Andrew McMurtryNEWS: Battle of Fighting Piracy Falling to Filmmakers (Edited Version found at FILMINK.com)
An exciting new Aussie film is set to revolutionise the way films are distributed in an attempt to combat the threat of internet piracy.
Producers Enzo Tedeschi and Julian Harvey could well be the innovators the film industry has been searching for during the rise of internet piracy. Their brainchild is the 135K Project and will work in conjunction with the new Australian film The Tunnel. The idea is based on the 135,000 frames making up a 90 minute film. They hope by selling every frame for $1 directly to the internet audience, they can make their film budget and allow free distribution online as well as offering those buyers their cut of the profits. And while the movie is generating some internet buzz, the real interest has been the innovative way the filmmakers have chosen to distribute the film.
“We had people log onto the website and buy frames while we were still in the testing phase and then it began to spread onto social media before we even officially launched the site. 4 days later, we’ve sold over 4100 frames in the U.S., U.K., Canada and all over the world, even in places as far flung as Latvia. The project is definitely resonating with people.” said producer Julian Harvey.
Another one of the producers Enzo Tedeschi is no stranger to developing innovative but successful ways to distribute his work. His previous work, a feature documentary called Food Matters, which didn’t seek cinema release so as to direct their approach at online niche markets. Two years after its release, it has sold over 120,000 DVD’s and streams worldwide. He said “We believe that if we stop fighting the peer to peer networks and find a way to work with them, they could become the biggest revolution in the way we connect with an audience.”
The Tunnel is a horror/thriller movie about an investigative journalist and her team delving deep below Sydney’s St James train station looking for a story. It stars Tropfest Best Actress winner Bel Deliá and Black Water’s Andy Rodoreda. Directed by Award-winning Short Film director Carlo Ledesma in his first feature, the film uses a similar style to Cloverfield and Paranormal Activity, while also utilising interviews from the ‘survivors’. Ledesma seemed to enjoy the distribution process, feeling as though it was getting the filmmakers back to their roots.
“Enzo and Jules are trying to find a less complicated way for us all to do what we got into the industry to do in the first place, tell stories we like and get them out there so people can enjoy them. The key is engaging the audience from the very beginning, which I think we’re doing.”
The film is set for release the film in late 2010 via torrent websites which have so far been seen as an enemy to filmmakers and a tool for movie piracy. However, there may be a future for this type of ingenuity and innovation if The Tunnel proves successful.
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