Slashdot Mirror
Film Distribution Comes To The Internet
Dooferlad writes "thisisnotalovesong.com hosts something of a first - a film that is being distributed over the Internet because independent films are being pushed out of the box office by blockbusters. At a time when everything on seems to be a sequel it would be nice to have something original on the silver screen, but unless you live near the 5 cinemas in the UK where this is been shown you will have to do with your own small screen. The film is being distributed in Windows Media format, either streamed or for download. The code you pay for (2 to 3 UK pounds) allows you to watch as many times as you like. The catch for most of you reading is that it is only for people in the UK. More coverage is available from the BBC."
with no Linux or Mac alternatives
If this is the future of film distribution where MS leads (and to hell with the EU antitrust violations
) then ill stick with stealing movies from hollywood in DVDRip.DIVX format
and congrats for buying the marketing for this flick, film distribution has been on the Internet for at least 4 years (IFILM etc)
They need to ditribute this in multiple formats if they want a chance in hell of making this work. It seems that the same people that go to see indy movies are the same people using linux and Mac. So they need to make it available to us.
...and I'd love to put it to some use. I'd pay and download this, even if it's something I don't fully like. I figure supporting this distobution would be the best way to show the industry that it would actually work. ...too bad I'm in the States. There other legal distobutions centers for indie movies out there online?
To write a haiku - all you need is the correct - number of syli...
independent films are being pushed out of the box office by blockbusters
Close, but true independent films are being pushed out of the way to make room for independent (low budget) films aiming to be blockbusters. It's not that art houses are going to be showing Bad Boys II or Freddy vs Jason, but that they would rather show My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Bend It Like Beckham over Gerry and The Secret Lives Of Dentists.
You see, even if it is only 3or 4 euros/dollars for the "token", you have to pay for the download time/bytes.
:P
So, for some that have 56K/ISDN or a broadband connection with traffic limit (my isp makes me pay 50euros month for 2G and 2euros plus for every 100M), it's always cheaper to buy the damn thing.
Same applies to download/buy linux distributions.
But hey... you can always download it at work
Did anybody understand the trailer? I for one was not left with any idea of what the movie was about. Some guys in a car screaming. Some people get thrown into a barn. Somebody shoots a shotgun. Somebody pushes a boulder. Techno music throughout. What the hell is this about, why would I want to watch it, and what does it have to do (or not to do) with a love song?? I'm not really impressed by the i'm-more-clever-and-hip-than-you trailers that don't give any indication of wtf a movie is about. Especially if they are trying to gain a following in an alternative distribution channel.
It's 10 PM. Do you know if you're un-American?
Um... I've seen this advertised/discussed in exactly 3 places now: the BBC (yes, the British Broadcasting Corporation), the GLLUG mailing list (that's the Greater London LUG) and here. Of them, I would only consider the BBC one to be an 'official' announcement and they are a British corporation, aiming at a British audience, paid for by the British tax-payer.
The amount of content on this site which is only available or in any way relevent to residents of the US is phenomenal. And that's largely okay, since this is effectively a US site. But you and others who are complaining that this is only available in the UK are only seeing a small example of what we see all the time.
In a more practical sense, I can think of at least three major reasons for the limitation:
Paranoia isn't an infectious condition, it's a way of life
This might be a stupid question, but isn't the quality of the movie going to be pretty crappy? Even on a good internet connection it still takes a long time to download decent quality movies. Why not wait and get the movie on dvd for the same price and a much better qaulity movie.
I could see so many ways this could go bad.
I love my wife!
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was no "indy" film. The film studio that made the movie was Sony Pictures Classics, one of the largest and best funded film houses in Asia and a part of the same Sony that is a member of the MPAA. A mere glance at the film should tell you that this was a high-budget feature backed by a large company. Just because something's not made by Hollyhood doesn't mean that it's "indy."
If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
I very much doubt whether this is legal in the EU. With the internal market directive, you can't really sell something to people from one EU country and not to another (or even charge differently depending on the country).
- -
Help draw the world map of our collective minds.
The catch for most of you reading is that it is only for people in the UK.
The real catch is it's Windows Media Player Format.