Open-source films to “wreck the Hollywood model”?
Following the lead of music and software, movies might be the next thing that becomes more easily distributed, and more importantly, simply and cheaply produced. Wreck A Movie is the open-source Finnish platform that wishes to free creativity from the bounds of Hollywood and the studio system in general. Board member and entrepreneur Peter Vesterback describes the software’s aim in simply words: “we want to wreck the Hollywood model”. His logic is that Hollywood produces about 700 films annually but there is thousands of people that would love to get a chance at movie making.
To get an idea of what can be done, check out Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning, a film that cost $20,000 and has been downloaded from the Internet 8 million times! It has sparked a range of games and merchandise that bring income, in other words the model is to give viewers something for free and if they are happy they contribute via related products.
Iron Sky is the second film from the Star Wreck people. The story of Nazis perfecting anti-gravity technology in 1945, hiding at the Moon after the end of WWII and coming back to earth to take their blood back is far-fetched but sounds quite entertaining. After all, aren’t all recent zombie movies playing on such a basis?
Offering a web based movie making platform is a super idea. Instead of going in the direction of expensive digital productions with technology that is still in great flux, it rightly concentrates on content making. Equipment for HD movie making is now available at relatively accessible price, while PC editing has been accessible for years.
However, I don’t believe that there is a substitute for raw creativity, no matter what platform is used. Especially for films that require no special effects, festivals like Sundance have proven that it is not necessary to spend millions for a good result.
The Internet is bound to revolutionise the film industry. That is definitely happening on a distribution basis, and like with Wreck A Movie, we will possibly see advances on the creative front. It is certainly a rule that when more people can a have a go at movie projects there is more chances for the emergence of new talent and outstanding new productions.
One point which disappoints me and I find incredibly sticky is that the Internet has a tendency to create goods that are paid for via ads or related products. For films, I am firmly against that approach and since I adore cinema I think that having producers begging for advertisements would beat the whole point of going open source. The current model of paying for what is watched I find logical and fair. I believe that the right way forward is in driving production costs down and making distribution easier. Giving away movies for free could indeed wreck not only Hollywood but the whole industry of movie making…
Link 1: CNET
Link 2: Wreck A Movie
Link 3: Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning
Link 4: Iron Sky
[...] To get an idea of what can be done, check out Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning, a film that cost $20,000 and has been downloaded from the Internet 8 million times! It has sparked a range of games and merchandise that bring income, in other words the model is to give viewers something for free and if they are happy they contribute via related products. (continued) [...]
May 2nd, 2008 at 14:15[...] his crew are amazing and if the budget is limited, there is alternative options like Filmaka and open-source, both covered recently by [...]
May 8th, 2008 at 09:32