YouTube Creates Selective 'Screening Room' for Shorts and Features
This week, YouTube launched The Screening Room, an area of the site that will showcase eight new short films every month, and the occasional full-length feature. In the first crop are films written by Miranda July, directed by cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel, and starring Kevin Pollak.
From the press release:
YouTube is sharing ad revenue with filmmakers based on how many people watch their work, explains Sara Pollack, who manages the company's filmmaker relationships. The site also offers links to a filmmaker's site, where he can sell DVDs, iTunes downloads, or other merchandise.
The film featured today, Rob Pearlstine's 'Our Time is Up,' has a bright green "Buy Now" button that links to the filmmaker's site. From there, though, you have to click to the film's separate site, then click "See It." Then, you have the option to either buy it as part of a DVD compilation of Oscar-nominated shorts from Amazon or get it from iTunes, where it is a 99 cent rental or $1.99 download. It's a little circuitous: Rob, you should have "Buy Now" be a direct link to a page that explains the purchase options.
And you should also post in the YouTube comments area, so YouTube users feel you are a real, accessible human being -- not some remote big-shot director!
From the press release:
People will be able to communicate directly with filmmakers to share thoughts, exchange opinions with fans, and provide honest feedback using YouTube's features to comment, rate, and share films. The YouTube Screening Room will also include a "Buy Now" button, allowing filmmakers to link to websites selling DVDs and digital downloads of their films, as well as a High Quality player, which offers users the best viewing experience possible.
YouTube is sharing ad revenue with filmmakers based on how many people watch their work, explains Sara Pollack, who manages the company's filmmaker relationships. The site also offers links to a filmmaker's site, where he can sell DVDs, iTunes downloads, or other merchandise.
The film featured today, Rob Pearlstine's 'Our Time is Up,' has a bright green "Buy Now" button that links to the filmmaker's site. From there, though, you have to click to the film's separate site, then click "See It." Then, you have the option to either buy it as part of a DVD compilation of Oscar-nominated shorts from Amazon or get it from iTunes, where it is a 99 cent rental or $1.99 download. It's a little circuitous: Rob, you should have "Buy Now" be a direct link to a page that explains the purchase options.
And you should also post in the YouTube comments area, so YouTube users feel you are a real, accessible human being -- not some remote big-shot director!
Labels: digital distribution, DVD, iTunes, Kevin Pollak, Miranda July, Newton Thomas Sigel, Our Time is Up, Rob Pearlstine, YouTube
posted by Scott Kirsner at
11:06 AM
2 Comments:
"And you should also post in the YouTube comments area, so YouTube users feel you are a real, accessible human being -- not some remote big-shot director!" nice sentiments, but not true. I posted a comment below "Out time is up" making a light hearted comment on it's surprise similarity with a film I worked on years ago. I meant nothing by it, just pointed out the coincidence, imagine yet the comment was deleted. Not spam, not flaming, not even criticism, still deleted. Seems they're not THAT keen on "honest feedback".
By
Dylan Pank, at 6:59 PM
Dylan -
That's unfortunate. I don't think your comment should've been deleted... but my point was that the director of the movie should be participating in the comments area.
Scott
By
Scott Kirsner, at 10:36 AM
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