crowdsourcing

Sour

Wed, 07/08/2009 - 12:30 — EvilSpin

Over at Ronnestam.com I found Sour, a Japanese initiative to crowdsource a video. Check it out!

- Jerry, aka EvilSpin

Sir Ridley Scott's new Blade Runner project open to the public

Mon, 06/22/2009 - 14:45 — Anders Wilhelmsson

Some great news for all of us who loves Blade Runner! Sir Ridley Scott is working on a new project called Purefold, a series of 5 to 10 minute episodes to be released on the web under creative commons licence and will be looking for the input of the audiences. Visit http://www.purefold.com/ and support this initiative from an established Hollywood director.

I'm in love with a Indie Film Icon

Sun, 04/26/2009 - 17:26 — Henrik

Went to a masterclass (a class of masters? A master teaching masters? Or a master teaching a class? The latter I think) with Christine Vachon of Killer Films. As you know she is the genius producer behind Boy's dont cry, Happiness and Im not there to mention just a few. Apart from being just delightful and bright as hell she was also very open about her work in a way that made me feel a kind of kinship. She seems to like transparency in moviemaking as much as we do! She doesn't seem to be that into horror as we are but with her pedigree, who the hell cares? I loved her. So much so that I got all awestruck and didn't talk to her at all at lunch or in breaks. Stupid. On my way over I had a lovely fantasy about making a small videoblog with her commenting on our project. I have to grow some balls to make this blog worthwhile to read for you guys. Anyway, the question about new ways of producing and distributing movies came up and as always she was on top of things. Killer Films are involved with a crowdsourcing-collegue of ours called Massify. It's a really cool initiative of finding a fun and provocative idea for a shortfilm through their site and then having it produced by Killer Films. If you want to pitch your idea the deadline is may 14.

Well it's sunday and I've got to fix dinner. Brita had kind of a heartburn, I wonder if I still can persuade her to open that bottle of red I'm so longing for:)

Talk to you soon, Happy horror. Henrik

About The Pact Project

Fri, 04/03/2009 - 11:33 — AndersSjoman

"Want to see this movie made? Buy your tickets today and help us fund the movie. We'll also welcome all your creative input and your ideas on the movie, from script to casting and editing. When the movie is finished, you'll have access to all its parts -- scenes, music score, sound, special effects -- so you can remix it as you want."

That's the simple premise of The Pact Project.

>> Meet the core crew behind ThePactProject

Director Henrik Sylvén talks about the movie's story in a separate blog entry. I'll instead outline the project's ambition and what it is we want to explore.

The Pact Project came about as we tried to answer three different questions.

Movies are often born from a single idea, ideas that then need to find their form and shape. We shape them by talking about them, bouncing them around in converations and having them questioned. Normally, movie directors' will ask their crew to develop and question the initial vision. But what if the director could ask the movie's intended audience up-front for input in the creative process?
Loud media industry voices complain about illegal filesharing and how it is killing their business. But on the flipside, we see more people talking about movies than ever before, we are impressed by the creativity of the web's remix culture, and we see how people use various forms of social media to support artists directly, sometimes with direct financing. So what if there was a way for movie fans to support movie projects that they liked financially, and also be invited into the creative process?
A large part of a movie's budget these days goes to marketing. Traditional movie strategies build on getting the right movie out on as many screens as possible on opening day. Gone are the days when films were allowed to build its following over time. But, assuming that the crowd thought we had a good movie, what if the crowd's audience could help spread the word - and we did this together throughout the making of the movie?

The answer to these ideas is what we explore with The Pact Project.

We are network of creative forces, primarily based in Sweden. Moviemaker Henrik Sylvén had an idea for a horror movie. Communication consultant Anders Sjöman wanted to include the remix-culture into film making, building on Open Source-ideas and Creative Commons-development. A core crew was formed. We found early corporate supporters in Swedish access provider Bredbandsbolaget.

With the Pact Project, we are exploring three things:

Movie making ("crowdsourcing") The movie meets its audience long before it is finished; the crowd is invited to give input to create a better product. Naturally, the crowd can use the film and its various parts to remix the story as they want, all under Creative Commons-licenses.
Movie financing ("crowdfunding") If you like our movie idea, show it by donating or investing a small sum into our movie. We'll probably never get the movie fully financed this way - but your financial contribution will show traditional movie financers that this movie has an audience, and your money will be the leverage the film needs to be made. Small sums are pure donations; but large sums we will consider as investments, and you'll be part of our revenue sharing program. (Exactly what is a "small" and "large" sum still has to be decided.)
Movie marketing ("crowdmarketing") A committed crowd will help in financing the movie -- and also help spread the word about the film. Naturally, the movie has to be worth talking about -- you have to be remarkable to be remarked about -- so the onus is still on the movie's creative forces -- us -- to make a good one.

Already have ideas on how we should proceed with the project or would like to explore potential partnerships? Just email me at anders.sjoman@springtime.nu .

- Anders for The Pact Project team