IndieLoop to Rep NYU at NYU-Yale Pitch Competition!

In the Spring of 2015, the CRI granted Dagny Looper its first research and development grant for her project, IndieLoop. She and her team were then selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants to participate in the Leslie E-Lab's prestigious Summer Launchpad, which provides NYU's most promising entrepreneurs with skills, resources, and connections to develop their startups into commercially viable ventures. 

IndieLoop is a web platform for indie filmmakers to collaborate and share resources

IndieLoop is a web platform for indie filmmakers to collaborate and share resources, dramatically lowering the cost of filmmaking. IndieLoop's co-founders, Dagny Looper (CRI '15) and Colin Whitlow (CRI '14), are filmmakers themselves from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Prior to coming to NYU,Dagny got her PhD in Astronomy and studied acting in Hawai'i. Colin came from a tech background, working for 5 years as a Senior Strategist at YouTube.

As one of nine teams selected for the Summer Launchpad 2015, IndieLoop will launch in August 2015 in beta beginning with the NYC film community. IndieLoop is one of 6 teams competing in the NYU-Yale pitch-off on Thursday, July 16th from 6:30-9:00 pm. 

The pitch-off will take place at: 

NYU Global Center for Academic & Spiritual Life
238 Thompson Street 
Grand Hall, 5th Floor 
New York, NY 10003

Admission is free, so check out this game-changing project and support filmmakers helping filmmakers!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/yale-nyu-summer-accelerator-pitchoff-2015-tickets-17411926541

IndieLoop is supported through a Cinema Research Institute 2015 grant, the Leslie e-lab Summer Launchpad 2015, and the IFP Made in NY Fellowship.

CRI PROJECTIONS

In April 2015, the 2014 CRI Fellows - Forest Conner, Artel Great, Michelle Ow, and Colin Whitlow - presented their yearlong research as well as  the models and tools they've developed for the independent filmmaking community at AOL BUILD. Check out the Fellows' presentations right here, via our Vimeo Portfolio, and in FILMMAKER MAGAZINE!

The 2014 Fellows rocked their research and we are excited to follow each as they continue to develop their tools for independent filmmakers. 

2014 CRI Fellow Forest Conner presents his research on Film Personality at the Cinema Research Institute's PROJECTIONS, hosted at AOL BUILD in April 2015.

Follow Forest Conner on Twitter @forestmconner to get updates on his film personality research, and follow @vhxtv to see how he uses data to help filmmakers sell their work online.

2014 CRI Fellow Artel Great presents Project Catalyst, the first app dedicated to connecting multicultural filmmakers to multicultural audiences, at the Cinema Research Institute's PROJECTIONS, hosted at AOL BUILD in April 2015.

Follow Artel Great and his work with Project Catalyst on Twitter @pjcatalyst and at Facebook.com/projectcatalyst to get updates and stay connected to all the exciting new developments around the first multicultural entertainment mobile app, Project Catalyst.  

2014 CRI Fellow Michelle Ow presents her research on Dynamic Movie Pricing at the Cinema Research Institute's PROJECTIONS, hosted at AOL BUILD in April 2015.

Email Michelle Ow at michelle.ow@stern.nyu.edu if you'd like to receive updates and her whitepaper about dynamic movie ticket pricing.

2014 CRI Fellow Colin Whitlow presents his Quantified Film Tool at the Cinema Research Institute's PROJECTIONS, hosted at AOL BUILD in April 2015.

Follow Colin Whitlow on Twitter @colinwhitlow to get updates on his thinking and further development of the Quantified Film Tool, an examination of objective features that impact film revenues.

Thanks to our Fellows for their amazing thought leadership, and to our followers for liking, sharing, and thinking along with us! 

CRI Mentors: Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte

We're thrilled to announce that Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte, Academy Award® and Emmy Award® nominated, Golden Globe® winning Producer, has joined the Cinema Research Institute as a mentor to its Fellows. Welcome, Jeffrey! 

Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte is an Academy Award® and Emmy Award® nominated, Golden Globe® winning Producer working under the banner of Antidote Films, the company he founded in 2000. He has also directed two documentaries.

Kusama-Hinte's latest production was John Turturro's FADING GIGOLO, starring Mr. Turturro and Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Sofia Vergara, Live Schrieber, and Vanessa Paradis. Prior to this, he most recently produced Lisa Cholodenko's THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT, starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, and Mark Ruffalo. The film received four Academy Award® nominations, including Best Picture, and four Golden Globe® nominations, winning two Golden Globes® for Best Actress (Annette Bening) and Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy).

Kusama-Hinte directed and produced the documentaries CHARLOTTE: A WOODEN BOAT STORY and SOUL POWER which screened at the Toronto and Berlin International Film Festivals, and won the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival Audience Award.

Kusama-Hinte also produced the documentary THE DUNGEON MASTERS, directed by Keven McAlester, which premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, and Marina Zenovich’s ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED, which received five Primetime Emmy® Awards nominations, winning two Emmys® for Outstanding Writing and Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming. Kusama-Hinte’s other productions include the critically acclaimed eco-horror thriller THE LAST WINTER directed by Larry Fessenden, the Jon Reiss-directed graffiti documentary BOMB IT, Julian Goldberger’s THE HAWK IS DYING, Gregg Araki’s MYSTERIOUS SKIN, Catherine Hardwicke’s THIRTEEN, Lisa Cholodenko’s LAUREL CANYON and HIGH ART, and Larry Fessenden’s WENDIGO.

Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte resides in Brooklyn New York, with his spouse and two children.  When he is not making films he can usually be found making furniture in his woodworking shop (aka Brooklyn Verkstad); he also serves on the Boards of the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) and The Nation Institute. 

#TBT CRI-Style: Josh Penn & Michael Gottwald on Grassroots Distribution

Welcome to Throwback Thursday at the Cinema Research Institute!

Over the next few months, we will be posting throwbacks to some of the highlights from the CRI Blog and Research, in addition to the fresh content being published by our current Fellows. Our #TBT series begins with a look at 2013 CRI Fellows Josh Penn and Michael Gottwald's white paper on Grassroots Distribution. 

The paper, available in full in the Projects section, is a thoughtful and thorough consideration of the ways in which independent filmmakers can apply grassroots organizing principles to their film distribution campaigns to establish strategy, build enthusiastic audiences, and maintain momentum for their film's success. The recommendations noted in Josh and Michael's white paper are informed by their experiences as Obama for America campaign staffers, producers of the Academy-Award nominated film BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD, and as CRI researchers who had the opportunity and access to interview filmmakers who have applied grassroots organizing principles to their own film campaigns. The paper is a must-read for filmmakers who are building an audience for their next project, thinking about marketing and distribution strategies, and who would like a basic roadmap for getting their film to the public beyond a festival run. 

For those of you on-the-go, we'll summarize the key points in blog posts published every Thursday for the next two months. Stay tuned, talk back, and share with friends and fellow filmmakers!

To kick things off this week, we thought we'd introduce (or re-introduce) you to Josh and Michael via this conversation hosted by the CRI and illy Cafe. Enjoy! 

CRI Fellow Artel Great Talks Project Catalyst & the Dilemma of Multicultural Media Distribution

2014 CRI Fellow Artel Great is a thought leader on media visibility and an advocate for the improved representation of both multicultural content creators and audiences. As a PhD candidate in Cinema Studies at NYU, a filmmaker with degrees from UCLA, and a CRI Fellow, Artel has been tirelessly instigating positive change on both sides of the camera.

During his CRI Fellowship, he has dedicated himself to Project Catalyst - an app that delivers content produced by multicultural filmmakers to multicultural audiences. Through Project Catalyst , Artel is working to give voice to often-marginalized artists and to satisfy a largely underserved audience's demand for better, more resonant entertainment . In this interview, writer/director/producer Kiara C. Jones talks with Artel about Project Catalyst - from the philosophy behind its development to how to download the app for free. 

Artel claims that "visibility is power" and we wholeheartedly agree. If you do, too, share the interview and download the app! 

Case Study: Distribution as Marketing - LYLE

Last week we shared Part I of our case study on Distribution as Marketing with Stewart Thorndike and Alex Scharfman. Today, we're pleased to share with you their thoughts and lessons learned on the marketing side of the equation. Watch, share, enjoy!

Case Study: Distribution as Marketing - LYLE Part I

Earlier this year, Stewart Thorndike was approaching financiers to make her first feature film - a female-driven, female-directed horror film - but was told there wasn't an audience who wanted that content. Disappointed but resilient, Stewart and her producer, Alex Scharfman set out to make a movie called LYLE, find an audience, and fund their next one, PUTNEY. Their plan - to use free distribution of one movie to market another - worked. 

We talked to Stewart and Alex, and filmed it for you in two parts. PART 1 is about self- distribution and is available for you now - Enjoy! 

ANNOUNCING THE 2015 CRI FELLOWSHIP

The Cinema Research Institute is pleased to announce that applications are now open for the 2015 CRI Research & Development Fellowship! In 2015, the Cinema Research Institute will award up to 3 research & development fellowships to individuals or teams interested in the conception, development and execution of new models and tools of film finance, marketing, and distribution. CRI Fellows will use their creative, strategic, and research skills, both individually and collectively, to address the challenges and seize the opportunities of the ever-changing film industry.

All interested individuals and teams are welcome to apply for the CRI Fellowship. Applicants may 1) propose research to examine independent film finance, marketing, and distribution models on a national and/or global scale for film, television, and other media; 2) develop an innovative idea to address a specific problem; or 3) demonstrate a proof of concept. Applicants may also submit a proposal to further work on existing CRI research projects.

Regardless of the developmental stage of the idea, appropriate candidates are academically and creatively accomplished individuals from a wide variety of disciplines. Successful applicants will receive up to $25,000 for their yearlong Fellowship (January – December 2014), during which time they will be introduced to industry mentors, have the opportunity to test their hypotheses and propose solutions, engage with academic and industry advisors, and publish their findings through the Cinema Research Institute .

Each CRI Fellow will be required to attend monthly advisor meetings, contribute to the Cinema Research Institute Blog, submit quarterly reports, publish a white paper on his or her research to the Cinema Research Institute Journal, host an individual symposium on his or her research topic, and participate in an annual CRI conference. Applicants are encouraged to review existing projects on the CRI website.

There are three rounds of application review for the CRI Fellowship.

Round 1 – Applicants submit:

• A CV or resume.
• A proposal describing the research topic, methodology and any testing opportunities (1-2 pages.)

The deadline for submitting an initial proposal is the end of day on June 2, 2014. Proposals should be emailed to miranda.sherman@nyu.edu. Applicants will be notified of their status by July 7, 2014.

Round 2 – Semi-finalists provide:

• A personal statement of purpose (1-2 pages).
• A detailed proposal (5-10 pages).

Deadline: end of day on August 4, 2014.

Round 3:  Finalists participate in an interview with the CRI Advisory Board.

NYU Think-Tank Awards Artel Great Fellowship To Aid Underserved Film Communities | Shadow and Act

Indiewire's "Shadow and Act" featured 2014 CRI Fellow Artel Great this week, delivering an interview in which Artel outlined his plans to reach underserved film communities via his CRI Fellowship. NYU Think-Tank Awards Artel Great Fellowship To Aid Underserved Film Communities | Shadow and Act.

As part of his Fellowship, Artel founded Project Catalyst  to "meet the needs of passionate, emerging communities of color who yearn to be inspired by new productions of culture that they can take pride in." Project Catalyst will serve as a platform that leverages technology, performance, and exhibition in the service of media diversity.

This is just the beginning for Artel and Project Catalyst - stay tuned for updates and invitations to events!

illy Salon at the Cinema Research Institute

Earlier this week we filmed the pilot episode of the illy Salon at the Cinema Research Institute featuring John Sayles and Matthew Weise in a conversation about narrative at the intersection of film and games in an evolving media landscape. The conversation, moderated by CRI Advisory and Faculty Committee member Colin Brown and enriched by CRI Fellows and members of the NYU Graduate Film community, touched on issues of authorship, independent markets, and audience interaction. The conversation was a blast to hear and will be available via Tribeca's Future of Film website in early November. New episodes will be released once a month through May 2014 - stay tuned!