Ted Hope: The Six Pillars of Cinema

Ted Hope delivering his keynote speech at the Power To The Pixel forum at BFI in London last month: “Take Back What Has Always Been Yours” (full text)

In it he encouraged film makers to “take back” what he called the six pillars of cinema – since they have traditionally only concerned themselves with the first two:
1. Content
2. Production
3. Discovery
4. Promotion
5. Participation
6. Presentation

Readers of his blog, Truly Free Film, will be familiar with his analysis of the industry and call-to-arms:

“We must also recognise that there is no workable present day business model to support the current mode of cinema, other than one built on the exclusionary practice of isolated control of the funding, marketing, distribution, and exhibition systems. We know the model for financing and distribution – and by extension, also creation – is now running on fumes.

How long can the controlling studio model survive when the wall of control has already come down and the people — now embracing that they are both audiences and creators – have recognised the power they truly have and will unlikely ever surrender that power again?

How long can a business based on library assets survive when everything that has been digitised has also been copied and can now be spread with a touch of a button – and every time it is stopped, it is only to reappear somewhere else.”