Blogging the News

This past summer, Bong Joon-Ho’s dystopian sci-fi, action film Snowpiercer captured the imaginations of both mainstream audiences and art-house enthusiasts. The film’s combination of lush visuals and frantic action scenes alongside its very timely message about the socioeconomic battle between the haves and the haves not, made for a striking outing from the Korean director.

And yet, despite its financial and critical success (94 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes), the majority of the chatter surrounding Snowpiercer centered on the film’s very unorthodox release strategy.

Radius-TWC, a sub-division of the Weinstein Co. that specializes in Video on Demand platforms for independent films, distributed the film by releasing it on VOD just two weeks after its theatrical outing. This is obviously not unheard of. VOD has been a go-to release platform in order for independent films to reach a wider audience for quite some time.

Snowpiercer marked a change because the film has the look of your typical and formulaic Hollywood blockbuster. Of course the difference being that its budget was a fraction of the price of say one of the Marvel films.

The result was a success for Radius-TWC. Snowpiercer’s VOD gross was actually higher than its theatrical one. Dozens of think-pieces were written hailing this triumph. Some were calling VOD the smartest way of distribution in order for indie films to not get crowed by bigger films in the marketplace. Others were hinting that VOD is where the future of film viewing was heading anyways.

Tom Quinn, co-president of Radius-TWC, told Entertainment Weekly this past July that Snowpiercer is a “game-changer.”

Some have their doubts though. Derek Carter, general manager at the Angelika Film Center in New York, feels that the studio could have had a bigger financial success if it had released the film in a wider and traditional theatrical form.

“At its peak, Snowpiercer’s widest release was 356 theaters. In 101 days in release it made $4.5 million,” he says. “If they would had released it in at least a thousand screens that movie could had made $20 million”. Carter believes that the studio did not market the film in a proper way in terms of commercials and trailers. And in that point I have to concur. Most casual film-goers that I know had not even heard of the film until I showed them the trailer on YouTube. All of them had interest in seeing it afterwards.

Carter also argues that the studio did not have much faith in the film’s financial prospects, hence the VOD release. “I could hear the proverbial jaws drop when I reported to the studio representative the first-week sales returns. They were actually surprised that it was doing well,” he says. “Trust me, VOD killed this movie!”

Carter argues that the Weinstein Co. similarly “dumped” other films in its indie slate, including: The Immigrant, Tracks and The disappearance of Eleanor Rigby.

It’s hard to say if a wider theatrical release would have helped Snowpiercer’s box office numbers. Despite its thrilling action and heart-pounding fight scenes, the film is at its core a very cerebral and dark political allegory that likely would have not appealed to a mainstream summer crowd looking for escapism.

What is clear though, is that this debate on the merit of VOD is not going away.

This past summer, Bong Joon-Ho’s dystopian sci-fi, action film Snowpiercer captured the imaginations of both mainstream audiences and art-house enthusiasts. The film’s combination of lush visuals and frantic action scenes alongside its very timely message about the socioeconomic battle between the haves and the haves not, made for a striking outing from the Korean director.

And yet, despite its financial and critical success (94 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes), the majority of the chatter surrounding Snowpiercer centered on the film’s very unorthodox release strategy.

Radius-TWC, a sub-division of the Weinstein Co. that specializes in Video on Demand platforms for independent films, distributed the film by releasing it on VOD just two weeks after its theatrical outing. This is obviously not unheard of. VOD has been a go-to release platform in order for independent films to reach a wider audience for quite some time.

Snowpiercer marked a change because the film has the look of your typical and formulaic Hollywood blockbuster. Of course the difference being that its budget was a fraction of the price of say one of the Marvel films.

The result was a success for Radius-TWC. Snowpiercer’s VOD gross was actually higher than its theatrical one. Dozens of think-pieces were written hailing this triumph. Some were calling VOD the smartest way of distribution in order for indie films to not get crowed by bigger films in the marketplace. Others were hinting that VOD is where the future of film viewing was heading anyways.

Tom Quinn, co-president of Radius-TWC, told Entertainment Weekly this past July that Snowpiercer is a “game-changer.”

Some have their doubts though. Derek Carter, general manager at the Angelika Film Center in New York, feels that the studio could have had a bigger financial success if it had released the film in a wider and traditional theatrical form.

“At its peak, Snowpiercer’s widest release was 356 theaters. In 101 days in release it made $4.5 million,” he says. “If they would had released it in at least a thousand screens that movie could had made $20 million”. Carter believes that the studio did not market the film in a proper way in terms of commercials and trailers. And in that point I have to concur. Most casual film-goers that I know had not even heard of the film until I showed them the trailer on YouTube. All of them had interest in seeing it afterwards.

Carter also argues that the studio did not have much faith in the film’s financial prospects, hence the VOD release. “I could hear the proverbial jaws drop when I reported to the studio representative the first-week sales returns. They were actually surprised that it was doing well,” he says. “Trust me, VOD killed this movie!”

Carter argues that the Weinstein Co. similarly “dumped” other films in its indie slate, including: The Immigrant, Tracks and The disappearance of Eleanor Rigby.

It’s hard to say if a wider theatrical release would have helped Snowpiercer’s box office numbers. Despite its thrilling action and heart-pounding fight scenes, the film is at its core a very cerebral and dark political allegory that likely would have not appealed to a mainstream summer crowd looking for escapism.

What is clear though, is that this debate on the merit of VOD is not going away.

Mission Statement

One the most communal experiences we have as human beings is getting the chance to sit down in a dark room with a group of total strangers and enjoy the same film. After a long day of work, school, or dealing with family issues, we all seek the distraction and escapism that a film provides us.

One very popular networking forum for film lovers is the ability to be able to go online and discuss your favorite films with other people. Online film reviewing is a fast-rising way for individuals to reach into their own inner critic. There are literally hundreds of blogs and online threads that give the regular average Joe the opportunity to sound off on their favorite films.

One of the things I have noticed about these film blogs is that they mostly seem to focus on a certain type of movie: mainstream ones. Comic-book blockbusters, young adult adaptations, big-star vehicles; all these genres get plenty of ink within online-film forums. In terms of blogs, I believe that one underserved and undervalued market is that for people with more high-brow taste in films. These so-called cinephiles are relatively small in terms of size but they more than make up for it in terms of film devotion.

A cinephile studies film theory and film history with ardent passion. They follow the career of all their favorite directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, etc. They usually collect DVDs from the Criterion Collection, which has thousands of titles of classic films from the days of the French New Wave and Italian Neo-realism to the German expressionism films and 70’s American cinema.

In today’s film market, one type of film that the cinephile craves the most is the “indie” or the art-house film. Independent cinema allows filmmakers to accomplish things that are not possible in more mainstream Hollywood films, which are usually tinkered with by the big studio executives.

Indie films make it possible for the director to present his or her auteurial vision onto the screen. Everything from the production design and the aesthetics to the choice of actors and the establishing of camera shots, these are all decisions that the director has a last take on. These are qualities that the indie film audience takes note of and appreciates. Films directed by the likes of Wes Anderson, Paul Thomas Anderson, David Fincher, James Gray, Quentin Tarantino, Jonathan Glazer, Spike Jonze, Mike Leigh and Steve McQueen are all perfect examples of must-see “event” films that the average indie film enthusiast would not dare miss. This audience deserves a blog or a forum where they can discuss and debate with other cinephiles.

Which brings me to our proposed blog; The Art-House Attic will allow indie-film lovers the chance to sound off on the latest releases from the world of independent cinema. Getting a front-row view from the historic Angelika Film Center in New York City, we constantly see what this audience craves from the films they watch and their opinions are usually very varied and passionate.

Unfortunately, there is a recent trend of independent films getting released on video on demand (VOD) while simultaneously being dropped in only a few theatres, usually in large urban cities like Los Angeles and New York. On one hand this is very convenient for individuals who live in states located in the southern part of the country or in the mid-west because they get to see thought-provoking films that otherwise they would have had to travel thousands of miles to get a glimpse of. On the other hand, I believe that VOD takes away from the traditional communal experience that watching a film on the big screen brings to the most rabid of cinephiles. The smaller studios that distribute independent films see VOD as a more attractive option in terms of recuperating their investments. The Angelika Film Center is an exception in that it provides an opportunity for these specialized VOD movies to show in the cinema for at least a month.

Unlike most film blogs that usually feature the administrator and a few outside contributors to write their reviews of the films, The Art-House Attic will allow New Yorkers and cinephiles of all stripes to give their opinions on the spot, immediately after watching the films. Everything from documentaries to foreign cinema and the latest mind-bending indies will be put on the table for our readers and audience to dissect. The Art-House Attic will also seek to perform Q & A’s with the latest indie filmmakers who sometimes have special screenings of their films at the Angelika Film Center.

Other art-house film blogs like The Film Experience, Indiewire and Shadow & Act are very informative and articulate about films. But they are not very inclusive in terms of who gets to contribute on their blogs besides in the comments section of course. The Art-House Attic will seek to provide that open space for the regular, non-professional indie film lover to let his or her voice be heard.

Editorial Plan:

I plan to feature in-depth reviews of the latest independent films as told by regular New Yorkers. There will be intellectual debates, agreements and disagreements and most importantly, entertaining analysis and dissections of the most talked-about releases in art-house cinema.

Currently in Theaters:

This section will focus on films that are still playing in theaters. Reviewers will be interviewed immediately after watching the films. This will allow us to get an unfiltered reaction from the reviewer. We will also post reviews on VOD (video on demand) films that are currently available.

The DVD Corner:

This section will focus on reviews of films that are already out on DVD. There were a lot of thought-provoking films released earlier in the year that had cinephiles raving. Usually, the best Indies are released in the fall or the winter but recently there is a new trend in which these types of films get an early-year release date. We will also look back at older films that are considered classics, specifically from the Criterion Collection. The DVD release of these films will be the perfect time to look back at these gems.

Mainstream with an Indie sensibility:

This section will focus on reviews of films that although are produced by a major studio, are still rich in character development and story narrative.

New York on Film:

Whether new films or classics, New York has always been a major inspiration for filmmakers. This section will focus on films that take place in New York. Reviewers will analyze how the big apple is portrayed on the big screen.

My take:

This section will allow me to analyze a film that has captured the cultural zeitgeist, not just focus on plot points and narrative. I will go in depth to seek how the films I review portray serious issues such as politics, socio-economics, class, gender, race, sexuality, etc.

Interviews:

At the Angelika Film Center we get to meet filmmakers of all stripes. Hopefully in this section we will get the opportunity to interview a cast or crew member of an Independent film that has been recently released in theaters or on VOD.

Multimedia:

In this section we will feature podcast interviews with the reviewers and hopefully with the filmmakers of the latest art-house films.

Length and frequency of blog posts:

The reviews will be from 400-600 words. The interviews will depend on the guest but they will be anywhere from 400-1000 words. Hopefully the frequency of the posts will be a minimum of twice per week.

First I have to say that I’m a bit disappointed that we cannot blog about issues that are a bit more general in terms of location and visibility. Nationally and internationally, there are so many news-worthy topics that are worth blogging about. ISIS, the Scottish vote for independence from Great Britain, the impact that the mid-term elections will have on the Obama precedency, the border crisis, etc. These are all topics that are current and debate worthy. I feel that focusing on local New York issues limits our opportunities to create an interesting blog that doesn’t just appeal to New Yorkers.

Anyhow, my two blog proposals are as follows:

1. Troubled youth in the Bronx

More than any other borough in the city, The Bronx suffers from a large amount of kids who can’t seem to stay out of trouble. Whether its poverty, a poor public school system or perhaps single-parent homes, my blog will seek to find out the reason. A couple of semesters ago, I wrote a paper profiling a troubled 13-year-old boy and his family from the notoriously dangerous Highbridge area of The Bronx. I will try to blog about kids in similar situations. I will also seek to interview Bronx law enforcement, social workers and other experts.

2. New Yorkers and their take on indie movies

I feel that the most active film blogs mostly focus on mainstream cinema. I think that this blog would be a good opportunity to write about the way New Yorkers react to more thought-provoking independent cinema. As an assistant manager at the Angelika Film Center, one of the premier art-house theatres in the city, I get a first-row view on people’s perceptions of all the latest indie films. Located in the heart of Soho, the Angelika Film Center is the perfect place to seek out reviews from New Yorkers and blog about their take on independent films.