LinkedIn Answers: Can indie films compete?
Our featured question this week is from Seth Caplan, a young Hollywood producer, who asks his network, "Do you want to see more independent films in theaters?"
It's a timely question to ask, as Seth has a film opening at limited theaters this weekend. "How do we now cut through the clutter of Hollywood blockbusters," Seth asks, "to reach a bigger share of the American audience?" While major motion pictures might open at 4,000 screens nationwide, this indie film has only 25 screens to make a good impression. That's a tiny opportunity to generate a bonafide buzz. But Seth's feature has already garnered thoughtful reviews in the New Yorker and the New York Times, a good signal that this indie flick is being taken seriously.
"In Search of a Midnight Kiss", written and directed by Alex Holdridge, is a story about finding some kind of meaningful companionship, if even just for New Year's Eve. If the crowd at LA's Downtown Film Festival is any judge, the film has found something meaningful. Attendees reveled in an obvious rapport with Craigslist and MySpace romance when the film had its hometown premiere last week at the Orpheum Theatre. Clearly they knew a thing or two about where love meets Web 2.0.
But where Holdridge's film brings the mores of social networking to the big screen, Seth is using LinkedIn as a tool to build his film business behind the scenes.
"It's a way I can manage my contacts from all the positions I've had," Seth told us. "I feel like I have access to my business contacts—and their contacts—at my fingertips to pull in resources when I need them."
Which aptly describes the needs of producer. Perhaps a telling sign of business acumen, one of Seth's first ventures was adapting the mathematical novella "Flatland" for the small screen. This film has done well selling to an educational audience, offering a unique diversity to his young portfolio of indie film. "In Search of a Midnight Kiss," meanwhile, has a very different business plan.
"US box office is a tiny piece of the pie compared to international rights and home video," said Seth, who has an MFA from the American Film Institute. "The way that we're going to turn a profit is through international showings. We've already grossed half a million [dollars] in the UK box office. Our opening week in Greece we were the number 7 film in the nation. We sold every ticket for every screening for a week. We sold the theatrical rights in Spain, Scandinavia, Poland, Turkey, Israel." Not bad for a $25,000 film.
Still, Seth and the small cast and crew of "Midnight Kiss" are hoping for good traction in US theaters. They'll have at least until November to catch the hearts of American movie watchers. Until then, Seth is seeking qualified answers about finding a sporting chance against the studios.
And perhaps he's taking solace in that $500,000 UK gross.
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