Michael Digital
Stipe's twin film companies get a financial boost
Reuters
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Rock star-turned-filmmaker Michael Stipe, one of the
producers of ``Being John Malkovich,'' has signed a multi-million-dollar pact
with a digital entertainment company.
New York-based RSUB has invested a mid-seven-figure sum in the R.E.M. singer's
twin film ventures, Single Cell Pictures and C-Hundred Film Corp., and will
receive the Internet rights to all films produced. Under the deal, the two
film companies will now be housed under a parent company, Self Timer.
In addition, RSUB plans to take ideas for Self Timer's upcoming films and
expand them into other films, books, soundtracks or Internet shows.
``When I was in my 20s, I had the romantic notion of a salon where people would
be able to volley creative notions inspired by each other,'' Stipe said.
``That's what RSUB is. They're a group of ambitious and creative people and
they're copasetic with the kind of stuff I work in. RSUB blows the field wide
open in terms of distribution or dissemination.''
The first RSUB/Self Timer project to go under the Single Cell banner will be
``13 Conversations About One Thing,'' which will be helmed by Jill Sprecher
(''The Clockwatchers'') and is now casting.
C-Hundred is also slated to produce ``Backward Looks, Far Corners'' from
Christopher Munch (''Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day''), ``Stranger Inside''
from Cheryl Dunye (''The Watermelon Woman''), Lisa Collins' ``The Grass Is
Greener'' and Walid Raad's ``Hostage.''
``We're not really looking at this as solely an investment,'' RSUB president
Michael Simon told Daily Variety. ''That was the price of admission to become
partners with Michael (Stipe) and his partners, who've done great work. They
needed some cash, and now they get financial and digital resources.''
Both Self Timer subsidiaries have track records of critically acclaimed films,
including Single Cell's ''Malkovich'' and C-Hundred's ``American Movie.''
Although neither Single Cell nor C-Hundred has a studio deal, Stipe said the
reception for ``Malkovich'' has ``opened up a floodgate'' in terms of the
material that is being presented to his companies.
``I'm extremely grateful for what 'Malkovich' has done for us,'' he said.
``We're expanding upward and onward.''
Stipe founded the Los Angeles-based Single Cell in 1995 with producing partner
wSandy Stern. The company served as executive producer on ``Velvet Goldmine,''
and produced ``Malkovich.''
New York-based C-Hundred was co-founded by Stipe and director-producer Jim
McKay (''Girls Town'') in 1987. C-Hundred's credits also include McKay's
``Our Song,'' which screened at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival and the most
recent edition of Museum of Modern Art's New Directors/New Films series.
Based in New York with a staff of 23, RSUB was formerly a division of Internet
design and development company Razorfish Inc., and now creates and develops
content such as live-action and animated shows for its Web site, including
George Condo's ''Pod People.'' It publishes books, e-zines and films. The
company also serves as the record label for R&B artists Ticklah and Cooly's
Hot Box, and manages the Honeydogs.
4/20/00
數位影像娛樂公司RSUB買下REM靈魂人物Michael Stipe所投資的Single Cell電影公司(最
近製作金獎提名片Being John Malkovich傀儡人生)與C-Hundred電影公司的大部分股票，
改組成SelfTimer公司，準備將網路世界與傳統娛樂事業推向另一個緊密結合的國度。
RSGB的總執行長Jeff Dachis表示，SelfTimer的出現將會提供全新的娛樂經驗，而Stipe籌
畫的電影企劃案將會有多媒體的聲光影像與數位環境的輔助而有更多廣度的呈現。Stipe透
過聲明說：「對我來說，能成為SelfTimer這一群積極塑造娛樂與多媒體形象的人的一份子
，是非常重要的一件事，RSGB非但討論有創意的點子，更會將點子予以執行具體化。」
對由網路權威集團Razorfish一個分支獨立出來的RSUB而言，SelfTimer的誕生將會藉由其
以往對數位管銷、生產的經驗，為電影媒體引爆新的刺激。RSUB的總裁Michael Simon指出
：「這個合資案將匯兌傳統電影工業在資金投資、創意、合作管銷上帶來革命性的效應。
SelfTimer可以在傳統獨立片廠與大製片廠的系統中，將電影的創造力、宣傳與發行作最妥
善的發揮，將電影帶入數位娛樂的世界。」
Stipe與電影製片家Sandy Stern於九五年創立Single Cell電影公司，出品過奧斯卡最佳藝
術指導提名的Velvet Goldmine (絲絨金礦)與今年獨立精神影片獎年度最佳影片、入圍三
項奧斯卡、贏得全美超過一百七十五位影評人選為九九年年度十大最佳影片的Being John
Malkovich (傀儡人生)；C-Hundred電影公司是由Stipe與另一位製片家Jim McKay於八七年
創立，出品過九九年日五影展評審團大獎影片American Movie、Girl Town等片。
SelfTimer的出現將會對電影與音樂工業有更積極參與，對於藝人持續投入網路行列，運用
網路籌資拍片、行銷自創的影片的意願大幅提昇，對Stipe來說，他已經藉由此一合資案開
始進入更有創意的企業了。
Stipe說一切都在www.rsub.com. 網站上，上網瞧一瞧就會了。(MTV.com)
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