Lights Film School Blog

Film Distribution: Hope in Emerging Markets

In the following Video a seasoned film distributor discusses buying trends in the emerging markets that filmmakers should be aware of. The main idea behind the video is that population expansion and access to technology have expanded the markets in India, China, Eastern Europe and Latin America. This had led to an increase in the demand of Cable shows, DVD's and V.O.D. Foreign sales prospects are looking more hopeful than ever. Countries in these emerging markets are now seeking all rights d...

Independent Film Theatrical Release

We've been spending a lot of time fielding student questions about independent film distribution lately. It's probably not a surprise to find out that a lot of independent filmmakers want to see their films on the big screen. Theatrical release is seen as a sign of "making it". Further, it is mistakenly interpreted as meaning that the film is "a real film" or a "good film". Many independent films don't see the light (actually the darkness) of a theater. What's interesting is that in many cas...

Music Video Deconstruction

Every now and again we deconstruct films, short and documentaries with our students. Today we’re going to deconstruct a widely popular Bjork YouTube video. The purpose of deconstructing films and music videos helps you identify three incredibly important things. 1. It exposes story structure 2. It exposes the technical attributes to the film / video 3. It exposes compositional elements to the film / video Today we have deconstructed the Bjork music video entitled “All is Full of Love”. I...

Independent Film Production & Distrubution Interview

Lights Film School recently had the privilege of sitting down with David Prior who has written, directed and produced many feature films made with a budget range of $50K to 1 Million. David's extensive experience and independent mind have allowed him to carve out a busy and successful career as a filmmaker. We interviewed David on both the development and distribution process as it relates to independent films. Our conversation is below: 1. In the past you and your team have developed, wri...