the internet is changing film

A

alex_perrelet

It seems to me that as the internet is being used more frequently as a platform to distribute and view forms of the moving image, that dramatic changes are happening in the formats and content of film thats created specifically for this medium. Has anybody else noticed this?

There is much more short form content available, small bites of entertainment and information for people to browse between. Would be really interested to hear from anyone who has screened something online, and find out if the flexibility of the medium changed the creative process of film making for them in any way.

would love to hear people thoughts.
 
I think yes that the internet is changing film, but in a much less drastic way than people perceive. I don't envision any time in the near future will a distribution network of films online will be profitable. Simply because many people still have slower connection speeds and older monitors, so going to the cineplex and renting it from Blockbuster are still better film experiences.

I think there will be a time where a company pulls a Netflix and takes the industry by storm by providing online movies, but that in my opinion is at least ten years in the future.

Poke
 
The way I see it, VHS and DVDs didn't hurt B.O. #s (not dramatically, at least) and have provided additional income to studios. Watching a movie on your TV is more appealing to watching a movie on your computer (in opinion at least). So I don't think box offices revenue is really that threatened by the Internet. The one exception is file sharing, and I think that would more impact the rental market. There's still no replacing the experience of seeing a film in the theatre.

Short films can be amusing and effective, but I think they are more for people in the industry trying to make it. People outside the industry could care less about shorts, I think.

So, I don't know if this is what you were trying to get at, but I don't think the standard three act film in a theatre is threatened by the Internet. I think video stores are on their way out, though. Maybe, as poke said, within the next ten years.
 
But c'mon... seriously, who's goona take a date out to a cyber cafe to watch Titanic 2: Electric Boogaloo, or take them home all romantic-like, and set them on the couch facing the computer, then up pops Kazaa and they load up The Untouchables.. but they forget to turn off MSN messenger and every 5 minutes, something beeps and pops up... the guy turns to lay a big fat juicy kiss on his girl, then the screensaver comes on, bathing them in obscure darkness.
What I'm getting at, is that there is a romantic notion about going out to the movies/theatre. It's about getting rid of reality for one second, and immersing yourself in another. Now, I'm not sure if this will retain for future generations, but downloading movies off the net and watching them is really cool, but just doesn't have that excitement to it. Even renting a movie is great- you get home, throw the keys on the table, strip yourself of your coat and boots, the girlfriend copmes glistening out of the shower as you put a bag of popcorn in the microwave...she scowls at your choice of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", but you reassure her it's a fantastic movie. Then before you know it, the popcorn is done, you're popping in the movie, setting up the TV, dimming the lights... everything is dark until that green text comes rolling across the screen, telling you the FBI will ruin your life if you mess with the copyright. You snuggle into your position and wrap your arm around your girlfriend in order to snag some popcorn. And as those first few frame come up, there is such a subtle but wonderful difference between that of a "movie night" and watching it off the computer.

If I had the choice, I'd burn every downloaded short, or whatnot, onto a DVD and watch them all on the TV.
That's only my opinion though.

-Logan-
 
T Shipley said:
I think video stores are on their way out, though. Maybe, as poke said, within the next ten years.
Click to expand...

I really don't think they'll be gone. I'm pretty sure they'll adapt. Look at how Netflix has changed Blockbuster. If a viable company starts making a profit by providing streaming films and online movies, Blockbuster will adapt.

Poke
 
Spatula said:
But c'mon... seriously, who's goona take a date out to a cyber cafe to watch Titanic 2: Electric Boogaloo, or take them home all romantic-like, and set them on the couch facing the computer
Click to expand...

In it's current state? NONE, but when you are in an era where you can download THE INTERPRETTER or REVENGE OF THE SITH a week or two before it hits theatres, and watch it on a 52" plasma screen with a DivX codec that is better than a DVD MPEG2.... then it DOES start to threaten the box office numbers. This does exist for a few, but in a short time, it will be commonplace.

Right now (at this moment) it's not that bad, but within 10 years, my prediciton is that the Internet/Cable TV/on demand/ home theatre/ and home computing will merge into one singular "Multimedia".

The big screen, HDTV's are also computer moniters, and PC's get 5.1 THX surround systems... it's all merging before our eyes. WEBTV to CABLEMODEM are clues to the new direction of things, and Video On Demand (VOD) using MPEG2 codecs and using your remote control to play/pause/fast forward a movie on a hard drive buried in someone's front yard, all point to my hypothesis being true.
 
The internet is changing film distribution right now, but not in the way that most people believe.

The idea that "on demand" film can be streamed via the internet, in the same way that we currently get TV, just isn't going to happen. This is because the internet is full of "choke points," so regardless of the connection speed of the machine, data transfer happens at variable rates. Often at rates too low to support real time video at even poor resolutions.

The only way to make this happen is to go over to fiber optic cabling, which is a major infrastructure change over that isn't likely to happen in any of the major western countries due to the costs.

At present video streaming on the net undertaken by major corporate players is nowhere near TV standards, at a time when TV is about to make the leap up to High Def, making the resolution gap even wider.

I think if you want to see some of the future of this kind of technology you should look into whats happening with bittorrent file sharing software.
http://www.bittorrent.com/

I'd really like to talk more about this, but as my company is currently developing a distribution product based on internet technology, I'd then have to hunt you all down and kill you. :lol:
 
Some really great ideas and comments here, but I do really feel that the internet will have much more influence than people estimate. I believe a web platform has the potential to bring about a renaissance of film style, technique and format. I am not referring to the feature movie industry its audience, which will always have its place, but creators of film (artists) having an environment to show their work without the constraints of the existing distribution models. The internet is such an unregulated, democratic medium that I believe it provides an artistic freedom that no other window can offer. Audiences are empowered to choose information and entertainment relevant for them and creators are free to produce it. Although my comments here may be slightly sensationalised I do feel that these factors will have an effect on the moving image that tomorrows audiences experience.

But then again, it does annoy me when msn does that.
 
By 2007 there will be HD TV fed to 50- 75 percent of SBC's teritory. All on fiber to the home. The future is IPTV if we want it or not. search Uverse. Dv mag had an article and Fortune Mag had an article also.
 
I agree that something is lost when watching movies on a computer monitor. It just does not have the same magic as the "movie night" feel of the living room. Although, I have seen the counter of this at a buddy-of-mines house not too long ago. He had a Microsoft Media Manager system (or something like that) in his living room with a monitor and a separate TV. He could navigate to the video/film that he wanted to watch on his computer and then just move it over to the TV screen and watch it. Pretty sweet setup. However with that being said, I am a collector of the art and prefer to pay for my DVDs and film viewing and in turn support my industry.
 
Yeah- also, where would we be without sweet DVD cases? That's why I pay- and the whole legal thing too...
I guess when TV's are connected to computers, and computers more powerful and user friendly it'll take off. I spend most of my time viewing online shorts and films... but getting my girlfriend to sit down and watch them with me is a challange... but I think the independant age is on the brink as more and more people are turning from hollywood... we're at the cusp of a good time to be independant filmmakers, and I think the internet is the best way to get a global audience.
But I seriously hope the theatres never go out of style... lower the prices, get the cockroaches out of the food, but god, don't tear them down- what kind of travesty it would be to live in a world where theatres were just a computer and a couch!

-Logan-
 
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