Film Online:
The Internet and Film Websites
With the introduction of the internet to the masses in 1991, it has become a global phenomenon and for mostly for the right reasons. The internet has allowed the majority of the world’s population access to knowledge of which or whatever they desire. Many companies and industries have used the internet to access an audience and to promote to them.
The film industry is no exception, as it uses the internet to promote and gather information to exploit their product to the masses. For filmmakers to advertise on the internet it can be free of charge depending on their requirements for a web address and an good internet knowledge in technical areas are vital to creating a unique bold website to entice potential audiences. This method of promotion is easily accessible to all filmmakers to push their film. A website can cost nothing at all to the extreme amount depending on copyright, labour costs and web address.
The film industry is no exception, as it uses the internet to promote and gather information to exploit their product to the masses. For filmmakers to advertise on the internet it can be free of charge depending on their requirements for a web address and an good internet knowledge in technical areas are vital to creating a unique bold website to entice potential audiences. This method of promotion is easily accessible to all filmmakers to push their film. A website can cost nothing at all to the extreme amount depending on copyright, labour costs and web address.
IMDB
IMDB (Internet Movie Data Base) is added to from users, and allows anyone to add their film to the site for a small fee. This allows the filmmaker to state all details of the film and where it’ll be screened alongside the biggest Hollywood blockbusters. IMDB is a good reference for academics and any film buff wanting to seek new films to enjoy, as well as sought after information on their favourite or desired films. This allows filmmakers from all walks of the industry whether they are Hollywood producers to Third world film makers to advertise their film; it’s a fairly accessible site which initially is a free service. It is also perfect advertising as the site is visited globally by masses of people per day.
LoveFilm
LoveFilm is an online video rental store, which allows the user to access and wide range of film in their catalogue from Hollywood to world cinema. Once an order has been placed, the DVD shall arrive in the post and is to be sent back once the user has finished with it, unlike regular video stores there is no due back date, but a subscription fee is applicable monthly. This allows masses of people to access a wider variety of film rather than the limited amount of stock a regular video store offers.
iTunes
iTunes runs an online shop where nothing physically is sent to the user. Audiences log onto iTunes and view a mass catalogue of selected films (Hollywood and World Cinema), documentaries and television series’ to purchase. Once a film has been selected and paid for by the user, they are able to download the film instantly and watch it when ready. This also lowers the price of the films as packaging and a disc is not needed, and proving that the internet has created a method of transnationality within film, allowing films which may not have received a cinema release or even DVD release in shops within particular countries.
Piracy
Unfortunately transnationality has a negative side, with technical advances with camera phones and digital recording devices, film piracy is very common on the internet. There are many sites which allow a user to view films free of charge by illegal means, which results in the copyright fee not going to the correct people whether it is an independent filmmaker or the Hollywood studios. There have been noted stories with feature length films have been uploaded onto YouTube, the ‘uploaders’ disguise them by uploading the film as several parts for the user to watch, although YouTube’s uploading process is becoming increasingly tighter. Eli Roth’s Hostel: Part 2 (Roth, 2007) was leaked on the internet nearly a month before its release date at cinemas, Roth has been quoted blaming this on its poor box office performance, when he stated “You could buy Hostel: Part II for a quarter in Mexico City. As a result, in a lot of countries where the piracy was bad, they just didn't even release it” (Roth, 2007). More recently there was a news story of the eagerly anticipated film X-Men Origins -Wolverine (Hood, 2009) had been leaked onto the internet, even though the leaked copy featured early stages of production and didn’t feature the films special effects. A big budget film such as this would struggle immensely, as the ticket sales would have plummeted, as why pay when you can see it for free. The following video featuring the films transnational star Hugh Jackman (Australian in an American feature) who comments on the film leak:
