Definitely, we need this. And I'd be interested to hear the details of the easy and fast start ideas you have. Modular progress is a great way to get people to nibble, then sit at the table and fully engorge. (Sorry, I must be hungry.)
And by the way, I've started to jot down my own sketches of a map of the film ecosystem from my perspective. It's already taking up six pages of scribbled dense connections covering six pages of note paper. And it's nowhere near complete or deep enough. Once I get it into some sort of infographic style shape, if I can, I'll share it.
Kris Longfield points directly at funding I think correctly. Think Tanks need foundations. I looked and found this interesting one - "the leading organization devoted to fundraising, increasing awareness of, preservation, and issuing grants to safeguard this country's cinematic heritage."
But it is not heritage we are concerned about here it is the future. How will the industry survive a market shift which is squelching the creative ecosystem and driving film toward monolithic narratives which suit dry market agendas?
Based on your reply to Estelle you are clearly not just howling at the moon here. I still believe the key is to leverage the stock pile of unheralded, unscreened, under appreciated inventory into a revenue stream which engages the widely distributed, interested parties into action and establishes the foundation from which a Think Tank and other things can take root.
I have this nagging conviction that there is new tech, money and an innovative economic approach which can attack this problem and turn it into an opportunity.
I am in and will be in for the long haul. Holding such a meeting in one hour. The meeting is "Entertaining Solutions" being held by "Global Hands" and the think tank is called "Oberoende." I'll let you know what happens at the meeting!
The think tank is a first step. I think it would need participation from the gatekeepers too, the investors, studios, of course. My question is, other than ourselves, who would the think tank report to? How do we get ideas implemented “top - down” or “bottom - up”. The classic Think Tank is something like the RAND Corporation. They report their findings (and are paid to do so) to the govt, congress, corporate boards, captains of industry and people listen. Maybe we pool money and hire them and try to fix this broken industry might listen. #justwaxing
Really love reading your posts and thoughts for the future of the film business. I work in film finance myself and know from firsthand experience that we’re in need of a new approach to developing, producing and distributing films across the board.
The film think tank is very much something I’d love to be a part of.
When I read this I immediately thought of the American Film Institute, both a non profit and conservatory. For me personally it changed my life and my graduating class is my film family. I wonder what it could do for the current film ecosystem?
I've thought this for a long time, but never figured out how to fund it. I wrote a handbook on building entertainment universes: https://fanthropologyco.com/#report because I agree - there's a lot of information and knowledge out there that needs to be collected and understood on an ecosystem level in order for it to be helpful and usable. I'd be in if you figure out how to put it together.
Obviously this is an idea very dear to you for you to write about it almost every day. Hence it is puzzling that you ask for someone else or some imaginary 'institution' to put it in practice for you or instead of you. This is a bit like saying: look, guys, I got this great idea but I don't want to take the risk, I don' have the time, I'm not good at it, so why don't you do it instead of me?
None of the ideas I've read in this thread will work. Whatever can change the landscape should first appeal to the business side of the industry, it has to come from the inside.
What we need is not a Think Tank, it's a Trojan Horse.
I’ve participated in a european workshop called MEDICI - The Film Funding Journey funded by FOCAL. Each year, they select a remote location (near a european capital) and film funders as well as representatives from the private sector, gather around to talk about the future of cinema, audiences, coproductions, as well a funding options (mainly public funding) for film. It’s a great space and one some might call a Think Tank. Great to see HFF back in this new format!
The first meeting of the new "Think Tank" went very well. We should be producing "solution films," around the world, in a short time, that represent what we talked about during this 1 hour "brainstorming" session. We had people attend from throughout the United States, Europe and even as far away as Tasmania.
I’m in!
Definitely, we need this. And I'd be interested to hear the details of the easy and fast start ideas you have. Modular progress is a great way to get people to nibble, then sit at the table and fully engorge. (Sorry, I must be hungry.)
And by the way, I've started to jot down my own sketches of a map of the film ecosystem from my perspective. It's already taking up six pages of scribbled dense connections covering six pages of note paper. And it's nowhere near complete or deep enough. Once I get it into some sort of infographic style shape, if I can, I'll share it.
Kris Longfield points directly at funding I think correctly. Think Tanks need foundations. I looked and found this interesting one - "the leading organization devoted to fundraising, increasing awareness of, preservation, and issuing grants to safeguard this country's cinematic heritage."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Film_Foundation
But it is not heritage we are concerned about here it is the future. How will the industry survive a market shift which is squelching the creative ecosystem and driving film toward monolithic narratives which suit dry market agendas?
Based on your reply to Estelle you are clearly not just howling at the moon here. I still believe the key is to leverage the stock pile of unheralded, unscreened, under appreciated inventory into a revenue stream which engages the widely distributed, interested parties into action and establishes the foundation from which a Think Tank and other things can take root.
Think Tanks and a caution
https://bethelks.libguides.com/c.php?g=11574&p=3875271
I have this nagging conviction that there is new tech, money and an innovative economic approach which can attack this problem and turn it into an opportunity.
I am in and will be in for the long haul. Holding such a meeting in one hour. The meeting is "Entertaining Solutions" being held by "Global Hands" and the think tank is called "Oberoende." I'll let you know what happens at the meeting!
The think tank is a first step. I think it would need participation from the gatekeepers too, the investors, studios, of course. My question is, other than ourselves, who would the think tank report to? How do we get ideas implemented “top - down” or “bottom - up”. The classic Think Tank is something like the RAND Corporation. They report their findings (and are paid to do so) to the govt, congress, corporate boards, captains of industry and people listen. Maybe we pool money and hire them and try to fix this broken industry might listen. #justwaxing
Hi Ted,
Really love reading your posts and thoughts for the future of the film business. I work in film finance myself and know from firsthand experience that we’re in need of a new approach to developing, producing and distributing films across the board.
The film think tank is very much something I’d love to be a part of.
When I read this I immediately thought of the American Film Institute, both a non profit and conservatory. For me personally it changed my life and my graduating class is my film family. I wonder what it could do for the current film ecosystem?
I've thought this for a long time, but never figured out how to fund it. I wrote a handbook on building entertainment universes: https://fanthropologyco.com/#report because I agree - there's a lot of information and knowledge out there that needs to be collected and understood on an ecosystem level in order for it to be helpful and usable. I'd be in if you figure out how to put it together.
Obviously this is an idea very dear to you for you to write about it almost every day. Hence it is puzzling that you ask for someone else or some imaginary 'institution' to put it in practice for you or instead of you. This is a bit like saying: look, guys, I got this great idea but I don't want to take the risk, I don' have the time, I'm not good at it, so why don't you do it instead of me?
Sort of killing the idea on the spot.
Ted, I AM IN! I LOVE THIS But not going it alone - anyone interested in joining me in Ted’s challenge : rksuigenerispicures@gmail.com
None of the ideas I've read in this thread will work. Whatever can change the landscape should first appeal to the business side of the industry, it has to come from the inside.
What we need is not a Think Tank, it's a Trojan Horse.
I’ve participated in a european workshop called MEDICI - The Film Funding Journey funded by FOCAL. Each year, they select a remote location (near a european capital) and film funders as well as representatives from the private sector, gather around to talk about the future of cinema, audiences, coproductions, as well a funding options (mainly public funding) for film. It’s a great space and one some might call a Think Tank. Great to see HFF back in this new format!
The first meeting of the new "Think Tank" went very well. We should be producing "solution films," around the world, in a short time, that represent what we talked about during this 1 hour "brainstorming" session. We had people attend from throughout the United States, Europe and even as far away as Tasmania.