Monthly Digest - DECEMBER 2018

Jan 06, 2019

January 6, 2018 | Dear Producer, No. 34

MUST READ

As everyone begins to pull themselves out of their holiday food coma and head back to the 'office' tomorrow, let’s take a look back at what happened in December, aside from the gluttony of end of the year lists…

But before we jump back to December, I want to highlight an article that was published on Friday titled Amazon Likely to Pull Film Festival Stars, and With It the Floor of the Sundance Market. The pieces discussed how while the importance of SVOD platforms grows, documentaries and niche films are no longer receiving licensing deals from Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu. If you read only one article from this digest, this is the one to read.

Also last week, the Producers Guild Unveiled Film And TV Nominations and out of the 31 producers nominated for the The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures, only four of them were women. This called to mind the New York Times’ piece from March 2018, Money Is Power. And Women Need More of Both., which discusses how in 2017, according to a survey conducted by T. Rowe Price, parents spent more time talking about money with boys than with girls, and dissects the ramifications of that behavior.

And speaking of money, I don’t know a single independent producer who does not struggle with their finances. While I’m confident in film financing, the topic of personal finances feels foreign to me and taboo to talk about. But my 2019 challenge for myself is to turn this around and focus on financial stability. If you are feeling the same, check out 6 Ways to Feel Better About Your Money in 2019 to ease into your goals.

Now to turn to my favorite subject, how Netflix is taking over our business... Last week I spoke to Business Insider about the Bird Box frenzy and how I believe the latest Netflix news is nothing but a publicity stunt and that Netflix's lack of transparency about data hurts filmmakers.

If you still don’t believe Netflix is a threat, in the New Times piece, Netflix’s Movie Blitz Takes Aim at Hollywood’s Heart, Scott Stuber, the former Universal Pictures vice chairman who is now Netflix’s movie chief, reveals that his operation is set up to supply 55 original films a year, including some with budgets as high as $200 million. Add in documentaries and animated movies, handled by other divisions, and the number of annual Netflix film releases climbs to about 90. To compare, Universal, one of Hollywood’s most prolific traditional studios, releases roughly 30 movies a year.

However, counter to everything I believe, a new study conducted by EY’s Quantitative Economics and Statistics group finds that Netflix Isn’t Killing Movie Theaters and that it would appear that the two forms of entertainment consumption are more complementary than cannibalistic.

Meanwhile, Landmark Theatres, the Los Angeles-based nationwide chain that serves as the nexus of specialized and independent film exhibition in the US, has been purchased by the Cohen Media Group and IndieWire’s box-office analyst says indie and foreign films will benefit.

But if you’re like Gary Huswit, director of the critically acclaimed documentary Helvetica, you don’t want studios buying your film. For his latest documentary, Rams, Huswit once again ventures into self-distribution.

To wrap up… As I write this while watching E! Live From the Red Carpet, consider for a moment whether or not anyone outside of our industry cares about who wins or loses tonight. As someone who lived in Los Angeles for 12 years but now resides Detroit, I still love watching the spectacle, but no longer believe that awards have an impact on audiences. Yes, statistics have shown that nominated films do see a bump in box office post-awards, but that only affects a very few select films per year who more often than not, have a niche audience. And the same can also be asked of whether or not premiering your film at Sundance has any impact on on audience engagement.

The people I know who go to the movies don't go because it won an award - they usually don't even know who was nominated - or because it played a top tier festival. They go because a story speaks to them or they can see themselves on screen. They go looking for entertainment and a sense of escapism from their hectic life. They go to be moved and inspired and want to feel better about the world when they leave the theater.

Before you chose your next project, consider your audience first. Consider what they want to see and not just what our industry is most likely to reward.

Keep Going,

Rebecca Green
Editor-in-Chief