At the beginning of 2018, I began the Sonic Cinema Patreon. It was done as an attempt to bring more people to my writing, as well as to give subscribers some special bonuses not on the site. And yes, it was also a chance to try to bring in some revenue from my film writing, which has not really happened over the years. I have a full-time job to fulfill my financial needs, but every little bit helps, and I would like to lean more into my film writing in the future. I did get some subscribers, and what I began sharing was not just commentaries and various audio projects I had in the vault, but also what I was writing about in my forthcoming book, Why is the Rabbit Wearing Sunglasses: A Lifetime Through Movies, my discussion on the Oscar nominations, as well as new audio projects, such as breaking down the evolution of early pieces of music, as well as my favorite soundtracks of the year. Looking back at it now, and it was a bit ramshackle and thrown together, and I appreciate my subscribers for sticking with it.
Over the past year or two, I’ll admit that I’ve been conflicted about continuing it. Subscriptions have remained relatively light, even at a time when I feel as though the Patreon has really started to take shape. Going into this year, I felt as though a relaunching was in order, with a clearer sense of what is available. As I never really announced the initial launch on the site, that is what this post is for.
Initially, I started off with four tiers of membership, with levels of subscription for $1, $3, $5 and $10. In digging into what to change up about the Patreon- and with some feedback from friends- I decided on two things. The first was to lower the price point, not just because of the way everyone is struggling financially, but because- while I’ve made strides in elevating the site over the years, those initial prices were too ambitious. The second was dropping the top tier, which no one ever subscribed to, and didn’t really have anything to offer. What I will be outlining below makes more sense from a tier perspective, and a price perspective. The best way to build something long-term is to start small, not take a big swing.
So, what does the Sonic Cinema Patreon look like? Let us look at each tier, each of which is named after a period of film history.
Silent Era ($1/month)
At the first tier, you will get access to quite a bit, actually. First, you will be subscribed to the Sonic Cinema Mailing List, which goes out at the end of the month, and collects links to all of my reviews published that month, as well as brief blurbs on some newer movies I didn’t write about in full. You will also get early access to some reviews- whether they’re for new releases or classic films I’m covering on a podcast; “Older New Watch” write-ups about older movies and TV shows I watch for the first time, but don’t write about for a full review; as well as breakdowns of short film blocks I watch at film festivals throughout the year. The crown jewel of this tier, however, is “Leaving the Collection,” a series I began in 2022 where I take a movie from my physical media collection that I no longer have a need to have in my collection, watch it one last time, and review it a la my YouTube “Quick Takes.” I’ve really come to love doing this series, because it’s a way to share my own personal history with the specific movies, and why I felt the need to add them. I am now 12 episodes in (I try to do two a month), and it’s been a rewarding series to do. For an example, you can see my discussion of the documentary, “The People vs. George Lucas”, which is public and available to watch over at Patreon.
The Golden Era ($2/month)
The second tier allows you access to everything at the “Silent Era” level, and then some. This is where many of the main benefits are housed. A lot of what I mentioned earlier is here, from exclusive audio essays on some of my early compositions like “Creative Beginnings” and “Minimalist Suspense”; written deep dives into the “Lonesome Dove” TV series, Jackie Chan’s “Police Story” franchise, Clive Barker’s adaptations of his own stories, and the Tommy Jarvis trilogy; my annual Oscar nomination discussions; “Quick Take” videos on the “Star Wars” movies and the DCEU ahead of “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” and an annual audio essay on my favorite film soundtracks of the previous year. I also share my favorite new watches, and favorite rewatches, as well, the newest of which will be available to the public today here. This is where my book discussions are available, as well as Q&A excerpts from film festivals and DragonCon. I also share new pieces of music here, as well. You can read my Tommy Jarvis post here, or listen to my audio essay on my musical composition “Minimalist Suspense” here, to give you an idea if this is where you want to be as a subscriber.
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls ($3/month)
The third tier has, traditionally-speaking, been the most popular one. I’m sure in part it’s because you get everything from the lower tiers, but also probably because I offer subscribers here a permanent link to their own website on Sonic Cinema on the Links page. This month, however, I have also begun a new audio essay series that will be exclusively for this tier. My friend Jason from the Binge Movies podcast made the point of saying- when I asked him to look over the Patreon- that one of the things that distinguishes me is my music, and love of music. And so, for this tier, I present “Life’s Soundtrack”, a monthly series where I will dig into my extensive collection, and choose one album that I love, and talk about why I love it, and why I added it. I was originally going to stick exclusively to soundtracks, but there are other albums I’d love to talk about in this way, as well, so we’re running the gamut of my collection. The first episode is available for listening, and it’s on the terrific soundtrack for Brad Anderson’s “Next Stop Wonderland”; you can listen to it at the Patreon here.
I hope you take the opportunity to check out what the Patreon has to offer. As I’ve worked on it over the years, I feel like I’ve gotten better as a critic, as a podcaster, and as someone who looks to explore film from a lot of different angles. The Patreon is very much its own thing, and I hope you join me there.
Thanks for listening,
Brian Skutle
www.sonic-cinema.com
