Sell your videos on Vimeo ..

KyleProhaska said:
Hmm well I've had a totally different experience but I guess I'm the exception.
Click to expand...

You definitely have had major success, but you must consider that the Christian Film Market is a completely different animal than everything else. Of course you and I have discussed this before MANY times, but that's why you have people boldly stepping into that arena... because of (and I don't mean to dumb it down to this, so I hope noone gets angry about it) how easy it is to "bank".

I think it's great that there are many new platforms opening up, I agree with David and Robert. Especially Robert's point about choosing to move forward with another project while someone else takes care of the distribution. For some people, and this is TOTALLY fine, living with a picture for five to six years is just fine. I'm three years in and I'm possessed with glee that this thing's going off to try and find a job... been living in my basement for TOO long.

David Jimerson said:
And that's what peer-to-peer networking is for.
Click to expand...
David Jimerson said:
I get inquiries, too, and I handle nearly all of my audition announcements, etc. that way. (Gearing up to do so again soon, too.) But promoting a product isn't the same thing at all.
Click to expand...


Indeed. Not even close...
 
David Jimerson said:
And that's what peer-to-peer networking is for. I get inquiries, too, and I handle nearly all of my audition announcements, etc. that way. (Gearing up to do so again soon, too.) But promoting a product isn't the same thing at all.
Click to expand...
Are you not a product? Do you not sell "yourself"?

Anyway... Congrats to Kyle. A christian market film is a FILM none the less. At least it's on shelves :thumbsup:
 
Bassman2003 said:
Now the bands have to do all things, be all things and they lost the shot at the really big pay day that used to exist. Now they slog around trying to win followers one by one through social media and show per show instead of having the resources of a Sony or BMG to put out a media blitz. Plus they get to be part of the millions of other options on itunes or Amazon.
Click to expand...

You mean they actually have to engage their audience and work for their interest or loyalty? They have to actually be interesting and compel the demand for their content, rather than just sitting back on the laurels of a single, album, or tour?

I'm oversimplifying of course, and I acknowledge there is a flip-side to every coin. But the bottom line is that the gatekeepers no longer have the power on either side of the gate. For better or worse. If you have the time, I urge you to watch this incredibly relevant keynote speech from Patton Oswalt. While he is speaking to a crowd of comedians, his words should permeate all creative industries.

 
Bassman2003 said:
It will be interesting to see this play out. We all have watched the music industry go through its 'change of life'. I would say the consumer has won in the music space and the bands have lost. Now the bands have to do all things, be all things and they lost the shot at the really big pay day that used to exist. Now they slog around trying to win followers one by one through social media and show per show instead of having the resources of a Sony or BMG to put out a media blitz. Plus they get to be part of the millions of other options on itunes or Amazon.

Yes it is a fine line but big distribution and production is needed to some extent. Consumers en mass often need a simple choice. Maybe enough has been learned from the music model that the film/video model will be 2.0
Click to expand...

You've absolutely hit the nail on the head. All that's happened is money is going to the likes of Apple instead of the record companies and although as customers we get cheaper tracks, the bands aren't getting the marketing and visibility. Now it's down to TV shows like Xfactor that have the money to market sub-par music at the masses.

Much as it pains me to admit it, the huge amounts of marketing money are needed, without record companies real talent isn't getting spotted.
 
Last edited:
refocusedmedia said:
But the bottom line is that the gatekeepers no longer have the power on either side of the gate.
Click to expand...

This is not meant to sound argumentative at all, and has no tone behind it. The "gatekeepers", what have they lost power over so far? It seems to me that any major property is still handled in the same fashion, while also taking advantage of avenues like this Vimeo On Demand. Everywhere you look companies at the top of the food chain are pushing content down into the same channels, even creating content specifically for them that outshines ninety five percent of the no-name no-budget properties offered. I'm speaking of Web Series specifically.

Glance at Netflix, they aren't hiring no-names and they aren't working with no-budgeteers to produce their original content. Eli Roth's a pretty strong name, and ten million (that number may be something else, could be crossing my wires on entertainment news) isn't a small dollar amount.

And hey, how about that Veronica Mars kickstarter that's at one million already: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/559914737/the-veronica-mars-movie-project

It seems to me that they haven't lost power over anything... but, in the same breath, the movies that should be seen, could be seen, have no reason to be seen, etc. all get a chance to show EVEN if they do not earn or break even at all. Perhaps it's not supposed to come off as an us-versus-them scenario yet it always does, and those guys still have it made.
 
Totally understand the comments made about my market and such. Hopefully I didn't sound too prideful, not my intent! :)

But I do think social media is more powerful then folks think and it bums me out when people seem to write it off. It can be used to great advantage but again, i realize it won't work for everybody or every film.

Carry on! :) Regardless, way to go Vimeo!
 
KyleProhaska said:
Totally understand the comments made about my market and such. Hopefully I didn't sound too prideful, not my intent! :)

But I do think social media is more powerful then folks think and it bums me out when people seem to write it off. It can be used to great advantage but again, i realize it won't work for everybody or every film.

Carry on! :) Regardless, way to go Vimeo!
Click to expand...

You know my feelings about your work and success, sir. xD Prideful, you should be.

Dismissing social marketing would be a bad thing, but some will have more success than others just based on specific criteria.
 
Last edited:
The thing I want is access to the TV. Netflix requires a membership, as does amazon. With that membership I can get it going on my Roku and then streamed to my TV. To me, it's no good just to be on the web (i.e. play in a player on a browser). Will we be able to sell to TVs?
 
hscully said:
The thing I want is access to the TV. Netflix requires a membership, as does amazon. With that membership I can get it going on my Roku and then streamed to my TV. To me, it's no good just to be on the web (i.e. play in a player on a browser). Will we be able to sell to TVs?
Click to expand...

Vimeo is accessible from a lot of TV's, Apple TV, etc.
 
Kholi said:
This is not meant to sound argumentative at all, and has no tone behind it. The "gatekeepers", what have they lost power over so far? It seems to me that any major property is still handled in the same fashion, while also taking advantage of avenues like this Vimeo On Demand. Everywhere you look companies at the top of the food chain are pushing content down into the same channels, even creating content specifically for them that outshines ninety five percent of the no-name no-budget properties offered. I'm speaking of Web Series specifically.

Glance at Netflix, they aren't hiring no-names and they aren't working with no-budgeteers to produce their original content. Eli Roth's a pretty strong name, and ten million (that number may be something else, could be crossing my wires on entertainment news) isn't a small dollar amount.

And hey, how about that Veronica Mars kickstarter that's at one million already: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/559914737/the-veronica-mars-movie-project

It seems to me that they haven't lost power over anything... but, in the same breath, the movies that should be seen, could be seen, have no reason to be seen, etc. all get a chance to show EVEN if they do not earn or break even at all. Perhaps it's not supposed to come off as an us-versus-them scenario yet it always does, and those guys still have it made.
Click to expand...

In short, they have lost the ability to keep consumers from quality content without an over-inflated paywall in between, or with the trade-off of convenience. Now quality content is either free or reasonably priced and is more convenient than ever. The more the gatekeepers try to ground their industry in the past, or drag society back with them, the more irrelevant they become. Crowd-funding is just one of many examples of this -- also look at Tugg which has brought over 150 films to theaters in their short existence, based on consumer demand.

Do they still control the blockbuster releases and mega artists? Sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see a crowd-funded "blockbuster" in the next 5 years. And we're already seeing independent artists bypass the studio artists in the music industry (i.e., Macklemore & Ryan Lewis), so I wouldn't be surprised to see that begin to happen in film as well.
 
KyleProhaska said:
Vimeo is accessible from a lot of TV's, Apple TV, etc.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know. I use it on the Roku. It knows who I am but how will it be able to authenticate a purchase of my movie? Amazon, has accounts as does Netflix. They both have authenticated that device to my account and can charge me, ala Amazon. What provision will Vimeo have for that?

So say I want to buy a movie from you and watch it on my TV. May I go and purchase it on the website and then be automatically authenticated on my other devices? Just wondering.

I know that Vimeo knows it's me because they show me my "Private" videos. I wonder if they are going to use that infrastructure for purchases too? Also, will there be an interface, ala Amazon, to buy directly from the TV for various devices. It's a different eco system.

BTW, I always admired your self production of Standing Firm.
 
Last edited:
refocusedmedia said:
In short, they have lost the ability to keep consumers from quality content without an over-inflated paywall in between, or with the trade-off of convenience. Now quality content is either free or reasonably priced and is more convenient than ever. The more the gatekeepers try to ground their industry in the past, or drag society back with them, the more irrelevant they become. Crowd-funding is just one of many examples of this -- also look at Tugg which has brought over 150 films to theaters in their short existence, based on consumer demand.
Click to expand...

My question would be what quality content? This isn't to say that there really isn't any outside of the larger system, but as much as people harp on what's in theaters or what's provided on television, it's far far better than most material in film festivals that are outside of the major competitions (Sun/slamdance, SXSW, fantastic etc.), and these are supposed to be the cultivators of quality content.

The optimism is fantastic, the reality however can be found on Netflix today. Without naming any titles, just surf for the newest no-name content and try to watch a few of those.
Do they still control the blockbuster releases and mega artists? Sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see a crowd-funded "blockbuster" in the next 5 years. And we're already seeing independent artists bypass the studio artists in the music industry (i.e., Macklemore & Ryan Lewis), so I wouldn't be surprised to see that begin to happen in film as well.
Click to expand...

For all of the reasons that the music and motion picture industry can be compared to each other, and are linked in some as well, the one thing that stalls the debate on similarities is how you consume music. Driving, cooking, cleaning, working, etc. It's easier to pay one dollar for a song, put it on one of many playlists and forget about it until it comes up in the shuffle. That's a very awesome thing that you just can't have with this (motion picture) medium.

It requires a different kind of investment.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, good stuff, by the way. The music industry is better off in how it's changed... Soundcloud is one of the most incredible things available to people who love, like, or have a passing fancy with music. So much great music, undiscovered and on the verge of.

Hopefully, my pov doesn't seem too negative. That's not the intent, it's just the past two years have been dedicated to market research and the outlook -- if you ask the magic eight ball, seems to be "we'll see". xD

More of these conversations should exist... they're good for relighting the pilot.
 
Kholi said:
My question would be what quality content? This isn't to say that there really isn't any outside of the larger system, but as much as people harp on what's in theaters or what's provided on television, it's far far better than most material in film festivals that are outside of the major competitions (Sun/slamdance, SXSW, fantastic etc.), and these are supposed to be the cultivators of quality content.

The optimism is fantastic, the reality however can be found on Netflix today. Without naming any titles, just surf for the newest no-name content and try to watch a few of those.
Click to expand...

True, if there is one important purpose a gatekeeper should serve, it's as a curator. Too often those decisions are based solely on financial or business reasons, but nonetheless it is something that needs to be done. Otherwise you end up with Youtube. Imagine if you were an average person trying to find a decent film to watch without someone helping you or linking you to examples... it'd be impossible.


For all of the reasons that the music and motion picture industry can be compared to each other, and are linked in some as well, the one thing that stalls the debate on similarities is how you consume music. Driving, cooking, cleaning, working, etc. It's easier to pay one dollar for a song, put it on one of many playlists and forget about it until it comes up in the shuffle. That's a very awesome thing that you just can't have with this (motion picture) medium.

It requires a different kind of investment.
Click to expand...

Very true, it requires a different approach even if it is similar to begin with.
 
I found the answer to my "TV" question in the indiewire article:

"We've been partnering with TV manufacturers to have our apps on Apple TV or Vizio and Samsung, so when you purchase this content, you can actually watch it on the big screen at home, it doesn't just have to be on your monitor. Anytime someone purchases a video, it goes into your "Watch Later" queue so you can automatically watch it when you get home."

Now what about the Roku? I've already written code to do the authentication for that :)
 
David Jimerson said:
For which you get "likes" by the container-shipload, but almost zero financial return.
Click to expand...

It's called building an audience, something that used to be done by million-dollar marketing departments can now be done more easily and efficiently by a small team or a single person. There are also monetization capabilities to turn those views/likes into cash, should you so choose.
 
refocusedmedia said:
It's called building an audience, something that used to be done by million-dollar marketing departments can now be done more easily and efficiently by a small team or a single person. There are also monetization capabilities to turn those views/likes into cash, should you so choose.
Click to expand...

There is no way to directly monetize "likes." What it does is give you a base of information which you can then use for further marketing/promotion, but there's no direct monetary return.

There's monetization of YouTube views (available for some after a certain number of views), but that's not what we're talking about here. It's also pennies unless you get into the millions of views. That alone is by no means a sustainable business model.

Look, what I say concerns the idea that all you have to do is run a Facebook ad and boom, your promotional work is done. That's simply not true. Building an audience is only the very first step. Getting them to click "Pay and continue" is entirely different ball of wax.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top