Scary or Die VOD Premiere... TONIGHT!

The guys behind the film "Scary or Die" are not only a bunch of good guys, they're what indie horror is all about. We're proud to say that we've been working closely with them on a few projects, projects that we hope to be able to talk about soon. In fact, those projects are what's been occupying a lot of my time.  All I can say is, hopefully we get some traction on one of them and we can unleash something new and exciting on all of you.

Anyhow, "Scary or Die" premieres TONIGHT on VOD and you should be supporting your indie horror! Here's a link to the Facebook Invite, check it out for details: http://www.facebook.com/events/364757303570599/

Our Changing Industry - Something for Indie Filmmakers to Consider

I was just reading a white paper on something unrelated to indie horror, but it had some pretty startling stats on video content. Now, we all know we're living in a pivotal time in media consumption, but what we don't really know is where it's pivoting to. This white paper got me thinking and maybe some of these stats can light the way and show us something... I'll extract some of the highlights for you.

Overall viewership of traditional television networks, meaning ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, etc... is down, although there's a 1% overall increase in television viewing. So, that means that people are watching far more cable and specialty programming. Also, time shifted television content via DVR's increased 26% and the consumption of video content via the internet increased by 24%. Now, here's the shocking stat, the consumption of video content via mobile technologies is increasing at a TRIPLE digit rate. According to Youtube, mobile viewership increased 160% from 2008 to 2009. Consider all this and know that, although theatrical revenues are up, theatrical attendance has been flat or declined every year for the last decade...

So, what's all this mean? Well, a lot... and there's a lot of reasons why this is happening. The main reason is, ten or twenty years ago, you, as a viewer, didn't have much choice. You had a handful of TV channels to choose from and they usually just aired your usual TV programming. If you wanted a movie, you went to the theater or you went to Blockbuster to rent one. Video on the internet? What's that? Fast forward to today... you have choice, a lot of it. You can choose what you watch, when you watch it and where you watch it. This creates a fragmented marketplace. There's hundreds of channels to choose from and they air everything from movies on demand to specialty networks to regular programming. Movies are available everywhere and in so many different formats via so many different ways, it's insane - on your phone, on your computer, on your tablet... and then there's there internet, it changed everything. Content doesn't fit a certain mould anymore, it's anything and it's delivered anywhere. The viewer gets to choose now. Not the networks. Not the studios. Not the theater chains. The viewer has the power and when the viewer has the power, things change. So, what's this mean for content creators?

When I say 'content creator', I mean you. We're no longer filmmakers. We're content makers... and our content will be distributed on everything from big screens to handheld mobile devices. Our content won't be defined by time. No more 90 minute features, 22 minute episodic TV. It can be anything and it can be any length. Personally, I think that, for the first time in the history of entertainment, talent will define success. If you make content that people will watch, they'll watch. It's easy to get it out there. Attract enough of an audience and you'll get sponsors, you'll get advertisers, you'll get people to pay and the networks, studios and executives will take notice. It's a revolutionary time and I think we're in the midst of massive change... but that's just me.

So, what do you think? I'm I wrong? Is this just a blip or an anomaly? How's all this going to effect you? ...or is it? How's this going to effect the whole industry? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

RIP Blockbuster... All Hail VOD!

Is it a coincidence that in the same week that "a slew of Hollywood studios and cable companies are teaming up for a $30 million advertising campaign... to further promote awareness of movies available on cable VOD" (THR.com - "Studios, cable companies team for VOD"), we have "Blockbuster shares tumble after bankruptcy warning"? (Associated Press) Well, actually, it is a coincidence, I guess, but there is a very specific shift in the industry that's causing both events to happen...

Truth of the matter is, the DVD is dying. I don't think it'll ever fully go away, but it's definitely being devalued. According to Redbox, the subsidiary of Coinstar that specializes in the vending of rental DVD's via self-service/interactive kiosks, the rental of a DVD is worth a couple bucks, at best. Then, you have the Hulu's and Netflix's. Hulu is streaming content for free and Netflix is mailing DVD's out using a subscription model, which pushes the value of each DVD even lower. However, even Netflix sees the downside of DVD's and they're pushing heavily into VOD and streaming, by partnering with the likes of XBox, PS3 and even TiVo. Blockbuster tried to shift with the times, concentrating their outlets on being a retail experience and getting into mailing out DVD's and creating their own VOD experience, but, hey... it's a crowded marketplace.

Now, for fun, let's go back a few years. Back to the early 90's... the Worldwide web didn't exist, Mark Wahlberg was just a rapper, email was a few years away, we were anxiously waiting for "Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday", after the disappointment that was "Jason Takes Manhatten", and computers were relegated to getting information from floppy discs. Your computer was used to play "Leisure Suit Larry" and write term papers, that was about it. However, there were a few visionaries out there that knew what was coming... This thing called the Internet was about to come along and with it would come massive changes in hardware, software and infrastructure. Fast forward to present day and we now have the ability to interact, download and stream the richest of content, instantly. We got here pretty fast, didn't we? Now, what does this all mean?

Well, really, it doesn't mean that much. Looking back, TV meant the demise of the movie theater. VHS meant the demise of TV. Cable meant the demise of the Networks. DVD meant the demise of VHS. Now, streaming and VOD mean the demise of DVD. Looking at it that way, VHS is the only thing that really got hooped... poor VHS. Well, that was bound to happen. Remember when you used to have your VHS tapes and you'd keep their boxes all clean and on display? Remember how proudly you displayed your DVD collection? I don't know about you, but I've lost most of my DVD boxes and I have scratched up, old DVD's everywhere. This is just a shift in the industry and shifts will keep happening. After streaming and VOD, my bet is that everything goes to a cloud system - pay once for the rights to view content, then you'll get it forever, on any device... but it'll only be streamed, you'll never actually hold the file itself. Imagine if there was only ONE file at the studio and everyone, from the theaters to Billy Joe Bob in Utah, all just streamed from that. That's next. Remember when you needed a hard drive? That's so early 2000's... Next up, fully ubiquitous devices that can handle all media formats, you watch.

For now, I think this shift is good for indie filmmakers, I've been saying that for a while... and I feel it's been a long time coming. We're inching forward and I like it. It lowers the barriers of entry for distribution and the barrier for content creation is already low. Now, there's no tapes, DVD's or film. No shipping, retail outlets or kiosks. You'll just have a file. Upload it to somewhere and people can get it. Now, we just have to sit back, watch this all unfold and hope that the infrastructure is put in place for us indie guys to use it and profit from it.

Have a great weekend, see you next week!

Indieflix - A New Way To Distribute Your Film

As you know, we're here to help you, the indie-horror filmmaker. As you also know, distribution is the number one concern and question for most of you... so, we talk about distribution a lot. We also preach a few things, such as... 99% of the time a theatrical release is just not an option, sorry. Well, not that it isn't an option, per se, but that a theatrical release shouldn't be your goal. So, take that out and there's still many, many ways to get your film out there, but it really boils down to two methods: on DVD and digitally. They both pose a few issues for filmmakers, but the issues with digital distribution are more about the fact that the industry is in its infancy. Well, now there's someone to help you navigate that world, Indieflix.

I'm very interested in the world of digital distribution, meaning: VOD, streaming online, downloading, etc. I watch it closely and I pass on most of my thoughts to you, though the site. Well, I received a press release from Indieflix not too long ago and it took me a while to finally get around to reading it. I'll admit, a lot of stuff just sits in my inbox... but I digress. After reading the press release, I read a bit about them on their site and what other people have said about them and have come to the conclusion that you should check them out.

There's a few cool things about them: They're non-exclusive, you get 70% of the royalties, they take care of the manufacturing and it's all free to you. I do plan on contacting them and finding out more, though. Whatever I do find, I'll post about later. But until then, here's some excerpts from the press release.

IndieFlix “Bridge To Everywhere” Deal Delivers Much Needed Distribution Help To Indie Filmmakers.

Seattle WA, Sept 23, 2008 - Independent filmmakers finally have a "bridge to everywhere" as the online independent film distributor IndieFlix.com now delivers content to the world's most powerful outlets to close the gap between independent filmmakers and fans.

IndieFlix now promotes content with long-standing powerhouse distribution sources - many of them not available to individual filmmakers - like iTunes, Amazon VOD, Hulu, Joost, Netflix, and VUDU. These channels can provide filmmakers with millions of new viewers on a daily basis. The IndieFlix business model is simple: filmmaker provides their film to IndieFlix and IndieFlix promotes the content to the world free of charge. IndieFlix keeps a small percentage of sales and the filmmaker retains all rights to the material.

“Filmmakers are wondering how to get their work out in a more accessible way. There is confusion around how to best release across outlets like iTunes and Hulu. Indie filmmakers need what IndieFlix delivers," says Lance Weiler, Founder of From Here To Awesome, The Workbook Project, and DIY Days.

“I'm an independent filmmaker,” said IndieFlix CEO Scilla Andreen. “Distribution through the old Hollywood system is a maze of closed doors. We need a way to get our hard work out to the people who will love it, and with IndieFlix's new distribution deal, we've finally got it figured out. The future of independent film is not only in content aggregation, but also in audience aggregation and innovative marketing”

Company: IndieFlix is an independent film distribution and discovery site founded on the principles of community, promotion, syndication and transparency. We connect filmmakers, festivals and audience.

Our mission: For IndieFlix to be the first point of entry for the audience to find independent film and to set a standard by which company policy elevates and empowers the interest of the filmmaker.

Connecting supply with demand: IndieFlix.com, a trusted, multi-platform distributor of independent film founded by 2 award-winning filmmakers with the emphasis on marketing and filmmaker relations. Our growing library now stands at 1000+ film festival titles with worldwide rights.