Should I put my film on iTunes or as an App in the App store?

We get asked this question all the time. Here’s our answer: It’s not a choice. You can, and should do both.

An indie film App is another distribution channel for your film. It allows viewers to watch an entire full length feature film that’s been embedded into the App. No streaming, no buffering no waiting. When fans buy an indie film App they get the whole film…just like when they buy a film on iTunes.

Then it gets different.
We build user interactivity, engagement and participation into our Apps and around your film. We want fans to be able to converse, comment, rate, share and create a buzz that will get others to buy your film, create buzz and build your brand. We do this by integrating social media into the app. Users can Tweet, Facebook, email and post to a variety of other sites without ever leaving the App. We can also include the ability for fans to comment to blogs, rate, and take part in surveys, play interactive games, and demand local screenings.

Let’s not forget about the Film Maker.
We can also bake in the ability for fans to have conversations with you, the director/producer. And for you to send out alerts, screening information, updates on existing and new projects. What better way to build relationships and increase demand for a film, than to have interactions between film maker and fans.

Our goal is to make your film more successful through awareness and conversation. We believe engaging the fans and letting them participate is the best way to accomplish this. So, let us build an App for you to get your fans engaged!

One guy who gets it is Seth Godin. He is to the point and consistently spot-on with everything he writes. He has the wonderful, uncanny ability to cut through all the crap and just nail it. So, while we could write a big long business plan and create a powerpoint deck, we’re officially adopting and implementing the following:

1. Go, make something happen.

2. Do work you’re proud of.

3. Treat people with respect.

4. Make big promises and keep them.

5. Ship it out the door.
When in doubt, see #1.

Thanks Seth!

Seth’s Post:

Google’s announcement today that they are going to merge TV and the Web broadens the ability for indie film makers to distribute their content, which is really great news!

We believe that content should be able to be seen and experienced everywhere, your phone, tablet, pc, AND TV. It should also be smart enough to start a film on a plane, and then continue when you get to your hotel on the flat screen. We’ve been waiting a long time for this kind of convergence and we’re starting to see it come together.

Add to this the interactive ability the web offers and we will witness a complete change in the way we interact with media. Needless to say, we cannot wait to get into this.

Wow! The future has arrived for rich formats on the web.

We’re proud, and excited, to announce that our latest Indie Film App has just been listed in the App store.

Fans of Film: A New Tomorrow is now available.

“A New Tomorrow” the controversial political mockumentary that some considered too harsh to release during the G.W. Bush administration, “A New Tomorrow” revolves around the vicious campaign maneuvering of Christian Conservative Republicans and spacey liberal Democrats during the small-town mayoral race of Venison, USA.

This talk by Jeff Gomez at DIY really helps to redefine storytelling, and in our case film. Transmedia, is not about multiple channels for your film. It’s not about having a twitter feed, facebook page and YouTube Channel. It’s about getting the audience to participate and be engaged in the story. Before yesterday, I had never heard of the the term “transmedia” although I’ve apparently written about it in some loose fashion. Today, my world has gelled a bit more with a bit of learning. Watch Jeff and you’ll understand:

DIY Days from Sabi Pictures on Vimeo.

The Next Web features a look on the magazine/movie coming soon to an iPad near you.

Watch this and you’ll get it:

VIV Mag Interactive Feature Spread – iPad Demo from Alexx Henry on Vimeo.

see: Sheri Candler Marketing and Publicity’s FB Page for the discussion thread.

We are just starting out. We did our first film “Geek Mythology” as a proof of concept. The objective was to get a film approved as an app…which we accomplished. The real beauty of creating an app for a film is that it allows indie film makers to get their film on iTunes and in front of the millions of eyeballs iTunes gets. Yes, it would be great to be on the iTunes movie store, but right now that’s not really feasible for most film makers.

The $300 app we are offering is a bare bones app. It’s an entry point for a film maker. Beyond this type of app, there is a lot we can do with in terms of interactivity. Think of all the content on a DVD (interviews, deleted scenes, music, alternative endings etc.) then think of what you can add when you combine it with social media and an interactive web. Integrating Facebook/Twitter/
SMS/Calendar notifications/interactive social games/merchandising (buy a DVD), geo/location data gathering/chat as well as updates and new release info… the possibilities are endless and only limited to the creativity of the film makers and us. Now think of all of this content on an iPad, which will offer a giant leap forward for user experience.

We decided to embed the film in the app (vs. stream it) to preserve and protect the quality of the viewing experience. I don’t know about your experience with 3G or wifi, but when it comes to watching a feature length film, I would throw my phone against the wall if it kept pausing to buffer the stream. Someday we will have wifi that will support really great streaming, but it ain’t here now. Certainly size is an issue. You guys are right. Space will get eaten up fast with films that are a gig. The films we have worked with to date are running about 250-300 MB and with a phone with 32GB it’s generally not a big deal. If we add a bunch of additional content the size will bloat, so maybe we will end up streaming some, and embedding other content. (As an aside, we could also build an app that you give away, that has just the trailer and if the user likes it, they can buy (download) the film.)

As filmmakers, think of these apps as another distribution channel. Miles’ comments are spot-on. Today you can show your film on your web site, YouTube (or some variant thereof), DVD, at film fests or sell it through an Amazon store, a theater or on your web site. Use the App as a way to market your film generate buzz and spread the word. iTunes is a great platform and a better channel.

see: From TechCrunch

Video streaming apps on the iPhone in the U.S. have always had to contend with the limitations of AT&T’s data network. For a long time, video streaming apps were not allowed in the App Store. And when they did finally get approved, at first they could only stream videos via WiFi. Read more…

I’ve been inspired. I just read a post written by 21 year old Cody Brown titled “Dear Authors, Your Next Book Should be an App, Not an iBook”.

Well, the same goes for you movie directors, producers, distributors and actors. The Film as we know it is dead. Well, not really totally dead, but it now has the capacity to be more robust both in its creation as well in it’s participation.

We will not “go” to the movies like we used to. We will participate in them over their life cycle via Apps. The interactivity that the social web, mobile computing and real time streams of information have bestowed upon us has opened the door to a reinvention of the “movie experience”, for lack of a better phrase, that now enables customers to participate in the funding of a movie, creation of a plot, tone of a story, development of actors, and all they potential twists and turns involved in the creation of story.

A producer can now raise funds and greenlight a film based on consumer interest from day one. A writer/director can float ideas, gather feedback and craft a story with the help of the crowd if he so chooses. Rough cuts can be used as seeds to generate interest and buzz. Interviews can be done over the course of the film and sent out to fans. Fans can communicate back and offer suggestions and direction. The use of the crowd isn’t mandatory, it may just make certain productions more exciting and build interest and fans over time vs an opening weekend.

Films just won’t be two dimensional with a beginning and end shown on a screen. They’ll have depth and interaction with a richness of features that make a DVD look like those associated with a ham radio. The interactivity of an iPad now offers the ability to express ideas more creatively than ever before. We will be witness to the development of a new way to consume entertainment and it will most definitely involve you. We can’t wait!