Paulo Coelho turns his book into a feature film with MySpace users’ videos

This should be interesting. Author Paulo Coelho is going to collaborate with MySpace to make his latest book into his first feature film. The MySpace collaboration will center around creating a mashup of videos and songs created and submitted by MySpace users.  Coelho will choose the winning videos and songs to use in his film.

But here’s the rub: Coelho is going to own the film.  What do the MySpace filmmakers and musicians get?

Winners will enjoy significant publicity, and their work will be featured across MySpace worldwide including the homepage, MySpaceTV and an extensive banner campaign.

Well, exposure is always a good thing, right?  Not as sweet as a percentage of the gross, or residuals, but you have to start somewhere.

Oh, and the fine print says that if there aren’t enough videos and songs submitted that meet the required standards, the whole project will be scrapped.

It’ll be interesting to see what comes of this. [Via Publishers Weekly]

 

March 31 deadline for From Here To Awesome film submissions

Filmmakers, you’ve got until next Tuesday to submit your film to

 From Here To Awesome - a discovery and distribution film festival.

 If you’ve been struggling to find and build an audience for your film, if you’ve been unsure or unsuccessful with distribution alternatives, if you’re seeking new methods for building buzz about your film, then this festival is for you.  There’s no entry fee!

‘From Here To Awesome’ update: how festivals fail; and an awesome solution

From Here To Awesome

Short films and mobile distribution

In his review of an article about Robert Redford’s support for reviving the short film genre by distributing them via mobile phone platforms, M3’s Chris Thilk thinks the successful business model for mobile distribution of short films will be subscriptions for ad supported programming with carrier agreements. He may be right.

And, as it happens, mobile distribution is just one of the many distribution platforms available to filmmakers participating in From Here to Awesome - a discovery and distribution festival. So if you’re a filmmaker with a short film or two, submit your short to the festival and be a part of the cutting edge on mobile distribution of short films.

The challenges of indie film distribution and online marketing

Variety’s Anne Thompson penned an analysis of the current distribution and marketing landscape for independent film.