This review is about the book The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
Buy it here <a href=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316346624/qid=1146756655/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-0283175-8356623?s=books&v=glance&n=283155>Amazon Link</a>

okay, read it..very good, the case studies were interesting...I think the one thing that always gets me is how ppl will forget why films work and just look at the film itself...
the book spoke about the context (like breast cancer being talked about in beauty salons) and how people were receptive in those situations because they wanted/had to be there.....
it also spoke about the connectors, mavens, and innovators and how they all work together...very interesting...and of course, knowing who you are and your strengths and how you fit into the scheme of things...
Innovators being the ones that make the films
Mavens being the ones that hear about the good things the innovators find
and Connectors spreading the word based on the Mavens

and of course, how this translates to film....
even a film with no marketing, can become a success based on the the few seeing it, spreading it to the Mavens, who then leak it to the connectors....
maximize and exploit who you are, and know who everyone else is...and how you can exploit them, maximize their skills or even be aware of the fact they have no skills to exploit and they are the end customer...

it goes along with my idea that every year there is a clear cycle of genres that are told....not styles/themes genre, but actual story genre...and if you can tap into that, and come out right in the middle, or even better, close to in front of the middle, people are going to be more receptive to your idea....being a laggard, being someone that makes a Matrix film now, is useless...even for the guys that made Matrix....making a Star Wars fan film now...useless...but making something that is coming up and rising now...perfect...time that with the right setting of the film for the seaons/popular culture, even better....
the idea is that a film is not an isolated event, but rather should both reflect the social situation on some level (Good Night and Good Luck looking at the current war on terrorism) as well as be unique and original to be seen as causing the filmmaker to be an innovator...

so at the end of the day, you don't have to reach a large number of people, you only have to reach the Mavens who are connected to Connectors who are then in turn connected to a large number of people to have a successful film

cheers and keep filming

Q