Some of the sites also host full-length feature films that people can watch online or download to a DVD and watch on their VCRs. It's not just unknown filmmakers who are interested in film on the Web. For two amazing weeks last March, the seven-minute animated film streamed continuously on the Web. Globix, the company that hosted the streaming effort, says the film was viewed by 28,000 people. Wedge, who is co-founder of Blue Sky Studios, notes that without the streaming, very few people would have ever seen the film prior to the awards ceremony.
Film distribution is set up for release through major studios.
Just as the Internet is democratizing publishing, it is probably going to do the same for filmmaking. Up until this year, the big studios have been ignoring film-related Net activity. It really took that to break through to the traditional film industry. Now they're all calling and asking how they can make money from this. Cheever says this was the first time other than at Cannes that Hollywood's elite made the effort to show up.