Some of them are old at Plush 01-20-2012
It was quite the whirlwind of a weekend. Besides going to Plush on Friday to shoot some photos and video of my friends’ bands, heading to The River’s Edge with Duke and Cat to shoot some photos and video of Heart Attack Shack on Saturday, then putting a promo together for Trouble, I also made my way to a friend’s house with my wife to watch the 49ers and Giants.
Wow, today, I’m still working on things, but I have a job interview with the City of Tucson’s government Channel 12. I’m looking forward to the job (if I get it). I would get to work with an award-winning crew of professionals. Now, I know PEG and access cable in general are not in the greatest favor with Cox. My experiences with Access Tucson have taught me that business can be fickle – especially in a down-turned economy. Everyone is cutting budgets and even Tucson 12 has had to co-locate with Access Tucson to stay afloat.
Heart Attack Shack at River's Edge for the Breakfast Club Show with Trouble - 01-21-2012
Many have heard my theories that film is dead. Don’t get me wrong, I know full well there is plenty of money to be made making movies, but there are far more television stations right now seeking original content that would be happy to buy the rights to your film. Make it just a little bit marketable and you have yourself a good business plan. Besides, Hollywood has been over-inflating their numbers for years and years. Couple this with last week’s SOPA debacle and you have a picture of an industry sounding its death knell. It will still take decades, but the Movie industry historically goes the way of the music industry in the long run: all electronic, micro-payments and an overall reduction in hard copy sales (ie: CDs to DVDs). This is my opinion of course, but that’s where it’s going.
Where will film go? Where everything else is going: TV, Cable, Satellite, and Internet. There: 4 distinct distribution channels looking for original content while you can’t throw a rock without hitting an indie filmmaker with the next big idea. I’m not saying the ideas aren’t great or the films aren’t fantastic. They are. They just get lost in the shosh and noise of trying to grab a distribution deal with a big theater chain who won’t even talk to you unless you are a “big studio.” It’s not fair. It stinks. I know. On the other hand, numerous actors, producers, directors, and enterprising filmmakers are beginning to realize there is a market for their stuff. Now if they can just keep their expenses to a minimum and maximize profits, they have a legitimate, viable, sustainable business model. We may have to just abandon our fun dreams of Hollywood Riches, but keep rubbing elbows with the stars. The technology is just too approachable, the ease with which a film can be made is undeniable, the tools have come full circle. The trick, now, is to make the best stories, the most interesting, compelling, and engaging works. No matter what you say, it still takes lots of time and hard work and effort, but it can be done. Welcome to the age of the indie!
Frankly, if the job doesn’t pan out, expect to see me on TV anyway!
