19 Jan Film Fund-amentals: Digital Noon

On January 27, the YouTube movie comes of age. I mean movies made via YouTube for YouTube (as opposed to movies that just kind of get dumped there). This is the date for the premiere screening of Life in a Day at the Sundance Film Festival. The importance of this screening is not so much the film itself, but rather how it was made. Life in a Day is composed of footage taken on July 24, 2010, by YouTube users from around the world. It is somewhat akin to the first international satellite broadcast by Telstar.

But even more interesting are the folks behind this production. The film is directed by Kevin Macdonald, the Oscar-winning director of The Last King of Scotland. Even more provocative is the film’s producer, Ridley Scott. Macdonald has an extensive background in documentary filmmaking and is obviously exploring the new collaborative world of digital information. But Scott is involved because that is where the zeitgeist can be found, and it seems to be his weird destiny every decade to take a ride on that bronco.

Scott’s erratic career is notorious for having more slumps than a relief pitcher for a Triple A farm team (heck, I saw Robin Hood last year and can barely remember the movie). But between these slumps, he turns around and directs the defining film of that decade (i.e. Blade Runner, Thelma and Louise, etc.). It’s some kind of subconscious instinct he has for emerging forms and directions. He doesn’t have it often, but when he does, it matters. That’s one of the reasons why he’s Sir Ridley Scott.

Critically, Life in a Day will not necessarily be a significant milestone. The “Day in a Life” genre of documentary filmmaking has traditionally not been a major venue for wild excitement (I’m excluding the 7 Up! film series, since it’s more of an ongoing observational project that has carved out its own unique niche). But what Life in a Day does represent is mainstream acknowledgment of the new foundations of digital communication and its rapidly emerging impact on media. Likewise, it’s also a significant probe into the rapidly evolving world of digital distribution.

It is especially interesting that this premiere is taking place at about the same time that Paramount Pictures and Relativity Media have announced their intention to provide members of the Academy with iTune downloadable versions of The Fighter. Increasingly, Academy members have been viewing the Oscar nominees via DVDs. Now they won’t have to make that long walk to their mailbox (yeah, I know, most of these folks have people who do that walk for them).

Of course, these same Academy members may be like the Netflix members who prefer to get a DVD in the mail. Netflix has been one of the forerunners in the downloadable experiment, and they have so far achieved a glass-is-half-full position based on a business model that seems to be evolving through an extremely bumpy trial-and-error process. In some respects, the Netflix experiment is supremely important in the commercial application of digital distribution. But for the independent filmmaker, it is just slightly irrelevant.

Netflix is focused on mainstream commercial distribution (a major complaint about their approach to downloadable access is that they offer a pretty limited – and largely tent pole Hollywood – selection). Independent filmmakers require a wider range. Besides, Netflix is about making money for Netflix. Indie filmmakers have a bizarre interest in maybe, just maybe making some money for themselves (gee, what a surprise – next they’re going to want to make a living at this business).

Various online distribution resources for indie movies are rapidly emerging (just go to the Planet Indie site for a quick initial list). Various companies such as Film Baby, New Video and Wamclips have established workable first generation distribution niches. Both the Sundance and Tribeca Film Festivals have moved into digital distribution of winning movies. The digital dawn has already shifted to noon, and the new model is now waiting for the first wave of serious financial application.

Which is the potential represented by SnagFilms. With their recent announcement of a $10 million investment into digital distribution for indie movies (both narrative and documentary), SnagFilms is about to make one of the most ambitious moves yet into the indie/digital arena. Though their business linkage with both Comcast and Verizon sounds a bit like a dance with the devil, it is still an intriguing effort that hopefully will work.

So if Ridley Scott is attempting to ride on this zeitgeist wave, he’d better hurry. This time he will not be riding alone.