by Eric Kohn
A few days ago, YouTube film manager and Wonderland Advisory Board member Sara Pollack took a nice long look at the way digital distribution has been kickstarting filmmaker careers in unique bottom-up strategies that Hollywood can't touch. She mentioned a few examples, each of which showcased a different approach. The key here isn't the setting of precedents so much as the importance of experimentation: Each artist was willing to subject themselves to uncharted terrain in order to reach audiences that would otherwise seem unattainable. Here's a quick overview of the bolder ones whose efforts paid off.
Four Eyed Monsters
The now-historic efforts of Arin Crumley and Susan Buice to build an online fan base for their makeshift documentation of their ill-fated affair continues to do well. Years after getting out of credit debt by utilizing a unique partnership with the film discussion site Spout, the duo's work has been purchased by IFC, and the story continues at the company's site (see above).
We Are the Strange
Eccentric California artist M dot Strange didn't want to sell his soul to Hollywood after his far-out animated work We Are the Strange premiered at Sundance. Instead, he continued to build a devout group of fans who follow his every move on YouTube and elsewhere. Check out M dot's revealing lecture, where he recaps the whole experience, at a recent appearance in Berlin.
The Cult of Sincerity
Whereas Four Eyed Monsters played the festival game before Crumley and Buice chose some better options, the guys behind The Cult of Sincerity decided to go straight for the new media frontier. Their warm romantic comedy premiered on YouTube -- truly the first film to do so -- and sported a partnership with the music sharing site Amiestreet to help the filmmakers make their money back.
Battle at Kruger
Lions and buffalo and crocs, oh my! Videographer David Budzinski and photographer Jason Schlosberg's viral sensation, which documents a fascinating cross-species battle at an African watering hole, didn't interest National Geographic from the get-go � probably because its low grade quality didn't seem like television material. When the duo put the thing on YouTube, however, it quickly grabbed the attention of millions of viewers, forcing National Geographic to reconsider their rejection (meanwhile, Budzinski and Schlosberg sell high quality versions of the tape on their own site). Boy, did the network reconsider: Battle at Kruger was recently the subject of an hourlong special. Talk about doing penance for your sins.