The Blog for Video 2.0

The San Francisco Chronicle writes about how iTunes and Web sites are fueling new interest in short films. It focuses on Tiffany Shlain ('The Tribe'), Jon Bloom ('Overnight Sensation'), and Jesus Beltran ('The Grass Grows Green'), among others. From Joe Garofoli's piece:

Creators of short films (40 minutes or less) have finally found an audience through such online sites as iTunes, Revver.com and San Francisco's Frameline Films and Caachi.com, which specializes in distributing independent films. And those sites are even starting to bring a revenue trickle to older shorts that audiences are unearthing online.

Shorts haven't had this kind of exposure since before 1950, when pre-TV-owning audiences saw shorts on the same bill with features and newsreels at the local movie theater. Now, when Oscar viewers hear about a handful of really cool-sounding short films that screen at one the world's 5,000 film festivals, they can actually see them.

"We are at the beginning of a transitional moment" in the short-film industry, said David Straus, CEO and co-founder of Withoutabox.com, an 8-year-old Los Angeles outfit that has helped 150,000 independent filmmakers market their films using the Internet. "It's not just that people can download them and see films online, it's that filmmakers are learning what they can do to reach out to audiences themselves."

Labels: hungryflix, independent film, indie film, iTunes, short films

Apple released the iPhone to much hype and fanfare. It billed the device as three devices in one. It was a revolutionary product for the cell phone industry. But the iPhone is having an effect outside of the mobile phone and computing industries. In fact, we belive that history will show the iPhone's release as one of the single biggest events in the history of independent filmmaking.

What, exactly, does the iPhone--a mobile phone/internet device/widescren iPod--have to do with indie film? Well, a lot. The movie download market must prepare for a great new phase as we look forward to more and more great devices capable of playing our content.

For independent content to survive and thrive, it must move to new delivery devices like Apple TV, iPod and now the iPhone. Support for these new devices will lead to growth in the audience for indie content. Many "mainstream" consumers will not view indie films at screenings, festivals or DVD. The films are too hard to find, often barried in video rental store shelves or playing in small art house theaters. This has been the case for the past few decades. Once every five years there is a breakout hit--a Clerks or Blair Witch--that gives the indie community something to rally around. The independent movie press declare, "We've arrived. This is the 'Year of the Indie'". Just as quickly as these hits arise, the excitement dies down and the great content made in the aftermath gets lost in the shuffle.

Now, for what may truely be the first time, consumers will have in their hands a great portable media device. You may argue that the iPod with video or the PSP have existed for a few years. But, these are devices that most people do not *have* to carry at all times. These are "luxury" devices that we carry when we want to. Cell phones are vastly different. Most Americans now carry their cell phone at all times--to the gym, on the bus, walking through the mall, at the ball game. We always have our phones with us. Now that Apple has delivered "the best iPod ever built" (Apple's words) and snuck it inside a phone, we now have a captive audience that will always have viewing capability.

This is, or has the potential to be, huge. Just look no farther than the iPhone's home screen. Right there on that gorgious 3.5" screen is a direct link to everyone's favorite dancing-cats-meet-dancing-teenagers clip sharing site, YouTube. Think about that. Apple put YouTube directly on the home screen of their revolutionary new device. Now, this could be entirely motivated by a new advertisting or search revenue deal Apple has struck with Google. But even if it is, the fact that YouTube is on the home screen of the iPhone can not be ignored.

Apple believes in mobile entertainment. They created the iPod so that we all could enjoy all our music at any time or place. Now, we are closer than ever to that dream for video. The iPhone's 3.5" screen has a resolution higher than many computer monitors. It displays MPEG4 H.264 video beautifully--better than any portable device ever has. These quality features combined with the simple fact that people will actually have the device with them, lead to great market opportunities.

Of course, the iPhone is, for now, a niche device. It's high price tag mean that it won't be found in the hands of many teens or college students in the near future. But just as with all technology, the price will drop over time. The iPhone will also force other handset makers and cell providers to design better devices. Devices that compete with the iPhone. When this happens, consumers win.

HungryFlix.com is ready to help independent producers, filmmakers and musicians in this new distribution world. We believe that this new class of mobile devices will open the doors to great indie content. It is time to get onboard. There are hundreds of thousands of movie and music fans out there with new devices that are hungry for great content.

http://www.hungryflix.com

Brian Andrews is an independent filmmaker and producer and CEO of http://www.HungryFlix.com, an online film distributor focused on new media.

Labels: independent, indie film, indie movies, iphone, ipod, movies, short films

The guys over at the Mac Filmmaking Podcast were kind enough to interview HungryFlix.com's Brian Andrews for their March 10, 2007 podcast.

Topics included background on how HungryFlix works, what makes HungryFlix different from other video sites, and how filmmakers and video producers can get paid for their work. We had a great discussion.

You can subscribe to Mac Filmmaking via iTunes.

And be sure to vote at Podcast alley.

Labels: hungryflix, indie film, iTunes, mac filmmaking, online distribution, online video, podcast, short films

There are so many talented indie filmmakers out there...everyone trying to get noticed, get their big break. Well, in the meantime, why not get your film out there to as many people as possible? Hop over to HungryFlix and upload your movie. You set your own price, and you'll earn 60% on your sales.

Labels: hungryflix, indie film, short films, video distribution, web

We are living in an exciting time. As the Web 2.0 bubble expands and the popularity and acceptance of user-driven ( which is just another word for independent, btw) content increases, we are finally seeing "new and improved" ways of consuming this content. Streaming is still the most popular method of watching internet distributed content. But, with the introduction of the slingmedia slingbox and the Apple tv, we are begining to see the completion of the distribution channel from content creation to internet distribution to delivery in the family room.

I don't think the importance of this can be underestimated. Think back to 5 years ago...how much online video was distributed? What were the levels of quality? It is easy to see how far we have come. A parallel can be made to the software industry. It is now very rare to run off to the store to purchase software. Yes, major packages such as an OS upgrade, Office suite or design/production software are still delivered on physical media. But most small to medium sized software packages are purchased and distributed online. This trend has moved to the music industry with iTunes, Rhapsody and Napster. This is a huge shift that will also sweep up the video industry.

The audience for watching video on a computer is small. I doubt that anyone over 45 is even willing to try watching more than a 3 minute clip on a computer screen. We are just too programmed in our ways. Long form programs belong on a TV. Another important factor is comfort. Most people want to sit, back, relax and enjoy the show...that is hard to do in an office or den setting. The final issue is that TV viewing-especially for movies-is considered to be a group activity. Many people like to watch movies with family and friends, this is impossible to do when all huddled around the computer.

So, we have new exciting options available. While geeks have been pumping online content to media center PCs or hacked Xboxes for years, we are now moving into the land of the rest of us. The new devices promise plug-and-play simplicity and a "look mom, no wires" approach to grabbing content off the net or from other networked computers.

The abiity to watch independent content in the family room is a huge win for content creators. Anyone can grab a DV camera and make a movie. We've seen this through the past five years in the explosion of no-budget filmmaking. The hardest part has always been getting your movie seen. Now with the internet as the distribution channel we've eliminated the need for getting a "real" distribution deal. And now, that we can get into the family room it's time to grab the popcorn!

Hungry for content? http://www.hungryflix.com

Labels: apple tv, indie film, online video, short films, slingbox, video, video distribution