With Some Velvet Morning' now on VOD and digital platforms, we spoke briefly with playwright/filmmaker Neil LaBute about distribution strategies and the importance of that collective audience experience.
Neil LaBute is no stranger to the independent film world. With his latest film, Some Velvet Morning, being heralded as a return to form for the auteur, we took the opportunity to speak with LaBute about the downside of unlimited access to media, his love of short filmmaking, and how shooting on digital has changed the world of acting forever.
Tribeca: Some Girl(s) was the first film to be released on Vimeo's new distribution platform. As the writer, were you involved in discussions about the release strategy?
Neil LaBute: Somewhat, but fairly peripherally because I wasn't the director. I had no real part in that film besides my connection as the writer. However, when I heard that they were releasing Some Girl(s) on Vimeo platform, it really made a lot of sense to me. I've always been an advocate of films of this size and independent projects in general. I think there is a market out there for people who don't live in the big cities where films like Some Girl(s) get their distribution. Platforms like Vimeo allow many more viewers to be part of the discussion in that immediate moment when the film is just out. I thought it was a good idea.
Life has just gotten quicker and busier. People get to determine when and how they want to watch their entertainment now.
Tribeca: Do you think the era of the big theatrical releases is coming to an end?
NL: I think there are always going to be those big wide theatrical releases. It's difficult for blockbusters to open on 3000 screens and sustain profits, but the studios love to have that big opening weekend when people go out of their homes to see them.
I love to go to the movies. I think that's still an experience that people love to have. I love to go see both blockbusters and independent movies in the theaters. What's out now Blue is the Warmest Color? I'd go and see that in the movie theater, but not everybody does.
Life has just gotten quicker and busier. People get to determine when and how they want to watch their entertainment now. They have limitless options for consuming media. They can devote exactly the time and dollars they want to spend in theaters, and for the rest they are content to watch on their laptop or on-demand at their leisure. Sometimes, you'd rather watch something at 11PM on a Tuesday as opposed to 7PM on a Friday night.
The upside is that films that might be released on only a handful of screens anyway now have the chance to have a collective audience experience across the country. Your audience is no longer a group of people of the same demographic watching in one theater, but people who group together by being able to download that movie at the same time during a given weekend that's how that audience has been spread out. I think it's actually a great thing.
Being able to shoot longer allows people to stay in that kind of cocoon of creativity. I think I appreciate that freedom most from the time I've spent shooting on digital.
The movies that are still studio, bigger, tent pole kind of things will continue to be around. Those films sort of break through every so often, grow and keep being heard of by an audiences and people going week after week., but they are the rarer cases. I think most films should be prepared and happy to be able to go out in front of a few theaters and then be glad that they have a chance to come directly into people's homes.
Tribeca: The stigma against VOD and digital distribution seems to be slowly going away. I think the larger question is: does it matter how people see your work as long as they see your work?
NL: For me, it's probably size. I guess I worry more about somebody seeing it on their phone than I do about somebody seeing it at all. I hope that when they see my film they're still seeing it on their television or on their laptop, a size that kind of accommodates the way you made the thing instead of watching it on their iPhone. More and more, I fear that's unstoppable. There are certainly movies I'd rather see in iPhone size than not at all.
Tribeca: In addition the series you wrote, Full Circle, you recently entered into a deal with Direct TV to create a series of 10 short films. As an established feature film writer/director, what keeps you coming back to short films?
NL: The freedom to do what you want. With short films, you get to focus on making yourself happy first. You're kind of given the ability to do what you want. For a small amount of money, you can go out and write about what you want to write about, hire who you want to hire, and work in black and white if you want to. All those things that make a distributor go Oh god, no this is so hard to deal with in terms of mass-marketing a film. They don't seem to worry as much about the marketing when things are on a smaller scale.
I enjoy writing about what interests me, and several of the shorts that I've done have been in black and white. I think most, if not all, of the shorts for DirecTV will be in black and white. I think that medium just allows me to have a freedom that I might not otherwise have.
There are certainly movies I'd rather see in iPhone size than not at all.
Tribeca: What's the biggest change in film you've seen in 2013?
NL: Speaking for myself, I have worked much more on digital and it's been really interesting to see how adaptable that medium is to the acting process. It's nice not to have to call cut constantly because you've run out of film in the camera.
With digital, you're able to shoot for longer periods of time and allow people to create without these false breaks tha
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
With Some Velvet Morning' now on VOD and digital platforms, we spoke briefly with playwright/filmmaker Neil LaBute about distribution strategies and the importance of that collective audience experience. 
