OPINIONS - POST OPINION - PREVIOUS - NEXT
OPINION
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Expanding The Scope Of Indy Film
We’ve been
doing a lot of research and experiments around here this past week,
and we feel that we’re on to something. Many of you feel the same
way, too, as reader response has been phenomenal. This web site has
taken on a life of its own, and in the last few months the success it
has seen has exceeded our plans. We have not been disappointed at all,
and our efforts have been worth it. Our closest competition has not
only been late to the game, but their efforts haven’t even begun
to approach what we have done even after we launched first and they
had a good chance to learn from us and improve upon what they were doing.
Not that, in retrospect, there is much that can be done to improve on
what we’ve put together.
This market dominance only begins here. It will continue, spreading
into other markets as our allies and business partners begin to go to
work. You can expect an entirely new standard for film festivals, and
the filmmaking business in general, soon.
Don’t take my opinion as overt cockiness or tactless pride, however.
It’s really not. I could list a lot that can be done to improve
this site and what we do, and believe me when I say that we are hard
at work on those improvements. It’s just that our competition
remains ignorant of the potential, and they haven’t even made
us walk for our dinner, yet. Here’s to future smart competition
that we can respect; competition that will inspire us to work harder
and to achieve more. We look forward to the challenges that will surely
come as more people wake up and learn what we have learned.
Achieving more. That is what this opinion post is really about. It is
about the start of a journey, of a revolution, with potential that we
are still trying to get a grasp on. What is beginning here is going
to change many things, especially in the Tampa Bay indy film community.
What filmmakers think of what they do, and their ideas of what a film
should be, will be challenged along the way. The very definition of
filmmaking, indy film, and what they will expect from films will change,
too, as will the expectations of their target audiences. Those who choose
to remain ignorant and arrogant, those who refuse to change, will not
thrive, or possibly even survive. Many of the perceived leaders in film
today will either be rendered insignificant or driven out of the market
altogether in the near future, especially since many of these so-called
professionals have hidden agendas and secretly attempt to undermine
the progress that they publicly champion. Those who lack talent and
feel that they have to rip off other filmmakers will not be around either,
as their unethical efforts will backfire. I say good. These parasites
are not good for any professional community, and we need to put them
in the past where they belong. They shall not inherit the future, as
they will reap what they have sown. We intend to help others put them
in their place, too.
While I cannot go into specifics of what is changing or what we are
working on, I simply don’t have to. It is going to happen, and
we have nothing at all to prove to anyone. We can do this either with
or without the help of the main players, as we have the support and
the help of many professionals; professionals who are either working
discretely behind the scenes or are preparing to enter the market soon.
Simply watch, learn, and take it all in as it happens around you. It
will happen. Go with it, and you’ll be alright.
From what we’ve seen from Tampa Bay filmmakers, many of them are
simply disappointing us. Most are too wrapped up in what they are doing
instead of raising their heads every now and then to take a good look
around and not only see what they should be doing, but where they are
really going. Don’t take my word for it, though. Don’t react
to what others are doing simply because you don’t really know
who you are, what you have to say, and what you are doing. You have
to find your own voice and your own direction. That is the only way
that you will either find success or learn another thing that may not
work so that you can try again. In the end, you can trust yourself the
most, because you are the most dependable resource that you have. You
only get out of something what you invest into it, and you will only
succeed once you figure out what it is that you need to do and simply
do it.
I will say that this site is going places that we couldn’t even
imagine just a few weeks ago. Look at mainstream publications such as
Wired (The December 2006 issue comes to mind) and Time. Listen to the
buzz around you. See what they have to say about what’s going
on. Look into it. See where trends are going and what your target audience
is responding to. Do your research. You’ll get it. Now, see what
you can do to apply what you have learned to what you do. I guarantee
your eyes will be opened and it will revolution your way of life as
well as your purpose.
We used to think, for example, that our online film festival would be
good competition against the film festival events out there. We now
know that it can be so much more than that, and it will be. You wouldn’t
believe what is coming in the next few weeks and months.
Think that your big break will come with the release of that feature
film that you have been working so hard to finish? You may want to reconsider.
Creativity, production flexibility, and increased production is the
future. Think those permits are important today? They may not be so
important tomorrow.
Indy film and what we do here is forever changed. This site is about
to go in directions that will surprise and delight many of you. The
scope will expand to match, and exceed, the potential that we discover
more of every day.
A revolution begins now. Don’t get left behind. Sadly, many of
you will find yourself in the past while the indy film industry and
communities progress without you.
Lauren
Moss
Editor
Tampa Bay Film
OPINIONS - POST OPINION - PREVIOUS - NEXT
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UPDATED 03/19/07
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