like it pointed out the weaknesses of
the independent cinema, and how to
expanding the indie audience.
“It’s just as big a problem for [independents], if not bigger,”
says John Malcolm, senior vice-president and director of
worldwide anti-piracy operations for the
Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).
“Independents don’t have a large slate of films,
they don’t have distribution deals throughout the world.
Unlike the studios, they don’t have opportunities to make up
losses in one market with profits in another market.”
Teun Hilte’s London-based company Content Republic delivers
independent films to legitimate online platforms such as
The Auteurs, LoveFilm and Babelgum.
“The independents generally can’t afford to send a
Learjet of lawyers around the world like you might
do to protect something like Wolverine,” he says.
The availability issue
Peter Buckingham, head of distribution and exhibition
at the UK Film Council, points to FindAnyFilm.com, a
UKFC-backed database that allows consumers to search
available platforms for films (theatrical, DVD or streaming/download).
In the five months since the site’s launch, it has had 60,000
requests for alerts when a title is available in a particular format ―
and a whopping 60% of those requests are for streaming or
downloading. Yet of the 30,000 titles in the database
(20,000 of which are available in some format),
just 1,200 are available for downloading/streaming in the UK.
“A lot of people are at some point going to go to
illegal sites because the films aren’t available on
legitimate sites,” says Buckingham. He confirms it is not just blockbusters that consumers want to stream ―
alerts have been requested for some 8,900 titles.
The long-tail phenomenon is certainly coming into play.
One common problem for independent films is that
they may only be showing in one or two cities ―
leading fans whether in Yorkshire or Minnesota to assume
their only option is an illegal download. One company
addressing that problem is US-based IFC, which boasts the
Festival Direct platform for non-theatrical releases,
plus IFC In Theaters + On Demand, offering on-demand
access that runs concurrently with the theatrical release.
Past titles have included Gomorrah and Che,
available to smaller markets or those who prefer to watch from home.
Andy Whittaker, CEO of UK distributor Dogwoof,
notes that piracy has both plus and minus points for
most independents. “I remember when I saw the first pirated
copy of one of our films [still in cinemas at the time].
At first I was angry, but then I had an odd feeling this
was a sign we were doing something right,” he explains.
“Pirates are not going to bother pirating a film that sells only 10,000 copies.”
Whittaker continues: “Piracy hurts our revenues,
but it also creates new customers that otherwise may not
have found out about Dogwoof films, so at present it balances out.”
Dogwoof also works with UK-based online video search
company Blinkx to offer some of its catalogue online
free of charge in an ad-supported model.
Some film-makers have even encouraged pirates to
spread their film, such as Swedish anti-intellectual
piracy project Steal This Film and the low-budget sci-fi
flick The Man From Earth ― which received great buzz
(and some actual revenues) after being downloaded
more than 100,000 times from pirate sites.
One famous case of indie piracy is Nick Love’s 2004 movie,
The Football Factory, produced and distributed by the UK’s
Vertigo Films. An estimated 400,000 people saw it on
counterfeit DVDs before its theatrical launch.
“People thought we leaked the film to get word of mouth,
but we didn’t,” says Vertigo head Rupert Preston.
“However, the film has now sold 1.3 million units on DVD
which proves the audience will then buy the real thing.”
Now, Vertigo is fighting piracy on its release of Bronson,
despite DVDs being watermarked. “We’ve hired an anti-piracy
company that is zapping hundreds of peer-to-peer sites on a daily
basis,” says Preston. “Basically, you can Google the film and start
downloading it illegally within 30 seconds.”
Free and legal
There are also film-makers who want to legally
distribute their films for free. Nina Paley, the New York-based
director of award-winning animated feature Sita Sings The Blues,
offers her film online free of charge under
the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike Licence.
“The more people see the film, the greater demand for
purchasable items like DVDs,” Paley explains.
“Sita DVDs are selling online at a steady clip,
even though ― probably because ― the film can be
downloaded for free. Free sharing has also increased
demand for paid theatrical screenings.”
Further Information:
http://www.screendaily.com/news/distribution/us-americas/expanding-the-indie-audience/5003339.article
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