Friday, January 18, 2008
Indie Films Missing Out Online
The digital distribution of video has already revolutionized the news industry and has given would-be auteurs the chance for instant fame on YouTube. TV and movies on demand online are in the process of becoming serious competitors to their old media counterparts. But independent feature films have been missing action.Wired News' Jason Silverman writes about the Sundance Film Festival drastically scaling back its online distribution this year, an odd reversal considering the digitizing of every other medium. Indie film producers constantly struggle to get their movies into theaters, but I believe they should be more worried about getting into living rooms.
Studio execs only pick a few films each year, and the returns on those films at the box office are dwindling. The small theater has been elbowed out by the megaplex that emphasize mass market action and youth-oriented films on big screens with screaming sound. The focus is now on taking the kids to blockbusters or if they are older giving them $20 to go with their friends. The reality is people are less able (and probably inclined) to see character-oriented films on the big screen, and a resurgence is unlikely.
DVD rentals and online rentals are an even bigger, and that requires advertising and distributing online. Independent film organizations need to band together to streamline distribution and promotions.
The steps to take are obvious, but I'll mention them anyway.
1. Get film trailers promoted through a YouTube channel, Apple's iTunes movie trailer section, MySpace and IMDB. Through free promotion and paid advertising, get the trailers in front of millions of eyeballs. Let the social networks and enthusiast websites provide the long tail audience that are the prime target for indie flicks.
2. Set up an industry-wide website. Independentfilms.org discusses movies, Sundance lists the film it is featuring, but where in the name John Waters are the trailers? Allow user ratings, and have hooks into social networks and rental sites.
3. Sign distribution deals with Joost, Veoh, Netflix, MovieLink, etc. As soon as a trailer gets enough views and ratings, put it online.
Hollywood churns out a few great films, but hundreds of films that a sizeable minority of folks would find entertaining won't satiate the mainstream appetite. That's where the economics of online distribution shines.
Posted By John Gartner at 11:56 AM
Permanent Link: Indie Films Missing Out Online
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