Film Comment onine has a new interview up with The Auteurs head Efe Carakel (who has promised us an interview as well, at some point). The discussion is more about the “vision” of the site than the financial nitty-gritty, a vision that is clean, curated, and Criterion-affiliated. They’ve done a good job making something with a different look and feel than other online markets- it remains to be seen if the niche they are hitting (my niche, as it happens) will be able to sustain them- and if they will be able to make that niche a little deeper.

Cineaste Kevin Lee has a post up about his recent travails with YouTube, discussing why his account was deleted when he used too much copyrighted material and why it was reinstated. The questions he and his situation raise are interesting- does “fair use” allow for clips to be used online without permission? Does it matter if they are used in a commercial or noncommercial way? Are clips used for comments different than say, mash-ups or new works of art? And does a private company have a responsibility in some way to host content it deems objectionable or illegal? Why are some clear violations OK and others aren’t- is it just a matter of who complains or who has good lawyers?

The Online Markets that Pay section has been updated. Have you had experience selling your film online as a download, rental, or with ad-supported content? Do you think this model will really work for independent filmmakers? Are there sites you have found (that pay) that aren’t on this list?

The lovely and talented Scott Kirsner hosts a panel today at noon at Sundance described as “In today’s brutal marketplace, filmmakers and distributors are forced to think outside the box. From DIY theatrical to multiplatform releases and viral marketing, there are as many new strategies today as there are successful films. Join us as we showcase films capitalizing on the newest opportunities, as well as the distribution companies articulating the clearest visions.”No surprise that panelists include Matt Dentler from Cinetic, as well as Lance Hammer, Connie White, Christian Gaines, MJ Peckos, Cora Olson and Steven Raphael. Expect to see a post-game on this one at Cinematech.

On Wednesday, another panel in the What Next? series will cover “As traditional film distribution wanes, is broadband ready to pick up the slack? We are finally seeing the major Hollywood players put their cards on the table, and filmmakers are weighing their options. Will broadband revitalize the entertainment industry, or is the industry facing a collapse? This panel assembles studio execs, major independents, and trend spotters to discuss digital distribution. As traditional film distribution wanes, is broadband ready to pick up the slack? We are finally seeing the major Hollywood players put their cards on the table, and filmmakers are weighing their options. Will broadband revitalize the entertainment industry, or is the industry facing a collapse? This panel assembles studio execs, major independents, and trend spotters to discuss digital distribution.”

Oddly, though New Frontier panels are open to the public and free, the logical conclusion of streaming hasn’t really hit yet. What’s next?

During the festival run, January 15-25, iTunes will offer for free 10 shorts screening at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The featured films are “Magnetic Movie”, “Countertransference”, “Acting For the Camera”, “James”, “Hug”, “From Burger it Came”, “Field Notes From Dimension X: Oasis”, “This Way Up”, “I Live in the Woods”, and “Instead of Abracadabra.”

At previous panels I have heard the idea floated about that a good idea would be to have features run online concurrent with their festival dates. No telling exactly what the repercussions of this would be for TV sales in particular (and slightly less of a concern might be theatrical impact) but for shorts, it’s seems only to be a winning proposition.

Ted Hope Art House Convergence Closing Remarks from joe zina on Vimeo.
Indiewire has posted Ted Hope’s keynote address for the Arthouse Convergence, a conference for indie exhibitors ‘and friends’ in Salt Lake City this week. Kind of like one of those relaxation exercises where the speaker keeps repeating “listen to the sound of my voice”, this speech will take you from “the Hell of Now” to a brighter– well, somewhat brighter– place.

I’ve been on a little hiatus- but what is interesting about the current state of digital distribution is that for all the constant barrage of “news” and “innovation”- for indies, things remain pretty much as they have been: confusing. I hope in ’09 there will be a little more clarity.

Recent news:
Netflix and Film Independent have joined up to create a $150,000 contest to support the creation of a feature film, which will have “distribution” through Netflix Watch Instantly (rather an increase from their standard WI license- see below for why the value of that may be changing).

Not unexpectedly, the numbers for home media in ’08 were not so great.

Spout, the movie website, has partnered with an online market called MeDeploy to help filmmakers offer download services, and put a marketing page on the site to supplement the effort.

A somewhat subdued CES, the tech playground/showcase took place in Las Vegas last week; among the announcements in the digital distribution field were various streaming televisions and Blu-Ray decks, many of which had Netflix as a partner. Another partner of Netflix, Roku, announced Amazon VOD would now play on their box, but strangely you can not purchase the box at Amazon.