For Smodcast Pictures.
It was one year ago this day when Kevin Smith told the film industry to go fuck it’s self. After he debuted Red State at Sundance, he held a fake auction, then sold the film to himself for a whopping $20 bucks. It was after this that Smith went on a 30 mintue filibuster about how the current studio system is busted and that he’s aiming to change things a bit. And to an extent, he did.
Smith took Red State out on tour for the duration of 2011. The first three months, Smith and the cast and crew went out on the road with the film. Personally renting the theaters, Smith cut out the middle man process and it was he and the theater that took the profit for the showings that ran about a good $60 per ticket. But that was with a post screening Q&A as well. The film finally hit mass market with Lionsgate releasing the film on VOD and DVD last fall. So to an extent, Smith did show that there’s an option for indy film to be distritbted without throwing money away.
But when it came to internatinoal, everything outside the US, Smith had to go the old fashion rout and sell the film to distribution companies. One such company, PHASE 4 in Canada, seemed to like what Smith was doing, and decieded that they want to be in the Kevin Smith bussiness. The company annouced today that they have made an exlucsive distrtbution deal with Smith and his Smodcast Pictures to release anything that Smodcast Pictures makes. That will probably include Smith’s last forray into filmmaking, Hit Somebody. Peep the press release below for more.
Park City, UT (January 23, 2012) – Berry Meyerowitz, President & CEO of Phase 4 Films, announced today that the company has entered into an exclusive distribution deal with SModcast Pictures, the production company founded and run by filmmaker Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amy, Red State). Through the deal, Phase 4 obtains exclusive rights in the U.S. and Canada to exhibit and distribute up to twelve films per year under the newly created “Kevin Smith and SModcast Pictures Presents” label. Phase 4 will release four of these films theatrically each year, which will include a live tour with Kevin Smith, similar to that of Red State, with the remainder of films being released via all other traditional and digital platforms.
“We had a terrific experience working with Kevin and his team on Red State in Canada, and are thrilled to be embarking on this new venture with him. This label will connect filmmakers and producers with a rabid audience of movie fans that only Kevin Smith can deliver,” said Meyerowitz.
Phase 4 and Kevin Smith will consider movies from all budget levels to release under the label, to form a handpicked collection of unique independent films that resonate with Smith’s and SModcast’s audience. The selected films and filmmakers will also be promoted via Kevin’s vast social and traditional media reach, which includes almost 2,000,000 Twitter followers and nearly 700,000 Facebook friends. Phase 4 and SModCo plan to include an interactive component as well, allowing fans the opportunity to vote for the movie tour to come to their city.
“I had the most fun I’ve ever had in my entire career touring Red State last year,” said Smith. “Watching the movie with an enthusiastic audience and then doing a longer Q&A than the flick itself, jumping on the tour bus and waking up in another city where we’d do it all over again – it felt less like boring ol’ film exhibition and more like punk rock. We learned (and made) lots touring Red State, so now, SModcast Pictures wants to put that experience to good use for other films and filmmakers on smaller road shows for their flicks. We’ll do four or five cities per film, where I’ll intro the movie and do a Q&A with the filmmakers after the screening. At SModcast Pictures, we aim to be the Island of Misfit Toys for flicks!”
