Film London News Bulletin - Traditional and Online Distribution

Film London News Reports:

LONDON UK FILM FOCUS, which attracted more than 100 international buyers to the capital, drew to a close last week. Despite the recession, the event did not experience the fall out of buyers anticipated and was an upbeat affair, with industry premieres including Nick Love's The Firm and Julian Fellowes' From Time To Time. Approximately $3m (£1.8m) in sales is expected.

This new report is in line with the June 16 Posting as seen below. The question remains: Who Bought What?

The London UK Film Focus (June 29-July 2) is showcasing UK films to a captive audience of international buyers. For those smaller UK sales agents trying to stay afloat, this year’s LUFF, run by Film London, has assumed a new importance.

Around 120 international buyers will be in town for four days to see UK films such as Ealing Studios’ "From Time To Time" and Carnaby International’s comedy-horror "Doghouse".UK sellers claim that LUFF gives them to reach distributors with titles that risk being overlooked in the maelstrom of the Cannes market. The event’s organisers estimate the event generates around $3m of film sales each year.LUFF 2009 is backed by Film London, the UK Film Council, the British Film Institute, Film Export UK, UK Trade & Investment and the London Development Agency.


ONLINE DISTRIBUTION/ THAT IS, EXHIBITION

In keeping with my commentary that when Gigantic Group announced its launching a full-service “online exhibition venue” for first-run independent films, called Gigantic Digital Cinema.
that their use of "exhibition" rather than "distribution" puts the business on its head, in effect eliminating the line between exhibition and distribution. How smart because in fact that is the stumbling block when everyone says that today's distribution system is broke/ broken. It's because one sees distribution as the feed to exhibition and there are either too many non paying (digital) exhibition platforms or too few (called theaters).

Distribution IS Exhibition when one is speaking digitally. Problem solved. The new synthesis of the dialectic conundrum. So today a British platform has fallen in step with current worldwide shifts to digital exhibition, even if they call it "distribution".

New online media and entertainment platform Studio Beyond is planning to launch an alternative to traditional theatrical distribution mid July by offering its subscribers the opportunity to distribute movies online. (Here I would say to exhibit movies) It enables film-makers to maximise distribution opportunities and generate new revenue streams, but also gives aspiring creative talent the chance to showcase their latest movies. Producers are being invited to send in a preview copy of their movie, which will be reviewed within 15 days.

Showcasing is important!

How much will the moviemaker make from a download?

How much is the download?

Per Mark Lipsky: Gigantic is $2.99 for a 3 day unlimited viewing ticket. As for getting the word out, we do a great deal of pr and grassroots marketing on behalf of every film that flows through our Cinema - at no cost to distributors or filmmakers that we work with. When we released Must Read After My Death in February, over 100 media outlets big and small and nationwide covered the film even though it only opened in theaters in NY & LA.

The Auteurs is $5.00. For how long? How many subscribers are there? There are 3,700+ posts on its Forum which seems good to me. How is it being marketed?

If anyone has answers and/ or comments I'd love to see them.

How will Studio Beyond market itself and the films?