The Internet: Open for Discussion and Application

It's here. It's in your hands.
Use it.
Otherwise it's going to get taken away.

Sergeant Zero Preview Special

The 16 page Sergeant Zero Preview with all of the pages you’ve seen so far, plus concept art and promotional posters is now on sale. You can purchase it on Indyplanet.com at

http://www.indyplanet.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=2587

Back from the War, Joe Sinclair struggles to survive in the bowels of Century City coping with near-superhuman memories he doesn’t remember living. Is he losing his mind or is he something more? Forged from a past now lost, his memory used for an inner fire, Sergeant Zero is a soldier few remember and most have forgotten…including himself.

Here’s a few images of what the Preview looks like in it’s printed form.

Wire Yourself In...

Recently Ted Hope over at TRULY FREE FILM posted his 38 Problems with Indie Film, and it's a good list. An excellent list even...but as I pointed out to him in the comments, he makes the mistake of thinking that we can recapture the 'glory days' of indie film.

As I pointed out, in my usual blunt MPB manner, that train has left the station.

And while I am far too young and way too sexy for my shirt to ever be called a curmudgeon(cough, cough), I also have to agree with many of the things in Jim McKay's guest post here.

Okay, Indie Film as we know it is screwed... good. It wasn't a good business anyway. Too whimsical, too full of itself to be a real business.

(and if any of you starts yelling out, "It's art, not business," you're an idiot. Any time you ask people for money for goods or services - it's a business)

So where do we take this business we call show?

Fortunately, there are many brilliant people out there, smarter than me even (cough, cough), who are rethinking how things are done in this digital age, and what promise that holds for each and every one of us of getting a ticket on the better, less expensive, train that takes your content to every place in the world there's wifi.

And they are Wired.

First off (H/T to Cousin Trevor up in the 'Peg) is David Byrne who discusses survival strategies in this new age.

Chris Anderson discusses this fundamental shift and what it means.

And while this article discusses automobiles, take out that word (or car, or vehicle) and substitute the word movie, tee vee, or series . You begin to see the possibilities of where media production is going.

Anderson puts it into focus:
(emphasis mine)

To all the usual reasons why small companies have an advantage, from nimbleness to risk-taking, add these new ones: The rise of cloud computing means that young firms no longer have to buy their own IT equipment, which helps them avoid having to raise money or take on debt. Likewise, the webification of the supply chain in many industries, from electronics to apparel, means that even the tiniest companies can now order globally, just like the giants. In the same way a musician with just a laptop and some gumption can accomplish most of what a record label does, an ambitious engineer can invent and produce a gadget with little more than that same laptop.

And while my Canadian brethren fight the good fight, I have to say the one thing they are ignoring (or at least not speaking of out loud):

"Only a fool fights in a burning house."

(Quote from Kang. Lesson learned by James T.)

So what does all this mean when taken as a whole? It means change. It means not thinking of media in the same way. It means doing different things outside your normal niche. It means pushing boundaries. It means you can stand on your own two feet.

It means Bootstraps don't chafe like Corporate or Government chains.

And there are those that will shout out, "But how do I make money at this?" Know that you aren't alone. Your own are questioning the old ways and coming up with new ones.

So connect the wires:

-- How DO you make money at this?
-- How can you MAKE it more efficient -- not only for yourself, but for others too?

You and your work are your business. Make it a good one, not one you have to tolerate because that's the way it's always been.

Read. Rethink. Let's discuss. Comments are Open as is the Bar.

I Like Anne Hathaway...

But damnit, I think I LOVE Nora Ephron....

From the "Future of Filmmaking" Panel at W Union Square by Syracuse University.
(as reported by Variety)

Anne:

"She said cutting her fee to make "Rachel Getting Married" was the kind of move that should be made automatically by stars who believe in low-budget projects. "Why make a movie for $30 million when it should look like it was made for 10?" she said. "'Brokeback Mountain' cost $11 million and it was absolutely gorgeous. I think I made SAG day rate for that one."

Nora:

Ephron said she mistrusted studios' frequent cries of poverty, especially their claims that talent and writer/director costs have hit them hard.

"I look at the movie business as this giant Ponzi scheme set up to compensate a small number of people," she said. "Everything about it is puffed up, including the executives. You wouldn't believe the scale of wealth in Hollywood. They live like pashas. I know people live like that here, too, but we all live in apartments so you can't see it."

And just so we're clear, I don't like this guy Michael Lynton a bit:

"I'm a guy who sees nothing good having come from the Internet, period," said Sony Pictures boss Michael Lynton, sitting between Anne Hathaway and Nora Ephron. "It seems to have done damage to every part of the entertainment business by creating this notion that people can get whatever they want right now, for free."

This would be quite the statement if Sony Pictures TV hadn't financed ANGEL OF DEATH and put it up on Crackle.com. What he's really saying is that the internet hasn't allowed him to arse-rape consumers the way that Theatrical, DVD and Television has so he sees no value in it.

Even then he's talking out of his ass.

Let's face it - the internet is for the rest of us.

Use All of the Chicken...

If you want to make money in these rough times. DirecTV is doing just that:

THE TRIO CABLER won praise from TV critics a few years ago by showcasing acclaimed but short-lived series under the banner "Brilliant but Canceled." In essence, it marked a resourceful way for a channel with a meager budget to make its dollars go further by using every part of the chicken.

Now DirecTV's 101 Network is doing much the same with a bonus, offering all the episodes of axed programs -- including those that never saw the light of day -- billed as "The Complete Series." The satcaster's digging through TV's dearly departed began with the 2000 drama "Wonderland" and has expanded to include three recent Warner Bros. programs: "Smith," which begins this week, with four of its seven episodes never having aired on CBS; "The Nine," with 13 hours, four not shown by ABC; and "Eyes," which shot 12 episodes, though ABC aired just five of them.

We can only hope that this idea takes off and migrates further onto the internet.

BACK IN THE 1990s, late programming guru Brandon Tartikoff advised development execs that "Every show should be somebody's favorite show" -- a maxim that has evolved now that episodes can be bought and downloaded, creating a relatively new facility to translate cult followings into incremental revenue.

Because seriously, I want GLOBAL FREQUENCY to have an airing...and let me put this out into the universe -- this is a web serial I would want to see ala ANGEL OF DEATH. Perfect format on the perfect distribution platform for that show.

A New Pulp Legion Electrogram

Will be winging its way through the internet to you soon!

If you haven't signed up for it yet, you may still do so by going to my sidebar and scrolling down to the subscription form.

It's free and I don't do anything with the email address info except inform you of all sorts of cool stuff, pass along information and advice.

From the electro-mailbag for last issue:

Keep re-reading this. Good stuff, Bill. -- JOD

This is excellent!

I am looking forward to going through all the links you've put in here, and really looking forward to what's next. Thanks for putting this together. -- Kevin Byrne

Remember the Pulp Legion Electrogram has exclusive content you won't see here on this blog. Don't miss out on the fun...

News You Can Use: Razorfish Digital Outlook Report 2009

In setting up any business - media or otherwise - it's important to find out what the "experts"*** are reporting. Below is a link to the Razorfish Digital Outlook Report for 2009.

It promises to be an interesting future.

Download PDF report here.

*** Note: My quotes around the term experts isn't a jab at them. It's a comment on the fact that many of these reports are sales tools and you have to take them with a grain of salt. As with ANY report YMMV.

Internet v. TeeVee

Essay here by Paul Graham.

Discuss. Dissect. Not necessarily in that order.

H/T to Ted Hopefor finding this.

Rushing off to see Watchmen.

Wassamatta U?

Ted Hope has a great post today by guest blogger/filmmaker Jamie Stuart. I am going to pick at the post's carcass a bit, but there's plenty here to chew on throughout the weekend so go read the entire thing:

Now, however, the paradigm has shifted to a situation where filmmakers are making small, dirt-cheap movies for niches and their friends; the debut film isn't as important so much as slowly building a track record. In this model, indie film has essentially become regional folk art. I think we need to return to the prior model, but there are some things holding that up. Like:

Yes, it has shifted away from the bottleneck of just a few festival darlings making their way past the gatekeepers and out into the Elysian fields of the distribution marketplace. In the regional folk art metaphor you propose, you neglect to mention that now more people can participate from wherever they are at, instead of having to be in Los Angeles or New York or other large urban center. The bottleneck has widened (for good and for bad).

I think we need to re-think how movies are made. Micro-features and DIY productions use crews in a much different manner than movies made for 7-8 figures, and I think producers need to study what people like myself are doing...

Not that I expect larger budgeted productions to use the exact method I did (they wouldn't have to if they had money), but there's got to be something that can be learned and adapted from what I and others have done.

Absolutely! And how does one most effectively share these ideas, paradigms and innovations? Why through the internet of course!

Now, if you combine all of the above, you get another problem. It used to be that aspiring filmmakers started with a small budget, either on a short or a small feature, and that was used as a calling card to get a larger budget. The issue here is that due to the drop in budgets based on prosumer cameras and editing, producers don't seem to take those projects as seriously. What they mistake, however, is that you're getting an equivalent production value as before, only it costs a fraction of the amount. But producers aren't saying: "Wow! Look at what so-and-so did for so little. Imagine what they could do with a larger budget? I want to work with him!" Instead, they seem to be looking at the budget, and on that basis alone, writing it off: "Let me know when you've moved on to bigger things, but for now, you're a small fry."

I would agree that this is ture in the United States, but there is a growing movement of production and distribution professionals in the UK that are embracing these micro-budget productions and filmmakers with financing and expertise. We cannot count that out.

The internet is great for sales and marketing, but it's a lousy delivery method. The quality is terrible. I've never looked at the internet as anything other than a means to get exposure and establish myself -- so I can get OFF the internet and make real features.

People understand the quality loss. They measure it against the convenience and are just fine with it. Excuse me but exactly what is "a real feature?"

I think a lot of the indie community still believes in the film festival model: If you're a serious filmmaker, you need to submit to festivals. They seem almost fundamentalist in this regard. And it's holding up progress.

Yes, it is. The indie filmmakers have become the establishment they rebelled against in the 80's and early 90's.

All of that said, I'm still of the belief that the biggest problem in indie film right now is simply the product. When indie film was booming in the '80s/'90s, young people like myself were drawn to it because it seemed to be the most creative arena in filmmaking. Not now. Young people look to big FX blockbusters as the most creative arena. People now equate indie film with poor production values, cheap-looking handheld photography, amateurish acting, etc. They look at it as a joke. I approached the prospect of DIY filmmaking from the view that ambitious films could now be made inexpensively -- I've always used tripods, dollies, cranes, special FX. But DIY filmmaking on the whole went in the opposite direction -- small, handheld slices of life. And while that aesthetic certainly has its place, it's never going to find a larger audience, in my opinion. Until we shift out of this phase and DIY filmmakers start creating ambitious pictures at dirt prices, the movement will remain derided. And until the bigger people start lifting up the small, there's going to remain a major class divide.

(emphasis mine)

Absolutely. I double that for web series that rely on the backbone of being parodies of existing material. If I see another 20-something wannabe comedy web series set in an office, apartment complex or similar locale - I am going to get violent. Ditto for the trope of directly addressing the camera or the simply allowing the "action" to unfold without camera movement or editorial. It's lame.

Dr. Horrible (which I loved) has been a hit on the web NOT because it was entirely original, but because everything else up to that point was lame. The web audience deserves better. They want better and yes, they will pay for it.

I am writing a movie now, that while not entirely original (what film is?) is geared to push the boundaries in terms of production value, energy and fun. A creative new look at some old tropes in genre film. That's what we - the pulp filmmaking community - needs.

As well as effective ways of getting that new pulp out there so people can embrace it...at their convenience.

Direct from Sundance: Panel on Distribution

Scott Kirsner provides an audio recording of the panel on Distribution he moderated at this year's Sundance film festival.

I post this as a lead-in to something this guy is going to post later tonight/tomorrow.

Distribution is key to making money at this game and it's getting weirder and weirder all the time. School yourself any way you possibly can.

That Sound You Hear is My Jaw Dropping...

How cool is the internet?

(Yeah. That cool)

Never Underestimate Fandom...

They are an ingenious, crafty and yes, stubborn lot...
They wanted to see a THUNDERCATS movie, so they went out and made one...from spare parts!

While Hollywood toils away in development, these guys went out and made two and a half minutes of fun to show to all their "friends" on the web. Yes, I do understand this is different than actually going out and shooting, but you have to admire the energy and creativity, using what's available and going with it.

If there's any lesson to be learned from this it's don't get hung up on what you don't have, work with what you do.

Thundercats, ho!

Sunday Coffee Talk with the Bastard

Finished 4 pages of webcomic yesterday and it was one of the most gut-wrenching experiences as I had to keep my editor hat on as I was doing it, figuring out some panels and angles that play into the storytelling.

I will finish up tomorrow and then set it aside for a day or two so I can relax and read it with no preconceived notions - ha!

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I now have to work on some contractual stuff with an artist I am working with for that other thing I can't really talk about yet. Contracts are terrible to go over and work out.

(I'm sorry I'm such a damn tease)

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Already started organizing my calendar for the new year. I am going to be busy. Very busy.

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Saw this movie this morning while in bed. Would have liked to have had my own pulp hottie to share that with, but it was not to be...

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As I understand it, things are going along swimmingly up North regarding The Knightmare.

(who of course, is the subject of my upcoming webcomic)

Speaking of Piracy...

From the Wall Street Journal:

After years of suing thousands of people for allegedly stealing music via the Internet, the recording industry is set to drop its legal assault as it searches for more effective ways to combat online music piracy.

The decision represents an abrupt shift of strategy for the industry, which has opened legal proceedings against about 35,000 people since 2003. Critics say the legal offensive ultimately did little to stem the tide of illegally downloaded music. And it created a public-relations disaster for the industry, whose lawsuits targeted, among others, several single mothers, a dead person and a 13-year-old girl.

Full story here.

Corsairs, Ho!

In my last post, Jon Molly commented that:

" Your comment regarding moving content from one media to another deserves more than being buried in a footnote. I wonder if finding ways to spread content out over a variety isn't just as much a valid defense against piracy. Any version that gets pirated just winds up serving as a commercial for the other media."

Fair enough then, because he's right, and it addresses a concern Mike Curtis has regarding piracy in his rant. So here's the situation kids:

There are always going to be pirates. Period. End of story.

The trick is to turn the pirates into corsairs.

Here's one way.

And there are several others to be sure. The point is to turn the pirates to your side, and make sure that while they are getting the word out on your film, you are utilizing that P2P distribution / promotion machine to sell not only your movie on DVD, but the behind-the-scenes book, your ability to come to groups to speak about your movie for a small fee, the DVD which is loaded with extras and yes, the t-shirt.

The following is going to surprise some of you but here it is:

The movie you make is not what makes you money.
It's all the other stuff tied to it that puts you into profit.

That includes advertising, merchandising, IP licensing and subsequent media. Studios today DON'T make money off their theatrical releases - those are just advertising for the DVD and other revenue streams. Why do you think Hollywood is so in love with superhero movies right now? Do they LOVE the material? The development executives do to be sure - they grew up with comics. BUT it's the top tier guys who understand they CAN SELL A LOT OF STUFF tied to that superhero(or horror or scifi or action) movie.

So why not do it for yourself?

P2P allows you the opportunity to sell ads on your movie as it streams or downloads. Hulu has a great thing going with their ad streams because they have been classed as "unobtrusive" by the industry and consumers. So why not take that as your mantra and apply it to your media?

Why not shop for ad partners to finance your film? It's the same model that local indie television producers have been using for years. I've done Holiday parade shows, car racing shows, local football shows AND THEN gone out and contracted the advertisers so we could make a profit after we bought the airtime from the local station.

So why not do that on the internet? The more viewers/down loaders the more the advertisers pay. Turn piracy around to work for you.

But Bill, you are condoning piracy!

No, I am turning a negative around to work for me instead of against me. I am making those pirates my marketing staff and I'm taking the tools, nay the weapons that technology has given me. It's not a new way of thinking guys. It's a way of turning the tide of the war.

But back to Jon's comment: Yes, placing your content across a variety of media IS advertising, and making it easily, conveniently available to your audience is one of the best ways to "combat" piracy. After all, why steal it when you can get the cooler version from your "local" website?

Piracy exists when people can't get goods and services through normal channels. Expand your channels and allow people to pay for your media. Use the pirates for what they are good for - distribution of content to promote your work. Use the free weapons to help you sell other goods and services you can make the real money on.

Ask yourself, "WWJWD (What would Joss Whedon Do)?

Corsairs Ho!

You don't Have to Believe ME, But I'm Sure You Believe The Joss...

A lot of people think I am extremely naive when I discuss the fact that all of the tools are there to become your own studio and you can produce and distribute media** on your own. Tools like Createspace, Lulu.com, TubeMogul, FiveSprockets.com, Withoutabox.com and others stare the naysayers right in the face and yet they just can't make the connection.

Perhaps its better to think that only certain, special people can make money at making media. I get it. That way, when you fail you have an excuse...

(Yes. You read that right. That's me calling you out)

Well here's something I hope changes your naysaying mind. I think Joss hopes it changes your mind too, because it's that significant.

Joss Whedon is using Createspace to distribute his DVD instead of doing a "traditional" studio deal for the DVD rights.

And I'm sure it was part of the plan all along. From the press release:

CreateSpace, a leader in Disc on Demand services, enables Whedon's creation to be released on DVD and CD in time for the holidays and reach millions of Amazon.com customers with minimal risk and without the cost of traditional distribution. Whedon chose CreateSpace in order to bring his vision to DVD and CD quickly and because of the low-risk, low-cost model. The video and soundtrack also will be available as digital downloads via Amazon Video on Demand and Amazon MP3.

"'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog' was always meant to be part of a new wave of (somewhat old-fashioned) entertainment," said Whedon. "The next step in that plan relies entirely on CreateSpace - a system that creates the exact supply for our entirely unpredictable demand. By offering it on DVD and download through Amazon, CreateSpace allows us to reach a broad audience base while maintaining our independence and furthering the Internet ethos that started this whole mess."

"The CreateSpace distribution model is a low-cost, 'fast to market' solution for independent visionaries like Joss Whedon," said Dana LoPiccolo-Giles, co-founder and managing director of CreateSpace. "The time efficiency of on-demand ensured that the title would be available in time for Christmas, and the multi-platform approach gives the end consumer choices on how to enjoy the content."

So, you don't have to believe me, but this sort of thing has to make you look twice. Whedon has his choices of deals he can make, and he chose the one with more control for him and more options for the consumer.

That's how you make your money -- not by just "making a movie," but by "going into the moviemaking business." (you'll note the difference)

**I say media here because outfits like Amazon's Createspace deal with all sorts of media - print, DVD, Audio, etc... You are no longer just a moviemaker, you're a mediamaker - moving a property from one media to another so that consumers can experience it on several levels.

Diversity Thy Name is Internet

I love getting emails like this from friends around the world using the internet to their advantage when it comes to creating cool entertainments.

From my Knightmare radio-producer, Gregg Taylor of Toronto's Decoder Ring Theater:

Dear Bill,

I know this sort of crossover effort is near and dear to your heart, so I offer you our latest venture... the Black Jack Justice comic at www.addictivecomics.com We're along for the ride on this in many ways... the whole thing is the new Scott Sigler joint (he who turned podcasting audio novels into bestselling actual novels), and it's nifty to be on the ground floor for once instead of outside in the cold, pressed up against the glass and quaking with envy. Mark Hester is the driving force (and also our inker!) and the pencils are being done by this dude from Finland who has a feel for the noir that I can't believe.

Anyway, the first pages are up today... take a peek when you have a chance.

Cheers,

Gregg

Go to Decoder Ring Theatre today to listen to the audio adventures of Black Jack Justice! (or go to the webcomic and read his adventures!)

Encouraging News: Nets Prep for Online Originals

From Content Agenda:

"Even though NBC has been wracked by huge layoffs and a tanking economy, the network’s digital division will start shooting a pilot this week for an online late-night talk show, one of nine planned Web shows for 2009. "

Full story here in TV Week.

So, as NBC scales back its TV network, it works to bolster its web presence...hmmmm.

Comics and Movies are Both in a Recession. Learn From It.

Valerie D'Orazio's blog OCCASIONAL SUPERHEROINE has a top ten list for STRATEGIES FOR THE COMIC INDUSTRY IN A RECESSION:

Much of it applies across the board and not just during a recession. My comments will be below and in Orange.


1. For God's Sake Entertain These People!
In the Great Depression, movie studios thrived, producing entertainment for the masses that made them forget their troubles. A movie ticket is $10+. A comic is less than $4. But you have to entertain these people! You have to create compelling storylines. You can't depend on that same fan base you've been handing lukewarm milk to for the last several years because they're just too blah to change their buying habits. Blah and complacency is out. Your audience: thrill them or lose them.

Entertain first. That is the credo that all pulpsters must live by, as it is the gold upon which we trade. You can't lecture, you must engage.

2. Go Back To The Basics.
Look up Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey. Get down to the basics of what makes a compelling story. Heroes, villains. Protagonists, antagonists. Problem/solution. If you need almost a whole paragraph to explain your story or event, you have screwed up somewhere along the way.

This goes to accessibility. Your audience must "get it" within the opening moments of your movie, show, story and sign up for the ride you promise them. If they have to weigh their options then you've lost.

3. They Can't Afford Gigantic Crossovers
They can't. I mean, they did; but now they can't.

Simple entertainment done stylishly. No catches. No "buts."

4. Lose Your Pride
Whether your pride is not wanting to reach out past your comfort zone in terms of readership, your hatred of digital media, your irrational bias against one thing or another, or whatever -- if it is standing in the way of sales, you are useless. Get over it.

If your story sucks, admit it and move on. If you think that your movie deserves a theatrical premiere then it would have had one already. It doesn't deserve it. Make your money back for your investors the fastest and best ways possible and move on to the next project. One movie is a whim. Many movies is a career.

5. Unsure? Make It Digital
If you are unsure about your product -- if you feel it is really iffy -- if you are a small publisher and you are going to risk everything to print just this one fucker -- for God's sake PLEASE put it out digital first. It can be digital with a roll-in hardcopy plan. But make it digital. The direct market won't hate you for it. They hardly got room on their shelves for a lot of that stuff, anyhow.

Generate your audience in every way possible. Make it a digital event (Dr. Horrible). Whatever you do - don't spend money needlessly.

6. Are You Ballast?
Take a good look at yourself in your job -- especially if you are working for a larger company. Are you expendable? Are there "five" of you? Do you find yourself working on "special projects" that are always put last on the food chain? Do you have no idea on God's green earth why you are at your job, or why they are paying you? Get out on your own terms, and be in a good position to negotiate your next job. Don't just wait for the inevitable. Be proactive.

They say, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." The reverse is also true, "Have more then one hen laying eggs for you." If your job could be one of the first cut - then time is long overdue to have multiple streams of income you can manage.

This is especially true regarding your film. Think about all the things you can sell with it. It's not just a movie - it's a property and it needs to be movable all around the media-sphere. If your movie is just a movie - don't make it.

7. Are Your Comics Ballast?
Take a good look at the comics your company produces. Now, which ones are awesome, and which ones are "filler?" Which ones did you do as a favor for an old buddy which aren't that great but you promised him, and which ones are awesome? I mean, you can do the favor, but make that a one-shot, don't make that a three-issue prestige format. Use your brain. Which comics make you go "wow," and which ones, by your own admission, are "born to die?" You can't afford to put out "born to die" comics. What is it that Obama said? "No more pork barrel." You need to cut your pork.

Always understand your break even point and what it's going to take to get there. What are people going to realistically pay for your media? Why should they?

8. Stop Making Your Heroes Villainous
We don't need heroes that are assholes right now. The assholes are the ones that fucked the audience financially and took away their homes, their jobs, and their X-Mas bonuses. They want real Heroes to help them out of this mess.

In other words - don't be subtle. Yes, characters have nuances, but don't violate their core concept and belief systems (unless you can do it fantastically well and logical). To do that violates the audience's trust, and that's a no-no.

9. Have A Hook
If it doesn't have a "hook," don't do it right now.
Examples of hooks:
* awesome artist
* awesome writer
* topical
* controversial
* of superior artistic merit (possible award winner)
* unique

Ditto.

10. Stop Writing These Gloom And Doom Articles About How The Comic Book Industry Is Going To Collapse
You're really scaring the shit out of everyone. I mean, you should write them, it is topical. But it's like feeding this already jumpy nervous ready-to-totally-lose-it climate.

Yes, quit writing these articles about how the indie movie business is terrible. It's not. It's just hard work. The movies that can't get financed now are those that don't deserve financing in the first place - poorly conceived, poorly written, no marketable hooks...

Skinning The Cat: Why Copyright?

Michael Geist of the Toronto Star speaks of his documentary WHY COPYRIGHT?

I am reprinting the entirety of his editorial below:

Internet video goes to the movies

Michael Geist, Toronto Star -- The Toronto Star , December 8, 2008 Monday

In recent years, much of the interest in online video has focused on its effects on mainstream or conventional television - the emergence of a "clip culture," in which popular segments of television programs draw larger audiences on websites like YouTube than on conventional television. The shift of conventional broadcast to the Internet is remarkable, but it misses important developments for longer-form video.

For example, last week I released Why Copyright? Canadian Voices on Copyright Law, a 47-minute documentary on copyright reform. Produced with filmmaker and law student Daniel Albahary, the documentary examines why copyright has emerged as an important issue. It features a wide range of Canadian voices, including Nettwerk Record's Terry McBride, Hamilton Tiger Cats owner Bob Young, Toronto-based science-fiction author Karl Schroeder and Privacy Commissioner of Canada Jennifer Stoddart.

While this is hardly the first film about copyright, the release was noteworthy since it occurred exclusively online and in the process highlighted the potential for independent creators to use the power of Internet distribution to level the cultural playing field.

Finding ways to distribute films may have once posed a significant barrier, but that is clearly no longer the case. Why Copyright? was posted to online video sites such as YouTube and Blip.tv, which offer free streaming distribution. Another version was posted to Dot-Sub, a video-streaming site that enables viewers to create subtitles in other languages. Further versions were made available via BitTorrent, allowing people to download the entire DVD of the film.

Within days, thousands of people had viewed the film at virtually no cost (links to the online versions can be found on the Internet at copyrightvoices.ca).

My experience is not unique as the Internet is now filled with examples of filmmakers bypassing the conventional theatre and DVD distribution systems.

For example, earlier this year Michael Moore, one of the world's best-known documentary filmmakers, released his latest work - Slacker Uprising - free online. The film, which was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, can be downloaded by anyone in Canada and the United States or viewed as a streamed version on Blip.tv.

The same is true for Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning, a Finnish parody of Star Trek and Babylon 5 that has been described as the most popular Finnish film of all time. The independent feature-length film has been freely downloaded millions of times and can be viewed as a streamed version on Google Video.

Why Copyright? is strictly non-commercial; however, the use of Internet distribution is also emerging as an effective business model. In the case of Slacker Uprising, a DVD version of the movie can be purchased directly from the site, leading to higher profit margins for Moore. The Star Wreck film has also become a commercial success, having earned back the creators' investment through merchandise and DVD sales.

These experiments point to the potential for taking films from the big screen to the computer screen. Combining free Internet streaming or downloading with a commercial model that may include DVD sales, merchandise sales, broadcast license fees and advertising revenues hold the promise of generating wider audiences and providing a financial payback for creators.

The popularity of short clips online may garner the lion's share of attention, but it is the potential to use the same distribution channels for full-length video that may reshape the industry for both creators and the businesses that market and distribute their work.

Michael Geist holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law. He can reached at mgeist @ uottawa.ca or online at www.michaelgeist.ca.

Copyright 2008 Toronto Star Newspapers, Ltd.