The Brownie Box

Dad would be happy methinks

The deliciousness of any character is based around its weaknesses, more than it's strengths.  - AB

still tweaking, but it's there. http://anthonybrownrigg.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdfFmhL19IU

See you at the oscars Ben. 

Say it and mean it!

from Red Victoria https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT4CJzBbNPE

From Red Victoria https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT4CJzBbNPE

From Red Victoria https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT4CJzBbNPE

From Red Victoria  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT4CJzBbNPE

How to get a virtual oscar! by Anthony Brownrigg My movie is the best movie ever! It’s sure to win oscars, It’s sure to get a hundred million views, and in no time I’ll be rolling in dough! Sometime later, donkeys will come flying out of my behind. Yes, those words are so often chosen by individual filmmakers who have the tenacity and the insanity to speak the phrase that dooms them to a life of mayhem.  “Hey, let’s make a movie.” The question in todays world is whether or not making a movie is actually worth the risk involved. In my mind I say yes, a resounding yes. (Keep in mind, that I myself am quite insane.)  But why is it that making a movie is so hard? Is it the money? Sure, it costs to make a film. Canvas is expensive and the paints need to be fed. But once you’ve made it on your little laptop that aunt Sophie got you for christmas last year, what do you do with it?  This is where the truly hard part comes in. It’s a big world out there. And the internet once thought of as the great equalizer, has once again become dominated by the big boys that have the bucks to buy out all the advertisement on youtube for a year. Any movie requires an audience to become successful after all. And getting that audience is moving further and further towards the online universe.  Back in the day, the phrase four walling was quite common. Four walling means go pay for a theater to show your film, while trying to get people in the door. Go put posters up at your local video stores. Try and get some press on yourself by calling in a favor to that guy you know that’s related to that girl that works at that paper where that other guy works, you know the one that writes movie reviews? And make copies of your DVD and sell them at local venues yourself.  Those days are dying, quickly.  The theaters today, save for a few that will serve you sandwiches during the film, are more interested in 3d, and the big blockbuster experience. If your movie is just a great story, you’d better hope that a major distributor wants to pick you up and push the film. If not, online is quickly becoming your only venue.  Which leaves places like Hulu, Netflix, and others in that genre. But again, those are quickly being gobbled up by the majors and used as platforms for their own projects. The few that get brought in to those online streaming services are already backed by distributors that have deals in place. Even getting your show on iTunes can be a chore as you have to have someone else that’s iTunes approved and of sufficient quality to pass their rigorous standards.  This leaves places like youtube.  Youtube is starting to become the catch-all of independent film. Vimeo a close second, but not like youtube. You can set it up so you can run commercials ahead of time, and have the chance at making a few advertising dollars. But that only works if you can get people to watch it.  So, if youtube is the last great frontier of independent distribution then how do you get your film noticed on youtube? You can’t afford to buy those fancy banners that always display the latest hollywood blockbusters on the main page. Those have been gobbled up as well by an executive that has the money behind him or her to say “Oh just buy six months of prime coverage”. You can do a dance naked to the tune of a popular song, and hope it goes viral. Or you can hit all the social networking sites and blanket it with just how amazing your movie is. Either way, you’re shooting in the dark for the most part as most folks pay attention to what’s on the major medias, and the major medias tend to be owned, or overtaken by the major studios. THAT is capitalism at its best.  This is the time that is most important for smaller sites that have resisted the buy outs, and are truly intent on giving everyone a fair shake when it comes to building an audience. Sites like aintitcool.com, or various popular blogs on tumblr (there’s lots of them out there). You have to work hard on these places, as everyone is working hard to get their own projects up there. So finding out what makes your own film stand out amongst the competition is key. But keep this in mind.  NO movie can be in direct competition with another. Yes, I said it.  It sounds crazy right? Unless you’re shooting the same script (which is rare), even the same type of story has its own nuances, performances, and other elements of the tapestry that are vastly different. So when I say direct competition, I don’t mean general competition. There is a big difference in those two phrases.  General competition means you’re competing for an audiences time. No one can spend their time watching all movies at once. They need to take their couple hours on a friday night and attribute it to one film, or two if you’re lucky. In order to make that decision, they have to decide which movie is going to give them the biggest bang for their buck. Let’s face it. They’re tired, it’s been a long day, they have a few friends over and expect to smile. (Even a good drama can leave an audience smiling, make a note kids.) THAT is where you come in. It means stepping out of your own story, and looking at the audience as a big game hunt. What age is your market? What genre is your market? Are they going to be able to enjoy popcorn and conversation during the film? Or are they expected to all stay quiet while your magnificent story lays its details out like a finely tuned swiss watch.  You have film X, and you think its great. But figure out ‘why’ its great first. The most successful movies in the online world tend to take us out of ourselves. They’re often funny, they have quotable lines, and they’re easily shared. They bend to the new fast paced world of today. Can you take a clip of your film, and make an animated gif? If not, you should think on that one. It’s free advertising. Can you chop pieces of your film up for great quotable lines? People share that kind of thing on twitter all the time.  Ever heard of the best way to a mans heart is through his stomach? Well the best way to an audiences wallet, is through their boredom. Let's face it, we're monkeys at heart, and we get bored easily. Big long movies don’t go viral. Ten second clips of some movie could if it’s funny, or important in some way. If you think of your audience as bored monkeys looking for a fix to make them smile through their workaday lives you might stand a chance at getting your full movie brought up during movie night. If only out of morbid curiosity to see just what that clip came from. It's called entertainment. And to entertain, is one of the many facets of film. But keep in mind no one tends to favorite a clip of a poor soul crying over their loss. That's just depressing.  This leaves the question of Blu-Ray. Many are now saying that DVD’s are on their way out. I’m not so sure. DVD’s allow you to “own” the movie you’re watching, and you get all those neat little special features you wont get online. Being as most of the world now is HD, Blu-Ray is quickly becoming the standard for that ever so precious box that you hope folks will want to put on their shelves. But even then, Blu-Ray authoring can get pricey unless you do it yourself. Then the cost of printing, and burning can run you right up to the welfare office if you’re not careful. But all in all, it’s still a great thing to be able to hand out a copy of your work to someone special. And the new consoles are all Blu-Ray too, so you at least still have a place to play one.  And if your film IS well received, you can’t beat the ability to sign a copy for someone. It feels great for you, and feels great for them. Especially if the film gets big, and the copy they have will fetch a much higher price on E-Bay. Then it feels especially good.  Yes, make a movie. It’s fun to do. You can do it on the weekends with your friends. The technology is there so you can do it on a laptop nowadays. A great story is a great story whether it has exploding robots or not. But keep todays audience in mind instead of yesterdays, and think of where things are going in the future. And if you choose to dance naked on youtube, make sure you include a link of your film so we can all go see it.  And if all else fails to get your amazing masterpiece noticed, try writing an article or a blog on the struggle of independent film. People do love an underdog after all, and if it's good they might just check out your film out of appreciation. Boom.  Incidentally my film Red Victoria comes out on Blu-Ray mid 2014. Now please excuse me while I remove this donkey from my boxers. -AB

A. Brownrigg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT4CJzBbNPE

One answer. Money. Yup, those who have it can afford marketing, and unless you happen to have a film that goes viral, or some such significant luck related tweet. Getting a movie noticed is hard. It might be great, it might be insightful, or culturally significant.  But in todays world there is so much out there, that many fantastic things fall through the cracks. I am saddened by this as I see films no ones ever heard of all the time, and just amazed that no one flocked to the flick. While at the same time hollywood is putting out multi million dollar flops that should never have seen the light of day.  We need a new system, something to help good storytellers get their works seen, or at least have  half a chance to promote. 

We start shooting in January, I'm so excited to be directing the sequel to my fathers film. I hope it doesn't suck. 

A. Brownrigg