Indie Films Go Longtail

Although it’s not exactly first sighting of a new trend, the NY Times has a story that illustrates how how independent filmmakers are looking to try to get as much distribution for their work via the web and phones in a kinda longtail-scattergun approach. Some agents are even looking to create deals with over 300 websites to make this work:

Mr. [John] Sloss and his New York company, Cinetic Media, are rolling out a new business called Cinetic Rights Management. The executive and his team… will act as sales agents for filmmakers who have been left on the sidelines. And here is the twist: The goal is not exhibition in theaters but rather distribution via the Internet and other growing delivery routes like cable on-demand services.

The idea is to create value for that other 90 percent of independent movies, or at least for a good chunk of them.

“We’re going to make it our business to go to every portal, every mobile provider, every video-on-demand service and make the most aggressive deals we can,” Mr. Sloss said… While no single title is likely to deliver a windfall — unless it breaks through as an unexpected hit — the company is betting that the “long tail” of niche content on the Internet will, in aggregate, produce meaningful income

Scene Stealer – Indie Films, Coming to a Small Screen Near You – NYTimes.com
Cinetic Rights Management