blog-iversary

This week -- with over 975 entries since March '04 -- this blog celebrates its 4th anniversary. Someone's getting old...



poland v. peter bart

Some of my best friends are Variety bloggers, not that there's anything wrong with it... In his latest weekly column, Variety editor Peter Bart offers his latest diatribe on blogs and bloggers and in a 1,700 word response, David Poland reacts:

“Blogs,” as we know them now, are less than a five year old phenomenon. We are still years from any real maturity to the form. (We will know we are reaching real maturity when the entire culture is no longer defined effectively by one word, “blog.”). Maturity which will lead, I imagine, to a lot less blogging from Traditional Media such [as] Variety.



blogs and bloggers: the survey

For those of you who are interested, the indie online ad sales company BlogAds (which reps ads on this blog and on indieWIRE) is conducting a major survey of blogger and blog reader likes, dislikes, tastes, and online habits. Free free to take my Blog Reader Project survey . And skip any questions that you don't wish to answer...



a second life film fest?

SC_SLimg.jpgThinking about Sundance Channel's virtual premiere of "Four Eyed Monsters" Tuesday night (see related indieWIRE story) in its newly opened Second Life screening room online makes me wonder if there are any SL film festivals in the works (I mean, most cities with 2.5 million residents have one). Or has one already happened? (anyone, anyone...) I'd love to attend and cover an SL fest comprised of the usual curated screenings, hosted parties and panel discussions. You see where I am going with this...

Sundance Channel has been documenting the building of their whole SL island via a blog on their site and the F.E.M. folks offer insight and info on their screening on their own site.

I found previous visits to SL a bit overwhelming at first, but I've heard that its quite a place...in fact, a colleague recently told me about a friend who is so engaged in SL that she spends more time in her second life than in her real life...



negativity

Is anyone else out there tired of all the negativity and personal attacks that make up so much of the blog writing today? Why can't we be critical without being insulting and disrespectful? Why are so many bloggers constantly trying to create controversy? Oh yeah, just like the 24-hour news channels, they are desperate for an audience...

Today, Hollywood Elsewhere's Jeff Wells tries to stoke a battle between The Hollywood Reporter's Anne Thompson and The New Yorker's David Denby, even though her measured comments about Denby's recent article are critical but respectful. At least she didn't insult the writer... Wells recently called blogging competitor Dave Poland a "pissy, pathetic little bitch," after Poland branded him, "George's buttboy" (referring to Wells' positive review of George Hickenlooper's "Factory Girl." The Wells-Poland battle has grown tired and unfortunately, I spend less time reading their worthwhile sites as a result.

Of course, the LA guys don't have the market cornered on negativity. Just last week, the valuable new NYC film site The Reeler went off on year-end top 10 writers last week, prompting the NY Times' David Carr to playfully call The Reeler's Stu VanAirsdale "a bit of a hater." STV responded to a number of negative comments with a contrite open letter today.

Finally, I can't overlook our own indieWIRE.com, which published some rather tough comments last week that went beyond criticizing "Pan's Labyrinth" to dissing those who praised the movie...calling them "mindless reviewers" and labeling the film "the prototypical Foreign Film for Dummies" (with a comparison to 'Amelie')...

Maybe I watched a bit too much daytime TV over my break in California (and maybe I am reading to much into the aforementioned examples), but the volume of insults and negativity just got to me. I am all for criticism...but with so much disrespect?

Thoughts?



the return of the reeler

reelerbingSM.jpgLast summer, former star indieWIRE intern Stu VanAirsdale (pictured right with Bingham Ray at a summer film party) launched a new blog called The Reeler, covering all things New York film... we quickly invited him to bring the new site to indieWIRE as one of our many hosted blogs. And then, back in December, Stu shifted the publication over to Movie City News...And now, after a few days of darkness, The Reeler is back with a vengeance, on a full-fledged website at TheReeler.com, with a host of new contributors. Congrats STV and all the best on the new site, I've already added your feed to my RSS reader...



veuve girl

veuvegirl.jpg

Quite often, lastnightsparty.com is a real hoot. "Check it out.



next-gen is now?

Who remembers Atom Films and IFILM, particularly back when the two companies launched online at essentially the same moment (see 7th item on the page) in early 1999? Now, both companies have been acquired by MTV, Atom for $200 million in a deal announced today and IFILM for $49 million last fall.

I can't say that it feels like yesterday, but I still clearly remember founders Mika Salmi (from Atom) and Roger Raderman (from IFILM) pounding the pavement at fests in those early days, trying to woo filmmakers and sharing with us their goals for the respective companies. By Sundance 2000, a host of new online sites for short films had sprung up, ushering in what they collectively hailed as "next-generation" entertainment. At indieWIRE, we covered this emerging space aggressively, hoping to maintain a front row seat as indies carved out an important role. The momentum faded...but not for Atom and IFILM.

Now, as the latest wave of dotcom money continues to eye film space, there seem to be a number of unique opportunities for indies to really make some headway. Thoughts?



lunch with dave

Now this is the way to "do lunch"...without ever having to leave the office. David Poland's new weekly vlog has been posted on iklipz, its set in an L.A. resturant where Dave sits down and rants for a few minutes before ordering his meal.

Give it a peek, I think its a lot of fun and a great way to stay on top of the latest Hollywood industry buzz without actually having to deal with valet parking, exchanging pleasantries and then paying for that pricey lunch. Bon appetite!



navigating the online (film) world

I've received variations on the question, "What do you think of this iklipz thing?" from a number of people in the past few days.

iklipz is a new website that seems to be a sort of cross between MySpace and YouTube, a social networking site built around uploaded video content. There will no doubt be more there over time and with a number of sharp film people involved, I'd expect it could evolve into a viable distribution channel. Another interesting website to watch is Withoutabox, given its recent acquisition of Film Finders, that should be a valuable resource.

Of course, for social networking I am partial to our indieLOOP section which has nearly 2,500 members and, unlike MySpace or Friendster, is aimed only at film people. I hope that someday, if I want to find a filmmaker or film person, I can simply go there, type their name into the search and find a simple page, where they've posted their bio, photo, links to a trailer or video clips, or other info.



i prefer paris

Despite the loss to Italy today in the World Cup Final, France is still a favorite of many...particularly Richard Nahem, now based in Paris. He is writing a book about his experience as an American expatriot in the city, dubbed, I Prefer Paris. As a companion piece, he has also just launched a blog, appropriately titled, "I Prefer Paris" (doesn't everyone?). In an email to friends and acquaintances, he promises, "Hilarious stories, perfect weather, great food and wine, interesting company, a first-class view, and lots of fun."



downloadable movies, but not for mac

Today's major Movielink announcement that all of the Hollywood studios (except Disney) will release movies for VOD download at the same time they come out on DVD is disappointing news for Mac users who will have to wait until Apple announces its iTunes program for movie downloading. A visit to the Movielink site reads:

"In order to enjoy the Movielink service, you must use Windows 2000 or XP, which support certain technologies we utilize for downloading movies."



convergence

06cover060213_150.jpgRunning aroud the Austin Convention Center here this weekend at the concurrent SXSW film and interactive conferences, I ran into Peter Rojas (pictured right) arguably the most important new technology blogger (writing and editing the influential Engadget.com)...

More often than not, he said that he watches movies on portable devices (either a laptop computer or smaller personal player) and wonders when the film business will develop a system for distributing films that mirrors the way the music business has embraced emerging platforms. Rojas told me that he gets his most of his music via the Rhapsody subscription service and, rifling through his messenger bag filled with gadgets and cables, showed off an iRiver player that he uses for his music. With all the debate about day and date, collapsing windows and VOD, its interesting to hear about how many people actually watch movies today...I have a feeling Rojas' habits are consistent with the way that many younger folks are consuming content.



blogging

So many blogs so little time...Anne Thompson's Hollywood Reporter piece on blogs today includes some nice plugs for indieWIRE and our blogging activities here at Sundance.

I am trying to keep this blog up to date, but am also posting to indieWIRE's Park City Blog (along with a dozen filmmakers).



meeting bloggers

4bloggers.JPGindieWIRE's packed "Meet the Bloggers" event (pictured left to right are: Scott Macaulay, Karina Longworth, Michael Koresky and Alison Willmore) at The Apple Store began with a bit of news: S.T. "Stu" VanAirsdale (aka The Reeler) is moving his blog to Movie City News. The button-pushing blogger also took a moment to give a shout out to IFC's Evan Shapiro, via an IFC TV camera crew that was taping the event. He later chatted on camera with the IFC News reporter in attendance. Andrew Grant (Like Anna Karina's Sweater) and Aaron Dobbs (Out of Focus) expressed surprise at being cast as the senior bloggers of the group, both launched their sites nearly two years ago. One of their favorite bloggers, The Cinetrix was a surprise attendee, sitting in the audience for the proceedings during a visit from her home in South Carolina.

Bloggers bemoaned the early dismissive attitudes towards film blogs by established film critics. A critic and blogger, Michael Koresky from The Reverse Blog and Reverse Shot said that such ill will seems to be fading. A number of bloggers noted the recent launch of DaveKehr.com as a welcome move by a mainstream critic into the blogosphere. Meanwhile, most bloggers dissed recent blog launches by The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times, rejecting the idea that such high-profile blogs are welcome developments. I'm paraphrasing, but Cinematical's Karina Longworth said forcefully, "I don't need a mainstream blogger to vaildate me." For more on film blogs, check out Steve Rosen's recent indieWIRE article on the topic.



dave kehr is dave kehr, and more blogs

Ray Pride recently cast doubt on the person behind the blog DaveKehr.com, proposing that the site is a parody by someone other than Kehr. Well it seems that the two have a history, dating back to when they each wrote for rival Chicago papers, so perhaps its not a total shock to see Pride trying to challenge Kehr's work. As the real Kehr told me in an email the other day, "davekehr.com is, for better or worse, my work."

And while we're at it, "The Reeler" is not written by me as some people still seem to think, its penned by S.T. "Stu" VanAirsdale. If you need further proof, drop by today's Apple event, he'll be there.

And, for more on film blogs, check out today's indieWIRE article on the subject.



meet the bloggers

Two more days until indieWIRE assembles a collection of film bloggers for our monthly discussion series at the Apple Store Soho. I'll be moderating the chat with a mix of movie bloggers Friday night at 7:30 p.m., upstairs inside the store. We'll be heading over to the Waverly @ IFC Center after the session for bit of holiday cheer.



more web ads...

MSNBC, which coincidentally launched the exact same day (nearly 10 years ago) as indieWIRE, is flooding the Internet with web-based advertising. Stuart Elliott reports on the campaign in The New York Times today, giving indieWIRE its third recent NY Times plug about online advertising (although we still aren't a blog):

Among the 800 blogs that will run the ads are Adrants, Althouse, Curbed, Daily Kos, Gothamist, IndieWire, Largehearted Boy, Talking Points Memo and TV Newser. Buying ads on 800 blogs is a major commitment to that fledgling medium.



blog accuracy

wellsblog.jpgWhile I am certainly a big proponent of blogs, I am an even bigger fan of accuracy. I mention this because I was chatting on AIM yesterday with a film business friend who questioned the validity of Jeffrey Wells' recent posting that lists some 22 films that Wells says "are set for the 2006 Sundance Film Festival." The friend speculated that the Wells' list may in fact be bogus. I hadn't looked that closely at the list until last night but upon deeper investigation it seems that most of it is in fact wrong. Out of the 22 films listed maybe 4 or 5 will actually be announced as part of the Sundance lineup. If that rate of about 20% accuracy holds up, its quite distressing.

On a related note, I will be moderating indieWIRE's "Meet the Film Bloggers" event at the Apple Store Soho on December 16th and blog accuracy will no doubt be one of the topics we'll discuss.



"Citing Slow Summer Box Office, Hollywood Calls It Quits"

onionholly.jpgThe Onion on the death of Hollywood:

Universal Studios joined DreamWorks SKG, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., Paramount, and Fox Monday, when CEO Ron Meyer announced that the company is shutting down operations and ceasing all film production, effective immediately.
"I can always go back to Wisconsin and tend bar," actor Mark Ruffalo said. "Maybe do some community theater. The folks you should really feel sorry for are Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise. They're fucking nuts. I have no idea what they'll do without Hollywood."


Beware of Friendster

friendsterstalker.jpg ATTENTION STALKERS! Friendster has a new feature that allows its members to see who has been viewing their profile. Apparently there is a way to turn off the new feature, so that you can browse anonymously, but I don't believe it really works...anyway, Happy Stalking! (FYI, my profile.)



The *new* indieWIRE

newsite.jpgYesterday, we launched the *new* indieWIRE.com site, after months and months of planning and production (mostly from our friends at GMD Studios). The site is still evolving a bit; you will see more new stuff in the coming weeks...

This is a major relaunch for us, changing significantly the way we publish. As Brian Clark explained:

There's another premiere planned for the Toronto Film Festival that we've been tight lipped about: our own here at indieWIRE. Technically, it would be indieWIRE version 9 (see a rough ten-year history), but it is the heftiest re-creation of indieWIRE yet.


Attention Filmmakers, Build a Website! Thanks.

Dear filmmakers, its 2005. Do you have a personal website for your film or company?

If you have a film screening on the festival circuit, then it is essential to build a website to promote the movie. Once you hit the festivals, your film is in distribution so its important to have a site where you can build awareness for yourself and your work, direct audiences for more info, and as a tool to promote your film to new potential audiences and the media...

» Continue reading "Attention Filmmakers, Build a Website! Thanks."


Miranda's Web Movies...

Backstage after the Cannes award winners were announced last week, I asked Miranda July about how she might blog about the experience of winning the Camera d'Or. She explained that she'd been capturing video clips of her experience returning to France to accept the prize. A few days ago on her blog promoting "Me And You And Everyone We Know," Miranda July indeed posted clips, including shots of her limo ride, walking up the red carpet, and a detailed account of her experience.



Happy Blog-day!

Today marks the 1st birthday for this blog. This is entry #224, since the blog was launched on March 26, 2004. Thanks for reading!



SETH GODIN | Why this "Internet thing" is just starting

Author Seth Godin considers the current state of the Internet:

Yes, it's only been ten years.

And despite our memories of the crash of 2000, here are ten reasons why I believe that there's about to be a significant flourishing of Net companies and business successes, not to mention extremely cool things for the rest of us:*



Gawker for L.A.?!

I for one couldn't be more excited about today's launch of Defamer.com, the West Coast sister of Gawker.com, featuring gossip from my other favorite city: Los Angeles. And now, let the speculation about the site's author officially begin. A post about the writer reads:

He's nobody -- just another Hollywood peon, maybe another PA on the set. Or he could be your assistant -- you know, the one you just made fetch your dogs from the groomer? That wasn't very nice of you. He could be the one actually putting in those script edits you were screaming about last night, or the one with the polite smile working your agent's desk, or deep in the agency mailroom... Anyway, he's somewhere in Hollywood.



If Blogs Are Not Journalism, What Are They?

Jason Calacanis, of emerging blogland Weblogs Inc., weighs in with his answer to the question: "What is a Blog?" Or rather he offers a clear statement of what they aren't: "Blogs are not journalism," he blogs.

Im taking this position for a number of reasons, most of them self-serving, but truth be told I could just as easily sit here and give you ever reason why blogs should be considered part of journalism. Actually, that might be a good exercise so lets do it....



What is a Blog?

Clearly blogs have caught on. Over the past week, execs at two New York distribution companies separately asked me directly, "What is a blog?" While one exec, a leading distributor, seemed slightly resistant to blogs, the other person, a top acquisitions person at an Indiewood company, expressed an interest in starting a blog. But, the individual worried about whether top level management inside the company might frown on buyers being candid online. Execs at Fox Searchlight have embraced promotional blogging, offering a blog that highlights company releases and news.



Google Tips

A New York Times article last week offered some cool features that I didn't realize were available via Google. For example, Google can function as both the white and yellow pages (search for: phonebook:starbucks new york, ny), or use it to track UPS and FedEx packages by typing the digits of the package number. It can also be used as a calculator by typing an equation and hitting search, or use it to convert units of measure (for example: teaspoons in a gallon or number of feet in 12 miles). Other cool features, track a stock by typing the ticker symbol into the search field, or get a map by typing in a telephone area code or an address. Also cool, track an airline flight by typing in the flight info (for example: United 22).