IFH 212: Out of Time & the Back to the Future DeLorean Documentary with Steve Concotelli

We are living in a crazy world, my friends. I wanted to do an episode on the effect the Coronavirus is having, not only on the film industry at large but also on how it will affect the indie filmmaker. With major events canceled like SXSW, MIPTV, and Cinequest, indie filmmakers are already feeling the effect. Twenty four of the largest theater owners in China have pulled out of CinemaCon, the largest convention of international theatrical exhibitors. Is the Cannes Film Festival and Market next?Production has stopped on Mission Impossible 7, which was shooting in Italy and the extremely popular The Amazing Race reality show has been suspended. The new James Bond film No Time to Die has been pushed until Nov 2020. Disney's Mulan, which is a love letter to the Chinese market has canceled it's China premiere and the release date in the US is up in the air.The Chinese box office has been at a standstill. 70,000 screens have been closed since January with no word when they will open. This has cost $2 billion in lost revenue to the Chinese and world film industry. The worldwide box office has lost $4 billion to date and growing each day. The theatrical box office was down 26.6% vs 2018 and this could be a MAJOR nail in the coffin of an already vulnerable theatrical business. We are in crazy times, my tribe.In this episode, I go over how this event is affecting indie filmmakers, what they can do to prepare, adjust and/or pivot in the coming weeks and months. It has never been more important for filmmakers to adopt the Filmtrepreneurial Method. Diversification of revenue streams is the only way filmmakers can hedge their bets in the uncertain times ahead.Sit back, pull up a stiff drink and take a listen.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

9 Maalis 202031min

Today on the show I continue my series on Predatory Film Distributors. An IFH Tribe member reached out to me to let me know about a scam that she almost fell for. If she hadn't reached out to a very experienced entertainment attorney, she would have lost $90,000. I'm calling this The Minimum Guarantee Scam.  I reveal the scam on the show and discuss how you can protect yourself. Stay safe out there. Things are getting scary. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

6 Maalis 202017min

Today on the show we have Filmtrepreneur Mark Harris. Mark is a self-taught filmmaker. His movies have been distributed by major distributors and he's self-distributed many of his earlier films and sold hundreds of thousands of copies in the US and overseas. Mark was born and raised in the Englewood community of Chicago.The same community Bermic Mac, Jennifer Hudson, Lorraine Hansberry, Janet Hubert, and Derek Rose are from. Mark is the Founder of 1555Filmworks a film production company that produces feature films and he's the Founder of the Englewood International Film Festival. Englewood is known as one of the most dangerous places to live in the United States. The crime rate, although reported most frequently, can not overshadow the hope for the future of this Chicago area. The goal of The Englewood International Film Festival is to change the imaging and condition of the people in Englewood.I had a ball talking shop with Mark. Without a doubt, he is an Indie Film Hustler and the living embodiment of a Filmtrepreneur.Enjoy my inspiring conversation with Mark Harris.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

25 Helmi 20201h 4min

Today on the show we have writer/director Josh Stifter. Josh was chosen as one of the directors to attempt to make a $7000 feature film using the El Mariachi style made famous by legendary filmmaker Robert Rodriguez. The show was called Rebel Without a Crew: The Series and it premiered on Robert's network El Rey.Josh and I talk indie film shop, what it was like working with Robert Rodriguez and his adventures making a $7000 indie film while cameras were capturing every single second of on-set action.Enjoy my conversation with Josh Stifter.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

21 Helmi 20201h 29min

Partnering with an honest film distributor can be a great part of any Filmtrepreneurial Blueprint. The problem is finding said "honest" distributor can be challenging. Finding an honest film distributor is like finding a unicorn, I know they are out there but they are rare. Yes, I know unicorns don't exist but you get what I'm trying to say.By design, the world of film distribution is shrouded in mystery. The key to the continued success of predatory film distributors is the silence of filmmakers and keeping "real" numbers behind lock and key. Today on the show we have two filmmakers who decided to come forward to break the silence.Kerry Carlock & Nick Lund-Ulrich are the filmmakers behind ARMSTRONG, which is about a rookie EMT and her partner pick up a wounded superhero and are pulled into his mission to save Los Angeles from a sinister organization.These brave filmmakers break down the numbers, the creative challenges of working with a distributor and much more. You can see a major difference in the artwork the filmmakers designed above to the way the company decided to market the film in the trailer artwork. Unless you have it stated in the contract you will lose the way your film is marketed and sold to the public.If you ever wanted to take a peek behind the curtain on a bad distribution experience get ready to take some notes. Enjoy my conversation with Kerry Carlock & Nick Lund-Ulrich.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

3 Helmi 20201h 32min

I've spoken about predatory film distributors before on the show (The Dark Underbelly of Predatory Film Distributors – BEWARE!) but I just discovered how some of these scumbags have figured out how to absolutely screw over filmmakers using a legal loophole. It's called the Bankrupt Reboot Distribution Scam.Here's how they do it. A predatory film distributor will prey on desperate indie filmmakers and will try to obtain the rights to as many low budget indie films as they can, usually for no money upfront in a short period of time. Let's say 1-2 years, if not faster. During that time they sell-off the rights in one big transaction to a bunch of different platforms, outlets, streaming, foreign agents, etc.Now here's the rub, rather than actually paying filmmakers what they are owed, the distributor files for bankruptcy protection, which is extremely easy to do in the United States. So you must be asking"If the distributor goes bankrupt, what happened to the rights of all those films?"Glad you asked. These bottom dwellers go to the bankruptcy court hearing and then buy back all the rights to the catalog of films from their own bankrupt company. The court has no other choice because that is how the bankruptcy law is written and there's no one else there to buy these assets.These bastards then form a new company and assign the newly purchased film catalog to themselves through that company. Now they are no longer legally obligated to pay the filmmakers (or anyone else they owe money to). So they own the film you killed yourself to make for pennies on the dollars and they never have to pay you a thing.This is made possible because of the original contract the filmmaker signed, which has a clause absolving them of that in the event of bankruptcy. Then to add insult to injury when the rights they originally sold off expire, they re-sell them again.These predators run this scam over and over and over with new companies formed each time. This is an extremely profitable business model. It's not ethical but it is legal.In this episode, I breakdown a case study of how one of these predatory film distributors pulled this off and I also go over how you can protect yourself. Make sure you take some notes because this episode is a doozy!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

31 Tammi 202021min

I don't know if something is in the air but things are getting rougher for indie filmmakers every day. I received a call today from a few filmmakers who are having major issues with the on-demand theatrical booking company TUGG, Inc. It seems that the company has shut its doors and left filmmakers in the dark.If you have read my new book Rise of the Filmtrepreneur®: How to Turn Your Indie Film into a Moneymaking Business, you know that I wrote an entire chapter highlighting TUGG and the amazing case study of the film Touch the Wall. These filmmakers made over $700K using Tugg. They have been working well with the independent film community for years so this call was a bit surprising.While speaking to a friend of the show and producer of Chris Sharpe, I started digging to see what I could find out. After doing some searches I found out that all of Tugg's social media accounts had been closed but their website is still up but so was Distribber's if you remember. I called their 866 customer support number but only got a machine. This is exactly what happened with Distribber. A company trying to close quietly.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

29 Tammi 202020min

Today on the show we have Sundance-winning producer Jonathan Baker. His new film Sylvie's Love is the talk of Sundance 2020. Sylvie's Love is an upcoming American drama film, written and directed by Eugene Ashe. It stars Tessa Thompson, Nnamdi Asomugha, Ryan Michelle Bathe, Regé-Jean Page, Aja Naomi King, and Eva Longoria. It will have its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2020.Jonathan is a wealth of information. In the episode, I pick his brain on what it was like winning the audience award at Sundance, how the indie film market place is changing, and much more. His last Sundance-winning film was Crown Heights which was later sold to Amazon Studios.Enjoy my conversation with Jonathan Baker.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

24 Tammi 20201h 32min