Is it irony or consistency when a movie about old technology uses new technology for self-promotion? Blip Festival: Reformat the Planet, one of the more energetic documentaries screening in Austin during the South by Southwest Film Festival this week, raises such a question. The movie chronicles New York's thriving chiptunes scene, a makeshift group of electronica types crafting beats out of the mechanical bit-sized noises of ancient Nintendo systems. The thrust of the feature is its gorgeously-shot concert sequences, where techno rockers spin and gyrate at the front of a brilliantly-lit room while tooling around with a Gameboy. If you didn't know better, it would seem like somebody was engulfed in one helluva Tetris game.
Since the live show is what makes chiptunes—and the documentary—appealing, the filmmakers turned to their website to give people a sense for what they could expect. Culling from hours of footage, they partnered with the video sharing site Vimeo to post hours of video on the film's page. You can check it out, get a sense for the sound and technique, and ultimately, put the whole thing in context by seeking out the movie.
Blip Festival isn't the only movie here with a clever web scheme. On a panel yesterday called "Pimp Your Website," the people behind SXSW entry The Marconi Bros. talked about the various tactics behind designing a clear, stripped-down site that reflects the style of the film and generates immediate interest. Elsewhere, on a panel discussion that revolved around online distribution, Kelly Sanders from Truly Indie discussed the way the self-distribution initiative targets specific cities where audiences demonstrate interest to show their films. Joining her, Wonderland Advisory board member Sara Pollack, manager of film and animation for YouTube, talked about various collaborations she has forged with filmmakers interested in getting interest in their work through the site.
Near the end of the day, Lance Weiler talked to a crowd about promoting his horror film Head Trauma via online games. After landing a DVD deal with Warner Bros., Weiler realized that the company wouldn't put much effort into publicity for the film, so he launched his own grassroots effort to great success. "There's no one way to do this," Weiler said, "but the tools are there."
Here's some real irony for you: Whereas independent artists like Weiler realize that the future is now, fallen Disney honcho Michael Eisner still sounds as if he's gazing into a glass ball. Speaking today alongside HD Net head Mark Cuban, Eisner talked about his attempts to tap into the prospects of web programming and his hesitancy to accept that new models will instantly change the way people get their entertainment. "All of a sudden, professionally delivered content is going to explode and we're going to be looking at new distribution streams," he said, "[but] it won't eliminate broadcast television or movies. It will do what these things have done in the past. "When home video came in, everybody thought that domestic syndication was going to be dead. I've seen that happen all throughout my career: After the marriage of movies and television—even though not as many people went to the movies as before, the addition made a much wider audience.
Eisner hasn't had the best luck yet with his online programming—the ill-fated Prom Queen series was pretty gimmicky and didn't last too long—but he seems more optimistic about his latest venture, a show called The All for Nots from the people who brought you a YouTube sensation called The 'Burg. "We got to see The 'Burg and thought that was great," he said. "But we didn't want to do The 'Burg 2, so they had this Spinal Tap-ish rock 'n' roll thing. We said we'd do it, with no anticipation of any revenue. I asked Mark Cuban to put it on HD Net. Then we just ran around. Anytime to you go to a distributor, or a MySpace, a YouTube or Google—every month they change the strategy. All for Nots said, 'Pay us and we'll promote it.'"
While not pretending to be some kind of technological guru, Eisner had interesting advice for creative types looking to get their web content to succeed. "The old mogul-type people are probably the ones to stay away from," he said with a grin. Once again, irony leads the way.
—Eric Kohn
See earlier SXSW dispatches here , and check back tomorrow for more.