Big Brother is Watching: Schamus' Speech @ LFF

Bucking current trends in industry keynote addresses, James Schamus, studio head of one of the sole surviving indie labels, Focus Features, delivered a speech entitled "Lessons in Storytelling From the Department of Homeland Security: An Anti-keynote Speech" in which he highlighted the government's use (or abuse) of information collected during online purchases. While I'm sure the speech raised a few attendees' eyebrows, it's an interesting and worrisome topic that I hope people like Schamus will continue to report on.

The technological shifts of the last decade have only made it easier for our government to track and follow our every move. How long will it be until any purchase of questionable literature or video is followed by a call from a Homeland Security officer? The intersection between art and government can sometimes produce great work (see Europe's various film funds) but more often than not is a negative force of censorship, manipulation and control. The thought of using someone's artistic predilections as a weapon is frightening at best and a legitimate and pertinent concern as more and more content is purchased and consumed via the web.

#LFF: Schamus Delivers Lessons in Redacted Storytelling

Paranormal Activity's Amazing Hot Streak

I know, I've been terrible about writing. But I've been swamped preparing for this viral comedy short I produced last weekend. Now that it's (mostly!) over, I hope to get back to the nitty gritty. In the meantime, check out the excerpt below from Nikki Finke today about Paranormal. The numbers are incredible and speak to what its possible for filmmakers to achieve. True $10 million in P&A doesn't hurt, but what impressed me most was that a slow build through digital word of mouth, when done correctly, can be highly successful. Turns out the industry is cyclical, after all. For the most part, it had seemed that the roll-out release strategy had been nixed for not generating enough buzz around a film to be financially viable. But now its back, and proving to be very successful with niche films like Paranormal Activity, or even A Serious Man.

On the other hand, Paramount's Paranormal Activity received its "R" rating for language. The pic scored $7.5M Friday and is looking to be close to $8.6 million for Saturday and a weekend of $22 million. The cume should zoom to $62.4M. I can report that, as it expands for next Halloween weekend, the studio is starting to think the thriller has a shot at $100M. Which would make this the most profitable pic in modern Paramount history. After all, the project was acquired for a mere $300K, and the studio spent under $10M total on prints and advertising, "so this will be the best return Paramount has ever had," an insider tells me. Amazing, since Paramount had been playing the movie mostly at midnight shows and in just a 100 or so dates. Then again, the hype has been so successful -- right down to the claim that Steven Spielberg screened it and returned it in a trash bag.

Shouts and Murmurs: Subject: Our Marketing Plan: newyorker.com

Some webby humor for your Tuesday morning. Still moving in, so no time for long posts. Stay tuned!

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New Models of Distribution: DIY Theatrical

Arin Crumley, Indie film whizkid, is in the process of funding a new venture entitled OpenIndie, which aims to build theatrical demand for movies via social networking (think Paramount's campaign for Paranormal Activity, but on the indie level). They're trying to raise $10K by Oct 29th. I became a backer (for a mere $10), and you can too! See below:

Index of Video Embedding Sites

Discovered this great resource this morning that gives the facts and figures on most major video hosting sites. Using the same quicktime file, Karel has embedded his video into multiple sites, comparing and contrasting the results.

http://kareltests.co.uk/

Paranormal Activity Set For Oct. 9 Normal Release After It Gets Freakishly Good Gross Playing Only After Midnight

Sorry I've been MIA lately...moving in to a new apartment has taken up all my time. Be back next week with more raves and rants. In the meantime, check out Nikki Finke's post about Paramount's rollout for Paranormal Activity. In a ballsy and unexpected move, Paramount Pictures has adopted an unorthodox release strategy for its new horror film Paranormal Activity. In addition to the typical marketing campaign, they've started an Eventful page for the film, and are asking fans to demand screenings in their area. The areas with the most demands will be the first to get future screenings. The result? Well, just read the title of this post.

UPDATE: 'Paranormal Activity' Set For Oct. 9 Normal Release After It Gets Freakishly Good Gross Playing Only After Midnight

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