What’s Buzzing: The Spout Community 1/23/09
As Christi said, better late than never:
Lists-
Discussions-
Spout keeps the Slamdance conversation going
As I said more than once during Spout’s sponsored day at the Slamdance Film Festival, I just dig getting a bunch of people in a room and talking about what works and what doesn’t, regardless of the topic. I don’t care if you’re discussing lawn care solutions, social media marketing or, as was the case at Slamdance, alternative marketing and distribution methods for filmmakers, the back and forth of ideas and examples gets my blood pumping.
The day started off with a get-to-know-you brunch with some of the filmmakers and others who were attending the festival. This was a great opportunity to have some good food and good conversation and get to meet some people in a one-on-one (more or less) setting.
Later on the day was the main event – a panel discussion on how to cut through the media clutter with your marketing and then find a distribution option that’s best for a particular movie and its target audience. Joining me on the panel were:
–Heidi Van Leer (Slamdance TV)
–Danae Ringlemann (IndieGoGo)
–Andrew Mer (SnagFilms)
–Chris Holland (FilmFestivalSecrets / B-Side )
–Jay Schwartz (IndieShares )
–Matt Dentler (Cinetic Rights Management )
The hour long conversation that ensued was full of the good ideas and remarkable insights you would expect from such an assembled group. The room was amazing, full of good questions that spurred a lot of debate and discussion. That room was also pretty well packed and only became more so as the hour went on.
I’d be hard-pressed to pull one key take-away from the discussion. But I do remember one comment that I made, something emphasized by Matt and others, that while it seemed like the companies assembled on the panel all were doing the same thing that was not strictly the case. We’re all taking different approaches toward the same goal (getting worthwhile movies seen by an audience) but have our own strengths and so all compliment each other more than anything else.
The experience at Slamdance was fun, educational and just generally enjoyable and I hope it was the same for those in attendance. All of us at Spout were thrilled with how it turned out and excited to support a festival that is truly by the filmmakers and for the filmmakers.
–Chris Thilk, Director of Marketing
What’s Buzzing: The Spout Community 1/14/09
So much good stuff happening in the Spout discussion and group communities lately.
Discussions:
Spout sponsors Slamdance marketing and distribution panel
As you might have noticed lately, Spout is working on a number of fronts to further the connection between awareness (the goal of a marketing campaign) and consumption (the goal of a distribution strategy) for filmmakers and other stakeholders in a film’s success.
It’s important to remember, though, that continued conversation plays a big role in defining the future of a film can connect with its audience and vice-versa. Issues are still being hashed out and case-studies still being written that can be used for future reference.
That’s why we leapt at the chance to be a sponsor of the Slamdance Film Festival that kicks off this week. Specifically, Spout is sponsoring a day of conversations around new media marketing and distribution on Monday the 19th. The chat panel will be happening at the Treasure Mountain Inn (map link here) at 12:30 Monday afternoon, and there’s a brunch before that beginning at 10:00 AM.
The full press release is pasted below. If you’re going to be in Park City and would like to meet up drop me an email (chris-at-spout-dot-com), DM me on Twitter (@cthilk) or just drop a comment below. I’m excited to be out there and look forward to meeting up with some of the people who, like Spout, are leading the conversation about new marketing and distribution models.
–Chris Thilk, Director of Marketing
Continue reading → Spout sponsors Slamdance marketing and distribution panel
Spout at the Sundance Film Festival
Once again the Spout team is heading to the Sundance Film Festival. Karina Longworth, FilmCouch’s Paul Moore and Kevin Kelly will all be there writing reviews, doing interviews and bringing you all the latest and greatest of the news from the first major film-world event of the year. Spout’s COO Bill Holsinger-Robinson will also be there supporting the team and doing otherwise getting his COO vibe on. And last but not least I will be in town from Saturday the 17th to Monday the 20th to lend what help I can and take care of some other Spout-related stuff while there.
Karina’s already put out a call to hear from filmmakers who are going to be attending Sundance or Slamdance (more on that later) and I wanted to do likewise. If you’re going to be there drop me a line and we’ll have to get together while everyone is converging on the city. You can reach me at chris-at-spout-dot-com.
If you’re not going to be there but want to stay in the know, be sure to bookmark Spout.com/sundance, where you’ll see all the news coming in from the SpoutBlog team as well as find links to the movies that are there and discussions you can join in. You can also follow the Twitter updates from the team at the links below:
Look out tomorrow for more information on Spout’s involvement with the Slamdance Film Festival, which is going on at the same time and in the same city as Sundance. Some big news to talk about there.
–Chris Thilk, Director of Marketing
Spout and MeDeploy partner to help independent filmmakers
Spout is always looking for two things: 1) Ways to make sure worthwhile films are seen by an audience, regardless of platform and 2) Like-minded partners to be working with.
That’s why today is such an exciting day. We’re thrilled to announce a partnership with online distribution site MeDeploy that gives independent filmmakers the ability to make sure their movies are available there. The best part is that by going through MeDeploy’s Spout partner page filmmakers can the usual setup fees waved.
But that’s actually step two. Step one for filmmakers is to make sure their film has a listing in the Spout database. To that end we’ve revamped and relaunched our Promote Your Film page. That page has a handful of tips on making sure you’re connected to and communicating with the Spout community and, if your movie isn’t already listed here, takes you to a form to fill out and get it added. That comes with the added benefit of giving your film an Macrovision identification number, something that helps the movie become listed in all the other databases Macrovision feeds information to and has its own array of benefits.
The two add up to be a great solution for independent filmmakers: Spout can help you connect with an audience and make people aware of the movie you’ve made. MeDeploy helps your film be seen, which ultimately is the goal of any filmmaker.
The full press release announcing both the MeDeploy partnership and the relaunch of the Promote Your Film page is available after the jump.
–Chris Thilk, Director of Marketing
Continue reading → Spout and MeDeploy partner to help independent filmmakers
What’s Buzzing: The Spout Commmunity 12/26/08
Now that we’re post-Christmas it’s time to highlight once again some of the discussions and lists going on and being created by the members of the Spout community. If you’ve got opinions on some of these discussions you need to get involved. The lists represent not only a chance to connect with people but hopefully provide some inspiration to create your own competing or complimentary lists as well.
Discussions of Note:
Ebeneezer Poll
The Problem with Time Travel
Top 5 Depressing holidays, etc.
Best Films of 2008
Holiday movies, pt. II — Brad Pitt ages backwards, Tom Cruise loses an eye, Frank Miller blows it
Lists of Repute:
Greatest Noir Films from Chesterfilms
Best Comic Book Movies from d4jour
Gorgeous Movies from slipofthetongue
So Good It’s Bad from zularian
Most Disturbing Films from tmoney
Spout’s Christmas: Yule-A-Go-Go Recipients for 12/19/08
I’ve had a lot of fun highlighting some of these people this week on Inside.Spout. I hope that you, gentle reader, have had a similar experience and found some people to follow on Spout and otherwise connect with through lists, recommendations and more as well as found some of the active discussions in people’s favorite groups that you can participate in yourself.
The fact that we’re sending them something as fun as the Yule-A-Go-Go DVD set just makes that all that much better. You can find out more about the DVD at its official website.
–Chris Thilk, Director of Marketing
username: tenenbaums
real name: Edwin
current town: Andrews, NC (hometown is Brevard, NC, home of white squirrels. Had some out-of-town friends over for wedding festivities last weekend and I’ve never seen people get so excited over rodents. Still, they’re neat critters.)
last 5 movies I loved: The Lady Vanishes; Wall-E; Revolver; The Dark Knight; Burn After Reading
favorite Spout group: Filmgaming. How can I not like a group that gives me free stuff? I especially love the Spout car magnet on my Accord.
most unusual movie-watching locale: Kmart. One time while my Dad was taking his time bargain hunting, I watched the majority of “Finding Nemo” in the electronics section. It was showing on the entire wall of TVs, which was quite a sight!
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username: dibot
Real name: Diana
From: Canton, NC
The last five movies I loved: 1. The Fall (2008) or 2006 on Spoutblog which was just beautiful, 2. Forgetting Sarah Marshall which really took me by surprise at how funny it was, 3. Stephen King’s The Mist which just had me totally sucked in the entire time, 4. Rio Bravo which was my reintroduction to John Wayne and now I get the love, 5. Talk to Her which I only just saw and am now totally in awe of Pedro Almodovar.
Favorite Spout Group: I’ve only just joined the Community Recommendations group, but I am thoroughly enjoying it.
Most unusual place I’ve watched a movie: I guess I just watch movies in pretty average places. But I did watch one in the cabin of a cruise ship while on my honeymoon.
Spout’s Christmas: Yule-A-Go-Go Recipients for 12/18/08
Time once again to feature some of the Spout community’s core members. Along with that comes the opportunity to send each of these people a copy of Yule-A-Go-Go on DVD for all their “burlesque dancers shaking what was given to them in front of a fireplace” home video needs.
–Chris Thilk, Director of Marketing.
Username: mciocco
Real First Name: Mark
Location: West Chester, PA
Last 5 movies I’ve seen that I’ve enjoyed a lot (loved is a strong word!):
Black Christmas – Kind of amazed that this film was made by the same man who made A Christmas Story. It’s also one of about 4 or 5 great precursors to the Slasher subgenre, and much of the trademarks of the Slasher pic were popularized here (i.e. POV shots, the telephone thing, etc…) Brilliant stuff.
The Man From Earth – I’d be surprised if anyone else has seen this low budget SF flick, and it certainly doesn’t sound like an exciting movie. It’s basically a bunch of college professors in a cabin talking about stuff. One of the things I like most about SF is the tendency to ask “What if…” and then explore a concept into the ground, and this movie does just that. It’s not perfect, but I enjoyed it a lot.
Bridge to Terabithia – I’d never read the book, so when the twist happens, I was absolutely devestated. I don’t have much else to say about it, except that despite the fact that I was blindsided by the twist, I did end up enjoying it…
Let the Right One In – An interesting take on the vampire story. A bit somber for my tastes, but probably one of my favorites of this year anyway…
Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade – Just saw this last night because I had read about it on the Spout Blog (don’t remember who posted about it, but thanks!) It’s funny because it plays like a sequel or maybe a prequel to The King of Kong, which was one of my favorite movies of last year, but I really enjoyed this one too…
My favorite groups on Spout: I’m a total genre hound, so I’d probably go with Horror 101 or Sci Fi. I also really enjoy the Weekly Theme group, depending on the theme…
The most unusual place you’ve ever watched a movie: That’s a tough one, as the grand majority of my movie watching happens in the comfort of my living room or the semi-comfort of the local multi-plex. However, when I was in college I was the coordinator for the film program, which involved many things, including the occasional stint in the projectors booth. Watching a movie from that perspective was somewhat unusual, but it’s not the most fun of jobs (especially when the projector breaks down and you’re forced to hand out IOUs to a hundred angry students!)
So there you go. Not sure if you were expecting mini-reviews of my 5 recent movies but I did it anyway:P
———————————
Username: Mercurial
Real Name: Chris
Current Location: Fresno, CA
Last 5 Movies I’ve Loved:
1.) Milk
3.) The Machine Girl
4.) Spring Fever
My Favorite Group on Spout: Weekly Theme
The Most Unusual Place I’ve Seen a Movie: Floating on an inner tube on a lake at night watching Jaws on a small makeshift blanket screen with a shoddy projector.
Spout’s Christmas: Yule-A-Go-Go Recipients for 12/17/08 (Part 2)
There are still quite a few people in the Spout community we’re looking forward to highlighting, including the two folks below. To reiterate why we’re doing this: Spout is only as powerful as it’s members and these are just a few of those members that are leading and participating in discussion, creating groups and otherwise being true to Spout’s mission to provide a place for those who are talking movies. Copies of the two-disc edition of Yule-A-Go-Go, featuring burlesque dancers doing their thing in front of a fireplace, will be making their way down these people’s chimneys as they will be for all those we’re featuring this week. You can learn more about Yule-A-Go-Go here.
–Chris Thilk, Director of Marketing
Username: mciocco
Real First Name: Mark
Location: West Chester, PA
Last 5 movies I’ve seen that I’ve enjoyed a lot (loved is a strong word!):
Black Christmas – Kind of amazed that this film was made by the same man who made A Christmas Story. It’s also one of about 4 or 5 great precursors to the Slasher subgenre, and much of the trademarks of the Slasher pic were popularized here (i.e. POV shots, the telephone thing, etc…) Brilliant stuff.
The Man From Earth – I’d be surprised if anyone else has seen this low budget SF flick, and it certainly doesn’t sound like an exciting movie. It’s basically a bunch of college professors in a cabin talking about stuff. One of the things I like most about SF is the tendency to ask “What if…” and then explore a concept into the ground, and this movie does just that. It’s not perfect, but I enjoyed it a lot.
Bridge to Terabithia – I’d never read the book, so when the twist happens, I was absolutely devestated. I don’t have much else to say about it, except that despite the fact that I was blindsided by the twist, I did end up enjoying it…
Let the Right One In – An interesting take on the vampire story. A bit somber for my tastes, but probably one of my favorites of this year anyway…
Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade – Just saw this last night because I had read about it on the Spout Blog (don’t remember who posted about it, but thanks!) It’s funny because it plays like a sequel or maybe a prequel to The King of Kong, which was one of my favorite movies of last year, but I really enjoyed this one too…
My favorite groups on Spout: I’m a total genre hound, so I’d probably go with Horror 101 or Sci Fi. I also really enjoy the Weekly Theme group, depending on the theme…
The most unusual place you’ve ever watched a movie: That’s a tough one, as the grand majority of my movie watching happens in the comfort of my living room or the semi-comfort of the local multi-plex. However, when I was in college I was the coordinator for the film program, which involved many things, including the occasional stint in the projectors booth. Watching a movie from that perspective was somewhat unusual, but it’s not the most fun of jobs (especially when the projector breaks down and you’re forced to hand out IOUs to a hundred angry students!)
So there you go. Not sure if you were expecting mini-reviews of my 5 recent movies but I did it anyway:P
—————-
Username: Mercurial
Real Name: Chris
Current Location: Fresno, CA
Last 5 Movies I’ve Loved:
1.) Milk
3.) The Machine Girl
4.) Spring Fever
My Favorite Group on Spout: Weekly Theme
The Most Unusual Place I’ve Seen a Movie: Floating on an inner tube on a lake at night watching Jaws on a small makeshift blanket screen with a shoddy projector.
