Having a P.R. firm may get your name out there but it is quality of what you do that will get you noticed and in the masses mindshare.

Provide great content and make it so!!!

Thanks so much for your kind comments.

I have to give props to Buzz McLaughlin on the Sensation of Sight blog for putting it wonderfully (and mentioning this article) (http://www.thesensationofsight.com/part-24-musings-on-the-future-of-independent-film-distribution.html)

Quoth Buzz:
“What’s transpiring, I believe, is the beginning of a new golden age for filmmakers when the word “independent” or “indie” attached to who we are as artists and producers will be as obsolete and irrelevant as the word ‘motor’ is to ‘car.'”

Thanks again for reading, guys!

Tyler

And right here on Maria Lokken’s excellent blog, you’ve said it in a single word: entertain. The means may be different, but the end result is the same, a movie, and hopefully the pinnacle of results, a movie people want to see. My hope was to write a post successfully lobbying for a convergence of the two, for the studio people to get a little more indie and for the indie people to get a little more studio (i.e. commercial). I like your suggestion much better.

Drop the labels and stick to the title: filmmaker. Thank you Mr. Weaver, Ms. Lokken, and Mr. Baker.

This post was mentioned on Twitter by tylerweaver: My article “Indie? Studio? Screw It. Entertain” from MH now has a summer home on @Maria_56’s site… http://bit.ly/bPCloF…

You bring up a good point. No one is ever going to Google “indie film” when looking for a film. So the individual brand is important, and becoming more important every day. As social media grows and morphs into something bigger it will be a person’s brand that will be their calling card.

Regarding independent film in general – today it’s rare that a film made for NO money is ‘recognized’ at film festivals or by the public. Even the low budget ‘independent movie’ “Paranormal Activity” wasn’t independent. Paramount created a demand with a huge marketing campaign that most independent producers could never afford.

And the Sundance Film Festival has created a whole new category for truly independent films this year, because over the last several years the films at the festival have all been backed by big studios with money.

Cheers for having a read! I’ve long loathed the term “indie.” Any word that has so many connotations and meanings deadens the impact of the original word, rendering it useless.

I apply the maxim I kept while training as a composer to all forms of art – if it sounds good, it is good. Doesn’t matter how it was made.

And may I suggest @davidelvisbaker? =)

Cheers again for having a read!

Tyler

The whole “Fandependent” thing last night put me right off of wanting to be part of any “indie scene”, “posse” even more. (Which I will blog about tonight) Why do we all need to label ourselves in groups!

We are at a time where its all about personal branding. We are really really forgetting about our audience, and how they are going to find us in the future if they like our work.

I dont go out of my way anymore to look for “indie films” I look for filmmakers names that I like that are well known, and if its unknown filmmakers, I respond simply to a pitch, trailer in 15 seconds flat.

The term “indie” is too broad now. In the early days, it could mean you were going to see a more interesting movie, today, it means “mass product” And amomg that mass product, theres even more shit produced than Hollywood makes

We all need to start respecting who we are as individuals. Sure, we collobrate with the people that help realise our vision, its team work making film, but from a selling point view to a consumer, personal branding is the way.

And I am not talking about ego here, because for years I didnt even want my name out there, but now, its individual names that will stand out.

Yesterday I was in the supermarket. There was a huge bin full of cheap dvds. LOts of well known movies, big and small, but this couple were looking all through it for a specific dvd.

I heard them saying “Im sure I saw a Danny Boyle film!” They never even looked at the mass of great dvds that were cheap.

I heard them talk about “Slumdog Millionaire” I could tell they never saw many of Boyle’s other films, but were now looking. Ok it’s teams that make films, but personal brand names front films, whether star, director, producer etc.

If we want to label ourselves, lets start doing it with personal branding. Who types in “indie film” when they want to see a flick. Thats such a broad search. Build on your personal brand, and if people like your work, you want them to start searching for your name in future.

I dont want to be indie, mumblecore, fandependent, cult, exploitation, Dogme 95, whatever! It goes against the very nature of wanting to be an individual voice.

I agree. Lets dump indie once and for all. Its lost the spirit of what it used to represent. Although, I dont know if it ever really did mean “indie”, when you always had to rely on distribution

Now I have got to change @indiemoviemaker to little old me! @davidpbaker Damm! I need me an Elvis like name now! Something that will stand out!

Great post again. Thanks Tyler, Maria