December 2009
26 posts
Studios Make Bigger Push for Digital Sales
For years, studios have been betting that online distribution of movies and TV shows would turn into a robust business. Instead, they barely budged. A few years ago, Walt Disney Co. began pushing out its movies online at the same time that the DVDs became available. Many others have followed suit.
Online movie sales will bring in just $237.7 million to studios this year, calculates Tom Adams,...
7 tags
Eugene Hernandez: The Future of Festivals? →
“We are going to see, in the future, a lot of films leaping into distribution right from the festival platform,” Copper stated, “If not during the festival then the day after—it’s going to happen this year.” Sundance is expanding its event into eight other cities for one night next month, but taking a wait and see approach on distribution initiatives. Meanwhile other festivals—namely SXSW and...
Beijing Preserves Limits on Movies
A decision by the World Trade Organization reaffirming its stance that China’s restrictions on imported films, music and books are illegal could help some media companies sell more products in China, but isn’t expected to radically shake up the field, analysts said Tuesday.
China said it regretted the WTO’s ruling on its appeal. Unless the restrictions are lifted, the U.S....
Apple TV Proposal Gets Some Nibbles
CBS Corp. and Walt Disney Co. are considering participating in Apple Inc.’s plan to offer television subscriptions over the Internet, according to people familiar with the matter, as Apple prepares a potential new competitor to cable and satellite TV.
The proposed service by the maker of iPhones and iPod music players could, in at least some scenarios, offer access to some TV shows from a...
China Plea Dismissed by WTO
The World Trade Organization on Monday dismissed an appeal from Beijing over the WTO’s August ruling against Chinese restrictions on distribution of Hollywood movies and other Western media, sealing one of China’s biggest-ever losses at the WTO.
The decision, if implemented by China, could prove lucrative for U.S. and other foreign companies. Despite its size, China remains one of...
4 tags
Watch
4 tags
4 tags
4 tags
Final Days in China: Beijing
PLEASE NOTE: With the conclusion of my trip rapidly approaching, I’ve decided that in the interest of time I’ll condense my stay in Beijing to one entry instead of many. Brevity doesn’t really do justice to my experiences here, but neither does only spending three days in this incredible city. I could use three weeks to dig deep and explore. I woke up early Sunday morning to take a van to the...
3 tags
The Award for Best Award Show Mover and Shaker...
But now it looks like the brothers are fighting back—and the critics are on their side. “Inglourious Basterds”—the World War II film starring Brad Pitt that the brothers produced with Universal Pictures—became a box-office hit this summer. The Quentin Tarantino-directed movie grossed more than $100 million at the domestic box office—and garnered four nominations from Globe voters. “Nine,” the...
3 tags
'Blind Side' Scores Big for Indie Producer
After less than two weeks in theaters, “The Blind Side,” the family-friendly football movie starring Sandra Bullock, has taken in nearly $107 million at the box office. That’s more than triple the $30 million the film cost to make, after tax credits.
The movie’s success highlights the growing importance in Hollywood of independent production companies, some of which were...
5 tags
Morgan Stanley drinks the Apple Kool-Aid: The...
“Apple has a two or three-year lead” according to Katy Huberty, thanks to an installed base of 57 million handsets, 100,000 apps and 200 million iTunes subscribers with credit card numbers on file. (She will keep her eye, however, on Samsung, Nokia (NOK) and Google’s (GOOG) Android.)
Read More > Source: Fortune Apple 2.0 Blog
3 tags
Watch
3 tags
3 tags
3 tags
3 tags
3 tags
3 tags
International Producer Day
I spent the first part of Tuesday morning attending the International Producer Day, which turns the tables and the producers, instead of the filmmakers, pitch their projects. The international producers were looking to attract the attention of their Chinese counterparts in the hopes of developing co-production partnerships. The format of these pitch sessions was similar to the one given by the...
3 tags
Opening Ceremonies
Monday was the first full day of festival programming. In addition to film screenings, there were workshops and pitch sessions throughout the day. The focus of this festival seems to be more on facilitating commercial transactions, rather than on the presentation of documentary films. It is structured with plenty of opportunities for international and domestic filmmakers to connect with one...
5 tags
NYT: Apple’s Game Changer, Downloading Now →
IAN LYNCH SMITH, a shaggy-haired ball of energy in his late 30s, beams as he ticks off some of the games that Freeverse, his little Brooklyn software company, has landed on the iPhone App Store’s coveted (and ever-changing) list of best-selling downloads: Moto Chaser, Flick Fishing, Flick Bowling and Skee-ball.
-Fred
5 tags
Hualin Temple
Before I go bed for the evening (China is 13 hours ahead), I wanted to share one of the highlights from my trip to Shangxiajiu.
In midst of the commercial hustle and bustle, I stumbled upon the Hualin Temple – an important Buddhist site in the city. It was built over a thousand years ago in 962 AD. For more info about it you can check out: http://www.gz2010.cn/09/0407/10/569REVIL0078003R.html
...
3 tags
Arriving in China
My first trip to China has officially begun. After a full day and 7,000+ miles of air travel, I arrived at my destination – the city of Guangzhou. For the next week, I’ll be attending the Guangzhou Documentary Film Festival (www.gzdoc.com) as their invited guest. I first made contact with GZDOC several years ago when I established a partnership between them and the Rhode Island International Film...