But no distribution deal resulted, and Sokolow and Lobl, both still determined on film careers, began to fear that their movie might never reach a wide audience. We see so many great movies made by people who have mortgaged their lives to make it, but the only ones who will ever see it are the 200 people at the festival. As frustrated as they were with the film industry, Sokolow and Lobl weren't about to give up on The Definite Maybe. They also hired iFilm, an online company that markets independent films, to show a trailer for their movie on the Internet and to link viewers to Amazon Advantage. But Miramax might change all your music, cut out 20 minutes, or play with your punch lines.
Every filmmaker is afraid of that.
Coco Jones, senior vice president of marketing at iFilm, believes that the Internet will democratize the independent film industry, because it makes the work of filmmakers who insist on retaining artistic control accessible to film audiences. I know filmmakers who are dead broke but are getting their movies out there. The Internet could change the way a very small number of film companies have been able to bottleneck the industry. Sokolow, who now pays his bills doing freelance production work in New York, and Lobl are still optimistic that their film will make money. Two weeks ago their story was told in the New York Post, and Sokolow says Time and Vanity Fair have since called for interviews.