Indie VOD Deal
So I finally got things moving on the VOD front and got the legal contract sorted to be signed between Unkreative Artists and independent film makers wanting to sign up their movies for exploring the next generation of VOD market in North America. The response however has been mixed - there have been some film makers who have embraced the concept and are excited by the concept while there have been others who have had doubts if it will aid their overall objectives and there have been many I can't get in touch with as I don't have their contact details yet.
It is still turning out to be a great experience as I get to meet so many film makers. NZ has so much talent - it is the private financing aspect of it that is missing otherwise there would be an explosion of movies being made here.
The movies which have currently signed up with Unkreative for this particular deal are: Banana in a Nutshell; 1 Nite; Down by the Riverside; Behaviors of the Backpacker. There are a few more in the pipeline and just waiting for the film makers to go through the contract and make sure that they are happy with it.
More as it happens.
Till later,
Amit
Labels: Video on Demand, VUDU
Frontier(s)
A week just flew away and I have no idea where it disappeared. It has been crazy busy at my end. At work - my boss has gone to China for Olympics coverage, which means that I've picked up some of his duties and this is along with my normal job schedule. So needless to say my brain usually turns to mush by afternoon while juggling various things and making sure that nothing falls over. Hopefully it will be a lot easier from next week since I know what to expect.
I have been talking to a few film makers for VUDU and I have managed to get firm commitments from 6 film makers, which is exciting. I also bit the bullet and went and saw an entertainment lawyer so that a proper contract can be drafted for agreement between Unkreative Artists and the film makers. So more news on that once the contract is finalized and signed between the parties.
I had a comprehensive eye test at
Optometry School's public clinic and I almost had a big scare when the supervisor who was overseeing the student optometrist's work came in after the tests to do some more tests and mentioned that they were worried that I might have glaucoma. It turned out that everything else about my eyes is healthy, so they think it is highly unlikely that I have glaucoma. I have however been recommended to wear reading glasses if I want to stop my eyes from getting strained over extended periods. I am tossing and turning the thought in my head and I think I might get myself a set of reading glasses just to try them out. If I don't like it then I can always discontinue their use.
Frontier(s) was a real shocker of a movie. It was ultra violent and extremely sadistic. It had my guts churning in a fair few places and the easiest way to describe it would be to take 'Hostel' and multiply it by 5. I think I am over this genre - it is not horror as much as it is sadistic violence.
In other non-significant news - I have put my head down and trying to finish off the dialog list for 'FIVE' over this weekend, so I can deliver it to the Finnish distributor of the movie. It is harder than you think, especially when a good chunk of the dialogue was improvised and chopped and changed on location. I spent almost 5 hours on it till now and I am 35 minutes into the movie. Another 40 minutes odd of movie to transcribe. :-)
That's really it from me for now.
Till later,
Amit
Labels: Five, Movies, TVNZ, Video on Demand, VUDU
Let The Dark Knight In
'
Let the Right One In' was a beautifully shot Swedish movie and it is a coming of age flick rolled into a vampire movie genre. There is some fantastic work from the kids, who make it so believable and the setting itself adds to the charms of the movie. It is slow and melancholic but it never feels boring. Worth checking it out if it gets released in cinemas or comes to a DVD store near you.
I watched '
The Dark Knight' on the imax screen . It is a crime drama more than anything else and it is brilliant for most part. Heath Ledger lights up the screen everytime the Joker comes on and it is nice work from everyone else. And the city feels so real. To me the only weak point was the 2-face aspect which could have done with a little more 'turn to the dark side' syndrome. A must watch regardless. I had sore eyes coming out of the movie because there is so much information to take in when you are watching it on a massive screen. I might go and see it on a regular screen again, just so I can get some distance between the screen and me to enjoy the movie fully. Needless to say you have to watch this movie on the big screen to appreciate it.
Unkreative Artists has signed a deal with
VUDU, to provide not only it's two movies for US VOD but also to provide more feature length kiwi docos and dramas to them. This is an exciting development as it means more exposure to kiwi movies overseas and I get to be a part of making things happen. More details on this as in coming weeks but if you are a local film maker who wants to gain access to the US market for relatively no cost should drop me a
mail. I have started contacting film makers whose work I enjoyed and now just preparing the press release and all other stuff to take this wider.
It is hard to believe that the week is already over. Got 3 more movies to watch and then it is the end of the movie watching mania for the year. There is a weather forecast for extreme storms over the weekend in Auckland and I am not looking forward to the weather even though I am looking forward to a little bit of rest and sanity.
Till later,
Amit
Labels: Movies, Video on Demand, VUDU
Steps
The main news for the day is that our earlier short films have been released as a collection for VOD {Video On Demand} on Greencine.com The collection is called 'Steps' and is available for view
HERE. It is definitely exciting news and I am thrilled because of progession towards an emerging medium for distribution.
I watched '
Elizabethtown' yesterday night and it was a sweet movie with a couple of fatal flaws - the casting of Orlando Bloom as the central character and the mendearing story towards the end. It had a fair few funny moments in it and it could have been way better than what it was.
For now,
Amit
Labels: Movies, Video on Demand
