Welcome to the Machine

So I usually am a skeptic, but I do have to say that the digital realm excites me. Not only as a filmaker, but also a movie lover. It's no secret that I'm not your typical movie goer. I like films with a more personal slant. Sure I love the blockbuster films that Hollywood makes, but there are also a number of films out there who were made by people who really care, and who really love cinema also. But the unfortunate thing is that most avenues in mainstream distribution are closed to a lot of us. Maybe it's a film with no stars, or it doesn't have the proverbial chase scene that is seems to be a requirement for most mainstream films now-a-days. So your film doesn't get into festivals or doesn't get that distribution deal because of one thing or the other, so what's a person to do?

Well with alternative distribution markets opening up each day, and broadband becoming more and more entrenched into homes a new avenue of choices opens up for the filmmaker. One only need to create a website and open a merchant account to sell your movie, but again that's only HALF the battle. The other part is marketing, and that is the key. The old saying that: "alone we cannot win a fight, but in numbers we are invincible" holds some truth in the digital age.

What if there was a place where you could go and get different types of movies according to subject matter. That not hype, but content was king. Would you go there? Would you buy product that you could download and view later? Podcasting is already happening, and a number of podcasts have become very successful. But content isn't free, and artists do need to be paid, so what is a person to do?

The proliferation of websites that will soon be providing downloads of films, shorts, and even select documentaries will become more and more a reality. The market is out there, but it is still developing. Your film that hasn't played anywhere outside your own small hometown or city can now be sen by millions AROUND THE WORLD. Your audience grows, and as more and more people download your product a certain percentage goes right to you. Not the studio, but you.

It is every filmmakers dream to make a film. By going this route you may ensure that you keep on creating films, and possible make a career out of it without ever selling out your content or your vision, and if successful how long will you think it'll take old Hollywood to come knocking at your door for help in making successful films for them?

The world is wide open, and you can believe what you want, but I believe that it is a very interesting time we live in, and something that will soon transform an industry that hasn't changed in some time now. Remember what happened to the dinosaurs. They didn't evolve and so they died. Filmmaking and film marketing needs to constantly evolve, and it is doing so with the help of a proliferation of technology.

So welcome to the machine my friend, and sit back. We're all in for a wild ride.

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