This Savage Art

That’s right. This time it’s for real. If you have an active Netflix account you can download films and watch on your computer. Finally!

Popularity: 6% [?]

Does anyone out there have PDF versions of Into The Wild and The Darjeeling Limited? It seems that the studios who so generously posted scripts for download on their sites have made them all unavailable.

Please contact me if you do.

[imdb Into The Wild] [imdb The Darjeeling Limited]

Update: Got The Darjeeling Limited PDF from Paul and Into The Wild from Gil. Thanks again guys.

Popularity: 17% [?]

PDF available online for download. Related: How to make your screenplay “read like the movie.”

Popularity: 44% [?]

I’ve been watching the three part Q&A with Peter Broderick (remember New Wave Films) on Scott Kirsner’s excellent site CinemaTech. Broderick discusses the recent Cannes Festival, current financing and DIY distribution models and downloading films via the internet. It’s definitely worth checking out if you’re an independent filmmaker looking for current info on financing and distribution.

Also, Four Eyed Monsters creators Arin Crumley and Susan Buice are offering their film in its 72 minute entirety on YouTube and if you sign up for free with Spout, an online film recommendation community, a $1 will go to the filmmaker’s debt. As of writing this they have raised around $24,000. Regardless of how you feel about the film, the way they have used the internet to get the word out is something that deserves a little recognition. I know it’s been a long, hard road for them.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Yesterday Mike Curtis announced he has launched HD For Indies Premium. For $9.95 you get access to a separate site that has Mike’s analysis of NAB 2007. Hardware, software, cameras etc. $10. That is a steal but as you might have guessed some people have an issue with paying. There are arguments that it should be “a ‘gift economy’ wherein people post and read freely.” Another comment was that the original site needs to be proofread. I signed up because if there’s one guy that works his ass of to give indie filmmakers/editors/video gearheads honest analysis of the bleeding edge info on video hardware and software, it’s Mike Curtis.

It is understandable that there is some resistance. He’s been giving it away since 2004. There will be some growing pains but here it is people, plain and simple, if the guy can’t make a living doing this he can’t give us what we want and need. Mike has been doing this out of pocket for 3+ years now. He is testing the gear so we don’t have to. He has cultivated relationships with vendors and manufacturers that give him an inside view. Mike sees the bigger picture in all of this. Why shouldn’t he be paid?

To speed up the process I humbly offer some suggestions for Mike and those who are on the fence about paying for content;

• Keep the original site up but charge $X amount a year for the premium site. This way Mike will have a steady flow of income from the people who want the “full” content. The original site will give tidbits but to get full analysis and downloadable content you will have to sign up. Of course this content must be exclusive. Which brings me to:

• Offer exclusive timely content. It’s the only way people will pay. If they can get it anywhere for free why should they pay? I know the downside is that everything ends up on the internet anyway but I don’t think the people who are signing up for this premium service are looking to fuck Mike over. I think they want him to succeed and give us informed educated opinions on gear that affect our livelihood. That would be the true measure of the internet’s generosity.

• Do away with all those pay-per-click ads. What, is he making $1.12 a month off of that? If he gets ads from manufacturers his reputations goes right out the window. He needs you and you need him.

• Hire some help. The reason the site doesn’t look all nice and pretty and organized is because Mike is slaving over a massive archive of posts and writing up analysis for us at 3:00 in the morning. I would love for him to update his FAQ but I know he just doesn’t have the time. If he has some income he can probably hire someone to proofread and create a fluid, fully functional website so you can see where your yearly fee is going. This probably won’t happen right away but…

• Expand the consultant service. As a premium member you get X amount of online /e-mail consultations for a fee — less than Mike’s phone consultation fee. This is great for indie filmmakers on a budget. They get what they need for their project and Mike gets paid for his hard work.

• It’s a jungle out there. Many forums can give conflicting information. Mike is dealing with manufacturers and people that are using this stuff in the field. Experts can be recruited to be a part of a weekly forum Q&A.

• The premium site is just an entree into other things to be offered. A Mike-made-or-endorsed DVD of how to get the most out of the HVX-200 could save an indie filmmaker a lot of money down the line. Just a thought.

These are just a few suggestions and I’m sure as the service evolves Mike will work out the kinks. I just think, say, $20 a year isn’t all that much to ask to get what Mike is serving up. I wish him luck.

Popularity: 16% [?]

William Monahan’s screenplay is available for download from the Warner Brothers site [Via Movie City Indie].

Popularity: 25% [?]

Vivid Entertainment says it will sell its adult films through the online movie service CinemaNow, allowing buyers to burn DVDs that will play on any screen, not just a computer. Yahoo News has more…

Popularity: 4% [?]