Independent Film Distribution: That critical endgame.

In chess the endgame is most important because one wrong move will cause you to stalemate.  For an independent filmmaker it's the same problem.

 Every year countless indies are submitted to film festivals where one of two things happen.  Either they get in or they're rejected.  I could go on a rant pertaining to film festivals.  That's a blog for another time.  Film distribution has always been complicated because there are multiple ways to get your work seen.  Think of distribution as an open flea market where your trying to sale your digital product. 

Start by asking yourself what are you looking to accomplish.  Are you seeking fame or money?  Both are noble but there are benefits and limitations.  Fame will get you work but it might not get you money and fame costs money.  Money will get you paid but you'll be scratching for another gig so it's important to know what you're trying to accomplish with your content.  I'm going to list new distribution models that I think work in the internet age.

 
Mass email blast (assuming you know lots of people who like you)
Get mainstream success and acclaim (Wining the Oscar helps)
Blogs (Create a great blog)
Podcast-create an awesome show and grow a fan base
Showing your film on a portable device at a networking mixer
Sticker/graffiti projects
Priemum digital download/Try before you buy version (Mdot Strange)
Become a celebrity and sell directly your audience
Upload to Itunes/road trip your movie promoting it in theaters
Win awards at prestigious film festivals because your movie is that damn good.
Tom Leykis method- Create your own web channel provide your own content/premium content exclusive to subscribers and paid advertising (must become a celebrity)

The main idea here is to cultivate an audience and sell yourself and your content to them because your that damn good or interesting.

Think like a man versus, The Game and Leykis 101

 

Pursing the love of a woman is a subject that is a old as Adam and Eve.  In 2012 the technology has changed but the game has not.  Its all about need versus want.  Think like a man is a romantic comedy film based on the best selling book by author/comedian/actor Steve Harvey.  Clearly written from a christian perspective it's geared toward woman.

The selling point is you learn what men really want so a woman can adjust their game accordingly.  I'm not going to hate on an author creating material people want to read but I do have issues with people giving away the game because they've already got what the want out of it.  The film version of the book is about a group of 30 somethings looking to connect with each other in a sexually fulfilling way.  The differences is that woman are said to date with the intention of marriage without being upfront about it.  Dating in my opinion is like a job interview you put on your best face on in order to get what you want and lets face it we all present our best selves at an interview.  Women have the power they got the cookie according to Harvey.

Writer of the pickup artist book The Game by Neil Strauss gives us a window into his world.  For him it's about getting into the head of a woman and presenting yourself in a way that gets you laid.  This methodology is a carefully crafted persona that takes into account what it takes to create a personality that makes female come to you by created perceived value.  I read The Game I think its an interesting concept but it's not really applicable to the real world because you run the risk of being phoney in which Think like a man highlights.

Another methodology I respect is Leykis 101 by radio shock jock Tom Leykis.  In this he reasons that marriage doesn't have any intrinsic value for a man thus men should not get married or have children because its too costly in the end.  If a man is divorced without a prenuptial agreement he risks losing all he's worked for in life and pay for the lifestyle of a spouse that will use his court ordered alimony to attract a younger sexual partner.  Leykis 101 emphasizes investing in yourself, achieving what you want to achieve in life and marrying after you've bedded all the woman you can possibly get.  Leykis goes so far to incorporate the Hail Mary which is a last ditch attempt to convince a woman to get an abortion.

Think like a man should be taken as a christian endorsed approach whereas the The Game and Leykis 101 is more cynical and gets the job done my only problem about Think like a man is that it's biased against men who have made a choice to stay single and presents them as social misfits which is a gross generalization.  If your not looking for marriage your a waste of time according to Harvey whereas Leykis and Strauss can be considered crude for not incorporating family building into their advice.  Love and sex is equally important for a healthy relationship but it all starts with being true to yourself and knowing exactly what you want.

Tom Leykis Show 2.0 review Tom's personal Hail Mary

Tom Leykis is back after a 3 year hiatus I would call myself a 101 student.  His show has always been entertaining when he gets into the Leykisisms the bread and butter of his brand.  My only constructive criticism is his format needs to evolve, the endless ass kissing from listeners gets a little tired and the lack of celebrity guests lowers the entertainment value which at the shows current level is problematic.  Mr Leykis is trying to re-establish his buzz that's cool and all but I would like to see some new sh*t some growth I mean really 3 years is a  long time to hear the same thing we heard 3 years ago.

The Leykis show is offensive to women as a result NO WOMEN CALL IN it gets tired hearing guy after guy call in.  Its a locker room with almost homoerotic tendencies there are no woman on the staff too many damn dudes.

Tom needs to get more experts on the show and grow. Shows like Love Lines are great Dr Drew was a great host who didn't exclude he was an expert that could back up his advice with medical knowledge he had an endless well to draw from.  The Leykis show has an air of negativity a novelty which may be lethal to the show's future.  I think Tom should try to do more good for the community address issues like cancer take an interest in youth issues don't just write someone off--- offer alternatives as opposed to dismissing listeners that don't fit into the 101 values.

Now I will say that Tom Leykis is a pioneer with what he is doing, Mr Leykis is an out of the box thinker instead of selling out for an okay paycheck he's using his own resources to create an empire make no mistake Leykis is a creative talent to be reckoned with.  His tenacity is something to be admired and think it will open the door to many other names following his lead.  And what model is he following?  I believe he is getting help from top creative talents but once the bugs get worked out he'll have something special going on.

This new show is Leykis's personal Hail Mary it feels good hearing the take me outs again!