Silicon Valley: Invite Bob and Harvey Weinstein for a chat

New York Times reviewed a small film called Mad Hot Ballroom a few days back: Where the Rumba Is as Much a Part of School as Recess. I recently saw this film at the San Francisco International Film Festival, and found it charming and uplifting. It is a documentary about a bunch of fifth graders in New York City learning to dance the Rhumba, the Foxtrot, the Merengue, and so forth, and then competing for a grand trophy. Many of these kids would otherwise be drawn into drug or crime networks. The film-maker duo are first-time film-makers, just like Zana Briski, who did “Born into Brothels”, about the kids whom she taught photography in the brothels of Calcutta, and that won her an Oscar this year.

These days, many “small films” are making their way into distribution networks, via film festivals, internet marketing, followed by a reasonable DVD business. These are very low budget films brought into fruition by taking advantage of the dramatically enhanced digital production infrastructure that the technology world has produced. Another article from New York Times: New York: ‘Little’ Films grow big visits the subject at length.

So, what is the spec for the next generation film studio? While Los Angeles still reigns supreme as the capital of the film industry, New York seems to be creating a niche for itself in independent “little” films. As Broadband becomes broader and more ubiquitous, what role will Silicon Valley play, to further unshackle the film industry from the clutches of the Hollywood power structure?

Do you need a film studio going forward, unless you are creating big sets for period pieces, or large scale special effect work? If you have a good screenplay on an utterly human topic, and better still, if you have opportunities for product placement, to be able to part-finance the film with an “Advertainment” angle, can you not complete your film without the hoopla of big stars and big expenses?

San Francisco Film Makers: Wake up, and lead the charge. Use the Silicon Valley hinterland to gain yourself advantages in production technology, online distribution and internet marketing.

Netflix: Wake up and give us an option to view all the Tribeca films, the Cannes films, the Montreal films, and all the zillion other film festival films … (I was happy to see advertisements from Akimbo during the San Francisco Film Festival offering all the SFFS movies to its viewers … at least someone is thinking about the opportunity!) … and in the process, create for yourself a bit of differentiation which you sadly lack!

Valley Investors: Wake up and understand businesses like Miramax, ThinkFilm, Killer Films, Universal’s Focus Features and Sony Pictures Classics, and think hard about what leverage can be introduced using the technology / internet angle.

For during times to come, as broadband broadens, Content will be the killer app.

This segment is a part in the series : Silicon Valley