Independent film making is rapidly taking on a completely new meaning. Over the last several years a great deal has happened that has allowed for a new model to arise, which puts control directly into the hands of the filmmaker and the fans. It seems that we are now on the cusp of revolution in the way independent films are being made and seen. Below is an exciting article detailing some of the big changes that have taken place and will soon take place. Some of the points made: Festivals are dead and fans are the new studios.
“I want to assure everyone that this is not a joke. I understand ‘revolutionize’ is an enormous word and should not be taken lightly so I want to make sure we are all clear on the definition of what the word revolutionize means. Merriam-Webster defines the word revolutionize as follows:
revolutionize
transitive verb
1 : to overthrow the established government of
2 : to imbue with revolutionary doctrines
3 : to change fundamentally or completely ex: revolutionize an industry
This idea could revolutionize the entire independent film industry, and the only reason I say “could” instead of “will” is because to make this a reality, film fans and a majority of the filmmakers out there must work together, believe in and fight for this idea.
This idea, if realized, would not only make it possible for an indie filmmakers to sustain but to also to make hundreds of thousands of dollars overnight.
Believe me, I understand how preposterous this all might sound. When my team and I were fishing around for ideas on a ways for filmmakers to sustain, our goal was to catch a fish, but for some magical reason, we caught a whale. This idea was so big that at first we didn’t even know what we were looking at, but once we stepped back far enough we realized that this idea could change EVERYTHING…”
original article written by Ben Hicks for the workbook project
