I am lucky to have Executive Produced two films that premiered this year at Tribeca.  Rob Meyer’s BIRDERS GUIDE TO EVERYTHING and Neil Labute’s SOME VELVET MORNING.  Previously, I also participated in Tribeca All Access in 2010, and for the first time last year, as an audience member, I was influenced and motivated by many personal anecdotes and insider histories from participants on various panel discussions during the newly christened Interactive Day.

You might ask, great, but what does this all mean?

- The traditional differences between being a film or television or digital producer versus a creative content creator are dissolving.  Instead, I see myself more as an entrepreneur and product manager within the creative arts (commercial and otherwise).  While sticking to its film festival-centric core, TFI has worked to ensure its relevance within a quickly changing entertainment landscape through programs that include grants and labs, newly developed distribution vehicles as well as an embrace of technology and a dialogue around interactive.   Holding on to an old model seems shortsighted and may eventually lead to obsolescence.

- You are your own brand.  It’s not just the creatives but also the producers and other supporters who can and should be instrumental in helping guarantee a successful Kickstarter raise, an engaging and growing social media presence or a hybrid distribution program that seeks to engage its core audience … and beyond.  To guarantee success in any capacity, I believe it is necessary to build off of current and past platforms, helping redirect audiences and open them up to new creative exploration as opposed to starting anew each and every time at bat.

- I feel one of the most important lessons from this convergence of media type is a democratic philosophy among all creatives and content providers to support each other while navigating the sometimes turbulent waters of creation.  Whether formally championing a new project or screenplay or lending a hand with free equipment donations or other services, more now than ever projects can only be successful through a community of supportive and giving individuals who are committed to a greater ideal than their own resume.  Nobody can do this on their own and as they say, it takes a village!

Today, I’m engaged in both the traditional film world and the evolving digital entertainment landscape.  Based on some of my thoughts above, the similarities and differences between all types of content in terms of how it’s developed, produced, marketed and distributed seem to be more obvious.  In my own experience, I’ve seen this reflected in the four recent film projects I’ve produced, the documentary WITHOUT SHEPHERDS (which premiered this year at Slamdance and is currently represented internationally by ro*co), the Tribeca Film Festival premiers of both BIRDERS GUIDE TO EVERYTHING and SOME VELVET MORNING and the IFP Narrative Lab graduate BASTARDS OF YOUNG (still currently in post-production).  On the other end of the spectrum, the web-series THE 3 BITS (currently distributed independently),TWENTY FIVE (currently in production) and I AM ECO WARRIOR (currently in post-production) along with two mobile applications (in development) have illuminated the challenges (and again, the similarities) between film and other forms of digital entertainment.

On the similarities front, I’ve noticed the following:

- Good content is where it always begins; story and character development is always king.  If you start with a broken screenplay or script, you’re bound for disaster from day one.
- Finding a passionate crew trumps in many cases the accolades of somebody’s resume. Passion, fearlessness and commitment can guarantee success.
- There never is enough money, period.  I know, I know.
- You always have to be resourceful with everything from in-kind services, favors and other out-of-the-box thinking that ensures you will reach the finish line.
- Even at 6:00 AM, you never have as much fun professionally as you do when you’re on a set for the first day or even on the 18^th day.
- Don’t be afraid in the edit to let the footage speak to you, regardless of what the written word says.  Having a trusting team around you will hopefully guide you in this direction, as well.

On the flip side, some of the differences include:

- Within the short-form digital world, it appears that one is able to pivot creatively or even distribution/marketing wise more easily than on a feature film.  While this is not an absolute point, the window for success within the feature world is somewhat more limited, especially when using a festival-based premier strategy.
- Within the new media world, you might be able to get away with a smaller budget and crew, but the experience on set (or in studio) might be more frenetic.
- Even if you decide to distribute on a DIY basis, don’t ignore more traditional distribution avenues, especially as you reach a critical mass.
- There’s arguably more forgiveness within a feature film for a slower start or initial audience apathy than within short-form serial content when capturing the audience’s attention from the get-go is crucial.

So I ask again, what does this mean?  I think it means certain truths remain consistent regardless of whatever medium you choose.  It also means that the lines between content types and audience viewership are blurring.  Television that streams exclusively on the web, films told in episodic formats, mobile applications that emulate game shows but demand live audience engagement all are part of today’s entertainment zeitgeist.

by Robert Profusek

Santa Maria Della Salute Church, Venice

Filmmaker and fellow IFP Lab leader Jon Reiss and I entered the exhibition. In Praise of Doubt was based upon the curatorial notion of “questioning the idea of uncertainty and our convictions about identity,” It too displayed modern art masters like Jeff Koons and Donald Judd alongside a wide-range of younger, lesser-known artists, many of whom have never been included in previous exhibitions of the Pinault Collection before. For many of them, like our filmmakers, this was their first time engaging audiences with their work on the international stage.

These themes and ideas closely mirrored what would soon be consuming the teams of emerging filmmakers on the island of San Servalo, where FILMMAKER Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Scott Macaulay & I were privileged to work with a group of five teams at the Biennale developing feature films in Egypt, Lebanon, The Philippines, Italy and England.

In concert with other experienced mentors and their fellow artists from around the world, they were pushed again and again for two weeks to communicate their vision: to fine tune their story worlds, enrich their characters and dig deep into their own personal narratives to create something totally fresh and engaging.  Above all, they were forced to revel in and embrace the uncertainty of what was to come and what they might uncover.

I have to admit, I really felt for these artists. Although it seems like yesterday, I couldn’t help but remember my own transformation in Venice eighteen years prior when I arrived on the island with little more than a pair of unfashionable overalls and the pack on my back. As an art student from a small, southern university, I was certainly wasn’t equipped with the language needed to express myself. I too was there living amongst strangers.  And I was terrified of how I would survive when seemingly my only skill-set was a proclivity for welding complex structures.  It was a time in my life where there was a lot to doubt on a daily basis.

All to say, my world was small before Venice.

But the art, the people, and the copious espressos fueled me. I went out and explored. I tried new things, and sometimes failed spectacularly. For every night that I reveled in the experience and appreciated the opportunities given, there were plenty where I felt like this horse sculpture by Maurizio Cattelan which aptly confronts viewers at the entrance of the Dogana.

Untitled, Maurizio Cattelan

Luckily, the many teachers, artists and friends I met eventually got me talking about my work. It all became real – not just the art I was making and the stories I was telling, but the idea that this could be my life.  And while I eventually exchanged my acetylene torch for a cheap digital camera, my experiences in Venice gave me above all the courage of conviction to keep pushing forward and become comfortable with the unknown.

Thus, the most emotional and meaningful part of the Biennale College- Film for me was watching these personal transformations unfold anew, some slowly and others adapting at a shockingly quick pace.  Seeing these filmmakers find their own courage to change, – in this case, overcome  fears of public speaking or letting go of cherished, deeply personal storylines – was a reminder that inspiration and collaboration in Venice can truly do wonders for the creative mind.

In particular, it was a beautiful sight indeed to watch Shireen Seno’s Nervous Translation and Vatche Boulghourjain’s Tramontane develop. Quiet and evocative directors whose projects told stories of self and country, they were adept at creating unbelievable story worlds with rich characters and detailed elements that left you slackjawed and wanting, These stories seem like a distant relative of Edward Kienholz, whose large-scale installation ROXY was appropriately tucked away in a secret corner the Dogana.

ROXY, Edward Kienholz

More still were the types of projects that took cues from old dramatic structures and spun them in fresh directions.   Deeply personal narratives Roland Jobson’s Into the Light & Kasem Kharsa’s I Dream of Empire and their dark, nuanced visuals have scenes that continue to play out in my mind. They mingle in my memory along with Paul McCarthy’s mutilated mask series, She/Man, all playing with time, gender and form in a way that feel simultaneously original and ancient.

Paul McCarthy’s “She/Man”

The ultimate winners of the Biennale – the three projects which will receive $150,000 Euro prizes and the opportunity to premiere at the 2013 Venice Film Festival – were all shockingly strong, conceptual pieces. Each provoked an almost visceral audience response as their stories and visuals unfolded in their pitches.  Thai artist Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s A Year of June and IFP Alum New York-based Tim Sutton’s Memphis both wowed, and I look forward to seeing them come to life in the coming months.

Memphis’ John Baker and Tim Sutton at the Biennale di Venezia Pitch

And then there was Alessio Fava’s Yuri Esposito, a meditative and beautiful project Scott & I worked with chronicling the slowest man in the world. The project won as well and will go into production this spring. The filmmakers assure me that their protagonist may be “lentamente,” but the project will be delivered on time!

Director Alessio Fava, Producer Max Chicco and Yuri Esposito

To see it all in motion was a true joy and there’s not enough gelato or Chinotto in the world to thank  Gucci, the Biennale’s Paola Baratta, Venice Film Festival head Alberto Barbera, and the amazing team of Savina Neirotti, Jane Williams, and Michel Reilhac for all they’ve done for these filmmakers. And as their sole U.S. partner, it was an honor for all of us here at IFP to have worked with everyone on this program from idea to inception.  To see it all become real right before our eyes, watching these young filmmakers make work amongst the backdrop of one of Italy’s most achingly beautiful and ancient cities, was truly a sight to behold.  I have no doubt we’ll be hearing quite a lot from these artists in the coming years and encourage you to discover them for yourselves at http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/collegecinema/.

The College’s Jane Williams, Michel Reilhac, Amy Dotson and Savina Neirotti

Leaving Venice at 7am, I was planning to shlep my way to the airport via two vaporettas and a bus – you know, back to reality.  Yet, by, divine intervention, I was lucky enough to hop a free ride in a water taxi with the Artistic Director of the Biennale Cinema College directly to the airport.  It was glorious – the quiet, glassy water, the rosy morning light, a slight breeze to nurse my exhaustion.  As we hummed along, he said, with poker face intact, ‘It is even more delightful in the summer.’  He went on to Berlin, I went to visit a friend in Rome and it crossed my mind that I was pretty much living in a dream – and later on that day the dream turned into my reality: � Memphis� would be one of the 3 films financed by the Biennale and will premiere at the 2013 Venice Film Festival.  I’ll be honest, the first thoughts I had were guilt and fear – guilt because of the 12 incredibly daring film projects that did not get funding, and fear that 6 months is an insanely tight schedule to make something of quality.  Over wine (and a serious plate of Roman lamb) that night, those feelings dissipated into a pure feeling of excitement.  Both John Baker and I believe in our project – in our ability to truly realize this film – and now we had one of the most important art institutions in modern history believing in it too.  An awesome realization to consider, and potent fuel to add to the fire that will be this film.  We now get to� make the film.

Aside from the intensity of the process of proving our film ready to be put into action, as well as the creative jolt of energy we put toward the story, the thing I will take away is this – and if it is a cliche, well, so be it:  American indie filmmaking is just one fraction of the larger universe that is global independent cinema.  There are so many new waves and new cinematic ideas coming from diverse spaces around the world: the (literally) first Arab science fiction film will hopefully be made this year and it will resemble La Jette more than� Alien; Israeli and Lebanese films will creatively question identity and trust in ways that American filmmakers do not attempt; South African and Thai projects will (again, literally) expand the concept of cinema in its 21st century form…I guess my point is that telling cinematic stories on micro-budgets not only matters; it is the now…and the future.  We’re just  thrilled the Biennale Cinema College believes thatMemphis� is a valuable part of this now, and that future.