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News from the Future of Public Media
Success in Alternative Distribution
email discuss Posted by guest on Apr 2, 2008 at 10:33 AM
By Laurie Moy, Graduate Student, American University, School of Communication, International Media Program
For most directors, going from Hollywood to YouTube would be a demotion. But for Robert Greenwald the move from the silver screen to the computer screen was part of a “personal transformation.”
Speaking at the Center for American Progress’s Internet Advocacy Roundtable, Greenwald explained how he has come to embrace “alternative distribution.” And it has embraced him. His films had had over 43 million views, and it is estimated that one of his online films is seen every 2 seconds.
So what’s the secret to his success? Good storytelling is key, he says. Especially with the shorts – there has to be a strong story. He also has a single day release strategy – he coordinates the release of a film online and the release of information to bloggers all on the same day. This helps drive up the number of views, and hopefully will propel the film into YouTube’s “Most Viewed List.” Once that happens, Greenwald explains, you can pretty much sit back and let it go.
But Greenwald doesn’t make films just so people can watch them. In fact he says, “We’ve failed if after the film the audience does nothing.” So he includes at the end of his films specific actionable things the viewers can do – whether it is legislative action, human rights based, or student action. The key, he says, is to offer options.
His most important piece of advice, however, is to never settle in your filmmaking. He usually goes through 16-18 versions of a piece before he is finally satisfied. You can’t just put up sloppy work, he told the audience. Because in this kind of medium, “you only get one shot!”
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