Actor Ed Burns meets with Chicago execs to talk about indie films
Posted by Shia K. at 10/15/2010 12:29 PM CDT on Chicago Business
After hitting the red carpet at Chicago's International Film Festival, Ed Burns chatted up Chicago business executives, the mayor and film students about, oddly, Comcast.
Mayor Daley presents Ed Burns a proclamation.
The independent filmmaker and actor has made a deal with the cable-TV company to release his next film, "Nice Guy Johnny," via On Demand. It will also be released through iTunes and on DVD.
"Attendance at specialized theaters is dropping. People want to tuck into bed and watch these kinds of films. We looked at all those economics and thought 'Let's try this brand-new release platform,'" he told me today, while he was sitting at a coffee shop looking at Wrigley Field.
Mr. Burns' deal fits with Comcast's move to feature indie films through its Snag Films and Tribeca Film partnerships, in which it showcases film-festival productions. He says he eschewed the traditional art-house route because going online and on television would bring a wider audience.
Later Friday, Mr. Burns was heading to Northwestern University to tell film students how in the world he made "Nice Guy Johnny" on a $25,000 budget.
The new movie, a romantic comedy, will be released Oct. 26. Mr. Burns, who directed the film, will appear on Comcast's Indie Film Club to offer behind-the-scenes insights.
On Thursday, Mr. Burns and producer Aaron Lubin--a Hyde Park native who shares Mr. Burns' love of Woody Allen movies--visited Howard Tullman's Flashpoints Academy in the Loop and had an audience with Mayor Richard M. Daley (who declared Thursday Independent Filmmakers Day).
The topic: indie filmmaking.
"Today you can make an indie movie anywhere," Mr. Lubin said, referring to improvements in technology that allow filmmakers to succeed in middle America just as easily as on the coasts. "Your obstacles are your opportunities."
