On Monday the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting announced the new draft of their permit rule proposal. You can download the new draft on the website but here’s the key change:

The New Film Rule Proposal

Under the new draft of the proposed rule, a permit would be required if equipment or vehicles are being used by the production or if the filming activity creates an obstruction. “Equipment” is defined as film cameras, videocameras, lights, sets, and other production related materials, but does not include hand-held devices or tripods.

“Obstruction” is defined in the proposed rule as the assertion of exclusive control over a public space resulting in the obstruction of one or more lanes of a street or walkway, or when production activity results in either less than eight feet or one-half the width of the sidewalk or passageway (whichever is greater) being available for unobstructed sidewalk use by pedestrians.

A permit would not be required if the production uses hand-held devices or tripods, its activity does not present an obstruction, and it is not using equipment or vehicles. An optional permit would be available in these instances, and would not require liability insurance.

The rules would also not impact press photographers, who are routinely credentialed by the NYPD, or student filmmakers, who meet their insurance obligations by coverage through their school’s insurance program.

As a general matter, City agencies’ procedures for the issuance of permits must be contained in formally adopted rules. The City Charter’s rulemaking process requires that City agencies publish proposed rules for public comment. Public comment is now open for this current draft of the rule, with a hearing scheduled for December 13, 2007.

***

More on this later. I know I’ve been a bit absent but I’ve been busy gearing up for all our events with DCTV. Our Hook Me Up event got a huge amount of really impressive applications so people are clearly really into the idea of finding new collaborators. Either that or they really think they are going to hook up!

We’re also planning a new series of great film events here at Shooters HQ so stay tuned. And there will be more parties. There will always be more parties.

A while back AJ Schnack asked a bunch of people to guess what Sicko would make at the box office. I had no idea but I guessed it wasn’t going to do the business of Farenheit 9/11 so I went for 25 million and I won! Sicko ended up taking just over 24.5 million so to be fair Jonathan Marlow was bloody close too with 24 million (but I’m holding on to my bragging rights!)

Very few documentaries are crossing the 1 million mark this year. Anthony Kaufman is worried that there may be a doc depression. Certainly, the lower than expected numbers for In The Shadow of the Moon are both surprising and worrying since a well-made doc about American astronauts feels about as close to a sure thing as you can get in this fickle business.

It’s nice to see No End in Sight so high up on the list for 2007 so far but I feel increasingly confused about how this stuff plays out. Do distributors have a better idea or is everyone scrabbling around in the dark? Perhaps this is another example of the “glut of cinema” - too many docs competing for a limited movie-going audience.

Interesting post I just stumbled upon (and I mean this literally, I wasn’t using StumpleUpon!) on Chris Anderson’s Long Tail blog. He has posted an email he received from a filmmaker who is finding it very difficult to make a living in long tail land and who argues that it benefits big companies and consumers but that small producers are still struggling to survive:

Your Long Tail theory is a basic and profound truth that I happily embrace AS A CONSUMER. But as a producer and creator of Long Tail content it is basically spelling out my doom. Other than your book examples which are still basically about VERY LARGE entities and aggregators, I am finding very few self supporting examples of independent Long Tail producers.

It feels like niche markets and the tools of Web 2.0 are ideal for small producers but how does everything add up? I would love more stats on this stuff. Anybody know where to find them?

I have loved David Shrigley ever since someone gave me a postcard that said “Sorry I painted the word TWAT on your garage wall.” That’s art, that is.

Shooting People and DCTV have got some great events coming up in November so if you’re in NYC please check out the following:

On Friday, November 2nd Jennifer Fox will be at DCTV to talk about the making of her latest documentary, the six hour tour de force Flying: Confessions of a Free Woman. Jennifer will show clips from Flying and talk about how filmmakers negotiate the tension between creativity and financial reality, how to raise funds through international co-production, and how to market and distribute independent films through film festivals, the web, and beyond.

On Tuesday, November 6th Shooting People and DCTV are going to HOOK YOU UP. This event puts 40 documentary Directors, Producers, Editors and DPs in the same room in a speed-dating style networking event, to meet and discuss how they might be able to collaborate one-on-one, and face-to-face. Please note: you need to apply for this event before Friday October 26th so get your applications in soon!

Finally, on Friday, November 16th Magnolia Pictures Senior VP Tom Quinn will be at DCTV to talk about distribution. He’ll give an inside take on what buyers are looking for in a potential acquisition, advice on what filmmakers should and shouldn’t do to get the attention of a buyer, and how an acquisition is made. He’ll also discuss how a distributor carries out a marketing plan, and how the domestic and international distribution of a film is executed.

Buy tickets soon because these events usually sell out well in advance. You can find out about all the Fall Events at DCTV on their website.

DO IT

NOW

WELL GO ON, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Some friends of mine considered calling their kid Rocktober but alas they didn’t. But I digress. October has been a rocking month. I saw some great bands at CMJ, spending most of my time at Union Pool (because it’s close by and I’m lazy). La Société Expéditionnaire showcase last Wednesday was wonderful. There’s nothing I like more than sitting on a barstool in a cozy venue listening to people with lovely voices playing guitar. Check out all the artists on this label because they’re on to a good thing. I finally fixed the ancient turntable I bought for $40 thinking it was a great deal (after a new cartridge, belt and stylus, turns out it wasn’t!) which meant I could buy vinyl after the show. Oh the joy!

I also really enjoyed Chris Mills on Friday - I only caught the end of his set but Signal/Noise, his last song, was fantastic and made me an immediate fan.

On another note, check out this Bat for Lashes vid, it’s funny:

There’s an interview with me up on SF360 today (a very useful site co-published by the San Francisco Film Society and indieWIRE for those of you not in the Bay Area), talking about Shooting People and how we made the transition from the UK to the US. Check it out: www.sf360.org

Arwen Lowbridge over at our friends Fractured Atlas wrote this piece earlier in the summer and I have been meaning to post it for ages. She is writing about artists in the performing arts but I think that many of her points are very salient for filmmakers too and her professional pledges are definitely bang on the money (’scuse the pun):

I will be responsible for my own career and I will conduct myself as a business professional.

Many artists are understandably intimidated by business; but if you avoid learning about it you only hurt yourself. Understanding it will protect your professional interests and give you tools for success. Be proactive and learn whatever is necessary to help you achieve your goals - seek out the existing resources available to you. You may not consider art to be fundamentally aligned with making money but the two are bedfellows here in the U.S.

I will seek the help of experts when I’m in unfamiliar territory.

This extends to contract negotiations, business etiquette, grant applications, tax returns and marketing campaigns. If you need professional advice, find it and be prepared to pay for it. Usually a small investment from a qualified professional can save you a lot of money down the road. If you don’t like the advice you receive, ask around to peers and colleagues for their experience and referrals.

I will value my work in a monetary and a social sense.

Art possesses powerful influence and energy - don’t discount this. The work of artists benefits U.S. citizens both socially and economically. Your work should do the same for you: it should generate revenue to pay for your services and make something creatively rewarding for your audience. A simple way to serve both masters is to think locally as much as possible. This can develop your audience, increase your revenue, improve your fundraising potential, and quite possibly change the world. Join advocacy efforts to promote the arts in your area, contact the politicians that represent you and make your concerns as a voter known. Imagine what artists could do if properly organized to engage the civic leadership and create social change.

Quite a few people have been blogging about this video recently and for good reason. It is utterly weird and just the right side of genius. Ola Podrida frontman David Wingo did the music for David Gordon Green’s wonderful films George Washington and All the Real Girls. He also did the music for Todd Rohal’s The Guatemalan Handshake and Todd is the director of this jaw-dropping masterpiece of surreal nuttiness. Enjoy.

My friend Alexander Dinelaris is an extremely gifted writer and everybody in New York Citay should buy tickets to see his play, THE CHAOS THEORIES. Alex is currently working with Alejandro González Iñárritu (Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel) on his next film project so this is your chance to see the work of a very hot writer at an amazingly low price (just 15 bucks with the SPT code!).

Buy tickets for Thursday, November 1st and stay for a Q&A with Alexander Dinelaris. Learn about his writing process and get some inside advice on the scriptwriting business.

Buy tickets for Saturday, November 3rd and stay for a Q&A with actors including Academy Award nominated Danny Aiello (Do The Right Thing), as well as Alison Fraser and Ted Koch.

Plus there will be complimentary cocktails served before each performance.

Find out more about The Chaos Theories here:
www.thechaostheories.com

Where: MCGINN CAZALE THEATRE, 2162 Broadway @ 76th St.

For tickets visit www.theatermania.com or call 212 352-3101 and use code SPT to get the discounted tickets to the performances on November 1st and 3rd.

NB. YOU MUST SCROLL DOWN TO ENTER YOUR PROMOTION CODE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN AND HIT REFRESH TO GET THE DISCOUNTED PRICE.

Your table is waiting. . .