Going Bionic Column

GOING BIONIC: DISTRIBUTING INDEPENDENT FILMS INTERNATIONALLY – HOW WOMEN MOVIEGOERS HELPED ‘RIDE ALONG’ SET BOX OFFICE RECORDS! Hey Filmmakers! Welcome to Going Bionic, #195. I hope you had a relaxing Martin Luther King Day. Mine was filled with mourning my San Francisco …

GOING BIONIC: DISTRIBUTING INDEPENDENT FILMS INTERNATIONALLY – FOLLOWING TRENDS AT SUNDANCE 2014 Welcome to Going Bionic #194. With Sundance turning 30 this week, I thought today I would fill you in on some trends to follow through Sundance 2014, and how those trends will shape independent cinema …

GOING BIONIC: DISTRIBUTING INDEPENDENT FILMS INTERNATIONALLY – WHY JANUARY IS A GREAT MONTH FOR HORROR Welcome to the 193rd edition of Going Bionic, and more importantly, welcome to 2014! I hope you had a wonderful New Years. My wife and I rang …

GOING BIONIC: DISTRIBUTING INDEPENDENT FILMS INTERNATIONALLY – 2013 YEAR-IN-REVIEW Welcome to Going Bionic, #192, otherwise known as the 2013 Year-In-Review. Since today is the last day of the year, I thought it would be appropriate to go over some key …

GOING BIONIC: DISTRIBUTING INDEPENDENT FILMS INTERNATIONALLY – LOOKING BACK AT YOUR CAREER IN 2013, AND LOOKING AHEAD TO YOUR 2014! Welcome to Going Bionic, #191. For those of you who celebrate Christmas, I hope you’re having a wonderful Christmas Eve, and I …

GOING BIONIC: DISTRIBUTING INDEPENDENT FILMS INTERNATIONALLY – MORE QUESTIONS FROM OUR READERS! Hey, filmmakers. Welcome to Going Bionic #190. Today we’re reaching into the annals of my email account, and we’re pulling out a handful of recent questions I’ve received.  My intension …

GOING BIONIC: DISTRIBUTING INDEPENDENT FILMS INTERNATIONALLY – WINTER CLEANING! Welcome to Going Bionic #189. There’s exactly three weeks left in 2013, which means now is the time to get answers to the questions that will shape your career in 2014. Simply …

GOING BIONIC: DISTRIBUTING INDEPENDENT FILMS INTERNATIONALLY – FAST AND FURIOUS AROUND THE WORLD! Hey, Everybody! Welcome to Going Bionic #188. I hope you had a wonderfully happy, healthy and safe Thanksgiving weekend. Before we get started, I’d like to offer my …

GOING BIONIC: DISTRIBUTING INDEPENDENT FILMS INTERNATIONALLY – THREE WAYS TO BENEFIT FROM HOLLYWOOD’S RECENT COST-CUTTING MEASURES! Hey filmmakers. Welcome to Going Bionic #187.  Before we get started today, I wanted to wish everyone out there a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. Whether you’re …

GOING BIONIC: DISTRIBUTING INDEPENDENT FILMS INTERNATIONALLY – EXAMINING THE WORLDWIDE LAUNCH OF “GRAVITY” Welcome to Going Bionic, #186. Over the past few years, I’ve repeatedly stated how independent sci-fi films have replaced horror films as the hottest genre in the international film …

GOING BIONIC: DISTRIBUTING INDEPENDENT FILMS INTERNATIONALLY – 2013 END OF YEAR NAVIGATION STRATEGIES Hey Filmmakers! Welcome to the 185th edition of Going Bionic! Before we get started, I wanted to personally thank each and every one of you Veterans out there for your …

GOING BIONIC: DISTRIBUTING INDEPENDENT FILMS INTERNATIONALLY – AFM STRATEGIES Welcome to the 184th edition of Going Bionic. Today we’re discussing the AFM (The American Film Market), America’s largest film sales market that takes in Santa Monica, California. This year’s event starts this Wednesday, …

GOING BIONIC: DISTRIBUTING INDEPENDENT FILMS INTERNATIONALLY: “BAD GRANDPA” ADDS A NEW WRINKLE TO BOX OFFICE TRENDS Here’s a riddle for you. What do you call a $15 million dollar R rated comedy that makes over $32 million domestically in its …

GOING BIONIC: DISTRIBUTING INDEPENDENT FILMS INTERNATIONALLY – COPYRIGHT INSIGHTS! Hey Filmmakers! Welcome to Going Bionic #182. I hope you had a wonderful week. Mine was fantastically hectic, because I not only flew from Los Angeles to Philadelphia to see my cousin get …

GOING BIONIC: DISTRIBUTING INDEPENDENT FILMS INTERNATIONALLY – READING BETWEEN THE LINES Welcome to Going Bionic, #181. One of the most important abilities to learn and master in the motion picture and television industry is to know what someone is saying about your …

GOING BIONIC: DISTRIBUTING INDEPENDENT FILMS INTERNATIONALLY – THE FOLLOWING COMEDY IS RATED “R” Welcome to the 180th edition of Going Bionic. Today we’re examining the recent rise of “R” rated comedies at the box office. While PG, and PG-13 releases continue to eat …

GOING BIONIC: DISTRIBUTING INDEPENDENT FILMS INTERNATIONALLY – ANOTHER READER Q&A! Welcome to Going Bionic #179. Today we’re answering five questions that have found their way to my inbox lately. Motion picture financing, loan structures, film festival strategies, IMDB listings and deferred post-production …

GOING BIONIC: DISTRIBUTING INDEPENDENT FILMS INTERNATIONALLY – JUST SAY YES! Welcome to Going Bionic #178. Last week’s article, Just Say No, discussed five things to say “no” to, when it comes to advancing your career or increasing the salability of your film. Thus, today we’re …

GOING BIONIC: DISTRIBUTING INDEPENDENT FILMS INTERNATIONALLY – JUST SAY NO! Hey everybody! Welcome to Going Bionic #177! Today we’re going over four elements for you say “NO” to. As we all know, every single creative person in the entertainment industry hears the word “no” …

GOING BIONIC: DISTRIBUTING INDEPENDENT FILMS INTERNATIONALLY – THE (SURPRISINGLY UNEXPECTED) RECORD-BREAKING SUMMER OF 2013 The Summer of 2013 was memorable for me. My daughters Zoe and Lena turned two years old, the UCLA Bruins win their first NCAA baseball championship, …