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The NYU Cinema Research Institute brings together innovators in film and media finance, production, marketing, and distribution to imagine and realize a new future for artist-entrepreneurs. 

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Film Schools Turn To Television, Digital Shorts To Stay Relevant

Ryan

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/film-schools-grow-more-digital-tv-focused-hollywood-job-market-tightens-36448 Published: April 01, 2012 @ 6:22 pm Twenty-seven-year-old Teddy Diefenbach switched from a graduate film and television production concentration at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts to the interactive media division, in part because he hoped he'd be more employable.

“I want to do creative work, but I also want to have a professional plan,” he told TheWrap. “I wanted to work on a skill that I could find work doing.”

Diefenbach (left) is not alone. Increasingly at American film schools, the usable skill is something other than film.

Also read: The Jobs Crisis: USC Screenwriting Grad Works at Best Buy to Pay His Bills [1]

Since top film schools can cost upwards of $40,000 a year [2], many students enter the workforce with substantial loans. That makes the need to find gainful employment all the more pressing.

In the digital age, institutions including New York University, the University of California, Los Angeles and Boston University have torn down the old barriers between teaching television and film production, and merged film and interactive departments.

The internet age has led film schools to encourage students to think about narrative in different ways than their predecessors did.

“Twenty years ago, people went to film school to become the best filmmaker they could become so they could go out and make films,” said Bob Bassett, dean of Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, told TheWrap. “Today, they have to be much more calculating about developing their skills, because those skills are what lead to paying jobs.”

Also read: Lucas, Spielberg Honor Katzenberg at USC Animation Center Dedication [3]

In all cases, there is an increased emphasis on crafting films that can be viewed on YouTube, Funny or Die, or other digital platforms.

“It’s not just learning to work on a mini-budget or simply recycling a television episode and putting it on the web,” Paul Schneider, chair of Boston University’s film and television department, told TheWrap. "It has to be content that really is outside the box."

Both BU and Chapman University, for instance, now routinely encourage students to create shorter and more interactive film projects.

At NYU, the most cinephile of all the American film schools, the emphasis has turned increasingly to television.

“Television has become a more viable path for many students,” said Joe Pichirallo, chair of New York University’s undergraduate film and television program, told TheWrap.

No longer is NYU the rarified province of the heir to Spike Lee. Now the message is: you may be able to do your best work on the small screen.

Said Pichirallo: “From ‘Breaking Bad’ to ‘Mad Men’ to ‘Boardwalk Empire,’ some of the most creatively exciting stuff is on television. Those kind of stories are hard to get made in the feature film world, but there is more of a willingness to take risks on television.”

There are also more jobs. Cable is booming and with Netflix and Hulu crowding into the field, a rising appetite for original programming is trickling down into more opportunities for directors, cinematographers and editors who are starting out.

The same is true in the world of gaming.

Credit the University of Southern California for helping to shake things up with the launch of its interactive media department in 2002. Tracy Fullerton, chair of the department, said the past decade has been one of explosive growth for the program, with enrollment swelling to 100 graduate and undergraduate students and a new building scheduled to open next year.

“We’re really thinking about what it means for our students to become media makers in this new world,” Fullerton said. “Our students are actually in demand by companies, in the sense that they do internships and sign letters of intent to come back. These companies are looking for a fresh way of thinking.”

Also read: YouTube Sensation Freddie Wong: 'Hollywood Is Out of Date' [4]

To that end, Fullerton said that USC has begun teaching a class that brings together students from its animation and interactive media divisions with those from its more traditional disciplines with the goal of giving them more experience with gaming and other emerging platforms.

Taking that class could end up being a sound business decision for many USC students. Students from the interactive media division have skills that allow them to more easily navigate the shifting job market.

Of course some things at the nation’s leading film schools remain the same, school administrators say.

“The emergence of digital technology demands a new approach to the educational enterprise, one that is fluid, dynamic and more interconnected, but great storytelling has to be the driver,” Teri Schwartz, dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, told TheWrap.

It's just that those great stories may unspool on YouTube rather than the multiplex.

Prescreen

Ryan

One of the more interesting new startups in the film space, Prescreen has the mission of "making signal out of noise." They offer a curated VOD experience, promoting one film a day (skewing towards award winning festival films and niche documentaries) to its audience of subscribers. For emerging filmmakers, the service offers the opportunity for flash exposure to a community of engaged film lovers. Great, worthwhile service. Check em out at prescreen.com.

Interview with YouTube boss Salar Kamangar on the 800M user/month platform's content strategy

Ryan

Take aways: YouTube is taking on cable.  With 800 M regular users, they are able to solve  the "what do I want to watch today" problem by programming for niches in a way that cable cannot.  But to invest in content, they need to keep user numbers level while dramatically boosting time spent per user.  Guess we just have to wait and see...

Full article and video HERE

Cinema Research Institute Kick-Off Information Session to be held Wed 2/29

Edward

CRI Logo

Roughly two years ago, esteemed producer Ted Hope visited NYU to give a lecture about the future of film and the state of the industry. A very important idea was spawned from that lecture: the creation of an NYU think tank / incubator dedicated to the future of cinema. A safe place within the walls of the university where students from all disciplines could research and experiment with models and ideas that could change the industry. With a lot of hard work and the dedication from Grad Film Chair John Tintori, Ted himself, Dean Campbell, and the Think Tank Committee, a dream became a reality. Last year the newly minted Cinema Research Institute (CRI) picked its first 4 fellows. Claire Harlam, Edward McDonald, Jacob Robinson, and Ryan Heller are the founding fellows of CRI. They are currently working on their research projects. Now its time to start thinking about the next round of fellows.

Ted Hope and the current CRI fellows will be on hand for an information session Wednesday February 22, 2012. When: Wednesday February 29, 2012 @ 5:00 pm Location:  721 Broadway Tisch, room 1027 We will discuss the CRI and the application process.

Cinema Research Institute Kick-Off Information Session to be held Wed 2/29

Edward

Roughly two years ago, esteemed producer Ted Hope visited NYU to give a lecture about the future of film and the state of the industry. A very important idea was spawned from that lecture: the creation of an NYU think tank / incubator dedicated to the future of cinema. A safe place within the walls of the university where students from all disciplines could research and experiment with models and ideas that could change the industry. With a lot of hard work and the dedication from Grad Film Chair John Tintori, Ted himself, Dean Campbell, and the Think Tank Committee, a dream became a reality. Last year the newly minted Cinema Research Institute (CRI) picked its first 4 fellows. Claire Harlam, Edward McDonald, Jacob Robinson, and Ryan Heller are the founding fellows of CRI. They are currently working on their research projects. Now its time to start thinking about the next round of fellows.

Ted Hope and the current CRI fellows will be on hand for an information session Wednesday February 22, 2012. When: Wednesday February 29, 2012 @ 5:00 pm Location:  721 Broadway Tisch, room 1027 We will discuss the CRI and the application process.

10 Big Ideas for the Future of Film

Edward

by Tiffany Shlain, April 20, 2011

Alfred Hitchcock said a film is made three times: when you write it, when you shoot it, and when you edit it. Today there's a fourth: when you distribute it. With all the new technologies and D.I.Y. opportunities available to reach people with your project in fresh and exciting ways, you get to be just as creative when you take a film out into the world.

hitchcock.jpgAlfred Hitchcock

My team and I have done a lot of experiments in distribution with our film "The Tribe," which played at Tribeca Film Festival in 2006. In many ways, I felt like we were throwing spaghetti at the constantly receding wall of the Internet to see what sticks. A lot stuck. Our 18 minute film, "The Tribe," became the first documentary to ever reach #1 on iTunes.

This was thanks to an amazing community that we connected with at festivals like Tribeca. They supported us, followed us, linked to us and continued to spread the word, which ultimately made it so we raced past Pixar and Universal on that iTunes list.

That was five years ago. With all the new tools available today, we're not only able to throw pasta strands but able to have a big feast with all the people that want to engage with our films.

10 Big Ideas

In terms of the future of film, below is a list of things I want to help make happen in the future.

1. All films would be translatable to every language on Earth so everyone could experience them.

2. All video images/songs you found online could be easily negotiated with a simple rights page, or through Creative Commons.

3. There will be a true transparency on distribution sales, expenses and with aggregators.

4. The crazy time labels/constraints will be removed. No longer a world of just "shorts & features." Time is a construct and there is room for every length and every length should receive the same respect.

5. When you search a subject on Google, the results you get -- along with books and articles -- you would also see trailers of videos about the subject too (that one is not too far away)

Read the entire article

 

 

DUH!™ – Netflix & The Indies

Edward

indieWIRE is reporting that indie filmmakers are saying that Netflix isn’t re-upping their deals.

Well, ya.

Netflix set down this path when it let Criterion get away from them and head to Hulu.

The mythology is that Netflix has or will make content choices, but they are all branding choices. I question the choice of focusing on television and EPIX as they sole studio content play in streaming,

The question in the marketplace is who will step up. SnagFilms, which owns indieWIRE, seems to want to own the documentary space. But are they/will they spend to own that space and put everyone else to the side? They should.

[thkBC id="933" height="800" width="1200" anchortext="Read More at MovieCityNews" title="ThickBox Title" url="http://moviecitynews.com/2011/09/duh%E2%84%A2-netflix-the-indies/" type="iframe"]

 

DUH!™ – Netflix & The Indies

Edward

indieWIRE is reporting that indie filmmakers are saying that Netflix isn’t re-upping their deals.

Well, ya.

Netflix set down this path when it let Criterion get away from them and head to Hulu.

The mythology is that Netflix has or will make content choices, but they are all branding choices. I question the choice of focusing on television and EPIX as they sole studio content play in streaming,

The question in the marketplace is who will step up. SnagFilms, which owns indieWIRE, seems to want to own the documentary space. But are they/will they spend to own that space and put everyone else to the side? They should.

[thkBC id="933" height="800" width="1200" anchortext="Read More at MovieCityNews" title="ThickBox Title" url="http://moviecitynews.com/2011/09/duh%E2%84%A2-netflix-the-indies/" type="iframe"]

 

A direct-to-fan experience that redefines independent film physical media in a time of torrents, streaming and bargain-bin discs

Edward

JOE SWANBERG, FACTORY 25 ANNOUNCE NEW DVD SUBSCRIPTION SERIES

By in News on Tuesday, September 20th, 2011
Prolific independent director Joe Swanberg announced today a new distribution plan for his next four films. Partnered with Factory 25, Swanberg is offering fans a four-film, one-year subscription to his work. For $99.95 subscribers will receive a box that will fill up each quarter with not only DVDs but also bonus material, including 45rpm records, photo books and posters. “I’m in the nice position right now of having so many [completed] films I’m trying to get out into the world, so I’m taking the plunge and doing something interesting,” says Swanberg. 
[thkBC id="933" height="700" width="1200" anchortext="Read More at Filmmaker Magazine" title="ThickBox Title" url="http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/news/2011/09/joe-swanberg-factory-25-announce-new-dvd-subscription-series/" type="iframe" html_wrap="p"]

A direct-to-fan experience that redefines independent film physical media in a time of torrents, streaming and bargain-bin discs

Edward

JOE SWANBERG, FACTORY 25 ANNOUNCE NEW DVD SUBSCRIPTION SERIES

By in News on Tuesday, September 20th, 2011
Prolific independent director Joe Swanberg announced today a new distribution plan for his next four films. Partnered with Factory 25, Swanberg is offering fans a four-film, one-year subscription to his work. For $99.95 subscribers will receive a box that will fill up each quarter with not only DVDs but also bonus material, including 45rpm records, photo books and posters. “I’m in the nice position right now of having so many [completed] films I’m trying to get out into the world, so I’m taking the plunge and doing something interesting,” says Swanberg. 
[thkBC id="933" height="700" width="1200" anchortext="Read More at Filmmaker Magazine" title="ThickBox Title" url="http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/news/2011/09/joe-swanberg-factory-25-announce-new-dvd-subscription-series/" type="iframe" html_wrap="p"]

All Those Online Videos, Still Chasing an Audience

Edward

By MIKE HALE

Published: June 17, 2011

DRUMBEAT would be too strong a word. But in recent months there’s been a steady patter of news indicating a fresh urgency in the world of original Web series: projects involving high-profile filmmakers, additional rounds of financing, redesigned and expanded video-sharing sites.

One thing that has characterized these developments is that they haven’t involved many actual, reviewable new series. (One exception was the Kiefer Sutherland vehicle “The Confession” on Hulu, which didn’t cause much of a stir but may be turned into a feature film anyway.) [thkBC id="933" height="800" width="1200" anchortext="Read More at TheNewYorkTimes" title="ThickBox Title" url="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/19/arts/television/original-online-video-is-still-talked-about-more-than-viewed.html" type="iframe" html_wrap="p"]