Digital: audience, distribution and commercial models

When looking at what stopped screen content practitioners (aka film makers) from getting more involved in the digital space, the first thing most of them said was 'I don't understand it'. While rights are indeed a problem, when you are an independent producer, documentary maker or director - the bigger problem is getting an audience!

The interviews I conducted ranged from VP's of Sony (and the shrinking window for film distribution) to multiplatform film makers; to doyens of the industry. A couple of key things arose:

• the language of film making (TV or feature; drama, comedy or doco) is different to the language of digital. Film makers talk of 'windows' and 'corridors' and 'distribution guarantees' and know what these mean; but mention 'search engine optimisation' or 'long tail' or 'metadata' and they look at you like you were born on Mars;
• the whole thing is too big, and new and scary and changeable. This last is very frustrating - how do you keep on top of the whole thing? The sheer pace of change makes it hard to keep up and means that you spend you whole time swimming to stay in one place;
• how to distribution their content (themselves? an agency? how is it hosted? what does it cost? will their content be stolen)
• how to develop an audience - using social media, how to use YouTube, building up plays, getting people to recommend or forward your content, using networks
• what the commercial models are. How advertising only looks easy (and isn't even effective) and how people really will pay for what they are interest in - you just need to make it easy

In the paper, I also looked at ways in which we might encourage (screen content) people to more embrace digital - such as giving more of this to them (and not their funders), to make sure it was suitable for the Producers Offset (rebate) and to raise the money for this early and not as a 'well I suppose we ought to make a web site for this...' but as an integral part of their content.

Both papers are now available from CSB, Getting in the Digital Frame (aka The Education Paper) and The Digital Deadlock (aka the Rights Paper).

I welcome the discussion and hope to keep both of these as living, breathing and useful documents for a vital, creative industry.