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Truly Free Film

Brand? Oh…

As the democratization of film has made it possible for just about anyone to make a film, it has conversely made it more difficult for the individual filmmaker and his or her films to stand out. Online content platforms now offer a hundred times more films in their catalogs then the films cataloged by IMDb from the inception of film (1,764,727 titles as of 14 Jan 2011). So despite assertions to the contrary, branding is more important than ever.

Brand IdentityFilmmakers Are Brands, Their Films Are Products Though difficult for some in a creative pursuit to accept, in the words of Moonstruck (1987): “Snap out of it!” The music world has brands Madonna Louise Ciccone and Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known by their much more memorable brand names, Madonna and Lady Gaga.

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Truly Free Film

Nobody Knows Anything #6: Principles of Strategy

By Charles Peirce 

Nobody6-300Strategy is a great personal passion, but something I find few people have an adequate grasp of. While the basic assumption seems to be that advice of all kinds is inherently strategic and of value, it is often anything but. Any given suggestion or piece of advice is only worthwhile inasmuch as it allows the attaining of a goal — without knowing that goal and measuring the success of attempts to attain it, you are not operating strategically: you are merely using tactics of unknown value.

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Truly Free Film

IMHO: Action Is The Best Solution

I wish I could put into practice more of my recommendations and all the good ideas others have bought me.  I wish I could raise money for the marketing as well as the production of my films.  I wish I could plot out a six to nine month marketing & publicity campaign for my films, particularly when I don’t have a distributor to collaborate with.  I wish I could slow down and take it one film at a time.  I wish that I could engage in more experimental innovations that could pave the way to the future.

I believe in strategy.  I am all about planning.  Yet this world we are currently living in, just like the world I got my start in, requires action above anything else.   We need to make this happen.  We need to bring ideas into reality.

To large degree, I am a facilitator first and foremost.  Sure, I am pleased when I contribute creatively to a project, but I don’t always, and I certainly don’t have to.  Sometimes I am a second set of eyes; sometimes I am a sounding board.  Sometimes I am the strategist, and sometimes I am the instigator.  The list can go on, but the key thing is I am generative.  I get things done.  I make them happen.  I bring it forward.