Posted on Oct 8, 2009

ifw logo Overview http://ifw.bside.com/2009/films/casestudydigitalfilmmakingfeaturingentrenos_ifw2009

At first I was planning on grabbing a gyro for this panel, like many cineastes, the idea of exhibition on a cell phone doesn’t appeal to me. However, since this panel was part of “Filmmaking 2.0″ (the unifying theme of the panels on Monday), I decided to embrace the spirit of the day, stable my persnickety tendencies, and give it a go.

I’m glad I did.

First off: this is an interesting experiment with A-list talent touted as the first “major feature” released cross-platform and debuting on mobile devices. Or something like that. In truth, it’s hard to wade through all the buzzwords and flap surrounding the endeavor, mainly because it really is so new. Suffice to say that there are some serious industry vets behind it that are pushing the envelope, and, along with it, the next generation of filmmaking.

Is it a cool concept? Hells yes. Will anyone buy it today? Probably not. Is it ten years ahead of its time? Probably so. But the folks involved are positioning themselves to be ahead of the game for tomorrow’s theatre-goers, who probably won’t be theatre-goers at all, but will be comfortable viewing this kind of content on their mobile devices. Is it for me or anyone over 30 who enjoys theatrical exhibition? No. Is there a way to make money on mobile delivery and use that to drive sales and other ancillary revenue streams? I think so. Maybe not today, but certainly in the future.

And for their spirit of derring do, I have to give the folks behind it a big up.

I’m not going to lie, I have yet to watch any of it. The concept, a murder-mystery at a high-end fashion show as caught by a kid on his cell phone, really isn’t my cup of tea. But I’ll certainly keep an eye out to see what develops with this groundbreaking concept. My gut feeling, and I’m guessing those behind it as well, is that it’s a proof-of-concept outing that will become the norm, for some audiences, in five-to-ten years.

Case Study Online "Rage"

Moderator:
Janet Brown, COO – Cinetic Rights Management

Panelists:
Karol Martesko-Fenster, General Manager FILM Division – Babel Network (Babelgum.com)
Andrew Fierberg, Producer – Vox3 Films - Fur: An Imaginary Portrait Of Diane Arbus, Rage

Christopher Shepard, Producer – Rage

Related:

468 ad