Comments on: YouTube Screening Room: AtomFilms Redux?

By: Youtube Screening Room, another ATOM films? « 1008indyfilms’s Blog

Youtube Screening Room, another ATOM films? « 1008indyfilms’s Blog — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 10:49:56 +0000

[...] http://newteevee.com/2008/06/19/youtube-screening-room-atomfilms-redux/ [...]

By: Anon

Anon — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 00:14:42 +0000

This sucks. I loved AtomFilms.

By: A Ride Down IndieRoad | Bad Lit

A Ride Down IndieRoad | Bad Lit — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:22:15 +0000

[...] my first reaction to hearing about new short film website businesses is along the lines of what Chris Albrecht of New Tee Vee had to say regarding the launch of YouTube’s Screening Room endeavor, i.e. a massive dose of [...]

By: Atom Rebrands, Relaunches, Releases New Series « NewTeeVee

Atom Rebrands, Relaunches, Releases New Series « NewTeeVee — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:30:55 +0000

[...] a big name like Comedy Central on your side doesn’t hurt. And with YouTube getting into the indie shorts game, now was probably an opportune time to get more [...]

By: T. Arthur Cottam

T. Arthur Cottam — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:45:23 +0000

Are you saying PORNOGRAPHIC APATHETIC isn’t artsy? [Insert fart noise here]

-t. arthur cottam, director of PORNOGRAPHIC APATHETIC

http://www.DirtyLittleShorts.com

By: YouTube Paying Upfront for Content « NewTeeVee

YouTube Paying Upfront for Content « NewTeeVee — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 16:50:57 +0000

[...] was skeptical of YouTube even getting into the shorts biz, but I can’t understand why the site wants to get [...]

By: Puneet

Puneet — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:15:51 +0000

Thanks Chris for this interesting post. It raised a few good points about the challenges. I have been working on a similar project for a while. And you post has given me a new direction to think about.

Keep writing.

By: Random Salad - Geek Culture Webozine » The YouTube Screening Room. Finally, and only Sorta.

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:41:14 +0000

[...] Albrecht, a former employee of AtomFilms back when it did exactly what YouTube is doing now, had some words about the new Screening Room. He’s a tad on the bitter side, but he does have a point. [...]

By: Mark Rotblat

Mark Rotblat — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 04:56:28 +0000

I watched the films at the screenings last night and then tonight fired up the YouTubes with my wife and enjoyed them again. While it’s not the same as watching them on the big screen, it was better than watching TV. Most of the shorts currently up are Oscar nominated or winners (and it shows – these are great), yet I don’t think I would have come across them otherwise.

By: François Lafrenière

François Lafrenière — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 02:59:52 +0000

I’m uncomfortable with the notion of YouTube the broadcaster as a whole. It’s nice to have a window dedicated to film, but it creates just another gatekeeper; it stinks of the traditional distributor/TV network model. Didn’t YouTube promise to “broadcast yourself”? The positive aspect of video-sharing sites for independent filmmakers is that it creates a level playing field, as far as media hosting is concerned. Combined with blogs, syndication and social networks, it gives filmmakers the tools to broadcast, themselves, over the Internet, and create awareness for their films in the traditional venues, and vice-versa.

By: Bill

Bill — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:06:38 +0000

YouTube’s ‘screening room’ announcement today underscores the powerful role the Internet can play for independent filmmakers to share their work and build a fan-base without the limitations of conventional theater distribution. But it’s not the first — Lycos Cinema has provided a platform for indie filmmakers to showcase their work since late 2006. Having been at it for a while Lycos Cinema is loaded with hundreds of award-winning independent films, such as God’s Lonely Man (Grand Jury Nominee – 2006 Sundance Film Festival); The Corndog Man (Emerging Filmaker Award – 2000 St. Louis International Film Festival); Kid Brother (Special Jury Prize – 1988 Paris Film Festival, Unicef Award Berlin International Film Festival); and The Zeros (Audience Award, Narrative Feature, 2001 SXSW Film Festival).

And as part of a major upgrade in May 2008, Lycos Cinema teamed up with Independent Features for an online film festival that is running from May 5 to June 30. The festival takes advantage of Lycos Cinema’s unique, patent-pending watch and chat capability, which allows fans to synchronously discuss and watch movies in real-time. So it really mirrors the community experience of a film festival with fans socializing and buzzing about their favorites. Fans also get to vote, and the top films will be shown at the Tribeca Cinemas in NYC in late July. Check it out here: http://cinema.lycos.com.

By: Bobby Jennings

Bobby Jennings — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:30:26 +0000

I don’t think Short Films will dominate online viewership in any way, shape or form but the Screening Room offers YouTube a way to increase the prestige of their content. Film festivals carry this prestige, and YT has partnered with Cannes, Tribeca and Sundance to cover these events and probably will with AFI Fest in the Fall. It’s a stepping stone to a strategy that will showcase that not all content on youtube is crap and that’s a message advertisers want to hear. It’s part of a larger strategy that courts filmmakers to distribute immediately rather than suffer the long road of the festival circuit. I’m not saying Atom Films wasn’t there first, but I am saying that the climate is more appropriate now seeing that YouTube has an enormous marketshare and offers huge viewing potential to any short film featured that Atom Films was never capable of.

By: YouTube Screening Room Launches « NewTeeVee

YouTube Screening Room Launches « NewTeeVee — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:02:50 +0000

[...] Chris is skeptical about the program’s success — what I’m still wondering, though, is if this really will give the undiscovered filmmaker a chance to get greater exposure. While YouTube Film and Animation Manager Sara Pollack was vague on how future films will be selected by an undisclosed editorial team, citing a process of word-of-mouth and filmmaker outreach, she did promise that filmmakers could email YouTube directly at ytscreeningroom@youtube.com to pitch their films. Hopefully they’ll be able to find some hidden gems in the mass of unsolicited submissions they’re doomed to receive — if only so the Screening Room can occasionally feature films produced in the last year. [...]

By: Matthew Wood

Matthew Wood — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:55:04 +0000

Heh, this is what we’re trying to do with ReelConnect.com. Looks like we’re just going to have to focus more of the tools for filmmakers since the 800 lb gorilla is now absolute direct competition. We will have better networking tools though.

By: Chris Albrecht

Chris Albrecht — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:43:18 +0000

@Steve,

Thanks for the reminder, I added a link to both.

@Rafi,

I concede in my post that YouTube is a much different ballgame than Atom, and it has the added advantage of learning from history.

I was reacting to the fact that memories are short-lived on the Internet. This has been done before (iFilm did it too).

If YouTube can make it work -- more power to them. I think people should be exposed to short films, really good ones pack more entertainment than most features, I just don't believe large audiences (U.S. audiences mostly) will connect with them.

By: rafi

rafi — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:58:05 +0000

The key differences here:

Youtube offering a lot more to leverage as a platform that Atom Films could.
The world having caught up on web video (being too far ahead of the curve is a disadvantage).

I think those make it foolish to just immediately write this off as "bah! it's already been done and failed!"

Also, lets not get overly elitist about YouTube. I speak as someone who has had the same exact videos (Bodega, Checkmate) be hits on YouTube and then later play for film festival audiences or the NPR crowd.

To reference Mo Better Blues... Is it possible that the people don't come out for snooty art videos because the grandiose [expletive] making them, don't play what the people want to hear?

Shakespeare wrote for the masses yet kept it a level above just some burning farts, right?

If you don't want to create work that appeals to someone outside of the film industry, then you shouldn't complain when it doesn't do numbers.