Onboard Diary

Screenplay

Work in progress.

The next ten years of Cinema (In We ♥ Cinema)

Here are our predictions for the next ten years of Cinema. You can read the rest of the article on We Love Cinema.

Picture by Aída Páez

Dear Three Wise Men, here's our wish list:

-Transmedia will be a frequently used word

-The 90 minute format will have to be replaced by shorter pieces of work.

-There will be two types of cinemas: those which will continue being theatres for big-budget films. And football matches, concerts and videogames will be supplied to these places. Other cinemas will restructure their facilities into multiple small theatres with room for ten or twelve people, which will be available for booking with your friends and where you'll be able to choose any film in History from a catalogue. The films on offer, the intimacy and the possibility of eating and drinking in these places will make them successful among young people as a meeting point at weekends. 

-After the initial buzz, 3D will be only used for those film worth using it and as a storytelling device, not as a plus to make people go to the cinema.

-Many intermediaries will be removed from the production line. Film makers will have online sites where they'll be able to exhibit their works and their use will be directed towards these places, based on the opinions of users and important figures.

-New models of contents monetization will arise by means of flat rates and added value. 

-Brands will start to get more involved in the contents, but without being invasive or annoying. This contents will be offered 'by courtesy of...'

-Preroll advertising and banners will disappear.

-Film makers will start to understand that the making process of their film begins way before the shooting. They will contact their future audience and be sensitive to their opinions and reactions.

-Social networks will play a main role in the success or failure of a film and the the critic's role will be relegated to specialised audiences. Aston Kutcher's say will matter more than Carlos Boyero's.

-Mobile phones will begin to be an essential tool for new means of distribution.

-Films will move from the street (cinemas) to the Internet, but events will be created (ARGs, premieres, parties, games) to take the audience back to the street. 

-The use of large screens or projectors and powerful sound systems will increase and its price will be reduced. This will make the experience of watching films at home similar to the viewing experience in a cinema.

The Cosmonaut is looking for an RoR

 

Are you into computing engineering or similar areas?

Vostok and Riot Cinema -the guys from 'The Cosmonaut'-. We're looking for someone interested in doing a web development training with us for the project:

If you:

- Live in Madrid
- Are passionate about  web development.
- Have knowledge of Ruby on Rails
- Manage with regular development environment (Apache, SQL, Git, Bash, etc.)
- Like free software ;)

You'll have the opportunity to work on sound basics made by RoR veterans and to learn a lot about e-commerce and content management. The position is not a paid one but, as the rest of the work team who are part of this film, you'll have other cool stuff:

• You'll collaborate with an innovative project, a referential one in Spain, which will soon be launched internationally. El País wrote about us: 'they're the most stimulating cinematographic project of the moment'.
 
• A contract for provision of services (in the same way as all the team in The Cosmonaut) by means of which you'll get a deferred payment for your work. Payment will come at the time the project starts to obtain benefits.

 

• Absolute working schedule flexibility, with a young and dynamic team. We've even been told that we 'throw too many parties' (!)

 

Vostok is a prestigious interaction design studio based in Madrid and with an international outreach. They're well-known for their obsession with order, simplicity and elegance. An obsession which has led them to work with companies like Google.

Do you think you may fit in?

Write to hello@vostok.es with your CV and some samples of your biggest projects.

'1 person on the street is better than 1,000 digital signatures. If possible, come'

 
This is the last post we'll be posting to talk about what's been going on for the past 48 hours. We know all this stuff isn't related to the film, that's why we say sorry to you. But if laws like this one succeed, our film wouldn't make sense.
We have to use all the means within our reach to express ourselves:

Even though Zapatero has assured that no blog or website will be closed down without legal authorization, the call for demonstration all over Spain is still current. 

We'll be there and we've made a banner for the occasion. This banner is licensed under public domain, so you can use it wherever you want and in any way you want (click on it for better image quality)

Madrid:


Barcelona:

 

LESS THAN ONE WEEK LEFT

 

Probably more than one or two of your have deduced -after the previous post- that another big event is coming... And, as it is the tradition in this house, we'll put ourselves in an appearance. Of course we will :P


The thing is we've just received the invitations to the 3rd edition of FICOD, the International Forum of Digital Contents. And not only as attendants: we're going to take part in two round tables dealing with the worldwide launching of Iberminuto Mobile Content and the Green Mobile Film Festival. We'll have to mingle, among others, with figures of such importance as Arin Crumley (co-director of Four Eyed Monsters), Rusti Baker (Motorola Partnership Program) and Sixto Arias. In these tables, we're going to discuss new business models based on crossed strategies and their implementation through the cinema, education, leisure and social action sectors. Nothing important, really.

And here comes the best part... During this meeting, we'll be revealing two issues of  which we have decided to give you a scoop (you deserve this and much more):

 

1. It's a fact: The Cosmonaut has accepted to collaborate with the Green Mobile Film Festival in a contest to promote audivisual creativity in schools. Thanks to this initiative, the students will have to create their own derived contents under a Creative Commons license. A panel of judges will be in charge of awarding the school with the best project.

2.Also, as we told you about here: Riot Cinema Collective will take part in the Entrepreneurs Contest organized by FICOD. The winners will be announced on Thursday the 19th ... On the same day that the INVI awards panel's decision will be revealed!

Intense emotions ahead. What do you mean 'where'? From the 17th to the 19th of November, in the Palacio Municipal de Congresos de Madrid. Make your bets...

 

THE WILD BUNCH

Timelapse of portraits. All the faces of The Cosmonaut's team.

Made by Daniel Torrelló (www.fotofija.es), at the Rior Cinema Collective workshop (www.riotcinema.com), to mark the occasion of the film The Cosmonaut (www.elcosmonauta.es)

Love (trailer)

Wanted: Amparo González Cal and Antón Ríos Martínez

Cosmonaut is looking for one of its producers.

On September the 11^th, a purchase was made by the name of Amparo González Cal, from La Coruña, although the name she gave us to put on the website is Antón Ríos Martínez.

We couldn't get in touch with her to give her the parcel. The delivery company says she's never been home and we always get a delivery failure message from her e-mail adress.

We want you to have your purchase! If you read this, or if anyone knows her, please write to tienda@elcosmonauta.es

 

 

 

The day cinema changed

Precisely these days I've been reading Peter Biskind's wonderful book about the boom of independent cinema in the nineties: Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film.

It's like the second part of another essential: Easy Riders, Raging Bulls.

Two books which tell, in a fascinating way, two convulsed decades in the history of cinema.

Today, 20 years after the beginning of the second decade and 40 after the first one, something has taken place which I'm sure would be the first chapter of a third book: the book which will tell how the Internet changed everything.

Today is the first day of the rest of the decade and we are here, not only as spectators but also as active participants. Risking our necks.

Las horas perdidas does an exceptional chronicle of what has happened. Don't miss it ;)

Storytelling

At one point I considered myself a film-maker but those days are long gone. I now consider myself something akin to a story architect, in the sense that the stories I tell encompass design, delivery and technology.

"The confines of a single format are replaced with the ability to move audiences from one experience to another ― from one screen or device to another"

The tools I use are no longer simply cameras ― they are mobile and feature real-time web apps. Storylines, characters or scenes now exist beyond one screen or format. My stories spill out into the real world and guide audiences from one experience to another.

I leave room for the audience to build certain aspects of the storyworld that I'm creating. In a sense, it is about fostering connections between audience members. I strive to build social entertainment that enables the audience to remix, extend, discuss and share. By letting go of some of the control, I'm embracing the fact that I can foster a rich collaboration with the audience.

Excerpt from this motivating article by Lance Weiler.

The team recruiting announcement is closed

That's it. We may need more people in the future. Right now, to all of you who have written to us: a thooooousand thanks. We'll tell you about it in a few days.

We want someone like you

That's it. We're going to increase our numbers and we can't thing of anyone better to ask for help than someone who's been part of the project, someone who has decided to feel it as his/her own and has supported it. This person is you.

Yes, we know what you are thinking: noodles... staying up late working... deadlines...
noodles... coffee... pressure... noodles...

But no. This is independent cinema. In indie cinema there's nothing of what's convencional in convencional cinema. We are offering you:

- Parties (with or without the glamour)

 - 24/7 Music (even the Backstreet Boys, of whom Carola usually sings all their discography parrot-fashion)

 -Coke and coffee (we've got tap machines)

-TV fiction show sessions at lunch time (now we're watching Freaks & Geeks).

- One-glass sunglasses (for further references, take a look  on Facebook)

- Astronaut food.

- The possibility of putting on our cosmonaut costumes whenever you want, even for having a nap.

-Women (and men). For free.

However, we need qualified people. Indie cinema and Internet fanatics like us, eager to work and supportive of the future of this Media through our film.

We're looking for the following profiles:

# Team 1

People with a high or very high level as Internet users.

Which means:

- People who have had or have a blog.

- People with a profile in social networks (Facebook and twitter)

- People with good knowledge in use and channels on Youtube and Vimeo.

- People with experience in communities, forums, IRC and others.

- We will positively value those of you using Gmail and Spotify. ;)

Finally, these people should have a high level of writing and reading comprehension in English.

Send us a few lines telling us why you think you'd fit into this profile and link to your "presence" on the Internet (blog, podcast, web, twitter, and so on). Also, you may attach your CV if you want to :)

You can write to work@riotcinema.com and if you know someone who may fit into our project and who doesn't know it yet... Tell this person about it and pass on the info! :)

Thanks!

PS: Don't get impatient, it will take us a few days to answer  back.

 

 

 

 

Cosmonaut on Fotogramas

"After changing distribution systems forever, the Internet puts the classic production system upside down with Crowdfunding". The article by John Tones (Mondo Pixel) for this month's Fotogramas rewievs the troops of four Crowdfunding props: the inspirational platform IndieGoGo, the documentary Age of Stupidity , the Swarm of Angels phenomenon and... us :)

And old dream is made true: we are on the pages of our beloved Fotogramas. This month's guest "signature" dedicates one of those three well-sorted paragraphs (to which only one "but" could be said: that even though Age of Stupidity was financed through Crowdfunding, the fundraising wasn't done online) to us, and the  title is 'Benefiting from the Net' :)

It's funny to see how the data (Nico did the interview only a month and a while ago) are now outdated: 640 producers then, now, by means of Campus Party -true-, we have 900 (stay tuned, surprises will come with number 1,000).

'Crowdfunding is the way in which new creators benefit from the Internet, thanks to the instant obtention of data, information, advertisement and money'

 

The question ending the article is one of the good ones (and one of the uncomfortable ones), and it brings to the surface something which has been disquieting for all of us sharing this new front: the standstill of A Swarm Of Angels , the ambitious collaborative film project ( in their twitter we find a short announcement of 'total relaunching in 2010', whatever this might mean).

Here it goes:

'(The question is) if, outside of an strictly economic scenario, the audience means an obstacle or an impulse'

After this question, the article ends with a new mention to Cosmonaut , which is precisely ending this summer with the preparations of its collaborative aspect launching.

'Cosmonaut, for instance, dares to take off with a Creative Commons licence. It's been proved that, well directed, the fans can participate in the production process. Yet the never-ending question of social networks is still throbbing: Are they prepared to meddle in the creative process?'

 

Chapeau.

 

And let's hope that we'll be closer to the answer soon.

 

Better than free: Brian Newman

An absolutely brilliant lecture by Brian Newman, ex CEO of the Tribeca Film Festival, at this year's DIY Days.

 "If digital copies have no cost, you will have to sell something which cannot be copied."

Did You Know?: Social Media Edition

This is an active post

What does this mean? That you'll have to participate :)

I'd like you to start a debate with me. About what? About the impact of traditional Media.

This is our research field: Today, we were on La Sexta news (I don't know the exact info, but at least a two million people watch this news programme).

When you find a piece of news interesting, you normally do some research into it. Specially, if it's a project like ours, in which you can broaden information a lot. But as it happens, there's only one place where you can broaden information about the project: The Internet.

The truth is today we didn't have any more visits than usual to our website.

My question is: Does this mean that traditional Media audiences aren't connected to the Internet? Aren't they the same people who have or will become producers of our film? Does our project not create an interest? Or is it that traditional Media don't have an impact on society any more?

 

To give an example, the appearance of an article on microsiervos blog brought us more than 15,000 visits and about 100 people decided to join Cosmonaut.

 

What do you think?

 

Old manners, new manners

Here is how it used to work: aspiring filmmakers playing the cool auteur in hopes of attracting the eye of a Hollywood power broker.

Here is the new way: filmmakers doing it themselves -- paying for their own distribution, marketing films through social networking sites and Twitter blasts, putting their work up free on the Web to build a reputation, cozying up to concierges at luxury hotels in film festival cities to get them to whisper into the right ears.

 

 

From THIS article on the New York Times about new independent cinema.

 

Waves to be ridden

Waves can't be stopped, they can only be ridden. So, we decided that, if we really wanted to fulfill our dreams of becoming filmmakers, we had to ride this wave.

Antonio Jarreta, proud member of Riot Cinema Collective
on the Pixel Pitch Applicattion.

Our first investor

Aitor Grandes Gajate became our first investor last Thursday.

 

The first thing we need to make clear is that he's not our friend... (well, he wasn't until now).

 

Neither our cousin...

 

Nor a rich relative which we may had out there

 

No. He found us by chance, surfing the Internet, and he decided to write to us. He said something like: 'Hello cosmonauts! I'm looking for information for a business idea based on cooperative performance of film scripts and I found your proposal. I think it's awesome. I would invest in the stock market, but I may invest in your film'.

 

 

We exchanged a few emails and we sent him our investor's dossier. And it turned out he wasn't lying. Exactly, he wasn't going to invest in the stock market, but he will invest in Cosmonaut.

 

Finally, he paid us a visit in our studio and we had a nice chat about life, our project and several interesting facts.

He also told us about his passion for free licences and a few projects that he's got in mind, in the field of Internet technology (he's a sales manager for Denodo Technologies), where he will be able to apply a business model very similar to ours.

 

We're looking forward to seeing them! :D

 

All there's left to say is many thanks to Aitor and welcome to Cosmonaut. Poyejali!

Video-diaries 03

Union News is back!! With Álvaro Daza in his sexy reporter role.