We are the new way to go. We are the way of the future.

Today, Variety had a great article on how the collapse of studio financing is affecting the industry. Keep in mind that most of the people reading film trades are heavily invested in the studio business models, and that the bulk of the news comes from studio sources. In many respects, Variety and the Hollywood Reporter are "by the studios, for the studios." To me, this constitutes brave reporting:

"Everybody is trying to come up with a new business model," says Robbie Little, the British-born founder of Los Angeles-based the Little Film Co.

"At the moment, the model is a vertical one -- a waterfall of people from writer to distributor where everyone is tying to make money from the process of making the film rather than the success of the film."

The signs are of a shift toward a horizontal model, where each part of the chain works together to make the film profitable and earn their cut from its sales.

In other words, people are used to getting paid lots of money for making movies. Now, things are getting more entrepreneurial. More and more film companies are involving actors and production heads as business partners, and tying their financial rewards to the success of the film. In turn, the actors and production people are getting smarter about handling their own business.

As this trend gets further and further along, what will all the middle-management do? What will the agencies do as talent starts taking accountability for their own business? What will publicity guys do when actors take it on themselves to book interviews for their films? What will the execs and MBA's do when directors and producers start pulling together their own projects? What happens when the connection between a filmmaker and an audience is direct, without a studio or marketing company running interference?

Some of these guys will let go of the power they accumulated on the '80's and '90's, as talent takes that power for themselves. Those that hang on too tight will just wither away.

I love it.

As those of us on Sam Bailey and the other 8 Sided Films take one step after another towards self-sufficiency in business, we can rest assured that we are already ahead of the curve. When Sam Bailey hits theaters, our contemporaries will be pointing to us as an example of how business is done. What's more, we'll be positioned to help the rest of our industry's talent catch up. Each of my actors will be producing their next feature, and keeping their fair share of the equity. If we do this right, directors and producers will be looking to us to make their future projects happen.

In his blog on our reading two weeks back, Gerard mentioned feeling like something powerful was taking shape between the people who were there.

If we stick with this, if we really embrace the challenges of making these films successful... This article suggests that our "powerful something" is nothing less than a leading role the future of American film. That's pretty exciting!

For me, reading these words highlighted everything we're doing right, and fueled my conviction that Sam Bailey, Heartsgaard, and the rest of our projects are well-positioned to succeed - not just on indie terms, but as films in the global marketplace. If you're involved in these films, I urge you to check it out for yourself!