Last Thursday, I attended a screening of a new film starring
I planned to use the event as a rehearsal of sorts for my intended coverage of the 2010 NBFF. Garcia was actually penned in to attend and participate in a Q&A following the screening – almost unheard of in the biz.
Despite a few setbacks, including my forgetting my Flip camera at home, the event was probably one of the most successful thrown by the OC Film Society. The Q&A with Garcia went on longer than most do. And he was more than gracious in answering any manner of inquiry about the film, even one from a woman so unimaginative as to ask the actor how she should describe the film to others (did she forget that she just sat through the entire thing? Sub question: do you ask the cops how to describe a car accident when you were the one in it?)
One of the topics brought up was about the difficulties of making getting independent film made in today’s economy. This he turned into a secondary point on how social media has altered the way studios promote films, and they way a film now gains a following.
On the former: Although it seemed for years that independent filmmaking is on the rise, and a growing number of indie films winning numerous awards, including Oscars (Hurt Locker, Best Picture 2010) – many of the smaller studios, responsible for those films, are closing their doors. However…
On the Latter: Although money is tight, the rise of social media allows for independent filmmakers to engage their (potential) audience in an entirely new, and more personal, manner – giving them a leg up on the big-budget competition. You can engage more people in less time, and make it more intimate. Now you can connect with 1,000 people with the click of button, “before you had to physically make contact with 1,000 people,” Garcia said.
The word-of-mouth aspect of social media has also laid an interesting groundwork for the movie release, Garcia said. The very dynamic of social media gives the little guy a fighting chance against marketing budgets that overshadow the indie film’s entire funding.
All it takes is one bad clip…
“Social Media could kill a big-budget film, with enough bad response,” Gacia said. If say a scene gets leaked over YouTube or some other outlet and gets negative feedback from the public, it has spelled the end of some recent releases. “The cream rises,” in this new media environment.
And it’s that very new/indie media mentality that Garcia attributes to the success of City Island, a film that was passed over and almost found itself collecting dust on some shelf, a number of times. Yet throughout the filming, the passion of the director and cast kept the project not only moving forward, but building interest like a snowball.
Read Director Raymond De Felitta’s blog on the making of the film “Movies ‘til Dawn: Making City Island.”
“City Island has become a grass roots indie fave, a movie that audiences feel belongs to them--a perfectly appropriate reaction given that the films success began with it winning the Audience Award at the Tribeca Film Festival.” – De Felitta
The film opens in Orange County on April 2.
For video clips from the Q&A: http://www.kellyforniamedia.com/index.php/nbff/ocfilmsocietycityisland/
And for more info on my 2010 NBFF coverage go to - http://www.kellyforniamedia.com/index.php/nbff/
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Posted via email from Kellyfornia on the state of... well, things.
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