It wouldn’t be provocative to suggest that the Internet and technology has changed the way we live our lives, particularly with regards to our consumption of music, film and other media.
Hollywood has embraced the web as a powerful marketing tool – Youtube streams thousands of trailers for blockbuster movies, and there are countless sites providing reviews, previews and insider information. Digital distribution is still in its infancy, whilst marketing activity is mainly focused on aging distribution models – Cinema and DVD.
Meanwhile, consumer tastes and in-home entertainment systems are evolving at a faster rate. High-speed optical-fibre broadband and affordable HD capable televisions mean that consumers can often get a better experience at home – avoiding cinema queues, expensive soft drinks and uncomfortable chairs. However, the legitimate services that cater to these consumers cannot keep up with piracy via torrent sites, where the latest Oscar winning movie can be found in pixel-sharp hi-definition, months before theatrical release, and downloaded in minutes.
Fortunately, there is a silent uprising of independent filmmakers who are bucking the trend. They eschew traditional fundraising methods, avoid expensive marketing campaigns in favour of cheap, clever virals, and most importantly, distribute their work online for free.
‘Elephant’s Dream’ is a fantastic example of ‘Open Source Film‘ – this animated short, released in May 2006, was created entirely using free animation software – primarily Blender. The films budget of €125,000 was largely raised by selling pre-orders of the DVD version – in exchange, purchasers received a credit in the film.
Bowie State University donated the power of their supercomputer cluster to render the 10 minute short, which once complete, was released under the Creative Commons attribution license and was available for free download (in HD) via BitTorrent and from the group’s own website.
Equally, Casey Walker’s unique approach to funding his film is to sell it: frame by frame. Visitors to his website, www.mymilliondollarmovie.com, have the opportunity to buy a frame for $10. Each contributer will be rewarded with a ‘assistant producer’ credit in the finished film. Kevin Smith, director of ‘Chasing Amy’ and ‘Mallrats‘, has shown his support by purchasing 6 frames himself.
Interestingly enough, Casey was inspired by TheMillionDollarHomepage.com, mentioned in my last post on this blog. So far the site has sold over 23,000 frames, since its creation in October 2007.
Its not just independent, low-budget filmmakers who are adopting these innovative approaches: Michael Moore, the controversial director of ‘Bowling For Columbine‘ and ‘Fahrenheit 9/11‘, made his latest film, ‘Slacker Uprising‘, available for free on the internet, although only in the US and Canada. Truth is, there’s little anyone could do to prevent the rest of the world grabbing a copy, and the film quickly found its way onto BitTorrent as well. This was a brave move, considering ‘Fahrenheit 9/11′ took over $220m in theaters worldwide.
The reality is that Hollywood isn’t going to start giving their films away for free, but it is not unimaginable that we could see an increasingly dramatic shift towards digital distribution. Consumers have shown that they’re willing to pay, and others have proven the distribution methods can work (and are far cheaper than printing wasteful plastic discs). Cinemas may still have the edge over the average living room, but that’s changing too. Let’s hope the studios listen to the rising chorus of demand from their audiences.
