How many independent films are based on previous films?
If you ask the average movie-goer what they don’t like about Hollywood movies, they are likely to mention the seemingly endless production of sequels, prequels and spin-offs. Last week, a filmmaker asked me how common these were among independent movies. I didn’t know offhand, so I decided to find out. I used my database of […]
What percentage of independent films are profitable?
The profitability of independent films is a complicated topic for a whole variety of reasons. The indie film sector is: Decentralised. It relies on a constantly shifting chain of third parties across the world, with no requirement to report to a centralised body, no third party verification and lacks even agreed reporting standards. Opaque. Some revenue streams […]
Do you need a famous actor to get your film into cinemas?
A common belief among sales and distribution professionals is that “names sell”. As in, films starring famous actors (“names”) are more marketable than films without any famous names. But how true is this? Bruce Nash and I teamed up to find out in the latest of our research projects for the American Film Market. Studying […]
What kinds of movies did Distribber attract?
As many of you may have heard last week, film aggregator Distribber looks close to collapse. Their office has been closed, staff laid off, senior figures have departed and filmmakers owed money can’t even get a reply to their questions. I’ve had a number of questions from readers and industry commentators concerning the data behind […]
Are movies getting longer?
It: Chapter Two is an unusual horror film because it’s almost three hours long. This means it is longer than 99.78% of all horror films made over the past twenty years. Earlier in the year Avengers: Endgame was one minute over the three-hour barrier and Martine Scorsese’s up-coming epic The Irishman is expected to be […]
How many independent films reach cinemas?
For many independent filmmakers, whether or not their film reaches the big screen means everything. No matter the money to be made via television deals or the massive audiences possible with VOD, a theatrical release is where it’s at. In a new piece of research for the American Film Market, Bruce Nash and I set […]
How valuable is experience when producing movies?
In much of human life, we equate the length of time someone has been performing a task with their level of skill. Businesses proudly state how long ago they were founded, a lawyer with “30 years’ experience” can charge more than one fresh out of college and ‘time served’ often denotes seniority. But is this […]
Are we experiencing a renaissance of music-based movies?
Over the past few weeks and months, we have seen an increase in press articles covering music–based feature films. Only last week, The Guardian stated, “We are in an uncommonly busy period, if not a flat-out golden age“, the BBC declared that “2019 has been the year of the music film” and The Independent claimed […]
Do directors direct both fiction and documentaries?
I am working on a long-term research project looking at gender among documentarians. Previously, I’ve studied the gender split among directors, producers, writers, cinematographers, composers and sales professionals – but always focusing on fictional feature films. As I branch out to study factual films, I wanted to do a couple of micro-research projects to learn […]
Is it better to have one producer or a team of producers?
I have produced films alone and I have produced in partnership with other producers. Personally, I prefer the latter. Producing a movie is a big undertaking and so it’s good to have people to share the load and journey with. Plus the film gets to benefit from multiple people’s strengths, passion and contacts. Recently, I […]