film distribution website project

K

kill_me_killroy

Member
hi there, first off I love this forum, it forms a very important corner of the internet in my opinion.

im thinking about a starting a project which could provide what I think alot of independent filmmakers want, - but im a little sketchy as to whether someone has already provided a decent enough service or if it is needed at all. so my question basically requires some informed opinions.

my project entails the setting up a free website for filmmakers to distribute their films, and to run an online magazine attached to the films being distributed (reviewing etc), and generally create a hub for networking and publicity.
I have the concept pretty much planned out (and obviously don’t want to give away to much), but was first wondering what kind of demand there would be for such a service? has someone already done this? obviously its not worth me investing in something which has no hope of getting off the ground, and for this to really work it would need lots of interest; say atleast 50 decent short films being distributed from pretty early on, continuous stream of competent users (ie not just kids messing around with cameras), lots of dedicated people to share information and get people in the business to take note etc.

so I need lots of opinions, (is this the best area to get them on?) and I hope this thread sees lots of action.
thanks for the help.
 
ya i think that would be a great tool. the one thing you mentioned which i think is very important is the professional aspect. I'd even go so far as to say that maybe a small fee should be applied. that would help to ensure that only very serious individuals submit films.
i'm always checking out ifilm.com, but sometimes it seems like anything can air on it. i think the strength of this website your proposing would have to be the professionalism...
 
Hi, I am working with a couple of other guys and we started a site called YouAreTV (www.youare.tv) we are working to help indie filmmakers get their films out there, and create buzz around their work. We made it so that your video is not overcrowded or devalued in the display. We have a lot of great shorts already and are really excited about the project, and we'd love you to check it out.
 
I see where your coming from troypod. I think a fee would be to off putting though, it would have to be as user-friendly as possible, and the way I have it planned out means a fee is unnecessary in terms of cost covering. the magazine attached to the site would filter the good films to the forefront, and the users would be invited to submit their reviews of films for publication in the magazine, thus making it fairly self-sufficient, and hopefully keeping an active and interested userbase. – I hadn’t heard of ifilms, it seems to me that ‘big’ places like that and google and archive are all full of rubbish and mainly commercial stuff. it really leaves any good films, that are put up, stranded.
I have this theory about the problems in dv filmmaking, - why there have yet to be any masterpieces created, or hardly anything worth viewing, or even any promising talent coming up using it - and I think that a large proportion of the problem stems from the complete lack of a devoted system around it: films get lost, people get lost, and there is nothing to live up to. The only chance a dv filmmaker has of getting his work out there and being given the time, money, encouragement and connections to progress their art/craft, is by the tired, conservative and pretty much dead film circuit. hence my goal to create something central and digital and free.

hey dundas, I like your site, even though it setup different to what im proposing, there are some aspects of it that are a step in the right direction (in my eyes) in terms of community based, non-commercial, etc. pretty cool.
 
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Are all these films made for free? It is way to easy to give your work away for free. DON'T DO IT!!! Johnny falling off his skate board should be free, the cat attacking the dog should be free. We all know the vast amount of stress, sweat, money, energy, called in favors, tears, and everything else that goes with making even the shortest short. Why in the world would you give it away ? Technology is on your side. The future is online distibution. START YOUR OWN STUDIO!! GET PAID. Look at MiniMovies.com. It's free for filmmakers, filmmakers get paid and is using the most amazing technology on the web. PLEASE ALL SERIOUS FILMMAKERS--STOP GIVING AWAY YOUR WORK!!!
 
JDZ said:
PLEASE ALL SERIOUS FILMMAKERS--STOP GIVING AWAY YOUR WORK!!!
Click to expand...

You make an excellent point JDZ.
And that miniMovies looks interesting.

EDIT: Oh oh, two posts, and both pointing to the same site...hmmm.....
 
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Yes, I'm involved with this site and I want to spread the word. I hope that doesn't make the site any less interesting. Thanks for helping me to understand I that should make that clear. MiniMovies.com has been online for only 2.5 months and the response has been great. So please, if you or someone you know has a good product give it a look.
 
JDZ,

I posted a few questions to help@minimovies.com early last week, but haven't received a response.

The first question I have is what is the average (or median) sell through on something that's been watched 75% through, or are those figures not yet calculable, and/or wide enough samples? Do you have anything that counts views versus sell-throughs for a particular movie? I think having a counter like that would be quite valuable to the filmmakers, especially myself.

The second question I have is what is the average duration of a film on mini movies? I am going to have a feature done pretty soon that I want to post to minimovies, and noticed that your length requirements per file are 1-60 minutes. At that, I was contemplating breaking down the movie for downloadable purposes into either serial/reel lengths, or just plain "in half". Have you had other features on there yet, and how many chunks have they broken down their films into?

The third question I have is, since you're asking for DVD's or DV Tapes, instead of files, what is the frame rate, frame size, or resolution the files will be available at for download? Do I need to letterbox it for your purposes, since it's anamorphic, or will you stretch it out there? Would it be acceptable to send you a Master QT file instead, so that it doesn't need to be compressed twice, once either bringing it back to DV or DVD, and then a second time putting it onliine?

Thanks for making such a great site, and service, I was searching high and low for this exact thing, as have many others I imagine. Glad to know it's out there. Are you going to offer any affiliate advertisting in the future for filmmakers to advertise for minimovies on their own sites? I want to see this site succeed, hope that it stems the tide of backyard wrestling outtakes over at YouTube.

Todd Mattson
Duct Tape Films
 
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Matt,
Our records show we responded to your inquiry on July 29. Please check again and let me know if you did not receive it.

Thanks so much for your interest and positive comments. To answer your questions...

We show up to 75% of your film. Several things can determine how much free preview we show: quality, plot, TRT, etc... We agree that a sell-through counter would be a useful tool. Thanks for the great idea.

Most films are short but feature length is no problem. You could break into parts if you wish, this would create a sort of series for your work. It's totally up to you.

As far as resolution, we stream at various sizes, up to 700x520! the Ipod and AVI download resolution is 320x240. As internet bandwidth increases in the future so will the resolutions.

We accept all aspect ratios, if you need or want us to stretch it we will.

A master QT file is fine as long as it fits on a disc. We have found DV tapes bring the best results because they can hold the more data than optical discs.

Thanks again for your interest and I hope we can get you Movie up soon.

Jeff Darby (JDZ)
MiniMovies.com
 
JDZ said:
Matt,
Our records show we responded to your inquiry on July 29. Please check again and let me know if you did not receive it.

Thanks so much for your interest and positive comments. To answer your questions...

We show up to 75% of your film. Several things can determine how much free preview we show: quality, plot, TRT, etc... We agree that a sell-through counter would be a useful tool. Thanks for the great idea.

Most films are short but feature length is no problem. You could break into parts if you wish, this would create a sort of series for your work. It's totally up to you.

As far as resolution, we stream at various sizes, up to 700x520! the Ipod and AVI download resolution is 320x240. As internet bandwidth increases in the future so will the resolutions.

We accept all aspect ratios, if you need or want us to stretch it we will.

A master QT file is fine as long as it fits on a disc. We have found DV tapes bring the best results because they can hold the more data than optical discs.

Thanks again for your interest and I hope we can get you Movie up soon.

Jeff Darby (JDZ)
MiniMovies.com
Click to expand...

Thanks Jeff! Act one (First 25 minutes or so) should be done pretty soon. I'll probably send them out as each act is completed....
 
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