by Stephen Davies

Created on: July 03, 2007   Last Updated: July 04, 2007

Hosting Movies on the Web

Do you love scripting and shooting movies? Do you have a movie that has a spellbinding storyline but not quite sure how to market it? Well, you have probably heard about YouTube.com and their phenomenal success hosting virals on their web site. It started out very small, on a shoestring budget, and grew over just a few years into a business worth millions. Shooting video for fun has been a commonplace global pastime for years. Even back in the 80s there was Candid Camera', and a host of video clip shows on TV. The clips shown on TV like UK's People do the Funniest things' are no more than 1 minute in length. Soon, broadband speeds allowed for the hosting and transmission of these clips on the web. No advertising costs, just a web site with a video clip embedded.

NMD offers such a service, though not just a bio page with the embedded video. NMD gives the filmmaker a web site and a personalised address allowing the filmmaker to be in complete control of the promotional process. This accessibility has placed virals in the public eye as anyone with a broadband connection can upload a video. The internet is displaying that there is a convergence occurring between the web and television. This gap is becoming thinner each year as Internet TV and virals have become a huge source of public entertainment.

So who is actively involved in online movie production work? Actually, the list is almost exhaustive. There is the exciting iFilm site which reaches a worldwide distribution of film fanatics for just one online example. While scrolling across the internet, looking for evidence of online hosting, many sites emerged helping filmmakers showcase their movies. One of the biggest players is Atom films who organise competitions and also offer promotional services to distributors at film festivals on an annual basis.

Why does this business work?

1. The power of the internet shows its weight by being able to connect filmmakers across the world.

2. The internet allows movies from amateur and independent filmmakers around the world to be seen on web pages. This gives them the ability to share their work with a broader audience.

3. Utilising Movie hosts, video enthusiasts use the internet as a weapon to submit their work to many people on a worldwide level.

This is not just a forum for people who just want to host a short clip, but also benefits the professional filmmaker. This is achieved by beginning the first steps in front of the needed movie production industry

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>