Plus: home video profits are down, and Sony wildly overestimates the allure of their executives. (read more)
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Another journey through the liguistics of box office reportage. (read more)
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McConaughey's hair budget aside, there are expenses in movie-making that you would never imagine. (read more)
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Maybe the key to a happy life and career making films is more a matter of mindset than of beefing up your defenses. (read more)
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Is serious hot right now in Hollywood? It seems to be working out that way for Participant Productions. (read more)
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Powell's proves it's possible to get the selection you want and an experience at the same time. (read more)
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Not surprisingly, YouTube's greatest advantage also seems to be its greatest disadvantage. (read more)
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YouTube apparently does more than provide some laughs for free. It's starting to help big entertainment executives connect to what real people want. (read more)
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Under the current assumption—that all the checks in the filmmaking business are signed in LA—you have to either be in LA or have close ties there to make it. That was the basic message at a recent Waterfront panel. But what if the paradigm shifted? (read more)
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SpoutBlog is back. We missed the stimulation of ideas generated here. We missed hearing from all of you. And the issues are out there, buzzing around, looking for somewhere to land. (read more)
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This proposal is ridiculous. In the future it will be more expensive to make a documentary in this country than a feature film. Documentarians should get a packet of free Product Placement Coupons from the government in case their subject... (read more)
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So the film world is crackling with anticipation over how we'll get our films in the future. Caveh Zahedi wrote an eloquent manifesto for self-distribution in Filmmaker Magazine. Withoutabox.com, Myspace.com, and Yahoo! My Movies all want to make some type... (read more)
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This year, Park City, among other things, is abuzz with what the Internet will do to make films accessible that weren't accessible before. For instance, in the Queer Lounge at Sundance, withoutabox.com announced some basic community tools on their website... (read more)
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So typically the buzz at festivals has to do with films. This year at Sundance and Slamdance the buzz includes all sorts of new experiments to keep independent and foreign films in the "black box" without pandering to the multiplex.... (read more)
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David Lowery wrote an articulate post about how independent filmmakers can learn about building an audience from touring folk musicians. I couldn't agree more. The article makes me want to write even more on this subject.When there's frustration with Hollywood,... (read more)
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I just came across this article in the LA Times from Novemember. I'm glad I didn't see it until now because I've been thinking lately about how the Information Age is providing more than a way for me to access... (read more)
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Most people have heard and experienced in some way shape or form that going to the movies is not nearly as popular as it once was. Industry analysts say sophisticated Home Entertainment systems, DVDs, gasoline price hikes and popcorn price... (read more)
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So if you haven't yet read the latest issue of Fast Company, you should. Alan Deutschman and Scott Kirsner cover the changing, bomb-shelled landscape of movie distribution. ("Hollywood's New Wave" and "Maverick Mogul" only available in print right now) Of... (read more)
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My understanding of business is pretty simplistic, I'll be the first to admit that. I don't understand this pattern I see in the business of buying and selling movies. The pattern is this: those who love movies the most are... (read more)
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So with the Weinstein's leaving Miramax to truly fill their movie Mogul ambitions, people like Mark Cuban are stepping in to fill the void in filmmaking that Miramax seemingly used to. With the film Bubble he is executing his plan... (read more)
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Every day seems to bring yet another story regarding the different companies lining up into the HD-DVD or Blu-Ray DVD camp. Personally, I'm thinking that Blu-Ray will win out in the end, due to a combination of adoption by many... (read more)
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Yesterday was a banner day for Spout.com. On the day Harriet Miers was nominated to be a Supreme Court Justice, she had a moment to take a break and check an email or two then (obviously) zip over to check... (read more)
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I may catch some flack for this, but I'm going to list some recent developments that I see as connected: 1) The Undergraduate degree is today what the High School diploma was 25 years ago. If you have always been... (read more)
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A little over a year ago, my friends and I were tossing around thoughts about how lately films and filmmaking seem to be going in an interesting direction. These thoughts started turning into ideas. Then we got together to work... (read more)
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