Upside for the $18.5 Billion U.S. Video Entertainment Market

The filmed entertainment divisions of the U.S. studios have seen their revenue and operating profit go sideways over the past five years, their continuing growth in TV-show licensing revenue being wiped out by declines on the movie side.

With a 4 percent gain in overall home entertainment spending in 2012, and just modest declines so far in 2013, there’s some indication that home entertainment revenues are stabilizing.

via Screen Digest

The Start-up Accelerator for Indie Filmmaker Entrepreneurs

Dogfish Accelerator, a new program designed to make filmmakers think like entrepreneurs, is modeled on startup boot camps such as TechStars. Eight teams of moviemakers will spend the next three months working on projects that range from feature films to Web video portals.

They’ll get lots of hands-on business coaching, industry connections, $18,000 in seed money, and help raising follow-up investment. In exchange, they give Dogfish 8 percent of their project’s revenue.

via Businessweek

Crowdfunding for Filmmakers – Pitch, Perks and Promotion

We as filmmakers must strive to create something more experiential than another movie campaign; more and more of us are pulling a page from the book of transmedia and crafting campaign experiences to further engage their audience in creative ways.

In my book “Crowdfunding for Filmmakers,” I write in detail about the “three Ps” of crowdfunding — Pitch, Perks and Promotion.

via The Wrap

New 4K Digital Video Service to Focus on Independent Films

While Sony’s been generating buzz for a 4K media player and video download service for its UltraHD TV sets, it’s not the only company that will ride broadband connections to deliver movies.

A much smaller company, ODEMAX, is developing one, too. In fact, it beat Sony with a private beta of its 4K download service last month. Unlike Sony, ODEMAX is concentrating its efforts on independent films.

via Multichannel

Why 2013 Marks a Key Turning Point for 3D Movies

Cinema box office revenues from 3D film releases in North America fell 13.1% in the first half of 2013 to $1.05 billion — that’s compared with $1.21 billion in 2012, according to IHS.

It was the second quarter which recorded the stronger performance of 23.2 percent of total box office coming from 3D screens. This was a large improvement on the 12.2 percent share in the first three months of 2013.

via ScreenDigest

Sony Opens New Digital Facility at UK Pinewood Studios

The new facility, which is set to open at the UK studios at the end of September, is intended to help filmmakers capitalize on digital technologies

It has been designed as an industry-wide resource for training and knowledge sharing on Sony’s latest cameras, combined with workflows from industry partners.

via Screen

Why Tech can be a Double-Edge Sword in Filmmaking

Spike Lee grabbed the tech spotlight last week by launching a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for his next feature film. He has until August 21 to meet his goal of raising $1.25 million.

My concerns are when technology rules the art, instead of the artist ruling and commanding the technology.

via CNET News

The Cinema Market in China is Second Largest in the World

According to Screen Digest, China is now the second largest market in the world by box office revenue, and the third largest by film production.

With an average annual growth rate of 35.5 percent each year, the Chinese movie industry is demanding more attention than ever before.

via ScreenDigest

When a Nordic Video Game and Interactive Documentary Collide

48 Hour Games, a gamified interactive choose-your-own-way documentary, is the first of its’ kind and it’s getting audiences very excited.

Programmed from scratch in Flash by games company Knapnok Games, the documentary was shot during the Nordic Game Jam, an event where 300 game developers from all parts of Scandinavia, meet up and compete to create the most innovative computer game in just 48 hours.

via i-Docs

Spielberg, Lucas: Why Internet TV is the Future of Entertainment

Looking into their crystal ball, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg predicted the imminent arrival of a radically different entertainment landscape, including pricey movie tickets, a vast migration of content to video-on-demand and even programmable dreams.

Spielberg noted that because so many forms of entertainment are competing for attention, they would rather spend $250 million on a single film than make several personal, quirky projects.

via Variety