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Link: http://www.billboardmama.com/how-movie-reviews-influence-independent-film-financing-p-382.html

Because of numerous new technologies altering the way movie reviews and filmmaking are created, the fiscal environment of independent theatre in Hollywood is changing. It used to be that only slightly over 900 production and film financing distribution partners invested in Indie Films thru personal placement memorandums. Any willing financier could do it today.

Many areas have been influenced: 1) There are now online colleges where expectant filmmakers can train and work with a mentor. two) Traditional fund-raising techniques to secure film distribution are becoming outmoded, while new funding opportunities for independent filmmakers are rising.

Internationally, bankers favor big productions. During the past, many of the large flats have utilized German tax shelters, New Zealand aid, and pre-sales to fund giant blockbuster film projects. But what about the tiny independent filmmaker? Where is he able to get funding for his projects?

Right now, the digital revolution is not just changing the way films are made, but how films are distributed. Fastre broadband enables people to observe movies from their PC screens, so independent filmmakers don't need a big distributor. Some films are easily available for anyone to buy from the film's web site online. "The Fall of America and the Western World" is one of these films.

Independent filmmakers who are expecting to get their film projects financed can look forward to the future when these changes expand their opportunities.

There are also online corporations that match filmmakers with distributors and/or financier nowadays. Filmmakers from small towns can employ these sorts of services.

It also helps when an independent filmmaker has favorable movie reviews from film critics for past film projects. When these filmmakers seek investors, their credibility is boosted, due to these movie reviews.

When it comes to online websites for filmmakers and investors, the way it generally works is that the filmmaker submits an outline of their project or film for consideration. Investors can then review those projects short of financing at their own pace. Because they can contact the filmmaker immediately, the middlemen of old are no more.

Independent filmmakers are also aided by some non-profit setups to locate financing and distribution for their projects. They offer financial sponsorship to filmmakers, but do not fund them. Sponsorship permits filmmakers to receive funding from sources that limit their funding to nonprofits.

There are numerous other websites that link independent producers with financiers, which inspires fund-raising by allowing producers to post web site advertisements and information about projects for investors.

Link: http://www.billboardmama.com/brilliant-movie-reviews-p-332.html

MovieReviewIntelligence.com, the new industry leader for measuring and understanding movie reviews, offers moviegoers and industry professionals - critics, filmmakers, marketers, distributors, exhibitors, and publishing editors - the most precise and complete picture of reviews possible. Round-the-clock, the website gathers reviews from the best film critics and converts these into summaries, charts and comparisons.

Oftentimes, movie reviews are the basis for moviegoers on whether they will watch that certain movie or not. Proprietary research conducted for MovieReviewIntelligence.com reports that 81% of moviegoers follow reviews, or approximately 71,485,980 moviegoers.

MovieReviewIntelligence.com examines reviews from more than 65 U.S. and Toronto newspapers, magazines, alternative weeklies, NPR and 'At the Movies.' These media and critics have been selected because they are the most important and representative of their kind, as measured by the size of their readership and audience, comprising the body of reviews moviegoers are seeing, reading and hearing.

MovieReviewIntelligence.com differs from other review websites in the kind of approach - it focuses on what is going on in the real world of movies and movie-going. What counts is what moviegoers are reading and seeing, and that's what MovieReviewIntelligence.com is all about.

MoviewReviewIntelligence.com covers key national media including the top 25 local markets both in the United States and in Toronto. Fascinatingly, these 25 markets are representative of 50% of the whole US population as well as 60% of the movie-going public. Reviews from the leading alternative weekly papers, NPR as well as "At the Movies" are collected by this website. The audience catered to by these publications and programs reach to more than 150 million. Of course, only online leaders including those in print and on the airwaves are being covered by MovieReviewIntelligence.com. The newspapers alone draw more than 165 million unique visitors monthly, and the online traffic of each website is taken into consideration.

Reviews collated by MovieReviewIntelligence.com are classified into eight. The 8 categories are: 1) Broad National Press; 2) Local Newspapers; 3) Alternative/Indie; 4) Highbrow Press; 5) The Movie Industry; 6) New York/Los Angeles/Chicago/Toronto; 7) Cities 4 to 11; and 8) Cities 12 to 25.

The product of 10 years of research and development, here's what MovieReviewIntelligence.com does to ensure that the full range of reviews is taken into account. MovieReviewIntelligence.com:

1) Covers over 65 of the biggest periodicals and programs;
2) Considers the publication's or program's readership or audience before weighing reviews;
3) Covers the top twenty-five local markets;
4) Penetrates the alternative/indie weeklies in the top markets;
5) Makes an analysis of the primary subgroups (e.g. according to taste, geography) of the publications.

In the United States, the following factors are examined by MoviewReviewIntelligence.com: Positive Reviews Ratings; Review Mixture; Coverage, Volume, and Length; Review Timing; as well as Review Media Value.

MovieReviewIntelligence.com is a practical tool that moviegoers and film industry professionals can utilize in their decisions; movie reviews and summaries are presented in a friendly manner. Indeed, MovieReviewIntelligence.com is clearly the leader in reviews.

Link: http://www.billboardmama.com/movie-reviews-and-entertainment-the-definition-of-documentary-p-331.html

The definition of a documentary film includes the fact that it is one of many creative modes. There is 1) narrative fiction and 2) experimental avant-garde. A documentary should have a purpose, and also a special point-of-view, and they can be either scripted or spontaneous, being limited to reality or actuality.

In terms of production and movie reviews requirements, no actual sets and no actors are needed - real people play their real roles in documentary films.

Throughout history, documentaries have been thought of as having a large impact on cultural meanings. There are several film schools worldwide that teach the art of documentary filmmaking. The schools and classes teach understanding the primary aesthetic tools of documentary filmmaking like camera operation, sound, structure, and also the interview.

Moreover, classes teach aspiring filmmakers about directing and producing their own documentary films.

There are issues that the teacher and students deal with in the area of documentary filmmaking that have to do with the development of ideas, preproduction and the actual production.

As practice, the students in documentary film courses watch parts of films and videos that represent chief trends in the history of documentary film making. Usually, there are guest film makers who lecture in the courses to mentor and provide supplementary education.

Indeed, it is documentaries that cause a lot of controversies - the reason why this type is considered very demanding. Historically, the genre begins with the earliest films of the Lumiäre brothers referred to as "actuality films" and concludes with the latest postmodern explorations of film truth. Classics include Flaherty, Grierson, Riefenstahl, Rouch, Vertov, and Wiseman, together with other contemporary works. Also discussed in the courses is the fact that shift in political and social realities as well as changes in technology, personalities of the most influential individuals are incessantly redefining the term "documentary." Ethical and aesthetic issues are also of consideration.

Documentaries often present challenges for cinematographers who usually must work alone or in small crews. For the most part, they must be able to capture beautiful and meaningful frames - given financial, labor and time constraints. With a very small crew, one must then use the technique of cinema veritÇ. Also, students are informed about the technical features of digital cameras - of course, they are made to work with cameras and a crew.

Documentaries are also a very prevalent form of art. Awards shows have a place for this genre and many are covered often by movie critics, as seen in as early as 1942, when there were 4 winners namely: The Battle of Midway; Kokoda Front Line; Moscow Strikes Back; and Prelude to War. Fighting for Life is yet another documentary about military medicine and it's expected to reap awards in 2009 based on the movie reviews it's getting.