Edward Burns’ “Newlyweds” (Part 4)

“But this is the future, I suppose– movie theaters aren’t going anywhere, I’m sure, but the way we watch our movies is definitely diversifying.”
Edward Burns speaking back in 2007 about digital distribution for films

Edward Burns isn’t just an actor and filmmaker, he’s a symbol—a symbol of the future of independent filmmaking.

His latest film, Newlyweds, is now available on iTunes. After watching five Hollywood Christmas blockbuster spectacles in the last week the best thing I can say about them as a group is the more than one billion dollars spent on then in production and marketing provided a lot of jobs and helped the economy. But I’m starving for a simple human story. The kind where actors and a script drive the story rather than over the top special effects.

So for $6.99 I look forward to seeing Newlyweds tonight which Burns is reported to have shot for $9,000 using a Canon 5D camera and a small crew. Some grips, gaffers, make-up artists, production designers, etc. aren’t excited about this trend because utlra-low budget independent filmmakers often don’t have any of those on productions. And if they do they sure aren’t making the day rate they’d make on a traditional feature.

But for writers and directors Burns represents freedom and an opportunity to not only have a vision, but to see it come to fruition. Something that’s not easy to do moving up the production food chain in Los Angeles.

“When I did Purple Violets, 50 percent of the journalists I talked to said, ‘Are you crazy? No one is going to watch a movie on their computer, much less a phone!’ That was 2007. Who know where we’ll be two years from now?”
Edward Burns
November 2011, Sarasota, FL
Talk to students at Riggling College of Art & Design via Carrie Seidman, Herald-Tribune

So as we get ready to start the year 2012 it is indeed exciting to think about what the world of production and distribution will look like in 2014, but I hope that many of you are seeing your work come to light in ways that you never dreamed possible. Think of renting Newlyweds this weekend as a hat tip to Edward Burns and his gang. Sure would be fun to see a little film with little marketing dollars dip into the top ten list on iTunes rentals.

Related posts:

Content Creators=Distributors
Telling Smaller Stories
Writing for Low Budget Films
How to Shoot a Feature in 10 Days (The methods Burns used on Nice Guy Johnny)
The 10 Film Commandements of Edward Burns

Scott W. Smith