“A big producer once said to me I would never be a director because I’m too nice”

Greetings from London UK where the Rain is currently dancing on our heads. Hahaha

Katy Van is a new writer/wordsmith I much admire and she came to the Raindance Film festival this year (in secret I might ad) to research the roles (or lack of roles) of women in film director roles. Refreshingly she found that the Raindance average of female directors is double that of Sundance or Tribecca with 14% of our films directed by women. That's still an appallingly low number.

Here's a great blog post she wrote: “A big producer once said to me I would never be a director because I’m too nice”


And what do you feel about this?

The Psychology of Social Media Engagement

This is the first time I have posted here since March - so I hope I am not bending any rules.

I am totally untrained, although I have managed to produce now, 3 features and over 150 short films, and I have also run Raindance Film Festival since 1992. I have realised, in hindsight, that there are some basic things I do - all of which I have begged borrowed or stolen from some fantastic people I have worked with. So I thought I would share them - and you can read them in it's entirety (it's a 5 minute read) here:

Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Raindance

Isn't hindsight a wonderful thing?

I have taken a couple days off - midweek no less - to try and recharge after a demanding schedule. I haven't ever done this before and it's been a priceless chance to recharge my batteries.

While relaxing and ignoring the emails and SMS messages I realised that there are many things I wish I knew before I started Raindance.

Enjoy.

13 Web Marketing Myths Filmmakers Should Stop Believing

Raindance is launching our video on demand service on Monday - and you can have a sneak preview here: www.raindancereleasing.com

The reason this new service is so important to us is that distribution of independent films is the big bottleneck and the major barrier to new filmmaking talent breaking out.

What I have learned over time at Raindance is the importance of social media and the marketing opportunities the web offers. Sadly many filmmakers are either blissfully unaware of this new opportunity, or are 'too busy' to understand and embrace this important new element in film making and distribution.

As I travel around to the various international Raindance offices I her the same old excuses repeated time and time again.

This is where I come in. Let me explain the 13 Web Marketing Myths Filmmakers Should Stop Believing.

7 Key Trends Filmmakers and Screenwriters Will Embrace In 2014

Way back in the good ole days when I started Raindance ('92 to be precise) we screened on 35mm, bought expensive ads in Timeout and printed and mailed thousands of leaflets.

We don't do any of that now. It's all changed, and many of the changes have happened very rapidly.

The biggest and most profound changes include
- the UK tax structures - currently the most beneficial to film producers anywhere
- transmedia and cross media storytelling
- changes to the internet

I wrote this out in quite a detailed article on the Raindance website. You can read 7 Key Trends Filmmakers and Screenwriters Embrace here

14 Trends Raindance's Filmmakers Will Track In 2014

Isn't it amazing how quickly time flies? Having waited a whole year for the 2013 British Independent film Awards, they have come and gone so quickly that it's as if they didn't happen.

In the Raindance office we joke that the Christmas season officially starts the day after the BIFAs. Looking ahead to the New Year there are a host of new innovations and big game changers that our fabulous intern, Tekle Baroti has put into a succinct and entertaining article so good that I wish I had thought of it.

Whatever your politics or creed, there are indeed 14 Trends Raindance Filmmakers Will follow In 2014

Are British Films Any Good

I hear all the time about how British films lose money, how independent filmmaking is dead, and that British films aren't half as good as the films made on the continent.

But is that true?

One thing that is certain: I and the entire Raindance Film Festival team will be glued to our seats at this Sunday's British Independent Film Awards. Why? Because we think British film is the toast of the continent right now.

For our filmmaking colleagues who couldn't get into the crammed and squashed event we are pleased to announce that the event is telecast from 7:30pm on Sunday December 8th.


Once the BIFAs are over, we are heading back to work sifting through the tons of submissions already arriving for the 22nd Raindance Film Festival.