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Compared to Peter Rice’s Fox Searchlight, Sony Pictures Classics has done its business in the dark. Meaning the place has been clueless about getting attention for itself and even its Oscar-nominated films for years. That’s about to change. Last week, ID PR signed to flack the faux indie. (I hear 42West was seething that they didn’t even get a meeting.) And I hear that SPC is about to make some major acquisition announcements at the Cannes Film Festival. And, oh yes, co-presidents Michael Barker and Tom Bernard were signed up for another 4 years.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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Seriously, there’s something really humorous about this……
I think we might be seeing a reworking of the faux-indie business model.
For years they’ve been run pretty much for the purpose of luring awards for the studio, and pats on the back for the folks who run it for being “artistic” and “courageous.”
Sadly, the general audience really didn’t fit in this equation for many of them, leaving lots of the indie films they bought languishing in half-hearted releases, and tepid marketing, if any marketing at all. (A milder version of what I call the Weinstein Plan, which pretty much doesn’t actually release or market indie films at all anymore)
The downturn in the economy may force these faux indies to actually pound the pavement to sell their products so they can make money and justify the existence of their company.
Why ‘faux indie’ Nikki? SPC has bought and promoted small and foreign films for years, in purest indie spirit, regardless where their backing comes from. I don’t understand your little jab there.
I’m with Curious, not Furious.
SPC should be lauded. They’re the only studio-backed specialized distributor that picks up foreign films, and limited-appeal-but-interesting indies like SYNECHDOCHE,NY, TYSON, etc.
Save the snark for those who deserve it.
What are you talking about? You must really not care about movies at all. Sony Classics is a real indie, picking up small movies and distributing them appropriately. They didn’t try to get into the shit genre business or spiral out of control with over-bids on Sundance audience buzz pictures that were never really any good. If they are changing their PR strategy a bit, great… but I hope they stay who they are. And, as for you, Nikki, get some rest. Watch some good movies. Or did you just get into this to be at the best table at the snark-fest?
SPC is a great little movie company… quietly making money on small pictures while the other “specialty” companies that are part of majors all lost their way. We would be far better off if each of the studios had a company like that. Searchlight has released some great movies, but, in many ways, it is a mirage for most filmmakers and many films that could have benefited from a small release. The non-creatives are paying too much attention to themselves. That is why the movies stink most of the time.
While they deserve credit for many things, its inarguable that without Tom and Michael — there simply wouldn’t be a viable audience for foreign language titles in this country. They provide the consistent supply of films and the marketing backing that allows theatres to support those pictures. And they then get them out there on dvd — including at Walmart, etc. Not so easy. And they make money at it. If that market collapsed, it would really have a catastrophic effect on great independent filmmaking around the world….Louis Malle to Zhang Yimou to Pedro Almodovar (not to mention, Jonathan Demme, Woody Allen…) and on and on and on….kudos to Sony for keeping these guys at the Studio.
Listen up, punks: You made me come all the way down here to set you straight? Jesus. Jesus Christ. Jesus H. Christ. If you think that Sony Classics qualifies as a genuine “indie” – being a subdivision of Sony, and all that – than I guess Universal is the ‘independent’ film arm of GE? Get with it boys: When the Nikkster says Sony is a “faux indie” we all know what the hell she’s talking about: It’s about as ‘independent’ as the Sony commissary, but we all play along and pretend it’s the real thing, because it rolls off the tongue faster than calling it the “Subsidized by a Giant Consumer Electronics Manufacturer Almost Sure To Lose Money Art House Division that We Sure Hope Will Win Some Awards Because Our Big Studio Is Run By Idiots Who Are Almost Solely Devoted To Making Crap.”
Got it? Good. Now don’t make me come down here again.
For more years than I can count, Sony Pictures Classics has been the model of how to run an indie film division, whether studio backed or not. Low overhead, reasonable marketing budgets, and great taste in material. They rarely seem to overspend on acquisitions and aren’t blinded by stars or hype. As mentioned earlier, they are also the premiere distributor of foreign films here in the U.S.
Hey, Cassavetes’ Ghost… your movies were financed by Universal for a while, as I recall. It doesn’t matter who owns the store in this csae. It’s about what they sell and how they sell it. The studios all used to make quality films once in a while along with the audience pictures. Sony has left these guys alone because they get it done in their niche. Of course, why aren’t there indies that are owned by the Ben and Jerry’s of the world, but those kind of people never seem to make it big time in the entertainment business. I wonder why:) What is the sense of scorning what these people are doing. Not enough cash there for the wannnabee billionaires who dither in the corporate realms of show business? Nikke spoke harshly of something delicate and decent in the business. further, people following their business model will probably do quite well outside Hollywood proper, using the internet to market films to interested audiences very soon.
the problem with the faux-indie business model is that it is built on acquisitions not film making.
Film makers win Oscars etc.
Faux indies are “distributors” not “real studios”
Here we go again- IDPR stealing another firm’s clients.
Melody Korenbrot and her Los Angeles based indie film publicity company have done a fantastic job representing SONY PICTURES CLASSICS for a few years now. And out of leftfield here comes IDPR to mess things up. IDPR has so many clients that they can’t properly service who they already have. This is a sad day that Sony Pictures Classics is not able to recognize the fantastic job that Melody, Ziggy, Lisa, Judy, Rebecca, and everyone at Block-Korenbrot has done.
Please, the lionizing of the SPC gang over the last year in the press, and on some of the above comments is ridiculous. Tom and Michael are opportunistic thugs just like everyone else in the distribution biz. They buy up a lot of films and fling them at the wall, without any support, to see what sticks. They chase with their spend and don’t believe in the films until they perform for them; it’s very cynical. And if Sony has something they want them to take out properly, like Kung Fu Hustle, then they get Columbia marketers to cut their spots and trailers for them and SPC is just the label they slap on.
Luckily for them, Howard Stringer likes to pretend he’s high-minded and therefore protects them.
Furious D – Melody and her team aren’t going anywhere. She still reps SPC films. ID PR is handling SPC Corporate. They are working TOGETHER, get it?
All SPC has to do is keep doing what they do. Lesher fell for “the trap” of PR, glitz, huge overhead and unprofitable with Vantage and ran it into the ground. Barker and Bernard are the guardians of specialty film now and should be commended – if only for taking the risk of acquiring Synechdoche
Mr. Barker, congrats on your four-year renewal of the Sony Pictures Classics (SPC) employment contract… here’s to many more!