Anyone who has spent any of the past year on the web has seen the amazing rise of online video. So much so that it is now the central part of many websites throughout the network. Web video is undoubtedly here to stay. Televisions as we know it, will be obsolete in five years’, that in the opinion of Bill Gates. Tim Berners-Lee, who is widely praised for launching the global web, says that the future of television is ‘completely online’. All the major entertainment companies from NBC, Viacom, ESPN and many others have made great strides in distributing their web content. These companies will continue to use greater internet access, but the question is what about the independent producer and independent filmmaker? The low cost of producing high-quality digital video, combined with high-speed broadband connected to video-enabled computers, as well as the international wide open online distribution network have created an opportunity for an independent producer.
The advent of low-cost digital video cameras was a quantum overhaul of an independent filmmaker. With quality broadcast equipment accessible, a small producer no longer has to spend most of his time trying to make money, and he can only do a professional project on a small budget. Films taken from cameras can be used to transfer audio recordings to computer. Where they can be edited using software similar to a professional editing suite. The film can be distributed, directly from a computer to a web marketplace. Edit the film, and distribute the film sitting in one chair, this is the future of the television industry.
The proliferation of broadband connections and high speed internet is the next part of the puzzle. This works in conjunction with computers 'media center' computers that allow DVD quality video playback on the web. As the number of global families with high-speed internet connection grows, so does the potential market for online video producers. We are now in the process of communicating at high speed which has created a huge video market, and that will increase. Any new computer bought anywhere in the world will have the ability to play that video, and make it look as good as it does on your TV.
The final aspect that makes this a promising moment for the independent filmmaker, the environment, and the internet access itself. The web is good in many ways for the independent film and television producer. There are already ways to spread the word on the web, there are already ways to market your content online that allows people who like the type of work you do to find you. And we are only in the early days, these trends will continue to emerge again as well as the filmmaker’s ability to reach audiences.
Everyone knows about YouTube, and 100 million videos play a day. That’s more than the US Super Bowl audience every day. People are watching, and they may not always be satisfied with the explosion of coke bottles or celebrities who do shameful things. There will be a place for an independent film director and television producer who creates high quality film and video projects. Your audience is waiting.
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