Streaming and Dowloading for Content Creators 101...not as easy as it sounds

http://www.beyondtheboxoffice.com/blog/film-distribution/online-film-distribution-101-download-or-stream-your-movie/

Online Film Distribution 101 - Download or Stream Your Movie. (2011, May 7). Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://www.beyondtheboxoffice.com/blog/film-distribution/online-film-distribution-101-download-or-stream-your-movie/

"Beyond the box office" is a forum of information regarding film distribution that goes far beyond typical distribution.  Instead, it emphasizes the details regarding self/alternative distribution, and how real life filmmakers manage to promote their work through new kinds of streaming distributions made possible through modern technologies.  This particular article, titled "Online Film Distribution 101- Download or Stream Your Movie," explains the basics regarding how producers of independent film work are able to easily make their media content available to consumers who readily take advantage of streaming and downloadable resources.  Here is a brief recap of the informative article, paired with commentary on some important quotations that appeared on the website.

Important Quotations Explained...

1. "I told you why I like streaming, here is why you should like it. Many players are embeddable so it makes it easy for people to share your content. "
• New technological resources and strategies have made it easier to filmmakers to self distribute their work, using the latest innovations to share media content in a manner that engages with the audience, but still can prove lucrative.
2. "Some players like Distrify and Dynamo have monetization built in. This is the best of both worlds, it gives you an ability to monetize your content in a meaningful way and allows your content to be shared easily."
• The greatest part of these new sites that target self/alternatively distributed media content is that both the consumers and producers within the film industry are usually satisfied.  In the end of the day, viewers of film wish to be entertained, and film producers wish to gain monetarily from their work, while widening a fan base and increasing exposure.
3. "One thing to note is that for many of these, you’ll have to do your own promotion and marketing. That is, it’s fine and dandy to get your film on iTunes but it doesn’t mean anyone will know it’s there...In addition, if you put your content up on a site with a lot of other content you have competition for attention."
• This concept really comes full circle regarding some of the topics that appeared much earlier in this blog! Any aspiring filmmakers going the self-distribution route must keep in mind that in order to gain from this alternative method, they must take on roles in marketing as well.  The only way to gain from a self-distributed film is to master all roles of producer, marketer, and distributor.

To keep it simple...

 

The first topic explored in the article is the fact that, besides easy streaming, downloadable media content is another growing trend in online film distribution.  Once a consumer downloads the content you have uploaded, the viewing of it is relatively quick and easy due to modern resources in technology and internet resources.  However, it is important to remember that for many popular streaming and downloading media hubs, such as ITunes, an aggregator has to approve of your work in order for it to be officially downloadable.  Aggregators may or may not include Distribber, Indie Flix, and New Video Group, and filmmakers wishing to alternatively distribute their work also must take note of the fact that Apple has to approve of the film content, which is often not an instantaneous process.  In the instance of streaming, content is made available without needing to be downloaded.    Sometimes, the content must load and buffer in order to be accurately viewed, but some sites are so technologically savvy that, like "Netflix," it only takes a click to instantly watch video content.  Netflix, vimeo, and youtube are examples of streaming sites.  Netflix, like ITunes, also works with aggregators in an approval process similar to the one that ITunes uses.  The great part of streaming is that it appeals to audiences through instant gratification.  Many streaming sites make marketing easier through imbeddable links, which may go directly to trailers or other forms of advertising for film content.  Bloggers often use this imbedding option, while many self distributors prefer sites that allow their content to be distributed through facebook.  Smaller and less developed streaming sources like Youtube and vimeo offer this feature, while Netflix and Amazon video on demand do not.

 

There are different ways for content creators to make profit from putting their products on streaming/downloading sites.  For example, in the iTunes model, the profits are split 70%/30%, with the aggregator sometimes receiving a bit of profit depending on the specific agreement.  On the other hand, "Vodo" is a streaming site that uses technology more indicative of bit torrents, which does not exactly use a profit model, but utilizes peer to peer sharing which allows for consumers to donate or sponsor the film content in support of it.  Some streaming sites, such as Distrify and Dynamo even have monetization built in, while others use paid ads to generate profits.  Hulu works on the model with incremental amounts of payback each time the content is viewed by consumers on the streaming sites.





It is important for distributors using streaming and downloading sites to remember that, unless you are completely self distributing your own work, you must retain streaming video on demand rights to the film.  Even so, this is only the first step toward gaining monetary benefit and viewer exposure.  With the trend of self/alternative distribution on the rise, so is the competition, and it will be interesting to see exactly what strategies are best in promoting successfully self distributed film content.  Stay tuned!