THE INDIE FILM PRODUCER

William Keenan spent 13 years in NYC making independent films before relocating to LA in 2003. Once categorized as “the hardest working man at Sundance” by the Hollywood Reporter, Mr. Keenan was an actor, stuntman, writer and director before realizing that his greatest passion is producing. He’s been an invited participant in numerous film festivals around the world, as well as The Cannes Producers Network and The Sundance Institute Film Labs.

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August 25, 2008

Yeah, yeah, I know. But the wait still continues. I promise, my very next post will be the aforementioned JERRY LEWIS opus.

This past week in Variety, Ann Thompson continues the discussion that my inaugural post introduced to the Film Industry Bloggers community. Namely, that of the state of the indie film industry, especially in terms of distribution.

Some of the highlights:

These days, any seller hoping to land a distribution deal at a fest or market like Toronto in September realizes that only a few lucky winners will land a seven-figure minimum guarantee from a studio specialty division.

(Let’s hope this doesn’t effect DEAD GIRL, an uber-cool new horror/thriller made by my boyz Trent Haaga and Gadi Harel that’s opening Toronto’s midnight section.)

She goes on:

But another set of indie distributors is still in the hunt for product. As Picturehouse’s Bob Berney deliberately builds the foundations of a new-model distrib, the indie sector is checking out several alternative distribution models. IFC Entertainment and Magnolia Pictures‘ video-on-demand/theatrical releases, for example, have proved so successful that more distribs say they will emulate them. And frustrated filmmakers are increasingly turning to customizable — but costly — service deals to execute their own release plans.

I’ve been advising low budg indie filmmakers the last few years to add at least another 50K to their budgets in case the dream scenario of getting bought at a major fest doesn’t come through. With 50K, you can do your own limited theatrical and can even buy some remnant media time to advertise on TV via DR (direct response/infomercials.)

Anne goes on to put the whole turkey sandwich in perspective. I highly recommend reading the whole article to anyone who cares about getting your movie seen.