Friday, January 06, 2006 1/06/2006 08:00:00 AM
What if you couldn't drink the water...
"If there is anything I have learned working in independent film, it's that the distributors have all the power. Only one-in-ten independent films ever find distribution, and even then they rarely make any money. Though I consider myself lucky that we sold our first film Bomb the System, the deal was for one-tenth of the price it cost us to produce it. And now, someone else is profiting off our hard work.
With our second film, Waterborne, we had an offer from a distributor for a $125,000 advance for a limited theatrical release and DVD deal when we discovered Google Video and the new online distribution model. The only problem was, if we signed with the distributor, they would not grant us the online rights. It came down to one deal or the other. If we went the traditional route and played in a couple of theaters, we may get a few hundred people to see the film. But if we premiered on Google Video, millions of people would see it. And, we would maintain ownership of the material. No middle man, no distributor, nothing. Just me, my film, and the millions of people online everyday. Incredible. This is a major step in the online distribution revolution for films and videos, and to be honest, no one really knows how it is going to impact the current industry framework. But for an independent filmmaker trying to make a mark in a studio driven world, it's an exciting time to be alive." (Description provided by Ben Rekhi, director)
Drops Entertainment
dropsentertainment.com
1 hr 22 min 20 sec
