nofilmschool » drm

Internet Piracy vs. Copyright Law: Watch 'The Pirate Bay - Away From Keyboard'

Dave Kendricken — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 23:47:11 +0000

We recently mentioned the documentary TPB AFK: The Pirate Bay — Away From Keyboard as part of VHX’s drive to make strong independent work available direct-to-audience. TPB AFK is a documentary that follows three Pirate Bay co-founders as they face prosecution for aiding piracy on a massive scale (or, in other words, founding The Pirate Bay). Released for free on BitTorrent as well as on YouTube, the film raises powerful questions about piracy, intellectual property law, and an ungoverned internet, and gives us a glimpse into the lives of a few individuals who created a web portal that is still going strong even today. Given that law is so much slower to change than the internet, is the problem with the pirates, or with anti-piracy laws that may need some updating? Watch the entire 82 minute film below. (more…)

Disrupt and Distribute: VHX Helps 'Internet Revolutionaries' Self-Release Their Films

Dave Kendricken — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 02:10:52 +0000

As promised, the team behind VHX is steadily working to change the independent film distribution landscape. Veteran experience in populist collaboration and the building of Vimeo means VHX understands web video, audience interaction, and tracking social trends. Can it really work? The likes of NPR and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl (as director) think so, joining the ranks of non-fiction VHX-powered releases like Indie Game: The Movie. VHX has also empowered documentary filmmakers spotlighting the ‘hacker’ community Anonymous, and the creators of the controversial BitTorrent tracker The Pirate Bay — even with the latter doc’s simultaneous free release through YouTube and BitTorrent. (more…)

'Dark Horse' Reddit AMA with Ted Hope, Plus Why Film Looking Forward is DRM-Free

Dave Kendricken — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 01:00:50 +0000

In the future of film and the internet — the marriage of which is certain, and ever-expanding — there are some things that are uncertain, such as how major studios and large productions will or won’t quickly adapt. Small startups and independent filmmakers, on the other hand, can be more in touch with the underground pulse that could become the mainstream heartbeat, and able to maneuver accordingly. Indie producer Ted Hope isn’t new to adapting to ‘what’s new,’ and is also a vocal indie-industry web presence. On his own blog and through a Reddit AMA he and few other cast/crew members held for the newly VHX-released Dark Horse, Ted has highlighted several key things up and coming filmmakers should be keeping in mind — including why DRM has to go. (more…)

'Indie Game: The Movie' Case Study: You Don't Have to Be Louis C.K. to Successfully Self-Distribute

Guest Author — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 20:01:50 +0000

We’ve talked about a number of success stories involving self-distribution on this site, from Louie C.K. to Aziz Ansari (who both also happen to already be famous and successful). What if you’re not famous, however, and your name isn’t already plastered on billboards? That’s exactly the case with a film we’ve featured on this site before, Indie Game: The Movie. The filmmakers, Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky, self-distributed their film and chronicled their success in a case study (part of which we’re featuring below), wherein they discuss what it takes to get yourself and your movie out there.

This is a guest post from Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky, the Directors/Producers of the film. (more…)

'Indie Game: The Movie' Premieres Online with DRM-Free Download from Indie Startup VHX

Ryan Koo — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 19:06:28 +0000

I mentioned recently how big a fan I am of the feature doc Indie Game: The Movie, and today they premiered the film for everyone online, with a DRM-free download served up by indie film distribution startup VHX. Check out the trailer for Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky’s doc on indie creativity in the gaming world, and notice the all-important “buy it now” button at the bottom of the trailer, “straight from the filmmakers:” (more…)