NEWS

NICHE THE NEW MASS

For the new wave of independent filmmakers frustrated by the studio system, online social networks like YouTube and MySpace have given them access to a public that traditional film and television models do not. It is not that these new filmmakers are technologically motivated but their huge impact on the web has been because they have something to say; the technology is merely a means to disseminate those ideas to a wide audience.

The old system of production and distribution may be heading into the dustbin of history as independent filmmakers, ironically dependent on financiers, distributors and exhibitors, can take advantage of alternative means of getting their work seen. Director Anthony Minghella warns that the established industry is not taking the new changes seriously enough or understanding how powerful the trends are: “The ownership of moving images has passed into the hands of practically everybody and the articulation of moving images has passed into the hands of everybody with access to a phone, laptop or digital camera. They can now have their say.”

Many new filmmakers do not even recognise the strict rules of the film business and are driven not by the technology but what they have to say. One such phenomenon is Machinima, which allows users to create a film by using video game components, which includes the cult series Red Vs Blue, which consist of comedy sketches created from and based in the game world of Halo.

There is a gap in the market, dominated at the top by studios, that the internet will turn into a viable and thriving system. At the moment, it is actually the Eastern side of the world that may be leading the way for new business models in wireless entertainment. In China, where young viewers are indifferent to state-controlled TV, their pastimes are spent the most on online services, including NetMovie, which has over 15,000 hours of legal film/TV content for their users. With such a huge population but with few people who can afford a computer in their homes, these network companies are distributing their content through internet cafes working similarly to cinema chains.

It’s becoming more evident that serious artists with a genuine voice are gaining the most attention over clips of gimmicky funny home movies; even Mike Dow and Ari Eisner’s re-editing of classic movies such as “Must Love Jaws”, first shown on YouTube, shows a comedic talent outmatching poor studio spoofs like the Scary Movie franchise. The internet is becoming a calling card for talent, which may replace the conventional role of short films. Potentially, the earliest signs of change will be in the film festivals, whose talent-spotting role may be usurped by online alternatives. If the signs lead to their suggested destination, will we finally see another collapse of the studios and a real filmmaking revolution?