Alright Indy filmmakers, It's time to get in the stream.

Working for you and still rocking the streaming media. We are calling for submissions and are pushing the new model for Indy filmmakers to get noticed.


Let's take a look at some of the data that makes this trend viable to catch:
In an earlier blog I was writing I stated that Netflix was missing the boat on the members, then when they made a grand announcement that they were getting involved in indy film they were all too quick to drop the "red Carpet program like a hot rock. What is it about indy film that is so reprehensible?
I've seen some pretty good films out there in the circuit. But there is a lot of work that is not so good mixed in.
The problem is no-one wants to sort it out. I think I may have a solution.
Here is a quote from an earlier blog I wrote back in April.

One of the popular interests of our particular group is the contest for helping Netflix with a more effective solution for recommending new films to users. The currently employed offered are nearly all about some program or mathematical algorithms.
My personal viewpoint is that they are missing their most valuable assets; The members.

But first lets follow some of the most obvious trends to support this, let's take a look at what the public wants:

If one looks at the trend of the social element being part of all the major online players for content on the web.

We see Youtube growing even now after reaching an average of 52 million visits a month.
Myspace is actually on a trend to outdo the mighty Google for traffic, along with Facebook and more social membership programs are popping up daily.

Looking at this topic from a sociologist's standpoint one could surmise that; people are moving farther apart, and want to more than ever belong to something, to fit somewhere, associate with something, be heard and respected by their peers.
Thus the increase in online social activity.

Next we look at the content available, Youtube and blip.tv, as well as Google and the others have dominated the market creating something called user generated content really getting the audience involved.

They put the most popular videos om the front page giving the users that are most effective at getting attention even more popularity and status within the group. Now

Youtube is opening profit sharing opportunities with this new breed of social filmmaker, and growing even more because of it.

This is the online viewing audience, and they are looking for more content.


I say give the public a chance to do this with Indy shorts and feature films,in a Wiki way. Wiki has redefined mans view of fellow man in a way and in general we want to have our line in the page if we know for sure, we're helping.

I think there is a social network solution to the Netflix contest issue give this new social filmmaker a place in the system. Here's a possible scenario:


Netflix Social Solution

The real essence of the system has to be the focus on the social system, bloggers, video bloggers, and podcasters compete to be reviewers or critics and the social network picks the ones they want to listen to.
This way bloggers and this new breed of social filmmakers become critics (and of course have their paid Netflix membership) to watch and review the films thus becoming potentially professional movie critics,(and who doesn't want that job?)
The critic after watching the film, leaves a review that covers quality, genre', acting, and/or story contents(but not giving away the plot surprises)and recommended list of similar movies with each review.(Herein lies the secret to effective film association.)
The social network then comes in and comments on the reviews, the reviewer getting a large number on positive comments (and rating stars)should be paid by the content provider with a standard to be set by the provider, (rating and popularity, number of completed views, etc.)
In this way the public knows how the system works and the potential of getting paid to blog is integrated, thereby embracing all the current trends of the web.

Honestly, I predict that the solution ultimately derived from this contest will look similar to what I have outlined here.
But I'm also willing to put my money where my mouth is, I can create the website and run the beta test through a service I recently discovered and would call it www.streamingindy.com

Technorati Profile