A while ago I had proposed the idea of joining with others to start a grassroots indie film blog. Nothing was cemented at the time, just wanted to see what interest was there. Now right up front I am probably going to piss off a few people here, but I have had only a taste of what indie filmmakers already know: that trying to get the attention of movie reviewers apparently requires dynamite.
Focus has shifted on the idea of a grassroots indie film blog from trying to be a collective for reviewers to being a resource site for filmmakers. Being that movie reviewers vary widely from very responsive to review requests to complete film snobs who won't even respond to someone if it has nothing to do with a major Hollywood movie, my focus is with the former group of reviewers.
The main feature of the blog is going to be a list, directory if you will, of reviewers who are responsive and review independent films regardless who makes them or how low budget they are. Having seen some filmmakers, on social media, trying to get their films reviewed and helping out myself, it's frustrating trying to get someone's attention only to be ignored; a hundred times over.
A springboard for the list I am putting together has been actor Timothy J. Cox. He has been in a lot of indie films and knows how to promote the movies he's in. You can check out one of his films on IMDb and see anywhere from a dozen to over 50 external reviews listed for short films made on a budget of less than $5000 with actors and directors many of you have never heard of, and I'm including many movie reviewers in that 'you', as compared to some recognizable names making films on their own outside of Hollywood for a $100,000+ and having no more than a handful of external reviews.
Piggybacking on the work of Cox and some others I am putting together a list of reviewers. I am not going to publish the list until I have over a hundred reviewers on it, for the simple fact that having more reviewers available keeps them from being overloaded with review requests.
The main focus of the new blog is the reviewers list and also to eventually include other resources for grassroots indie filmmakers; those working with little or no budget and no resources for promoting their own work much outside of the internet and social media. I hope to eventually add reviews to the new blog, splitting those off from this blog as I'll use the new one for strictly grassroots indie films and this one for those that don't qualify as grassroots indie.
No, the definition, or boundaries, by what is and is not a grassroots indie film is still in the works. Comparing the film made by a recognizable actor or director for a few hundred thousand to the one made by a local filmmaker for $15,000 or less, mostly put on a credit card or borrowed, is an easy distinction. It's the dividing line of at what point one becomes the other that requires some delineation, and even that won't be written in stone so to speak.
Additionally I will be adding a new Twitter account to go with the new blog. One obvious purpose of the new Twitter account will be to have an account that focuses strictly on indie film. An additional purpose of the new account will be to have an account name that feels more comfortable to share a Tweet from than one called Sex and Blood Show. Yes, my original choice of a Twitter url for my profile page does not rank among my brightest ideas.
Toxic Fletch