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Targeting the bootleggers, great news!


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True, the majority don't, the argument can be made that people sometimes pirate indie films due to a lack of access to actually view them. Indie films often suffer from poor distribution. Hal Hartley, when asked about fans uploading Trust to Youtube said "I don't care about pirating. I care about quality" Meaning he didn't want fans to see the film in poor resolution etc. Of course he'd prefer people buy the film but at the time he couldn't even sell it to them. The main reason it was uploaded was cause the company that owned the film wouldn't sell him back the rights to distribute and it was out of print. So even the filmmaker couldn't get it out to an american audience.

 

There are other cases like that where the standard distribution model fails the filmmaker because of companies going under licenses changing hands or netflix etc refusing to stream the actual unedited version of an out of print movie that fans want to see etc. Political censorship in some countries etc.

 

I agree with Mark that we need an app like distribution model. I can stream Gravity over Amazon for $4,99 That's more than it would have cost me to rent it from Blockbuster back in the day. The pricing for digital streaming is all wrong and definitely part of the problem.

Call me old school but that's why I still rent physical copies from Redbox Edited by Reuel Gomez
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Now that I can understand. But the majority of people don't download indie films.

 

No idea what you're talking about? My last two features have been pirated and downloaded thousands of times!

 

R,

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They have the resources to keep your films out of Canadian cinemas. These people are the reason you don't get theatrical releases. These people are the reason you - and to an even more crippling extent I - simply don't have access to the free market economy that is supposed to make the world work.

 

The above is actually quite true. And nothing I haven't commented on before. It's a situation that ALL independent movies face.

 

However a free for all for downloading only compounds the problem, it doesn't help it.

 

So Phil should every filmmaker just put their movie up on Youtube, and walk away? Not even expect a penny in revenue?

 

R,

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Actually, if you put your film up on Youtube and it gets enough hits, you do get paid by youtube. A lot of people make a living doing it, so if you have a unique idea, a TINY little movie that might appeal to a lot of people or a select group of people, but can't get any traction through regular distribution avenues, Youtube might be a viable option to get your name out there and make a profit on your work. I've watched a few "Straight to Youtube" features and a few weren't half bad. 'Course, it's all spec and there are no guarantees you'll make a dime but if you're doing it for the art value or fun of it, why not give it a shot?

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You don't pay ain't that great from what I have heard...

It would be nice if netflix had some kind of "ad driven" channel, or Hulu for that matter, for anyone to upload a film they actually own the rights to and get a cut of it. You could even curate it like an app store.

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So Phil should every filmmaker just put their movie up on Youtube, and walk away? Not even expect a penny in revenue?

 

Well, again, crowdfunding actually makes that an entirely reasonable approach, if you really want to, and many films made outside the US are doomed to not expecting a penny in revenue anyway.

 

So, er, yes, since you mention it. But I have no idea where you got that idea from. Certainly not me. Regardless, the point about attempting to ape the big players when you aren't one remains.

 

P

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Well, again, crowdfunding actually makes that an entirely reasonable approach, if you really want to, and many films made outside the US are doomed to not expecting a penny in revenue anyway.

 

So, er, yes, since you mention it. But I have no idea where you got that idea from. Certainly not me. Regardless, the point about attempting to ape the big players when you aren't one remains.

 

P

He's no Steven Spielberg :rolleyes:

Steven Seagull maybe.....

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You don't pay ain't that great from what I have heard...

 

It would be nice if netflix had some kind of "ad driven" channel, or Hulu for that matter, for anyone to upload a film they actually own the rights to and get a cut of it. You could even curate it like an app store.

 

 

There is the tip jar and rental payment things on Vimeo now...

I haven't used them yet, but I feel like that's a step in the right direction.

 

iTunes selling is obnoxious. You basically have to have a good distribution history already to be able to sell on there, and maybe with stuff like Crackle and the other companies that are out there putting out content, maybe someone can put together an indie channel that people can submit to. Give them content, give the producer a little %...

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. Regardless, the point about attempting to ape the big players when you aren't one remains.

 

P

 

Not sure what you mean, but I can issue a take down notice under the DMCA as well as anyone and 99% of the time the bootleg site responds.

 

R,

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You don't pay ain't that great from what I have heard...

 

It would be nice if netflix had some kind of "ad driven" channel, or Hulu for that matter, for anyone to upload a film they actually own the rights to and get a cut of it. You could even curate it like an app store.

Ya, well it's possible that the ones bitching about low pay have movies that suck, hard to say. I DO know the cream always rises so if there is real talent out there, it will eventually get recognized as such. I still have a lot more faith in the larger film markets and festivals though like AFM, Berlin, Cannes, Hong Kong, etc.but for NO-budget features with limited production value and appeal, free view distribution can work to gather a following. I was fascinated a few years by "Fan Films" after I saw "Batman: Dead End" :

 

 

I started watching other fan films, Some worked incredibly well, some sucked! But the culture behind the films was amazing. To people who watch these films, the fan actors that play in them often develop cult status and have fan clubs especially the women. That's pretty powerful stuff considering they'll technically can never make a dime off what seems to be, a fair amount of expense in produce. Star Wars and Star Trek seem to have the most fan films but there are SEVERAL film and series names being made into fan films, something you couldn't do if you tried other avenues of distribution. Youtube distribution allows you to try things without any real career risk which could be very beneficial even if you're not paid BUT, there is the chance that IF a film of yours hits on youtube, you WILL get paid at least something. It could be used as a venue to experiment with while honing your own personal cinematic style or trying something out on the edge. Hero or fool can often be just milometers apart and the anonymity of of Youtube allows one to take chances and find out what works without consequences if it doesn't.

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