business, who is going to take their place?
  3. The business model is broken.  Who is doing something to fix it?  Why is this not an industry level discussion?
  4. Now would be a good time to launch a micro-budget global transmedia development/production/distro company.

 

The Science of Netflix drama production

Posted on by Ben Phelps

Interesting article about the strategy that went into the creation of House of Cards. Big brother is… programming.

The company financed “House of Cards” after seeing many subscribers watched Oscar-nominated director David Fincher’s movies and that others are fans of its protagonist, Spacey. It resurrected the canceled series “Arrested Development” after similar analysis.

via Netflix’s Hastings Says Viewer Data Underpins Programming – Bloomberg.

How remarkable is your project?

Posted on by Ben Phelps

An inspirational video that Chris Jones drew my attention to:

Chris notes:

Youtube is filled with videos that routinely get millions of views, videos that are remarkable back flipping cats, remarkable idiots jumping off walls and breaking a leg or remarkable weddings with families dancing down the aisle. In of themselves, certainly not great art, but they are ‘remarkable’.

And to be clear, remarkable does not mean amazing or wonderful, it means, does it warrant ‘remark’.

via How remarkable is your project? | Make Film Teach Film.

For my short films and feature projects, like The Hitman’s Cookbook, it’s great advice.

Afterglow for Blackmagic Cinema Camera

Posted on by Ben Phelps

AFTERGLOW, our teaser for the Blackmagic Cinema Camera. Shot with a guerrilla crew in a few hours. Colour corrected in Resolve. Cinematography by the incredible John ‘JB’ Brawley. Featuring the stunning Casey Burgess and multi-talented kingpin, Jim Medcraft. Directed by me. The shoot was a fantastic opportunity to test the camera for an indie project JB and I are collaborating on. We had a blast! Read about the shoot at JB’s blog.

Script Pipeline Finalist

Posted on by Ben Phelps

Fantastic news – The Hitman’s Cookbook, a screenplay I wrote with Gabe Dowrick, is a finalist in the prestigious US screenwriting competition, Script Pipeline. Just 20 of us remain standing from 3500 entries. Top 1%. Winners announced in August. Woohoo!

Fingers crossed for the last round of judging. One of the previous winners, Killing Season, was recently made with Robert De Niro and John Travolta. Another former winner was Snow White and the Huntsman. Who knows what could happen next..?

A taste of the hitman

Posted on by Ben Phelps

Check out the teaser ripomatic for our feature film script, The Hitman’s Cookbook. Freshly baked! If you like the teaser, you’ll love the film we want to make. Spread the word and read more about it here. We’re currently seeking a lead Producer, Executive Producer, local distributor, international sales agent and interest from private investors and broadcasters. Please contact Ben to chat!

Aaron Sorkin is back in TV Land

Posted on by Ben Phelps

I’m currently revaluating the dialogue of an important character in our feature script, The Hitman’s Cookbook. So where do I go for inspiration? Aaron Sorkin.

I love Sorkin’s work. His dialogue pops. And I love the ‘behind the scenes’ machinations of the TV industry. His latest HBO series, The Newsroom, blends both of my loves. Good times!

I can see elements of Peter Finch’s memorable speech in Network. I like it.