YouTube Adds Some Indie Movie Screenings To Line Up; No Change in Video Deals Strategy
YouTube has added long form videos/movies in the form of deals with indie filmmakers, and launched its YouTube Screening Room. “While the majority of these films have played at international film festivals, occasionally you
This is some great movie news for independent filmmakers. The majority of filmmakers struggle to make a living and this can be a successful way to help build their careers and to make some revenue.
YouTube’s ‘screening room’ announcement underscores the powerful role the Internet can play for independent filmmakers to share their work and build a fan-base without the limitations of conventional theater distribution. But it’s not the first — Lycos Cinema has provided a platform for indie filmmakers to showcase their work since late 2006. Having been at it for a while Lycos Cinema is loaded with hundreds of award-winning independent films, such as God's Lonely Man (Grand Jury Nominee – 2006 Sundance Film Festival); The Corndog Man (Emerging Filmaker Award – 2000 St. Louis International Film Festival); Kid Brother (Special Jury Prize – 1988 Paris Film Festival, Unicef Award Berlin International Film Festival); and The Zeros (Audience Award, Narrative Feature, 2001 SXSW Film Festival).
And as part of a major upgrade in May 2008, Lycos Cinema teamed up with Independent Features for an online film festival that is running from May 5 to June 30. The festival takes advantage of Lycos Cinema’s patent-pending watch and chat capability, which allows fans to synchronously discuss and watch movies in real-time. So it really mirrors the community experience of a film festival with fans socializing and buzzing about their favorites. Fans also get to interact with filmmakers — tonight (June 24) four directors will be hosting live chats with fans while their movies screen at the same time. Fans vote online as well, and the top films will be shown at the Tribeca Cinemas in NYC, July 25-27. Check it out here: http://cinema.lycos.com/iff.php